Ran Quest: A Z-Machine Sidestory

[MysTeariousYukari]

> Sigh, then face the direction we noticed the movement in.

[Hello Purvis]

> Sigh, then face the direction we noticed the movement in.

>You sigh, and turn around. This getting a little frustrating.
>Oh. There's a floating orb of light, about as wide as your shoulders,  hovering over Yukari.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"Would you care to explain yourself, uh... shiny-san?"
>Oh hell. Be ready to violence if it really threatens Yukari.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Would you care to explain yourself, uh... shiny-san?"
>Oh hell. Be ready to violence if it really threatens Yukari.

>It makes a little figure eight in the air. You're not sure if that's a response.
>So far, it doesn't seem to be threatening her.

>_

[MysTeariousYukari]

> "Well, she is sleeping right now, so please don't bother her. If you wish to talk to me, I'm very willing to listen. I'd rather be your friend then your enemy."
> "Wild guess here, are you a friend of Ichirin or Murasa?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Well, she is sleeping right now, so please don't bother her. If you wish to talk to me, I'm very willing to listen. I'd rather be your friend then your enemy."
> "Wild guess here, are you a friend of Ichirin or Murasa?"

>It doesn't respond, it just continues to make figure eights in the air.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"Could you move away from Yukari, please? She's been sleeping fitfully."
>Are floating lights like these remotely common or plausible? Seems more like an illusion, now. But of what kind?

[Hello Purvis]

>"Could you move away from Yukari, please? She's been sleeping fitfully."
>Are floating lights like these remotely common or plausible? Seems more like an illusion, now. But of what kind?

>It stops. You don't know what this signifies in Orb Language.
>You...don't think they're common. But there's all sorts of things that are plausible. It could be an illusion, though.

>_

[MysTeariousYukari]

> Slowly reach out to touch the Orb of Light.

[Hello Purvis]

> Slowly reach out to touch the Orb of Light.

>You reach out to touch the orb.
>The world seems to explode into danmaku, and you catch a fair amount of it with your face and fall back.

>_

[Seian Verian]

> Reflexively fly as far away as possible as quickly as possible.
> Suddenly remember Yukari.
> "...Crap."

[Hello Purvis]

> Reflexively fly as far away as possible as quickly as possible.
> Suddenly remember Yukari.
> "...Crap."

>You fly back out of well-practiced instinct, regaining your footing at the far side of the ship.
>The orb is still floating over Yukari, tossing out waves of danmaku. You think you can pick your way through it. Yukari, being directly under it, seems to be safe.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>as in, it's not firing downwards, or somehow she hasn't gotten hit yet?
>focus on predicting and avoiding the danmaku, see what this thing's up to

[Hello Purvis]

>as in, it's not firing downwards, or somehow she hasn't gotten hit yet?
>focus on predicting and avoiding the danmaku, see what this thing's up to

>The former.
>You dodge around a  few volleys.
>"What's going on down there!?" Murasa shouts.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"Something kept taunting my field of vision for a while, then turned into some kind of orb of light and attacked when I tried to touch it!"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Something kept taunting my field of vision for a while, then turned into some kind of orb of light and attacked when I tried to touch it!"

>"What!?"
>The orb suddenly streaks toward the stairs!

>_

[MysTeariousYukari]

> "Their! That, whatever it may be, is the Orb I meant." Point towards where we saw the Orb go.

[Hello Purvis]

> "Their! That, whatever it may be, is the Orb I meant." Point towards where we saw the Orb go.

>By the time you say all that, it is long gone. But at the same time, you hear Murasa cry, "What the-!?" So it seems like she found it anyway.

>_

[MysTeariousYukari]

> "What, may I ask, was that thing, if you know?"
> "Shall we chase it?"
> "Oh, Yukari!" Walk over to Yukari, make sure shes still sleeping and is cozy.

[Hello Purvis]

>The shouting above decks leads you to believe Murasa didn't hear you.
>You realize you've left Yukari unattended! Quickly, you go to make sure she is alright.
>Yukari is a bit more wound up in the blanket, and muttering to herself too softly to easily overhear due to the chaos outside.

>_

[Seian Verian]

> Go up and check to see what's going on up above
> If our help does not appear to be urgently needed, then quickly return to Yukari after doing this.

[Hello Purvis]

> Go up and check to see what's going on up above
> If our help does not appear to be urgently needed, then quickly return to Yukari after doing this.

>You go abovedecks, and find Murasa and Ichirin standing at the edge of the ship, looking at a small point of light in the distance. The faeries continue their battle.
>Given that the two of them see to be fine, you return to Yukari's side.

>_

[Seian Verian]

> Wait for something to happen

[Hello Purvis]

> Wait for something to happen

>You don't have to wait long. Murasa comes belowdecks after a couple minutes. "That wasn't you, right?"

>_

[MysTeariousYukari]

> "What do you mean? Did something happen?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "What do you mean? Did something happen?"

>"Just that light thing that came screamin' out of here happened!" says Murasa. "You saw it, right? I heard you raising a fuss, then...whoosh."

>_

[MysTeariousYukari]

> "Yes, I saw that light, and the many bullets it fired into me, didn't I mention it to you when you came down here?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Yes, I saw that light, and the many bullets it fired into me, didn't I mention it to you when you came down here?"

>"No you didn't," says Murasa. "I just came down here a second ago, too. Sure you're okay? I hear some people don't take danmaku well."

[MysTeariousYukari]

> "That's odd, either your right and it knocked me around, you have a clone on the ship you didn't mention, or theirs a shape-shifting youkai around here, quite possibly that ball of light I saw. I'm feeling fine, and I doubt you have a clone or an identical twin."

[Hello Purvis]

> "That's odd, either your right and it knocked me around, you have a clone on the ship you didn't mention, or theirs a shape-shifting youkai around here, quite possibly that ball of light I saw. I'm feeling fine, and I doubt you have a clone or an identical twin."

>"I know a trick, kinda," says Murasa, "But yeah, I just shouted down there when I head the ruckus."
>She looks around. "But anyways, what was that thing?"

>_