Keine Quest (Part 2): Broken History

[Hello Purvis]

>"Ah, do you think they ceiling will hold, Suika?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Ah, do you think they ceiling will hold, Suika?"

>She stares at the ceiling thoughtfully for a few moments, then shrugs. "Who knows?" she says, grinning at you.

[Hello Purvis]

>"I think we'll just draw back a bit, then."
>Proceed!

[DracoOmega]

>"I think we'll just draw back a bit, then."
>Proceed!

>"And miss all the fun?" Suika says.
>Which direction do you wish to withdraw to?

[Hello Purvis]

>Back down the tunnel Suika recently dug.
>Hold the front of our dress this time.

[DracoOmega]

>Back down the tunnel Suika recently dug.
>Hold the front of our dress this time.

>You move back down the tunnel, holding your dress to keep it out of the water this time. It's nice to be able to stand up, again. You've barely gotten to your feet before you hear more pounding, and feel the ground shake underneath you.

[Doll.S CUBE]

> Wait for the shaking to stop again and then go check to see if Suika's finished.

[Hello Purvis]

>Failing that, listen for cries of dismay or sounds that aren't stone being beaten to death.

[DracoOmega]

> Wait for the shaking to stop again and then go check to see if Suika's finished.

>Failing that, listen for cries of dismay or sounds that aren't stone being beaten to death.

>You decide to sit out the continuous micro-earthquakes and wait until the coast seems clear.
>Mokou looks towards the tunnel and sighs. "Well, she's got enthusiasm, anyway. Not sure what else she's got."
>"She's kinda scary," Rumia comments, still frowning a little at all the shaking. "But she always looks happy, aaaand she gave us food! So she can't really be bad!"
>After a little while, you think you start to hear a different kind of noise, coming from the tunnel. It sounds like... multiple voices quietly humming.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Let's move."
>Back into the new tunnel!

[DracoOmega]

>"Let's move."
>Back into the new tunnel!

>You move to enter the tunnel again, when the pounding resumes. You can still something resembling voices getting closer, though.

[Kasu]

> Investigate.
> Try not to get hit by debris.

[DracoOmega]

> Investigate.
> Try not to get hit by debris.

>You take a look into the tunnel and see.... a whole group of miniature Suikas flying out of it, carrying what look like chunks of rock fused together. The rocks are so much larger than them that it makes a rather comical looking procession. The fact that they're all humming to themselves while they do so doesn't help matters.
>"What the-" Mokou says, upon seeing them fly out of the tunnel. Rumia stares at them, wide-eyed.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Uh. Is it alright in there?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Uh. Is it alright in there?"

>You think you may have seen one of them nod to you, but you're not certain. They don't appear to be paying much attention to you.
>The mini-Suikas fly to the edge of the path and drop their cargo over the edge below, then return towards the tunnel. The rocks hit the bottom with an impact that seems entirely disproportional to their size.
>Rumia pokes one of them as it passes her by. It seems to giggle, and Rumia follows suit.

[Hello Purvis]

>Well, it's not collapsed yet. Follow them back up to the river.

[DracoOmega]

>Well, it's not collapsed yet. Follow them back up to the river.

>You follow the mini-Suikas back up the tunnel, and see a pile of debris gathered near the intersection with the river. The mini-Suikas gather more of it, and move back the way you came, navigating around you without paying much attention to you. From the noise, Suika's still going at it, although she's out of sight, now. You can see more bits of rock tumble out of a new passageway with each impact. The pile of debris actually makes getting closer somewhat tricky at the moment, given that you're significantly larger than the Suikas.

[Hello Purvis]

>Slip through toward the left side, and land if the water seems shallow enough.

[DracoOmega]

>Slip through toward the left side, and land if the water seems shallow enough.

>With some effort, you manage to squeeze through the pile of rocks. The water is more than shallow enough to land, on this side, but as the ceiling is about 3 feet above the floor, you're not going to be able to manage more than a crouch.

[Hello Purvis]

>We won't worry about that, then. Just stretch out in midair and hover, then observe progress.

[DracoOmega]

>We won't worry about that, then. Just stretch out in midair and hover, then observe progress.

>You continue to keep an eye on progress, without getting close enough to be hit by falling rocks. Suika seems to have something of an assembly line going. Rocks and other debris falls down the shaft she's disappeared into, and the mini-Suikas carry it away, humming cheerfully. One curious thing is that the amount of rock falling down seems to be much less than should logically be created by digging a passage that wide.

[Hello Purvis]

>Ponder if the rest has been turned into dust.

[DracoOmega]

>Ponder if the rest has been turned into dust.

>That... might be possible, you admit. You certainly never, ever want to be on the receiving end of those arms for as long as you live. Surely even her hands must be sore after all this?
>You note the pounding noises stop. The procession of debris removal continues, however.

[Hello Purvis]

>If we can, glance into the new tunnel.

[DracoOmega]

>If we can, glance into the new tunnel.

>You poke your head around the edge of the tunnel... and narrowly avoid a falling chunk of rock! It lands with a heavy thud next to you.
>The tunnel proceeds upwards at a sharp angle, its outline rather jagged and rough. Still, you should be able to fly up it without scraping yourself. You don't see any light or open area at the other end, but you do see Suika's form, a decent way in the distance.

[Hello Purvis]

>"How's it going?"

[DracoOmega]

>"How's it going?"

>"I think I found something," she calls out. She actually sounds rather winded. You're not sure whether to be surprised or relieved by that.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Let me have a look."
>Presuming she doesn't get back to work, fly in there and see.

[DracoOmega]

>"Let me have a look."
>Presuming she doesn't get back to work, fly in there and see.

>"Sure," she says, moving off to the side, and flopping against the wall.
>You fly up and have a closer look. It seems that her digging has intersected another existing tunnel, smooth and vertical. There appears to be water below you, and above... is that the sky?

[Hello Purvis]

>Grin.
>Check the seeking stone.