Keine Quest (Part 2): Broken History

[Hello Purvis]

>Have a sip.
>"Well, we have a back-up plan for that. But for now, Let's focus on getting to the place."
>Present Suika the compass.
>"As I said, this should point us in the right direction. And it should be easy to tell how close we are by how much it shifts when we take a few steps."

[DracoOmega]

>Have a sip.
>"Well, we have a back-up plan for that. But for now, Let's focus on getting to the place."
>Present Suika the compass.
>"As I said, this should point us in the right direction. And it should be easy to tell how close we are by how much it shifts when we take a few steps."

>Suika peers at the compass from one angle, then another, then turns towards the direction it's currently pointing.
>"Might be able to get us pretty close," she says. "We can figure out the rest when we're there."

[Hello Purvis]

>"How far do you think it is? It may be faster for us to go secure that back-up plan first, if you have no good way through the rock."

[DracoOmega]

>"How far do you think it is? It may be faster for us to go secure that back-up plan first, if you have no good way through the rock."

>"I can think of a few ways." Suika flexes. Her stature makes the gesture more comical than imposing. Not that you aren't fully aware of how irrelevant that is in her case. "And what backup?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"If you can't get through, we'll simply have to rescue Utsuho and have her do it. And, how long would these ways take?"

[DracoOmega]

>"If you can't get through, we'll simply have to rescue Utsuho and have her do it. And, how long would these ways take?"

>"How'm I supposed to know how far away something is from where the compass is pointing? And we'll just have to wait and see, won't we? Should be fine as long as I don't bring the whole cave down on top of us." She laughs. Mokou throws you a look that all but screams "And this is your plan?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Very well. The important part is, we get it done tonight."

[DracoOmega]

>"Very well. The important part is, we get it done tonight."

>Suika rubs her hands together. "A double challange!"

[Hello Purvis]

>Ponder Suika's record for doing the apparently impossible.

[DracoOmega]

>Ponder Suika's record for doing the apparently impossible.

>Outside of the feast incident, you hadn't really known her to do anything much, aside from laze about and enjoy herself. However, her strength was reportedly enormous; she simply rarely chose to exercise it. She'd once even claimed she could tear a mountain down with her bare hands. Given that oni aren't prone to lying, this might even be true. So getting through the rock mightn't be a problem. Surviving the trip... well, she seems enthusiastic, anyway. Hopefully that's meant to be encouraging....

[Hello Purvis]

>"Very well, Suika, I shall expect to see the Deva of the mountain in action!"

[DracoOmega]

>"Very well, Suika, I shall expect to see the Deva of the mountain in action!"

>She thumps her chest and smiles. "It's a rare opportunity. You should feel honored!" She takes a giant gulp of her sake. In fact, you begin to wonder if she's going to run out of breath entirely. At length she puts it aside, and takes a big breath. "Ok, you people!" she calls out. "Keep the party going without me!"
>"Ok," she says, turning back to you. "Let's get going!"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Let's."
>Infectious confidence!
>Follow after her!

[DracoOmega]

>"Let's."

>Suika nods and heads off towards the other end of the city.

>Infectious confidence!

>You allow yourself to feel hopeful about your chances. This may be the most success you've had all night! Mokou clearly seems dubious, but at the moment you're not even going to worry about that. This'll work.

>Follow after her!

>You move to follow after Suika.
>"Well, if you're straightened away," Orin says, "I'll head home, now. And, uh, good luck up there. Hopefully you can fix what you're after."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Thank you, Orin. Although we're parting, I've not forgotten about Utsuho. I will do what I can to help you, still. Thank you for taking this us this far.
>Depart.
>Grin Mokou a grin. We're doing this!

[DracoOmega]

>"Thank you, Orin. Although we're parting, I've not forgotten about Utsuho. I will do what I can to help you, still. Thank you for taking this us this far.

>"I-" A trace of a smile forms on her face, then she nods. "Thank you." She turns and heads back towards the palace.

>Depart.
>Grin Mokou a grin. We're doing this!

>You flash Mokou a grin. She still looks unconvinced. Oh well, we'll work on that.
>Suika leads you out of the city, humming to herself. If you were getting odd looks before, you're getting even more odd ones now. Of course, everyone gives you a relatively wide berth, too. Suika's presence clearly sets you off-limits, even if they have no idea what you're doing there. You eventually leave the city and its inhabitants behind.
>You're in the wide cavernous space that contains the Ancient City. In the distance beyond, you can see a very large tunnel disappear into the distance, and a variety of irregular rock formations and alcoves, some of which seem to contain smaller passages.
>"So me that compass of yours, again," Suika asks.

[Hello Purvis]

>Hand it over.

[DracoOmega]

>Hand it over.

>You hand the seeking stone over to Suika. She takes it and looks at it from one angle, then another, and then back at the caves in front of you.
>"This way," she points, and heads off towards... well, you don't see anything obvious that she's heading towards, but she seems to know where she's going.

[Hello Purvis]

>Follow that oni!

[DracoOmega]

>Follow that oni!

>You follow Suika around a series of rocky outcroppings and into a small rounded tunnel. It bends and twists and branches, and each time Suika takes one of the options without hesitation. You pass by small flows of water, domed chambers, galleries of stalagmites reaching almost to the ceiling, and sudden drop-offs. You try your best to keep track of the path, and how to return, but Suika is marching forward purposefully enough that sometimes it's enough just to keep up with her.
>After a significant time, she stops, holds the seeking stone out at arm's length, and moves it around the room, watching how its direction changes.
>"Getting close now," she says.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Good."
>How are the others holding up?

[DracoOmega]

>"Good."

>Suika nods at you. "Soon the fun part starts!"

>How are the others holding up?

>Rumia is much the same as always. She's spent much of the trip staring wide-eyed at all the scenery she's never seen before.
>Mokou looks a little less grumpy than earlier. You think she's probably happy just to be away from the city. She's still looking at Suika kind of dubiously, though.

[Hello Purvis]

>Does it seem like Suika is doing much to keep an eye out for possibly dangerous things?
>Do that if she doesn't seem to be. Who knows what lives around here?
>Aside from this, just wait for her to find the right spot and do her thing.

[DracoOmega]

>Does it seem like Suika is doing much to keep an eye out for possibly dangerous things?

>If she has been, you haven't caught her doing it. Then again, she probably has reason to think nothing around here could be dangerous to her.

>Do that if she doesn't seem to be. Who knows what lives around here?

>You don't share Suika's carefree attitude about the potential inhabitants of this area. After all, you're quite distant from any habitation, now. Still you haven't seen anything untoward, either.

>Aside from this, just wait for her to find the right spot and do her thing.

>Suika seems to hesitate for a few moments, before choosing a direction again. She takes a passage on the left side of the room, and that ends up twisting substantially to the right after a short distance. A few moments, you emerge into a small chamber that you're relatively sure you were just in a couple minutes ago.
>Suika rubs the back of her head sheepishly. "Um, oops?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"So, the compass made a full circuit?"

[DracoOmega]

>"So, the compass made a full circuit?"

>"Don't think so," Suika says, shaking her head. "Tunnels down here don't go straight, though. Looked like that would get us closer, but it turned away too early."

[Hello Purvis]

>Look around for some other likely tunnels.

[DracoOmega]

>Look around for some other likely tunnels.

>In addition to the tunnel Suika attempted earlier, and the one that you think you arrived to this chamber in the first place through, there are two other exits. One a fair bit to the left of the most direct path, and another almost on the opposite wall.

[Hello Purvis]

>Point them out.
>"What about those two?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Point them out.
>"What about those two?"

>Suika looks at the compass, again. "They're not really pointing the right way, but who knows?"