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

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New Good Seed and Omake Rule Updates
  • Threadmarks
    • Good Seed and Omake Spreadsheet Rules:

    Firstly, if you have questions about Good Seeds and the like please read here. If that doesn't answer your question please ping me in thread, or on Discord.

    If you write a new Good Seed, or write an omake, please update the spreadsheet if you have access.

    If you do not have access, please ping a collaborator (Swordomatic, Alectai, Quest, TehChron, Insane-Not-Crazy, Humbaba, ReaderOfFate, Kaboomatic, no., BungieONI) letting them know what you want and they will update the spreadsheet here. To gain access, you will need a gmail account of some kind. Throwaway emails are fine (I'm using one for the spreadsheet), but to gain access it's as simple as sending me either your email via PM, via DM in Discord, or just in Discord's #spreadsheet-requests channel.

    This is mandatory. If a Good Seed does not record their omake by pinging collabs (or just requesting access and editing things themselves - this is the preferred option), I won't give out awards. If a new Good Seed is not recorded here, they won't advance. By doing this it makes the whole thing manageable for me - it's gotten pretty unwieldy!

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

    Omake Writer Instructions:

    There are four fields you need to fill out.

    Omake Link, which is just a link to your first omake for the turn. This makes it easier for me to read them as I do the update - without this it's tough to know off the bat which omake were written this turn, and to properly

    Requested Bonus, which is your requested bonus for your omake. You can leave it up to me if you like. You can see more info in the Good Seed infopost here.

    Cultivation Aims. For those following unorthodox paths - higher than 9th Heavenstage or later than 7th Dao Pillar paths. Please put in what you are aiming for before you break through. I have left it as 'default'. If you do not edit it, I'll go with that.

    Turn Notes - Do you want to do something specific? Enter a Secret Realm? Help the Clan out in some way? If you have something specific you want to accomplish on this turn, put it in turn notes so I can adjust your Fate around it.

    All other fields are for QM use to record character information to properly run the flow of the game.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • LordEdric said:
    @Katana1515 congrats your now my Dinkleburg, also I left a lot of conversation out, I'm bad at it, you can write it in
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    I can't decide if I'm just officially old now, since I had to google what you meant, or if it's just plain weird that a cartoon I vaguely remember watching as a kid is apparently a meme now?

    It's both, isn't it?

    Love the Omake! I particularly like the base-building aspects, it highlights the different instinctive approaches of the two characters pretty well. While Minervina has literally bought herself an ivory (okay, Bronze) tower of solitude, Magnus has kind of built this entire support structure and community around himself. She could stand to learn a lesson from him on that.

    I will try and have Minervina's side of the story up in a few days. I would start writing right away, but I am totally supposed to be running my M:Aw game right now. Fortunately, all my players are currently at the stage where they reconvene after chasing individual plot threads for a while and are all busy desperately trying to make sense of it all.
     
    thefoolswriter said:
    i would like it if people linked their good seed characters together for easy navigation of one characters story
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    You should be able to just click the right-hand arrow on the threadmark for each character. They are arranged by character, so clicking that should take you to the next omake by that author (except where an author has multiple good seeds).
     
    Katana1515 said:
    I can't decide if I'm just officially old now, since I had to google what you meant, or if it's just plain weird that a cartoon I vaguely remember watching as a kid is apparently a meme now?

    It's both, isn't it?

    Love the Omake! I particularly like the base-building aspects, it highlights the different instinctive approaches of the two characters pretty well. While Minervina has literally bought herself an ivory (okay, Bronze) tower of solitude, Magnus has kind of built this entire support structure and community around himself. She could stand to learn a lesson from him on that.

    I will try and have Minervina's side of the story up in a few days. I would start writing right away, but I am totally supposed to be running my M:Aw game right now. Fortunately, all my players are currently at the stage where they reconvene after chasing individual plot threads for a while and are all busy desperately trying to make sense of it all.
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    First of all Fairy Oddparents only finally ended a few years ago and this meme has been going almost since the beginning
    Second I don't know what M:Aw stands for
    Lastly, our characters battle styles reflect their personalities. Minervina like to solo bosses above her level, while Magnus likes to wipe out huge hordes of mobs. Living conditions follow, Minervina work alone and will probably make a fortune from one big thing, Magnus will make a fortune getting a little from a lot of people
     
    LordEdric said:
    First of all Fairy Oddparents only finally ended a few years ago and this meme has been going almost since the beginning
    Second I don't know what M:Aw stands for
    Lastly, our characters battle styles reflect their personalities. Minervina like to solo bosses above her level, while Magnus likes to wipe out huge hordes of mobs. Living conditions follow, Minervina work alone and will probably make a fortune from one big thing, Magnus will make a fortune getting a little from a lot of people
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    presumably M:Aw refers to the tabletop game Mage the Awakening. I find the idea that some of our good seeds have a friendly rivalry going on to be quite amusing.
     
    LordEdric said:
    First of all Fairy Oddparents only finally ended a few years ago and this meme has been going almost since the beginning
    Second I don't know what M:Aw stands for
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    Click to shrink...

    Really? Damn, must have been going for a while then.

    Yeah it's Mage: The Awakening. I have been running/playing that game so much in recent years that I tend to forget it's pretty niche.
     
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    Abel Angelus 4 - Economics
  • Sidestory
    • Economics
    Reading histories the level of stasis in this world is really unnerving. Back home if a country went a year without any economic growth everyone panics. But here it is just generally accepted that the only way to grow your economy is to take over someone else's.

    The Golden Devils clan are fairly poor. Part of that is we have the curse of poverty from the heavens. Not sure how literal to take that or if that is just a metaphor for being stuck in the desert. Just about all the wealth of the clan can be traced back to our spirit stone mines. Also the fact that our clan is well skilled in the use of arrays. I guess arrays are an example of economic growth. They make the value of our spirit stones increase. Still there are big limits to that. We are at peck spirit stone. Every stone mined is used and we always wish that we had more. Really an array generally uses as much qi to make its effect as it would take a cultivator to do the same thing the only advantage being that after the array is made the cultivator doesn't have to hang around to keep the effect going.

    It all comes back to qi. Whenever there is any effect that anyone wants to do the first and only impulse is "how can we do this with qi" and if it takes more qi. The next question is "how can we get more qi". Our economic output is directly linked to the spirit stones mines and after thousands of years of refinements I am unlikely to make any improvements.

    I look down at my hand cannon. It is a qi artifact. The gunpowder is ignited by qi. But the main power doesn't actually come from the qi, that's just an enabler. I think about it. I have never seen any waterwheels. Yes we live in a desert, but we still build our cities on rivers when we can and yet I have never seen a water wheel. Everything is muscle powered, qi power or qi muscle powered. I shelve the idea of making water wheels. Right now our entire economy is focusing on taking over the Mountains that used to belong to the Cannibals. There just isn't enough spare capital to try that sort of build up. Besides we don't have that many rivers anyway.

    What source of power do we have in abundance? I look up at the blazing sun above me and the endless expanse of sand around me.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------
    I expected more push back when I asked for a break from marshal training. I thought I would really have to argue my case. But as soon as I said "I have been struck by inspiration and will not be able to focus until I see it to its end" everyone just nodded and smiled. They didn't even ask me for an explanation!

    I worked in fever. Even if the sun was doing all the heavy lifting making an array to gather large amounts of sunlight to one spot drained my tiny reserves. But as I looked down my mold of melting sand I couldn't help but laugh with glee.

    My idea was simple. There are two things that the Golden Desert will never run out of; Sun and sand. What is glass made out of? Sand. What is required to make sand into glass? Heat such as from the sun.

    I formed a glass lens. Not that big, it was my first attempt and I wanted to start small. Just the size of a normal magnifying glass. This is a proof of concept. I add the magnifying glass to the array and immediately feel the qi drain lessen.
    -------------------------
    After five more interactions I have it. A giant lens hangs in a scaffolding. Using it's focused beam I can melt sand into glass. Most importantly it doesn't require any qi. A mortal could work it. Just supply the right sort of sand. It only works for a small amount of the day. I am sure that there are ways around that, but now that it doesn't need qi anymore I can just hand it off to some clever mortals to figure out the details. I have made a von neumann glass making machine!
    -----------------------------------------------------
    My family did not seem that impressed by my accomplishment. Who cares about mundane glass? They were more interested in the refinement I have made to my handcannon. Now so long as I use it during the day I can ignite the gunpowder with no measurable qi use.

    @TehChron Another Omake for the throne.
     
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  • Sidestory
    • Abel Angelus 5 - Apoikía Bucephalus
  • Sidestory
    • Apoikía Bucephalus
    There were many reasons to go to Apoikía Bucephalus. The glory of the clan, helping the mortals that have been suppressed by the blood path for generations, or even just wanting to kill the last few cannibals still hanging around. None of these was the reason I came. The reason I came was that Apoikía Bucephalus has a river worth a dam. Very literally. The Yomon river is huge and needs to be put under control to make sure that it doesn't damage the city some wet year.

    I got myself assigned to the project as quickly as possible. I want to test out my ideas about harnessing water power to replace many things that are traditionally done with qi. I can just imagine it. Mills, blacksmiths with drop hammers, maybe even indoor plumbing?

    I hit a snag almost as soon as I arrived. I have gotten used to mortal labor being relatively cheap and abundant. Back in the Golden Desert I could hire a gang of mortals just by letting people know I am a Golden Devil and waving around some cash.

    Here however there just aren't any mortals or really anyone at loose ends. Everyone that came to Apoikía Bucephalus came for a job or contract.

    "No Abel you can not bring in any of the native population. The whole point of Apoikía is to keep them separate from the native population." My legion commander was not sympathetic to my plight.

    "But there aren't any spare workers in the Apoikía!"

    "Well you should have thought of that before you came."
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    And so I am forced to do my own wet work. Why do Fluid dynamics have to be so complicated? I swear for every line I make of the array I have to make pages and pages of notes. At least there is more ambient qi in the area then the desert.

    "And so what's this?" My fellow leagonair points at my udderly slapdash water wheel.

    "It's a water wheel" I don't really believe it myself. The thing is it is almost half formations by weight.
    "So it's a wheel that turns into water?"

    "No, it's supposed to harness the motion of the river and turn it into mechanical energy." I sigh "But all I have managed so far is to have it harness the water qi to make itself wet."

    I really miss being able to just hire a bunch of mortals.

    @TehChron Another Omake for the throne sorry about the double post.
     
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  • Sidestory
    • Maria, Gaius Antonius Collaboration - A Private Correspondence (Part One)
  • Sidestory
    • A Private Correspondence (Part One)
    Maria/Gaius Collab Turn 9 (for Maria) / 10 (for Gaius)​

    A letter is delivered to Gaius the next time he's in the Dawn Fortress. It's battered and travel-stained, but the paper is high-quality, and the hand-writing is immaculate.

    For the attention of Legionnaire Gaius Antonius.

    Senior,

    I must apologise for this impetuous letter. Under normal circumstances, I would never dream of such indecorous behaviour, and would instead have arranged a proper introduction. However, the situation calls for speed. I will thus dedicate myself to brevity, to a nigh-upsetting degree. Compose yourself accordingly, and again, you have my deepest apologies.

    I am the friend and companion of Maria, a legionnaire of the 263rd Legion. You may know them better as the most honourable and august Second Scorpions, warriors and heroes dedicated to Elder Julia Foslia, who struck down the Vulture King and made the Demon's Heart Omelette (that most sacred of breakfast foods) before the unjust murder of the great Alexios (may we forever mourn his passing). Maria, too, you may know as the heroine of the

    (here, the handwriting seems to grow more hesitant. A slight change in ink colour suggests the writer continued later, possibly after composing themselves)

    popular

    (Another ink change)

    play, "The Four Romances and Three Battles of Lady Maria". It is a very, very loose dramatisation of real events. I must inform you that at no point did she do battle with the Scarlet Hearted Child In Whom Hides The Dreaming Tanuki, nor did she defeat him by the power of friendship. It is important you know this. Too many have approached her to enquire about it. I will not be party to another such event. There is blood enough upon my hands already.

    In any case, my companion has recently begun her endeavours to lay down the four Olympian keystones, that she might build a single pillar upon them. Many have claimed such an ambition, of course. All must remember the loud and boastful claims of Marcus Tanatherius, who continued his foolishness until he was in the presence of the hero Rina Callista and literally burst into flames.

    His mother was most upset. It scorched her carpet quite badly.

    Maria, however, might actually achieve this goal. Her will to succeed is great, her talent at cultivation is incredible, and in all honesty her heart is pure and true. Admittedly she occasionally lapses into a mad frenzy of wrathful, joyous bloodlust, but then, we all have our foibles. I have been known to bite at my fingernails. Who among us may judge the morality of another?

    This ambition is the reason I so rudely sent you this letter unannounced. Besides the great hero Rina Callista, whom I would not dream of approaching without four introductions, a hand-written invitation, and small basket of peaches to offer as a humble gesture of salutations, you are well-known for sharing this goal. Further, your wisdom and achievement is spoken of far and wide, as too is your work ethic. Indeed, I have heard more of your endeavours than I have any other seed. Ever. It's amazing, you seem to do more than anyone else in a twenty year period, how on earth-

    I digress.

    It is reprehensible for me to do this, but I must beg of you a boon. As a known expert on the subject, if you were to take a moment from your no-doubt insanely busy schedule to begin a correspondence with Maria on this most worthy of subjects, I have no doubt that it would offer her such wisdom as to greatly assist her in her quest. In return, my resources as a scion of the Economos family would surely allow me to offer you some gift or sign of my most ardent thanks.

    I must again apologise for the willful brevity of this letter. Forgive my rudeness. Should the possibility ever present itself, I will address you more fully next time.

    I remain, by the will of the holy Imperator, in life, death and defiance of heaven,

    Your clanswoman and sister-in-the-blood,

    Letha Economos

    ---
    Pinging @Alectai , @Kaboomatic and @TehChron for a threadmark and @no. for the first installment of our little experiment.
     
  • Sidestory
    • BadAtScreenNames said:
    Maria, however, might actually achieve this goal. Her will to succeed is great, her talent at cultivation is incredible, and in all honesty her heart is pure and true. Admittedly she occasionally lapses into a mad frenzy of wrathful, joyous bloodlust, but then, we all have our foibles. I have been known to bite at my fingernails. Who among us may judge the morality of another?
    Click to expand...
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    I started cackling like a maniac during my bus journey. This is entirely your fault!

    Also, is Letha trying to play Matchmaker?
     
    Maria 21 - Mortals
  • Sidestory
    • Mortals
    Maria Turn 9 Ninth Omake​

    The view, Lu Xu thought, as he gazed out his window at the high spires and palaces of the Empirikos skyline, was always particularly good at this hour.

    Since his wife had passed, he'd taken to avoiding sleep. Their bed felt empty without her warmth in it, and even now, seven years later, he'd find himself gripped with a melancholy almost-grief. Besides, at his age he didn't need more than a few hours anyway. Instead, he came out here. The balcony was sheltered from too much of the desert heat, but still warm and bright enough to be a thoroughly comfortable place to sit. Immediately post dawn was his favourite. The servants, now very used to his habits, would bring him a cup of strong sweet tea, and he'd sit, thinking of nothing in particular, and watch the sky pale and shift until the sun scorched the city gold.

    Today was proving a particularly good one. There'd been rain the day before, an occurrence so rare there'd been actual dancing in the streets. It had left a lovely mist in the air that was only now just beginning to burn away in the sunlight. The effect was wonderful – like watching the whole city come out from behind a veil, shyly revealing itself inch by inch.

    And the tea had mint in it too. Mint! For him!

    He wasn't used to being rich, even now, twenty years into it. It took him a while to remember that it was his mansion when he woke up. When Jun had been alive, she'd had to pester him into buying the place. It was only when another few daughters came along, three in quick succession, that he'd finally given in. The last of the girls, and their sun, Sho, would be flying the nest soon. Maybe he'd sell it. Go find somewhere more sensible. They said the clan would sell mortals residences in the tall wheat fields sometimes. That might be good.

    He would miss the sunrises, though.

    The door quietly slipped open behind him. He blinked, turned. Mei smiled at him. She looked well – the first heavenstage had washed the weakness out of her, and frozen her at 21. He'd been shocked that she managed it so quickly. Surely transcending human weakness should take longer? But her tutors had assured him that it was to be expected. She was gifted, certainly, but the resources they'd spent on it had more to do with it. She wasn't even unusual amongst the movers and shakers of Empirikos. The early heavenstages offered a host of benefits even if you didn't plan to push much beyond it. Even a few of the servants went for it.

    Which, he realised, would be what today's conversation would be about. Again. He sipped the tea to keep himself from sighing. Mei pulled a chair over and sat down next to him, folding her hands into her robes to keep her hands warm.

    "Still not sleeping?"

    "No," he said. "But then, I'm an old man. Insomnia is the traditional companion of the ancient. What's your excuse?" Her smile flickered a little. It must have come out sharper than he'd meant. Lu Xu sighed. "Sorry. That was unfair."

    "'s alright." Mei's tone was indulgent. She poured herself a cup of the tea, though, which from her was a silent reprimand. Well, he might deserve it. "I know you prefer having your mornings to yourself."

    "Not all of the morning," he protested mildly. "Just until I've had my tea. And a chance to enjoy the dawn."

    "And had your breakfast. And bathed. And dressed. And had a walk-"

    "I am very approachable on my walk!"

    "Outwardly, yes. Inwardly, you are a seething pit of hatred should anyone even make eye contact."

    He gave a rueful laugh.

    "...Most don't notice."

    "Most aren't your daughter."

    "True."

    They sat in silence for a moment, and watched the city. Then, at last, Mei came to the point.

    "Father-"

    "No."

    "You don't even know what I'm going to ask."

    "Has it perchance been the same thing you've asked for years, now?"

    "…That-"

    "Yes, that's what I suspected."

    She gave a frustrated sigh. "This is utter madness."

    "To you."

    "To anyone with sense! You are rich, popular, beloved to mortal and cultivator alike. And yet, despite that, you choose to, to… to abandon everything you have built?"

    "Are you planning to ruin it, tear it asunder, spit upon my good name by disparaging my conduct, and then burn it to the ground?"

    "You are choosing to die."

    He smiled, without any real joy. Still didn't understand.

    "I have done no such thing."

    "You-"

    "Daughter," said Lu Xu, calmly but with force. Mei stopped speaking, compelled by a lifetime of habit. That, at least, still stuck. "I have done. No such thing. I have not taken poison, nor thrown myself upon the mercy of the desert. At the very least, I might expect to see another twenty years. Perhaps even longer. The doctors say I am in excellent health."

    "For a mortal."

    The word was hot with recrimination as it came out of Mei's mouth.

    "I am mortal," said Lu Xu.

    "By choice."

    "No. You, Mei. You made a choice. I merely abide by one made for me."

    She had that mulish, angry expression on her face. When she'd been a toddler, that meant a tantrum was on its way. Once, he'd been able to head those off with a cuddle, or tickles – sweets, on truly dire occasions. He doubted that would work now.

    Maybe something else would work.

    "Do you remember," said Lu Xu, slowly, "when you were young – four, maybe five? We'd gone to your uncle's home for lunch?"

    "We went to Uncle Shin's house all the time, father."

    "This one was special. It was Zu's birthday. There were sweet dumplings for you. Good ones. With red bean paste. Shin had them hidden in the kitchen. But you smelled them, and convinced Zu to sneak in with you, and found them?"

    Mei's face showed not even a hint of recognition.

    "You knocked them over – they were on the counter, you were just a hint too short and Zu – well, sweet boy, but a little clumsy, no? We heard the noise. When we went in, the two of you were covered in the stuff. Before we could say a word, your cousin was crying. He pointed at you, and he said, 'she made me!'"

    "What does this-"

    "And you glared at him, and sitting there, covered in beanpaste and raw dough, you shouted 'they never would have known if you hadn't said that!'" Lu Xu laughed. "It was just… the perfect moment. Exactly what it's like to have children."

    He leaned back, eyes fixed on that fond memory. But it faded, eventually.

    "There are things like that dotted throughout my life. Wonderful moments. And less wonderful ones too. Some hurt. No less important, though. And yet, as I've gone on… they've faded. Thinned out. There's no texture to them, now. Shin's kitchen – what did it look like, really? The colours, the shape? I can't remember."

    "That happens to everyone."

    "Yes."

    "So why-"

    "I met your mother before you were even born," he said, baldly. "Would you have me bleach every memory of Jun of detail until I can't remember her face?"

    ---

    I wanted to do a Lu Xu omake for every turn, since it seemed like a fun idea at the time. Then this... happened. Apparently, my brain decided to balance out the last omake. Tagging @TehChron, @Alectai and @Kaboomatic .

    (Sorry, @Katana1515 , Letha has had a somewhat depressing followup.)
     
  • Sidestory
    • Jin Muyi 29 - The Stranger and the Weird West
  • Sidestory
    • Jin Muyi:____________________ The Stranger and The Weird West _________________________

    It was the greatest upheaval not just in living memory but also in Desert History.
    The Blood Cannibals removed as a power of the Desert, their lands divided and portioned off to the Golden Devils and their ilk,
    Old Cannibal being forced to flee the desert and into other areas to re-carve his kingdom of blood and corpses.
    Forbidden lands which had only known the presence of Blood path cultivators turned to lands of treasure and fortune,
    it's past threats ensuring the bounty within ripe for anyone to discover and prosper.

    But all good times come to an end, with Steel and Fire the Golden Devils carved out order from chaos,
    building towns and cities in the wildness as well as the roads to connect trade between them.
    The arrays of the rising towns and the resources to build them flowed like water into the lands,
    and sometimes on a moonless night they never make it to their destination. Shattered carts and desiccated bodies drained of blood
    were all that could be found when the sun rose...
    ​
    "Cosis, Lucen and Roise, the three of you will be delivering the prepared materials for the Morning, Noon and Night casting of the array. For the Midnight delivery, let me see who it's going to be......"

    Please don't let me be chosen. Please don't let me be chosen. Please don't let me be chosen. Please don't let me be chosen.

    "..... according to the chart, looks like it's going to be Marcus!"

    FUCK!

    Making sure that none of the fear at being chosen showed on his face, Marcus ran to catch the Foreman before he left the waystation. Pulling out a pouch of spirit stones, Marcus called out to the man in a harsh whisper.

    "Sir! I can't take that shift tonight, i have something going on. Please assign someone else to it!" Marcus watched as the Foreman's face darken in anger and just as he seemed to be on the verge of shouting out his refusal, Marcus lifted the pouch and dangled it before the Foreman. " I'm more then willing to pay you for the trouble." The offer of payment changed the irritation on the Foreman's face to joy, in a smooth and flowing movement the Foreman plucked the pouch from Marcus' hand tucked it into his robe before focusing his attention on Marcus.

    "The donation is appreciated. But i'm afraid that i won't be able to assigned someone else to do the job because there is no one else. Your refusal to do the Midnight Delivery and the lack of manpower have the same source. Namely that our last four Midnight deliveries failed due to attacks on the shipment. But since you did provide me with a donation, i'll make sure one of the wandering cultivators our organisation keeps on retainer will join you in the Delivery. That's the best i can do for you."

    Before Marcus could react to that unwelcome news or demand his money back, the Foreman strolled away from him with a spring in his step and a whistle on his lips leaving Marcus to gradually crumble to the ground as his legs gave way.

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

    The rest of the day seemed to pass in a daze. Sooner then he was ready for, midnight arrived and Marcus found himself watching as the stevedores loaded the wagon with crates of rare materials and Qi Reactive Ink. The moment was here, there was no other way Marcus could continue stalling or delay the delivery any further. Swinging himself onto the driver seat of the wagon and giving the horses a light flick, the wagon begun rolling out of the warehouse and towards the open gates of the waystation.

    As the wagon rolled out of the gates, Marcus heard the sound of a cloak fluttering in the wind before feeling the wagon sink lower towards the ground. A quick look at the back showed that among the packed supplies there was now a Mysterious Stranger holding one of the fancy SixShots that had started to spread among the frontier.

    Before he could speak, a brusque "Drive." convinced Marcus that it was best to just do his job and hope that the cloaked Stranger was the hired help and not a bandit waiting to get to a hidden spot before murdering him. Hours passed in complete silence besides the clopping of the horses hooves and creaking from the wagon wheels on the uneven ground before it was interrupted by a sharp statement from the Stranger.

    "If you want to live, stay near the wagon no matter what."

    Just as he finished speaking, the world turned crimson red as streaks of blood qi flew towards the wagon in a wave of red. Before Marcus could even open his mouth in shock at the attack, the blood Qi struck what appeared to be a invisible shield protruding from the wagon causing them to smear in a manner reminiscent of blood hitting a wall.

    "AYYYYYY!" Letting out a shriek of terror, Marcus leapt to follow the Mysterious Stranger's orders. Throwing himself into the wagon and burying his body among the many crates as the thunderous booms of Qi blasts exploding rang out around him. After minutes of nothing happening beyond the sound of combat intensifying, Marcus mustered what little remained of his courage and peek over the edge of the wagon to observe the combat around him.

    He found the Mysterious Stranger firing away at what appeared to be two cultivators. Two cultivators that he recognized from the Bounty posters from the Waystation. The one that seemed to be preparing a ritual of some sort based on the ominous glowing symbols hovering around him that intercept any Qi blasts fired that way was Big Xiaomen a noted Blood Array Master. While the other who was beast-like in his movement as he darted to and froth in a manner reminiscent of the Gale-Racing Lion causing the fired Qi blasts to land at where he was the deadly Carnivore Cuiling who was moving ever so closer to the Stranger.

    The stalemate suddenly ended with a thunderous boom as the SixShot in the Mysterious Stranger's hands blew up midshot. Almost simultaneously before the light from the explosion could even fade, Carnivore Cuiling blurred into motion as he leapt from his position towards the Mysterious Stranger burying his fangs into the Stranger's throat.

    The world seemed to come to a halt. It all happened so close to him that he could see Carnivore Cuiling's throat swallowing the blood from the Stranger and somehow Marcus knew that when Carnivore Cuiling was done, he would be next. As he watched in stupefied horror, Marcus noticed that something seemed to be different from what he was expecting.

    Carnivore Cuiling seemed to be trying to break free from his pounce and his face was a rictus of pain instead of the pleasure that consuming blood would have brought to a Blood Path cultivator. The Stranger on the other end seemed to ignore Carnivore Cuiling's fangs in his throat as he tore him away in a single smooth action before flinging Carnivore Cuiling with a toss.

    As Marcus watched on, the Mysterious Stranger strolled towards Big Xiaomen whose chanting and gestures start taking on a frantic and desperate feel. His observation of the coming confrontation was interrupted by the sound of a high pitched shriek from Carnivore Cuiling who was now frantically tearing at his chest with his claws as his body started to bubble and melt.

    In a manner of seconds, the shrieking came to a crescendo before coming to a sudden halt as Carnivore Cuiling collapsed in a boneless heap which was caught by a sudden gust of wind that sent it fluttering into the air. And as it moved like a flag in the wind, Marcus realized to his horror that all of Carnivore Cuiling that remained was his skin, with all that was inside him removed by the blood he drank from the Stranger.

    Turning his attention back to the Stranger and Big Xiaomen, Marcus found himself confronted by yet another horrifying sight. In the short interval that he wasn't watching, the "battle" appeared to have taken a macabre twist as the path the Stranger took to get to Big Xiaomen was littered with dismembered limbs and even a head or two.

    Even as Marcus watched, Big Xiaomen made a sharp gesture that sent the Stranger's left arm darting towards his own throat only for the limb to be lobbed off by the Ji held in the Stranger's right hand before it could even come close. Within seconds of the limb falling to the ground, vines burst out from the stump and knotted themselves into a new arm for the Stranger in a blink of an eye.

    And that was it. There were no sudden twists to the battle unlike the one with Carnivore Cuiling. The Stranger continued lopping off parts of his body the moment they came under Big Xiaomen's control while making his way towards him before piercing the glyphs with a strike from his Ji that sent it darting froth like a shooting star the moment Big Xiaomen attention faltered when he reached into his robe.

    At this point, the stress of the entire battle caught up to Marcus and his body decided it was safe for him to faint and promptly did so for him.

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

    FOUND REASON FOR MISSING SHIPMENTS STOP DONE BY TWO OF THE GREAT BANDITS STOP CARNIVORE CUILING BIG XIAOMEN NOW DECEASED STOP SHIPMENTS USED TO MAKE A QI CANNON STOP CLAIMED CANNON FOR PERSONAL USE STOP SEND MORE SUPPLIES TO WAYSTATION STOP

    BEST WISHES
    JIN MUYI
    ​
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    (1616 words)

    Got inspired by Muyi's Fate for this turn and decided i could end off the Westerns with a BANG. Since the Fate Results mentioned that Muyi beat them because their arts were not as effective on a plant-man, i racked my brains to think of a way that could be done while keeping it Westernish in theme.

    So introducing:

    Carnivore Cuiling = Weird Western Vampire/Werewolf analogue
    Big Xiaomen = Weird Western Voodoo/body jacking analogue

    Except draining blood is kinda useless when the other party has acidic sap running through their veins and taking control of limbs is useless if they can just be chopped off and regrown. Also, in keeping with the Western theme, i thought it be neat to end the Omake with a Telegram message.

    @Humbaba Threadmark please. Now time to see how i can do my Main omake for trial turn....
     
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  • Sidestory
    • Gaius & Maria Collab - A Private Correspondence(Part 2)
  • Sidestory
    • BadAtScreenNames said:
    snip
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    Gaius and Maria Collab: A Private Correspondence(Part 2)​

    A neatly folded letter, enclosed in a high-quality envelope with a wax seal depicting the visage of an ox crowned with civic laurels, is delivered to the 263rd, eventually making its way to Maria. The penmanship is neat, the script blocky and workmanlike.


    To Maria, my Clanswoman and fellow walker of the loneliest path,

    Hello. I must sincerely apologize for the two years it took for me to find this letter. As fortune would have it, I did not return home after my mission in the Jingshen lands was finished, but went straight to the lands of the Qigai Clan so as to enter their secret realm that year.

    I have heard stories of your exploits, and I must say I am similarly impressed by your accomplishments. Out of all of the 'Super Juniors', as the Centurions have grown fond of calling us, you might have the greatest raw aptitude of all. Though I know not where you stand now, the fact that you were halfway to the Eleventh Heavenstage at the age of 56 is an astounding achievement, a pace which would be deeply commendable even in a living sea. I am not sure how much help I could stand to offer you, but I would be happy to share my philosophical insights.


    (There is a significant wobble in that last sentence, after which the ink becomes noticeably fresher).


    To put it simply, I did not choose to attempt all four Olympian Keystones for any ideological reason; this is the only way I know how to cultivate. That may sound unusual, but I assure you that I am serious. I already chose my Dao before I began to cultivate, The Dao of The Seeker. By its very nature, it cannot be satisfied by half-measures, and thus it cannot be physically solidified in an incomplete form. Holistic, perfected sublimation is the only way to express my Dao. Hence, I cannot fully relate to one who could have built up their Dao in a more piecemeal fashion, yet chooses not to. I can, however, relate some insights I discovered within the Qigai Secret Realm.

    Due to a rather complex series of events(let's just say I had a bad day and save it for another letter) I found myself grievously injured and trapped within a bubble of warped time. I perhaps could have broken out had I full control of my faculties, but I did not, and so I stayed, until the temporal snarl ran its course and dissipated. With no way to measure time on hand in that place, I am not sure how many subjective years I spent in that place, only that it was probably longer than my natural life up to that point.

    It is well known that the ambient qi within the Qigai Realm is roughly equivalent to that upon the back of a living Turtle Child, but as one can only spend a year within, closed-door cultivation cannot achieve much. However, since my mind and soul were accelerated, I was able to cultivate that ambient qi for a long enough time to complete the Tenth Heavenstage and then reach the Eleventh, stopping halfway to the Twelfth. If only I had not been so badly hurt, I likely could have gotten farther.

    In the desert, cultivation is near universally performed with the aid of ultra-compressed qi in the form of spirit stones, beast cores and similar treasures. If the ambient cultivation of the plains is like the grazing of an herbivore, than the object-assisted cultivation of the desert is carnivorous. Both feed the cultivation base just as well, but having performed both kinds extensively, I feel I have gained a greater insight from this breadth of experience.

    There is no difference between yourself and the world. A human is a World-Mind. Cultivation breaks down the spiritual barriers separating the Self and the Un-Self bit by bit, bringing the world under greater control of the mind. The qi of the human body is a filthy and crude thing, just as the human perception of the world is flawed and distorted by the barriers between World and Self. The Eleventh Heavenstage purifies the entire circulatory system, rendering Self-Qi as pure as Un-Self-Qi. The purification of the body in the Tenth Heavenstage is merely a preparatory stage for this action.

    It is my belief that the reason the Twelfth Heavenstage can only come after the Eleventh is that a unconscious change in perception occurs through this purification of qi. Qi is creation, it is World, and World is Mind, which is Self. By purifying the qi, you bring World and Self closer together, allowing for the clarity of thought which can liberate the soul, allowing it to freely move up and down the spinal column and rendering it more resistant to damage.

    It is said that the soul is a reflection of the mind, but I believe that both are reflections of each other. The brain produces cognition, which gives rise to the mind, which is reflected onto the soul. For the spiritually aware, however, contemplation of the soul allows the mind and soul to reflect upon each other continuously, like two mirrors. Hence, a purified soul makes way for a purified mind; the Thirteenth Heavenstage.


    (The writing gets very wobbly in the last paragraph, with a trail of ink after the last period suggesting the pen was dropped. Said trail is faded and smudged, suggesting an attempt to rub it out.)


    I apologize for the rambling nature of my contemplation. Spiritual matters can be notoriously difficult to transcribe in the limited, physical form of language. To summarize, I have come to the conclusion that unorthodox cultivation is about breaking down the barriers between the Self and the World, to approach World-Mind-Self. I hope this letter finds you well, and I further hope that my relentlessly esotetic philosophizing can be of help to you.

    Best Regards,

    Gaius Antonius, of House Antonius.

    ----

    Yaaaaay, pen pals!
     
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  • Sidestory
    • Savvas Nicolidis 7 - Perspectives
  • Sidestory
    • Savvas Nicolidis 7 - Perspectives

    On one mountaintop, he meditated. On one mountaintop, he killed again. The blood-path bandit didn't see Savvas, only felt poisoned darts prick his neck and shin. The bandit limped away, fear overcoming hunger. More darts, more disorientation in the bandit as poison overcome his Qi. Then a knife thrown. Dead. A riskless endeavor, a good deed done, a mortal girl by the name of Xiao Mi saved. Lavish promises of returning the favor, etc, that was by now common to Savvas' ears, and he simply nodded kindly. He didn't need to beggar mortals protecting them.

    One mountaintop to return to, to meditate upon again.

    What was his Dao? What path would he walk? All of his life stretched out before him. This choice was momentous, one that cannot feasibly be undone if it was in error. Honestly, now that he had come so far, it seemed like he ought to ponder it even further still. When he was younger he wondered why didn't people simply decide quickly.. so foolish, that Savvas was.

    ---

    A Core Formation Elder. Savvas stilled his thrumming heart. Here? Had he done inadvertent and lethal insult? But no, it was not. He had inadvertently done a great service for the Elder Xiao Jing (better known as Tearful Chisel) when he had saved his great-granddaughter Xiao Mi from the bandit. He asked, no, demanded Savvas name a boon that the Blacksmith would fulfill with all due haste.

    Daggers? Armor? Spirit Stones?

    Savvas requested advise on the Dao. Tearful Chisel was happy to oblige. The Sorrowful Blacksmith's classic Daos of Forging (there were many variants), Savvas learned. All worthy Daos to follow, yet lacking in something for Savvas. The entrapment, always having to abide by them.. It was the same with Grigoris' Dao of Architecture. And the advise still rang through: If he had doubts, that Dao was not for him. Xiao Jing could feel Savvas' dissatisfaction and inner turmoil, how could he not? He told him he would guard him when he made his breakthrough on the mountain, for his repayment of a favor was still incomplete.

    ---

    He looked at the skies above. The glare of the sun, the foggy clouds. The heavens that hated them all and saw all. Who yet.. did not understand all. Blinded to all but their own view, blinded by how all-encompassing it was. Far-reaching, yet indescribably incomplete.

    Inspiration struck him. And then came thunder and lightning, torrents of doubts to shatter his newly formed pillar.

    ---

    Perspectives. That was the way to understand.

    "No", the Storm said. "Only one path walked to the end yields true understanding. Breadth is no depth."

    "One line drawn is no painting, no matter how masterful. Many brushstrokes, is what makes a painting,"     He answered.

    "This still is but one path. Your understanding will never be complete," It proclaimed through the voice of thunder.

    "Then let it be incomplete, for in it's incompletion, is it's room to grow."

    The storm ceased.

    ---

    (This is Savvas' breakthrough into Foundation Establishment. His Dao is that of Perspectives.)
     
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  • Sidestory
    • I have a weird idea for a seed moulded after Kenpachi from bleach and a Ork from 40k is really good at fighting his thing would be killing things 5 steps ahead of him and only able to cultivate by fighting opponents stronger than himself gets stronger the longer a fight goes on and is ridiculously hard to kill

    his backstory is mortal just pick up magic weapon killed a bloodbath found out it was fun and never stopped swinging

    i don't know how to write this as cultivation is not my thing but I'm thinking of giving it a go I really would like help
     
    thefoolswriter said:
    I have a weird idea for a seed moulded after Kenpachi from bleach and a Ork from 40k is really good at fighting his thing would be killing things 5 steps ahead of him and only able to cultivate by fighting opponents stronger than himself gets stronger the longer a fight goes on and is ridiculously hard to kill

    his backstory is mortal just pick up magic weapon killed a bloodbath found out it was fun and never stopped swinging

    i don't know how to write this as cultivation is not my thing but I'm thinking of giving it a go I really would like help
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    Have him absorb the cultivation from those he kills, the more cultivators and beasts he kills the faster he grow, and make it so killing mortals does nothing. That way he isn't true blood path and won't be hunted down
     
    LordEdric said:
    Have him absorb the cultivation from those he kills, the more cultivators and beasts he kills the faster he grow, and make it so killing mortals does nothing. That way he isn't true blood path and won't be hunted down
    Click to expand...
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    i was thinking of him just going after the strongest thing he could fight but your right I could just make his axe absorb cultivation from fallen enemys I'm thinking the axe as a legacy item
     
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