North Winds Fall (Xianxia - Survive the Protagonist)
- Thread starter azatol
- Start date
- Original
Shusui 3. A New Danger
- Location
- Michigan
Leave Vong He in charge of the Executive Council while you travel to the border
She had entrusted the power of the Executive Council to Vong He, and asked Tuan to serve as Chief of Security in her absence.
She had sorta taken up that position, already dealing with the looters and loiterers around the Palace. The loiterers she showed patience with, but she didn't have room to house the homeless. She kept an eye on the Palace grounds in case a new serious threat ever came.
Shusui traveled with Jacob and a few members of his team as they headed to the border.
"Why have you focused so much on simple swordfighting, and not developed your dragons?" he asked as they lightly sparred.
"My Way is swordfighting. I diverted my path to learn the Emperor's blood, but I don't want to lose my way to pursue something new. I'm making progress by solidifying my fundamentals, and the Emperor's blood will be expressed uniquely, once I get there," she said, standing firm against the idea she rejected.
Jacob reacted, "You're going back to the steps. You know, I did find the unleashing of shackles to be an important step for me. It's just the first one I unleashed was the step system. You can't defeat a dragon with a simple sword slash."
"We each had to follow the truth as we saw it," she said.
<<<----]---
She was surprised to see Prime Minister Kasai at the border, much harried and weathered by the days since they had last met.
Kazumi was not with them.
"Empress, I can't say I expected to find my Security detail like this!" he said to her.
"How has Sazama been?" she asked.
"She was a life-saver, to be sure. She stood and held off the enemy so we could escape. She paid her life so we could have ours," Kasai said.
"I'm touched by her actions, but sad too. How does the resistance go?"
"Like all resistance, it's been horrible. We can't face the enemy at large, we can only run. That was true until Kazumi returned. She told us about what had happened in your homeland. Even as we struggle, I am very glad that treachery was dealt with for you."
Shusui pondered, "I owe Kazumi a great deal, and you as well. Where is she?"
Prime Minister Kasai's face turned frightened as he contemplated something.
"The Heavenly hero is known to our histories. Those like Kazumi have appeared from time to time. Their counterpart is only part of our bedroom fables. There is no name left for such things, and no thought for them beyond their place in fables… Until now."
"What are you talking about?" she said, mystified.
Kasai caught himself, catching three breaths before he spoke. "It is a person, but foul and unnatural. His words crept into my ear and I ran screaming, my heart pounding. Fear personified, and violent, evil, malevolent. We all ran, except Kazumi.
Even after I was far away, I could feel the lightning in the air, and the foulness from the ground. The sky and the ground clashed. Eventually only the foulness remained. Kazumi has been captured or defeated, and it seems the Foul One is an ally of the invaders.
We can only run, escape. We need refuge. We can't save the West."
Short post, but i didn't want to go further without a vote in this situation.
Vote:
[ ] Prime Minister, snap out of it! You are still afflicted by fear. I can't let you abandon your homeland, and we have to save Kazumi!
[ ] Prime Minister, we will give you and your people refuge. We need to learn about this Foul One so we can face it.
- Location
- scrabbling
[X] Prime Minister, snap out of it! You are still afflicted by fear. I can't let you abandon your homeland, and we have to save Kazumi!
Imprudent, maybe, especially since Autumn has chosen to focus on her longterm cultivation rather than immediate power
Imprudent, maybe, especially since Autumn has chosen to focus on her longterm cultivation rather than immediate power
- Location
- Michigan
I was re-reading this, and I think I want to try restarting the story from after Chapter 8. High Mountain Crown Palace. I kinda lost the plot at that point and made things happen way too fast.
There's a lot of stuff I wanted to explore but I rushed it, and it ruined what I was trying to put together. So if I find time, I want to go back and do a new Chapter 9 (right after Ho Junko decided to try to steal from First Brother), and disregard everything after 8 in the original postings.
I don't know if anyone is interested, but I got sucked back into re-reading the early parts of the story where I gave it more time to develop.
There's a lot of stuff I wanted to explore but I rushed it, and it ruined what I was trying to put together. So if I find time, I want to go back and do a new Chapter 9 (right after Ho Junko decided to try to steal from First Brother), and disregard everything after 8 in the original postings.
I don't know if anyone is interested, but I got sucked back into re-reading the early parts of the story where I gave it more time to develop.
Last edited:
- Location
- scrabbling
I kind of liked some elements of this story, so I'm glad your interest in it has returned, but in my experience attempts to retrace, revive, or rewrite webfiction tend to fizzle out, especially for quests. If you're dedicated to it then it can work, don't get me wrong. You'd have to rework a great deal, especially for such an early chapter, and it can be confusing or frustrating. Old readers that stuck with you can feel that everything past that point has been a waste of sorts, and any potential new readers might be concerned that they need to know more about the previous version.
REDO - 9. High Mountain Questions
- Location
- Michigan
Don't sneak around. Can you truly face First brother if you get caught?
"Are you crazy?" Autumn said in the most forceful whisper she could muster. "First brother is already on alert from the intruders before. What would make you think of something like that?"
Before she could say or do anything else, Ho Junko was gone, and in the darkness, Autumn had no idea where to find her.
"This is trouble," Autumn said to herself.
Running out into the hallway in her sleeping clothes, she peeked into the next room, to make sure Wei was still sleeping.
She was laying in bed, eyes barely opening..
"Ho Junko's going to steal something, I have to go tell First brother before he thinks I told her to."
"She was really quiet last night," Wei murmured.
"Did she leave my sword in here?" she asked.
"Over there," Wei said sleepily.
The sheath rested on the round table that served as a little sitting spot in the bedroom.
"She had her own pretty sword," Wei said dreamily.
The most important thing was to swear to her brother that it wasn't her idea for Ho Junko to go thieving.
"I'll be back, as soon as I can. Get some rest, and I'll take you home in the morning."
She had no real idea where the Crown Prince's bedroom was,but she could at least go back to the Layer Cake room, and then look from there.
But she had a hunch, and it was confirmed when once more the Crown Prince was catching treasures falling from the sky.
It was, what Three bells before sunrise? Was her First Brother catching treasures all day and night? If he threw away unbelievable amazing treasures, smashing them on the floor, what did he keep?
That potion she had taken just a sip of seemed potent, and the recovery potion left her fully awake and ready for anything in just a few hours.
"First brother!" she shouted, not daring to go up the steps again.
"What is it this time?" he said from the top, turning to look at her. He vanished for a moment, and re-appeared right in front of her.
"I swear, by the Emperor, I did not ask Ho Junko to go sneaking around, trying to steal stuff. She begged me to go stealing with her, and I told her she was insane."
Crown Prince Lee's face went from irritation to amusement. Why was he amused?
"Where did you get such treacherous servants? Oh, so it's the Ho family" he said, talking to himself.
The Card box made of writhing lightning formed within his hands. Xue Lee didn't bother opening the box, but a Card appeared in his hands, and he idly threw it down.
She saw the name written in Orange on the card, "Lightning Seeker."
A crackling wispy blue thing blasted towards one of the walls and went right through it without causing any damage.
"Huh?" the Crown Prince's expression fell, but he recovered, "Little Sister, please pardon me for leaving you. Return to rest, and I will resolve this mystery of your servant."
Once again, his expression was merciless, "Your servant is more than she seems. They resisted my Card. This must be our thief back again."
Now ignoring her own existence, Crown Prince Lee returned to the top of the layered tower, and began causing the whole room to make many strange sounds and lights.
She felt the true power of her elder brother then, and quickly blade stepped away from his intense Card power. she returned to Xue Wei's room, unsure what to do.
Wei was now fully awake, sitting up in the comfy bed. Autumn sat down at the table.
If this was anywhere else, she would hunt down Ho Junko herself, but if Eldest Brother couldn't manage the task, what hope would she have. The supposed trip in the night to repair her blade seemed suspicious now.
Autumn drew out her blade, resting the sheath on the table. Her "servant" had brought both Autumn's sword, and one she kept herself in secret, spent hours preparing said secret sword, and then asked her to go together and steal from the 2nd most powerful person in the Empire.
She occasionally felt like something significant was happening to the Palace itself, like a tremor moving through the place. She stayed with Xue Wei though, until she fell asleep in her chair.
The Crown Prince was unusually brusque and rude when he barged into her own room the next morning. Moments later her entered Xue Wei's in search of her.
"Xue Son and Xue Chi will examine your entire staff, immediately! I am accompanying you to see it is done, properly! Now gather your things, and meet me at the Translocator building in twenty minutes. Move!"
It was only after she had made a desperate scramble to get ready that she realized her brother had used a Card to propel them to action.
They were bounding down the corridor of packed snow and ice, back to the building they had arrived into. Wei's boots were flopping, untied laces caused her to trip, and Autumn picked up her sister before she could fall, running with enhanced speed.
Her sheath was all that she held between Wei and the ground, it was at Wei's waist helping to keep the girl from slipping, and they made it back into the room of the curious artifacts just as Xue Lee was losing his patience.
He locked them in the formation rudely, hurting Wei's arm, and causing Autumn to almost lose her sword sheath, only catching it by an inch and pulling it inside the moving artifact.
He sealed himself inside the artifact's chains, and activated it much more quickly than Second brother had done.
Which made her wonder where was Second brother?
"Your brother is maintaining the Vigil at the Mountain palace. I have put the command of my guards in his hands, I hope I will not regret this. This Ho Junko is assuredly a Senior operative of the West or South. I suspect South, though I do not know. Even in my rage, I quelled at her beauty and fury. She fought as one experienced in the Fourth Stage. I have called upon Father to lend his aid when he is willing."
The artifact activated, Wei screamed, and Autumn gritted her teeth, now knowing what pain and misery to expect. Xue Lee wasn't phased.
When the pain barely subsided he spoke again, "I must trust you on one thing, Xue Thu, though your choice of staff has evidently been disastrous. Investigate one member of your staff, do it quickly, do it well. Xue Chi and I will handle the rest."
The restraints loosed, and she held Wei's hand.
"Send Xue Wei to your brother Tuan. At least he can recover his shame, after being eclipsed by his sister in blades."
Her brother needed an answer, which servant would she investigate first?
Vote for what to do with Xue Wei during your investigation:
[ ] You trust Tuan, take Wei to him, until you can fulfill First Brother's request. You never know what you might have to do to see it done.
[ ] Wei is hurt, confused and overwhelmed, you couldn't imagine leaving her until she had her own staff.
Vote for a Staff Member to Investigate:
You know none of your staff was at the house yesterday morning, when Ho Junko also went missing and took your sword. They could all be wrapped up in this, or none of them.
[ ] Ila - Handles Autumn's Fashion / Attire. Comes from a Nameless family.
[ ] Le Ardith - Soux Chef. She leads all the cooking when Lake Sang isn't present for a special occasion. Registered family background.
[ ] Yang Du - Master of the House. Like a butler, he supervises the other staff in coordination with Ho Junko. Responsible for the House's upkeep and greeting guests. Registered family background.
[ ] Lake Sang - Chef. He only works for Autumn when she has guests. Registered family background
[ ] Po - Security. Comes from a Nameless family.
- Location
- scrabbling
[X] You trust Tuan, take Wei to him, until you can fulfill First Brother's request. You never know what you might have to do to see it done.
[X] Po - Security. Comes from a Nameless family.
Gotta be able to control who goes in and out.
[X] Po - Security. Comes from a Nameless family.
Gotta be able to control who goes in and out.
10. Ren Ila
- Location
- Michigan
[X] You trust Tuan, take Wei to him, until you can fulfill First Brother's request. You never know what you might have to do to see it done.
[X] Ila - Handles Autumn's Fashion / Attire. Comes from a Nameless family.
[
[X] Ila - Handles Autumn's Fashion / Attire. Comes from a Nameless family.
[
It was still early when she brought Wei back to Tuan's house. Autumn thought it was weird that Hsu Longwei, a scion of that family of Fishmongers, was at Tuans so early. It was too early to play Rummy and booze it up.
She shook her head, Tuan's business was his own, she had the First brother on her head.
The house was empty when she and Wei had arrived, so she had to get Wei and herself ready for the day. Her hair had gotten all smushed by the winter hat she wore up at the Mountain palace, and her best efforts barely made it presentable. Just a simple ponytail for herself and Wei was all she could manage.
First it was off to Second brother's house to try to get his butler to release to her all the paperwork on Ila and the rest of her staff.
She put the club tournament out of her mind, it wasn't going to happen with First brother at home. She supposed she should have expected one of Xue Lee's guards to open the door to Son's home.
"Xue Lee will see you in his brother's study."
What she didn't expect was Xue Son's study to be a whirlwind of paper scattered everywhere. Son would have a heart attack to see it so chaotic.
"Idiotic, idiot, prat and swindler!" Lee shouted. The papers swirled like air currents in a storm.
Lee turned to her, suddenly asking, "What staff member will you look into, Xue Thu?"
"Ila, she was always supposed to be there in the morning to attend to my beauty. She wasn't there yesterday."
The swirling pages glowed more brightly, and then one page, followed by a dozen more slapped her in the face. She caught them before they fell.
"Did Son set all of your staff wages?"
"He controlled everything. He didn't even let me fire my old chef until after he made an awful meal when Son visited. Then he paid a lot for Lake Sang to join my staff."
"No he didn't," Lee said. "Xue Son paid all of your staff peanuts and promises. There's no way they would have worked for so little unless they expected to get other benefits. Perhaps Xue Chi would do a better job of managing the family. Now be off."
She started pouring over Ila's documentation as she stepped outside.
Second brother wrote up all of these documents in perfect characters. She couldn't write that well even in Calligraphy.
(Ren) Ila
Hired: H.I.H 28, July (16 y.o. at hire)
Wages:
Parents: laundry service lowtown
Advance pay owed: 400
Deduction: 20
What followed were pages of payment records, the raise she had two years ago, after turning 17, and performance reviews in Ho Junko's handwriting. Every review was positive but how could you trust that if Xue Lee was right about her first's treachery,
She folded the pages neatly, and carried them and her sheath as she headed out of the Palace grounds.
The blue dress was the best she could find, if Ila wasn't disloyal she would need her help right away.
Autumn usually took a carriage to ride past lowtown and get to hightown, but it wasn't that far to lowtown from the palace on foot so she walked.
The shops were more rundown here. Kids ran through the streets while many sat off the road, some of them were cooking their breakfast from dinghy little cook pots, the smell was awful.
Most people kept their distance from her but two boys approached her.
"What's she doing here?" One said to the other.
"You can help me, right? Where's the laundry?"
"Did you get lost at the seamstress?"
"Boys, leave her alone."
An older woman shouted at them, and they fled.
"If you're looking for the laundry, it's over there."
What the woman pointed at looked more like a hovel than a laundry.
The smell of damp clothes and something else she couldn't place filled the laundry as she stepped inside.
"Ila dear, please get that."
A woman was bent over some kind of washing table, scrubbing fiercely at a piece of clothing that couldn't really be more than rags.
Ila turned face to face, expecting a customer no doubt.
"Devoted Princess."
"What, here?" Ila's mom said.
She could play this one of two ways, Autumn decided, let Ila know about Ho Junko's treachery and see her reaction, or keep it from her, to see if Ila knew anything.
Since there was a tie after I started writing, Lee will have Autumn check on Po as well.
[ ] Tell Ila about Ho Junko's actions, to see how she reacts to the news.
[ ] Keep your First Maid's actions from Ila, maybe she'll accidentally reveal something.
- Location
- scrabbling
[X] Keep your First Maid's actions from Ila, maybe she'll accidentally reveal something.
Autumn's skills at this point are more oriented towards lying than detecting lies.
Autumn's skills at this point are more oriented towards lying than detecting lies.
11. Investigating the Staff
- Location
- Michigan
[X] Keep your First Maid's actions from Ila, maybe she'll accidentally reveal something.
"Mrs. Ren, can I borrow your daughter for the afternoon? First Prince Xue Lee is home for the first time since New Years."
The older woman shouted, "go, go."
Ila shrugged and went off to get her uniform. The maid uniform was the whitest piece of clothing in the laundry shop.
With Ila dressed they headed out.
"Do you know where Po's family lives?" She asked Ila.
"I'm not sure," Ila said.
"Ho Junko's busy on some business of mine, so I could use your help, I'll handle the extra pay, if you're able to stay through this evening."
Ila blinked. "Yang Du should take over while Miss Ho's gone."
"Everyone took the day off since I was up out of town. Ho Junko hasn't had time to let everyone know I'm back."
It was a simple matter, when they returned to her home, to keep Ila occupied by telling her there was a formal dinner with First brother.
From every closet and cubbyhole Autumn couldn't find that morning, Ila brought out colors and styles of every kind. Autumn played it, trying on several outfits, before placing the one she told Ila she would wear on the hanging rack in her bedroom.
More distraction was needed. Ila had given no sign that she knew about Ho Junko's vices, but Autumn didn't trust her yet.
"Xue Wei hasn't even got all of her outfits yet, it's funny to think of Xue Tuan's staff trying to dress her," she said.
Ila gently suggested, "Let me try, I'm sure I can make the Young princess sparkle."
"I'll go retrieve her."
Autumn didn't think Ila knew anything about Ho Junko's plans. But she didn't go right to Tuan's house, she hid in the garden just outside to see if Ila would try to pass a message to anyone. After a while, she saw nothing and went to Tuan's.
Tuan had resorted to bribery, and when Autumn got there, Xue Wei was feeling sick to her stomach.
"She had too many sweets," Tuan told her.
"Hey Wei, want to go back to my house and play dress up. Ila found a nice outfit for me, now we can work together to find one for you,"
Tuan's friend was gone, and he look relieved as he waved goodbye.
While Wei didn't have all of her cloths from the seamstriss yet, she had enough to play the dress up game. Wei took it really well, and even got Ila to try a few outfits on herself too.
"This is the prettiest for you Autumn," Wei finally declared.
It was a green outfit with pleated black skirt.
"Did you make all this up just for Wei's benefit? " Ila finally asked, after the usually dinner hour had come and gone.
"Wei, get changed and wash up for bed while I talk to Ila."
Finally, Autumn sat down in her favorite parlor chair. "Come sit with me," she told Ila.
"There's been a betrayal among my staff members, and I had to find out if you were in on it."
Ila was hurt, "I've been here on time, every day, no matter what. It's not always easy."
"Let me explain," Autumn said, "last night, at First Prince Xue Lee's palace, Ho Junko snuck out to steal from him. She fought our First Prince, and even escaped. Xue Lee says she was an early 4th stage master of the blade. I saw Xue Lee use one of his Card magics. They are terrifying, but somehow Ho Junko resisted the magic power."
"What does that have to do with me?" Ila said, standing up.
"My brother says, the only way she could be so powerful, is if she was a spy for the West Winds or South Winds. So you understand why I want to vet everyone on staff."
"I'm confused, why didn't we ever notice, if she was so strong?"
"Why didn't you show up yesterday morning?" Autumn asked.
"She told me to take the day off. I thought it was odd, but I didn't question it. She's always arranging things," Ila said.
"I finally got the books on what everyone has been paid," Autumn said. "Second Prince Xue Son kept all that in his files before."
"We'll get the loan repaid as soon as we can," Ila said fiercely.
"I want to give you a raise, Ila. How does 50 copper a week sound?"
The words on Ila's lips faded away with the new information. "Fifty? Oh thank you, Princess! With the repayment on that loan, I've only been getting five copper a week, and I can hardly stretch anything, and momma can't bare not to help me, but she doesn't have anything. Thank you."
"Can you help me with a few extra things while I hire new staff and check on the rest of them? At least I need to hire a new First maid," Autumn asked.
"Of course, Devoted Princess."
Autumn decided to get Ila the rest of the day off, and retired for a quiet evening and early to bed.
She would never expect anyone banging on her door in the dark of night, yet alone it being the First Prince.
"We don't rest when there's a State level threat at large Princess. I've rooted out the stories of the rest of your staff. Nothing of note was found. What is your report about Ila?"
If the swordsman or woman had a certain signature appearance, then so too did a Card user like the Prince. He wasn't dressed formally but instead wore deep blue robes with long sleeves, as if he didn't really need hands for anything.
"Ila was told yesterday (or two days ago now) that I was giving the staff the day off. Ho Junko told her that, of course I never said anything about that. She's mostly wrapped up in her mother's laundry business, and Second brother set a really strict schedule to pay back some money she borrowed on advance of her wages. I've started setting a new wage standard with Ila, and whomever else you want me to keep, I'll pay more than Second Prince at least. I can afford it out of my personal spending if I have to."
"So Ho Junko just so happens to be the only one on your staff implicated, and that directly. Who are her accomplices?"
"There's a letter that was snuck into my bedroom yesterday, from an old friend, who is bitter that we never became more than friends. Ho Junko could have left it there, now that I think about it, but that would indicate the admirer and Ho Junko as connected."
"If that is truly her name. Doubtful."
Summoning his card box of lightning, He was about to produce some sort of Card just to find the letter, but Autumn interrupted him by going to get it from her nightstand.
"Lin Tsu. The Lin family."
A card fell onto the floor of her foyer. She looked down at it. Then it vanished, no doubt back into Lee's card box. "Letter Trace", it had read."
"So Lin Tsu's father is dead. The Lin Family's in decline, Second brother took a heavy hand in the situation, and now we have the Lin scion passing this letter to our spy? What is the Lin family wrapped up in? Come, let's see what good your blade can do, Sister!"
Vote: How to Proceed? You don't know exactly what Xue Lee can do or what his intentions are.
[ ] Follow Xue Lee's apparent plan. It's time to find out what part the Lin family has in all this.
[ ] Try to Convice Xue Lee to take a different path. We don't know if the whole family is implicated, or even if Lin Tsu did anything beyond writing the letter. Whether you can convince Lee to reconsider is uncertain.
- Location
- scrabbling
[X] Follow Xue Lee's apparent plan. It's time to find out what part the Lin family has in all this.
IIRC Autumn's goals at this point are mostly to keep her head down and avoid the Second Prince coming down on her for being a serious sabre cultivator. The First Prince directing her is not something she can weasel out of, I don't think.
IIRC Autumn's goals at this point are mostly to keep her head down and avoid the Second Prince coming down on her for being a serious sabre cultivator. The First Prince directing her is not something she can weasel out of, I don't think.
12. Thunder Garden
- Location
- Michigan
[X] Follow Xue Lee's apparent plan. It's time to find out what part the Lin family has in all this.
She hadn't left her sword at the dojo since Ho Junko betrayed her. It was laying on the bedroom dresser instead.
"Can you have someone in your staff check in on Xue Wei if we're still gone by morning?"
"The fact that she isn't already setup in her own house. Xue Son, another area you've disappointed me. He had two years to get that house ready for the Fifth Princess, and plenty of time to start gathering her staff," he muttered.
Finally his train of thought finished and he returned his attention, "Ready?"
Autumn nodded.
He was already outside her door as he said, "Follow me"
The moonless night was calm and cool, but in an instant, the wind became a whipping summer wind, hot and insistent, pushing her forward, as she followed Lee. Two of her brother's guards joined him as they ran in the dark of night.
Lightning crackled and struck twenty feet in front of them, where no cloud had been overhead before. An orb of pure flickering lightning lit their path, ebbing and brightening erratically as it bobbed and rushed ahead of them.
It was the most eerie adventure, rushing through the night. Xue Lee knew where they were going, but Autumn couldn't even tell what part of town they were in. There were a few street lights in Hightown kept running all night, and she was sure there were fires across lowtown, but she saw no lights but her brother's spell construct.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour of the wind at their back, Xue Lee stopped, and the lightning orb vanished.
Lee spoke softly. "Park Quan is about at your skill level, sister, but with the spear. If there's more to this family than a gardener and his mother, follow his lead. Park Jie is a student of mine, we will command the battle as long as you prevent anyone from closing in on us."
As her eyes adjusted, she saw that they were away from the Lin family manor, hidden behind a row of trees that had been left to grow close together to provide privacy for the family.
This time, she could just barely see her brother's card box, in the dark. It wasn't flashing with lightning. It took him longer to go through whatever Card powers he was pursuing, but then he abruptly said.
"Lin Tsu is here."
Before her brother could plan their next steps, Autumn saw the tree she was crouching behind start to move, and then a tree limb crashed into her, knocking her backwards.
She moved to get up, watching as a two tree limbs had grabbed Lee's card box, and were trying to crush it, as if the tree had hands.
She drew out her sword, sprang up, and focused instead on the tree that had attacked her, as Lee's card box glowed in lighting, and then returned to Lee's hands. He was up and Autumn was forced to focus on her own battle. She stepped back, barely able to deflect the tree's mighty strike.
The tree was stuck, it's limbs moved but the tree was still a tree, unable to uproot itself, so as she backed away, it swung at her, but she was out of range. She prepared and struck at the heavy branch, but the wood was too thick for her blade to penetrate.
Even at Second stage, she had been able to cut through a tree in one slash. Whatever was empowering the tree had toughened it as well.
Park Quan found his spear useless as well, and they both stood back as Lee and his understudy fought the trees with cards.
That was when Lin Tsu himself appeared, in a night robe, with a staff in his hand.
Autumn saw the stone garden pot hurtling towards her head just in time, and with a tremendous juddering impact up her arm, she managed to deflect it with her blade. Quan stepped to the side, and they hacked and fought their way through the line of trees, to rush towards Tsu.
Quan wasn't ready for the next pot which smashed into him as he cleared the trees, but Autumn avoided her pot by blade stepping behind Lin Tsu. And she swung, meeting the gardener's staff, and his defense held firm. Now she struck again and again, pushing the offensive, but Tsu didn't focus only on her, but in between blocking her strikes and threatening counters, he managed to create more trouble for Lee and Jie.
She struck, and Tsu evaded, he stepped back, and in an instant, she was covered in vines that grabbed and poked at her, and she flailed but she couldn't move, caught in the sudden hostile plant.
"You come to my home, and attack me. Wasn't your little game enough?" he said, as he still caused more plant life to spring up and attack Lee and Jie.
Autumn responded to his words as if parrying a strike from his staff. "Ho Junko is wanted for theft of Imperial secrets and espionage. Whoever her foreign backer is, you were connected. We didn't come into your home, my brother was doing a little investigative magic. You decided to make the trees attack. When did you learn to do that?"
"Miss Ho's not a tool of the West or South. Your lackeys, the Sangs did everything you wanted, so you look all pretty and innocent. Some of us were hurt, some of us noticed the true source. People like Miss Ho. I won't kill you, but I'll make an example of you. Sangs, Xues, pah!! Now hold still, all of you!!"
Something green and mossy was rising from the dirt, taking shape.
"ENOUGH!" roared Xue Lee, in a voice that spoke more than just words but awesome magical power. A projection of a Card box appeared high in the sky, lightning flashing between the massive edges.
The crackling lightning poured out, seeking the ground right where Lin Tsu was standing, but enough of the horrible energy diverted to Autumn so that the vines binding her were burned, and she with them.
The metal taste of blood, the gasps of breath, as she tried to even tilt her head up. Breathing, Pulse pounding. Her ears, the sound of thunder again, again and again. The sound of sizzling, and the smell of fresh cut grass?
Another flash of light overpowered her eyes, even as she closed them, and suddenly, a wave of pressure made her black out again.
~~~~
This Garden Summoning of Lin Tsu's was not one of the known decks in existence. There were many inferior decks kept by the Vaultkeepers and given occasionally as great boons to families for valorous service. None could compare to the Deck of Empire's Judgment that was Xue Lee's own tool. His father was not a deck-weaver, or else this deck would be in the Emperor's hands. His father had told him that at late 4th stage, he no longer needed a deck, nor was he limited as all deck-weavers were.
This Lin family would be struck from the roles of Registered Families, unless the family head could prove that this Tsu was not actually theirs.
Empire's Judgment was not a deck for healing or protection. His sideboard was limited to mostly what father requested of him. So all he could do was message his father about this major threat, and use a second Distant Communication card to seek help. That meant he had no more access to the Card for 24 hours. His access to main deck cards was substanitally more, but nothing of use for this purpose.
It was his own final card, Heavenly Dragon's Assault, which had harmed the others. Lin Tsu switched instantly from producing all kinds of Garden plants which either protected him or attacked, to suddenly producing a perfect stone wall, which protected Tsu and prevented Lee from getting around the wall or even scrying to see where Tsu was now.
Judgment and Divination were both strong themes of the deck, normally his efforts never even met any resistance.
Ho Junko had used his lack of skill in close up sword waving to pressure him and get away. Now, with Thu and Quan to protect him on that front, he had been out-dueled in his own area of strength!?
He hadn't even seen Lin Tsu's deck. It was absolutely impossible that Tsu was like his father and didn't need one. Only a couple of people in the world could say they approached the Emperor in strength.
He checked Thu's pulse. The girl was actually an asset, well, a different kind of asset than expected. Xue Thu was an asset that would go away once she was married.
Xue Son, despite his ineptness at administration, would make a good trainee in the Card arts, if he put Xue Chi in charge of the Family Budget. Chi was actually useful to Father, in a more subtle role, but he could surely handle the budget also.
He would make use of Xue Thu while she was still a Maiden of the Blade. It would only take a few key gifts to launch her into mid-third stage, and her interest in the Blade arts was clear. If father dealt with this whole issue quickly, then he wouldn't have need of such a blade, but if this became a bigger issue, or even lead to war, then it would be key to optimize her strength while she was still part of the family.
~~~~
Autumn had never been anywhere in the main palace but the dining hall for the annual feast, where the whole Imperial family, and all the registered and first families sat down with the Emperor and celebrated. After she had woke up in her own bed, dealt with a dozen new aches and pains and got dressed, she received a summons to the palace.
The Emperor was here. Xue Lee was at his side. She called Ila back to change into different clothes, and then with a limp and a twinge in her gut, she made her way to the main palace.
The grounds nearest to the main palace were filled with an entire regiment of the Emperor's special troops. They all wore orange arm-guards to mark themselves as his Handpicked force. They all bowed as one, as she passed, and the Captain of the regiment, who stood at the palace doors said, "Go on in, Fourth Princess."
Few could address her in such a way, but the Captain of the Emperor's own was one of them.
The Emperor and Prince Lee were in the smaller study where, in theory, if the Emperor had often been present, he would have conducted his private business.
She didn't know the Emperor's regiment well, but she guessed it was the Captain's second who held watch outside the study. He conferred for a moment, and then the voice of the Emperor, the one she heard in her head so many times, sounded. His actual voice was never as deep and commanding as she thought it would be. "Enter."
His grey goatee was carefully maintained, he wore fine-crafted chain armor. He was tall like Xue Lee, balding, and with grey eyes.
Xue Lee was dressed like a military officer with a red coat with buckles and bangles. Very different from the blue long sleeved robes. She supposed he was, for once, not the most powerful man in the room and he had his own insecurities regarding the Emperor.
"I will, of course, invite all of our children to make an appearance while I am here, but First Prince and I felt it was important to speak with you, Xue Thu, first. You've always wished, preferred realy, that you had been born a prince, instead of a princess. In two months hence, you will be wed, and become part of the Snow family, their youngest son is just the right age and temperament really. But, I do enjoy a joke sometimes. Go - become Prince for the next 2 months. The Eye of Xue will find our enemies, the Card of Xue will discern their lies, the blade of Xue will cut our enemies, and my Will will End them. Your new First Man awaits with everything you will need. This will be most amusing."
What did enjoying the art of the Blade, or not wanting to leave behind everything you knew to join a new family, have to do with wanting to be a Prince? She wouldn't hesitate to take the opportunity though. It would be weird to have a main as her First, but if the Emperor himself picked the man out, at least he should be reliable.
The Hunt for Ho Junko, Lin Tsu and any other associates is in full swing with the Emperor's arrival. The Emperor and Xue Lee will command much of your time, but with what time you do have, how should you proceed? (Choose 2)
[ ] Get to know your new First aide. Find out just what supplies and equipment were provided to you.
[ ] Visit with Xue Wei. She's gone through a lot these past few days.
[ ] Write a letter to the Snow family. Learn a little about your future husband, and impress the Snow family. (Princess Path. You can be an expert with blades and ladyish things both!)
[ ] Find out if Park Quan is free for a spar. (Prince Path. You don't care if anyone thinks you're unladylike, the Blade leads ever forward!)
[ ] Visit with Xue Chi. How will he handle the job of Managing the Family budget?
[ ] Visit with Xue Tuan.
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