Sword Quest IX - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Kilgamayan]

> Are they going to catch up before we reach the forest?

[Hello Purvis]

> Are they going to catch up before we reach the forest?

>Likely, at this rate.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Sigh.
> Keep going for another few seconds, and then slow down and let the persistent fairies catch up to us.

[Hello Purvis]

> Sigh.
> Keep going for another few seconds, and then slow down and let the persistent fairies catch up to us.

>You keep going, then slow down.You see a few danmaku whizzing your way.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Turn and face the fairies properly.

[Hello Purvis]

> Turn and face the fairies properly.

>You turn to face the faeries. A few scatteredbits of danmaku are coming at you, but they should be trivial to sidestep. About a dozen or so faeries are closing in. What is more worrying is the dozens to hundreds that are further away, but oncoming.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> How thickly clumped is this initial group of fairies?

[Hello Purvis]

> How thickly clumped is this initial group of fairies?

>Not very. They are coming at you more or less individually.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Fire off two nondirect sources, one ahead and a bit to the left, the other ahead and a bit to the right, that each do a three-round circular burst.

[Hello Purvis]

> Fire off two nondirect sources, one ahead and a bit to the left, the other ahead and a bit to the right, that each do a three-round circular burst.

>You do so, as a few danmaku whiz widely past you. They fire, as the faeries, and you're pleased to see several of them caught in the blasts and knocked from the air. A couple others scatter, leaving only two particularly determined faeries coming after you, besides the cloud that draws ever closer.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Fire off a arc-shaped wave of the explodey bullets, then turn back around and high-tail it to the forest, sparing a glance or two back to see if the two remaining close fairies got caught in the blasts or not.

[Hello Purvis]

> Fire off a arc-shaped wave of the explodey bullets, then turn back around and high-tail it to the forest, sparing a glance or two back to see if the two remaining close fairies got caught in the blasts or not.

>You fire off more bullets, and turn to retreat before you can see what they did. Glancing back as you pick up speed again, you can see one of the faeries is doggedly following you, her blue dress bearing some obvious singes.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Can we leave nondirect sources in our wake as we fly?

[Hello Purvis]

> Can we leave nondirect sources in our wake as we fly?

>You can. They won't be quite of the same quality, and they will degrade as you move too far away, but you can.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> How large is the fairy in question?
> Has the other one dropped?

[Hello Purvis]

> How large is the fairy in question?
> Has the other one dropped?

>She is probably knee-high to you.
>You don't see the other one anymore. Either she is gone, or in your blind spot.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Get back to heading to the forest.

[Hello Purvis]

> Get back to heading to the forest.

>You head back toward the forward, noting a darkly satisfying squawk from a faerie behind you. The rest of the cloud, however, continues to pursue. But, it is starting to slow, you think.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

It occurs to me that I shouldn't make assumptions about Miko's outfit based on how my cosplay is constructed.

> Is our neck bow tied all the way around our neck, or is it purely a frontal decoration?
> Take another glance back to see if the knee-high fairy is still following us, then turn back around again and continue high-tailing it to the forest.

[Hello Purvis]

> Is our neck bow tied all the way around our neck, or is it purely a frontal decoration?
> Take another glance back to see if the knee-high fairy is still following us, then turn back around again and continue high-tailing it to the forest.

>It is tied all the way around.
>You glance back, and see your last pursuer has vanished under the wave of danmaku you left behind.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Turn back to look ahead and traverse the rest of the way to the forest.

[Hello Purvis]

> Turn back to look ahead and traverse the rest of the way to the forest.

>You make your way toward the forest.
>As you approach it, you can see the faerie situation here is even worse than the plains. But, there is a fairly clear way to the area around Kourindou.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Take it! The less we deal with these tiny monstrosities, the better.

[Hello Purvis]

> Take it! The less we deal with these tiny monstrosities, the better.

>You do so, and find yourself near Kourindou. You note the mouse youkai is currently outside, sweeping. She gives you a curious look, then a nod.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Give the mouse a contemplative look, as though we are deciding whether or not to do something significant, then pull out the key and study it, pointedly looking at it instead of the mouse.
> "It is, perhaps, not my place to instruct you how to run your business establishments, but I would advise more carefully inspecting your wares before presenting them to the public for sale."

[Hello Purvis]

> Give the mouse a contemplative look, as though we are deciding whether or not to do something significant, then pull out the key and study it, pointedly looking at it instead of the mouse.
> "It is, perhaps, not my place to instruct you how to run your business establishments, but I would advise more carefully inspecting your wares before presenting them to the public for sale."

>"Don't blame me, I was just moving stock that was already there," she says with a shrug. "You'll wanna talk to the old owner about that. So, is it cursed or something?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Side-eye the mouse for a second, then return our focus to the key.
> "In a way. I have been told it carries a doom upon it. A rather potent one."

[Hello Purvis]

> Side-eye the mouse for a second, then return our focus to the key.
> "In a way. I have been told it carries a doom upon it. A rather potent one."

>"Huh," she says. "Guess you should melt it down and hammer it into something useful, then."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Look at the key in silence for a couple more seconds, then lightly snort with a grin.
> "Typical."
> Stow the key away.

[Hello Purvis]

> Look at the key in silence for a couple more seconds, then lightly snort with a grin.
> "Typical."
> Stow the key away.

>The mouse youkai shrugs and returns to her sweeping. "It's your key."

>_