Author Topic: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 5) (Read 49389 times)

Oldmansour · « **Reply #870 on:** October 22, 2011, 07:55:20 AM »

>Has she ever stabbed right to the heart of a matter like that?
>Forget the quip we were about to toss off.
>"Then I'm glad you found me so soon. When Honey told me you weren't home, I was worried you'd gone off somewhere."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #871 on:** October 22, 2011, 08:03:58 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 22, 2011, 07:55:20 AM

>Has she ever stabbed right to the heart of a matter like that?
>Forget the quip we were about to toss off.
>"Then I'm glad you found me so soon. When Honey told me you weren't home, I was worried you'd gone off somewhere."

>You've known Marisa to sometimes stab at the heart of things without even seeming to do so deliberately, the flippant ease of her remarks making it seem almost incidental. But now? Perhaps this simply hits closer to home.
>You decide to respond in kind.
>"Nowhere far," she says. "What can I do?"

Oldmansour · « **Reply #872 on:** October 22, 2011, 08:13:53 AM »

>"Help finish what I started. Without you, the people of Easthaven may be in even more deadly danger than me."
>"I found spiders there, Mari. Giant spiders, some only half as tall as me, some nearly as big as a horse. Every one of them dangerous. They'd started taking cows for food, and it's only a matter of time before they start on people. The villagers can defend themselves for now, but from what I saw, it may only be a matter of time before they get overwhelmed. They need help, Mari. Help I couldn't give them under the best of circumstances, and you're the best person I know can handle it. The only person I completely trust to be able to handle the spiders."
>Try not to think of a horde of arachnids descending upon Ichirin's, Minoriko's, and all the people... Then try not to shudder.
>"But that's only half the story."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #873 on:** October 23, 2011, 02:35:06 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 22, 2011, 08:13:53 AM

>"Help finish what I started. Without you, the people of Easthaven may be in even more deadly danger than me."
>"I found spiders there, Mari. Giant spiders, some only half as tall as me, some nearly as big as a horse. Every one of them dangerous. They'd started taking cows for food, and it's only a matter of time before they start on people. The villagers can defend themselves for now, but from what I saw, it may only be a matter of time before they get overwhelmed. They need help, Mari. Help I couldn't give them under the best of circumstances, and you're the best person I know can handle it. The only person I completely trust to be able to handle the spiders."
>Try not to think of a horde of arachnids descending upon Ichirin's, Minoriko's, and all the people... Then try not to shudder.
>"But that's only half the story."

>You start to explain that current dangers facing Easthaven, all the while scrupulously avoiding considering the worst. It won't come to that; you're going to make sure it doesn't come to that. Marisa's expression is unwavering as she listens to you. If anything, it grows even more focused as you elaborate.
>"Keep going," she says.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #874 on:** October 23, 2011, 02:49:56 AM »

>"There's a youkai down there, living with the spiders. I don't know if she's their leader, or if she just lives down there, but she's the bigger part of the reason I wanted to find you. I know you can handle the spiders, but I also know you can do this for me."
>"I want you to bring her out of that cave, alive and intact, and deliver her to Ichirin."
>Better give her a moment to absorb that and react before we explain ourselves.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #875 on:** October 23, 2011, 02:58:38 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 23, 2011, 02:49:56 AM

>"There's a youkai down there, living with the spiders. I don't know if she's their leader, or if she just lives down there, but she's the bigger part of the reason I wanted to find you. I know you can handle the spiders, but I also know you can do this for me."
>"I want you to bring her out of that cave, alive and intact, and deliver her to Ichirin."
>Better give her a moment to absorb that and react before we explain ourselves.

>You explain what you want Marisa to do with regard to the spider youkai, and then pause to gauge her reaction. In fact, she pays no obvious regard to this request at all, instead sliding immediately into a different question nearly as soon as you pause.
>"You said you had days to live, right?" she asks. "You said that, yeah?"

Oldmansour · « **Reply #876 on:** October 23, 2011, 03:10:03 AM »

>"That's why I can't go back and finish this affair myself. I have to find a cure for myself, and no one in Easthaven knew of one. But I couldn't just abandon them while I was off saving my own neck. Not without getting some help for them."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #877 on:** October 23, 2011, 03:14:03 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 23, 2011, 03:10:03 AM

>"That's why I can't go back and finish this affair myself. I have to find a cure for myself, and no one in Easthaven knew of one. But I couldn't just abandon them while I was off saving my own neck. Not without getting some help for them."

>"What happened?" she asks.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #878 on:** October 23, 2011, 03:22:30 AM »

>Sigh. Things are gonna get complicated.
>"I was poisoned. Diseased. Maybe cursed, I couldn't get a straight answer on that, but whatever it is, it has no cure Minoriko knows of, and she's the expert in Easthaven. She wrangled a treatment for me, thanks to this sword here, but it's only temporary. As near as we can figure, I've got two weeks. Give or take a day. That doesn't mean there's not a cure out there; I just have to find it."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #879 on:** October 23, 2011, 03:35:35 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 23, 2011, 03:22:30 AM

>Sigh. Things are gonna get complicated.
>"I was poisoned. Diseased. Maybe cursed, I couldn't get a straight answer on that, but whatever it is, it has no cure Minoriko knows of, and she's the expert in Easthaven. She wrangled a treatment for me, thanks to this sword here, but it's only temporary. As near as we can figure, I've got two weeks. Give or take a day. That doesn't mean there's not a cure out there; I just have to find it."

>Not that much hasn't been since you started on that damned job...
>Her features draw slightly tighter. "By what? Those spiders?"

Oldmansour · « **Reply #880 on:** October 23, 2011, 03:44:38 AM »

>"....No. By the youkai."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #881 on:** October 23, 2011, 03:53:36 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 23, 2011, 03:44:38 AM

>"....No. By the youkai."

>Marisa is silent for a few moments. "Ya think she can fix it too, then?"

Oldmansour · « **Reply #882 on:** October 23, 2011, 04:17:34 AM »

>"I don't know. But I don't think she will. Not for me, she hates me. Really hates me, Mari. I've never seen so much hate in someone's eyes."
>"But whether she can or not, that's not why I want you to do this. Mari, I know this is gonna be hard to believe, but I want to turn her around. Give her a chance at the kind of life I've had."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #883 on:** October 23, 2011, 04:38:33 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 23, 2011, 04:17:34 AM

>"I don't know. But I don't think she will. Not for me, she hates me. Really hates me, Mari. I've never seen so much hate in someone's eyes."
>"But whether she can or not, that's not why I want you to do this. Mari, I know this is gonna be hard to believe, but I want to turn her around. Give her a chance at the kind of life I've had."

>Marisa's expression remains grim and focused, almost as though she were trying to stare... something into submission through gaze alone. It's hard to even gauge her reaction with her like this. Then she lets out a soft chuckle, seemingly almost despite herself, and slowly shakes her head. "You're serious, aren't ya?"

Oldmansour · « **Reply #884 on:** October 23, 2011, 04:49:50 AM »

>Offer a small, slightly sheepish grin. "Sounds crazy, doesn't it. But yeah. I'm serious."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #885 on:** October 23, 2011, 05:05:29 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 23, 2011, 04:49:50 AM

>Offer a small, slightly sheepish grin. "Sounds crazy, doesn't it. But yeah. I'm serious."

>Marisa lets out another quiet chuckle and a hint of a smile softens the steel in her face. "I'd say you were gettin' soft if this weren't your first week on the job, Naz. But... if she really hates you that much, what makes you think it'll be any different for anyone else? You're not exactly a magnet for that kinda thing, y'know."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #886 on:** October 23, 2011, 05:19:05 AM »

>That's more like our Mari.
>"It probably wouldn't be different for nearly anyone else, and for the same reason she hates me; because I killed a lot of spiders before I met her. Didn't have much choice in the matter, but she didn't want to hear my side. But you, Mari, have an edge on me there, an edge on anyone else I can think of. You're just about as powerful when you're not trying to kill things as you are when you're going all out. You can handle yourself with nonlethal means much better than... Well, maybe anyone else on the island. You can get to her without slaughtering your way through her friends, the way I had to, and not put yourself in a vulnerable state the way most others would."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #887 on:** October 23, 2011, 05:33:56 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 23, 2011, 05:19:05 AM

>That's more like our Mari.
>"It probably wouldn't be different for nearly anyone else, and for the same reason she hates me; because I killed a lot of spiders before I met her. Didn't have much choice in the matter, but she didn't want to hear my side. But you, Mari, have an edge on me there, an edge on anyone else I can think of. You're just about as powerful when you're not trying to kill things as you are when you're going all out. You can handle yourself with nonlethal means much better than... Well, maybe anyone else on the island. You can get to her without slaughtering your way through her friends, the way I had to, and not put yourself in a vulnerable state the way most others would."

>It feels so much more normal to see her looking like that, and 'normal' is pretty much what you want most right about now.
>Marisa grins a little. "That just your way of sayin' I'm awesome? 'cuz it's okay; you can come right out and say it if you want."
>"But seriously, Naz," she adds before you can reply, the smile dropping from her face again. "What'd she do to you?"

Oldmansour · « **Reply #888 on:** October 23, 2011, 05:51:37 AM »

>"As near as I can tell, this is her most dangerous trick. She released this black cloud at me, felt like I was breathing oil. I was stuck in a dead end at the time, so I had to go through it to get away from it. Except she pounced on me and trapped me in that damn cloud. That's what poisoned me. Ya gotta KO her before she can throw that at you."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #889 on:** October 23, 2011, 06:35:09 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 23, 2011, 05:51:37 AM

>"As near as I can tell, this is her most dangerous trick. She released this black cloud at me, felt like I was breathing oil. I was stuck in a dead end at the time, so I had to go through it to get away from it. Except she pounced on me and trapped me in that damn cloud. That's what poisoned me. Ya gotta KO her before she can throw that at you."

>"Take her down fast." She nods. "Got it."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #890 on:** October 23, 2011, 06:43:06 AM »

>"So... you'll do it? You'll take her to Ichirin's?"

DracoOmega · « **Reply #891 on:** October 23, 2011, 06:51:09 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 23, 2011, 06:43:06 AM

>"So... you'll do it? You'll take her to Ichirin's?"

>She rubs the back of her head a little sheepishly. "Can't exactly let someone down when they're countin' on ya. Not like this."
>Then she gives you a serious look again. "What about you, though?"

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #892 on:** October 23, 2011, 07:02:18 AM »

>"I just have to find a way to beat that curse, it looks like."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #893 on:** October 23, 2011, 07:05:07 AM »

>Offer her a grin of our own. "I'm a Seeker myself, yknow. If there's a cure to be found anywhere in the world, you can bet your ass I'm gonna find it."
>"I have a lead already, actually. 'least I think so. And that's this." Point at the sword with our tail. "This little baby is actually slowing the blight. That's what Minoriko called it, by the way. It can't stop it, but she said I'd be dead already if not for this thing. I've already spoken to one of the folks in town from the Academy, those archaeologist folks, and they might be able to tell me more. And if not them, then Rinnosuke gave me a list of other people I can talk to that might know this sword, or the power in it."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #894 on:** October 23, 2011, 07:18:54 AM »

Quote from: Robo-Purvis BZT on October 23, 2011, 07:02:18 AM

>"I just have to find a way to beat that curse, it looks like."

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 23, 2011, 07:05:07 AM

>Offer her a grin of our own. "I'm a Seeker myself, yknow. If there's a cure to be found anywhere in the world, you can bet your ass I'm gonna find it."

>She lets another grin crack through the seriousness of her expression - not as boundless and blithe as her usual fare, but a grin nonetheless. "That's the spirit! There's an answer for everything out there somewhere. Just gotta find it."

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 23, 2011, 07:05:07 AM

>"I have a lead already, actually. 'least I think so. And that's this." Point at the sword with our tail. "This little baby is actually slowing the blight. That's what Minoriko called it, by the way. It can't stop it, but she said I'd be dead already if not for this thing. I've already spoken to one of the folks in town from the Academy, those archaeologist folks, and they might be able to tell me more. And if not them, then Rinnosuke gave me a list of other people I can talk to that might know this sword, or the power in it."

>She nods. "Was chasing after the people that list, actually, when I saw ya down here. Did you..." She frowns a little. "Did you throw something at me?"

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #895 on:** October 23, 2011, 07:34:32 AM »

>"Well I had to get your attention somehow..."

What was that quartz, anyways?

DracoOmega · « **Reply #896 on:** October 23, 2011, 07:48:01 AM »

Quote from: Robo-Purvis BZT on October 23, 2011, 07:34:32 AM

>"Well I had to get your attention somehow..."

>"Lucky I saw it at all, really," she says. "Just a little flash of something in the corner of my eye. What was it, anyway?"

Oldmansour · « **Reply #897 on:** October 23, 2011, 07:50:46 AM »

Remember when we had to light that torch back in thread 4? We kept the quartz after that.

>"Bit of quartz. I had to light a torch outside their cave, improvised that."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #898 on:** October 23, 2011, 07:53:54 AM »

Quote from: Old Man Sour on October 23, 2011, 07:50:46 AM

>"Bit of quartz. I had to light a torch outside their cave, improvised that."

>"Oh, huh." She pauses. "That the flashiest thing you could come up with?"

Oldmansour · « **Reply #899 on:** October 23, 2011, 08:07:32 AM »

>"Well, I was in a bit of a hurry. Was all I had. Unless you'd rather have me huck a kunai at ya."