Maribel Quest More - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

>Walk up to them
>"Hey there. I see she seems to have calmed down a little."
>"I just came to ask you a question, this time. A little ironic, given our last discussion. Do you know how I can get to Hakugyukurou? I want to speak with the ghost princess."

>You walk down the path to the Shrine. Reimu glances at you. "Oh, you again," she says.
>"Yeah, I kind of told her she could sit on my lap if she would calm down for a little bit."
>You ask he for directions to Hakugyokurou. Her eyes narrow a bit. "What do you need to know that for? No reason for people to be going around there."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I said that I wished to speak with the ghost princess. Is there some harm in doing so? Have I breached some protocol? I'm sorry, I'm not really familiar with the rules about there, here."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I said that I wished to speak with the ghost princess. Is there some harm in doing so? Have I breached some protocol? I'm sorry, I'm not really familiar with the rules about there, here."

>"It's not a good idea to go to the land of the dead without a good reason," says Reimu. "You have a good reason to bother Yuyuko, or are you just trying to show up for evening tea?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, Byakuren suggested she might be able to help me find something. I wouldn't mean to bother her."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, Byakuren suggested she might be able to help me find something. I wouldn't mean to bother her."

"Oh, so Byakuren said it so it's all okay," Reimu mutters. "Fine. You'll just ask someone else anyway. Follow the north road past the farms and past the hill with all the lilies, then turn east until you find the mountains. If you're on foot. you'll be looking for a narrow pass to the north. If you're flying, you'll be looking for a break in the peaks with four huge columns. Okay? And this is supposed to be kind of secret, so people don't go chasing after dead relatives and messing everything up. And don't linger at the edge, the barrier there is in lousy shape anymore."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Thank you very much. And I have no intention of spreading this around, or interfering with the cycle of death, I assure you."

>"Oh, um... perhaps I should leave this here with you, for the moment? In case they somehow notice and it draws suspicion."
>Take out the ghost-sealing jar

[Hello Purvis]

>"Thank you very much. And I have no intention of spreading this around, or interfering with the cycle of death, I assure you."

>"Oh, um... perhaps I should leave this here with you, for the moment? In case they somehow notice and it draws suspicion."
>Take out the ghost-sealing jar

>"Yeah yeah, don't make me regret it," Reimu says. "And just leave the jar by the torii, no one's going to snatch it."
>Plum Flower flops over, and makes a sound that is suspiciously akin to a purr.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Thanks again."
>Leave the jar where she indicated
>Follow her directions to Hakugyokurou. Try to take an aerial route, at least around the hill with the lilies, given the warning we were previously given about its occupant.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Thanks again."
>Leave the jar where she indicated
>Follow her directions to Hakugyokurou. Try to take an aerial route, at least around the hill with the lilies, given the warning we were previously given about its occupant.

>She nods. "You're welcome. Hey, if you see an oni out there, little one with two horns, tell her not to swat the faerie when she gets back."
>You leave the jar where indicated. It looks amusingly rustic!
>You follow the route that Reimu indicated, going along the north road toward the Garden of the Sun and the Sanzu River. You see the hill of lilies readily enough, and turn east. The mountains linger up ahead, the same range that has dominated practically your whole eastern view of Gensokyo.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Look for the break in the peaks that Reimu indicated and go there

[Hello Purvis]

>You search around for a bit, looking for what would qualify as a break in the peaks.
>There it is, a spot not filled with mountains. In the distance, you can see what looks like columns of some sort?

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Head towards those columns

[Hello Purvis]

>Head towards those columns

>You fly toward the columns. As you do, you begin to see the a huge shape looming in the shadows. Stretched between two mountain peaks, it it will hidden from sight at most angles, particularly in the light of the setting sun. Drawing closer, you see it is...a set of doors? Looming past the columns, they are easily as large as the mountains around them. You have no idea who or what could open them. You can see a faint kind of distortion in the air in front of them, rotating in a kind of circular motion.
>It is fairly cool here, you're starting to regret your shorter than usual dress.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Continue onward, over the door

[Hello Purvis]

>Continue onward, over the door

>You continue onward, ascending to fly over the immense door. As you do, the air begins to feel a bit thin. You have a curious sensation, something akin to losing your balance. But, you're not really balanced on anything, you don't quite understand it. Still, your flight feels a bit precarious.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Continue carefully upward over the door
>Be ready to catch ourselves if it feels we're going to fall
>Land safely on the other side

[Hello Purvis]

>Continue carefully upward over the door
>Be ready to catch ourselves if it feels we're going to fall
>Land safely on the other side

>You keep going upward, taking it slow and easy. Soon enough, you've reached an altitude that will take you over the door. Flying ahead carrying, you soon pass over it, and can see a long path below you, cutting between the two peaks. As you descend down, feeling secure in your balance again, you can see it is a long stairway, leading eastwards.
>The air here feels different, and somewhat colder.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Continue up the staircase
>If flight still seems possible, save ourselves a little effort and hover up them

[Hello Purvis]

>Continue up the staircase
>If flight still seems possible, save ourselves a little effort and hover up them

>You continue eastward up the staircase. After a moment, you decide to hover up them, which saves a great deal of wear and tear on your legs, and is significantly faster!
>Soon, the mountains give way to a vast forest around you. Up above, stars sparkle in the sky. A little of Renko's astronomy knowledge has rubbed up off on you over the years, and you find yourself scanning the sky for stars and constellations you recognize. You don't see any, the sky is completely unfamiliar to you. Past the mountains, the stairs continue upward, rising following a hillside and raising over the forest. Looking toward the forest, you can see it is thick and verdant, making you think of a healthier version of the Forest of Magic. You can see ghosts flitting about within it. Thankfully, none of them seem to be hostile, but you still feel a great deal of wariness after your last encounter with them.
>Up ahead, you see a woman in a green dress on the stairs. "Why have are you here?" she calls out, her tone conversational.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Bow our head politely
>"I've come seeking an audience with the ghost princess."

[Hello Purvis]

>Bow our head politely
>"I've come seeking an audience with the ghost princess."

>She returns the gesture.
>"I am afraid Lady Yuyuko cannot just give her time to just any person who comes. What reason do you have?"
>Getting closer, you notice she is a little on the short side, and definitely wearing a set of swords. She also seems to have a ghost flying around her.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I wished to obtain some essence of the Netherworld."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I wished to obtain some essence of the Netherworld."

>The swordswoman frowns. "You are a magician, then?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"An aspiring one, anyway."

[Hello Purvis]

>"An aspiring one, anyway."

>"Have you any proof of good intentions, then?" she asks.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm not sure there can be physical proof of good intentions. Byakuren was the one who informed me to come here. She's given me her trust, and I gather that she's earned a trustworthy reputation herself."
>Are the charms on the bottle that Byakuren gave us potentially distinguishing as having come from her? If so, try showing the bottle.
>"But if there's some other way I could prove I have no bad intentions, please ask it of me."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm not sure there can be physical proof of good intentions. Byakuren was the one who informed me to come here. She's given me her trust, and I gather that she's earned a trustworthy reputation herself."
>Are the charms on the bottle that Byakuren gave us potentially distinguishing as having come from her? If so, try showing the bottle.
>"But if there's some other way I could prove I have no bad intentions, please ask it of me."

>"I'm not familiar with the name," says the swordswoman, as she approaches to examine your jar. "These are properly inscribed sutras, though. Hmmm. I suppose if I have your word you mean no harm to Hakugyokurou, I suppose I could at least see if Lady Yuyuko is interested in seeing you."
>She starts up the stairs after handing you back your jar, waving for you to follow.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Thank you most kindly."
>Follow along

[Hello Purvis]

>"Thank you most kindly."
>Follow along

>The Swordswoman leads you up the stairway.  As she does, another ghost draws close to her. She makes a few gestures toward it, and it speeds ahead. "Please forgive my cautiousness, I have been missing for a few months, and Lady Yuyuko has told me some very interesting tales of what has happened while I was gone. We fear the incident may repeat itself, so it is necessary that we be wary until we know more."
>You soon reach the top of the staircase, and find yourself at the gates of an enormous palace. Its wooden structure stretches as far as you can see, dotted with pagoda-style towers that look almost like medieval skyscrapers. You have no idea how large it is, but it must cover several square kilometers at least! The scale of it makes you think of pictures you've seen of the Forbidden City in Beijing, but it's not really a city. The swordswoman leads you ahead toward a sizable gate, standing open. A few ghosts flock around her for a moment.
>"You've struck Lady Yuyuko's curiosity," she says.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I'll hope that's a good thing."