Burdened by past deeds come to haunt him, a man seeks the meaning of life in the city of Golden Gates. Or at least how to make enough money to live.
Beyond The Fist: An Urban Fantasy Quest
- Thread starter Dapperlad1
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1.1
- Location
- Albania
- Pronouns
- He/Him
It's been years since you've had to think of your past. Standing in the midst of your ruined livelihood, a kwoon for the youth of San Francisco turned into a pile of rubble, twisted steel supports and broken shards of wood by incredible force.
Police and firefighters reported a fire to you, a common occurrence in a major city, but now that you are standing here, not a lick of ash stains the concrete. It looks more as if some tremendous force shattered it by a sudden, sharp impact.
The telltale signs of the unnatural abound, visible by experience and knowledge gained from decades of training. The construction has been shattered from above, ruined in the space of a second by power unseen, force unknown.
Brushing a scarred hand over the steel beam, you find it ice cold in contrast to the sunny, hot day typical of a West Coast summer, cold enough to cause pain in contact. Pulling away from it, you look to see the first car of many that you will have to turn away, adults coming for their daily exercise, parents dropping children off and a half dozen other customers you now have to direct elsewhere.
Over the course of half an hour, they are all sent away, leaving you once again alone with your thoughts, thoughts which you express in a most direct fashion. Walking over to the only intact training dummy, you settle into an aggressive stance, starting a flurry of blows to calm your mind. Allowing you to descend into the only peace you ever find.
In that perfection, memories flow back into you, long buried flashes of a life before. Of violence and passion boiling over, of a slaughter perpetrated by your own hands against those who raised you. It drives you to strike harder, splintering wood where your knuckles strike, cracking it wholesale with powerful kicks.
Yet faster you move, now truly breaking the dummy, striking through it with every movement, shattering it ever so quickly until nothing is left, shattering the fragile peace with the incoming reality of your surroundings.
The weight of the past comes with it, mistakes of youth coming to haunt you.
Your name is Ping Lei, you are the greatest fighter ever produced from a dozen schools of martial arts, and also the last one that will exit those halls.
The daylight brings life to the city, and prompts you to move on. Time hasn't stopped for you and the world still craves your presence for some inane reason. Specifically a young girl in aged clothing that comes up to perhaps your mid-torso, ghost pale skin resisting the influence of the sun accompanied with dirty red hair desperately needing a wash and eyes a frighteningly deep black, perhaps sixteen years of age. She comes to you for lessons, always a few minutes late, paying in wrinkled dollar bills, she is standing like a confused puppy on the sidewalk, staring at the collapsed building with an expression of utter despair, as if her world has been ended with this new development.
Pulling away from the dummy, you stare over at her, pondering on what to do.
[X] Just leave, you've barely a few thousand dollars, something after you and a whole life to rebuild, no time for children without direction in life.
[X] Your first instinct is to leave, but listening to your first instinct has never gone well, perhaps it's time to show a care for the world, or at least make sure this girl isn't kidnapped in the next few minutes. Approach her.
————————————————————————
Hello and welcome to a hard reboot of a quest from quite a while ago. You need to know absolutely nothing about it to read and in fact, I encourage you to not, it was quite bad!
The gist is this! Your name is Ping Lei and you are very, very good at fighting. Born in the People's Republic of China, he emigrated to America after the unfortunate series of events that were described above took place. Freshly approaching his mid thirties, it appears the universe has once again decided to start its games with him!
Further explanations will be had as they come up! These first few posts are as much character creation as story posts as well. For now, you get to make a core decision, what is Lei attempting? Is he only for his own benefit, or do others matter?
Anyways, enjoy and vote, updates will be a tad sporadic, but as quick as I can manage
Police and firefighters reported a fire to you, a common occurrence in a major city, but now that you are standing here, not a lick of ash stains the concrete. It looks more as if some tremendous force shattered it by a sudden, sharp impact.
The telltale signs of the unnatural abound, visible by experience and knowledge gained from decades of training. The construction has been shattered from above, ruined in the space of a second by power unseen, force unknown.
Brushing a scarred hand over the steel beam, you find it ice cold in contrast to the sunny, hot day typical of a West Coast summer, cold enough to cause pain in contact. Pulling away from it, you look to see the first car of many that you will have to turn away, adults coming for their daily exercise, parents dropping children off and a half dozen other customers you now have to direct elsewhere.
Over the course of half an hour, they are all sent away, leaving you once again alone with your thoughts, thoughts which you express in a most direct fashion. Walking over to the only intact training dummy, you settle into an aggressive stance, starting a flurry of blows to calm your mind. Allowing you to descend into the only peace you ever find.
In that perfection, memories flow back into you, long buried flashes of a life before. Of violence and passion boiling over, of a slaughter perpetrated by your own hands against those who raised you. It drives you to strike harder, splintering wood where your knuckles strike, cracking it wholesale with powerful kicks.
Yet faster you move, now truly breaking the dummy, striking through it with every movement, shattering it ever so quickly until nothing is left, shattering the fragile peace with the incoming reality of your surroundings.
The weight of the past comes with it, mistakes of youth coming to haunt you.
Your name is Ping Lei, you are the greatest fighter ever produced from a dozen schools of martial arts, and also the last one that will exit those halls.
The daylight brings life to the city, and prompts you to move on. Time hasn't stopped for you and the world still craves your presence for some inane reason. Specifically a young girl in aged clothing that comes up to perhaps your mid-torso, ghost pale skin resisting the influence of the sun accompanied with dirty red hair desperately needing a wash and eyes a frighteningly deep black, perhaps sixteen years of age. She comes to you for lessons, always a few minutes late, paying in wrinkled dollar bills, she is standing like a confused puppy on the sidewalk, staring at the collapsed building with an expression of utter despair, as if her world has been ended with this new development.
Pulling away from the dummy, you stare over at her, pondering on what to do.
[X] Just leave, you've barely a few thousand dollars, something after you and a whole life to rebuild, no time for children without direction in life.
[X] Your first instinct is to leave, but listening to your first instinct has never gone well, perhaps it's time to show a care for the world, or at least make sure this girl isn't kidnapped in the next few minutes. Approach her.
————————————————————————
Hello and welcome to a hard reboot of a quest from quite a while ago. You need to know absolutely nothing about it to read and in fact, I encourage you to not, it was quite bad!
The gist is this! Your name is Ping Lei and you are very, very good at fighting. Born in the People's Republic of China, he emigrated to America after the unfortunate series of events that were described above took place. Freshly approaching his mid thirties, it appears the universe has once again decided to start its games with him!
Further explanations will be had as they come up! These first few posts are as much character creation as story posts as well. For now, you get to make a core decision, what is Lei attempting? Is he only for his own benefit, or do others matter?
Anyways, enjoy and vote, updates will be a tad sporadic, but as quick as I can manage
On The Nature of Qi
- Location
- Albania
- Pronouns
- He/Him
On the Nature of Qi, a Basic Description
Qi is a sort of life force, present in all things, whether they be human or animal, plant or even stone. Most people are completely unaware of it, Lei, on the other hand, is intensely aware of it, being a master in its use.
Fire Qi: One of the more common energies, it represent explosive passion, the detonation of rage or burning fury of lust, it's all force, all sudden motions and expression of the deepest, primal self.
Metal Qi: As metal is honed for efficient use in the world, so does metal Qi expel itself from disciplined efficiency in acts. It is sustained effort, effective solutions and quick thinking.
Wood Qi: Sourced from the bursting energy of new life, Wood is similar to fire, but not as all consuming, always maintaining a stability of self along with the growth of life. It is humor, it is growth and it is health.
Earth Qi: Borne of the mountains and stones, earth Qi is solid, dependable and immovable. It comes from displays of steadfast determination, utter implacability and complete domination.
Water Qi: Born of rivers and seas. Water is wise, always moving for the path of least resistance rather than bulling through obstructions. It is indirect, quick and defined by never choosing the direct path.
Qi is a sort of life force, present in all things, whether they be human or animal, plant or even stone. Most people are completely unaware of it, Lei, on the other hand, is intensely aware of it, being a master in its use.
Fire Qi: One of the more common energies, it represent explosive passion, the detonation of rage or burning fury of lust, it's all force, all sudden motions and expression of the deepest, primal self.
Metal Qi: As metal is honed for efficient use in the world, so does metal Qi expel itself from disciplined efficiency in acts. It is sustained effort, effective solutions and quick thinking.
Wood Qi: Sourced from the bursting energy of new life, Wood is similar to fire, but not as all consuming, always maintaining a stability of self along with the growth of life. It is humor, it is growth and it is health.
Earth Qi: Borne of the mountains and stones, earth Qi is solid, dependable and immovable. It comes from displays of steadfast determination, utter implacability and complete domination.
Water Qi: Born of rivers and seas. Water is wise, always moving for the path of least resistance rather than bulling through obstructions. It is indirect, quick and defined by never choosing the direct path.
Last edited:
- Location
- Albania
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Ping Lei
Wounds-25/25
Statistics
Strength 10
Coordination 15
Intelligence 12
Skills
Martial Arts 10
Ranged Weapons 8
Wounds-25/25
Statistics
Strength 10
Coordination 15
Intelligence 12
Skills
Martial Arts 10
Ranged Weapons 8
Last edited:
- Location
- Albania
- Pronouns
- He/Him
And this should be all I need
- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Your first instinct is to leave, but listening to your first instinct has never gone well, perhaps it's time to show a care for the world, or at least make sure this girl isn't kidnapped in the next few minutes. Approach her.
[X] Your first instinct is to leave, but listening to your first instinct has never gone well, perhaps it's time to show a care for the world, or at least make sure this girl isn't kidnapped in the next few minutes. Approach her.
She pays us and we don't have anything better to do. Plus it's nice
She pays us and we don't have anything better to do. Plus it's nice
GamingandReading
Browses and Replies With Haste
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Your first instinct is to leave, but listening to your first instinct has never gone well, perhaps it's time to show a care for the world, or at least make sure this girl isn't kidnapped in the next few minutes. Approach her.
Well, I have nothing better to do. Plus, students may open the way to new understanding.
Well, I have nothing better to do. Plus, students may open the way to new understanding.
Down, Down, SVer. DOWN!
[X] Your first instinct is to leave, but listening to your first instinct has never gone well, perhaps it's time to show a care for the world, or at least make sure this girl isn't kidnapped in the next few minutes. Approach her.
Birthday
Have a Happy One!
- Location
- Somewhere
[X] Your first instinct is to leave, but listening to your first instinct has never gone well, perhaps it's time to show a care for the world, or at least make sure this girl isn't kidnapped in the next few minutes. Approach her.
Honestly, I'm confused as to why stepping away is even an option. Story hooks will always be more interesting than the lack of one. At the very least, if the other options was another story hook, I would understand, but if the choice is between "Start an adventure" and "Don't start an adventure", the majority of players will almost always choose the former over the latter.
Honestly, I'm confused as to why stepping away is even an option. Story hooks will always be more interesting than the lack of one. At the very least, if the other options was another story hook, I would understand, but if the choice is between "Start an adventure" and "Don't start an adventure", the majority of players will almost always choose the former over the latter.
Last edited:
- Location
- Russia
[X] Your first instinct is to leave, but listening to your first instinct has never gone well, perhaps it's time to show a care for the world, or at least make sure this girl isn't kidnapped in the next few minutes. Approach her.
Write-ins is what I hope for, they were interesting to think about, but right now this one is the superior option.
Write-ins is what I hope for, they were interesting to think about, but right now this one is the superior option.
Because something unnatural is after you, powerful enough to destroy your training school into rubble. You think this kid won't die if you mark her as one of yours? You think author is kind-hearted? You fools.
1.2
- Location
- Albania
- Pronouns
- He/Him
An initial rejection of her presence occurs, but after a moment, reasoned thought crushes it. Sighing, you prepare for whatever will come as you approach her.
Now that you've neared, her despairing has become even clearer, the bubbling of tears glistening in her eyes as she focuses on you. You initiate the conversation with a question,
"My apologies, but a fire seems to have claimed the kw-" It takes effort to stop yourself, reverting to a word more familiar with the natives of this place, "dojo, I won't be able to give any further lessons here."
It's a clinical series of words, put together in a manner to have the least emotional effect on someone, at least by your reckoning, which is why her bursting into proper tears at that is a surprise.
As she bawls, you stand there awkwardly, not quite aware of how you respond to this. Running a hand through short-cut black hair as thoughts race on how to solve this, you come to an immediate solution that is perhaps not particularly well considered.
"But, on second thought, perhaps I could manage something." She lights up at those words, focusing on you with an intensity bordering on maddened, "It'd be rather vulnerable to the elements, but my home has equipment I could bring out and space enough for a few people." As you speak, digging your hole deeper and ruining the peace you had at your home with each and every word.
"R-really?" She asks, voice choked up with the recent tears, eyes wide and glistening with hope.
Sighing internally, you give in and answer, "Yes, really." With the friendliest look you can manage. It's a moment before she asks another question, "Is it, now?" An innocent ask that forces you to put up or shut up to your request immediately.
Deep within you, you can imagine a deflating of your spirit as the answer leaves you. "Certainly, it's a bit of a walk, but you can follow if you like." She nods rapidly in response, earlier sadness forgotten in this new development.
Starting the walk towards your apartment, you surprisingly aren't bombarded with questions, the nervousness of a new situation arresting anything that would have come, leaving the journey of just over ten minutes silent.
That is, until you arrive within eyesight of your apartment building. It's faded concrete, dusty windows and general state of disrepair prompting the girl to speak suddenly, "You live in this shithole?"
Remarkably crass for someone her age, it seems. "
"Yes, unsurprisingly, teaching self defense isn't very profitable as a profession." You perhaps put a little too much annoyance into that, more than intended anyhow. "But that matters very little, my apartment isn't what you will train in."
Pausing as you near the building, you say one more thing, "Go around to the back, I'll be there in a moment, just have a few things to collect." Not waiting to see her reaction, you open the front door, nodding politely at Mrs.Schumacher, your kindly landlady that only occasionally attempts to fleece you of your entire worth.
Up the stairs and towards your door, distinguishable by the number seven bolted to in in dull brass, camouflaging effectively against the faded brown paint of the door.
Once you pull it open, having used the key you cleverly hide under the mat in front of the door, you are greeted by the excellent conditions of your apartment. Concrete floor broken up by carpet where you could manage, cheap furniture that is comfortable enough as well as affordable.
Ignoring that, you go to your few extra supplies. A single training dummy in poor condition, two buckets for the most basic of weight training and, of course, rope, the most useful tool imaginable.
Looping the rope around your shoulder, lifting the buckets up with one arm, you are left with carrying the dummy only using a single limb, a task you are perfectly capable of, but would rather not do.
Yet, the idea of walking back up here seems more annoying, as such, the dummy is hauled down, out of the building and around to the rear of it.
There, you find the girl whose name, you realize, you haven't learnt yet. She is standing nervously, keeping an eye out as you arrive with the equipment.
You forget to ask that question, however, as her phone rings, a buzzing sound that calls her to answer it quickly. As it reaches her ear, you can see her entire body tense as if afraid.
"I thought I had a couple more h-hours." She says after hearing something from the other end, a stutter enters her voice. "But I did my work today!" Is her next response, this time more energetic, but she quickly returns to a subdued expression as whoever is on the other end says something.
You stare for a moment before asking, loudly, "Whom are you speaking to? We have training which has already been paid for." Her eyes widen as you speak, followed by a rapid, stuttered sentence that overall makes very little logical sense.
She freezes, terrified at whatever was just asked. Slowly, she pulls the phone away from her ear and gestures to you with it. You close the distance and pull it to your ear.
"Hello, this is Ping Lei, owner of the Martial Arts Dojo. Who am I speaking to?" You start off as polite as can be managed. The voice that answers is threatening, booming and generally displeased. "I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but you best send my girl back, now!" Detecting the hints of an extraordinarily small ego, you resist the urge to prod him until he explodes, instead responding with "No, I've a service to provide. Have a good day!" Something simple as you hang up on the man, flipping the cellphone around to hand it back to the girl.
She stares at you baffled, before you gesture to the training dummy, "Let me check your progress on strikes, please, go ahead." She blinks, asking "No gloves?" To which you respond with "I don't use them, so I have none at home. Would you like to delay until I can find a pair?" But she responds with a quick shake of her head.
You smile, exclaiming "Perfect! Go ahead when you feel ready!" Causing her to assume a somewhat shaky stance, showcasing a theoretical awareness but a lack of practical skill in any sense of the word.
This will be a long morning.
————————————————————————
The lesson is extended far beyond what you normally do as she begins to improve rapidly. Though time will still be required for conditioning as you find her unable to manage the simplest of exercises for much more than twenty or so minutes.
Is carrying two full buckets of water extended in front of you truly so difficult? Evidently so, as she drops them once again, spilling more water onto the concrete, mixing in with the pools of sweat she is leaving.
You open your mouth to speak, but are cut off by having to catch something that was thrown at you from behind. Turning to look at what you have in your hand, it's a small rock, and the source of it are four rough looking gentlemen looking intimidating.
The lead one, a bald man with runic-esque tattoos clearly visible, continuing well past the collar of his shirt, speaks first. "Hey fucker, playtime is over, hand the girl to us." A rough voice, born of a lifetime spent in the care of tobacco as well as liquor.
You smile at them, "My lessons aren't yet over, please, come back at a later date." The simple truth, but they seem to take it as an insult, imagine that.
The lead takes a series of steps forward, pointing a thick finger on an equally large arm at you, just inside your personal space, "Don't play games with me fucker, I will break you!" He growls, causing the girl's eyes to widen.
Whilst you could likely defuse this with conversation, you have absolutely no desire to do so, and instead wish to properly express your recent loss in a direct form upon acceptable targets.
The question instead is this.
How Do You Do It?
[X] Let it release, jump at these men with all the ferocity you can manage and shatter them with violence. (Fire Qi +1)
[X] Steady yourself, violence is an act of your will upon the universe, these men just so happen to be part of that universe, dismantle them efficiently, do not waste time or effort. (Metal Qi +1)
[X] Release your anger, but do not let it overwhelm you. There is passion to be had here, lighthearted enjoyment in the background of battle, something to soothe the soul as well as perhaps make this more palatable to anyone observing. (Wood Qi +1)
[X] Let them crash into you, and buffet them with your unbreakable stance. Stand like a mountain, allowing small waves to break on your vast stone. (Earth Qi +1)
[X] Perhaps better than violence, there is humiliation. Play games with their minds and bodies until they can no longer keep up. And then wash them away in a tide of force. (Water Qi +1)
————————————————————————
To explain how this works, Qi is like your go-juice, you gain it by keeping to certain styles of behavior and you spend it when you really need to absolutely ruin someone's day.
You can generally guess what each variety leans towards, it's a much more conceptual thing than exactly mechanical, but understand that having sufficient Qi in certain situations unlocks decisions that you would otherwise not have, so stocking up is suggested.
I'll see about creating a description of them in one of the posts on page one, but mobile life is suffering, so give me time.
The tracker will always be at the bottom of an update! Following this one, of course.
Fire 0/10
Metal 0/10
Wood 0/10
Earth 0/10
Water 0/10
Now that you've neared, her despairing has become even clearer, the bubbling of tears glistening in her eyes as she focuses on you. You initiate the conversation with a question,
"My apologies, but a fire seems to have claimed the kw-" It takes effort to stop yourself, reverting to a word more familiar with the natives of this place, "dojo, I won't be able to give any further lessons here."
It's a clinical series of words, put together in a manner to have the least emotional effect on someone, at least by your reckoning, which is why her bursting into proper tears at that is a surprise.
As she bawls, you stand there awkwardly, not quite aware of how you respond to this. Running a hand through short-cut black hair as thoughts race on how to solve this, you come to an immediate solution that is perhaps not particularly well considered.
"But, on second thought, perhaps I could manage something." She lights up at those words, focusing on you with an intensity bordering on maddened, "It'd be rather vulnerable to the elements, but my home has equipment I could bring out and space enough for a few people." As you speak, digging your hole deeper and ruining the peace you had at your home with each and every word.
"R-really?" She asks, voice choked up with the recent tears, eyes wide and glistening with hope.
Sighing internally, you give in and answer, "Yes, really." With the friendliest look you can manage. It's a moment before she asks another question, "Is it, now?" An innocent ask that forces you to put up or shut up to your request immediately.
Deep within you, you can imagine a deflating of your spirit as the answer leaves you. "Certainly, it's a bit of a walk, but you can follow if you like." She nods rapidly in response, earlier sadness forgotten in this new development.
Starting the walk towards your apartment, you surprisingly aren't bombarded with questions, the nervousness of a new situation arresting anything that would have come, leaving the journey of just over ten minutes silent.
That is, until you arrive within eyesight of your apartment building. It's faded concrete, dusty windows and general state of disrepair prompting the girl to speak suddenly, "You live in this shithole?"
Remarkably crass for someone her age, it seems. "
"Yes, unsurprisingly, teaching self defense isn't very profitable as a profession." You perhaps put a little too much annoyance into that, more than intended anyhow. "But that matters very little, my apartment isn't what you will train in."
Pausing as you near the building, you say one more thing, "Go around to the back, I'll be there in a moment, just have a few things to collect." Not waiting to see her reaction, you open the front door, nodding politely at Mrs.Schumacher, your kindly landlady that only occasionally attempts to fleece you of your entire worth.
Up the stairs and towards your door, distinguishable by the number seven bolted to in in dull brass, camouflaging effectively against the faded brown paint of the door.
Once you pull it open, having used the key you cleverly hide under the mat in front of the door, you are greeted by the excellent conditions of your apartment. Concrete floor broken up by carpet where you could manage, cheap furniture that is comfortable enough as well as affordable.
Ignoring that, you go to your few extra supplies. A single training dummy in poor condition, two buckets for the most basic of weight training and, of course, rope, the most useful tool imaginable.
Looping the rope around your shoulder, lifting the buckets up with one arm, you are left with carrying the dummy only using a single limb, a task you are perfectly capable of, but would rather not do.
Yet, the idea of walking back up here seems more annoying, as such, the dummy is hauled down, out of the building and around to the rear of it.
There, you find the girl whose name, you realize, you haven't learnt yet. She is standing nervously, keeping an eye out as you arrive with the equipment.
You forget to ask that question, however, as her phone rings, a buzzing sound that calls her to answer it quickly. As it reaches her ear, you can see her entire body tense as if afraid.
"I thought I had a couple more h-hours." She says after hearing something from the other end, a stutter enters her voice. "But I did my work today!" Is her next response, this time more energetic, but she quickly returns to a subdued expression as whoever is on the other end says something.
You stare for a moment before asking, loudly, "Whom are you speaking to? We have training which has already been paid for." Her eyes widen as you speak, followed by a rapid, stuttered sentence that overall makes very little logical sense.
She freezes, terrified at whatever was just asked. Slowly, she pulls the phone away from her ear and gestures to you with it. You close the distance and pull it to your ear.
"Hello, this is Ping Lei, owner of the Martial Arts Dojo. Who am I speaking to?" You start off as polite as can be managed. The voice that answers is threatening, booming and generally displeased. "I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but you best send my girl back, now!" Detecting the hints of an extraordinarily small ego, you resist the urge to prod him until he explodes, instead responding with "No, I've a service to provide. Have a good day!" Something simple as you hang up on the man, flipping the cellphone around to hand it back to the girl.
She stares at you baffled, before you gesture to the training dummy, "Let me check your progress on strikes, please, go ahead." She blinks, asking "No gloves?" To which you respond with "I don't use them, so I have none at home. Would you like to delay until I can find a pair?" But she responds with a quick shake of her head.
You smile, exclaiming "Perfect! Go ahead when you feel ready!" Causing her to assume a somewhat shaky stance, showcasing a theoretical awareness but a lack of practical skill in any sense of the word.
This will be a long morning.
————————————————————————
The lesson is extended far beyond what you normally do as she begins to improve rapidly. Though time will still be required for conditioning as you find her unable to manage the simplest of exercises for much more than twenty or so minutes.
Is carrying two full buckets of water extended in front of you truly so difficult? Evidently so, as she drops them once again, spilling more water onto the concrete, mixing in with the pools of sweat she is leaving.
You open your mouth to speak, but are cut off by having to catch something that was thrown at you from behind. Turning to look at what you have in your hand, it's a small rock, and the source of it are four rough looking gentlemen looking intimidating.
The lead one, a bald man with runic-esque tattoos clearly visible, continuing well past the collar of his shirt, speaks first. "Hey fucker, playtime is over, hand the girl to us." A rough voice, born of a lifetime spent in the care of tobacco as well as liquor.
You smile at them, "My lessons aren't yet over, please, come back at a later date." The simple truth, but they seem to take it as an insult, imagine that.
The lead takes a series of steps forward, pointing a thick finger on an equally large arm at you, just inside your personal space, "Don't play games with me fucker, I will break you!" He growls, causing the girl's eyes to widen.
Whilst you could likely defuse this with conversation, you have absolutely no desire to do so, and instead wish to properly express your recent loss in a direct form upon acceptable targets.
The question instead is this.
How Do You Do It?
[X] Let it release, jump at these men with all the ferocity you can manage and shatter them with violence. (Fire Qi +1)
[X] Steady yourself, violence is an act of your will upon the universe, these men just so happen to be part of that universe, dismantle them efficiently, do not waste time or effort. (Metal Qi +1)
[X] Release your anger, but do not let it overwhelm you. There is passion to be had here, lighthearted enjoyment in the background of battle, something to soothe the soul as well as perhaps make this more palatable to anyone observing. (Wood Qi +1)
[X] Let them crash into you, and buffet them with your unbreakable stance. Stand like a mountain, allowing small waves to break on your vast stone. (Earth Qi +1)
[X] Perhaps better than violence, there is humiliation. Play games with their minds and bodies until they can no longer keep up. And then wash them away in a tide of force. (Water Qi +1)
————————————————————————
To explain how this works, Qi is like your go-juice, you gain it by keeping to certain styles of behavior and you spend it when you really need to absolutely ruin someone's day.
You can generally guess what each variety leans towards, it's a much more conceptual thing than exactly mechanical, but understand that having sufficient Qi in certain situations unlocks decisions that you would otherwise not have, so stocking up is suggested.
I'll see about creating a description of them in one of the posts on page one, but mobile life is suffering, so give me time.
The tracker will always be at the bottom of an update! Following this one, of course.
Fire 0/10
Metal 0/10
Wood 0/10
Earth 0/10
Water 0/10
- Location
- Russia
[X] Release your anger, but do not let it overwhelm you. There is passion to be had here, lighthearted enjoyment in the background of battle, something to soothe the soul as well as perhaps make this more palatable to anyone observing. (Wood Qi +1)
Let's entertain our apprentice but not scare her away with bone-shattering destruction of these thugs.
Let's entertain our apprentice but not scare her away with bone-shattering destruction of these thugs.
GamingandReading
Browses and Replies With Haste
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Steady yourself, violence is an act of your will upon the universe, these men just so happen to be part of that universe, dismantle them efficiently, do not waste time or effort. (Metal Qi +1)
Edit: Let's show her we teach real martial arts. The sh!t that hurts people.
Edit: Let's show her we teach real martial arts. The sh!t that hurts people.
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- Location
- France
[X] Steady yourself, violence is an act of your will upon the universe, these men just so happen to be part of that universe, dismantle them efficiently, do not waste time or effort. (Metal Qi +1)
[X] Release your anger, but do not let it overwhelm you. There is passion to be had here, lighthearted enjoyment in the background of battle, something to soothe the soul as well as perhaps make this more palatable to anyone observing. (Wood Qi +1)
We're a powerful martial arts master, let's act like one and not go for quick violence, we're not threatened by those of the caliber to warrant such a effort anyways.
We're a powerful martial arts master, let's act like one and not go for quick violence, we're not threatened by those of the caliber to warrant such a effort anyways.
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- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Release your anger, but do not let it overwhelm you. There is passion to be had here, lighthearted enjoyment in the background of battle, something to soothe the soul as well as perhaps make this more palatable to anyone observing. (Wood Qi +1)
1.3
- Location
- Albania
- Pronouns
- He/Him
There is an instant where your mind accelerates. The passion of battle nearly overwhelming you, but you clamp down on it with decades of discipline. The roaring fire transmutes, solidifying as you unconsciously respire it.
However, in the moment, you pay little heed to that fact, focusing instead on the man's arm, so helpfully extended towards you. Taking no time to speak, you instead dart forward, gripping the arm with one of your own limb whilst sending a devastating kick at his lead leg. The result is immediate as your kick lands on his knee with a crack and your grip on his arm allows you to toss him into the ground with brutal force, actually making him bounce off the concrete.
With him perhaps alive, but certainly disabled, you turn to his three other comrades. To their credit, they at least are armed, billy clubs and switchblades forming their arsenal.
Two arrive at the same time, the third trapped slightly behind them, trying to circle around to you. They slash and swing out, something you easily avoid, allowing them to miss by inches whilst your fists do their work. Strikes to the throat and solar plexus drive all breath from them, as they stumble back, you drive towards their comrade with a front kick that he puts his own arms in front of.
An intelligent maneuver, if he had ever trained his forearms to parry. Instead, you break through his guard in a very literal fashion, fracturing both limbs and pushing them hard into his chest. He launches a few feet back before sliding to a halt, struggling to breathe.
One of the two whom you simply stunned regains themselves enough to charge you with a switchblade. You react accordingly by deftly grabbing his wrist and driving the blade into his own shoulder with force.
The last man gets to a knee, but rather than charge you, he reaches behind himself. Your eyes widen as you charge forward, but evidently he has experience with drawing under stress, as his pistol is pointed at you with impressive speed.
Dodge a Bullet
Roll-25 (Goddamn)
Target-125 (Dodge Skill)-100 (It's a Gun!)
As his finger pulls the trigger, your body moves, the spray of flame and force from the barrel ripples over you, but with your sudden twist, the bullet passes by you rather than through you, embedding itself into a wall.
And then you turn your current posture, side turned to him, into a devastating kick that fully extends your body and lands directly on his head, sending it rocking back and forth like a particularly rusted bobble head, consciousness clearly knocked from him.
The girl barely had the time to shriek in this exchange, having backed up against a wall with fear earlier in the brawl. You turn to look at her, face clearly displaying a fear for her life and a fear of what you did.
Curiously, however, she is not afraid of you. You shake away some of the tenseness in your arms, speaking to her, "Perhaps you could begin explaining? Whilst I remove these individuals from the area." The sentence is poignantly supported by you lifting one of the men and bodily hauling them to a corner where someone will eventually see them from the main avenue out front of the apartment.
"I-uhm, I can't talk about it?" She says, questioning the answer as it comes out of her mouth, only requiring a quirked eyebrow to break as obfuscation. "I have a job, it's really important and I thought I did it today, but apparently they thought I didn't, so I had to come back to the dar-uhm, the office." She cuts herself off, amateurish attempts at deception showing the relative lack of experience with people.
Shaking your head as you see her flounder, you put the last person in a discoverable position before turning to her and speaking "So, you work for some nebulous person who obviously has thugs, needs you for work and is willing to send armed men to accomplish your return."
You let that hang for a moment, seeing her squirm as she expects you to dig deeper. "Alright, would you like to continue training?" The look of abject confusion on her face is the most fun you have had all month. It takes her nearly ten seconds to recover, "Just like tha-I mean yeah, 'course!" Gladdened to have a cover freshly provided, she continues the process of conditioning by virtue of you making her wash your pride and joy, a baby blue Volkswagen Beetle, as well as finally, carry the training equipment all the way back up to your apartment.
At the end, she is obviously exhausted, but still driven to try anything you tell her to do, a curious drive, you wonder what caused it.
Finally, the day has begun to fade, perhaps another hour or so of daylight left before only darkness, pierced by the city light remains. The girl whose name you still haven't asked doesn't seem overly keen to leave your apartment, or even walk anywhere particularly far.
Her appearance is one of hopefulness as you haven't yet made a comment on her leaving, somehow, this little gnat has latched onto you as some sort of safety.
What do you do?
[X] Let her stay the evening, it's safer for her as far as you are aware, and your couch is comfortable enough anyway. Hopefully she enjoys rice and chicken.
[X] Send her away, your home isn't a place for the disenfranchised.
Fire 0/10
Metal 1/10
Wood 0/10
Earth 0/10
Water 0/10
————————————————————————
This will be my last post on any of my quests until next weekend, during which I'll see about managing at least one update for each. Until then, good tidings and best of luck!
However, in the moment, you pay little heed to that fact, focusing instead on the man's arm, so helpfully extended towards you. Taking no time to speak, you instead dart forward, gripping the arm with one of your own limb whilst sending a devastating kick at his lead leg. The result is immediate as your kick lands on his knee with a crack and your grip on his arm allows you to toss him into the ground with brutal force, actually making him bounce off the concrete.
With him perhaps alive, but certainly disabled, you turn to his three other comrades. To their credit, they at least are armed, billy clubs and switchblades forming their arsenal.
Two arrive at the same time, the third trapped slightly behind them, trying to circle around to you. They slash and swing out, something you easily avoid, allowing them to miss by inches whilst your fists do their work. Strikes to the throat and solar plexus drive all breath from them, as they stumble back, you drive towards their comrade with a front kick that he puts his own arms in front of.
An intelligent maneuver, if he had ever trained his forearms to parry. Instead, you break through his guard in a very literal fashion, fracturing both limbs and pushing them hard into his chest. He launches a few feet back before sliding to a halt, struggling to breathe.
One of the two whom you simply stunned regains themselves enough to charge you with a switchblade. You react accordingly by deftly grabbing his wrist and driving the blade into his own shoulder with force.
The last man gets to a knee, but rather than charge you, he reaches behind himself. Your eyes widen as you charge forward, but evidently he has experience with drawing under stress, as his pistol is pointed at you with impressive speed.
Dodge a Bullet
Roll-25 (Goddamn)
Target-125 (Dodge Skill)-100 (It's a Gun!)
As his finger pulls the trigger, your body moves, the spray of flame and force from the barrel ripples over you, but with your sudden twist, the bullet passes by you rather than through you, embedding itself into a wall.
And then you turn your current posture, side turned to him, into a devastating kick that fully extends your body and lands directly on his head, sending it rocking back and forth like a particularly rusted bobble head, consciousness clearly knocked from him.
The girl barely had the time to shriek in this exchange, having backed up against a wall with fear earlier in the brawl. You turn to look at her, face clearly displaying a fear for her life and a fear of what you did.
Curiously, however, she is not afraid of you. You shake away some of the tenseness in your arms, speaking to her, "Perhaps you could begin explaining? Whilst I remove these individuals from the area." The sentence is poignantly supported by you lifting one of the men and bodily hauling them to a corner where someone will eventually see them from the main avenue out front of the apartment.
"I-uhm, I can't talk about it?" She says, questioning the answer as it comes out of her mouth, only requiring a quirked eyebrow to break as obfuscation. "I have a job, it's really important and I thought I did it today, but apparently they thought I didn't, so I had to come back to the dar-uhm, the office." She cuts herself off, amateurish attempts at deception showing the relative lack of experience with people.
Shaking your head as you see her flounder, you put the last person in a discoverable position before turning to her and speaking "So, you work for some nebulous person who obviously has thugs, needs you for work and is willing to send armed men to accomplish your return."
You let that hang for a moment, seeing her squirm as she expects you to dig deeper. "Alright, would you like to continue training?" The look of abject confusion on her face is the most fun you have had all month. It takes her nearly ten seconds to recover, "Just like tha-I mean yeah, 'course!" Gladdened to have a cover freshly provided, she continues the process of conditioning by virtue of you making her wash your pride and joy, a baby blue Volkswagen Beetle, as well as finally, carry the training equipment all the way back up to your apartment.
At the end, she is obviously exhausted, but still driven to try anything you tell her to do, a curious drive, you wonder what caused it.
Finally, the day has begun to fade, perhaps another hour or so of daylight left before only darkness, pierced by the city light remains. The girl whose name you still haven't asked doesn't seem overly keen to leave your apartment, or even walk anywhere particularly far.
Her appearance is one of hopefulness as you haven't yet made a comment on her leaving, somehow, this little gnat has latched onto you as some sort of safety.
What do you do?
[X] Let her stay the evening, it's safer for her as far as you are aware, and your couch is comfortable enough anyway. Hopefully she enjoys rice and chicken.
[X] Send her away, your home isn't a place for the disenfranchised.
Fire 0/10
Metal 1/10
Wood 0/10
Earth 0/10
Water 0/10
————————————————————————
This will be my last post on any of my quests until next weekend, during which I'll see about managing at least one update for each. Until then, good tidings and best of luck!
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