(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest

[Hello Purvis]

>Grab some sturdy-looking crates.

[DracoOmega]

>Will one of them provide enough of a boost to reach the upper window, or will we need two?

>The open-topped crates are only a little over a foot deep. You aren't even sure if you'd get enough height if you stacked all four usable ones on top of each other.

>Grab some sturdy-looking crates.

>Scanning over the crates, you see four that seem study enough to try standing on; well, one of them is a little iffy, but should probably be ok. You grab two in each hand.

[Oldmansour]

>Return to the fairy fortress with the goods.

[Hello Purvis]

>Look for a good low window, or a hole in the wall, and stack the crates.

[DracoOmega]

>Return to the fairy fortress with the goods.

>You carry the crates back to the abandoned warehouse.

>Look for a good low window, or a hole in the wall, and stack the crates.

>All of the windows seem to be at a single height, high in the wall. You select one that's missing its glass, and set to stacking the crates below it. The four crates stack on top of each other easily enough, and with the wall for support don't seem altogether unstable, although they look like they'd still be a tad precarious to stand on.

[Oldmansour]

>Very carefully ascend the crate-tower.

[DracoOmega]

>Very carefully ascend the crate-tower.

>You cautiously step onto the top of the crate-tower. This is a little awkward, given that the pile is nearly neck-high, and the construction of the crates leaves no way for you to stagger them - at least if you hope for them to bear your weight without immediately collapsing - but you manage to hoist yourself up. The crates sway just a little and you can feel the boards beneath your feet sag. You frown a little. Still, you should be able to remain upright as long as you aren't required to do any sudden acrobatics.

[Hello Purvis]

>Can wee see through the window, or reach up to it?

[DracoOmega]

>Can wee see through the window, or reach up to it?

>You reach out your arms... and still come up a couple feet short of the window. It's times like these when your height is not an asset.

[Hello Purvis]

>Is the wall here any more climbable than the stuff below?

[DracoOmega]

>Is the wall here any more climbable than the stuff below?

>Not especially so. You might be able to reach the ledge if you jumped, but you have a strong suspicion that would topple over the crate-tower, whether you successfully manage to grab the ledge or not.

[Hello Purvis]

>Can we at least hear any better?

[DracoOmega]

>Can we at least hear any better?

>Five or six extra feet of height doesn't do a great deal to improve your vantage for eavesdropping, but you do manage to pick out a few things, when you stop and pay attention for a moment.
>"...told you... doesn't work that way," someone says.
>"...stupid plan..." you hear someone else mumble.
>"That's because you're doing it wrong!" another voice interjects, quite a bit louder than the others.
>"...already tried... what do..."
>"...more boxes..."
>"What if... wrong cat?"
>"And whose fault is that!?" the loud voice asks accusingly.

[Hello Purvis]

>Do those sound like faeries?

[Sect]

... Oh no, they're doing the Schroedinger's Cat thing, aren't they?

> Is there a way to stack another box on this tower?

[Hello Purvis]

>Alternately, did we see any ladders on the way here?

[DracoOmega]

>Do those sound like faeries?

>They certainly sound like it to you.

> Is there a way to stack another box on this tower?

>You grabbed all of the small crates that you felt were intact enough to try standing on at all. There's one or two more that are half-broken, which you could theoretically stack on top of it, but you certainly wouldn't look forward to standing on them.

>Alternately, did we see any ladders on the way here?

>You did not, but you're sure there's more than a couple in the general area. They may not be outside at the moment, however.

[Sect]

So, idea: take one of those broken crates and stack it on top of the other crates. It won't hold our weight at all, but it won't need to: basically use it as a boost for a half second, at most, to jump up the remaining few feet, and hope we don't die.

[Hello Purvis]

Well, as it stands, we can jump for it, cause a clatter, and hope they don't notice the noise, us coming through the window, and hope we don't slice up our hands. Or we can try to find another way up and hope they don't leave in the meantime. Perhaps we can pay a dockhand to give us a boost? Or we can pry the door open and hope they don't hear.

[Sect]

Well, my first impulse is always go the more reckless and interesting way...

[Hello Purvis]

If not for the fact that we stand a good chance of slicing up our hands on the windowsill, and we kind of need those, I'd be down with barging in.

[Sect]

I thought this was the window without any glass whatsoever...

> Does this window have any glass at all, or are there still broken remnants remaining?

[DracoOmega]

> Does this window have any glass at all, or are there still broken remnants remaining?

>While a few of the windows are simply broken, one or two (including this one) seems to have had the window taken out entirely, even tidied up a little.

[Sect]

> Carefully climb down the tower of crates, and take one of the less stable crates, one that looks like it can at least hold us long enough to get a boost.

[DracoOmega]

> Carefully climb down the tower of crates, and take one of the less stable crates, one that looks like it can at least hold us long enough to get a boost.

>You dismount the tower and return to where you obtained the crates. Scanning over the couple that are left, none of them really inspire confidence. One of them is missing a board and a half in the bottom, and has a pronounced crack along one of the others, another is more rhombic than square; the sides splay wonkily when you push on them. And sadly, those two are the best of the lot. None of the rest are good for much more than scrap wood, and perhaps not even that.

[Sect]

> Take the one with missing boards, and put it at the top of the tower.
> How high up is the window from the top of the tower, now?

[DracoOmega]

> Take the one with missing boards, and put it at the top of the tower.
> How high up is the window from the top of the tower, now?

>You take the crate with the missing boards and return to your crate tower, placing it on top. Going to be even more tricky to mount the thing now, though; it's basically as tall as you are.
>The latest crate adds about another foot and a half to the tower. Judging from how far off you were the last time, this won't close the gap entirely, but you're now quite sure that a jump will easily close the remaining distance you need to grab onto the ledge... provided that the newest crate doesn't give out in under you the moment you try that.

[Sect]

> Carefully clamber up the tower to the crate before the rickety one.
> This is going to suck...
> Quickly step lightly on the crate, and use it as a boost to jump up to the window! Grab hold and pray we don't die!

[DracoOmega]

> Carefully clamber up the tower to the crate before the rickety one.
> This is going to suck...
> Quickly step lightly on the crate, and use it as a boost to jump up to the window! Grab hold and pray we don't die!

>You carefully pull yourself up the tower, using what little purchase there is between the boards along the side.
>You frown at the top crate again. Yeah, this isn't going to be fun at all.
>You attempt to carefully hoist yourself onto the top, the wood making a rather disconcerting sound as you bear your weight on it. And then you jump! Unfortunately, stepping lightly is rather incompatible with jumping from something, and you feel the wood bend jarringly under your left foot the moment you start to spring. It gives way with a snap, throwing off your balance and sending your jump both short and wide. Your foot swings out and nicks the side of the crate, sending the top several boxes clattering to the ground. Desperately, you thrust out with your right arm and just barely catch the corner of the window ledge with a few fingers, while your momentum sends the rest of your body swinging off to the left of it. Ah, hell...

[Sect]

> Reach up with our other hand and try to gain purchase!