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Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
The compact of Iron was us holding the iron sliver from the ice ladies, the blood is the most interesting as it seems that the yukionna was forced to admit that we are "new blood" and therefore kin. This may help with negotiations as we have proof of old blood in the empire and are new blood.
- Location
- Lost!
[X]Cai Renxiang
[X]Xia Lin
Cai Renxiang because of course, but I also wamt to see more of Xia Lin. I hope she doesn't just fade into the backround like so many other characters we've met.
[X]Xia Lin
Cai Renxiang because of course, but I also wamt to see more of Xia Lin. I hope she doesn't just fade into the backround like so many other characters we've met.
EternalObserver
eYe Gaze baCk
- Location
- The Void
Insert Tally
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Okay, so, my gut feeling on the matter is... That trying to do this in hopes of pushing Renren up to Bond 4 seems to be missing the point? Or taking the hint that she's the 'Hardest' to shroud meaning that she's the easiest to free (Because it's coming from a source that wants all of us if it can possibly justify it, remember.)
The issue at hand is that she's a very complicated girl who has spent her entire life holding up a shield against people getting to know her out of fear that if her mother finds out she's anything but the perfect spawn she'll be discarded. Getting into her dreams is a level of intimacy that she is in no way equipped to react well to, even disregarding Liming possibly interpreting it as an intrusion beyond what it's willing to tolerate (When it is--at present--chomping at the proverbial bit just from a sustained crowd control effect). This isn't a magical "Raise Bond for free!" button, this is making things very awkward with our patron in a time of great crisis, when there's at least one third party that can and will eradicate us if it gets the chance to. It's not a trap option if all the pieces on the table are saying "THIS IS A BAD IDEA" And as we've seen, yrsillar may not be willing to execute us over a failure, but he isn't above punishing a bad move that was well telegraphed to be so. The punishment in this case is Liming activating and 'Solving' the problem with another chunk out of Renxiang's humanity.
Xia Lin and Meng Dan are non-starters because we've barely forged a bond with them at all--we've known them what, a week? That's nowhere near enough time to establish a good relationship with them to stand out in the face of their own personal demons.
But Gan Guangli? We haven't seen him lately in Threads, but that doesn't mean he's been doing nothing. He's been grappling with his own inner demons and steadily exorcising them, learning that he can't be a pillar to Renxiang by just being her shield, he's someone Ling Qi knows--even if she doesn't know him as well as she'd like--and most importantly of all?
He's used to disappointment and accepts it. And the ability to turn away from an apparently ideal scenario to do what is right is fundamental to what character we've seen from him. He just feels like the right choice here, this isn't a problem Ling Qi can singlehandedly brute force with the [Power of Friendship]. We need to pick the one who's most willing to walk away from their ideal world to return to one that's chronically disappointing
[X] Gan Guangli
The issue at hand is that she's a very complicated girl who has spent her entire life holding up a shield against people getting to know her out of fear that if her mother finds out she's anything but the perfect spawn she'll be discarded. Getting into her dreams is a level of intimacy that she is in no way equipped to react well to, even disregarding Liming possibly interpreting it as an intrusion beyond what it's willing to tolerate (When it is--at present--chomping at the proverbial bit just from a sustained crowd control effect). This isn't a magical "Raise Bond for free!" button, this is making things very awkward with our patron in a time of great crisis, when there's at least one third party that can and will eradicate us if it gets the chance to. It's not a trap option if all the pieces on the table are saying "THIS IS A BAD IDEA" And as we've seen, yrsillar may not be willing to execute us over a failure, but he isn't above punishing a bad move that was well telegraphed to be so. The punishment in this case is Liming activating and 'Solving' the problem with another chunk out of Renxiang's humanity.
Xia Lin and Meng Dan are non-starters because we've barely forged a bond with them at all--we've known them what, a week? That's nowhere near enough time to establish a good relationship with them to stand out in the face of their own personal demons.
But Gan Guangli? We haven't seen him lately in Threads, but that doesn't mean he's been doing nothing. He's been grappling with his own inner demons and steadily exorcising them, learning that he can't be a pillar to Renxiang by just being her shield, he's someone Ling Qi knows--even if she doesn't know him as well as she'd like--and most importantly of all?
He's used to disappointment and accepts it. And the ability to turn away from an apparently ideal scenario to do what is right is fundamental to what character we've seen from him. He just feels like the right choice here, this isn't a problem Ling Qi can singlehandedly brute force with the [Power of Friendship]. We need to pick the one who's most willing to walk away from their ideal world to return to one that's chronically disappointing
[X] Gan Guangli
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This right here ignores the fact that Black Sky Yearning has been stated to be fairly simple. She is not as complex as Zeqing. She is less civilized, and is unlikely to be clever in that way. She is not used to these type of dealings, she barely sees any people come this way.
- Location
- Colorado
Devil's advocate though, she does have enough human contact to recognize the compacts of blood and iron, she just doesn't have imperial contact. Still think CRX is the best choice though.
MooGoesCow21
Just Listen to me....
- Location
- US Washington
[X] Cai Renxiang
Yep pretty sure Imperial Bureaucracy has great methods of fooling spirits, if I had to choose who to punish Ling Qi it be Black Sky Yearning as she probally grant of us dream death being so simple, Zeqing being more knowledgeable and cunning would give us eternal torture of being frozen.
Meng Dan is a non-starter because all of the narrative time spent on him has been flat and one-dimensional, with the moment of his greatest depth being him looking at the bookshelves in the storage ring, and him searching through the tapestry for others among Ling Qi's ancestors. Xia Lin at least has had certain parallels drawn between her and Ling Qi, and thus narratively there would be more there to explore, even if at worst it's just a repeat of Zeqing's trial dream with Ling Qi as the outsider interference that she never got.
Also there's a certain appeal of Ling Qi cracking the dream with a variation of "Is this your 'glorious dawn'?" as part of the update.
In regards to the information provided by Black Skies Yearning there is some rather insightful information into how their society works, and doubly so if we use ooc information from the CN interlude in the previous thread.
Compact of Iron: This is a compact of safe passage, and if it applies to all yuki-onna like I think is basically a prerequisite for the Ice Ladies to form a civilization the lands of Ice. The reason being Yuki-onna are incredibly territorial, and naturally inclined to simply throw up a blizzard to remove intruders as Zeqing idly commented she would've once done to Zhengui.
Compact of Blood: As seen later this appears to be something that the Yuki-onna themselves do upon being killed by a child/student/victim(?), and is basically a [MINE] do not eat claim on someone. This appears to apply to bloodlines based upon the Cloud Triber interlude mentioning entire tribes being entirely untouched to them do to the Ice Ladies.
Also I'd speculate the reason Hanyi is called Broken thing is a combination of her being influenced by her human blood, and more importantly she isn't bound to a specific piece of land.
*If the living metal belongs to a GS willing to grow it to do so that would explain the strict adherence to the Compacts.
Also the Compacts basically require the future Ling clan to be involved in trade with Ice Ladies otherwise good luck getting passed a bunch of territorial spirits who likely have a floor value of Cyan.
Regardless Ling Qi has things to ask Not!Elsa during the talks, and if we succeed in persuading someone to leave their dream a 'New Blood' going back for another round of try not to get eaten by the Yuki-onna should make for an amusing icebreaker.
Alright so first off I'm pretty sure there are actually two compacts going on here, and my speculation for what they are is as follows.
Compact of Iron: This is a compact of safe passage, and if it applies to all yuki-onna like I think is basically a prerequisite for the Ice Ladies to form a civilization the lands of Ice. The reason being Yuki-onna are incredibly territorial, and naturally inclined to simply throw up a blizzard to remove intruders as Zeqing idly commented she would've once done to Zhengui.
Compact of Blood: As seen later this appears to be something that the Yuki-onna themselves do upon being killed by a child/student/victim(?), and is basically a [MINE] do not eat claim on someone. This appears to apply to bloodlines based upon the Cloud Triber interlude mentioning entire tribes being entirely untouched to them do to the Ice Ladies.
Also I'd speculate the reason Hanyi is called Broken thing is a combination of her being influenced by her human blood, and more importantly she isn't bound to a specific piece of land.
Something to note is either the spirit was being clever as it had previously noticed while hoping the human would do something stupid like attack her If doing so would void the compact... that might explain that lack of the Prince striking back, or the outcome of a spirit violating the pact has a sufficiently speedy* enforcement that she is weary.
*If the living metal belongs to a GS willing to grow it to do so that would explain the strict adherence to the Compacts.
So the important part of this is as previously mentioned is 'New Blood' appears to come from a Yuki-onna taking a human into their home, and the human killing her in the process of breaking free, which leads to a mark of blood based upon the Ling Qi example.
So a rather interesting note is that even those without the mark can be claimed by one with it, and the fact that this is a matter of debate makes trade with Ice Ladies within Ling Qi's lifetime a possibility. Because without it she'd be limited to the Ling Clan as they'd fall under the blood condition.
Also the Compacts basically require the future Ling clan to be involved in trade with Ice Ladies otherwise good luck getting passed a bunch of territorial spirits who likely have a floor value of Cyan.
Alright so in future dealings with Yuki-onna informing those not of the blood of the whole "Getting trapped in you dream world" issue will likely go a long ways toward not having Ling Qi take such risks as Black Sky Yearning's reaction implies if they'd wanted to leave Ling Qi would have the stronger claim.
Hm. So the spirit basically views Hanyi, and Ling Qi as sisters in truth, which makes me wonder how unique Hanyi is in Ice Lady society.
Regardless Ling Qi has things to ask Not!Elsa during the talks, and if we succeed in persuading someone to leave their dream a 'New Blood' going back for another round of try not to get eaten by the Yuki-onna should make for an amusing icebreaker.
- Location
- somewhere over there.
- Pronouns
- They/It
I'd be very amused if when we get there, they stare at us like we're morons for having trekked across the tundra without someone strong enough to force spirits like BSY not to try anything. Or perhaps it'd go the opposite way, and managing to get to them is a test in itself.
Well Ling Qi has one for Yuki-onna territory, but I'd expect a combination of amusement that Ling Qi did it, and being impressed that she managed to carry everyone through it without offering any up as sacrifices.
- Location
- Colorado
Your individual words make sense, but taken together I'm not sure why you quoted me.
Random thought. I don't want anyone to interpret it as an attack on anyone here because your views are all perfectly valid and reasonable, but I just find it interesting that a lot of people who think CRX is a "trick" option seem to be really underestimating her and just assume she can't deal with her own shit. We all KNOW CRX has unresolved trauma with her mother, but why are so many people assuming she's incapable of handling it when shit hits the fan? CRX trusts Ling Qi to be able to rise to challenges and overcome despite her own disadvantages. Why would we (and Ling Qi) assume that CRX can't do the same here?
If we want to cynically pick based on which character gives us the optimal outcome, I can totally see going Gan Guangli who will probably boom "MUH DUTY" and explode out of it full of solar qi when Ling Qi tells him CRX needs him outside the dream, but CRX seems like the more fascinating option at this point because she might have unresolved issues to overcome here.
I do hope we get a playdate with Gan Guangli at some point later though.
If we want to cynically pick based on which character gives us the optimal outcome, I can totally see going Gan Guangli who will probably boom "MUH DUTY" and explode out of it full of solar qi when Ling Qi tells him CRX needs him outside the dream, but CRX seems like the more fascinating option at this point because she might have unresolved issues to overcome here.
I do hope we get a playdate with Gan Guangli at some point later though.
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I wonder if we could Advance Empathy + Spirit Ken based on Yearning/Want from this. If One person's desires cannot alone make a home nor a family then that could be how we seek to know their desires. Understanding what drives Spirits and nobles is key to understanding how to treat with them, it's the Empathy version of Sincere Negotiator and could be developed into better seeing people's Domains and Ways, their goals and intentions when they're relevant. Giving people what they want in ways that also achieves our own goals and binds them to us is pretty much how Ling Qi has made allies all this time.
Ling Qi is a greedy girl who understands want more than most. Want was with Loneliness an option for our entire Domain and is even a part of it still since Loneliness is a lot about wanting to not be alone. Darkness, our main keyword, is to Ling Qi nothing but the duality of Fear and Want and Want is part of practically every one of our themes.
After we free Renxiang and our compatriots from their desires we negotiate the tithe to Black Skies Yearning and it's Ling Qi's understanding of what the spirit wants that allows her to give an offering that satisfies the spirit but doesn't cost the group to much. A roll where success gives us the Skill up and a failure leaves us drained before the meeting with the Ice Witches.
Ling Qi is a greedy girl who understands want more than most. Want was with Loneliness an option for our entire Domain and is even a part of it still since Loneliness is a lot about wanting to not be alone. Darkness, our main keyword, is to Ling Qi nothing but the duality of Fear and Want and Want is part of practically every one of our themes.
After we free Renxiang and our compatriots from their desires we negotiate the tithe to Black Skies Yearning and it's Ling Qi's understanding of what the spirit wants that allows her to give an offering that satisfies the spirit but doesn't cost the group to much. A roll where success gives us the Skill up and a failure leaves us drained before the meeting with the Ice Witches.
- Location
- Earth
[X] Gan Guangli
- Location
- A bed
[X] Cai Renxiang
Future Days: Coronation
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
Future Days: Coronation
Twin Stream Valley. A humble place near the Wall. No mighty river cascaded through the valley. No great lake slumbered there. Only two streams that gave the valley its name wound through the gentle slopes. Ten years ago immortals walked the valley, named it, and created a village. Official documents from the Ling clan listed the village as "Twin Stream Valley Village". Everyone living there just called it "the village".
Surrounded by gentle hills and bordered by the valley it got its name from, the village was a picturesque scene of tranquility. Meandering dirt paths separated rice fields. Wildflowers blooming on hilltops showcased the change from spring to summer and swayed in gentle western breezes.
Fifty houses comprised the village. Arranged in an expanding ring around a shelter buried firmly in the earth, necessary so close to the Wall, with fields expanding along the slopes of the valley. On top of the shelter, directly in the middle of the village, was a local shrine. Flames were painted on the deep brown wood making up the shrine and in the center of the shrine sat a carved Xuan Wu about a forearm long.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of similar villages lay scattered across the Empire. And just like all those villages Twin Stream Valley Village knew it was unique. Some villages had secret recipes, passed down from immortals. Others had hidden caves that glittered in torch light. This village had "the rock". Jutting out of the valley's slope the rock was made of black stone and stood in sharp contrast to the gentle green curves that surrounded it. Sharp edges, sharp enough draw blood, made up the rock except for the mirror smooth top.
It was on the rock that the village festivals were celebrated, where ceremonies were conducted, and where lunch was eaten. Black stone warmed by the sun made for the perfect place to eat lunch. Village rumor even had it that when the immortal surveyed the land to decide if a village should be built those immortals had eaten lunch on the rock. No one knew if that rumor was true, but everyone believed it. After all, one wouldn't find a better spot to rest in a hundred miles. Maybe even a thousand miles! Everyone said so.
Teng Jian believed it. He had eaten lunch on the rock every day since he arrived here ten years ago; if the weather permitted it. Which thankfully it often did. Storms often rolled down the wall, but they stopped soon after. Like a great invisible wall protected the land. It was quite a sight, black clouds wroth with lightning piled higher and higher, yet never spilled over. Certainly the work of immortals. Sometimes Teng Jian wondered why so many stories told before he arrived made it sound like he was stepping halfway into barbarian hands. Mother certainly seemed to think so with all the screeching she gave him when she learned that he planned.
Before Teng Jian had realized it, bitter memories had gnawed away his appetite. It was frustrating that even so far away, Mother could still influence his day. Sighing, he put the rest of his meal in the basket and turned his gaze to the horizon. Towards the wall and the one spot that drew eyes. Smoke Mountain. Immortals probably called it something else, but everyone in the village called it Smoke Mountain. A black pillar, swaying like campfire smoke, had appeared years ago, much to the concern of the elders and anyone who took the time to listen to them. Months then years passed though and nothing changed with Smoke Mountain. Now it was a popular fortune telling game. Make a wish and see if the black pillar swayed right or left. No one could ever agree on what motions meant what, but that was part of the fun.
Today it was swaying to the… Teng Jian peered at the smoke. It was smaller. Thinner. That had never happened before.
"Hey, Dong Jun!" Teng Jian said, looking over his shoulder. "Come look at this."
"What now, Teng Jian?" Dong Jun said, raising to his feet and walking over to the edge of the stone. "I swear, if it's another "spirit" that turns out to be a shiny rock I'll stop letting you win at Go."
"First, you never let me win." Teng Jian said. "Second, no it's not a shiny rock."
"Well then," Dong Jun said as he sat down next to Teng Jian. "What is it?"
"Look at Smoke Mountain. Doesn't it look smaller to you?"
Peering at the horizon Dong Jun hummed and hawed, tilting his head this way and that. "I see it. It does look smaller. I'll give you that."
"What do you think it could mean?" Teng Jian said as he chewed his lower lip.
"A thousand and one different things." Dong Jun said, spitting over the side of the rock. "That's immortal land. Let them figure it out."
Teng Jian looked over at his friend. That was far more venom than expected. He had always known Dong Jun wasn't fond of the immortal guardians of the Empire, but expressing it with such disdain was new.
Seeing the look sent his way Dong Jun snorted. "Oh don't give me that look. Immortals couldn't care less about us folk. Sure the Ling might be better than most, but that doesn't change what they are."
A doldrum descended upon the valley. Wind ceased. Birds quieted.
"I don't think…" Teng Jian began. Then he stopped. Everyone on the rock stopped. Smoke mountain was gone. Vanished. Just before whispers could spring up the sky screamed.
Wind howled and tore. Branches snapped, grass bent flat, hats and baskets flew away. Tossed by the winds rising madness. As it started it stopped. Again the wind died to a doldrum. As he looked to the horizon while clutching his hammering heart Teng Jian saw it. A dome. A shield engulfing mountains. Soft green and virtuous stood the shield. Whatever cataclysm had come was stopped.
Stopped for now, Teng Jian thought. As the soft green shield had arisen so too had rot. At the shield's base blackness crept upwards. A swamp slowly pulling the shield down. Blackness inched higher and higher while the soft green shield glowed brighter and brighter, trying to halt the spread. Then the first crack appeared.
"We need to go." Teng Jian said.
Confused murmuring was the only response. No one moved, transfixed by the fairy tale before them.
"We need to go!" Teng Jian screamed as he turned around. Another crack appeared. "To the shelter! Go! Go!"
That got everyone moving. People screamed and cried, but they moved towards the village. Teng Jian pushed and shoved, forcing people to move faster. Someone fell and Teng Jian ripped them up before they could be trampled. All around him others were doing the same.
Even though there were screams and crying, there was no panic. Drills for barbarian raids had engrained the need for speed and care when disaster came. Villagers knew the steps. Knew the paths. Knew what to grab and what to leave. It would have to be enough for whatever calamity was coming.
It only took moments. Children first, then elders, then women, then farmers. Teng Jian was helping close the shelter's twinned doors when it finally happened. Visible from the closing gap of the door Teng Jian saw the shield fail. Saw the green flash into white, then crumble. Saw the hell churning behind it. Flames and ash. Shattered rocks and smoke. Saw the shockwave racing towards them. Then Teng Jian knew only blackness as the shockwave struck the still closing door, flinging it open into his face.
Dong Jun sat next to his best friend and rubbed ash between his fingers. What else could he do? Read his younger brother's terse funerary letter? That was ash now. Just like everything else. Ash was all that was left of the village. Gone were the fields, the flowers, the houses, the bubbling brooks. Even the rock, soul of the village, was gone, reduced to ash. Around him stretched an ash field. A perfect plain. No hills, no valleys. Just black ash that stretched to the Wall. The Wall, land of immortals, was now scarred, blackened, and cracked. At least a portion of it, where Smoke Mountain used to be. The thought that even immortals didn't escape unscathed brought a bitter spark of gladness to Dong Jun's heart. Let them suffer for once as well.
Fellow villagers milled about their former homes. Some in confusion, unbelieving of what had happened. Some in refusal, digging through the loose detritus, searching for anything that survived. Dong Jun wished them luck in that. Nothing was left.
Hours passed by. Or minutes. Time was hard to tell with the sky choked by still falling ash. Finally something changed that wasn't another person breaking down in tears. Right above the shelter air distorted. Shimmering, like light passing through water, a hole spun into existence. Two men and a woman stepped out of the hole and landed with a cat's grace.
"Good, survivors." The leader said, as she stepped forward. "We are soldiers in service to Lady Ling. Who is in charge?"
Struggling to keep derision off his face Dong Jun watched an elder be reduced to a sniveling wreck. Homes had turned to ash. Fields lay ruined beneath untold depths of ash and still the honored and wisest among them were reduced to worms. He turned his face from the pitiful sight. An immortal could read any expression. Luckily he had an excuse. Teng Jian required care.
Heaven had favored Teng Jian, or perhaps damned him. Head injuries were impossible to judge until the victim awoke. Teng Jian would be blind, that much was certain. Other possibilities that could haunt him, too. Maybe Teng Jian would be addled, living life barely aware. Maybe he would suffer phantom pains. Prayer would be needed to make sure Teng Jian only suffered from blindness. Blindness may change a life, but it wasn't the end of life. Teng Jian was strong. He would recover. He had too.
A woman's voice cut through Dong Jun's thoughts. It was the leader of the soldiers.
"Attention." She said. Her voice boomed strangely across the black plains. "Lady Ling celebrates her family's breakthrough. This tragedy however will not be ignored. Tomorrow Lady Ling will arrive and restore the village. Until then we will stand guard. Temporary housing will be provided for tonight." It was apparent that the commander had said all she intended to say given how she spun around and walked over to her fellow soldiers who were struggling to set up tents. Fields of loose ash didn't make great ground for tents apparently.
Keeping his face down and posture loose, Dong Jun focused on his friend. It was better than focusing on his bubbling anger. 'Celebrating', as if he needed more proof of the decadence of immortals. Of their disregard for those under them. He poured a merge amount of water on Teng Jian's face. Trying to keep it clean of ash. His friend barely stirred. Nothing would be the same after today, Dong Jun knew. Everything had changed.
A.N
@yrsillar
Omake for the Omake throne
This idea has been festering every since Zhengui made his "I want to be a king" proclamation. Given how big of an explosion his green breakthrough caused it made me wonder just how big of an explosion his indigo, or violet, breakthrough would be. And the consequences of the shielding necessary for containing such events being tampered with. Still even with disaster, Zhengui will continue the cycle he embodies.
Twin Stream Valley. A humble place near the Wall. No mighty river cascaded through the valley. No great lake slumbered there. Only two streams that gave the valley its name wound through the gentle slopes. Ten years ago immortals walked the valley, named it, and created a village. Official documents from the Ling clan listed the village as "Twin Stream Valley Village". Everyone living there just called it "the village".
Surrounded by gentle hills and bordered by the valley it got its name from, the village was a picturesque scene of tranquility. Meandering dirt paths separated rice fields. Wildflowers blooming on hilltops showcased the change from spring to summer and swayed in gentle western breezes.
Fifty houses comprised the village. Arranged in an expanding ring around a shelter buried firmly in the earth, necessary so close to the Wall, with fields expanding along the slopes of the valley. On top of the shelter, directly in the middle of the village, was a local shrine. Flames were painted on the deep brown wood making up the shrine and in the center of the shrine sat a carved Xuan Wu about a forearm long.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of similar villages lay scattered across the Empire. And just like all those villages Twin Stream Valley Village knew it was unique. Some villages had secret recipes, passed down from immortals. Others had hidden caves that glittered in torch light. This village had "the rock". Jutting out of the valley's slope the rock was made of black stone and stood in sharp contrast to the gentle green curves that surrounded it. Sharp edges, sharp enough draw blood, made up the rock except for the mirror smooth top.
It was on the rock that the village festivals were celebrated, where ceremonies were conducted, and where lunch was eaten. Black stone warmed by the sun made for the perfect place to eat lunch. Village rumor even had it that when the immortal surveyed the land to decide if a village should be built those immortals had eaten lunch on the rock. No one knew if that rumor was true, but everyone believed it. After all, one wouldn't find a better spot to rest in a hundred miles. Maybe even a thousand miles! Everyone said so.
Teng Jian believed it. He had eaten lunch on the rock every day since he arrived here ten years ago; if the weather permitted it. Which thankfully it often did. Storms often rolled down the wall, but they stopped soon after. Like a great invisible wall protected the land. It was quite a sight, black clouds wroth with lightning piled higher and higher, yet never spilled over. Certainly the work of immortals. Sometimes Teng Jian wondered why so many stories told before he arrived made it sound like he was stepping halfway into barbarian hands. Mother certainly seemed to think so with all the screeching she gave him when she learned that he planned.
Before Teng Jian had realized it, bitter memories had gnawed away his appetite. It was frustrating that even so far away, Mother could still influence his day. Sighing, he put the rest of his meal in the basket and turned his gaze to the horizon. Towards the wall and the one spot that drew eyes. Smoke Mountain. Immortals probably called it something else, but everyone in the village called it Smoke Mountain. A black pillar, swaying like campfire smoke, had appeared years ago, much to the concern of the elders and anyone who took the time to listen to them. Months then years passed though and nothing changed with Smoke Mountain. Now it was a popular fortune telling game. Make a wish and see if the black pillar swayed right or left. No one could ever agree on what motions meant what, but that was part of the fun.
Today it was swaying to the… Teng Jian peered at the smoke. It was smaller. Thinner. That had never happened before.
"Hey, Dong Jun!" Teng Jian said, looking over his shoulder. "Come look at this."
"What now, Teng Jian?" Dong Jun said, raising to his feet and walking over to the edge of the stone. "I swear, if it's another "spirit" that turns out to be a shiny rock I'll stop letting you win at Go."
"First, you never let me win." Teng Jian said. "Second, no it's not a shiny rock."
"Well then," Dong Jun said as he sat down next to Teng Jian. "What is it?"
"Look at Smoke Mountain. Doesn't it look smaller to you?"
Peering at the horizon Dong Jun hummed and hawed, tilting his head this way and that. "I see it. It does look smaller. I'll give you that."
"What do you think it could mean?" Teng Jian said as he chewed his lower lip.
"A thousand and one different things." Dong Jun said, spitting over the side of the rock. "That's immortal land. Let them figure it out."
Teng Jian looked over at his friend. That was far more venom than expected. He had always known Dong Jun wasn't fond of the immortal guardians of the Empire, but expressing it with such disdain was new.
Seeing the look sent his way Dong Jun snorted. "Oh don't give me that look. Immortals couldn't care less about us folk. Sure the Ling might be better than most, but that doesn't change what they are."
A doldrum descended upon the valley. Wind ceased. Birds quieted.
"I don't think…" Teng Jian began. Then he stopped. Everyone on the rock stopped. Smoke mountain was gone. Vanished. Just before whispers could spring up the sky screamed.
Wind howled and tore. Branches snapped, grass bent flat, hats and baskets flew away. Tossed by the winds rising madness. As it started it stopped. Again the wind died to a doldrum. As he looked to the horizon while clutching his hammering heart Teng Jian saw it. A dome. A shield engulfing mountains. Soft green and virtuous stood the shield. Whatever cataclysm had come was stopped.
Stopped for now, Teng Jian thought. As the soft green shield had arisen so too had rot. At the shield's base blackness crept upwards. A swamp slowly pulling the shield down. Blackness inched higher and higher while the soft green shield glowed brighter and brighter, trying to halt the spread. Then the first crack appeared.
"We need to go." Teng Jian said.
Confused murmuring was the only response. No one moved, transfixed by the fairy tale before them.
"We need to go!" Teng Jian screamed as he turned around. Another crack appeared. "To the shelter! Go! Go!"
That got everyone moving. People screamed and cried, but they moved towards the village. Teng Jian pushed and shoved, forcing people to move faster. Someone fell and Teng Jian ripped them up before they could be trampled. All around him others were doing the same.
Even though there were screams and crying, there was no panic. Drills for barbarian raids had engrained the need for speed and care when disaster came. Villagers knew the steps. Knew the paths. Knew what to grab and what to leave. It would have to be enough for whatever calamity was coming.
It only took moments. Children first, then elders, then women, then farmers. Teng Jian was helping close the shelter's twinned doors when it finally happened. Visible from the closing gap of the door Teng Jian saw the shield fail. Saw the green flash into white, then crumble. Saw the hell churning behind it. Flames and ash. Shattered rocks and smoke. Saw the shockwave racing towards them. Then Teng Jian knew only blackness as the shockwave struck the still closing door, flinging it open into his face.
Dong Jun sat next to his best friend and rubbed ash between his fingers. What else could he do? Read his younger brother's terse funerary letter? That was ash now. Just like everything else. Ash was all that was left of the village. Gone were the fields, the flowers, the houses, the bubbling brooks. Even the rock, soul of the village, was gone, reduced to ash. Around him stretched an ash field. A perfect plain. No hills, no valleys. Just black ash that stretched to the Wall. The Wall, land of immortals, was now scarred, blackened, and cracked. At least a portion of it, where Smoke Mountain used to be. The thought that even immortals didn't escape unscathed brought a bitter spark of gladness to Dong Jun's heart. Let them suffer for once as well.
Fellow villagers milled about their former homes. Some in confusion, unbelieving of what had happened. Some in refusal, digging through the loose detritus, searching for anything that survived. Dong Jun wished them luck in that. Nothing was left.
Hours passed by. Or minutes. Time was hard to tell with the sky choked by still falling ash. Finally something changed that wasn't another person breaking down in tears. Right above the shelter air distorted. Shimmering, like light passing through water, a hole spun into existence. Two men and a woman stepped out of the hole and landed with a cat's grace.
"Good, survivors." The leader said, as she stepped forward. "We are soldiers in service to Lady Ling. Who is in charge?"
Struggling to keep derision off his face Dong Jun watched an elder be reduced to a sniveling wreck. Homes had turned to ash. Fields lay ruined beneath untold depths of ash and still the honored and wisest among them were reduced to worms. He turned his face from the pitiful sight. An immortal could read any expression. Luckily he had an excuse. Teng Jian required care.
Heaven had favored Teng Jian, or perhaps damned him. Head injuries were impossible to judge until the victim awoke. Teng Jian would be blind, that much was certain. Other possibilities that could haunt him, too. Maybe Teng Jian would be addled, living life barely aware. Maybe he would suffer phantom pains. Prayer would be needed to make sure Teng Jian only suffered from blindness. Blindness may change a life, but it wasn't the end of life. Teng Jian was strong. He would recover. He had too.
A woman's voice cut through Dong Jun's thoughts. It was the leader of the soldiers.
"Attention." She said. Her voice boomed strangely across the black plains. "Lady Ling celebrates her family's breakthrough. This tragedy however will not be ignored. Tomorrow Lady Ling will arrive and restore the village. Until then we will stand guard. Temporary housing will be provided for tonight." It was apparent that the commander had said all she intended to say given how she spun around and walked over to her fellow soldiers who were struggling to set up tents. Fields of loose ash didn't make great ground for tents apparently.
Keeping his face down and posture loose, Dong Jun focused on his friend. It was better than focusing on his bubbling anger. 'Celebrating', as if he needed more proof of the decadence of immortals. Of their disregard for those under them. He poured a merge amount of water on Teng Jian's face. Trying to keep it clean of ash. His friend barely stirred. Nothing would be the same after today, Dong Jun knew. Everything had changed.
A.N
@yrsillar
Omake for the Omake throne
This idea has been festering every since Zhengui made his "I want to be a king" proclamation. Given how big of an explosion his green breakthrough caused it made me wonder just how big of an explosion his indigo, or violet, breakthrough would be. And the consequences of the shielding necessary for containing such events being tampered with. Still even with disaster, Zhengui will continue the cycle he embodies.
I dont like this line. TBH I strongly doubt they would be able to know how good (or not good) the Ling are in comparison to other immortals. They just wouldnt have the requisite knowledge to make such a statement.
I enjoyed the rest of it though. Its a good omake on the whol
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
That's sort of the point. He doesn't know what he's talking about. He is just angry but doesn't want to make people too uncomfortable by talking bad about their liege.