Kisume Quest IX - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> Tilt ourselves and our bucket forward so the contents are visible to Yamame.
> "Oh, there's a whole lot more to it than that."

>"Whoa, are you okay?" she says. "That's a lotta blood!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I will be, and it is. There's a pretty good story to be told. But first, I need a huge favor from you."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I will be, and it is. There's a pretty good story to be told. But first, I need a huge favor from you."

>"Uh, what favor?" says Yamame.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Deep breath.
> "I need you to come topside with me and meet my parents."

[Hello Purvis]

> Deep breath.
> "I need you to come topside with me and meet my parents."

>"Whoa there, buddy," Yamame says, frowning. "You have parents?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Frown ourselves.
> "I don't like talking about it or having anything to do with them that I don't absolutely have to. You ever noticed I never told you my family name? But things have come up in the last day, and I don't have much of a choice."

[Hello Purvis]

> Frown ourselves.
> "I don't like talking about it or having anything to do with them that I don't absolutely have to. You ever noticed I never told you my family name? But things have come up in the last day, and I don't have much of a choice."

>"I thought you just sort of appeared one day," says Yamame with a shrug. "Um, I guess I can come, buddy."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Great. Let me know when you're ready."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Great. Let me know when you're ready."

>"Guess I can go right now," says Yamame. "Don't have a whole lot lined up today, y'know?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Okay. We'll need to go to Yukari's place first, since she's acquiring some cargo for me that needs to be shipped to my folks. Once we're all gathered, she'll be sending us to where we need to go. I hope that's okay."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Okay. We'll need to go to Yukari's place first, since she's acquiring some cargo for me that needs to be shipped to my folks. Once we're all gathered, she'll be sending us to where we need to go. I hope that's okay."

>"You're all tangled up with Yukari?" says Yamame, as she stands up and takes another bite of her roll. "Wow, buddy, you've been living dangerously."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Smirk.
> "You have no idea. Let's go."

[Hello Purvis]

> Smirk.
> "You have no idea. Let's go."

>"Right behind ya, buddy," says Yamame.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Head back out to topside and toward Yukari's pad. We should know where it is, given we just came from it.

[Hello Purvis]

> Head back out to topside and toward Yukari's pad. We should know where it is, given we just came from it.

>You make your way back toward the surface with Yamame in tow. The trip back to Yukari's home is a little slower than you'd like, Yamame insists upon skirting around the edge of the Forest of Magic rather than going directly over it, claiming she doesn't trust the faeries there. Regardless, you make your way back to the plains, and follow the straight course back to Yukari's home.
>Approaching the house, you can make out Yukari's form standing near the road, looking eastward. She doesn't seem to react to your approach from the southeast at all until you come within a few yards of her and she says, "Welcome back. I see that Miss Iburaki has chosen not to return."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "She's telling the red-white what happened, so I have my friend here instead. It's not a big deal, I figured she'd be antsy. How'd things go for you?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "She's telling the red-white what happened, so I have my friend here instead. It's not a big deal, I figured she'd be antsy. How'd things go for you?"

>"Uh, hi," says Yamame.
>"Things were a bit trickier than I had anticipated," says Yukari, "But, in the end, everything has been handled. The soldiers are back home, the machine has been dealt with. The Emperor is presently getting used to his new home. Unfortunately, Yuugi didn't want him. She said that that her significant others wouldn't tolerate it. But, the other Deva was all too happy to take him."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "The soldiers are back home? You could do that without the machine?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "The soldiers are back home? You could do that without the machine?"

>"It's a little difficult," says Yukari, "But I was able to find it."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Wow. Okay. What about Sariel and the machine woman?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Wow. Okay. What about Sariel and the machine woman?"

>"I have them set aside," says Yukari. "Would you like them now?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Depends. Would it be easier on you to deposit them here now, or deposit them at our next destination after we get there?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Depends. Would it be easier on you to deposit them here now, or deposit them at our next destination after we get there?"

>"There's not much difference," says Yukari. "I am willing to indulge either."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Then let's drop them off there instead of making a stopover here."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Then let's drop them off there instead of making a stopover here."

>Yukari nods. "Very well, shall we be on our way?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Sure. Do I need to close my eyes again?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Sure. Do I need to close my eyes again?"

>"Yes, both of you," says Yukari.
>"Um, okay," says Yamame, who goes an extra step and covers her face with her hands.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Close our eyes, take a deep breath,and steel ourselves for what we're about to do to ourselves.

[Hello Purvis]

> Close our eyes, take a deep breath,and steel ourselves for what we're about to do to ourselves.

>You close your eyes and prepare yourself. You never really intended to go back, but in some part of your mind, you knew it was inevitable.  But you're ready, you have to be. You're a hero now, aren't you? What can they say about that? Well, plenty... but at least you'll have things to say right back about it.  You have no regrets about yourself, even if they think you should...
>Yukari asks you to float forward, and you do. Then you stagger a bit as Yamame bumps into your side. "Sorry, pal!" she says, but her voice is quickly lost in a babble of other voices, while the smells of various foods tickle your nose.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> A lovable oaf to the end, that one is.
> We saw how Kasen was in bad shape after that trip. Keep our eyes closed, keep moving forward.