Sword Quest II - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Kilgamayan]

> "I see. I will investigate. In the meantime, can you do me a favor? If there is any rice in this kitchen here, please bring a bag to the kitchen on the third floor of the tower, for my use later. Then please head into the ball room, where Lady Saigyouji is entertaining some guests, and inform her what you have seen, and that I am investigating, but will be back as soon as possible."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I see. I will investigate. In the meantime, can you do me a favor? If there is any rice in this kitchen here, please bring a bag to the kitchen on the third floor of the tower, for my use later. Then please head into the ball room, where Lady Saigyouji is entertaining some guests, and inform her what you have seen, and that I am investigating, but will be back as soon as possible."

>"I can do that," says the ghost.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Nod.
> "Thank you for your assistance. Good luck."
> Run to the Saigyou Ayakashi to investigate!

[Hello Purvis]

> Nod.
> "Thank you for your assistance. Good luck."
> Run to the Saigyou Ayakashi to investigate!

>You make your way toward the Saigyou Ayakashi as fast as you can, dashing toward the central orchards. This takes back into the complex itself and through several long hallways; dashing around the ghosts lingering there and definitely leaving some of them saying scandalized things in your wake.
>Emerging into the Central garden, you blaze past the cherry trees, and likely mashing a few fallen cherries underfoot as you make your way toward the less visited and wilder parts of the garden. Soon, there are no signs of ghosts at all, and you can see the immense tree looming ahead. Bearing only a few leaves, it looks to be almost but not quite dead. Little else grows here; just some clumps of scattered grass. Ahead, you can definitely see a woman in a light blue dress, You barely even have to register her hair, pulled into twin loops, to recognize Seiga Kaku.  You aren't certain what she is doing, but it seems to have involved placing talismans everywhere.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Continue making our way to Seiga, slowing as we get closer.

[Hello Purvis]

> Continue making our way to Seiga, slowing as we get closer.

>You slow your approach. Suddenly, the talismans all catch aflame at once, quickly burning away, as Seiga raises her arms. You can sense that something magically significant just happened, although you don't know what that might be.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Is she within speaking distance?

[Hello Purvis]

> Is she within speaking distance?

>You wouldn't be able to use an indoor voice, but she could probably hear you.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Oy!"
> Keep making our way to Seiga while continuing to slow down as we get closer.

[Hello Purvis]

> "Oy!"
> Keep making our way to Seiga while continuing to slow down as we get closer.

>You call out to Seiga. She looks back, as she puts something anyway in a dress pocket.
>"Oh, you're very fast," she says.  As you get closer, you note her jiangshi minion is lurking around one of the other cherry trees at the edge of the Ayakashi's grove, currently stretching up to nibble cherries off the branch.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Put on a no-nonsense tone.
> "Can I help you?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Put on a no-nonsense tone.
> "Can I help you?"

>"No need to bother," she says, bowing slightly. "I was just on my way out."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Perhaps you could help me, then. I don't suppose you would like tell me what just happened here?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Perhaps you could help me, then. I don't suppose you would like tell me what just happened here?"

>"Just taking a little taste," says Seiga, smiling.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "That felt like more than just a 'little' anything."

[Hello Purvis]

> "That felt like more than just a 'little' anything."

>"Oh, have you begun to study the tao then?" she says.
>Her tone sounds fairly serious; you aren't sure if that's a barb or not.
>The jiangshi begins to hop toward the two of you, munching on some cherries and part of a leaf, judging from what's sticking from her mouth. "Hellooo!" she says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Look a little taken aback.
> "Um, hello to you too."

[Hello Purvis]

> Look a little taken aback.
> "Um, hello to you too."

>"These cherries are reaaaal good!" says the jiangshi, grinning.
>"She's been like a child in a toy shop," says Seiga, giving a chuckle.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Do we know about Seiga's level of trustworthiness?

[Hello Purvis]

>Do we know about Seiga's level of trustworthiness?

>You cannot say for sure, but she has struck you as being pretty untrustworthy. Not to mention she keeps a jiangshi around...

>_

[Yaersulf]

>"Stop trying to avoid the question! What were you doing here?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Stop trying to avoid the question! What were you doing here?"

>"Oh, didn't I just say?" says Seiga, frowning slightly. "But if it's a problem, I'll just leave."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "You told me a bunch of stuff that doesn't make sense! How do you taste something by burning a bunch of talismans?"

[Yaersulf]

>"What foul sorcery is this?!"

[Hello Purvis]

> "You told me a bunch of stuff that doesn't make sense! How do you taste something by burning a bunch of talismans?"

>"Oh, it's a secret technique, of course," says Seiga, as she starts to walk toward the Saigyou Ayakashi. "I'm sorry, I thought I had implied that."
>"Master has loooots of secrets!" says the jiang shi. Yoshika, you think she was called?

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Dash over to to cut off Seiga's path to the tree, then turn to face her with the tree at our back.
> "Maybe you're in a sharing mood, then?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Dash over to to cut off Seiga's path to the tree, then turn to face her with the tree at our back.
> "Maybe you're in a sharing mood, then?"

>You run to cut Seiga off, and immediately notice Yoshika lunging toward you!

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> From which direction is she coming?
> How physically strong are we?
> Where is our ghost half at present?
> Can we shoot bullets from our ghost half?

[Hello Purvis]

> From which direction is she coming?
> How physically strong are we?
> Where is our ghost half at present?
> Can we shoot bullets from our ghost half?

>She is coming from ahead and left.
>You are reasonably strong, but not supernaturally so.
>Your ghost half is currently trailing behind you, it can be used as a familiar if you like.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> How is Yoshika lunging? Is she mostly upright or closer to horizontal?