(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 11)

[DracoOmega]

>Does fire feel hot?
>That's her with the hair, ain't it.

>To your senses while dowsing, it is no more hot than the sound of fire would be to your ears, but there is a certain chaotic forcefulness to the vibrations it produces that is moderately distinctive. This is not to say that every fire spell is exactly like this and the more subtle or controlled tend to be less readily distinguishable. If you had to guess, you'd venture that what you sensed earlier was something explosive in nature.
>On second glance, that is almost certainly Dai. She must have walked right past you while you were concentrating; you virtually missed her.

[Oldmansour]

>Flag her down. Quickly.

[DracoOmega]

>Flag her down. Quickly.

>You quickly call out for the fairy's attention. She turns her head towards the sound and her eyes widen slightly in surprise when she sees you; she glances nervously at your ears and frowns.
>"I, um... I hope everything's alright?" she asks.

[Hanzo K.]

>Chuckle. "Better than earlier at least. I hear you live around that fairy village out near Isir's Cross, so I figured you might be able to help a bit more. See, there's supposed to be this supposedly mythical garden out past that neck of the woods, guarded by some kinda ancient youkai. from what i hear, it has all kinds of flowers in bloom there all year round, even ones that only bloom once every so many years."

[DracoOmega]

>Chuckle. "Better than earlier at least. I hear you live around that fairy village out near Isir's Cross, so I figured you might be able to help a bit more. See, there's supposed to be this supposedly mythical garden out past that neck of the woods, guarded by some kinda ancient youkai. from what i hear, it has all kinds of flowers in bloom there all year round, even ones that only bloom once every so many years."

>The fairy's expression goes through a series of variations on nervousness as you cut straight to the heart of the matter, from a slight easing of her initial tension to a wary uncertainty and then an even deeper disquiet than she started with. Her eyes stand wide and timorous.
>"Y- Yuka's?" Dai's voice wavers slightly.

[Hanzo K.]

>Raise an eyebrow. "So it's not just a legend, huh? See, I have to find this flower that blooms every seven years, but it's not due up for quite a while, and I kinda need it soon for the cure to a disease that's been causing a lot of trouble back home."
>Sigh. "Sorry if this puts you off or anything though."

[DracoOmega]

>Raise an eyebrow. "So it's not just a legend, huh? See, I have to find this flower that blooms every seven years, but it's not due up for quite a while, and I kinda need it soon for the cure to a disease that's been causing a lot of trouble back home."
>Sigh. "Sorry if this puts you off or anything though."

>Dai shakes her head, though the disquiet on her face does not fade. "No, it's okay. It's just that she's... a very frightening person."

[Oldmansour]

>"You haven't met her, have you?"

[DracoOmega]

>"You haven't met her, have you?"

>"No, I haven't," she says. "But I've heard... stories."

[Oldmansour]

>"I gather most of them ain't exactly bedtime stories."

[DracoOmega]

>"I gather most of them ain't exactly bedtime stories."

>She shakes her head again.

[Oldmansour]

>"So I guess you must think I've gone a bit loose in the head if I say I need to find her and ask her help."

[DracoOmega]

>"So I guess you must think I've gone a bit loose in the head if I say I need to find her and ask her help."

>Dai gives you a fretful frown. "I- I wouldn't say that, but I don't... think she'll want to help you."

[Oldmansour]

>"I'll worry about that when I get there. It's the 'getting there' part that has me a bit stumped at the moment."

[DracoOmega]

>"I'll worry about that when I get there. It's the 'getting there' part that has me a bit stumped at the moment."

>"You... want to know where she is, don't you?" The fairy looks at you pensively.

[Oldmansour]

>Nod seriously.

[DracoOmega]

>Nod seriously.

>You nod in earnest. This does little to lighten the fairy's expression. She frowns in silence for a few moments, then looks up at you with uncertain eyes.
>"I don't know for sure," she says. "But I... I don't think you should try to find her."

[Oldmansour]

>"I don't think I have any choice."

[DracoOmega]

>"I don't think I have any choice."

>She frowns. "Are you sure of that?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I have to find a flower that won't be found anywhere else for another three years. If I had some Bittercress seeds, that would be okay, too. But I don't. "

[DracoOmega]

>"I have to find a flower that won't be found anywhere else for another three years. If I had some Bittercress seeds, that would be okay, too. But I don't. "

>"The seeds are just as good?" she asks.

[Oldmansour]

>"I think so, anyway. I'd sooner have the flower itself, but if I have to, I think I can make do with the seeds."

[DracoOmega]

>"I think so, anyway. I'd sooner have the flower itself, but if I have to, I think I can make do with the seeds."

>The fairy pauses a moment. "Well, can't you find any of them somewhere in the city? I- I didn't mean to say you hadn't thought of that!" she adds hastily.

[Oldmansour]

>"I intend to try. But from what I've gathered, my chances aren't good."
>Rub the bridge of our nose and sigh a little. "Story of my life, really."
>"That's why I think I need to meet this Yuuka youkai. Either with the seeds or the flowers, she may well be the only person on this continent that can give me what I need, in this time I have to get it."

[DracoOmega]

>"I intend to try. But from what I've gathered, my chances aren't good."
>Rub the bridge of our nose and sigh a little. "Story of my life, really."
>"That's why I think I need to meet this Yuuka youkai. Either with the seeds or the flowers, she may well be the only person on this continent that can give me what I need, in this time I have to get it."

>Dai tries to muster the wherewithall to offer a sympathetic frown as you bemoan your recent luck, though her expression is still clearly conflicted.
>"I didn't think bittercress was really that rare," she says. "I'm sure there's someone in town who can sell you a few seeds. And I'm sure that would be... safer than asking Yuka." She frowns again.

[Oldmansour]

>"I think it's more a matter of the time of year. I think, I ain't an expert on plants. I do plan to scour greenhouses and such around town, but if I come up dry, well..."

[DracoOmega]

>"I think it's more a matter of the time of year. I think, I ain't an expert on plants. I do plan to scour greenhouses and such around town, but if I come up dry, well..."

>"I think you should try that first," she says tentatively.

[Oldmansour]

>"I intend to. Believe me, I'm in no hurry to face another dangerous youkai on her home turf, not after the last time I tried. But like I said, if I come up dry here, then that leaves me with pretty much the one option. So, even if you don't know exactly where this garden is, then giving me an idea would be one more idea than I've got."
>"I realize that she may be dangerous, but trust me when I say, it's important that I find this plant."

[DracoOmega]

Hello, everyone! (For modest values of 'everyone'). I apologize for leaving Nazrin Quest hanging without an update for this long and I'm afraid I'm not here to offer you one now, either. Rather, I wanted to inform everyone of why things have fallen silence. As I know some of you already suspect, I have decided to put Nazrin Quest on hiatus for the time-being. This is most certainly not due to a loss of interest on my part and I fully intend to resume it at some point in the future. Unfortunately, due to certain circumstances outside the game, I have decided that it's for the best if I take this responsibility off my plate for a little while - a responsibility that I have sometimes taken overly seriously, I should point out, whether or not this has come through in my writing.

For those of you still engaged and invested in the storyline, I do apologize; I understand what it's like to be on the other side of updates that are sometimes sporadic and then threaten to disappear altogether. For what it's worth, I wish that the running of this had been smoother on several fronts; not only regarding the intermittent delays, but the level of struggle and time consumed by many in-world problems was considerably greater than planned or anticipated and I'm sure this was sometimes not entirely pleasant as a player. On that front, if you'd like (though feel no obligation to do so!) feel free to offer some feedback or constructive criticism regarding the quest and your experience therein; I am considering some slight format changes upon the quest's resumption and anything you felt like mentioning would be taken under advisement in that regard.

Though either way, and however long it may take, you can be certain that I intend to see Nazrin safely to her answer, so please wait warmly!

[Hanzo K.]

Eh, s'alright. You gotta do what you gotta do. I once had to put Youkai Quest on hiatus myself when my laptop broke.
Speaking of which, I should update that sometime today.

...Anyhow, good luck with whatever it is you're up to man!