Hmmph... this junior is a good seed [Cultivation Management Quest]

[occipitallobe]

Good Seed and Omake Spreadsheet Rules:

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Omake Writer Instructions:

There are four fields you need to fill out.

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All other fields are for QM use to record character information to properly run the flow of the game.

 

[Katana1515]

IIRC pretty much all we know about the Blacksmiths is that they are very good at building fortresses, but suck at open combat?

All considered the Sabre Palace is higher up on my priority list.

 

[RebelYell]

I don't think they originally built those fortresses, they stole em from us and are squatting in them tinkering with our shit.

 

[LordEdric]

Magnus Centenius
​

Magnus Pt. 19 - And Then There was Peace?

---Day Before the Last Day of the Siege---

The assaulting army was once again trying to break through the large, spirit steel reinforced gates. The Blood Cannibals had somehow created a large crystalized blood battering ram and it was putting a very large dent in the doors. The warriors used their Qi to power the monstrous weapon while purple clouds of smoke ended up concealing them rather than killing them. The worst of them only had mild coughs.

Magnus had run out of most materials to make more poisons months ago, not that it had mattered much. The Blood Cannibal Cultivators had begun building up resistances to all the simple poisons he could make with his now limited supplies. All of the stronger ingredients had been reserved for healing pills and Magnus's own supplies had dwindled enormously since the start of the siege.

He added this experience of weakening poisons as power of adaptation in biological creatures to outside stimuli. Using this as another stone in his slowly forming Dao pillar.

His puppet arms fired the last few "normal" poisons into the crowds with little effect. Magnus signed in disappointment for a moment before a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. "Well, I guess it's time to use the last of the fire whiskey. Too bad, I was hoping to drink it later." Magnus grumbled, before taking a glass bottle and throwing it over the edge.

*BOOOM*

The smashed glass container released the whiskey which then self ignited. The poison, after losing its killing potential, was mixed with an black powder that released its energy explosively. The area in front of the gate became a raging storm of death and fire.

Magnus watched this with a small smile on his face and a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes.

Magnus himself had yet to realize how adapted to war he had become.

-----------------------------------------

Super short, but I wanted add a little to Magnus's newfound love of killing things.

@TehChron @Kaboomatic @BungieONI

 

[TehChron]

What do people think of this idea? Not worth doing? Or worth doing? It might make the Jingshen Clan more bold, but it might make them make moves or make them put pressure in an area that the Golden Devils will actually be able to afford it. Maybe we could use it to make some deals with them; deals that the Jingshen Clan think will hurt the Golden Devils a lot, but secretly it actually won't. Or whatever. I'm not great at I-know-you-know-I-know stuff.

Click to shrink...

I'm still going to push for Manuel "Surveying the newly acquired territories". If he finds new Spirit Stone veins or even a Secret Realm we'll be much better off.

The only thing more valuable than misinformation is having more stuff worth hiding.

 

[Anders]

[X] Seven Divine Saber Palace

 

[atrophy]

[X] Seven Divine Saber Palace

 

[Humbaba]

Wei Feng 14 - Caravan Ambush:

Light duties. That was what this was. Simple. Sensible even. No point in risking himself too much and aggravating his injuries when the situation wasn't dire.

Didn't mean it felt good.

His head knew this was necessary work. Seeing the array crafting materials safely to their destination would hasten the completion of the fortifications. The power projection from those fortifications could save thousands of lives by bringing the war to a swifter conclusion.

His heart was not so sanguine. It wanted to be out there, in the thick of things. Fighting the enemy directly and seeing his impact.

It was a weakness. The dissonance proof of an imperfection in his Dao that he needed to smooth out. You couldn't just recklessly throw yourself into every fight an hope to emerge intact.

'You can' whispered a treacherous portion of his spirit. 'Phoenix they call you. You can throw yourself into battle and come out whole.'

It was an appealing lie. One day he might even hope to make it true, but he of all people knew there was more to battle than strength alone. And there were fates far worse than death. He shuddered to think how long he might live if the blood cannibals captured him. An endless source of sustenance was not to be passed up quickly.

He watched the desert pass by, trying to centre himself without losing awareness. Distraction could be costly, and the caravan had already come under assault multiple times. He stretched out his senses again.

Nothing.

Then the ground caved in beneath them.

=====

Xu Lin did not want to be here.

Of course, what she wanted hadn't really mattered for a long time. She hadn't wanted to hear her parents agonised screams as they were eaten. She hadn't wanted to have those same hands grasping her shoulders telling he

"You have potential."

She hadn't really wanted to become a blood cannibal.

But she had wanted to live, and that desire had driven her this far. It had driven her to the very peak of the ninth heavenstage.

It had driven her to survive when one of her fellows had trapped her and slowly eaten her arm while it was still attached.

It had let her survive the desperate technique that fused her lifeforce with that of a heartseeker scorpion. Let her skewer him with the venomous qi it had left her with.

It had taken him days to die, screaming all the while. She had eaten every single bite.

Now though, it had led her here. To a set of caves excavated weeks ago by the Antlion pit feaster's techniques. Waiting.

She didn't want to be here, but the consequences of disobedience would have been fatal, and slow. Just as they might be if the Devils won their war. She was an enemy, and Old Devil was almost as famous as Old Cannibal for ruthlessness.

They could not use any qi for fear of detection, which had left everyone ill tempered. She hated being in close proximity to so many others, certain that someone would try and take the chance.

Not that it would have done them any good even if they'd succeeded. The fusion had left her poison to anyone who was not significantly advanced in the foundation building realm, and to them she'd be barely a drop in a bucket.

It wasn't safety, but it was somewhat closer.

Antlion pit feaster gestured, moving for the first time in days. The enemy was close. It was time.

==

Wagons tumbled down as the ground fell in. Yet even as gravity exerted itself, battle had already begun.

Antlion pit feaster had been kicked away by the enemy leader even as he tried to form his trademark technique. A shame, but better than the enemy leader having free reign to go through her. Or her fellow she supposed. Then there was no more time to think as she was among the enemy.

The soldier before her was broad shouldered, wearing heavier armour than was favoured in her lands. A seventh stage. Her needle licked out, finding the joints in his armour. A strike and it was over. With her poison in his system, he was already dead.

She half-turned seeking the next foe… and was barely fast enough to dodge an unexpected return strike from her former foe, somehow still standing. She stabbed out twice more before he finally fell. She had heard that the bronze devils were unnaturally resistant, but she hadn't believed it could be any true impediment to her venom.

More fool her.

Still, she had to focus. Killing all the caravan's defenders was the ideal outcome of this attack, but not the primary objective. Stopping the caravan's contents from reaching their destination was. To that end she focused, manifesting a scorpions tail construct behind her. It whipped forward. Once. Twice. Flinging corrosive qi at the side of the nearest wagon.

Bright arrays lit up, opposing the power of her technique. It would take a few moments to get through. In the mean time…

Xu Lin looked about the battlefield, locating the nearest group that seemed to be coalescing into organise resistance and gestured to four of her juniors.

"Keep them off balance. Don't let them form a proper battle formation."

Her subordinates rushed to obey, slashing into the devil's lines. She turned her attention back to the wagon. She was almost through.

A set of screams demanded her attention, notable only because of proximity. A short distance away a trio of Blood cannibals were being massacred by a single opponent. Joints snapped beneath powerful fists, sword blows treated as inconsequential scratches. Even as she watched on of the Blood cannibals managed to stab him through the bicep, only to have the sword twisted out of her hands. A second later the Bronze devil had sliced her head off with the shar blade still embedded in his arm, before pulling it free and using it to fend off a slash from another opponent.

Dread filler her, and she reached out her senses… and was relieved. She had feared she faced another foundation building expert. Yet her senses told her that, while his power was overwhelming to hers, it was still not that of a foundation building expert. They still had a chance.

As if the thought had given rise to the truth, the walls of the wagon finally fell to her corrosive techniques. She ran forward, beckoning her teammates to follow. Grab anything that looked valuable, burn the rest. Those were the orders.

First inside, Xu Lin cast her eyes about for the most valuable prize. A few pouches of spirit stones to provide power for arrays. A set of night-drifter air spider formation flags. Valuable but too bulky to carry and still fight. A huge set of jadesteel plates, again, too much to carry.

There, a set of bronze carving tools. Less valuable to mortal eyes, but it shone in her senses power. She grabbed them in one hand, the other going for a pouch of heavy spirit stones. She burst out of the wagon, nearly grazing her fellows as they swarmed through the hole she had left.

Outside the battle was not going as well as hoped. The devils had successfully begun to organise, and their famous battle formations might soon be called forth.

That didn't matter to her, her part was done for now. She fled toward the fallback point, breath heaving, feeling as the others began to follow. Ping Shao, Xue Ting. One, two three, four, five…

Something slammed into side of the caravan, flattening two of the remaining cannibals. It was the warrior from before, who had shrugged off so many wounds. Even as she watched he kicked out, ploughing through his opponent's block and shattering their leg, before crushing their throat as they went down.

Xu Lin sped up. She needed to make it to the fallback point. Hopefully he would be occupied by the rest of the battle. If not, then she needed to make sure she could run faster than the rest of her group.

====

AN: 1400 words. Writer's block is a terrible thing. Still need to come back to finish off Hualin tales but that's been fighting me all month.

 

[Taut_Templar]

[X] Seven Divine Saber Palace

 

[ReaderOfFate]

[X] Seven Divine Saber Palace

 

[no.]

[X] Seven Divine Saber Palace

Would be nice to learn some more about these guys.

 

[Sirrocco]

Oh hey now that I think about it...

Our Core Formation mercenary purchase was 52 years ago, and was for 3 turns (aka 60 years), wasn't it?

Which means that it is going to come to an end now, with this turn. So, hey -- we're about to get 5 Wealth per turn back! ... Of course we're also about to lose a bunch of Core Formation mercs too though, so, eh. ... Of course we're also about to possibly gain some Core Formation Elders with the new Vassals. Though admittedly, these aren't very fight-y Vassals. Still, Core Formation are useful and potent for anything, so.


Anyway. On another topic though, I've had an idea for a possible Manuel Action or Intrigue/Administration/Wealth action to take --

"Conceal the extent to which our newly gained territories have brought us unexpected levels of wealth."

That is... That thing about how people know that the Golden Devils are cursed and have poor lands and don't get much from new conquests or even from new tributes either? Yeah, keep that going for a while longer.

(... Argh. Of course, it's possible that some of our actions or priorities are also going to have to go towards: "Make sure the new incoming Vassals don't have any Jingshen spies in them (or Righteous Sect spies that would be willing to also share their data with the Jingshen too; we're less concerned about the far westerners spying on us, thought not totally unconcerned; except for the Seven Divine Saber Palace of course; make sure they haven't snuck any spies in I guess)." I mean, yeah, obviously -- these vassal clans are from the Strength Purity Sect, not the Jingshen. I mean, still need to make sure that the Jingshen Clan or Seven Divine Saber Palace haven't sneakily added in any spies in the middle of those Sects or Clans. And Xinya is blinded to the War in the Plains and the Jingshen Clan.)

Basically, pretend to be poorer than we actually are, to have benefitted less from the new territories proportionally; to keep it looking like the Curse of Impoverishment is still a thing.

Pretend to be weak where you are strong and all that.

What do people think of this idea? Not worth doing? Or worth doing? It might make the Jingshen Clan more bold, but it might make them make moves or make them put pressure in an area that the Golden Devils will actually be able to afford it. Maybe we could use it to make some deals with them; deals that the Jingshen Clan think will hurt the Golden Devils a lot, but secretly it actually won't. Or whatever. I'm not great at I-know-you-know-I-know stuff.

Click to shrink...

I don't think that the Jingshen are enough of a priority in the short term that it's worth spending Nascent actions or limiting the benefit of overall gains on trying to confuse them. They're a long-term foe, sure, but we have much more immediate concerns. We have the trials coming, we have a bunch of new area (and some new vassals) that are going to take some effort to get up and running properly, and we have other enemies who can and will attack us more directly. Heck - at this point contributing further to the war against the other demonic powers, so as to gain further respect from the Righteous sects is probably a higher priority than trying to pull one over on the Jingshen.

 

[TehChron]

Nah, assuming Old Cannibal moves to hijack the Devil Bees were really best off trying to squeeze more wealth from the new territories and moving to try and exploit the Devil Bee civil war for as much as we can while the opportunity and civil war still exist

 

[Garlak]

Nah, assuming Old Cannibal moves to hijack the Devil Bees were really best off trying to squeeze more wealth from the new territories and moving to try and exploit the Devil Bee civil war for as much as we can while the opportunity and civil war still exist

Click to shrink...

We know Old Cannibal is banned from returning to the desert for 200 years, but there's no enforced-truth between him and us, so...

Is it a good idea to immediately start meddling in the Devil Bees civil war in order to counter Old Cannibal's efforts to take over that place?

I mean -- doing stuff like setting the two Early Nascent Souls against Old Cannibal, 2v1, so he can't take over as easily? Or at least, like, forcing Old Cannibal to expend more resources and secrets and trump cards in order to succeed in taking over; thus prying away more secrets and aces and backup strategies and wealth from him.

(Though, ugh. Blood Path. So annoying. Just having the body of a Nascent Soul means that even a Foundation Building cultivator can jump up to Nascent Soul! That's what happened with the Devil Bees in fact. I forget what Great Realm or Stage the Nascent Soul corpse was at, but it was a mere Foundation Building cultivator that got it, and jumped to Early Nascent Soul. Bah.)

 

[Nordlending]

Demetrius Ceres
One man's war is another man's sidequest.​

The Xin Sorcery was fascinating. I had spent two decades in the kingdom, and as the population had grown on me, so had their abilities. They could conjure water out of nothing. It was an achievement, and they did so without arrays powered by spirit stones. Something like that could change everything. It could make the desert more livable. It could drown all those hideous things hiding in the sand.

As all things do, the water sorcery had some other aspect previously unknown to me. It didn't stop at mere creation. Once, I had met a water sorcerer that could make a mortal move by controlling the water in their body. After securing the sorcerer in a bag and making sure the mortal was in good health, I had moved us to a more secure location and asked her about it.

I can't say I like hearing them refer to mortals as inferior beings. I was mortal once after all. Mortals have worth. I borrowed some of her tomes and let her go after receiving a quick course in water sorcery.

Their tomes are fascinating. Compared to a spell manual, a spell tome could easily be three times as large. It also went more into the structure of the spell. When I had the opportunity, I visited their tower and borrowed some more books. I even received tutoring from a blind hag in the slums who knew her stuff.

At this time, studying sorcery was the best way for me to cultivate. After carving arrays directly into spirit stones to see what would happen, I had started running out of spirit stones, and the legions were very hesitant to give me more for some strange reason. On an unrelated note. Feeding array carved spirit stones to a beast had the delightful tendency to make their chest blow open.

As someone who had spent a lot of effort learning Qi projection, learning how to do the same to water was not as difficult as expected. A trend pointed to conjuring monsters out of the water, which sounded pointless. Why create a water version of a beast when I could summon a water version of something much better. A water version of myself.

Then the war started, and everything turned to shit.

Small raiding parties had managed to bypass the defensive lines set up by the clan. As a pastime in recent weeks, I had been renovating a town. There was this house I had rebuilt from start to finish by using timber, stone, and spirit-beast-bones. It was like an art piece taken out of a gallery, fit for those funny mortal "Kings," and those foul four-armed cannibals covered in fur had destroyed it by dodging my ax. Another cannibal had wrecked my wall by hiding behind it. The third one had created a crater on my road due to his poorly executed landing.

In the end, they destroyed my whole town with their cowardice, and I had to chase the flesh nibblers down. The citizens would not be happy to see this when they returned from their imposed evacuations. All my work ruined. Well, the cannibals would soon die. There would be no escape. Unfortunately for them, I had already cleared the infestation of spirit beasts in the region. They would find nothing that would show them mercy.

___

As protocol dictates, I returned to my legion after encountering the cannibals. My return to HQ was not as uneventful as I had hoped. I was tackled by a big fat red bird with a beak as soon as I stepped through the gate. The legions mascot, a being of hate and spite, who wanted me to suffer, had now placed itself on top of me and would not move. The fat bird was as big as a house, and its head was as big as a bookshelf.

The bird was the former Legates pet. That old bat had fallen in combat during the last 100-year trial. Together with the Grand Elder and many other legates, she had fought the invading Nascent-Soul named Bridge. It hadn't ended well for anyone from I could gather. Information on the topic was hard to come by.

As I could not move, I had to stay put until the new Legate decided to bless us with his presence and ask the bird to leave me alone. One day I hoped he would show up and kick that bird. Hard.

The Legate Marcus Apollo was a fossil. He had only broken through after making a deal with Elder Destasia. Apollo had been in the Great Circle of foundation building for a long time. He hadn't told us much about the experience. The only thing that came to mind was something I had heard him say once. If he had the option of meeting Destasia again or fighting the Old Cannibal, he would choose the Old Cannibal every time.

My next mission was to head into the desert to track down and kill raiding groups that had managed to sneak past the defensive line.

The Legate had no interest in sending me to the front. There was something about constantly being under attack by multiple foes that would distract my fellow legionaries on the field, and he wasn't interested in wasting time on that. It was a fair assessment. They couldn't focus on destroying the dangerous wildlife if they also had to worry about cannibals.

____

Tracking down a group of Cannibals is not a difficult task. Unless you are dealing with something specific, following the smoke and screaming is usually a good idea. Assaulting their camps during the night is always fun. When you are trained in dealing with Clan-level defenses, facing cannibal defenses is an easy task. It is the equivalent of infiltrating a cottage without a door.

I wish the cannibals could stop getting eaten by the local fauna. While I am all for them slaughtering each other, having the cannibals lose is a problem. The beasts feast on their corrupted bodies and grow additional appendixes. Having a spirit-bear with two heads jump out of the sand and attempt to eat you is an experience.

Recently I have heard rumors of something called Dervishes. They are supposedly Half-human, half-dog cannibals with regenerative powers. After receiving my orders, I headed west to investigate the rumors.

It was there I encountered something I had seen before.

The familiar sight of Xiao Yi's donkey kicking me in the face.

___
This is the second Omake of this turn. Would be nice If he manages to reach the 12th stage this turn.

 

[occipitallobe]

Oh yeah, I've only put a short omake for the turn and was planning to bang out a few more this weekend so was hoping that Antonius could be pushed to the end?

I'll probably post a short thing for Xiao Yingzi just to get her turn bonus later today but otherwise I'm probably not going to be posting much for her this turn.

Click to shrink...

Done. Replace the 'push to end' text in his spreadsheet with his link when the omake's done.

 

[no.]

I honestly think this coming turn would be the absolute perfect time for Manuel to do a teaching action. After all, the new recruits on turn 8 will be the ones in the most danger during the trials on turn 10; best to give them an edge to cut down on losses.

 

[TehChron]

We know Old Cannibal is banned from returning to the desert for 200 years, but there's no enforced-truth between him and us, so...

Is it a good idea to immediately start meddling in the Devil Bees civil war in order to counter Old Cannibal's efforts to take over that place?

I mean -- doing stuff like setting the two Early Nascent Souls against Old Cannibal, 2v1, so he can't take over as easily? Or at least, like, forcing Old Cannibal to expend more resources and secrets and trump cards in order to succeed in taking over; thus prying away more secrets and aces and backup strategies and wealth from him.

Click to shrink...

It is, yes.

I'd still favor going for Surveying for Manuels action next turn myself, but dicking around at that point is honestly a genuinely good idea if the opportunity presents itself.

I honestly think this coming turn would be the absolute perfect time for Manuel to do a teaching action. After all, the new recruits on turn 8 will be the ones in the most danger during the trials on turn 9; best to give them an edge to cut down on losses.

Click to shrink...

Wouldnt it be better to do it during Turn 9 - that way it can be paired with training - instead?

 

[TheCount]

Good Seed Background
David Pupillus​

Someone with a really bad case of memory loss, and worst of all, he knows it!
The only things he knows are his name, that he almost died, he has a memory loss and that his only clue lies in the western parts of the Meat Organ Deserts of the Virtuous Flipper Region in the Third Sea's Turtle Child Continent, ruled by the feared Golden Devil Clan... but why does that name brings a smile to his face?

Current apperance: black hair, blue eyes, bronze tan.

Cool thing: a mix between reincarnation and clones like the shadow clones from Naruto.

Unfinished Body theft from the brink of death reincarnation technique (note to self: if submitted to the archive, give it a more *sigh* dignified name to "reflect the status and dignity of blah, blah, blah" will do it IF i submit it, and Markus, if i find out you raided my stuff again i will put you int- *notes degrade into hardly readable curses, threats and mentions of Markus' family tree and spirit animals*)

Spoiler: cool stuff

BTftBoDRT: when the user die, his soul seeks the closest and freshest mortal body without a soul attached, using some of the stored qi to repair it if needed and attach the soul to it, safety measures ensure that the personality, core memories and knowledge of the last known location of the Golden Devils last know location is imprinted into the new body and it's brough to to 1st Heaven Stage. Higher Realm knowledge that would harm the body is sealed until adequate cultivation is reached and GDC related important memories need the Blood of Bronze to be injected into the new body to unseal.

Restrictions on the clones:
Clones can't participate in formations.
Clones can't use arts/techniques
Cultivation (physhical, qi, spiritual) is divided with clones - if a clone gets popped, the qi in it scatters, this does not weakens the original cultivation out of combat, just represents qi expenditure.
Clones are popped by a glancing blow or a block.
Clones can't copy items worn on person, aside from mundane cloths without effects.
Clones are animalistic.
Clones are obvious clones, at the lowest level, just human shaped lumps of earth, sand and other surronding materials but become more detailed and made with qi as the cultivation base goes up.
Clones are NOT controlled!!!!

Spoiler: Omake collection:

Turn 8th, Awakening, 1st Havenstage of Qi Condensation, asked for LST
physical age between 16 and 20. 1st stage of qi condensation.
Turn 9th, Onward, to Civilization! here, he is still 1st havenstage, asked for LST
Turn 9th supplement, You are here
Turn 9th supplement, Start of a Journey
Turn 9th supplement, Fetch Quest
turn 10th omake, The cave in the mist
turn 11th omake, The Owl Game
Turn 12th omake Delivered
Turn 14th omake Musings in the cave
Turn 15th omake Confusion

Edit: @TehChron @Alectai would one of you be kind enough and tag it?

Cultivation goal: at least 12th stage of Qi Condensation.
Current age as of turn 12th: 98
Impact: 0 (+0)
Cultivation: 9th Heavenstage
Cultivation Year-Equivalent: 96
Health: Healthy --> Wounded
Inventory:
Life Saving Treasures: 1 green blue glowing tree branch (/walking stick, LST upgrade in Cursed Mushroom Cave (omake pending as of start of turn 10))
Tribulation boosters: 0
Impact: 3. (+3 pill dispenser)

 

[no.]

It is, yes.

I'd still favor going for Surveying for Manuels action next turn myself, but dicking around at that point is honestly a genuinely good idea if the opportunity presents itself.



Wouldnt it be better to do it during Turn 9 - that way it can be paired with training - instead?

Click to shrink...

It's been explained that during the trials, the absolute weakest QC disciples are sheltered, as are the strongest. It's the middling ones who take the most losses. So the ones who are recruited on turn 8 will be in the most danger, since 40 years is long enough for an average cultivator to reach around 5th-7th Heavenstage.

 

[TehChron]

It's been explained that during the trials, the absolute weakest QC disciples are sheltered, as are the strongest. It's the middling ones who take the most losses. So the ones who are recruited on turn 8 will be in the most danger, since 40 years is long enough for an average cultivator to reach around 5th-7th Heavenstage.

Click to shrink...

Okay?

But what does that have to do with what I said?

 

[Tarro]

Syntyche Theophylaktos

Dissection

The basis of any array was the shape that formed its foundations. These varied in myriad ways, from the stable triangle to the flexible square, to shapes that were too profound to be confined to a single plane. The array Syntyche scraped away at, of course, was nothing so complex. It was merely a purification array, filtering out any foul gases they might be hiding within the cannibal's body. She didn't want to get indigestion, after all. Following that, focusing arrays took shape, bending the might to magnify the immortal flesh until the pores were visible with the naked eye.

Two of the first arrays any golden devil ever learned, always with some new use to find. There was probably something profound one could say about that. Some grand note about how the strongest towers are built from steady foundations, or how there is elegance in simplicity or power in versatility or a dozen other platitudes that could form the foundation of new ways.

But now, they were being put to use in one of their most classical forms, vivisection. Cannibals were second to Golden Devils in finding ways to modify themselves beyond that of other cultivators, and so there was never a shortage of bodies that needed to be cut open and analyzed to dissect all of their secrets. While some might find it surprising that Syntyche could be considered an expert physician, it wasn't so exotic after a glance. Imitation techniques improved in potency when one had more information on their targets. It was part of why one of the most effective forms of imitation was body-snatching. There were few ways more capable of getting intimate knowledge of your original than to become them, after all.

"You finished up over there?" Minervina asked.

"Yep yep," Syntyche chirped. "All ready for Big Sis."

Minervina Bards took a long slow blink, the kind one took when they were too drunk to even comprehend what confusion was. She looked over, and then down, at Syntyche's four foot nothing height.

"The fuck?" She elegantly opined.

"Hm?" Syntyche looked up, away from the torso she'd cut halfway through. The cannibal gurgled, splashing some blood.onto her blond hair. "Ah shoot, that's gonna take forever to wash out."

Foundation Building was a wondrous realm of superlative coordination abilities, so she didn't stumble, or drop the misty concoction she was brewing, but nonetheless Syntyche's temporary superior was the very picture of mildly disturbed.

"Why are you… like that?"

Syntyche tilted her head to the side, doe eyed. "Like what?" She cut out a venom sac without looking, tossing it over to the raven-haired scientist. Minervina caught it with similar disregard, splattering a potion upon the orifice left behind with her other hand. Flesh melted and seared over where the liquid landed, stemming the flow of putrid black-green blood.

"Like you're acting."

Syntyche cut out another fleshy organ she presumed to be part of the cannibal's malformed meridians, and setting it away on the table. Another splash of potion fell on the still-living body a moment later, right as she'd withdrawn her hand. She cut absentmindedly, half of her mind studying the abnormal Qi flows that let the dervish fly across the sands, the other half on the question. Perhaps a dozen year ago she'd have been stumped, but her mind now made her memories feel like molasses.

"It fits."

If cultivation was the process of becoming more of oneself, then imitation was not flattery, but self-destructive. Of course, the Theophylaktos had entire libraries dedicated to their philosophy, but experience was always the best teacher. And when it came down to it, fitting the scene was what mattered most. Standing out when it was valuable to stand out, blend in when it was important to blend in. The most effective spies weren't invisible, because that was conspicuous in its own way, beyond the numerous formations and defenses everyone prepared to defeat such. They were boring, not outstanding in any form, and thus bored everyone to death, perhaps literally.

"What?" Minervina didn't look up, still analyzing the sac of venom that she was holding, but it was clear she was listening.

"You like kids, right? Play into it."

Minervina coughed, offended by the mere presumption. "What about me makes you think that?"

Syntyche hopped up, wiping off the last few bloody bits on her knife as she sidled up to her superior. "That exactly. You say you don't care, but you always act like a softie. So responsible and everything. Doesn't this me fit, then?"

She picked up one of the organs she'd cut out, an oblong thing that had only the slightest of Qi fluctuations in it, and poked the Barda in the side with it. "What's this? Can I eat it?"

Minervina paused, then gaped at the flesh barely larger than a finger. She snatched it out of Syntyche's hand, and in the blink of an eye ashed it in her palm. "Don't play with things you have no idea of. That organ's part of a sacrificial technique, the Ten Agony's Bomb. Who knows when it might've exploded."

Syntyche nodded rapidly. "Even if his boss's dead already? Not like a cannibal is ever gonna sacrifice himself for the good of his friends."

"Even if," Minervina scolded. "Cannibal techniques are noticeably unstable, and sacrificial techniques even more so."

"Okay, okay. What about this one? His heart's not where it should've been, and his dantian isn't there either."

"Do you think I'm all-knowing or something?" Minervina snarked, but picked up the still-beating organ anyways. She drew a couple of formations on the surface with her fingers, then shrugged and tossed it aside. "It's a Qi deviation, probably. Guy didn't have much talent, so he tossed himself into some mad scientist's arms and hoped for the best. Wasn't going to work out in the long run; his meridians were shot to hell and back already."

"Uh huh, and this one?"

"Stop throwing things at me!"

---

1025 Words

I read @Katana1515 's Witch of Whitefish Lake, and had to write something in a similar vein. This isn't a collab, I just borrowed Minervina.

 

[Random12345]

[X] Seven Divine Saber Palace

 

[TehChron]

[X] Seven Divine Saber Palace

 

[no.]

Okay?

But what does that have to do with what I said?

Click to shrink...

What you said is that you think Manuel should do a teaching action on turn 9. I disagree, because the recruits who will need it the most will be the ones on turn 8. Therefore, we should have Manuel do teaching on this upcoming turn.

 

[TehChron]

What you said is that you think Manuel should do a teaching action on turn 9. I disagree, because the recruits who will need it the most will be the ones on turn 8. Therefore, we should have Manuel do teaching on this upcoming turn.

Click to shrink...

...You say that like it's a binary, but why?