Ha ha time for wuxia.

>>36353234
Hell yeah! Everybody is kung-fu fighting! Let's get this on!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzPcMzy4WI8

Hey OP, what did you think of my suggestion in the previous thread >>36348799 for basic descriptions of the styles we know, so we can make more informed decisions about when to fight and when to back down?

>>36353234
After a brief breakfast of rice porridge, Sifu has you on the relatively flat clearing in front of the hut you share where the majority of your training happens.

"Wait, what do you mean 'going over the basics'? That's all we EVER do," you say to Sifu who shakes his head.

"Because the basics are the foundation of the Heaven's Blessing's School, and because you REPEATEDLY fail to show much improvement," Sifu says with his typical blunt honesty.

"Yesterday I managed the Second Form, and in an actual fight too!"

"Shut it, I'm talking," he barks harshly. "What are the two foundational basics of kungfu?"

"Well...Lijing External Arta, Neijing Internal Arts, and Qi Breath," you recite, feeling somewhat stupid. You've been learning this stuff since you were FIVE, and he's still making you redo it all.

"And the differences?"

"External Arts are movements, techniques, physival forms. Punches, kicks, weapon styles, that sort of thing. Really, ANYONE can learn an External Art, all it takes is is a bit of a practice," you explain, though you don't add that the External Arts practiced by your school, ENDLESS SKY FIST, seems a little...sparse, and lacking in focus.

You continue; "But Internal Arts are much harder to learn. Rather then train your muscles and physique they rely on special exercises and methods to improve your Diantien, your Qi Center. This allows you to circulate Qi in greater amounts and with greater efficiency then untrained people, but takes much longer then learning External Arts thanks to how much effort it takes to improve your Qi Center. That's why so many very powerful masters are older; they've had so much time to cultivate Qi within their bodies that it's made them exceptionally powerful. I think you told me once that it's hard to have more then one Internal Art as your foundational skill?" you say, unsure. You've never actually FOUGHT another pugilist who's made use of Qi though.

>>36353696
"Correct," your father says as he scratches his lightly bearded chin in thought. "Internal Arts can sometimes be altered with different training methods to improve efficiency, but truly changing your Neijing is impossible, much as you can't change the shape of your bones or you can't remove the foundation of a house without tearing the old one apart."

"And our Internal Art is Heaven's Blessings," you say, finally at the part you're SURE you get.

"How is it different?"

"Um....it just...is?" you say, suddenly much less confident. You know how to DO it, but the theories behind it were always a little above your head....

"Idiot boy," Sifu says. "Listen closely. All Qi, regardless of alignment," he begins, but you interrupt.

"Wait, ALIGNED Qi?"

"Shut it, I'm talking and it's not important anyway. ALL Qi, regardless of type or alignment is composed of Positive and Negative forces, Yin and Yang. Some cultivate more Yang then Yin or whatever, but they are inseparable from each other....in theory," he explains, walking over to a tree.

"In fact, with proper training and concetration you CAN force Yin and Yang apart in your body temporarily," he says, and as he speaks he raises his fist and you smell the ozone in the air as charge builds in his fist.

"This causes a...Force to gather in the charged space between the Yin and Yang in your body, power in it's rawest form," he continues, and now his fist begins to crackle with raw power, cobalt blue fire and lightning leaping from it.

>>36354058
"This Force is not necessarily a NATURAL part of your body, but it IS still a part of you, and thus can be commanded by effort and will. By directing this force to a limb and STRIKING....," he says, turning and hitting a pine tree behind him with a single palm strike, sending electrical fury into the bark and wood! The pine needles catch fire and seem to evaporate into ash before they can even hit the ground and the area where he struck splits like an axe hit it, and the tree to fall over.

"..you can channel the force outward, greatly magnifying the power of your blows, like Lightning from Heaven!" he finishes, wiping his palms

"But there's a risk," you add, being all to familiar with it personally.

"Yes. The power you build into yourself when separating Yin and Yang is, as I said, not naturally present in your body, or if it IS present it's vastly less potent. The power create MUST be controlled and discharged from your body once generated, otherwise the feedback loop will inevitably kill you," he notes.

"It's also physically stressful," you feel the need to add. You couldn't perform the basic theory of Heaven's Blessings until you were fifteen despite practicing your whole life, simply because your internal energy wasn't potent enough to force apart your Yin and Yang and generate electrical force. Even now the raw power you put out is fractional compared to what your father can do.

>KUNG-FU TUTORIAL BEGINS

>>36353696
>>36354058
>>36354217
Is it just me or do we have the coolest dad ever seen in a quest thread?
He's strict but fair; gets disappointed rather than angry when we break a promise and fess up about it; he cooks bears he kills with his bare hands; pushes us to be the best we can be; and knows MAGIC KUNG-FU SCIENCE!

>>36354217
Bad fucking ass

>>36354217
>Kung-Fu will be organized into two formats; Internal and External Arts, each with Mastery Levels associated with them. Your Mastery Level (Ranked from D to A) will determine the success of each action and effectiveness against certain fighters, though clever thinking and tactics play a large part in this as well. Currently Sky only has two styles.

>ENDLESS SKY FORMS
>Type: External
>Mastery: C+
>Described as "limitless and formless like the endless sky above", by your father, this style is your foundational art, but seems completely lacking in focus to you, and Sifu has taught you very little about it except the basic theories. Still, it's easy to use and it's "anything goes" approach makes it flexible....you guess...
>Maneuvers: None, basically. You've been making shit up as you go. The only one father taught you is Heaven Kisses Earth, the airborne attack.

>HEAVEN'S BLESSING
>Type: Internal
>Mastery: C+ (You Think)
>Forcefully separating Yin and Yang creates a powerful electromagnetic force inside the body of the warrior in the hypercharged space between them. This force can be channeled into your limbs and made to do various effects.
>Forms: YING-YANG ROTATION (The basic method, enhancing your blows with lightning. Exhausting to do repeatedly, but extremely effective), TRAVERSING THE INSTANT PATH (By channeling the force into your legs, your already impressive speed is augmented to be like lightning itself; nearly instantaneous transit between you and your target location. The downsides however make it tricky to use; much like lightning you can only travel in ONE direction with this incredible speed, and once you start you cannot stop. This makes it useful for surprise attacks and seizing the initiative, but the lack of flexibility and massive energy expenditure over longer distances means it's only good for short bursts of movement.

>>36354515
Hmm. Endless Sky Forms is strange. I'm wondering what Sifu is driving at by having MC perfect the basics.

There's got to be something there, but I can't figure out what it is, yet.

>>36354636
Well, addendum, the basics and nothing else.

Perfecting the basics is normal. Not teaching anything else is the weird part.

>>36354636
>>36354665

Because you need the basics down to move on maybe?

>>36354665
maybe he wants the MC to figure it out by himself. You know "do I have to teach you to sallow when you been taught to chew?" Kinda shit

>>36354694
Sifu has also taught MC nothing at all beyond the most basic of basics.

There's teaching the student the basics so they may be used as a stepping stone, there's focusing on having the student perfect the basics because they're the most important part as the foundation of everything else, and then there's refusing to give a single damn thing besides than the basics.

He's is up to something. As instructors usually are.

>>36354515
>Sky can learn new techniques and Arts as the story progresses based on your choices, and the potency of his styles will improve as his Cultivation of Qi does.
>There IS no upper limit to Cultivation; it is theoretically possible for a warrior to gain power infinitely over time, but as this requires eternal life, this is not a practical aspiration.
>Currently Sky's Cultivation is at Rank C+, but keep in mind there's so much variety in styles and approaches that greater and lesser power does not automatically result in wins or losses; it merely represents the amount of Qi a warrior has to draw from and how powerful their maneuvers can be. Stupid tactical decisions, poor thinking, traps and other perils can STILL overwhelm even the mightiest of warriors.

>>36354792
Possible. MC did pull out a trick he'd only ever accomplished once in training back there, on pure instinct. So there's definitely something up.

It's also possible he's being trained up specifically so he can learn (or steal!) other styles' forms and tricks and fold it into his own style.

>>36354877
What are the ranks? Do they top out at A?

>>36354877
>Methods of improving Cultivation are almost too numerous to be listed, as they compose nearly anything and everything that increases the depth and breadth of your kungfu knowledge improves your Cultivation, though focusing on specific exercises can improve it more directly as well.
>>36354910
The Ranks SORT OF drop out at A. Most warriors in the Jianghu can be rated from D to A, but some are so powerful that they effectively break the scale; as I said, there is no actual upper limit to Cultivation, just limits on human lifespans.

>>36354946
Just call them rank X

>>36354987
Or, you know... A+, S, SS, SSS, SSS+, Overwhelming, Legendary, Godlike, Transcendent...

Not like we'll ever have to deal with that, am I right, guys?

>>36354946
You lie there on the ground, sore as hell, arms feeling like wet noodles and your body feeling like a punching dummy...mostly because you have been for the three hours.

"Not bad," Sifu says, cracking his neck after the workout.

"Whuh?" you say, semi-conscious.

"I said you're not doing half-bad. Your adaptation to different tactics is getting better and you're less predictable then you used to be, which is definitely an improvement."

"Whoopidee-doo," you mumble, not especially thrilled to know you've been finding new and exciting ways to get your ass beat into the ground by your Sifu.

"I think that deserves a reward, don't you?"

"More rice?"

"Town festival, actually."

You bolt up, suddenly filled with a LOT more energy.

"Wait, SERIOUSLY?" you say, caught completely off-guard by the suggestion.

"Why not?" he says, shrugging with a small smile. "Besides, teaching your dumb ass every morning is exhausting to an old man like myself you know."

"Yeah, I'm sure it's REAL tiresome tossing me around like a ragdoll for hours on end," you say flippantly.

"You want to go to the town festival or not?"

"Yes, Sifu! Sorry Sifu!" you apologize, bowing. Your father is an extremely informal person, so sometimes (well, a LOT of the time) you forget to be formal yourself. He once told you that formality about "finding verbal ways to impress people, and I've never been especially concerned with what everyone else thinks about me, and who is there to impress out here anyway, the animals?"

"Alright, here you go. Don't spend it all in one place," he says, handing you five 100-coin strings of cash. "Or do, I don't really care. Just have fun and,"

"No fighting, I know!" you say rolling your eyes.

>>36355256
By the by, did we inform him of the guy who was in town with his retainers, looking for someone?

>>36355256
"I MEAN it this time, Sky," he says, using your name, which makes you blink in surprise. "If you have to fight avoid using Heaven's Blessings, especially in public. You don't exactly have fine control over it yet and you're more likely to hurt yourself and everyone else around you then your opponent,"

"I've never had that problem before though?"

"You've been in exactly ONE real fight Sky, don't pretend that that counts as 'extensive combat experience'," he notes, folding his arms and raising his dark eyebrow.

"I know, I know....I promise I won't fight unless I have no. And I won't use Heaven's Blessings even if I have to fight..." you reassure.

"Good boy. See? You CAN learn new things!"

"Ha-ha. I'll see you later!" you say, putting the strings in your bag and rushing down the mountainside to Shuzheng.
>>36355338
Nope, but also the guy was looking for a "she" from what you overheard, so it's kinda not your problem anyway.

>>36355412
Apologies for slow replies, I'm doing this on my phone and while in other company at the moment.
You make your way down the mountainside to the village, which is now much more crowded and noisy; it's the largest village in the valley so the local Fall Festival is always happening there.

>WDYD?
>Go see what how the local fighters are performing!
>Go find Lobsang!
>FOOOOOOD!

>>36355609
>Go see what how the local fighters are performing!
>Go find Lobsang!

>>36355609
>I'm doing this on my phone
Blessed be thy soul

>>36355609
>>Go find Lobsang!
>>FOOOOOOD!

>>Go see what how the local fighters are performing!

>>36355609
>Go find Lobsang!
>FOOOOOOD!
Last time fighters lead to shit this time we're staying away.

>>FOOOOOOD!

Let's not make a beeline for the fighting ring again. We got in trouble last time. We don't need help getting into trouble, we do that perfectly well enough on our own.

>>36355609
>Go see what how the local fighters are performing!
>Go find Lobsang!
>FOOOOOOD!

Acquire food, acquire Lobsang, and go see the fights with him.

>>36355739
This in this order.

>>36355609
>Go find Lobsang!
>FOOOOOOD!

>>36355609
Yeah, I don't think Dad really thought this through. Sending us to a town where the friends of a guy we just killed are still hanging around while prohibiting us from fighting is pretty stupid.

>>36356195
>>36356195
I don't think he knows the details. Pretty sure all we told him is that we got in a fight. He don't know how srs it got.

>>36356195
It's important to remember that, like it or not (or rather, whether Ba likes it or not), we are Wulin. Certain story conventions are going to shape our lives and there is nothing we can do to stop them. In fact, the more we try to, the worse we will suffer for it.

>>36356307
Then we're the pretty stupid one. What does the MC expect to happen here?

>>36356348
>/tg/ voters are stupid
I doubt anyone will disagree with you.

>>36356394
No, even the setup before votes was stupid. Our dude killed a guy belonging to some other wulin clan, is returning to the town the day after and is totally ok with promising not to fight. Dude is a moron.

>>36356394
Yeah I definitely don't disagree we're dumb but at least we're aware of it

>>36356423
Yeah so would you rather their be no plot development then?

>>36356449
You're going to have to walk me through why that is a good thing.

>>36356590
I'd prefer not being forced into breaking a promise that is obviously impossible to keep.

>>36355412
Rope darts don't exist yet, right?

>>36356592
we're predictable. 'nuff said

>>36356830
being faithless is not something to be proud of.

>>36356868
I never said i'm proud of it just that i'm aware of it.

>>36355609
You head into the village and immediately begin looking for your best friend....and food.
Thankfully food is easy to come by, and soon you have a pair of sticks with fried beef and fish balls on them, which you are judiciously snacking on while looking for your best friend.

"Hey, Sky!" Lobsang's voice says, and you turn to see him and his fiancée Dawa waking towards you.

"Hey you two. Did you guys get home okay?" you ask, munching on a beef ball.

"Us? YOU were the one that beat those guys up, not us. I think you even kil-" he whispers, but you cut him off...mostly because you don't want to think about it.

"Are they even still in town?" you ask. "I mean, if they are I can head back home and...,"

"Actually, no," Lobsang says, looking confused. Dawa speaks up herself.

"They left after they found out one of them had been killed for some reason. The local magistrate seemed tired of them messing up the town, especially after one of them turned up dead, and ran them out, saying that there's be an official report to the Capitol about the incident if they stuck around and made trouble anymore," she says, sounding thoughtful.

"...why would that matter?" you wonder. As far as you know the Empire has no official authority over youxia of any kind....or maybe they don't because it's traditional, you're not sure. Your personal knowledge of the Jianghu and Wulin is kinda non-existent when it comes right down to it.

"How'd you hear that?" Lobsang says, sounding surprised. She smiles at him before answering. "The local magistrate is my cousin."

Your eyebrows rise at that. Either Lobsang is marrying into a good family or the local magistrate isn't that important here.

"Well, anyway, they left town in a hurry after that, so they aren't even here anymore. Do you suppose-" he begins, before someone bumps into you without apologizing and rushes past.

"Man, when it's festival time everyone looses their manners," Lobsang comments.

>>36357401
Check your money, Sky...

>>36357401
Yeah Sky check your money..

>>36357401
"Especially when they're trying to pickpocket you," you note.

Dawa blinks. "Wait, what?"

"The person who bumped past, they trying to take my money," you point out.

"What?! You should-" Lobsang says, turning after the person, who's already disappearing into the crowd.

"Yeah, I said TRIED to pickpocket me. Was pretty fast but not exactly fast enough to stop me from catching him," you say, shrugging.

"Well....then why did he walk past?" Dawa says, obviously confused

"Because I gave him a pouch, it was just filled with acorns. I use them to hung birds near the grounf for dinner back at the cabin. I also took HIS wallet," you smirk.

"You....you WHAT?" Lobsang says, flabbergasted.

"Yeah. He had....," you say, removing your hand from your pouch and taking out the cash. "A string and a half of coins. I guess he's not all THAT good if that's all he could find."

>>36358401
Haha, pickpockets ain't no match to a true wulin disciple.

>>36358401
That pickpocket just got rekt

>>36358401
"So extra spending cash for us!" you say, smiling broadly.

Dawa frowns. "How do you hunt birds?"

"Huh?" you say, counting your coins, not quite paying attention.

"With acorns."

"What? Oh, I just throw them. When they're near to the ground they're easy to bring down with a solid toss. So let's split the coins and-"

"Aren't you going to stop him though?" Dawa says, seeming slightly disapproving.

"The pickpocket? I did."

"But...STOP him stop him. Catch him and warn him away from doing it again or turn him in."

You think about it. It's definitely not Just to steak but also your father once told you that EVERYONE has gotta eat, and sometimes circumstances conspire to not allow you to make money in a way people approve of.

You also know how hard Sifu teaches that the secular world and youxia should remain separate, and catching pickpockets and turning them into magistrates is a little too close to being affiliated with the legal authorities for your father's tastes you imagine...and yours to some degree.

>WDYD?
>Might as well stop anyone ELSE from getting pick-pocketed.
>"Live and let live. He's already learned a lesson anyway with the acorns."

>>36358590
>"Live and let live. He's already learned a lesson anyway with the acorns."
Besides i'd rather not break my promise not to fight twice in 2 days.

>>36358590
>"Live and let live. He's already learned a lesson anyway with the acorns."

>>36358611
Exactly this.

Besides, gently remind her that the magistrate likely wouldn't want to get his feet wet in the river, so to speak.

>>36358590
>Might as well stop anyone ELSE from getting pick-pocketed.
Say something along the lines of

"You only got acorns this time but if someone else catches you there's no guarantee they'll be nearly as tolerant as me"

>>36358590
>>"Live and let live. He's already learned a lesson anyway with the acorns."
Then he goes and stabs uncle Ben to death, and we swear to fight crime as the amazing wulin-man.

>>36358611
>>36358647
>>36358700
"Nah. I mean, he's a thief but he can't be a local otherwise stealing wouldn't work, the town isn't big enough. He'll be gone once the festival is through, and I've already snagged almost all of his haul, so he's definitely learned a lesson. Besides, I shouldn't get too involved, it's not what youxia do," you point out.

Dawa shakes her head. "But, I've heard youxia get involved ALL the time in Sichuan? Are you saying they don't really?"

You shrug, unsure. "Okay, my Sifu tells me we shouldn't involve ourselves too much. Maybe other youxia do, but we don't. My dad never even leaves his mountain even. He's sorta antisocial I think," you admit.

"What about your mother?"

"She's gone. Come on, it's the Mid-Autumn Festival so let's go get moon cakes already!" you say, uncomfortable with the line of questioning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival, for those who want details, and also why Lobsang and Dawa are meeting up on this particular day in question.

>>36359118
Thanks for the link mate.

>>36359118
The day goes by excellently, turning into night as you eat food and play games and have the best time you've had in months really.

"I can't get over how much cash you always seem to have Sky!" Lobsang says as you snack on mooncakes as the sun sets while the festival still goes on around you.

"What do you mean?" you say. You never have more money then Ba ever gives you after all.

"I mean, your father's a hermit, but you always have huge strings of cash when you need to buy stuff. Most folks only carry the one, but I've seen you with two or three sometimes. How does your father make money? He doesn't have any other students...." Lobsang says, curious.

"Huh. I never thought about it. I mean, maybe it's saved up or he sells pelts or something. We killed a bear awhile back, bear paws are always good for selling, pelts too...," you say, but that explanation doesn't make much sense to you.

The only thing you can think of is that he had everything saved up beforehand. You suppose your needs aren't great, so he could ration out what was needed whenever you both needed supplies; you hunted and fished for almost everything else.

"Oh great, it's the Mid-Autumn Festival and now it's going to rain," Dawa says, sounding disappointed at the sound of distant thunder.

You frown. "That's weird, it's been clear all da..." you say, and then you drop the mooncake and without even thinking about the crowd you leap straight up on top of the rooftops, shocking everyone, Lobsang and Dawa include.

Miles away on the mountain where your home is, stormclouds have gathered in the setting sun....and JUST over the mountain. In an impossible pattern, the clouds seem to swirl DOWNWARD...right above where the cabin is.

A flash of light from the area around the mountain is answered by a bolt of lightning from the clouds lashing down into the lightened spot twice in a row, an impossibility in nature as far as you know.

"Ba....," you say under your breath.

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>>36359118
Dawa kind of has a point... Stopping petty criminals is sort of getting too involved, but if we honestly have power, don't we have a responsibility to use it to create and preserve harmony? We don't have to take a government job or anything, but surely it's not wrong to use kung fu to stop bandits and protect the innoce-

>>36359331
Oh. Ohhh boy...

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149 KB JPG

>>36359331

>>36359360
Clearly, Sky hasn't done much thinking about this on his own. He is simply following sifu's orders like a good disciple.

>>36359431
I was going to propose we ask Ba, "What is the purpose of Kung Fu?" but right now, it seems we more need to ask, "So is this a good time to break my promise?"

>>36359331
Somewhere in the back of your mind you register Lobsang and Dawa calling your name, but you barely register the sounds as you use your Thousand-Cloud Step and leap, flying across the colored rooftops of Shuzheng like a nimbus cloud on the wind.

The town blurs by as you speed through air and rooftop, landing over a watery rice field, moving so fast the water behinds you sprays into the air as you run like you've never run before in your life.

You never remove your eyes from the mountain. Flashes of light like spears lance down across it, storm clouds as dark as coal blanket it's cap like a suit of armor, and thunderclaps that sound like explosions go increasingly louder in intensity as you process something you've never even seen before but know instinctively: your father is in combat, somewhere on the mountain, and what you are seeing are merely the side-effects of the power he is unleashing.

By the time you reach the mountainside you can barely even hear: the wind howls like a hurricane, buffeting you with waves of nearly solid force, making each step up on the mountain harder and harder.

Thunderclaps so loud you are deafened smash out through the air, carrying so much power that branches simply EXPLODE from the raw unyielding fury nature is unleashing.

The wind is a constant howl, like a dragon roaring it's way from Heaven onto Earth, letting it's fury be known through light, fire, force, and rage, and somewhere you wonder how could anything POSSIBLY survive at the epicenter of the storm as a black tornado streaked with lightning shrieks down from the swirling clouds above and smashes with so much force as to be AUDIBLE when it hits the ground.

But you don't stop running.

>>36359592
You keep running, and as you move you faintly think you hear fell voices on the wind.

"Sifu! SIFU! DAD!" you shout, but your own voice is lost to your ears, and so you keep running.

You nearly make it to the top, before a bolt of thunder smashes down onto the Earth less then eight feet away from you with enough force to pick you up and toss you away, and as you slam into something hard you feel heavy, and darkness takes you.....

>>36359592
Is this the power of Heaven's Blessing style kung-fu? Wow. Okay, assuming that Ba doesn't die dramatically to set us on the path of vengeance, we'll have to show him more respect after this.

>>36359758
I agree..
sounds like he is at the SS level..

>>36359758
Yeah, I knew he was strong but goddamn is he fucking strong

>>36359733
Suddenly you breathe in, your eyes opening, though an aching pain and heavy feeling suffuses your entire form, like all you are is a living bruise.

You struggle to your feet and observe the ruins, for what was once a mountainside covered in trees is gone; what you are looking at is a blasted wasteland.

Trees torn apart, blown to pieces by elemental fury, ground scorched black from lightning. You realize you landed in a tiny pit created by the roots beneath a tree you remember being near your house since some of your earliest memories of the mountain. The entire truck is now split in twain, only the roots and rocks having protected you, as if their final act of life was to save yours.

You stagger in shock, not quite believing the sheer devastation you see around you, barely recognizing landmarks as familiar to you as your own face.

The shock increases when you get to the clearing where you house is...or was.

The ground is a solid mass of black glass, dirt, leaves and sawdust fused from incredible heat into a cracking broken mass that crumples beneath your feat when you walk. The cabin itself is missing it's roof, and the log walls are blasted apart, though the foundation is still intact.

>"You can't remove the foundation of a house without tearing the old one apart."

Echos some distant part of your brain, recalling your father's words this morning.

There are no bodies.

>WDYD?
>Check the house, there has to be SOMETHING left with parts of it still standing like that....
>Look for Ba. If he's not here he has to be somewhere else.

>>36360007
>>Look for Ba. If he's not here he has to be somewhere else.

>>36360007
>Look for Ba. If he's not here he has to be somewhere else.
C'mon don't be dead don't be dead

>>36360059
Seconded

>>36360007
>Look for Ba. If he's not here he has to be somewhere else.

>>36360007
>>Look for Ba. If he's not here he has to be somewhere else.

>>36360007
>Look for Ba. If he's not here he has to be somewhere else.
Old man, you better not have exploded. We are NOT going to burn any joss for you if you did, you hear?

>>36360059
>>36360063
>>36360077
>>36360108
>>36360118
>>36360198
"Ba?" you say, and you jump in shock at being able to hear your own voice again. "Ba!!" you shout, looking around the area frantically.

You try to find a better vantage point, spotting a jutting cliff of rocks above your cabin's (above it's RUINS), and make your way there via Lightfoot Skill.

The entire cap of the mountainside is flattened as if the fist of a vengeful dragon smote it in a single overwhelming blow. Broken trees, rubble, and ruination spread as far as halfway down the mountainside.

"BA!!" you call out, cupping your hands to you mouth. Only your echo comes back to you.

"No bodies. How can there be no bodies after all that? It doesn't make sense...," you say to yourself unconsciously. The solution is a simple one, the only one that makes any sense to you.

"They....they took him. Someone came here and took him," you realize, running a hand through the tangle of black hair on your head. "But WHY? Dad never met with anyone. He never did anything, he just spent all his time up here, hiding away from peop...," you mutter, then it dawns on you.

>"And no fighting."

>"You need to not get involved."

>"The River water must not pollute the Well."

>"If you HAVE to fight, don't use Heavens Blessing's."

There's a pause as shock sets in again, like a heavy leaden weight, the cloud-covered night sky feeling like a shroud.

"It's my fault. When I fought in the market. They saw me. The ones I let go. They saw me fighting and....oh Gods....it's....it's MY FAULT they took him!" you say, uncertain what to feel and think, conflicting emotions raging out of control inside of you like the battle-storm you braved to reach your home.

>>36360397
Easy, Sky. If they got to him that quickly they were already hunting him and closing in. At most we made their job a bit easier, they were probably going to find him soon anyway. And they probably wanted him alive. If all they wanted was proof he was dead they would have cut off his head to make it easier to carry around than an entire corpse. Since there's no headless corpse around here, we can guess he's still alive. Which means we can fix this. Time to go on an adventure, young xia.

>>36360397
search the house he may have left something

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>>36360397
At some point you were on your knees. You don't remember falling to them though.
At some point it began raining. You don't remember when though.

Your memory seems to stop, until you look up, blinking what must be stinging rainwater out of your eyes...and your eyes are hard with resolve now.

"I'll find you," you whisper.

You remember standing up looking out at the valley....to the south.

>"Foreigners from out of the valley."

>"They came up from Zhuzheng I think."

>"They left yesterday."

"I'll find you," you say again, louder this time.

You don't remember moving yourself from the cliff but you remember being at your house, smashing aside wooden rubble with a heavy blow of your leg: it's just something in your way and NOTHING will stand in the way of you finding your father.

You toss aside the ruins of the bed, digging up the trap door you always knew was there but you never bothered thinking about.

Rain falls on you as you take away a wooden chest, kicking it open.
In it; a heavy traveling pouch with clothes and dried goods, still wrapped and ready for travel.

A change of clothes into something more like what would be worn down south.

A pouch of money heavy enough to jingle on it's own filled with silver.

And a weapon, a yanmaodao. A saber so straight it could almost be a sword, kept fresh and oiled though you've not seen it before in your life as you remove it from it's scabbard and seen your grim determination reflected on it's steel blade.

Your eyes harden in the reflection as you slam the blade back into it's scabbard and belt it onto your shoulders, stuffing what you can in the pack and strapping it to yourself.

"I swear I'll find you dad. No matter what."

>>36360768
return to our friend inform him what happened and tell him if any one comes looking for us tell them were to find us

>>36360768
>Father is Gone. Sifu has been taken.

>Only you can rescue him.

>What Do You Do, Young Xia?

>Return to Shuzheng. Ask questions, get as much information as possible.

>Returning to town is a waste of time. There's nothing for you here anymore. You weren't out for that long, you know where they're going, so go after them before they get farther away!

>>36360768
>Return to Shuzheng. Ask questions, get as much information as possible.

>>36360923
>>Return to Shuzheng. Ask questions, get as much information as possible.
i want to keep our friend and his future wife safe

>>36360923
>Return to Shuzheng. Ask questions, get as much information as possible.
We know where they came from, not where they're going. If they've been searching for him they could be from anywhere.

>>36360923
>>Returning to town is a waste of time. There's nothing for you here anymore. You weren't out for that long, you know where they're going, so go after them before they get farther away!

ADVENTURE START

>>36360923
Why would we be able to take on the people who did this? We need to train

this feels like the start of jade empire and i fucking loved jade empire

So, this is the end of the first "chapter" (really more like an extensive prologue) so to speak of the storyline I wrote out when I planned this as a novel; the entire story at first didn't have a name, but eventually I found one that perfectly fit:

>"CATCH THE LIGHTNING"

It actually has a few double-meanings within the context of this tale.

To clarify everything, you now have several objectives, which you can follow in any order you choose, most of which have a strong hint of mystery about them.

>Find your Father

>Discover who kidnapped him.

>Uncover their motives, as well as your father's mysterious unspoken past.

>Train yourself during your journey that you might successfully rescue him.

How many folks are playing right now, just so I know if it's too late to keep going?

>>36361024
Let's be perfectly honest; who DIDN'T love Jade Empire?

>>36361260
I'm playing

>>36361260
im playing

and only uncultured swine did not like that game

>>36361260
I'm about here. Or more that way.

>>36361260
still here.

>>36361260
I'm here.

>>36361260
I'm playing

there are 17 people here more or less just mouse over the numbers in the bottom right

>>36361260
I'm mostly lurking, but this is the most interesting quest I've seen in a long time. So count me in, I'll contribute when it gets slow

>>36361260
I'm here.

>>36361260
Just tuning in actually.

Wow, that's a hell of a lot more people then I thought would be paying attention to this. No pressure.
>>36360959
>>36360972
>>36360975
You make your way back down to Shuzheng, slowly this time, and it's fully night by the time you reach the village.

You search through the crowd, eyes focused for Lobsang and Dawa, but it is they who find you, not the reverse.

"Sky! SKY!" Lobsang's voice says as he runs through the street to reach you. "Gods above Sky, I thought you'd gone mad! Where did you go? What WAS that? The whole valley must've seen that...that storm, but you're the only one who ran right for it!"

"He's gone," you say, keeping an eye out in the crowd for trouble. You're never getting caught off-guard again. Ever.

"Who?"

"My father. The storm was him fighting. When I arrive home there was nothing left. No bodies. They took him and I'm going to find him," you say, turning back to him, assured that the village is safe for now.

"How...how can someone FIGHTING create a storm like that? That's impossible!"

"There's no such thing as 'no such thing'," you reply firmly, repeating something father liked to say when you stated something was impossible.

"Is that...a sword?" Dawa says, looking sideways at the hilt over your right shoulder.

"Yes. Dawa, Lobsang, I need to know; the men who were here yesterday, the ones with the one I killed," you say, and the word no longer makes you flinch.

>"When you strike, son, be like Lightning; swift and precise, without mercy or remorse, knowing your goal and following it unflinchingly. People die for their goals and ideals, so make sure the other guy dies first."

"Did you hear anything about where they were from? Or their names? Anything at all?"

Dawa nods, seeming to realize faster just how serious the situation has become for you. She seems quicker on the uptake then your friend.

"Sichuan. They mentioned when they were harassing me that they came from Sichuan, specifically the capitol of Chengdu."

>>36361840
"Chengdu, huh?" you say, tasting the word like blood in your mouth. You have a destination now. "I can get there by traveling down the Min River easy enough."

"You're going alone?" Lobsang says in disbelief.

"No choice. Wulin matters are settled in the Wulin, by Wulin methods" you say firmly.

"What....what does that mean?" Dawa says, and her tone says she already suspects your answer.

"Debts in Wulin are settled in blood. No exceptions."

There's a pause, and Lobsang looks at you, realizing that he can't aid his friend of ten years on this quest you're going on.

"I want to make sure both of you are safe. Dawa, you said you had family in Zhuzheng?" you ask, and she nods.

You reach into your pouch and hand them four large silver tael coins. They stare in awe at the money.

"Go there. This should be enough to get you there. I want to make sure you're both safe if the men who started this get past me, and they won't be looking in Zhuzheng."

"Sky it's...it's enough to get us there. It's enough for an entire HOUSE there!" Lobsang says, flabbergasted at the sudden speed in which his life has changed.

"Even better. Now go on, I have to find a boat that will take me downriver as soon as possible," you say, turning towards the small fishing harbor near the village.

"Hey Sky! Good luck!" Lobsang says behind you, as you nod back and make your way towards the river.

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>>36362300
>Interlude

Fisherman Liu Wei was having a quiet festival, unlike the rest of the village. His boat was lit up with a red lantern, and he relaxed in his craft, enjoying the lights of the village from a distance.

The weird storm had bothered Wei, and some of the wind off the mountain had stirred up parts of the river, but when it had settled Wei had decided the gods had simply been celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in their own way as well.

He had almost fallen asleep when he felt something rock on his fishing boat, and sat up and saw standing on the stern rail a young man in rough clothes.

He tried to process the image; he was nowhere NEAR shore, how did he even get here? And in the dark lit by the lantern he saw the traveling pouch, the sword over the young man's shoulder and the steel in his eyes.

"Oh...please, Young Lord, don't hurt me!" he begged, realizing he was now in great danger...or at least though he realized it.

"I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to hire you," the young man said, but his voice was not the sort of voice that reassured one of it's peaceful intentions. "Take me downriver to Chengdu, or as close to Chengdu as you can get."

"I'm...I'm a fishing vessel, the boat's not for hire...," he reflexively said before realizing saying as much might be a fatal mistake.

Wei heard a clunking sound on the boat and jumping, for a minute thinking his life was over, before the lantern light caught the glint of three silver tael coins. It was enough to pay for his entire boat twice over.

"You are now."

>>36362646
>Four Days Later

You sit on the opposite end of the boat, under the small house-like canopy used to sleep under when it rains, legs crossed in meditation.

>Focus...
>Separate the Yin and Yang...
>Feel the Force build....
>Direct to the Limb....

You say, mentally going through the steps. Your palms are facing each other flat, and you mentally force the Qi to your hands as the charged space causes lightning to jump between the empty space between them, immense power contained in the tiny are between both palms as you go through the exercises your father taught you to teach you control.

"Every time you do your magic stuff I'm afraid you're going to burn down the boat," the fisherman says as he steers the craft, shattering your concentration and causing the sparks to briefly flare before dying out.

>WDYS?

>"How close are we?"

>"Not likely Wei, unless you keep interrupting me during practice."

>>36362892
>"Not likely Wei, unless you keep interrupting me during practice."
>"How close are we?"

>>36362892
>>"How close are we?"
We're in a rush to get ourselves neck deep in trouble.

>>36362892
>>"Not likely Wei, unless you keep interrupting me during practice."
must train

>>36362892
>>"How close are we?"

>>36362958
seconded training is most important

>>36362892
>"Not likely Wei, unless you keep interrupting me during practice."

Hot anger is better than cold anger. Cold anger gives you tunnel vision. Hot anger you can recover from. Harder to come out of cold rage.

Sometimes it's better to vote for the irrational choice.

>>36362892
>"How close are we?"

BTW Love the quest so far is there any twitter we could follow?

>>36362892

>"Not likely Wei, unless you keep interrupting me during practice."

you know why i love this genre it that its not about the money to about the fighting.

>>36362892
>>"Not likely Wei, unless you keep interrupting me during practice."

>>36362892
"That's only likely if you keep interrupting Wei. This is hard enough on a boat as it is." you say dryly, opening your eyes and looking at the Ferryman-turned boatman with a blank face and a raised eyebrow, an expression your father used that you reflexively mimic.

"Sorry," Wei apologizes, flinching a little.

"No harm done," you respond quickly, going back to meditating.

"Why practice on the boat if it's that difficult?"

"Because it's HARDER to do it in a fight," you explain as you concentrate. And if you can't do it in combat reliably you're as good as useless.....

"How close are we to Chengdu?" you say as sparks begin to jump between you palms again.

"No idea," Wei answers honestly, steering around some deadwood in the river.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean 'no idea'. I've never left the valley before and we're out of Min Canyon already. I just know Chengdu is on the river somewhere down south," he admits.

"Hmm," you say, sparks still crossing between your fingers as you focus.

>>36363065
WulinSage@WulinHero.
Just set it up awhile ago.

>>36363347
Nice thanks for setting one up.

>>36363323
"All I really know about Chengdu is that the Plains in Sichuan are supposed to be kind of dangerous lately. Local law isn't perfect here recently for some reason according to some refugees coming up into Nine Village Valley. Oh, and it has spicy food, I guess?" he says, shrugging.

"I'm fine with dangerous, it sort of comes with the territory," you explain, and after a pause you shrug, still maintaining the lightning force with your eyes closed. "Never had much spicy food, so I'm not as certain about that."

"Oh sure, because spicy food is REALLY going to be worse then bandits and rogue generals and whatever else you're carrying that sword around for,"

"Do you smell something burning?" you say suddenly, your trance breaking, uncrossing your legs.

"OH GODS, MY BOAT IT'S ON FIRE I KNEW IT-" Wei says, suddenly panicking.

"Shut up. It's not that, it's farther downriver," you say, removing yourself from the shaded part of the boat and looking ahead. A fair distance away you see a small fishing village, and see smoke and fire coming from one of the buildings.

>WDYD?

>"Wei, move farther away from the shore, we don't want to get caught up in this."

>Could be a clue, and you might get more information on who took Sifu! Besides, it looks from here like they're in trouble!

>>36363544
>>Could be a clue, and you might get more information on who took Sifu! Besides, it looks from here like they're in trouble!

>>36363544
>Could be a clue, and you might get more information on who took Sifu! Besides, it looks from here like they're in trouble!

No more prohibitions on fighting, and we need as much experience as we can get.

>>36363544
>>Could be a clue, and you might get more information on who took Sifu! Besides, it looks from here like they're in trouble!

>>36363565
oh jesus christ no. QM, your quest is now cursed.

>>36363544
>>Could be a clue, and you might get more information on who took Sifu! Besides, it looks from here like they're in trouble!
help the people

>>36363544
>Could be a clue, and you might get more information on who took Sifu! Besides, it looks from here like they're in trouble!
What kind of gentleman, martial or conventional, would we be if we didn't help those whose homes are burning?

>>36363544
>>Could be a clue, and you might get more information on who took Sifu! Besides, it looks from here like they're in trouble!

>>36363605
he can go's to both extremes

>>36363544
>Could be a clue, and you might get more information on who took Sifu! Besides, it looks from here like they're in trouble!

>>36363605
It doesn't seem like the quest will be using rolls at any rate so no worries.

>>36363633
He rolled good earlier in MGLQ so he's off the hook for today.

>>36363735
I rolled 2 ones in a row in Auri's otherworldly arboreum

>>36363544
"Wei, get us closer. I'm going to go see what's going on," you say, standing up.

"What? Are you CRAZY? They, whoever they are, are burning the village, they could attack the boat if we get too close!" Wei says, keeping well away from the far shore.

"Hm. Good point. I'll just have to go on foot. Thanks for the ride, I can walk the rest of the way I think," you say, putting one foot on the railing.

"But we're still too far from shore for-" he begins, but you don't hear as you leap and dash across the water, each footstep kicking up a jet of river behind you from the incredible speed with which you propel yourself!

You blur across the water like a skipping stone, using more speed then caution. You hear screams and smell smoke more clearly on the warmer-then-usual Autumn morning as your feet suddenly hit the wood of a dock as the rapid splashing of water beneath your feet becomes the pounding of wooden planks being tread, which even more swiftly becomes the thumping of hard-packed dirt road as you see a woman on the ground with a muscular man's saber raised above his head several yards away, and you reach for your sword and

>WDYD?

>Form One: YIN-YANG ROTATION!

>Form Two: Traversing The Instant Path!

>>36363853
>Form Two: Traversing The Instant Path!
Need to interfere more than do damage.

>>36363853
>>Form One: YIN-YANG ROTATION!

>>36363853
>>Form Two: Traversing The Instant Path!
move like quick to save a life

>>36363853
>Form One: YIN-YANG ROTATION!
TTIP got us recognized and dad kidnapped.

>>36363853

>Form Two: Traversing The Instant Path!

>>36363853
>>Form Two: Traversing The Instant Path!
Kick him down before he strikes.

>>36363853
>>Form Two: Traversing The Instant Path!

>>36363853
>Form Two: Traversing The Instant Path!
Seizing the initiative in a surprise attack is the definition of what this is for so form two seems best.

>>36363886
...are you retarded? Both forms are from the same style and will get you equally recognized.

>>36363899
Are you the QM? YYR could be less distinctive, or be similar to techniques used by other schools. Don't presume to know the world if you aren't the creator.

>>36363899
There was even an entire tutorial about this.

>>36363853
>Form Two: Traversing The Instant Path!
Need to get there as fast as possible. Instant is about as fast as it gets

>>36363921
So yes, you're retarded. Glad you cleared that up.

this is not about getting recognized but building a legend

>>36363942
The only retard I'm seeing is you, who seems to think he knows everything about a world that has had only 2 threads put into it.

>>36363921
We used YYR when sparing against Sifu, it's just as obvious due to a crack of thunder and lightning dancing across our limbs, but lacks the speed that TTIP grants us and puts the woman at greater risk.

>>36363995
I'm so sorry for your crippling reading disorder.

Because anyone who could read would know both internal techniques are easily recognizable as such, since we've had descriptions of both being used.

>>36364012
>>36364038
>Seperating Yin and Yang is a basic art that creates electrical energy

>No other technique could possibly create electrical energy

How are you guys not the retards?

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>>36364092

>>36364092
YYR creates lightning, TTIP is a directional flash step/super dash

>>36364092
From Thread One:

>And you within a fractional instant run through the Five Steps of Heaven's Blessing's First Form; YIN-YANG ROTATION FORCE.

>A sound like thunder tears through the air around you, flashing light and power surge up your arm, shooting pain and heat move through your bones and muscles as the energy of Heaven itself, pure Lightning gathers upon your blow!

Because I've actually been paying attention? Form One is still evokes Thunder and Lightning.

>>36363853
>Interlude
Li Qiuang hated these little towns. Farming and fishing, fishing and farming. Boring. Nothing ever happened here, just like the pissant village where he grew.

Honestly, these people should be THANKING him for setting it on fire.

He tuned out the noise and leaned the blunt side of his saber on his shoulder as his men went from house to house.

"See old man, the basic concept of a 'protection racket'," he began, talking to the man on his knees in front of him walking back and forth, gesticulating with his free hand, "is that you pay us to LEAVE, basically. You decided to stop paying us was SOMEHOW a better alternative, which I frankly find completely baffling."

He was crying now. So was his wife. AND his daughter. Gods he hated that. He was pretty sure the Buddah would forgive him for wasting such whiners. He gave shrine offerings anyway, that's basically like getting a free pass, right?

"So, now we have to take EVERYTHING, which really sucks for you I guess. Sorry about the house fire, I don't know how that got started. Real problem is that now your daughter's gotta die, because otherwise you won't really learn much from this whole experience. 'Punished once is a lesson learned, punished twice is a lesson remembered', like my Ba used to say," he explained, ignoring the village headman's groveling as he readied his saber above the kneeling girl's neck and raising the saber and bringing it down before something weird happened.

At first it was a sound, like distant thunder.

Then a flash of bright light out of the corner of his eye, and then as he swung his saber he felt a mild jolt and for some reason it didn't take off her head.

And as if in slow motion, he saw his arms, both still holding the saber, go flying away from his body.

Between him and the girl was a kid, barely twenty, holding a saber in one hand, something alarmingly like lightning streaking off his body.

"So it works even better with a blade in hand," he said. "Good to know."

>>36364092
Because you can't read.

>>36360397
>>"If you HAVE to fight, don't use Heavens Blessing's."

>>36364140
>>36364155
>>36364200
jesus this is worse than I thought. all yall don't even know how to read. try taking a peek at the middle line of >>36364092 again.

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>>36364241
>pic related is you

>>36364224
>And as if in slow motion, he saw his arms, both still holding the saber, go flying away from his body.

goddamn we are fucking awesome

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>>36364262
>uses an image with an entirely different purpose to insult someone
>projects his retardation onto others

Let me show you how it's done.

>>36364302
>can't understand english
>already called out repeatedly for his inability to read
>offers no support for his position
>ITS YOU GUYS WHO CAN"T READ
Please raise the average world IQ by killing yourself.

>>36364241
Both options involve using electrical energy. Try paying attention there were no options that did not involve separating Yin and Yang and creating lighting. Both Form One and Form Two do this, I'm not getting where you're not making the connection since it was clearly spelled out and I even provided you with a quote of what YYR does. Anyway nothing more to discuss since the action was taken, please let the matter drop.

>>36364357
once again, middle line of >>36364092
8 words, 8 simple words, and they continue to elude you
I'm convinced you've realized your mistake, but you're so entrenched now that you refuse to admit it. You're being pretty silly, this is all anonymous. No one will be able to tell that you were this retarded in the future. Why don't you just stop?

Holy shit, I was just on a week-long wuxia marathon and this popped up? Amazing!

Congratulations Wulin Sage, you've got your first argument!

Take it as a compliment, it means people care enough to get angry over your story.

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>>36364402
>I'm convinced you've realized your mistake

>>36364391
One is a physical blow infused with electrical energy, the other is infusing your whole body to move at lightning speed. If you think the first is just as distinctive as the second you're just as retarded as >>36364435

>>36364433
This isn't an argument, this is a retard shitposting.

>>36364419
have you read the first thread from the archive its pretty good if you haven't

>>36364391
I don't think it even really matters anymore. We have no incentive to hide the Heaven's Blessing style now. They were hunting our father, now us, so drawing attention doesn't mean much. Worst case scenario, they send someone relatively weak after us, we have our first fight against another xia, and then we pump them for information on their employers.

>>36364224
The bandit who's missing both arms below the elbow is being a real baby about the whole thing; you figure if you live as a bandit you better be ready to loose a limb or two.

"What! What! What! WHAT!" is all he seems to be able to say as he falls to his ass on the grass as blood pours from the stumps.

"Wow, great comeback," you comment dryly, raising to your fee and flicking your saber, blood hitting the dirt around it.

The bandits, jaws agape are trying to process what they just saw, still holding their weapons, but not attacking yet.

Your eyes scan the area around you, and you take in the environment.

>Four to the right near some houses, three to the left near a wagon, two directly ahead of you. No arrows or ranged weapons visible, and only one with a large axe seems to look like he can handle himself in a fight, and though his stance is firm you feel no Qi.

>WDYD?

>Threaten them first. Give them a chance to back off.

>Go right towards the larger group near the houses.

>Go left, to the ones by the wagon.

>Go forward where the guy with the big axe and one other are standing.

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>>36364465
>>36355412
>"If you have to fight avoid using Heaven's Blessings, especially in public.

>b-but he only meant one of the two movies! really!

>>36364513
>>Go left, to the ones by the wagon.

>>36364513
>Threaten them first. Give them a chance to back off.
Take you man and go, i'd rather not waste my time digging ten graves.

>>36364513
>>Go right towards the larger group near the houses.
they will only come back if let them leave so lets help the people

>>36364513
>>Go right towards the larger group near the houses.

>>36364513
>>Go forward where the guy with the big axe and one other are standing.
That the leader? Take him down.

>>36364543
>There is only black and white
>Grey does not exist.

>>36364513
>Go right towards the larger group near the houses.

>>36364513
>Go right towards the larger group near the houses.
Houses means people, most likely to have people in need of protection right there.

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>>36364621
>literally has no argument

>>36364513
>Go forward where the guy with the big axe and one other are standing.

Our style is not suited for prolonged fights, at least that's what has been eluded to. We don't know if we can take out every bandit here and being over reliant on Heaven's Blessing will leave us vulnerable to the most dangerous opponent. If we want a decisive victory we should aim for the leader and then hope the rest scatter.

>>36364570, >>36364577, >>36364623, >>36364632
You plant your foot and launch at the group near the houses without even introducing yourself, letting speed and shock be he tip of your spear!

One barely has time to bring up his sword before you dart under it, swinging a double-handed cut that tears through his belly, and you pull past him as he grunts in shock and agony as he falls to the ground clutching the ruins of his stomach!

Another comes at your right side, and you bring up your sword to deflect the blow, which diverts you off-course from the next guy you were aiming for, who draw his saber and lunges at you as you nimbly dart away, but not before kicking him back with a boot planted to his torso!

"Okay, still need to get used to fighting with a weapon," you say to yourself. "At least I know why Sifu had me practice with a stick so many time now."

You leap into a backflip as a presence behind you stabs a spear, landing behind him, cutting open his back on the way down as you let you fall pump the force of the slash, sending him screaming to the ground!

"Hold STILL you jumping little-" the one who you were forced to parry says as you dodge another blow and thrust your saber as if it were a sword, forcing him to back off!

"Right, what was I thinking AVOIDING the sharp end of your swords. I'll make sure to stay nice and still next time," you remark flippantly as you use the opening you create to put your blade across his throat and remove his Adam's Apple, causing him to clutch his ruined neck and fall to his knees!

A sudden change in the air behind you alerts you to danger, and you spin, putting your saber in front of you to absorb the massive impact of the battle-axe the stronger bandit swings, the force of the blow pushing you along the dirt away for about four feet!

The axe-wielding bandit growls like a furious ape, hefting his mighty cleaving blade again!

>>36364911
"That was my brother you just killed you little shit!" he growls. He's an AWFUL lot bigger close-up.

"You're going to have to be more specific, because by my count I've killed four of you guys already," you note mentally noting to try and dodge his axe rather then parry it like that.

"The one who's arm you cut off!" he roars, spit flying from his jaw as his eyes go bloodshot with fury.

"Oh, he died of shock? If it makes you feel better, I was aiming for his neck, I'm still working on fencing," you say, simply unable to help yourself from goading him.

You wonder if it's a good thing you never got into fights back home earlier; you're having a REALLY hard time keeping your mouth shut as you fight these guys....

>WDYD?

>Go after this guy head-on and give him a taste of Form One!

>Use your mobility to keep hitting him and running!

>Move in and trip him up before heading to the wagons!

>>36365039
>Go after this guy head-on and give him a taste of Form One!

>>36365039
>>Use your mobility to keep hitting him and running!

>>36365039
>>Move in and trip him up before heading to the wagons!
we can kill him later then need to live

>>36365039
>>Go after this guy head-on and give him a taste of Form One!
Still at least three more enemies active, have to finish this quick.

>>36365039
>Use your mobility to keep hitting him and running!

In fact, let's go full spider man on his sorry ass, and try and manuever so that he starts hitting other bandits while trying to hit us. Let's keep our magic tricks in reserve for now.

>>36365039
>>Go after this guy head-on and give him a taste of Form One!

>>36365039
>Move in and trip him up before heading to the wagons!
the village might die if the wagons leave

>>36365039
>Go after this guy head-on and give him a taste of Form One!
Size matters not when you have fucking magic lightning powers

>>36365104
Seconded

>>36365039
>Use your mobility to keep hitting him and running!
Don't break out the lightning bolts yet, keep it as a surprise. These guys aren't xia, they probably can't make the connection between our speed and the electrical arcing.

>>36365039
>Go after this guy head-on and give him a taste of Form One!

>>36365039
>Move in and trip him up before heading to the wagons!

>>36365063, >>36365099, >>36365120, >>36365150, >>36365202

"GYYYYAAAAH!" the bandit says unintelligibly, charging you with his axe in rage, as you meet his charge at the same time with one of your own!

He telegraphs his blow as a side-swing, and so you wait until the last second before jumping over the axe-swing aimed at your mid-section with his greater reach! You still only BARELY dodge the blow; you underestimated his ability to move that axe around quickly, even if he's limited to predictable angles of attack with it....

In mid-air above his head you focus, activating form one and for the first time sending lightning sparking down the steel length of your blade in a down-swing, just as he barely manages pull back and parry it with the axe's haft in both hands!

The effect is surprising; the impact force blows apart the haft of his axe with a flash of light and a sound of thunder even as you go flying back from the recoil, landing on your feet! Despite only destroying his weapon, he spasms in agony as lightning jumps to his body, his clacking teeth biting off the tip of his tongue and forcing him to stagger back as he seizures!

Your eyes are wide and your mouth slightly open as you for the first time realize the full implications and uses Form One's simplistic technique; it doesn't merely enhance the blow, but it conducts the electrical force created.

ANY attack that connects, even if it's parried or blocked, is a successful attack as the lightning causes their muscles to spasm and ruins their breathing and guard!

>>36365446
This is going to cause the folks we saved to flee from us in terror, and lead us to fully realize the reasons behind Ba telling us never to use Heaven's Blessing, isn't it?

>>36365446
You shake off your surprise, and dart forward! The bandit throws the axe-head, hoping to catch you off-guard but the attack is awkward and poor while he shakes off his muscle spasms, and you easily dodge it before thrusting up with both hands under his breastbone and into his heart with a grim finality!

You put your foot on him and kick him off, letting his heavy corpse fall to the ground. The bandits pause only momentarily before deciding anyone who can kill both their leaders and reduce their numbers by half in less the two minutes isn't worth fighting, and they drop everything and run!

You're panting from exertion as you flick the blood of your sword again before returning it to it's scabbard.

"Gotta work on....my combat endurance I suppose," you say to yourself as you pant, wiping sweat from your forehead.

"Uuuh....Young Lord?" you hear a nervous voice behind you say.

>WDYD?

>Brush it off, act like you're okay.

>"Just...give me a second here."

>"Are you all alright.?"

>>36365627
>>"Are you all alright.?"
we are the next hero of china

>>36365627
>>"Are you all alright.?"

>>36365627
>"Are you all alright.?"
Play it cool, this was no big deal for us, we're just worried about the villagers.

>>36365627
>>"Just...give me a second here."

>>36365657
Seconded

>>36365627
>"Are you all alright.?"

You may want to start indicating when voting has ended in the future since it seems like this quest may get a large following.

>>36365657, >>36365658, >>36365669, >>36365713, >>36365875

"Are you all okay? I got here as fast as I could when I saw the smoke," you say, getting to your feet.

"Uh...yes!" he says, surprised. "Most of our injuries are minor, and they only seemed like they were going to kill my daughter...I thank you for saving us Young Lord!" he says, bowing deeply.

"None of that 'Young Lord' stuff, I'm not really any higher ranked then you folks," you admit. Hell, they have a higher rank then you you suppose, seeing as they all have an actual professions and you're just a homeless guy who knows kungfu.

"Young Sir then," he says, bowing again. "I was always taught to respect xia traveling through, especially those who aid us."

You raise an eyebrow. "Is that common?"

"No, not really. But you must be a youxia, as I'm guessing the local governor didn't send you to rid us of these bandits," he says, and there's a note of bitterness in his voice.

"I don't even know who the local governor IS actually...," you admit with a shrug.

"Are..you foreign then?"

"Whuh? No, I'm from Nine Village Valley up north. I'm trying to make my way to Chengdu, do you know where it is from here?"

"Yes, Young Sir," the headman says, gesturing to the main road through town. "Follow this road next to the river and you'll arrive there."

>WDYD?

>Ask about the bandits.

>Ask about the governer.

>Ask if they've seen your father.

>>36366002
>Ask if they've seen your father.
>Ask about the bandits.
>Ask about the governer.

In descending order of priority

>>36366002
>Ask if they've seen your father.

>>36366002
>Ask about the bandits.
Are they likely to come back? I'd hate to think we've inadvertently made things worse.

>>36366034
Seconded

>>36366002
>Ask about the bandits.
>Ask if they've seen your father.
>Ask about the governor.

This next response will be the final one of tonight by the way, as it's getting sort of late.

>>36366034, >>36366043, >>36366048. >>36366152

"Before I go, have you seen a...," you begin, and then pause. You realize the only description you have for him is "tall, bearded, with long unbound hair".

You have no name to give anyone who asks, you don't know whom else he could be with, or how many they might number, and for the first time it occurs to you about how very little you know about your father as a person before your life with him.

"....a group of people carrying a prisoner, maybe?" you finish, going with the safest possible description.

"No, nothing like that, Young Sir."

"Damn. What's with these bandits by the way? Why isn't the local governor doing anything?" you wonder idly aloud.

"Nobody knows why, but military desertion in the province has skyrocketed and local law enforcement seems unable to keep up. The governor seems to be sitting on his hands doing nothing at all, and local magistrates have had a hard time keeping up with crime, even the ones that are xia like yourself. This group of bandits was led by the two you killed, so they'll scatter easily enough," he explains.

So there's magistrates who are xia. Good to know, it could come in handy. Or at least keep you on your toes.

"I have to be heading out now, but I'm glad to help out, at least for awhile," you say, turning towards the road.

"Wait! Young Sir, we don't even know your name!"

You pause, before turning and answering.

"I'm Tiankong, called Sky," you answer simply. You have no martial name beyond the literal translation of your given name.

"Thank you Lord Sky!" he says, bowing again as you leave, which embarases you even as the rest of the village does it too.

"No, 'Lord' stuff...I'm just Sky," you correct, walking away with a wave.

You head south, to Chendu, and hopefully your father....

>>36366380
Thanks for running, Wulin Sage. This was fun. See you next time.

And I'll pick up the next thread tomorrow.
Archiving now.

>>36366408
Nice. Around what time? Thanks for running.

>>36366408
thanks for running loved it

>>36366434
I generally try to do it earlier it when I do stuff like this, since my timezone is Pacific so later then a lot of East Coasters, and update through the day when I can from my phone.

I'll send a tweet on the account Wulin Sage@Wulin Hero when I start.

>>36366500
I can't find your twitter

>>36366571
Ugh, no idea how Twitter works. I have had absolutely zero reasons to use one before now, and cared about learning even less.
I'll figure it out later

>>36366380
It's official; Wuxia is the coolest genre by far.

Now I need to figure out how Twitter works. A belated thank you for running, Wulin Sage!

>>36366645
When you continue could you post a direct link to your twitter profile?