Nitori Quest - A Z-Machine Adventure

[It's Purvis!]

> "You got it. Back when I've got something."
> Take flight and head toward the Scarlet Devil Mansion (leaving the temple grounds on foot before taking flight if that's the direction we need to go).

>You depart the shrine grounds and head back for the Forest of Magic. It takes a little bit, but it's not a hard location to find. Misty Lake is a hard landmark to miss, and the mansion sits close to its southern banks. You note a markedly smaller cottage near the eastern shores, you're pretty sure Alice lives there. A small cloud of faeries fly and play over the lake. Even from a distance, you can see the mansion is busy with some kind of construction project in the eastern grounds.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Head for the main gate to the mansion. Gotta do this right to minimize the headache of this entire process...

[It's Purvis!]

> Head for the main gate to the mansion. Gotta do this right to minimize the headache of this entire process...

>Coming closer to the mansion, you can get a decent look at the project over the walls. It's a big one, easily a couple of stories tall. Quite a bit bigger than yours. The design is similar to what've you've seen in the papers of the previous one, featuring a peaked roof and wooden design.
>You approach the main gate. The gate guard is there; currently eating a fairly large rice ball. She gives a wave as you approach.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Give her a wave in return.
> "Hey."
> Land at a respectful distance and approach.
> "Heard you all were getting a rocket off the ground."

[It's Purvis!]

> Give her a wave in return.
> "Hey."
> Land at a respectful distance and approach.
> "Heard you all were getting a rocket off the ground."

>"Yep," Meiling says, keeping an easy stance. "Been working on it for a little bit now."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "What are the plans for it, if you don't mind my asking?"

[It's Purvis!]

> "What are the plans for it, if you don't mind my asking?"

>"Well, I don't actually know," Meiling says with a shrug. "But I know that it started up after Reisen talked with Patchouli."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Huh. When did that happen?"

[It's Purvis!]

> "Huh. When did that happen?"

>"About a week and a half ago," she says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Hmm, I see. Well, I'll cut to the chase, then. How would you all be interested in a little friendly competition between your rocket and mine?"

[It's Purvis!]

> "Hmm, I see. Well, I'll cut to the chase, then. How would you all be interested in a little friendly competition between your rocket and mine?"

>She her face is blank for a moment, followed by a brief widening of her eyes. "Ooooh, right! You did have the one, didn't you? I forgot all about that story!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I still do, and it's not long before it gets off the ground itself."

[It's Purvis!]

> "I still do, and it's not long before it gets off the ground itself."

>"Oh, neat," Meiling says. "Are you doing the Reisen thing too?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I didn't realize there was a Reisen thing, actually. This is just what I do for fun."

[It's Purvis!]

> "I didn't realize there was a Reisen thing, actually. This is just what I do for fun."

>"Right, right," Meiling says. "So, I'm not really part of the project. And I'm not supposed to let anyone inside right now."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I don't need to go inside if I can talk to someone who is part of the project out here."

[It's Purvis!]

> "I don't need to go inside if I can talk to someone who is part of the project out here."

>"Huh, yeah, I guess, if someone wants to come out," Meiling says. She goes to some strings dangling by the edge of the gate and fiddles with them. After a moment, the front door opens, and a maid with oval-shaped wings flutters out. As she approaches, Meiling glances toward you and says, "Who were you wanting to talk to?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Anyone with the authority to agree to my proposal is fine."

[It's Purvis!]

> "Anyone with the authority to agree to my proposal is fine."

>"Go ask Patchy if she'll see Nitori," Meiling says to the faerie. The faerie bows and flutters off toward the side grounds.
>"Anything interesting going on?" says Meiling.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Sort of. The rest of the kappa decided to hold a festival day without consulting me first, which I'm not thrilled about, but I think I've managed to salvage my mood at this point."

[It's Purvis!]

> "Sort of. The rest of the kappa decided to hold a festival day without consulting me first, which I'm not thrilled about, but I think I've managed to salvage my mood at this point."

>She nods. "Yeah, you guys do everything by huddling up and hashing it out, right?" Meiling says, essentially summing up the process in a inelegant way. "Anything else going on up there?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Uh...the yamawaro are playing some more pretend try-to-kill-each-other, without much regard for any civvies that might just be trekking along the mountain. The Prismrivers got a new bandmade, a redhead with unearthly sound."

[It's Purvis!]

> "Uh...the yamawaro are playing some more pretend try-to-kill-each-other, without much regard for any civvies that might just be trekking along the mountain. The Prismrivers got a new bandmade, a redhead with unearthly sound."

>"Oh, you guys got the Prismrivers? Lucky!" Meiling says. "I'd heard rumors about someone new, but I hadn't had time to actually go look into it, you know?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "She's definitely worth checking out if you get the opportunity."

[It's Purvis!]

> "She's definitely worth checking out if you get the opportunity."

>"I'll keep it in mind," Meiling says.
>You notice Patchouli approaching from the eastern grounds, her familiar following behind her while holding a chair.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> What sort of history do we have with Patchouli, anyway? Beyond our previous rocket escapades.
> Wave at them as they approach.

[It's Purvis!]

> What sort of history do we have with Patchouli, anyway? Beyond our previous rocket escapades.
> Wave at them as they approach.

>Not a whole lot. Aside from being friends with Marisa, the two of you tend not to overlap much.
>You wave, Patchouli gives you a nod as her familiar plops the chair down in front of the gate. The magician takes a seat, then says, "Unexpected pleasure. What do you need, Nitori?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Pleasure indeed. I was actually curious about the rocket you got goin' on over there."

[It's Purvis!]

> "Pleasure indeed. I was actually curious about the rocket you got goin' on over there."

>"Go on," Patchouli says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Mostly what you plan to do with it once you've launched it. And, depending on that, whether you'd be interested in some sort of friendly competition against mine."