Avatar: The Last Dicebender (A:TLA/A:LOK Quest)
- Thread starter Birdsie
- Start date
The Key of Pai Sho - 5
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
Before reading the update: Instead of doubling all TP gains, having a Master gives you +1 TP for every season and 1d(Level difference) between you. That way, things are more or less the same they were but with an additional degree of randomness. I've also tweaked how the scrolls work - they are more beneficial now.
"Your move."
Nodding, you move the Jasmine tile to the side, beginning harmony with a Lily. Master Jirou squints at the board, clutching his short beard with his index finger and thumb. You don't speak, just wait for him to make his move.
"Remind me again," he says, as his hand hovers over a Rhododendron piece. "How many turns left?"
"Three. Two for you, one for me."
He smiles contentedly. You can vaguely feel a loss incoming, but you don't want to give up. His hand grabs the Rose piece and moves it closer to the Jasmine you moved earlier, but closer to a White Lily and a Chrysanthemum. You bite your lip. Challenging him was a bad idea. He's a master of this game. Your thought train derails when he says,
"Your move." Master Jirou, smiling, gestures his open palm toward you.
Not wanting to show off your expression, you put on a stoic poker face, but he can see through it. Your slightly scrunched up forehead, small scowl, and focused gaze give it away. He can sense you're not going down without a fight, as you're trying to calculate a path to victory.
Let's see. The harmony points between the two of you are almost equal, with a small advantage on his side. One turn left for you; he still has one move after this. You need at least two harmony points to win. His Knotweed won't let you use your Boat properly. All pieces you have left to be considered for a serious strategy are the White Jade and the Wheel, but the latter is useless. The White Jade was in harmony with Rose and Lily, two of which stand relatively undisturbed in the middle of the field.
The only thing that scares you is the White Lotus.
Not the organization, but the piece. Standing there, ominously, in the middle of the board. The most "wild card" of all pieces. A player gains one point for every piece standing within a three tile radius of the White Lotus at the end of the game. It's obvious he wants to lure you in, bait you, then use it as a last resort.
You breathe out, finally showing some emotion. That being disappointment. "Good game, sensei."
You move your White Jade and he moves his White Lotus only one tile closer to get all the points he needs to crush you. Master Jirou looks at you with a kind smile. "One day you'll defeat me, I'm sure of it."
"Easy for you to say. That's the sixth time I lost to you today."
"Seventh," he corrects quietly, then looks to his right and grabs a small, white cup. He pours in some tea, then heats it up with a flame from his hand. After eight, long seconds, he hands it to you with the same smile. "Lukewarm, just how you like it."
"Thank you." You sip the tea, while Master Jirou gets himself another cup. It tastes astringent, hard, and sharp. It's very bitter despite the two cubes of mostly-melted sugar floating in it. You look him in the eyes. "How did you end up as a White Lotus member?"
"It's a long, boring story," he admits sadly, then chuckles melancholically. His hand inches closer to his face, to sip the tea again. Once he is done speaking, "I'm sure a youth like you wouldn't want to listen to it," he takes a deep taste of the tea, savoring its harsh font.
"Come ooon, please?" You plead, making big eyes.
"Fine," he concedes. "Back then, I was a fool-hearted youth. I was born a firebender, a prodigy. My parents were proud of me, but I lost my way."
"You have?"
"I have." He nods, almost grimly. "Fortunately, I asked a tourist nearby for help and he gave me a map, so I found my way home."
"Wait..." You pause. "You meant that literally?"
"Oh, uhm, yes," he clarifies, then realizes that not saying it earlier was stupid of him. He takes another chug of the tea, then continues. "The strange tourist was a man from the Northern Water Tribe. He needed a place to stay, so I offered him to stay with us."
At that moment, your shell breaks. You realize that you and Master Jirou might not be so different after all. Offering strangers a place to stay was always your schtick. "What happened then?" you ask, as if some big twist or reveal is about to take place.
"Nothing." His answer kills your anticipation and disappoints you. "He taught me to play Pai Sho and we played for twelve days until he left. But the unnamed man taught me the importance of the White Lotus. I started playing for fun with strangers on the street, and after noticing my unorthodox tactics, another old man asked me if I belonged to the White Lotus. Confused by the question, I asked him what he meant. Instead of telling me, he showed me."
Not as boring as I thought it'd be, you think to yourself. Out of curiosity, you ask, "What was the man's name?"
"Don't remember," he answers blankly, shrugging. "I'm pretty sure it ended with 'ba,' but he's probably dead now. I'm seventy-three years old and this was something that happened when I was nine, maybe ten."
Looking down and pondering, many thoughts cross your mind. You think whether or not the story is just symbolic or actually what happened, then you decide to ask him: "What is the importance of the White Lotus?" Regardless of whether it is symbolic or not, that's a wise question to ask.
"Many cast it off as a last, ditch effort piece to use as a final tactic if all else fails. But if you build your strategy around it - move your enemy into its field - you can win a game before it starts, provided the enemy doesn't see through it. In a way, you could call it the key of Pai Sho." He finishes his tea and lays down the empty cup. "Well, Tié, it was a great joy to play with you, but now I have duties to attend to."
"Duties? Such as?" Albeit the nature of the question may make it seem otherwise, you ask the question in a polite if curious tone.
He takes a blanket then wraps himself in it and drops to the futon behind him. "Sleeping, Avatar. Old men need to sleep." He closes his eyes and releases something between a groan of old, pained bones and a moan of restful pleasure.
Deciding not to bother him anymore, you give Master Jirou a curt bow and leave.
+1 Intelligence.
+1 Wisdom.
+The Key of Pai Sho Perk added!
Covered in sweat, but you keep on running. Making circles around the nearly stadium-sized training yard far outside the Fire Nation Capital, almost an hour on Roku from the place where you're staying. The sun above was always your enemy, but this training will teach you to treat it like a cruel, indiscriminate ally. After all, there is no greater source of power for firebending than that of the sun.
The exception is Sozin's Comet, but you probably won't live long enough to see it fly overhead.
After your twentieth lap, you're done. That makes ten kilometers. Huffing and puffing, you stop near the beautiful woman clad in scarlet-gold robes and a black leathery breastplate and boots. Master Shiko is drinking steaming hot tea, whilst sitting in the lotus position on top of a rock, with closed eyes.
Panting, you approach, hoping to get some tea of your own. Instead, she asks, "Why have you stopped?" without sparing a glance in your direction.
"I ran ten kilometers."
She ponders the sentence, then shakes her head and sips the tea. Three seconds pass until her response reaches you. "Then run more."
"Run more?"
"A bender needs to be in peak physical condition. I'm surprised someone as scraggly as you is an earthbender."
"A sandbender, actually..."
"Same thing," she dismisses. Deep down, you're insulted.
"It's not," you protest calmly.
"Your feelings do not matter," she answers and finally opens her eyes. They would be more attractive if not for her cold, cruel, gaze that can only be expressed as unmerciful and disdainful, if not outright sadistic. "I only do this because my grandfather asked me to." Ah, yes. Her grandfather. A mysterious White Lotus member. Wonder who that could be.
"You are the Avatar, no? Then run another twenty laps. It serves you right."
Girls are not just yucky, but callous too, apparently. You're sure as hell not taking any girls on your Avatar Team, unless it's Siph.
"Serves me right?" you ask, befuddled. "What did I do that warrants this much physical abuse?"
Her brows perk at the word 'abuse,' prompting her to break. She furrows her eyebrows angrily and throws the cup of scolding tea in your direction, but you don't have to dodge, as it spills over the ground instead of hitting you, even though the latter was clearly the intent. "Just move, you incorrigible child!"
"Fine, geez!" You run off.
It seems that her expansive bust has replaced her heart. You're not even sure if she can be called cold or fiery in personality, which is odd.
You run another twenty laps, then go back to the rock in the middle of the humungous training yard and finally let yourself collapse. You feel something hit your chest, and you sit up, seeing a dragonfruit. You take it in your left hand and react just in time to catch a cup of tea.
Without movement, Master Shiko wills the unlit bonfire next to you to catch aflame.
"Four minutes to eat and drink." Just like before, her eyes are closed and she is sitting on a rock in the lotus position.
"That's not fair, you've had the entire time I was running!" Your objections clearly displease her, as she proceeds to say,
"If you have that much time to complain, three minutes."
Gulping, you down your tea in one go. It's sweeter than that of Master Jirou. It has a note of berries and other fruits in it. After that, you greedily gouge your teeth into the dragonfruit. Its sweet, remarkable taste brings salvation to your sanity. Your body was not built to go from short, morning calisthenics to performing hundreds of push-ups, sit-ups and running ten; or rather, twenty kilometers in such a short timespan.
Your body tells you: I'm dying.
Your brain tells you: Stop running now... I said stop running, you characterless coccydyniac microphallus.
Hue-Sar tells you: "Butter and peanuts don't mix well," as he noms on a sandwich.
But you have no other choice. The spirit must remain strong. Although the fatigue will be hellish, the workout itself will bring forth splendorous benefits.
After your workout and meal break, Master Shiko cracks her knuckles and jumps down from the rock, managing to soundlessly land on the tip of her left foot. How do they do it? How do people who have mastered stuff do things like this? Is it a biological imperative? Is it a universal truth? You question everything, up to and including Hue-Sar pulling out another piece of bread from his robe and smearing butter on it with an equally mysterious knife.
She shows you how to breathe.
"In through your nose, out your mouth." Her teachings are wise.
"No, not like that, you incompetent--gah! Fingers more spread out!" Sometimes, you question them.
But ultimately, all it comes down to is showing her that you have that spark of talent inside of you, and the two of you can get along. And sometimes, she'll even drop in a compliment for your hard work: "Good. Now keep the flame alive. Sustain it with your breath!"
So, upon consideration...
Maybe she's not so bad?
+24 to Firebending Training.
+6 to Constitution.
+4 to Dexterity.
+4 to Strength.
+Learn Firebending. (+500 XP.) Fulfilled! +500 XP.
+500 XP!
You review the scrolls over the oil lamp that hangs over your desk. It's almost midnight, but you can't sleep. Instead, you study the contents of the scrolls that were delivered to you by Tozah. The scrolls contain some impressive movements, which you test and add to your retinue of katas.
They contain some interesting moves. The note that came with the scrolls was from Tozah. He mentioned that the airbending ones were particularly hard to obtain, since the Air Acolytes are trying to gather all of them from around the world and they are also considered artifacts. No wonder the scroll seems so ancient.
+32 to Earthbending Training.
+40 to Firebending Training.
+32 to Airbending Training.
+18 to Waterbending Training.
You go down the hallway, hoping to find Yang so you can see if a letter has returned yet, though your hopes are low. She usually arrives in the window near the main hall of the mansion. As you walk through, you notice a door to the right, slightly open. A passing glance reveals that it appears to be some kind of meeting.
You stop.
Is eavesdropping okay? Eh, sure it is. You put your ear close to the door.
"We need to toughen him up," Master Jirou says, unaware that you're eavesdropping.
"That's what I'm doing," Shiko answers, unbothered, calmly drinking her tea.
"He's not ready," another White Lotus master cuts in. "He may never be."
"Interesting opinion, Gao. If only there were more to it than conjecture." Shiko dismisses him with a cold glare and without any respect. "I can offer him my knowledge of firebending. That should be enough to set him on the right path to master fire in the coming years. You need not worry."
"You teaching the Avatar firebending is meaningless if he can't apply it," Master Gao argues.
"He'll learn to apply it," Shiko says with a smirk. "If anything, you should know of all people that I'm very flexible."
Master Gao looks away, troubled. She laughs at that. "Enough!" Master Jirou cuts in. "The Avatar needs our help right now. If he is to maintain balance, he must defeat Vaatu before the Convergence. But it is not within our range of duty to strip him of his freedom. Avatar Tié should be allowed to grow up, like any other boy his age."
"Then send him to a school," Shiko offers jokingly with a gallant grin, then leans back in her chair.
"I might just do that," Master Jirou answers. His eyes roll upwards as he clutches and chokes his short spear-shaped beard in between two fingers.
Shiko blinks. After a moment, she moves forward and puts her hands on the table. "Dear Yangchen, you're actually serious."
"I am," he says.
"There are too many threats," another, unknown (to you) master argues. "The Red Lotus. Once they hear–––"
"They won't escape. They won't hear. They won't know."
Shiko stands up. The sound of her chair sliding across the floorboards makes your hairs stand up. "I have nothing against training a kid to become a superweapon against your creepy gods of darkness, but if you're going through with this?" She gives Jirou a dirty look, pausing for a long second. "At least be honest enough with him to let him know."
After that, she begins to direct towards the exit.
You step back and go in the direction of the main hall. When she exists, several seconds later, she assumes you were just walking by and didn't hear anything.
The questions go through your mind. Who is Vaatu? What's the Convergence? What is the Red Lotus?
The next day, you discover that you will be enrolling in the local school.
+4 Intelligence.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Focus.
Harmony. Inner peace. Balance.
You try to grasp these concepts. The fear that you always feel when you try to push the energy through your chakras. The first nexus of energy in your body - the Earth Chakra - refuses to yield to your advances and responds with violent visions of horror. But not today.
You focus more. You focus on maintaining the flow of chi. You temporarily cast away all your emotions. The visions of fear try to surge forward, but they are replaced by utter, blank, nothingness. There is no fear, there is only the illusion of being afraid.
You grasp it. An internal pool of water unclogging and opening. With it, your fears are cast away from your mind forever and the path to new horizons open. You meditate on the revelation of unlocking your Earth Chakra and managing to cast away the things you've feared so much. Your eyes glow for a split second, then the flash of energy disappears when you close your eyes. You feel a depth of connection with your past lives. Like a link.
The Avatar State is no longer an evanescent apparition. It is something you can work your way towards, starting here and ending wherever the cosmos leads you.
+1,000 XP.
+5 CP.
+6 Knowledge (Spirituality.)
+4 to all Bending.
+Unlock the Earth Chakra. (+1,500 XP, +3CP.) Fulfilled! +1,500 XP, +3 CP.
+Get better at meditation. (+300 XP, +1CP.) Fulfilled! +300 XP, +1 CP.
Level Up!
The night is calm. With each breath you draw from the air of the city, you feel surprisingly refreshed. There is a clarity in this air, one that is more clear than smoke or fire would suggest. You're strolling through the garden of Master Shiko's mansion. It's very beautiful, with colorful flowers and exotic plants in the reach of your hands.
You don't notice the figure skulking around in the corners. How could you? After all, it's so dark. And the rogue is using some kind of footstep-muffling footwear. You're not aware of this intruder's presence... or, well... at least it seems that way.
The figure crosses between two pillars of the garden, unnoticed, sticking to the shadows.
Eight seconds until it attacks.
Your eyes sharpen. Should you yell for help? No, that'd provoke a reaction. If this person is as deadly as you suspect they may be, you need to play it smart. No yelling for help. You need to create distance between the two of you. Make it so that he has to sneak around. Add seconds to the timer before the attack.
Just as he is about to reach for his weapon... You begin moving forward at a steady pace. It's a simple, leisurely stride. So confident that it's impossible to read the fear because you've learned to throw it away and the trainings with Master Shiko, although only having have lasted for seven months at this point, allow you to conceal your weakness under the guise of pseudo-manliness, as manly as boys can be. The eight seconds draw out to a twenty with just a few of your steps.
He has to close the distance without you noticing. As soon as he steps out into the grassy moonlight, you will notice him and attack, which is why he must compensate. He knows this, so he must minimize the distance between the two of you before that happens.
He manages to close the distance decently, hiding behind pillars, and even a small bonsai tree growing in a vase. Ten seconds. You gulp.
You go through the garden and then left. You're somewhat familiar with the mansion's layout. The hallway you are going into offers no cover, and he is cautious, so he won't risk tailing you without it. That adds at least another five seconds if you hurry up, which you do. Fifteen seconds. It's a combat between you and him. The fight is not physical. It's about who can maneuver, predict movement, and move faster without the other party noticing, but the fact is, he doesn't even know there's a fight in the first place. He thinks he has you as an easy target, but it's the other way around.
He is the prey on your territory.
You make it across the hallway, not stopping, as to not raise suspicion. He might draw back or attack if you did and both of these outcomes are highly undesirable. He follows twelve seconds worth of sneaking behind you. Since he's across the hallway, the timer is no longer stopped. He will reach you in ten..... eight..... six.....
You walk into the kitchen. There, you see Hue-Sar preparing himself a sandwich. The assassin won't attack when there's a witness, but you can't mention his presence either or he'll be drawn out. Subtle hints might not work either.
Who is this damn guy? You noticed him when you went out to meditate at midnight because... well, you felt like it. Like something pushed you to do it. And ever since you left your room, you felt this guy's presence, very slowly creeping behind you.
It's not even possible to know whether his intention is to actually assassinate you, but that's what you suspect. This intruder, whoever he, or she is, has selected you. It follows.
Since it hasn't revealed itself, that implies it doesn't want to be detected by you, or anyone else. That, on another hand, suggests an assassin or kidnapper. You're the Avatar, so it's obvious. But, still. It's a grim thought. And the worst part is that you can't assess the enemy's strength without engaging him directly or making a visual confirmation - both of which would force you into a fight, regardless of whether you hold the advantage or the other way around.
Huzzah looks at you, smearing his new invention - peanut butter - over a piece of bread. "Whadup, Tai-boi?" he asks. "You here for a nightly snack too?"
"Yeah," you lie confidently, not even looking back or moving your eyes in any other direction. You promptly move up to the counter and look through the drawers. You hover your hand over a small knife, glance to the doorway that leads to the kitchen, and place it into your robes in a way so that it's concealed. Neither Huzzah nor the killer noticed. Good.
You grab another knife, borrow peanut butter from the venerable tree spirit, then smear it over another piece of bread. You take one bite and look at Huzzah. "Do you do this often?"
"Yup," he answers with a sheepish grin, his teeth covered in a brown-white mixture. "I come here every night to test out new sandwich recipes and eat something by the by."
"It's a first for me. I just took a stroll through the garden. The night's awfully quiet."
What's your next step?
[] Try to inform Huzzah there's an assassin following you.
-[] How?
[] Bid him goodbye and walk out of the kitchen through an exit on the other side. Thirty-eight seconds and loss of visual contact with the killer.
-[] Run into Master Shiko's chambers and inform her very quickly about the situation. She's harsh, but she's fair and understands an emergency when she sees it. She'll protect you.
-[] Run into Master Jirou's chambers and inform him very quickly about the situation. He's nice and will protect you.
-[] Draw the assassin somewhere where you have a fighting advantage and then surprise-attack him. The bastard won't even know what hit him, or failing that, you get to fight on your own terms. Worst case scenario: You enter the Avatar State and rip him a new one.
[] Write-in.
Other Progress:
Currently: 167 AG, Summer.
Next Turn: 168 AG, Summer.
Select two social focuses for the next year. You can select one option two times.
[] Huesar
[] Roku.
[] Yang.
[] Master Shiko.
[] Master Jirou.
[] Friends at school.
Select five two training focuses for the next year. You can select one option numerous times. Due to your Master's input, two of the training options automatically go to Firebending and Physical Exercise. One of them goes off for school studies.
[] Bending.
-[] Earthbending.
-[] Waterbending.
-[] Airbending.
-[] Firebending.
[] Meditation.
-[] Meditation.
-[] Chakra Control.
[] Physical exercise.
[] Learn philosophy, culture, history, geography, and science from the White Lotus.
[] Riding Roku.
Select additional Ambitions. (2 Short-Term.)
[] (Long-Term) Reach Level 7 of Earthbending. (+20,000 XP, +21CP.)
[] (Long-Term) Reach Level 7 of Firebending. (+20,000 XP, +21CP.)
[] (Mid-Term) Make yourself of use to the world like you're supposed to. (+7,500 XP, +15CP.)
[] (Mid-Term) See a Fire Nation circus show. (+6,000 XP, +7CP.)
[] (Mid-Term) Defeat Master Shiko in a friendly Agni Kai. (+2,000 XP, +6CP.)
[] (Mid-Term) Defeat Master Jirou in Pai Sho. (+3,500 XP, +8CP.)
[] (Short-Term) Attain Level 4 in Airbending. (+1,500 XP.)
[] (Short-Term) Get to know the White Lotus members. (+500 XP.)
[] (Short-Term) Find out who's Vaatu. (+600 XP.)
[] (Short-Term) Find out what the Red Lotus is. (+600 XP.)
[] (Short-Term) What is the "Convergence?" (+700 XP.)
LEVEL UP! +2 CP!
CURRENT CP: 22
[] Don't spend CP.
[] (-1 CP.) Chi Roulette: 50-50 chances to double CP or lose all of them. You win, you grin. You lose, bad news.
[] (-2 CP.) +2 Strength.
[] (-2 CP.) +2 Constitution.
[] (-2 CP.) +2 Wisdom.
[] (-1 CP.) +2 Dexterity.
[] (-1 CP.) +2 Intelligence.
[] (-1 CP.) +2 Charisma.
[] (-1 CP.) You hear an interesting rumor.
[] (-4 CP.) During meditation, something weird happens.
[] (-6 CP.) You have the dream of a red-eyed spirit and a man following after it.
[] (-8 CP.) Huesar does something. That's all the detail you'll get.
[] (-8 CP.) Huesar does something useful.
[] (-8 CP.) You find a firebending scroll.
[] (-12 CP.) You find an earthbending scroll.
[] (-12 CP.) You find a waterbending scroll.
[] (-20 CP.) You find an airbending scroll.
[] (-30 CP.) You can train once more every turn. (May only be taken once.)
[] (-60 CP.) Become one with the cosmic energy. (May only be taken once.)
Sorry for the lack of detail on the Proverb Book reading, but real life is calling me really soon and I couldn't afford to spend even a minute more writing the update. I think that even with this strict time limit I managed to rather well on this update anyway, so I hope you enjoy.
Also, information:
Once you reach Level 6 of Firebending or beat Master Shiko in Agni Kai, the chapter ends. There are also other conditions, but I won't reveal them.
PLEASE, VOTE BY PLAN, ONII-CHAN!
[X] Get you Bending scrolls from all nations. "I'm into learning that kind of stuff."
[X] (Spiritual Prodigy.) Enlightening. You compare the many sights to old stories and wisely ascertain the people of the city, describing the local life.
[X] Speak to Master Jirou out of boredom. As much as you hate to bother the old man, you will bother the old man. Maybe play Pai Sho with him?
[X] Roku.
[x] Master Shiko.
[x] Meditation.
-[x] Meditation.
-[X] Chakra Control.
[x] Enroll in a school. (Eats up one training focus per turn, but gives benefits later in life and grants knowledge.)
[X] (Spiritual Prodigy.) Enlightening. You compare the many sights to old stories and wisely ascertain the people of the city, describing the local life.
[X] Speak to Master Jirou out of boredom. As much as you hate to bother the old man, you will bother the old man. Maybe play Pai Sho with him?
[X] Roku.
[x] Master Shiko.
[x] Meditation.
-[x] Meditation.
-[X] Chakra Control.
[x] Enroll in a school. (Eats up one training focus per turn, but gives benefits later in life and grants knowledge.)
"Your move."
Nodding, you move the Jasmine tile to the side, beginning harmony with a Lily. Master Jirou squints at the board, clutching his short beard with his index finger and thumb. You don't speak, just wait for him to make his move.
"Remind me again," he says, as his hand hovers over a Rhododendron piece. "How many turns left?"
"Three. Two for you, one for me."
He smiles contentedly. You can vaguely feel a loss incoming, but you don't want to give up. His hand grabs the Rose piece and moves it closer to the Jasmine you moved earlier, but closer to a White Lily and a Chrysanthemum. You bite your lip. Challenging him was a bad idea. He's a master of this game. Your thought train derails when he says,
"Your move." Master Jirou, smiling, gestures his open palm toward you.
Not wanting to show off your expression, you put on a stoic poker face, but he can see through it. Your slightly scrunched up forehead, small scowl, and focused gaze give it away. He can sense you're not going down without a fight, as you're trying to calculate a path to victory.
Let's see. The harmony points between the two of you are almost equal, with a small advantage on his side. One turn left for you; he still has one move after this. You need at least two harmony points to win. His Knotweed won't let you use your Boat properly. All pieces you have left to be considered for a serious strategy are the White Jade and the Wheel, but the latter is useless. The White Jade was in harmony with Rose and Lily, two of which stand relatively undisturbed in the middle of the field.
The only thing that scares you is the White Lotus.
Not the organization, but the piece. Standing there, ominously, in the middle of the board. The most "wild card" of all pieces. A player gains one point for every piece standing within a three tile radius of the White Lotus at the end of the game. It's obvious he wants to lure you in, bait you, then use it as a last resort.
DC: 20
Roll: 1d20+3=11
Failure!
Roll: 1d20+3=11
Failure!
You breathe out, finally showing some emotion. That being disappointment. "Good game, sensei."
You move your White Jade and he moves his White Lotus only one tile closer to get all the points he needs to crush you. Master Jirou looks at you with a kind smile. "One day you'll defeat me, I'm sure of it."
"Easy for you to say. That's the sixth time I lost to you today."
"Seventh," he corrects quietly, then looks to his right and grabs a small, white cup. He pours in some tea, then heats it up with a flame from his hand. After eight, long seconds, he hands it to you with the same smile. "Lukewarm, just how you like it."
"Thank you." You sip the tea, while Master Jirou gets himself another cup. It tastes astringent, hard, and sharp. It's very bitter despite the two cubes of mostly-melted sugar floating in it. You look him in the eyes. "How did you end up as a White Lotus member?"
"It's a long, boring story," he admits sadly, then chuckles melancholically. His hand inches closer to his face, to sip the tea again. Once he is done speaking, "I'm sure a youth like you wouldn't want to listen to it," he takes a deep taste of the tea, savoring its harsh font.
"Come ooon, please?" You plead, making big eyes.
"Fine," he concedes. "Back then, I was a fool-hearted youth. I was born a firebender, a prodigy. My parents were proud of me, but I lost my way."
"You have?"
"I have." He nods, almost grimly. "Fortunately, I asked a tourist nearby for help and he gave me a map, so I found my way home."
"Wait..." You pause. "You meant that literally?"
"Oh, uhm, yes," he clarifies, then realizes that not saying it earlier was stupid of him. He takes another chug of the tea, then continues. "The strange tourist was a man from the Northern Water Tribe. He needed a place to stay, so I offered him to stay with us."
At that moment, your shell breaks. You realize that you and Master Jirou might not be so different after all. Offering strangers a place to stay was always your schtick. "What happened then?" you ask, as if some big twist or reveal is about to take place.
"Nothing." His answer kills your anticipation and disappoints you. "He taught me to play Pai Sho and we played for twelve days until he left. But the unnamed man taught me the importance of the White Lotus. I started playing for fun with strangers on the street, and after noticing my unorthodox tactics, another old man asked me if I belonged to the White Lotus. Confused by the question, I asked him what he meant. Instead of telling me, he showed me."
Not as boring as I thought it'd be, you think to yourself. Out of curiosity, you ask, "What was the man's name?"
"Don't remember," he answers blankly, shrugging. "I'm pretty sure it ended with 'ba,' but he's probably dead now. I'm seventy-three years old and this was something that happened when I was nine, maybe ten."
Looking down and pondering, many thoughts cross your mind. You think whether or not the story is just symbolic or actually what happened, then you decide to ask him: "What is the importance of the White Lotus?" Regardless of whether it is symbolic or not, that's a wise question to ask.
"Many cast it off as a last, ditch effort piece to use as a final tactic if all else fails. But if you build your strategy around it - move your enemy into its field - you can win a game before it starts, provided the enemy doesn't see through it. In a way, you could call it the key of Pai Sho." He finishes his tea and lays down the empty cup. "Well, Tié, it was a great joy to play with you, but now I have duties to attend to."
"Duties? Such as?" Albeit the nature of the question may make it seem otherwise, you ask the question in a polite if curious tone.
He takes a blanket then wraps himself in it and drops to the futon behind him. "Sleeping, Avatar. Old men need to sleep." He closes his eyes and releases something between a groan of old, pained bones and a moan of restful pleasure.
Deciding not to bother him anymore, you give Master Jirou a curt bow and leave.
+1 Intelligence.
+1 Wisdom.
+The Key of Pai Sho Perk added!
Covered in sweat, but you keep on running. Making circles around the nearly stadium-sized training yard far outside the Fire Nation Capital, almost an hour on Roku from the place where you're staying. The sun above was always your enemy, but this training will teach you to treat it like a cruel, indiscriminate ally. After all, there is no greater source of power for firebending than that of the sun.
The exception is Sozin's Comet, but you probably won't live long enough to see it fly overhead.
After your twentieth lap, you're done. That makes ten kilometers. Huffing and puffing, you stop near the beautiful woman clad in scarlet-gold robes and a black leathery breastplate and boots. Master Shiko is drinking steaming hot tea, whilst sitting in the lotus position on top of a rock, with closed eyes.
Panting, you approach, hoping to get some tea of your own. Instead, she asks, "Why have you stopped?" without sparing a glance in your direction.
"I ran ten kilometers."
She ponders the sentence, then shakes her head and sips the tea. Three seconds pass until her response reaches you. "Then run more."
"Run more?"
"A bender needs to be in peak physical condition. I'm surprised someone as scraggly as you is an earthbender."
"A sandbender, actually..."
"Same thing," she dismisses. Deep down, you're insulted.
"It's not," you protest calmly.
"Your feelings do not matter," she answers and finally opens her eyes. They would be more attractive if not for her cold, cruel, gaze that can only be expressed as unmerciful and disdainful, if not outright sadistic. "I only do this because my grandfather asked me to." Ah, yes. Her grandfather. A mysterious White Lotus member. Wonder who that could be.
"You are the Avatar, no? Then run another twenty laps. It serves you right."
Girls are not just yucky, but callous too, apparently. You're sure as hell not taking any girls on your Avatar Team, unless it's Siph.
"Serves me right?" you ask, befuddled. "What did I do that warrants this much physical abuse?"
Her brows perk at the word 'abuse,' prompting her to break. She furrows her eyebrows angrily and throws the cup of scolding tea in your direction, but you don't have to dodge, as it spills over the ground instead of hitting you, even though the latter was clearly the intent. "Just move, you incorrigible child!"
"Fine, geez!" You run off.
It seems that her expansive bust has replaced her heart. You're not even sure if she can be called cold or fiery in personality, which is odd.
DC: 12
Roll: 1d20+6=16
Success!
+500 XP!
Roll: 1d20+6=16
Success!
+500 XP!
You run another twenty laps, then go back to the rock in the middle of the humungous training yard and finally let yourself collapse. You feel something hit your chest, and you sit up, seeing a dragonfruit. You take it in your left hand and react just in time to catch a cup of tea.
Without movement, Master Shiko wills the unlit bonfire next to you to catch aflame.
"Four minutes to eat and drink." Just like before, her eyes are closed and she is sitting on a rock in the lotus position.
"That's not fair, you've had the entire time I was running!" Your objections clearly displease her, as she proceeds to say,
"If you have that much time to complain, three minutes."
Gulping, you down your tea in one go. It's sweeter than that of Master Jirou. It has a note of berries and other fruits in it. After that, you greedily gouge your teeth into the dragonfruit. Its sweet, remarkable taste brings salvation to your sanity. Your body was not built to go from short, morning calisthenics to performing hundreds of push-ups, sit-ups and running ten; or rather, twenty kilometers in such a short timespan.
Your body tells you: I'm dying.
Your brain tells you: Stop running now... I said stop running, you characterless coccydyniac microphallus.
Hue-Sar tells you: "Butter and peanuts don't mix well," as he noms on a sandwich.
But you have no other choice. The spirit must remain strong. Although the fatigue will be hellish, the workout itself will bring forth splendorous benefits.
After your workout and meal break, Master Shiko cracks her knuckles and jumps down from the rock, managing to soundlessly land on the tip of her left foot. How do they do it? How do people who have mastered stuff do things like this? Is it a biological imperative? Is it a universal truth? You question everything, up to and including Hue-Sar pulling out another piece of bread from his robe and smearing butter on it with an equally mysterious knife.
DC: 18
Roll: 1d20+5=17
No additional benefits.
Roll: 1d20+5=17
No additional benefits.
She shows you how to breathe.
"In through your nose, out your mouth." Her teachings are wise.
"No, not like that, you incompetent--gah! Fingers more spread out!" Sometimes, you question them.
But ultimately, all it comes down to is showing her that you have that spark of talent inside of you, and the two of you can get along. And sometimes, she'll even drop in a compliment for your hard work: "Good. Now keep the flame alive. Sustain it with your breath!"
So, upon consideration...
Maybe she's not so bad?
+24 to Firebending Training.
+6 to Constitution.
+4 to Dexterity.
+4 to Strength.
+Learn Firebending. (+500 XP.) Fulfilled! +500 XP.
+500 XP!
You review the scrolls over the oil lamp that hangs over your desk. It's almost midnight, but you can't sleep. Instead, you study the contents of the scrolls that were delivered to you by Tozah. The scrolls contain some impressive movements, which you test and add to your retinue of katas.
They contain some interesting moves. The note that came with the scrolls was from Tozah. He mentioned that the airbending ones were particularly hard to obtain, since the Air Acolytes are trying to gather all of them from around the world and they are also considered artifacts. No wonder the scroll seems so ancient.
+32 to Earthbending Training.
+40 to Firebending Training.
+32 to Airbending Training.
+18 to Waterbending Training.
You go down the hallway, hoping to find Yang so you can see if a letter has returned yet, though your hopes are low. She usually arrives in the window near the main hall of the mansion. As you walk through, you notice a door to the right, slightly open. A passing glance reveals that it appears to be some kind of meeting.
You stop.
Is eavesdropping okay? Eh, sure it is. You put your ear close to the door.
"We need to toughen him up," Master Jirou says, unaware that you're eavesdropping.
"That's what I'm doing," Shiko answers, unbothered, calmly drinking her tea.
"He's not ready," another White Lotus master cuts in. "He may never be."
"Interesting opinion, Gao. If only there were more to it than conjecture." Shiko dismisses him with a cold glare and without any respect. "I can offer him my knowledge of firebending. That should be enough to set him on the right path to master fire in the coming years. You need not worry."
"You teaching the Avatar firebending is meaningless if he can't apply it," Master Gao argues.
"He'll learn to apply it," Shiko says with a smirk. "If anything, you should know of all people that I'm very flexible."
Master Gao looks away, troubled. She laughs at that. "Enough!" Master Jirou cuts in. "The Avatar needs our help right now. If he is to maintain balance, he must defeat Vaatu before the Convergence. But it is not within our range of duty to strip him of his freedom. Avatar Tié should be allowed to grow up, like any other boy his age."
"Then send him to a school," Shiko offers jokingly with a gallant grin, then leans back in her chair.
"I might just do that," Master Jirou answers. His eyes roll upwards as he clutches and chokes his short spear-shaped beard in between two fingers.
Shiko blinks. After a moment, she moves forward and puts her hands on the table. "Dear Yangchen, you're actually serious."
"I am," he says.
"There are too many threats," another, unknown (to you) master argues. "The Red Lotus. Once they hear–––"
"They won't escape. They won't hear. They won't know."
Shiko stands up. The sound of her chair sliding across the floorboards makes your hairs stand up. "I have nothing against training a kid to become a superweapon against your creepy gods of darkness, but if you're going through with this?" She gives Jirou a dirty look, pausing for a long second. "At least be honest enough with him to let him know."
After that, she begins to direct towards the exit.
You step back and go in the direction of the main hall. When she exists, several seconds later, she assumes you were just walking by and didn't hear anything.
The questions go through your mind. Who is Vaatu? What's the Convergence? What is the Red Lotus?
The next day, you discover that you will be enrolling in the local school.
+4 Intelligence.
DC: 35
Roll: 1d20+5+24=42
Success!
+1,000 XP! +5 CP!
+Automatic Level Up!
Roll: 1d20+5+24=42
Success!
+1,000 XP! +5 CP!
+Automatic Level Up!
Breathe in. Breathe out. Focus.
Harmony. Inner peace. Balance.
You try to grasp these concepts. The fear that you always feel when you try to push the energy through your chakras. The first nexus of energy in your body - the Earth Chakra - refuses to yield to your advances and responds with violent visions of horror. But not today.
You focus more. You focus on maintaining the flow of chi. You temporarily cast away all your emotions. The visions of fear try to surge forward, but they are replaced by utter, blank, nothingness. There is no fear, there is only the illusion of being afraid.
You grasp it. An internal pool of water unclogging and opening. With it, your fears are cast away from your mind forever and the path to new horizons open. You meditate on the revelation of unlocking your Earth Chakra and managing to cast away the things you've feared so much. Your eyes glow for a split second, then the flash of energy disappears when you close your eyes. You feel a depth of connection with your past lives. Like a link.
The Avatar State is no longer an evanescent apparition. It is something you can work your way towards, starting here and ending wherever the cosmos leads you.
+1,000 XP.
+5 CP.
+6 Knowledge (Spirituality.)
+4 to all Bending.
+Unlock the Earth Chakra. (+1,500 XP, +3CP.) Fulfilled! +1,500 XP, +3 CP.
+Get better at meditation. (+300 XP, +1CP.) Fulfilled! +300 XP, +1 CP.
Level Up!
The night is calm. With each breath you draw from the air of the city, you feel surprisingly refreshed. There is a clarity in this air, one that is more clear than smoke or fire would suggest. You're strolling through the garden of Master Shiko's mansion. It's very beautiful, with colorful flowers and exotic plants in the reach of your hands.
DC: 20
Roll: 1d20+6=24
Success!
Roll: 1d20+6=24
Success!
You don't notice the figure skulking around in the corners. How could you? After all, it's so dark. And the rogue is using some kind of footstep-muffling footwear. You're not aware of this intruder's presence... or, well... at least it seems that way.
The figure crosses between two pillars of the garden, unnoticed, sticking to the shadows.
Eight seconds until it attacks.
Your eyes sharpen. Should you yell for help? No, that'd provoke a reaction. If this person is as deadly as you suspect they may be, you need to play it smart. No yelling for help. You need to create distance between the two of you. Make it so that he has to sneak around. Add seconds to the timer before the attack.
Just as he is about to reach for his weapon... You begin moving forward at a steady pace. It's a simple, leisurely stride. So confident that it's impossible to read the fear because you've learned to throw it away and the trainings with Master Shiko, although only having have lasted for seven months at this point, allow you to conceal your weakness under the guise of pseudo-manliness, as manly as boys can be. The eight seconds draw out to a twenty with just a few of your steps.
He has to close the distance without you noticing. As soon as he steps out into the grassy moonlight, you will notice him and attack, which is why he must compensate. He knows this, so he must minimize the distance between the two of you before that happens.
He manages to close the distance decently, hiding behind pillars, and even a small bonsai tree growing in a vase. Ten seconds. You gulp.
You go through the garden and then left. You're somewhat familiar with the mansion's layout. The hallway you are going into offers no cover, and he is cautious, so he won't risk tailing you without it. That adds at least another five seconds if you hurry up, which you do. Fifteen seconds. It's a combat between you and him. The fight is not physical. It's about who can maneuver, predict movement, and move faster without the other party noticing, but the fact is, he doesn't even know there's a fight in the first place. He thinks he has you as an easy target, but it's the other way around.
He is the prey on your territory.
You make it across the hallway, not stopping, as to not raise suspicion. He might draw back or attack if you did and both of these outcomes are highly undesirable. He follows twelve seconds worth of sneaking behind you. Since he's across the hallway, the timer is no longer stopped. He will reach you in ten..... eight..... six.....
You walk into the kitchen. There, you see Hue-Sar preparing himself a sandwich. The assassin won't attack when there's a witness, but you can't mention his presence either or he'll be drawn out. Subtle hints might not work either.
Who is this damn guy? You noticed him when you went out to meditate at midnight because... well, you felt like it. Like something pushed you to do it. And ever since you left your room, you felt this guy's presence, very slowly creeping behind you.
It's not even possible to know whether his intention is to actually assassinate you, but that's what you suspect. This intruder, whoever he, or she is, has selected you. It follows.
Since it hasn't revealed itself, that implies it doesn't want to be detected by you, or anyone else. That, on another hand, suggests an assassin or kidnapper. You're the Avatar, so it's obvious. But, still. It's a grim thought. And the worst part is that you can't assess the enemy's strength without engaging him directly or making a visual confirmation - both of which would force you into a fight, regardless of whether you hold the advantage or the other way around.
Huzzah looks at you, smearing his new invention - peanut butter - over a piece of bread. "Whadup, Tai-boi?" he asks. "You here for a nightly snack too?"
"Yeah," you lie confidently, not even looking back or moving your eyes in any other direction. You promptly move up to the counter and look through the drawers. You hover your hand over a small knife, glance to the doorway that leads to the kitchen, and place it into your robes in a way so that it's concealed. Neither Huzzah nor the killer noticed. Good.
You grab another knife, borrow peanut butter from the venerable tree spirit, then smear it over another piece of bread. You take one bite and look at Huzzah. "Do you do this often?"
"Yup," he answers with a sheepish grin, his teeth covered in a brown-white mixture. "I come here every night to test out new sandwich recipes and eat something by the by."
"It's a first for me. I just took a stroll through the garden. The night's awfully quiet."
What's your next step?
[] Try to inform Huzzah there's an assassin following you.
-[] How?
[] Bid him goodbye and walk out of the kitchen through an exit on the other side. Thirty-eight seconds and loss of visual contact with the killer.
-[] Run into Master Shiko's chambers and inform her very quickly about the situation. She's harsh, but she's fair and understands an emergency when she sees it. She'll protect you.
-[] Run into Master Jirou's chambers and inform him very quickly about the situation. He's nice and will protect you.
-[] Draw the assassin somewhere where you have a fighting advantage and then surprise-attack him. The bastard won't even know what hit him, or failing that, you get to fight on your own terms. Worst case scenario: You enter the Avatar State and rip him a new one.
[] Write-in.
Other Progress:
DC: 15
Roll: 1d20+5=16
Success!
+250 XP!
Roll: 1d20+5=16
Success!
+250 XP!
Currently: 167 AG, Summer.
Next Turn: 168 AG, Summer.
Select two social focuses for the next year. You can select one option two times.
[] Huesar
[] Roku.
[] Yang.
[] Master Shiko.
[] Master Jirou.
[] Friends at school.
Select five two training focuses for the next year. You can select one option numerous times. Due to your Master's input, two of the training options automatically go to Firebending and Physical Exercise. One of them goes off for school studies.
[] Bending.
-[] Earthbending.
-[] Waterbending.
-[] Airbending.
-[] Firebending.
[] Meditation.
-[] Meditation.
-[] Chakra Control.
[] Physical exercise.
[] Learn philosophy, culture, history, geography, and science from the White Lotus.
[] Riding Roku.
Select additional Ambitions. (2 Short-Term.)
[] (Long-Term) Reach Level 7 of Earthbending. (+20,000 XP, +21CP.)
[] (Long-Term) Reach Level 7 of Firebending. (+20,000 XP, +21CP.)
[] (Mid-Term) Make yourself of use to the world like you're supposed to. (+7,500 XP, +15CP.)
[] (Mid-Term) See a Fire Nation circus show. (+6,000 XP, +7CP.)
[] (Mid-Term) Defeat Master Shiko in a friendly Agni Kai. (+2,000 XP, +6CP.)
[] (Mid-Term) Defeat Master Jirou in Pai Sho. (+3,500 XP, +8CP.)
[] (Short-Term) Attain Level 4 in Airbending. (+1,500 XP.)
[] (Short-Term) Get to know the White Lotus members. (+500 XP.)
[] (Short-Term) Find out who's Vaatu. (+600 XP.)
[] (Short-Term) Find out what the Red Lotus is. (+600 XP.)
[] (Short-Term) What is the "Convergence?" (+700 XP.)
LEVEL UP! +2 CP!
CURRENT CP: 22
[] Don't spend CP.
[] (-1 CP.) Chi Roulette: 50-50 chances to double CP or lose all of them. You win, you grin. You lose, bad news.
[] (-2 CP.) +2 Strength.
[] (-2 CP.) +2 Constitution.
[] (-2 CP.) +2 Wisdom.
[] (-1 CP.) +2 Dexterity.
[] (-1 CP.) +2 Intelligence.
[] (-1 CP.) +2 Charisma.
[] (-1 CP.) You hear an interesting rumor.
[] (-4 CP.) During meditation, something weird happens.
[] (-6 CP.) You have the dream of a red-eyed spirit and a man following after it.
[] (-8 CP.) Huesar does something. That's all the detail you'll get.
[] (-8 CP.) Huesar does something useful.
[] (-8 CP.) You find a firebending scroll.
[] (-12 CP.) You find an earthbending scroll.
[] (-12 CP.) You find a waterbending scroll.
[] (-20 CP.) You find an airbending scroll.
[] (-30 CP.) You can train once more every turn. (May only be taken once.)
[] (-60 CP.) Become one with the cosmic energy. (May only be taken once.)
Sorry for the lack of detail on the Proverb Book reading, but real life is calling me really soon and I couldn't afford to spend even a minute more writing the update. I think that even with this strict time limit I managed to rather well on this update anyway, so I hope you enjoy.
Also, information:
Once you reach Level 6 of Firebending or beat Master Shiko in Agni Kai, the chapter ends. There are also other conditions, but I won't reveal them.
PLEASE, VOTE BY PLAN, ONII-CHAN!
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- Location
- US
Wow, I'm shocked!
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
I know, right? Biggest twist of the century.
DarkKing98
Certified Village Idiot
- Location
- USA
[X] Plan Blue Spirit!?
[X] Bid him goodbye and walk out of the kitchen through an exit on the other side. Thirty-eight seconds and loss of visual contact with the killer.
-[X] Run into Master Shiko's chambers and inform her very quickly about the situation. She's harsh, but she's fair and understands an emergency when she sees it. She'll protect you.
[X] Yang.
[X] Friends at school.
[X] Bending.
-[X] Earthbending. x2
[X] (Short-Term) Find out who's Vaatu. (+600 XP.)
[X] (Short-Term) Find out what the Red Lotus is. (+600 XP.)
[X] (-5 CP.) +10 Charisma.
[X] (-6 CP.) You have the dream of a red-eyed spirit and a man following after it.
[X] (-8 CP.) Huesar does something useful.
Don't really wanna use so much CP, but it'll be worth it for maybe winning the needed charisma checks to learn about Vaatu and Red Lotus, two things very important for us to know about, ESPECIALLY the Red Lotus.
[X] Bid him goodbye and walk out of the kitchen through an exit on the other side. Thirty-eight seconds and loss of visual contact with the killer.
-[X] Run into Master Shiko's chambers and inform her very quickly about the situation. She's harsh, but she's fair and understands an emergency when she sees it. She'll protect you.
[X] Yang.
[X] Friends at school.
[X] Bending.
-[X] Earthbending. x2
[X] (Short-Term) Find out who's Vaatu. (+600 XP.)
[X] (Short-Term) Find out what the Red Lotus is. (+600 XP.)
[X] (-5 CP.) +10 Charisma.
[X] (-6 CP.) You have the dream of a red-eyed spirit and a man following after it.
[X] (-8 CP.) Huesar does something useful.
Don't really wanna use so much CP, but it'll be worth it for maybe winning the needed charisma checks to learn about Vaatu and Red Lotus, two things very important for us to know about, ESPECIALLY the Red Lotus.
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- Location
- Spain
Why this? Without a teacher is almost a lost action
Ave Anathema
Ave Imperator
- Location
- Jacksonville Illinois
[X] Plan Get to Level 7 earthbending ASAP
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DarkKing98
Certified Village Idiot
- Location
- USA
Because we have a goal for level 7 Earthbending and the sooner it is completed, the sooner we get that +21 CP.
- Location
- Spain
But it would be better to wait for a while @Birdsie confirmed that we will be able to buy an Earthbending teacher very soon in the meanwhile focus on other things...
DarkKing98
Certified Village Idiot
- Location
- USA
Every last point helps. Besides, going off your logic, not doing anything outside physical excercise, fire bending, and studying, is useless.
- Location
- Spain
Not useless, suboptimal
DarkKing98
Certified Village Idiot
- Location
- USA
Think of it like this, if we can complete the long term goal of Earthbending before hitting level 7 Firebending, we can then take the level 7 firebending goal, and get another 21 CP.
- Pronouns
- Male
I'm willing to bet my house that he was sent by the earth queen to kidnap us.
[X] Plan Blue Spirit!?
[X] Plan Blue Spirit!?
@Birdsie If we wanted to, couldn't we just ditch the tail by going underground? That is always an option for a skilled Earthbender, going underground where your enemies, assuming they aren't earthbenders, can't follow.
[X] Plan Hot Fire
[X] Bid him goodbye and walk out of the kitchen through an exit on the other side. Thirty-eight seconds and loss of visual contact with the killer.
-[X] Run into Master Shiko's chambers and inform her very quickly about the situation. She's harsh, but she's fair and understands an emergency when she sees it. She'll protect you.
[X] Yang.
[X] Friends at school.
[X] Bending.
-[X] Firebending. x2
[X] (Short-Term) Find out who's Vaatu. (+600 XP.)
[X] (Short-Term) Find out what the Red Lotus is. (+600 XP.)
[X] (-5 CP.) +10 Charisma.
[X] (-6 CP.) You have the dream of a red-eyed spirit and a man following after it.
[X] (-8 CP.) Huesar does something useful.
Basically the same thing as Blue Spirit, but Fire instead of Earth, since training on our own without a teacher results in abysmal progress.
Here's the thing, Dark King. In order to achieve Level 7 Earthbending with a teacher (not accounting for random bonuses, since those are unpredictable and will happen regardless), we will have to spend 8 Training Actions doing it. It's gonna end up taking several years. Within those years, we will probably automatically master Firebending thanks to our teacher making progress there MUCH faster than it is on our own. Causing us to already miss out on the Rank 7 Firebending Ambition, and have us waste quite a few turns worth of actions thanks to doing it without a teacher.
No, just Bending Practice. Without a Teacher, progress is abysmal at best, and better spent on other endeavors.
[X] Plan Hot Fire
[X] Bid him goodbye and walk out of the kitchen through an exit on the other side. Thirty-eight seconds and loss of visual contact with the killer.
-[X] Run into Master Shiko's chambers and inform her very quickly about the situation. She's harsh, but she's fair and understands an emergency when she sees it. She'll protect you.
[X] Yang.
[X] Friends at school.
[X] Bending.
-[X] Firebending. x2
[X] (Short-Term) Find out who's Vaatu. (+600 XP.)
[X] (Short-Term) Find out what the Red Lotus is. (+600 XP.)
[X] (-5 CP.) +10 Charisma.
[X] (-6 CP.) You have the dream of a red-eyed spirit and a man following after it.
[X] (-8 CP.) Huesar does something useful.
Basically the same thing as Blue Spirit, but Fire instead of Earth, since training on our own without a teacher results in abysmal progress.
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- Location
- Spain
As Trondason says the only way of us getting Earthbending to that level before Firebending would be to get 2 earth bending scrolls and be lucky
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
I'll add a Write-in option, if that is your wish. But at this level of Earthbending, failing the rolls is still possible and likely for that technique. Albeit, it's not impossible.
DarkKing98
Certified Village Idiot
- Location
- USA
@Birdsie Do we have access to any scrolls the White Lotus might have on Earthbending?
An unfortunate neccessity of seeing Hue-Sar actually doing something useful for once as a sentient being instead of as a spirit. Though we could go without the dream.
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
I planned to have some benefits like that for befriending them. Right now, they just want you to learn all elements to at least moderate proficiency. After that happens, you can master them. Basically, right now they're going by quantity, not quality. Until you get Level 5-6 in every Bending type, you won't have much autonomy in what Bending you'll train.
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- Location
- Spain
A suggestion, if we want to get the Earthbending to level before getting firebending to level 7 is to use scrolls if we take just 1 earth bending scroll we have a 70% chance of getting level 6 this turn and a 15% of leveling up twice
[X] Plan Get to Level 7 earthbending ASAP
[X] Try to inform Huzzah there's an assassin following you.
-[X] Use Sandbending to write it on any table near him, erase it once he reads it, tell him that you are going to fight him and that he needs to be ready to act and/or warn your teachers.
[X] Bid him goodbye and walk out of the kitchen through an exit on the other side. Thirty-eight seconds and loss of visual contact with the killer.
-[X] Draw the assassin somewhere where you have a fighting advantage and then surprise-attack him. The bastard won't even know what hit him, or failing that, you get to fight on your own terms. Worst case scenario: You enter the Avatar State and rip him a new one.
[X] Yang.
[X] Friends at school.
[X] Bending.
-[X] Earthbending. x2
[X] (Short-Term) Find out who's Vaatu. (+600 XP.)
[X] (Short-Term) Find out what the Red Lotus is. (+600 XP.)
[X] (-12 CP.) You find an earthbending scroll.
[X] (-8 CP.) Huesar does something useful.
[X] (-6 CP.) You have the dream of a red-eyed spirit and a man following after it.
[X] (Free Action) Copy your Airbending scroll and send it to Tenzin in Republic city
Last Version of the plan:
[X] Plan Get to Level 7 earthbending ASAP
[X] Try to inform Huzzah there's an assassin following you.
-[X] Use Sandbending to write it on any table near him, erase it once he reads it, tell him that you are going to fight him and that he needs to be ready to act and/or warn your teachers.
[X] Bid him goodbye and walk out of the kitchen through an exit on the other side. Thirty-eight seconds and loss of visual contact with the killer.
-[X] Draw the assassin somewhere where you have a fighting advantage and then surprise-attack him. The bastard won't even know what hit him, or failing that, you get to fight on your own terms. Worst case scenario: You enter the Avatar State and rip him a new one.
[X] Yang.
[X] Friends at school.
[X] Bending.
-[X] Earthbending. x2
[X] (Short-Term) Find out who's Vaatu. (+600 XP.)
[X] (Short-Term) Find out what the Red Lotus is. (+600 XP.)
[X] (-12 CP.) You find an earthbending scroll.
[X] (-8 CP.) Huesar does something useful.
[X] (-12 CP.) +2 Charisma.
[X] (Free Action) Copy your Airbending scroll and send it to Tenzin in Republic city
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DarkKing98
Certified Village Idiot
- Location
- USA
[X] Plan Get to Level 7 earthbending ASAP