The Path Unending (A Cultivation Quest)
- Thread starter Vesvius
- Start date
- Original
[X] North and east, through the southern portion of the Forest of Pearls. It will not be a fast journey, but it will bring us into contact with several settlements that would otherwise be neglected by the Grand Examination.
- Location
- United States of America
The City of Ynomrah
A woman stood at the edge of a large cavern. Tall and willowy, with jet black hair that cascaded down to the middle of her back in waves. Her face was thin and gaunt, but the sunken eyes blazed yellowish-orange like the coming dawn. As those eyes peered into the darkness that filled the cavern, anam began to churn within them. Darkness fled those eyes, seeking any escape from the truth that burned within. But it was futile. Nothing had ever escaped from her eyes. As Qishi finished the technique, a soft light filled the cavern, hugging the contours of the cave and flowing into every divot within the floor. What it did not touch was a sphere, the size of a small room, that was floating in the middle of the underground cavity.
Unnaturally black, the sphere seemed to pulse and flex to a rhythm. A slow and ponderous rhythm, suited for a dirge. Approaching, Qishi noted rune work engraved upon the floor which encircled the space below the floating sphere. Complicated and intricate, each rune seemed to effortlessly conduct anam somewhere else. Somewhere her eyes couldn't see. Circling carefully around the sphere, Qishi observed each of the thousands of runes in the array. All of them were working. All but one.
One small rune was dead and lifeless, charred and warped, making it distinctly unlike any of the other runes surrounding the sphere. Qishi glared at it, willing it to be a mere trick of the lighting, a mirage brought about by tiredness. She knew it wasn't.
"Well shit," Qishi said to the empty room.
Then she turned and left, her quick clip breaking out into a run as she hurried to inform her Elder. Behind, the cavern dimmed as the technique ran its course, letting oppressive darkness return, hiding the black sphere and its rhythm.
"That is… unfortunate tidings Disciple Qishi," said Elder Eryu, tapping her nails on the polished wooden desk. Dressed in their typical black and white robes, Elder Eryu had the bearing of nobility, grace, and elegance. Their brilliantly white hair is done in an elaborate hairdo with a single purple chrysanthemum nestled to one side. Control exuded from them, such that the only visible reaction when Qishi brought the news of disaster was a raised eyebrow.
"Unfortunate, Elder? Given the gravity of the instructions provided to me, it was my impression that any deviation I found within the array would be catastrophic."
"Potentially catastrophic, Qishi. You would know if it was truly a disaster. Likely, you would not have been able to reach me with the news before perishing had the array failed its purpose."
"That purpose being…?"
Elder Eryu ignored the question, simply continuing to tap the desk, as she had with every question relating to what, exactly, was inside the cave, what the array actually did, or what the sphere was. Sighing, Qishi rocked back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling.
"Alright," Qishi continued. "If there is nothing else for me to do regarding this task, Elder, I would beg your leave to continue my studies and cultivation."
"Alas, I do have something for you to do," Elder Eryu said with a slight sigh. "The timing of this defect in the array is unfortunate. Unfortunate enough that I will be requiring you to journey outside of the Sect to secure the tools and knowledge needed to repair the array."
"I'm sorry, Elder, but you want me to repair the array?"
"No. I will be securing the person who will be repairing the array. But you must acquire for me the knowledge and tools that I will be providing said individual."
"Is there someplace specifically I should begin my search?"
"Yes," Elder Eryu said as a book suddenly appeared in their hands. Bound in red leather with a silvery title which read 'Legends Hidden Beneath Fractured Reflections by Kong Zhi.' As Elder Eryu opened the book and began to read it, Qishi saw that the book was comprised of pitch-black pages with words written in the same silvery ink as the title.
"So that is how to reach it now," Elder Eryu continued with a sharp nod as the book disappeared from her hand. "Your task is this, Disciple Qishi. Reach the City of Ynomrah. Within, acquire the tools and diagrams needed to repair the Deafened World Creation Array. Then return to me posthaste."
"I… haven't heard of Ynomrah," Qishi began as she racked her brain. "Can you point me in the correct direction to reach it?"
"Of course you haven't heard of it. There may be four living persons who know the City of Ynomrah exists. Well, five now including yourself. Travel Southwest following the Brightmaples until they reach the sea, between Sevenfold Cove to the south and Twelve Fields to the north. There will be a small unnamed fishing village there. Once you reach the village, find the oldest fisherman residing in the village and request to be taken out on his boat at the daybreak of night. He'll hem and haw, but he'll show you the way to Ynomrah."
Standing up, Qishi stretched her arms up, before letting them drop back down to her sides. "As you wish. I'll return with the needed diagrams and tools."
Leaning over a cliff face, Qishi saw the fishing village her elder was talking about. A ramshackle place, with buildings seemingly teetering on the edge of collapsing. Yet the women of the village were outside repairing nets or gutting the most recently caught fish. Men, meanwhile, were dragging the boats up the sandy beach to inspect them for wear and tear. A flex of anam had Qishi appearing at the edge of the village in a flash of light. Approaching an elderly woman who was working on a net, she gently cleared her throat.
"Eh," the older woman exclaimed as she turned around. "Who are you? How did you get here?"
"I am Qishi," she began as a bronze talent appeared in her fingers, "and I would like to speak to the oldest fisherman in the village." Grabbing the older woman's hands, Qishi pressed the talent into the palm. "You wouldn't know where he would be, would you?"
The woman frowned at the bronze talent, before pocketing the money. "Ey, I know. You'll find Old Man Shijian in the second shack from the north, right at the edge of the water."
"Thank you," Qishi said with a smile and bow, "I'll leave you to your work."
Muttering something about strangers, the older woman did turn away and began to work again on the nets. Shrugging, Qishi began to walk north, weaving between curious villagers and broken homes until she reached her destination. A particularly prime example of poor carpentry, Qishi knocked carefully in case any disturbance would cause the whole building to collapse. A few moments of shuffling inside the house later and an ancient man opened the door. Stooped with age, with wrinkles upon wrinkles and a right eye rheumy with age, the man looked as if a single bad day would end his life.
"Whatcha want girl? I was sleeping!"
"I would like to be taken out on your boat at the daybreak of night."
Tilting his head, Old Man Shijian looked her up and down. "Not a Kong, are ya?"
"No, sir, I'm not a Kong."
"Then I ain't helping ya," the man wheezed out before trying to close the door on Qishi's face. Only to find her hand preventing the door from moving with ease.
"I insist."
"I only take Kongs on my boat at the daybreak of night. Or Eryu I suppose. But she doesn't have the time to visit. Too busy she says. Good riddance, a frightful woman she is."
Grinning, Qishi leaned in close. "I'll be sure to inform Elder Eryu of that sentiment when I return."
Old Man Shijian gave her another once over. "Shit," he said. "You're one of Eryu's dogs, ain'tcha?"
"I prefer the term disciple."
"Dog, disciple, not a difference to Eryu I suppose. Well, if one of Eryu's hounds comes along asking for a ride on my boat I suppose I should let them ride. Don't want to end up like that poor pig, do I?"
"So," Qishi said, "will you help me?"
"Yes, yes. Come back at midnight, and I'll take you along on my boat. Just don't blame me if you drop off the sides into the drink."
Nodding, Qishi released her hold of the door and then sat cross-legged on the sand just outside Old Man Shijian's door. Sighing, he closed the door and shuffled back inside. Slowly day passed and night came. Finally, the door opened again and Old Man Shijian appeared, carrying two long poles with torches on an end.
"It's time, girl. Get up and move or I ain't taking ya."
Rising up and dusting sand off her robes, Qishi smiled at the man. "Thank you, sir, for allowing me to ride on your boat."
"I don't have a boat, girl. We'll be walking."
A bit nonplussed, Qishi followed the man as he walked a bit down the beach until they were just outside of the village. Glancing at the cliffs above, Old Man Shijian nodded affirmatively and then drove the poles into the earth about the width of two men apart. A spark of flint and steel and the torches began to blaze a strange grey color, causing the ocean to take on a peculiar color.
"Follow me," the man said gruffly, and then he turned to begin walking directly into the sea.
She followed until the man took a step too far into the ocean and his head disappeared beneath the waves. A flash of panic coursed through her gut as she whipped her arm forward to pick the man up out of the water.
"What the hell are you doing old man? Trying to kill yourself?"
The old man just rolled his kneck as he dangled by his clothes. "Ya want to get to Ynomrah, right? Well, this is the way there. It's safe. Unless ya stupid enough to step off the path. Now let me down, night is burning."
Setting him down gently, Qishi watched as he began to walk into the sea again. This time as the sea swallowed him, she followed. A quick check found that she could breathe under the sea just as easily as above, and as her eyes peered ahead, she saw grey flames dancing in parallel beneath the waves. Always going further out and deeper in. Carefully she followed the man as he walked a path between the flames. Her heart almost gave out again when he stepped out from an underwater cliff, but it seemed the very water prevented him from sinking. Like a staircase of invisible force.
Down, they descended, deeper into the dark of the ocean. The guiding flames were now on rising pillars of glassy water instead of resting on the sand. The sea bed couldn't even be seen. After passing a flame, she flicked her fingers and had a small metal ball appear in her hand. A quick flick and the ball was thrown to the side where she watched it drop nauseatingly fast into the deep. Other than that excitement, though, it was a terribly long journey. As with all journeys, however, it did come to an end. Finally.
Stretching out before Qishi was a black and rocky seabed. But what took all of her attention was the city that occupied the underwater plain. Rising walls of scintillating light obscured the lower levels of the city, but towers and palaces rose above those walls regularly. There was… a strange sense of familiarity with what she could see. Taking a breath to steady herself, she followed the sense of familiarity in her memories until she realized what was causing it. The city before her looked exactly like Harmony if colored differently. But the walls were the same height, the towers were all located in the same places. Now that she knew to look for it, the whole city was uncannily similar.
Approaching the walls, while making sure to remain on the path outlined by the grey flames, Qishi began to run through the possible information she should share to secure assistance. And where to begin her search. If this place was modeled after Harmony, then starting at one of the archives could work. But all of her plans fled her mind like smoke from a fire as she stood before the gates of Ynomrah. Two guards stood there, in armor that shifted in form and substance erratically, even as their spears remained. Both bowed to her and ushered her in.
"Welcome, Qishi, Disciple of Eryu, Seeker of Truth. Welcome to the pin where possibilities meet. Welcome to Ynomrah, the Reflected City."
Deafened World Creation Array (Array)
Defender Charm ??? (Creation, Darkness, Night, Dream, Sleep)
Power seeps through the world, in trickles and in torrents. There are some things that drink deeply of power, warping the body, the mind, and the soul in doing so. Most of these abominations can be killed, albeit at great cost. Few can not. But they can be contained. For this prison cares not for the strength of will, for the cunning intelligence, or for the mightiest of power.
Ynomrah, the Reflected City (City)
Traveler Charm ??? (Time)
At the sea's bottom rests the great city Ynomrah. And within its walls, all possibilities are made real, and all possibilities are unmade. It is a reflection of every city ever built, but only a reflection of the greatest city the visitor has ever seen. For as Ynomrah rests at the crossroads of the possible, it is also the pin that makes a crossroads possible at all. Rejoice at what could be, weep at what could have been.
A/N: Another omake for the omake throne! I hope you all enjoy the read. Bonus internet cookies if you can figure out what series inspired this omake!
A woman stood at the edge of a large cavern. Tall and willowy, with jet black hair that cascaded down to the middle of her back in waves. Her face was thin and gaunt, but the sunken eyes blazed yellowish-orange like the coming dawn. As those eyes peered into the darkness that filled the cavern, anam began to churn within them. Darkness fled those eyes, seeking any escape from the truth that burned within. But it was futile. Nothing had ever escaped from her eyes. As Qishi finished the technique, a soft light filled the cavern, hugging the contours of the cave and flowing into every divot within the floor. What it did not touch was a sphere, the size of a small room, that was floating in the middle of the underground cavity.
Unnaturally black, the sphere seemed to pulse and flex to a rhythm. A slow and ponderous rhythm, suited for a dirge. Approaching, Qishi noted rune work engraved upon the floor which encircled the space below the floating sphere. Complicated and intricate, each rune seemed to effortlessly conduct anam somewhere else. Somewhere her eyes couldn't see. Circling carefully around the sphere, Qishi observed each of the thousands of runes in the array. All of them were working. All but one.
One small rune was dead and lifeless, charred and warped, making it distinctly unlike any of the other runes surrounding the sphere. Qishi glared at it, willing it to be a mere trick of the lighting, a mirage brought about by tiredness. She knew it wasn't.
"Well shit," Qishi said to the empty room.
Then she turned and left, her quick clip breaking out into a run as she hurried to inform her Elder. Behind, the cavern dimmed as the technique ran its course, letting oppressive darkness return, hiding the black sphere and its rhythm.
-----
"That is… unfortunate tidings Disciple Qishi," said Elder Eryu, tapping her nails on the polished wooden desk. Dressed in their typical black and white robes, Elder Eryu had the bearing of nobility, grace, and elegance. Their brilliantly white hair is done in an elaborate hairdo with a single purple chrysanthemum nestled to one side. Control exuded from them, such that the only visible reaction when Qishi brought the news of disaster was a raised eyebrow.
"Unfortunate, Elder? Given the gravity of the instructions provided to me, it was my impression that any deviation I found within the array would be catastrophic."
"Potentially catastrophic, Qishi. You would know if it was truly a disaster. Likely, you would not have been able to reach me with the news before perishing had the array failed its purpose."
"That purpose being…?"
Elder Eryu ignored the question, simply continuing to tap the desk, as she had with every question relating to what, exactly, was inside the cave, what the array actually did, or what the sphere was. Sighing, Qishi rocked back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling.
"Alright," Qishi continued. "If there is nothing else for me to do regarding this task, Elder, I would beg your leave to continue my studies and cultivation."
"Alas, I do have something for you to do," Elder Eryu said with a slight sigh. "The timing of this defect in the array is unfortunate. Unfortunate enough that I will be requiring you to journey outside of the Sect to secure the tools and knowledge needed to repair the array."
"I'm sorry, Elder, but you want me to repair the array?"
"No. I will be securing the person who will be repairing the array. But you must acquire for me the knowledge and tools that I will be providing said individual."
"Is there someplace specifically I should begin my search?"
"Yes," Elder Eryu said as a book suddenly appeared in their hands. Bound in red leather with a silvery title which read 'Legends Hidden Beneath Fractured Reflections by Kong Zhi.' As Elder Eryu opened the book and began to read it, Qishi saw that the book was comprised of pitch-black pages with words written in the same silvery ink as the title.
"So that is how to reach it now," Elder Eryu continued with a sharp nod as the book disappeared from her hand. "Your task is this, Disciple Qishi. Reach the City of Ynomrah. Within, acquire the tools and diagrams needed to repair the Deafened World Creation Array. Then return to me posthaste."
"I… haven't heard of Ynomrah," Qishi began as she racked her brain. "Can you point me in the correct direction to reach it?"
"Of course you haven't heard of it. There may be four living persons who know the City of Ynomrah exists. Well, five now including yourself. Travel Southwest following the Brightmaples until they reach the sea, between Sevenfold Cove to the south and Twelve Fields to the north. There will be a small unnamed fishing village there. Once you reach the village, find the oldest fisherman residing in the village and request to be taken out on his boat at the daybreak of night. He'll hem and haw, but he'll show you the way to Ynomrah."
Standing up, Qishi stretched her arms up, before letting them drop back down to her sides. "As you wish. I'll return with the needed diagrams and tools."
-----
Leaning over a cliff face, Qishi saw the fishing village her elder was talking about. A ramshackle place, with buildings seemingly teetering on the edge of collapsing. Yet the women of the village were outside repairing nets or gutting the most recently caught fish. Men, meanwhile, were dragging the boats up the sandy beach to inspect them for wear and tear. A flex of anam had Qishi appearing at the edge of the village in a flash of light. Approaching an elderly woman who was working on a net, she gently cleared her throat.
"Eh," the older woman exclaimed as she turned around. "Who are you? How did you get here?"
"I am Qishi," she began as a bronze talent appeared in her fingers, "and I would like to speak to the oldest fisherman in the village." Grabbing the older woman's hands, Qishi pressed the talent into the palm. "You wouldn't know where he would be, would you?"
The woman frowned at the bronze talent, before pocketing the money. "Ey, I know. You'll find Old Man Shijian in the second shack from the north, right at the edge of the water."
"Thank you," Qishi said with a smile and bow, "I'll leave you to your work."
Muttering something about strangers, the older woman did turn away and began to work again on the nets. Shrugging, Qishi began to walk north, weaving between curious villagers and broken homes until she reached her destination. A particularly prime example of poor carpentry, Qishi knocked carefully in case any disturbance would cause the whole building to collapse. A few moments of shuffling inside the house later and an ancient man opened the door. Stooped with age, with wrinkles upon wrinkles and a right eye rheumy with age, the man looked as if a single bad day would end his life.
"Whatcha want girl? I was sleeping!"
"I would like to be taken out on your boat at the daybreak of night."
Tilting his head, Old Man Shijian looked her up and down. "Not a Kong, are ya?"
"No, sir, I'm not a Kong."
"Then I ain't helping ya," the man wheezed out before trying to close the door on Qishi's face. Only to find her hand preventing the door from moving with ease.
"I insist."
"I only take Kongs on my boat at the daybreak of night. Or Eryu I suppose. But she doesn't have the time to visit. Too busy she says. Good riddance, a frightful woman she is."
Grinning, Qishi leaned in close. "I'll be sure to inform Elder Eryu of that sentiment when I return."
Old Man Shijian gave her another once over. "Shit," he said. "You're one of Eryu's dogs, ain'tcha?"
"I prefer the term disciple."
"Dog, disciple, not a difference to Eryu I suppose. Well, if one of Eryu's hounds comes along asking for a ride on my boat I suppose I should let them ride. Don't want to end up like that poor pig, do I?"
"So," Qishi said, "will you help me?"
"Yes, yes. Come back at midnight, and I'll take you along on my boat. Just don't blame me if you drop off the sides into the drink."
Nodding, Qishi released her hold of the door and then sat cross-legged on the sand just outside Old Man Shijian's door. Sighing, he closed the door and shuffled back inside. Slowly day passed and night came. Finally, the door opened again and Old Man Shijian appeared, carrying two long poles with torches on an end.
"It's time, girl. Get up and move or I ain't taking ya."
Rising up and dusting sand off her robes, Qishi smiled at the man. "Thank you, sir, for allowing me to ride on your boat."
"I don't have a boat, girl. We'll be walking."
A bit nonplussed, Qishi followed the man as he walked a bit down the beach until they were just outside of the village. Glancing at the cliffs above, Old Man Shijian nodded affirmatively and then drove the poles into the earth about the width of two men apart. A spark of flint and steel and the torches began to blaze a strange grey color, causing the ocean to take on a peculiar color.
"Follow me," the man said gruffly, and then he turned to begin walking directly into the sea.
She followed until the man took a step too far into the ocean and his head disappeared beneath the waves. A flash of panic coursed through her gut as she whipped her arm forward to pick the man up out of the water.
"What the hell are you doing old man? Trying to kill yourself?"
The old man just rolled his kneck as he dangled by his clothes. "Ya want to get to Ynomrah, right? Well, this is the way there. It's safe. Unless ya stupid enough to step off the path. Now let me down, night is burning."
Setting him down gently, Qishi watched as he began to walk into the sea again. This time as the sea swallowed him, she followed. A quick check found that she could breathe under the sea just as easily as above, and as her eyes peered ahead, she saw grey flames dancing in parallel beneath the waves. Always going further out and deeper in. Carefully she followed the man as he walked a path between the flames. Her heart almost gave out again when he stepped out from an underwater cliff, but it seemed the very water prevented him from sinking. Like a staircase of invisible force.
Down, they descended, deeper into the dark of the ocean. The guiding flames were now on rising pillars of glassy water instead of resting on the sand. The sea bed couldn't even be seen. After passing a flame, she flicked her fingers and had a small metal ball appear in her hand. A quick flick and the ball was thrown to the side where she watched it drop nauseatingly fast into the deep. Other than that excitement, though, it was a terribly long journey. As with all journeys, however, it did come to an end. Finally.
Stretching out before Qishi was a black and rocky seabed. But what took all of her attention was the city that occupied the underwater plain. Rising walls of scintillating light obscured the lower levels of the city, but towers and palaces rose above those walls regularly. There was… a strange sense of familiarity with what she could see. Taking a breath to steady herself, she followed the sense of familiarity in her memories until she realized what was causing it. The city before her looked exactly like Harmony if colored differently. But the walls were the same height, the towers were all located in the same places. Now that she knew to look for it, the whole city was uncannily similar.
Approaching the walls, while making sure to remain on the path outlined by the grey flames, Qishi began to run through the possible information she should share to secure assistance. And where to begin her search. If this place was modeled after Harmony, then starting at one of the archives could work. But all of her plans fled her mind like smoke from a fire as she stood before the gates of Ynomrah. Two guards stood there, in armor that shifted in form and substance erratically, even as their spears remained. Both bowed to her and ushered her in.
"Welcome, Qishi, Disciple of Eryu, Seeker of Truth. Welcome to the pin where possibilities meet. Welcome to Ynomrah, the Reflected City."
Deafened World Creation Array (Array)
Defender Charm ??? (Creation, Darkness, Night, Dream, Sleep)
Power seeps through the world, in trickles and in torrents. There are some things that drink deeply of power, warping the body, the mind, and the soul in doing so. Most of these abominations can be killed, albeit at great cost. Few can not. But they can be contained. For this prison cares not for the strength of will, for the cunning intelligence, or for the mightiest of power.
Ynomrah, the Reflected City (City)
Traveler Charm ??? (Time)
At the sea's bottom rests the great city Ynomrah. And within its walls, all possibilities are made real, and all possibilities are unmade. It is a reflection of every city ever built, but only a reflection of the greatest city the visitor has ever seen. For as Ynomrah rests at the crossroads of the possible, it is also the pin that makes a crossroads possible at all. Rejoice at what could be, weep at what could have been.
A/N: Another omake for the omake throne! I hope you all enjoy the read. Bonus internet cookies if you can figure out what series inspired this omake!
[X] North and east, through the southern portion of the Forest of Pearls. It will not be a fast journey, but it will bring us into contact with several settlements that would otherwise be neglected by the Grand Examination.
I'd love to go east, but considering that we are already a bit behind schedule this is probably the best compromise.
I'd love to go east, but considering that we are already a bit behind schedule this is probably the best compromise.
NuclearConsensus
Herald of the Thorned One
- Location
- the Philippines
[X] North and east, through the southern portion of the Forest of Pearls. It will not be a fast journey, but it will bring us into contact with several settlements that would otherwise be neglected by the Grand Examination.
Vote closed
Foxy Boxes
[Verified Box]
- Location
- England
Eurgh is all I'll say to that.
Sure, I'm entirely confident Vesvius will make it interesting, but really? This is what we chose to focus him on? This isn't - nay, can't be - another venture into the Deeps, given the testers presence and purpose, so we're now roaming from village to village, on an escort quest, on demonback.
Again, I trust Vesvius to make "I pick my nose instead" interesting, it's just... Not the section of world building that's deep and juicy to me.
What can say, I don't like speedrunning things that I enjoy.
CedeTheBees
Probably high right now
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- They/Them
The Grand Examination is supposed to make sure the empire is as thoroughly sweeped as possible.
- Pronouns
- He/It/Argh!
Presumably another Tester would be covering those villages if this one wasn't though.
CedeTheBees
Probably high right now
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- They/Them
It says they'd get ignored in the vote option
Maybe some settlements will be overrun by Vestiges, Spirit Beasts or Kukuni? There could also be a bandit chief terrorizing the locals.
If nothing exciting happens, I guess that part if the trip will be over in fewer updates.
Basically, the three options were: more time at a city, encounters with weird critters and environmental hazards, or encounters with people. The thread chose "encounters with people", probably mostly because the reference to villages that might be neglected, but also probably because it's a change of pace from the last time where we went with wilderness encounters. Now we're having people encounters. Should be fun.
- Location
- Vermont
We had one people encounter with the farmers! Zhuan Kun traumatized them, Mei Daiyu effortlessly charmed them, they both spent the entire time arguing, and we awkwardly did everything important! And now we're going to speak with people younger than us!
And it was amazing fun!
And older, too! There will be some folks who weren't tested at the age they should have been, and will be going to sect a bit later in life than expected.
Honestly, we might be going to settlements that haven't had a visit from the imperial tax collection agency for years, and might not be too happy to see us. Entire villages of xianxia hillbillies!
- Location
- United States of America
Legends of the stern fighter, the beautiful lady, and the strange ruby-skinned brassed hair being will be passed down in these villages for generations!
Just binged this quest and have finished. Happy to be a part of this great quest.
Wistways
You friendly neighborhood artist
- Location
- Australia
Welcome!!!
Can I ask (because I'm nosy) did you have a favorite part? Or favorite character?
- Location
- United States of America
In the Future, Our Fight will be Legendary
Staring in horror at the shattered space above the door of his school, De Leike fell to his knees, absently dropping the loaves of bread he had bought earlier that day. Where just this morning the proud sign of the Elegant Drake School had hung, now only a gaping void remained. A passerby clapped him on the shoulder sympathetically but then continued on with his day. This… this was unacceptable! Who had committed this travesty! Who had allowed this shame to their school! Standing up as anger coursed through his veins, De Leike grabbed the fallen loaves of bread from the ground and slammed open the door to his school. Looking about he could see his fellow disciples cringing away from the sound, like a kicked duck.
"What happened here!"
"Senior Brother Leike," one of his juniors said while stepping forward. "A monster in the guise of a man sought to challenge the honor of our school while you were out buying the traditional bread. He exclaimed that if we did not fight, he would take our school's sign, and if we lost the fight he would take the sign. We tried to reason with him, but he would not be swayed from his course. So we fought, and we lost."
"We lost! We are the Elegant Drake School! We do not simply lose to random ruffians from off the street! What was the name of this man who sought to impinge upon our honor!"
"Zhuan Kun, Eighth Circle of the Delving Heart, core of the Impact Evergrowing."
"Unacceptable! Junior Sister Hu, sprint to the archives and begin searching for any records of this Zhuan Kun from the Delving Heart. Junior Brother Chitang, make haste to the city gates and find which one this Zhuan Kun entered from and how many times he has been in this city."
There was a shuffling of feet and glances between his fellow disciples, but the two he singled out did not heed his words.
"Well!" De Leike shouted out. "Get to it! If we are to redeem ourselves in the eyes of heaven we must first know our enemy!"
"Senior Brother," one of the other juniors said with a trembling voice, "would it not be better to shrug off this insult, like water slipping off the feathers of a duck, and build another sign?"
Ahh… so it was cowardice that stayed his juniors' hands. Cowardice clogged up the flowing of righteous anger.
"Is that so," De Leike said softly as he approached the junior in question. "Consider this, however. If insults are like water, then a duck will dive into the insults and snatch whatever it desires from the insult's depths. The duck dominates water and proves itself king over its depths, just like we, as disciples of the duck, must dominate any who insult us and put ourselves over them like kings. To do anything less…," he stopped his speech, grabbing the junior brother by the hair and plunging a punch backed with the strength of a duck's kick into their stomach, "is cowardice and unworthy of our school."
Kneeling down next to the retching junior, De Leike continued, "It seems that your understanding of the sublime beauty of the duck is lacking, which explains your lack of strength to fend off the honorless cur Zhuan Kun. Contemplate the majesty of the duck as you clean the beaches of our school's pond, making sure that you collect every single feather graciously left by our friends."
Standing and turning towards the other disciples, he raised an eyebrow. "I believe some of you have been given instructions. Unless you wish I test your comprehension of a duck's perfection, I believe you should begin to fulfill them." The two juniors he had singled out earlier lept to action at his words, dashing out into Mockingjay.
"Now… where is Master Ya? I must discuss with him the measures we shall take to rectify the insult levied upon us."
"Master Ya…," a junior hesitantly began before sighing. "Master Ya has been shamed by our performance and has entered closed-door cultivation."
"What you actually mean," De Leike said with a groan, "is that Master Ya is swimming with the ducks right now."
"...yes."
"Fine, I'll go and see what plans the master has."
Leaving the crowd of juniors in the entryway, De Leike walked with his head held high towards the natural wonder their school had been founded upon. It was enclosed in an open-air section of their school, allowing the free travel of the sublime duck, and was the most peerless natural wonder in all of Mockingjay. Not because of potency, there were many more potent natural wonders after all, or in ease of use, but because it had the ever rare and sublime anam of the duck. The most powerful and majestic version of beast anam that graced the tripart world. It was the perfect pond for ducks to make their home and thrive. Calm, peaceful, tranquil, with reeds growing on the bank to obscure the ducks as they went about their business.
Upon reaching the wonder, he spotted his venerable master paddling in his duck form with other ducks which made this pond their home. Activating one of his most treasured techniques, De Leike simply glided across the water with his feet, as a duck would upon their belly. Upon reaching the group of ducks his master was swimming with, he bent down and picked up his master by the wings to bring him face to face.
"Please Master Ya, I need to speak to you about the insult levied upon us by the cur Zhuan Kun. I know we have shamed you in our lack of strength, but already I have been formulating plans to return our honor. Return back to your original form so that I may seek your guidance on how we should move forward in our vengeance."
His master simply quacked at him indignantly while trying to peck at his hands.
"Senior Brother De," called out one of his juniors on the bank. "That's not Master Ya!"
Looking back at the regular duck held in his hands, De Leike lowered it back down into the water gently, uttering a soft apology as it quaked at him. Glancing around, he spotted another duck trying to make a break for some well-placed reeds where it would be hidden. Gliding over to that duck, he picked it up by the wings. This time, he got a response of an old man yelling from a duck's bill.
"Please, Master Ya," De Leike began again, "I need to speak to you. Would you return to your original form so that we may discuss the insult levied upon us?"
"Contemplate the duck!" Master Ya quacked, "That is the road we must traverse to recover from this insult. None of my disciples seem to truly understand the duck and its beauty! If they did, this shame would not have occurred!"
"Of course, Master Ya, but is there any firm guidance on how you wish us to proceed?"
"NO! Contemplate the duck you fool! Now put me down so I can continue my own contemplations!"
"As you wish Master Ya."
Placing his master back into the water, De Leike glided back to the beach where the junior disciples had followed him. It was just as well, for there needed to be much reform in the school if they had a hope of rising one of their own to strike down the cur Zhuan Kun.
"You all have heard the master," De Leike began. "So we shall begin our revenge by contemplating the duck, then once our juniors return from the gates and archives, we will begin a series of reforms in training so that we are strong enough to enact our vengeance!"
A/N: A bit about some possible ramifications of Zhuan Kun's rampage through Mockingjay, especially for the honorable school of the Elegant Drake. I hope you had just as much fun reading this silly idea as I had in writing it!
Staring in horror at the shattered space above the door of his school, De Leike fell to his knees, absently dropping the loaves of bread he had bought earlier that day. Where just this morning the proud sign of the Elegant Drake School had hung, now only a gaping void remained. A passerby clapped him on the shoulder sympathetically but then continued on with his day. This… this was unacceptable! Who had committed this travesty! Who had allowed this shame to their school! Standing up as anger coursed through his veins, De Leike grabbed the fallen loaves of bread from the ground and slammed open the door to his school. Looking about he could see his fellow disciples cringing away from the sound, like a kicked duck.
"What happened here!"
"Senior Brother Leike," one of his juniors said while stepping forward. "A monster in the guise of a man sought to challenge the honor of our school while you were out buying the traditional bread. He exclaimed that if we did not fight, he would take our school's sign, and if we lost the fight he would take the sign. We tried to reason with him, but he would not be swayed from his course. So we fought, and we lost."
"We lost! We are the Elegant Drake School! We do not simply lose to random ruffians from off the street! What was the name of this man who sought to impinge upon our honor!"
"Zhuan Kun, Eighth Circle of the Delving Heart, core of the Impact Evergrowing."
"Unacceptable! Junior Sister Hu, sprint to the archives and begin searching for any records of this Zhuan Kun from the Delving Heart. Junior Brother Chitang, make haste to the city gates and find which one this Zhuan Kun entered from and how many times he has been in this city."
There was a shuffling of feet and glances between his fellow disciples, but the two he singled out did not heed his words.
"Well!" De Leike shouted out. "Get to it! If we are to redeem ourselves in the eyes of heaven we must first know our enemy!"
"Senior Brother," one of the other juniors said with a trembling voice, "would it not be better to shrug off this insult, like water slipping off the feathers of a duck, and build another sign?"
Ahh… so it was cowardice that stayed his juniors' hands. Cowardice clogged up the flowing of righteous anger.
"Is that so," De Leike said softly as he approached the junior in question. "Consider this, however. If insults are like water, then a duck will dive into the insults and snatch whatever it desires from the insult's depths. The duck dominates water and proves itself king over its depths, just like we, as disciples of the duck, must dominate any who insult us and put ourselves over them like kings. To do anything less…," he stopped his speech, grabbing the junior brother by the hair and plunging a punch backed with the strength of a duck's kick into their stomach, "is cowardice and unworthy of our school."
Kneeling down next to the retching junior, De Leike continued, "It seems that your understanding of the sublime beauty of the duck is lacking, which explains your lack of strength to fend off the honorless cur Zhuan Kun. Contemplate the majesty of the duck as you clean the beaches of our school's pond, making sure that you collect every single feather graciously left by our friends."
Standing and turning towards the other disciples, he raised an eyebrow. "I believe some of you have been given instructions. Unless you wish I test your comprehension of a duck's perfection, I believe you should begin to fulfill them." The two juniors he had singled out earlier lept to action at his words, dashing out into Mockingjay.
"Now… where is Master Ya? I must discuss with him the measures we shall take to rectify the insult levied upon us."
"Master Ya…," a junior hesitantly began before sighing. "Master Ya has been shamed by our performance and has entered closed-door cultivation."
"What you actually mean," De Leike said with a groan, "is that Master Ya is swimming with the ducks right now."
"...yes."
"Fine, I'll go and see what plans the master has."
Leaving the crowd of juniors in the entryway, De Leike walked with his head held high towards the natural wonder their school had been founded upon. It was enclosed in an open-air section of their school, allowing the free travel of the sublime duck, and was the most peerless natural wonder in all of Mockingjay. Not because of potency, there were many more potent natural wonders after all, or in ease of use, but because it had the ever rare and sublime anam of the duck. The most powerful and majestic version of beast anam that graced the tripart world. It was the perfect pond for ducks to make their home and thrive. Calm, peaceful, tranquil, with reeds growing on the bank to obscure the ducks as they went about their business.
Upon reaching the wonder, he spotted his venerable master paddling in his duck form with other ducks which made this pond their home. Activating one of his most treasured techniques, De Leike simply glided across the water with his feet, as a duck would upon their belly. Upon reaching the group of ducks his master was swimming with, he bent down and picked up his master by the wings to bring him face to face.
"Please Master Ya, I need to speak to you about the insult levied upon us by the cur Zhuan Kun. I know we have shamed you in our lack of strength, but already I have been formulating plans to return our honor. Return back to your original form so that I may seek your guidance on how we should move forward in our vengeance."
His master simply quacked at him indignantly while trying to peck at his hands.
"Senior Brother De," called out one of his juniors on the bank. "That's not Master Ya!"
Looking back at the regular duck held in his hands, De Leike lowered it back down into the water gently, uttering a soft apology as it quaked at him. Glancing around, he spotted another duck trying to make a break for some well-placed reeds where it would be hidden. Gliding over to that duck, he picked it up by the wings. This time, he got a response of an old man yelling from a duck's bill.
"Please, Master Ya," De Leike began again, "I need to speak to you. Would you return to your original form so that we may discuss the insult levied upon us?"
"Contemplate the duck!" Master Ya quacked, "That is the road we must traverse to recover from this insult. None of my disciples seem to truly understand the duck and its beauty! If they did, this shame would not have occurred!"
"Of course, Master Ya, but is there any firm guidance on how you wish us to proceed?"
"NO! Contemplate the duck you fool! Now put me down so I can continue my own contemplations!"
"As you wish Master Ya."
Placing his master back into the water, De Leike glided back to the beach where the junior disciples had followed him. It was just as well, for there needed to be much reform in the school if they had a hope of rising one of their own to strike down the cur Zhuan Kun.
"You all have heard the master," De Leike began. "So we shall begin our revenge by contemplating the duck, then once our juniors return from the gates and archives, we will begin a series of reforms in training so that we are strong enough to enact our vengeance!"
A/N: A bit about some possible ramifications of Zhuan Kun's rampage through Mockingjay, especially for the honorable school of the Elegant Drake. I hope you had just as much fun reading this silly idea as I had in writing it!
- Pronouns
- He/It/Argh!
"Kong Zhi…," a Jai Fa hesitantly began before sighing. "Kong Zhi has had an insight into the wonders of the world and has entered closed-door cultivation."
"What you actually mean," Mei Daiyu said with a groan, "is that Kong Zhi is working on a charm right now."
- Location
- Yes
It's a truth universally acknowledged that a Kong in closed door cultivation is crafting a charm.