Because time punch cool? Also, we're eventually going to want to get all our techs to have time, smoke, or steel. The process has been described as being a significant part of the farmer's step. That said, getting too many techs to be time aspected could stretch the use of the second. Three techs with time seems a good start to me, and I liked time punch slightly more than I like time howl.
I was also swayed by the need to power up the tech.
Another reason given is that we will soon integrate Shatter the Mirror and could use another Time sink afterwards. Everdistant Flame is only going to use single digit numbers in the foreseeable future, and Zhi is going to channel roughly 20 per action.
Also, a lot of people just straight up think Time is cool and want to use it more.
My reasoning is that Time is in our core so there's a strong chance that more Time techs would actually give us a trait upon integration. They resonate with our build instead of having techs with too spread-out aspects. That, and the idea itself sounds really cool. I want to punch tigers into being trees.
I hope we get Wood Time and not Time War. I'd like for there to be something remaining of the Earthroot Ox in the technique and also trees are already pretty time coded as well.
I hope we get Wood Time and not Time War. I'd like for there to be something remaining of the Earthroot Ox in the technique and also trees are already pretty time coded as well.
While I can't speak for everyone, I can say that I voted to subject NAO to time shenanigans for narrative and mechanical reasons.
NAO is the advanced version of the very first anam technique that Kong Zhi learned. In fact, he developed it himself after working with Nokai to fight a spirit ox. It's been with him since before he became a soldier and developed his Core of the Forge Eternal. It has constantly been there as an option for a fight, and has served us well.
Narratively, I can see it as a reflection of Kong Zhi's journey. Drawing strength from others (wood/earth) to complete the Sigil trial. Drawing strength from being a caretaker (Wood/War), and finally drawing strength from being a herald (Wood/Time).
Mechanically, this gives NAO our core discount for learning and using it. Additionally, knowing what we know of the Farmer step, it seems likely we'll use techniques to help open channels between loci, and having NAO time aspected could be a strong help for that.
Also I want a new time technique to see what cool stuff Ves can come up with for a time punch technique.
Not that I recall. From him all I remember is that he said we weren't ready to learn about Time from him yet.
We have integrated one of the other aspects though.
Not that I recall. From him all I remember is that he said we weren't ready to learn about Time from him yet.
We have integrated one of the other aspects though.
I just want to be cautious. I remember when cycling Shatter The Mirror, how Zhi gained mental stress after meeting a worrying future version of himself. Also, Time in general seems a tad volatile, what with the constant change it seems to represent.
Time is volatile and dangerous and drives most users insane or to tragic ends due to cosmic forces and eldritch entities. but that's not something we can solve by the order we integrate our techs. We kind of just have to bite the bullet.
Core of the Forge Eternal:Kong Zhi has taken the Soldier's Step by forging a core of Steel, Smoke, and primarily Time in the very heart of his spirit. He now generates his own unaspected anam at a rate of 2 points per day (Empathy(Primary Attribute)/3). Time Techniques are 30% less expensive to learn and use. Steel Techniques are 10% less expensive to learn and use. Smoke Techniques are 10% less expensive to learn and use. Mist Techniques are 10% more expensive to learn and use. Lightning Techniques are 10% more expensive to learn and use.
I believe DiscordVes warned us not to carve our Time channels first (start with Smoke/Steel), but I don't think there was any warning about integration.
Integrating StM is going to be A Trip, but I don't think integration order will really help with that.
I believe DiscordVes warned us not to carve our Time channels first (start with Smoke/Steel), but I don't think there was any warning about integration.
My guess? Not treating Liren for the disease (or poisoning him). With an illness sweeping through town and not enough medicine to go around, the herbalist would have been presented with awful choices. Who do they save? I believe they chose not to save Liren and either gave them a placebo (under the guise of actual medicine) or attempted to poison him as a mercy (under the guise of medicine). The Kukuni took exception to that and destroyed the herbalist.
I mean, it's the local herbalist for a podunk town out in the boonies - odds are they're doing everything they can to treat illnesses, but treatment is not quite the same as cure. I'm imagining something like treating cancer with chemo where there's unpleasant side effects of stuff you're taking to treat the primary illness, or there's no actual cure but you can take something to mask the symptoms temporarily, or so on.
For my part, with the added context of the people being categorized as 'those who fought against the turning of the hours' as well as the kukuni's opinions regarding human sentiment/drama - I think what's being brought up are previous examples of people who realized there was something weird going on, and then did their best to solve things in a way that clashed with what the kukuni's goal for the day was.
So Liren is very sick, and the herbalist is doing their best to treat them (maybe just something temporary while the actual cure is being sent for from Twelve Fields), but one way or another every time they visit it engenders bad feelings in the household and the kukuni has to try again. Maybe the herbalist even figures out time is repeating, and figures the way to end the loop is to cure Liren - cue them throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks, going out into the forest to find new herbs to mix into new treatments, and so on. That seems to be the tack the kukuni took to get its desired end state, with the herbalist too busy out searching for something to use as a treatment to actually stop by the Liren household with whatever regular treatment they had been providing which engendered whatever drama the kukuni was trying to eliminate.
Have there been any ideas or strategies on how to counter a Perfection kukuni? The last update told us that by virtue of Kong Zhi retaining his memories and causing changes it's cost the kukuni a lot
With all the speed of a dead branch blowing in the breeze, the creature that is not Daiyu turns its flat gaze on me. "You have no idea how much your wild flailing has cost me," she murmurs. "You have no idea how much your very existence continues to cost me. Still, you linger, a stench that refuses to be washed away."
"To defeat a kukuni," Auntie Bi concludes, leaning forward to capture your gaze once more. "You must know of it. You must know of its origin, you must learn of its moment, and thus grow to understand its nature. Only then will you truly find the path to crush any kukuni."
Have there been any ideas or strategies on how to counter a Perfection kukuni? The last update told us that by virtue of Kong Zhi retaining his memories and causing changes it's cost the kukuni a lot
The first is to cause the Kukuni to lash out and expend more energy than it has, basically draining it of anam to the point where it can't keep the loop functioning or even itself conscious. This would almost assuredly break the loop, freeing everyone and leaving the Kukuni vulnerable to Daiyu and Kun. We... probably wouldn't survive, though. So let's put a pin in that idea and move on to other ones.
Another idea is overpowering the Kukuni itself. While... farfetched, I do think it is possible. Given just how strong this kukuni is, it should be well on the way to developing a body. We haven't seen any such body, which is weird. This tells me that the Kukuni is either hiding the body, or hasn't developed one at all. I find it much more likely that the kukuni is hiding the body. This kukuni is very strong and breaking many natural laws, for it to also be, by complete happenstance, also developing completely differently to other kukuni is, I think, a bridge too far. So why would the kukuni be hiding itself? Because the kukuni itself is not part of the "perfect day." It must exist outside of it, controlling it and looping it, but never a part of it.
So the body would be a fundamental part of the kukuni, something inside the loop, but something that can't participate in the loop. We find the body, and we break the body, and so break the kukuni. Putting all of our energy into a small vulnerable part of the kukuni can, I believe, do enough damage that the loop destabilizes and the kukuni loses its power. This is, of course, predicated on the belief that the kukuni has a body, and that we can find the body.
Third option - understanding the moment of the kukuni's creation. In some way, figuring this out will let us essentially unravel the kukuni, like pulling a loose thread on a sweater. We... don't have a lot of information to go on here though. We know it's possible through Aunt Bi, but how figuring out a kukuni's beginnings lets us crush them is unclear to me. We are getting close to figuring out the moment of its creation, however. The best evidence we have points to Liren and his daughter as being the focal points of the disaster. We also have a good clue that something the herbalist did so infuriated the kukuni that, early on in its existence, it wiped the person out of existence.
Regardless, I'm hopeful that investigating Liren's house will yield the last pieces of the puzzle and we can implement option 2 or option 3.
Another idea is overpowering the Kukuni itself. While... farfetched, I do think it is possible. Given just how strong this kukuni is, it should be well on the way to developing a body. We haven't seen any such body, which is weird. This tells me that the Kukuni is either hiding the body, or hasn't developed one at all. I find it much more likely that the kukuni is hiding the body. This kukuni is very strong and breaking many natural laws, for it to also be, by complete happenstance, also developing completely differently to other kukuni is, I think, a bridge too far. So why would the kukuni be hiding itself? Because the kukuni itself is not part of the "perfect day." It must exist outside of it, controlling it and looping it, but never a part of it.
I think this is a really strong possibility, not just because it would make sense to protect your body where the people you're messing with can't access, but because in-between the encounters with the kukuni, we heard...
Chui Dao. In this entire Perfect Day, we've only heard him right before and right after we faced this other kukuni. In-between being in those weird twisted memory-scenarios, and even then, very briefly. This doesn't make it clear what exactly is happening to Chui Dao, but it seems to me that whatever hides this enemy kukuni, probably hides Chui Dao as well.
I would bet that the next update will probably begin with a <ghi>.
And on that note, I think this other kukuni's body might not actually be that strong.
Zhuan Kun's analysis of its Garden of Beasts game suggest that it's actually rather inexperienced in life and that it only ever found a single way to 'win' repeatedly (presumably, using Time as a hammer on anything that looks like a nail). Between that and it being inexperienced enough in emotions that it was surprised at itself hating Zhi, I think it hasn't actually grown that much by repeating its Moment. It may be surprisingly frail.
So perhaps the win-condition is to reach the source of Time, and while we handle that (depriving it of its weapon), Chui Dao handles the kukuni. Chui Dao already has experience overpowering and then eating large chunks of the power of a kukuni much greater than itself - that was how his current shape came to be. It's quite possible that that could happen again.
Finding the Time anam source and making sure that the Kukuni can't use it to reset the day will be will be vital. Otherwise any attempt at killing it could get stopped in it's tracks, as soon as the Kukuni realizes what we are trying.
So perhaps the win-condition is to reach the source of Time, and while we handle that (depriving it of its weapon), Chui Dao handles the kukuni. Chui Dao already has experience overpowering and then eating large chunks of the power of a kukuni much greater than itself - that was how his current shape came to be. It's quite possible that that could happen again.
Letting Chui handle it is honestly a pretty good idea, the question is just how to replicate the circumstances that allowed Chui to steal the moment of the armory Kukuni. We would need to understand Chui' Dao's moment for that, which seems a bit difficult to accomplish right now.
My hope is that Fire/Time might be upgraded to Smoke/Time further down the road and that NaO+ upgrades into Steel/Time, since we're getting the Wood anam from a Wood/Steel wonder. That's likely beyond the scope of the quest though.
Zhi sees himself more as a Time Artist anyway, so not sure if it matters much.
I'm also quite curious if Zhi will learn more about Time when it's tied to such different anam types as Wood and Fire.
Not sure how to defeat the kukunk, but the area of perfection started from Liren's hut. Maybe making that area imperfect will harm it more than a random spot on the periphery? There must be some kind of tolerance at work because otherwise it'd freak out as soon as someone stepped on the perfect grass on the outskirts.
A/N: A big thanks to the 37 people who have pledged to me on Patreon! If you'd like to join them, you can do so here. Or, if you'd like to support me without the monthly commitment, you can buy me a cup of Ko-Fi here.
> [TECHNIQUE] Shatter the Mirror
> [TECHNIQUE] The Northern Auroch's Onslaught
> [APPROACH] Investigate the probable Source for this anomaly, Liyu's Home.
> [SMALL] Liyu's testing should be delayed or even prevented entirely. She may have anam already and could break the treasure.
> [SMALL] The Headsman's records indicate that the loop began during the reign of the Emperor in Flames when the Resolute March was encamped at Jingyi's Summit. Inquire with Zhuan if that rings any bells and if there were any other strange occurrences in the area around that time period.
> [SMALL] Describe Liyu to your companions, and have them assure her that things will be alright.
-------------------------- <-ghi!>
-a heavy hand falls on my shoulder. I snap to attention, pulling myself from the near stupor I'd fallen into while taking my most recent turn resting near the fire. I glance up to see Zhuan Kun standing above me, eyes scanning the tall grasses as they're slowly illuminated by the rising dawn. "Did you-" I begin.
But the words freeze in my throat as I'm overcome by pain.
+1 Mental Stress Box Filled!
Agony the likes of which I've never felt before stabs through me. Invisible knives carve torturous lines through my body, leaving no trace save a near-crippling pain. My spirit shivers under the same onslaught as it weathers some great storm that threatens to render my whole Path to nothing. White streaks flash before my eyes and I collapse, a muffled bellow erupting from between clenched teeth.
Daiyu is there instantly. She drops to one knee at my side as Kun straightens up, his eyes searching for the source of the attack. "What's happening, Zhi?" she asks. "What's going on-"
-stars flash before my eyes-
-I press my hand against the ground, forcing myself to one knee. The pain still shoots through me, but I push past it as best I can. "There's nothing that can be done," I murmur, voice tight. "Daiyu, look to the Horizon. Zhuan Kun, we need to speak on the Last Champion's Oath."
Moments later, Daiyu's eyes are as wide as mine. Zhuan Kun seems more befuddled than anything else. But there's no time for their confusion, I am more focused on my spirit and the changes that have been wrought within.
The first change is a bizarre one. The part of my spirit that houses my oldest technique has been gouged at, and the Northern Auroch's Onslaught is no longer the same. The heady tempo of War has been torn from the technique and replaced by the all-consuming march of Time.
That, in and of itself, is not strange- or, at least, not overly strange. I had expected something like this after what happened to Sear during the creature's last visit. The strange part is…
Technique Altered! The Northern Auroch's Onslaught -> ?????????? ????
The Northern Aurochs Onslaught (Strength 3)
Warrior Technique 2 (Wood 18, War 12) (18, 12 remaining)
Cost: 2 Anam
Current Phase: 5/8
Description: The Auroch is no longer content with simple blows. Now it charges forth, leaving naught but destruction in its wake. Kong Zhi takes the Auroch into his heart and moves ever-forward, launching ceaseless blows until they find their mark.
Blooming Spear of the Auroch (Strength 2)
Warrior Technique 2 (Wood 18, Earth 12)
Cost: 2 Anam
Current Phase: 5/5 (Fully Mastered)
Description: Taking inspiration from the horns of a mighty Earthroot Ox, the Artist empowers their arms and fists with the energy of the forest and mountain. Blows using this technique can shatter stone.
Insight One: The simple strike wins the grandest war.
Insight Two: Even the bluntest of strikes can hold hidden meaning.
...I do not fully know what has become of the Onslaught.
The technique is still there, of course, nestled deeply within my spirit. It would likely cripple me, or at least make the agony I'm currently suffering through feel like a pleasant day at the workbench, to have it removed. And I can tell its fundamental nature has not changed. It still asks me to charge forward and deliver it with long, wide strikes. But from searching my spirit, I cannot tell exactly what will happen when I call upon it- nor can I even discern what it is called.
Most techniques are named when I learn them. Some, like the original Blooming Spear, just seem right. And some techniques, like Shatter the Mirror or the Everdistant Flame, practically bellow their names into my mind, desperate to carve their identity into the world.
But this new technique? Nothing. It simply lurks, waiting for… something.
I turn my focus from what's become of the Auroch's Onslaught to the rest of my spirit- and the strangeness of my oldest technique vanishes from my mind entirely, for that is when I see what has become of my second original skill.
Before the creature's first attack, Shatter the Mirror was dozens of shining glass shards tumbling through my spirit. Afterwards, it was hundreds, each fragment reflecting a bare fraction of power and adding up to a greater whole.
But now? Now that greater whole has been realized.
The shards have come together, forming the Mirror itself. It stands proud in my soul, a single shining pane of reflected power.
And in that pane? Something moves.
I remain silent, much to Daiyu and Zhuan Kun's frustration. My attention is captivated by the mirror in my mind's eye. The shape on the other side of the glass moves with me, mimicking each move I make half a second after I make it. I peer closely at it, pulling it into sharper and sharper focus until I can clearly see what lies beyond the Mirror.
To no surprise, it is me.
But it is not the version of me I am now. In the mirror, I wear a strange hat. My clothes are a thousand shades of riotous color, and my skin shifts almost as frequently. I'm holding a sword- no, a hammer- no, a scarf- no, nothing at all. Figures move behind me, and they could be anything from beasts to men to stones tumbling from atop a mountain.
But it doesn't matter what they are. All that matters is that the form in the mirror is me. Each outfit, each form, they are all me. They are the Kong Zhis that might have been, and some might still be. Some could only have been born in a vastly changed world, while others would have come into being with a simple choice.
I meet my own gaze. The Kong Zhi that isn't offers me a rueful smile. He seems almost… mournful. But that is to be expected. After all…
To master oneself is to betray every other path you may have walked.
+1 Empathy!
Technique Upgraded: Shatter the Mirror!
Shatter the Mirror (EMP 4)
Defender Technique 3 (Time 51)
Cost: 5 Anam
Phases: 7/7 (Fully Mastered)
Description: There was once a Vestige which could create many copies of itself. Kong Zhi is incapable of that feat, but thanks to time anam, he does not have to recreate it as is. Instead, he can pluck himself from another moment in time, having that copy do his bidding for a short period of time.
Furthermore, now that the technique has been integrated, these time-displaced Kong Zhi's are capable of far more than they were before. When invoking Shatter the Mirror, the Kong Zhi doppelgangers may now employ a technique of their own. The technique used is random, depending on which version of Kong Zhi is created, and is rolled like a normal technique. Any successes rolled are added to those of Shatter the Mirror itself.
This secondary effect may be invoked once for free in each combat encounter. Subsequent uses cost 2 points of mental stress each.
Insight One: To master oneself is to betray every other path you may have walked.
Insight Two: ???
Insight Three:: ???
"My apologies," I mumble to my comrades. They had gathered together to speak in low whispers during my introspection and turn their focus back towards me. "I had to examine my spirit, and…"
I look away from my soul to find Daiyu and Zhuan Kun staring at me. Their eyes are trained squarely on my face. Zhuan Kun's gaze is searching, while Daiyu seems torn between fury and horror. "What?" I ask. "What is…"
In answer, Daiyu takes a step towards me. She reaches out and gently brushes my cheek, right beneath the eye that is hidden by Ta Riou's gift. Her hand comes away stained crimson.
I stare at it for a long moment, my breathing ragged. Slowly, I turn to meet Zhuan Kun's eyes, then Daiyu's.
"We are out of time."
***
Our trip back to the village is a quick one. Clerk Ni is so consumed with the thought of the prospects in Shoubiao's Wake that the rest of the world may not exist. The sound of him humming to himself proves an able cover for me to explain everything I've gleaned to my comrades. It takes me a surprisingly short time. Daiyu's regained memories are less complete than mine, but still far better than nothing. For his part, Zhuan Kun seems frustrated and confused. It is only thanks to naming the Last Champion that he seems to arrive at a begrudging acceptance.
As my story reaches its end, Daiyu pulls Sunswift next to Quishu. "What's the plan?" she asks, voice low, as if the creature might be listening to our every word- which, to be fair, is a real possibility.
I consider my words carefully before answering. "Everything seems to come back to Liyu," I answer, my voice as hushed as hers. "The headman's log described what could have been the start of the recursion, and it was focused squarely on her home. She's been before Clerk Ni twice, and both times the loop reset immediately. And-"
My words cut off as I struggle to think of the last Perfect Day. After so many repetitions, so many spiritual assaults, some details get muddled no matter how hard I focus. Only the memories seen through the Horizon are crystal clear, and I've not the strength to maintain it for an entire day. But from what I can recall, at the end of the last Day…
"-and I think that during her last test, she… broke the treasure," I continue. My words hang heavily over us for a moment before I speak again. "If there's an answer to be had here, it has to do with Liyu. I aim to investigate her home."
Zhuan Kun nods sharply. "Do you need aid?" he asks. "One of us should escort you. If the source of the threat is there, it will be dangerous."
He is not wrong, but still, I shake my head. "You need to handle the testing," I answer. "And above all else, you need to insure Liyu's testing is delayed for as long as you can. I…"
Again, I trail off. After a moment, I shake my head. "...I'm not sure I can weather another strike from the creature- at least not so soon after the last." My spirit throbs in pain as if in agreement.
Neither of my companions seem happy, but they eventually agree. I describe Liyu as best I can as the village comes into view around the bend. "This may be focused on her," I add hesitantly. "But… I don't think she's responsible for it. Or at least, not willingly. If you can… be kind to her, please."
Zhuan Kun seems hesitant, but Daiyu agrees for both of them. I offer them a smile before turning my focus back to the matter at hand. "I will act like I'm patrolling again," I say. "If I take things slowly, I should be able to avoid suspicion long enough to sneak away. When there are no more eyes on me, I will get into Liyu's house and…"
Perception Check: 7d10s7(1.2). Dice Rolled: 9, 9, 4, 3, 2, 2, 1. 1.2, rounded down to 1 Success!
As we near the border of the village, I trail off. There's something in the air that feels… off.
I raise my hand, stopping our group short. Clerk Ni tries to lodge his objections, but I tune them out as I turn my focus to Shoubiao's Wake. There is a tension, a lurking danger in the air choking the village like a physical thing- and it doesn't take long to find its source.
At the side of the house closest to the village's edge stands one of the many grandmothers who eternally beat dust from their rugs. This one is not gossiping with friends, however. She is not even looking at the rug. Her arms are moving automatically, as if they are but pendulums swinging the broom back and forth without care. Her head is up and her eyes searching as she glances down the road at us.
She is not alone. The fishermen all turn their heads in unison from where they sit at the edge of the cliff, looking in our direction. Old Shaung still lies upon his perch on top of his home, but his eyes follow us. The butcher stands in the middle of the path, ostensibly hawking his wares, but he doesn't say a word as he rings his bell with all the enthusiasm of a disobedient child asked to clean up after a meal.
They're all waiting. Watching. And with every step I take, their focus stays on me.
The villagers have either been given their orders, or they've been suborned directly and the creature now watches through their eyes. Either way, letting those eyes remain on me seems a poor idea.
I let out a low breath and flip Quishu's reins to Daiyu. At her questioning look, I turn and nod towards the watchers. "There's been a change of plans," I murmur, my voice a bare whisper. "Hiding in plain sight for even a moment longer will likely be playing right into the creature's plans. Continue on with the testing and protect the Clerk. I will catch up with you later."
Before anyone has a chance to answer and draw more attention, I pull at my core and dissolve into an Elegant Plume of smoke.
Old Shaung jerks in surprise and the fishermen try to keep their eyes on me to no avail. Even if they could keep watch on a thin plume of smoke, they would have be Artists of at least my stage to follow my movements. It matters not what is watching me through the villager's eyes; they are still only Seated villagers. They could no sooner track me than they can pluck the moon from the sky.
I let out a breath and my technique escapes me as I alight upon an empty roof. There are no cries of alarm nor sounds of people chasing me; no one was able to spot my landing. A quick glance shows another empty roof and I become smoke once more, darting forward as fast as I can. Again and again I move, vanishing in a haze as I make my way through the village.
The closer I get to the pasture and Liyu's home, the more the wrongness that permeates Shoubiao's Wake becomes apparent. The children, who once were so loud and boisterous, now move in utter silence, stalking through the streets like ghosts in the night as they push each other half-heartedly. The hunter strides aimlessly through the streets, dragging his rabbit through the dust. The grandmothers cleaning their porches do so in unison, each sweeping in time with the others in utter silence.
Not even the animals are spared from the creature's growing attention. Birds fly through the air, each constantly trilling one note again and again. The cows in the pasture stand in a circle, each facing out, chewing their cuds with an almost violent rhythm. Fish leap from the sea, landing in the fishermen's nets without prompting and lying motionless, surrendering to the inevitably of their fate.
I reform atop a small home that neighbors the pasture. Unlike most of the village, there is little mudbrick in its construction. Its floor is actual stone and its walls wood, speaking of some degree of wealth. Even the roof is freshly thatched, unlike the soiled and spoiled roofs of those on the outskirts. I land lightly- but one of the fresh pieces of hay still rustles under my feet.
I freeze. Slowly, I turn, looking to see if anyone has spotted me. None of the villagers have looked up- but I've not gone unnoticed.
The small battered dog stares up at me from its place beside the fence.
Our eyes lock and I hold my breath. All it would take is a single bark from the dog and the game is up. I know not what will happen if the villagers spot me, but every instinct I have screams that it won't be good.
But instead, the dog just watches me. We stand frozen together for a long moment. Finally, the dog's tail rises-
-and begins to wag.
It's mouth drops open in an unmistakable canine grin. Then deliberately, it lets out a low "Ruff." before turning away and beginning its trip around the pasture anew.
My legs don't move until the dog has turned the corner of the fence and begins patrolling the other side. That… was entirely too close.
I push it all from my mind. The only thing that's important is that I get to Liyu's home and uncover what secrets are buried there. If there is something in there that ends this Day, then nothing else matters. If there isn't, then the kindness of a thousand dogs won't save me from another encounter with the Kukuni.
The home beneath me is too fine to belong to any of the villagers without a position of importance. Thus far, I've gleaned that there are only a few villagers that qualify for such finery. There is the headman, of course, but I've been in his home already. The butcher would also qualify, but the headman's letters indicated his home was a ways away from the pasture. The only other person that seemed to qualify was Liren, Liyu's father and the foremost of the village's ranchers.
This must be my destination. The doors are closed and the windows shuttered, but that is hardly a barrier for me anymore. I pull the freezing feeling from the Ivory Ferryman to the forefront once more and sink through the thatch as if it were water, landing amidst the eves. Only when I'm secure in the rafters pressing against the thatch do I release the Ferryman's power, returning to normal as my eyes adjust to being inside.
With the windows closed and latched, only bare cracks of sunlight pierces the gloom that shrouds the home. My eyes adjust quickly to the darkness and I glance around from my position up high. At first glance, it seems to be nothing abnormal, with the only strange thing being how the home is laid out similarly to the headmans. Then again, they were probably both built by the same people working together, so it may not be that strange after all.
The sitting room is humble but well appointed, with fine rugs clearly imported from outside the village and a shelf with numerous dust-covered scrolls upon it. The hearth is dark and barren, with only a few scraps of cold wood adorning it. Next comes the kitchen, which differs from the headman only in that it is not covered in scrolls. Beyond that, the large room that the headman used as his bedroom has been split in two. One part- the larger part- has a pair of beds so worn that one mattress is split open, spilling a small pile of moss beneath it.
The other part is-
-I freeze as I see what waits for me in the other room.
When I decided to investigate Liyu's home, I hadn't been sure what to expect. There would be some clue, certainly, but the form of the clue was a mystery. It could be another scroll, or a child's drawing, or… a shrine, perhaps, only the ancestors know for certain.
What I did not expect was a body.
Yet there one lies. He was a man, a tall one with a broad frame that threatens to spill out of the mattress he lays upon. He had the look of a powerful man who was once heavy with muscle, but later withered and went to seed. His hair was ragged and his beard untrimmed, growing over his lip until the lower portion of his face was an undisturbed thicket of hair. Dozens of blankets have been piled atop him, weighing him down and sealing the body in his deathbed.
At his bedside sits an oil lamp that has come to the last of its wick. The flame flickers fitfully, sending waves of dancing shadows cascading across the bedroom. In the light of the flame I can see pox marks upon the body's face, scars and calluses upon his knuckles where he grasped the blankets-
-and his chest, which slowly rises and falls.
Ancestors above.
This man is still alive.
Almost as if he's reading my mind, the corpse-looking man lets out a low, wet cough that rattles through the home. His eyes remain closed, but a weak voice fills the air. "Who's there?" he asks, sounding as if these might be his first words ever spoken.
I make no move to answer from my hiding place in the rafters, but he continues nonetheless. "I know someone is there," he states, the last words vanishing in a wheeze. "I've lain on my deathbed for centuries- enough time to get to know every shadow and every flicker of flame, and something is different right now."
The cadaverous man's head lolls to the side as he searches for me. "Are you the reason it's so angry right now? If so, I would shake your hand if I were not worried about passing on my condition."
He pauses, and his breath rattles as he laughs. "Then again, what does it matter? You will just be healthy again tomorrow. So why not?" His hand twitches as he tries to move it, but all he succeeds at is releasing the death grip on his blankets.
The man looks as if he wants to continue, but anything else he can muster vanishes as he's wracked by another cough. I can only stare down at him as his hacking fills the air. His body is so weak that even his coughing doesn't even shift his body.
From what I've discovered so far, there's only one person this man could be. "Good day," I greet him, voice pitched low enough that it's inaudible outside these walls. "You would be Liren, I presume?"
The ghost of something that might have once been a smile stretches the man's thin lips. "Look at that," comes his answer. "I'm famous. Unfortunately, your fame has not yet equaled mine, stranger, and I've no idea who you are."
He pauses to take another shuddering breath and adds, "Or maybe I do. My vision isn't the best any more. It was the first thing to go when all of this started. Still, if you're a guest in my home, I would appreciate an introduction. Manners are everything, after all."
I consider it for a moment before shrugging to myself. What could it hurt? "My name is Kong Zhi," I offer. "My team and I came to Shoubiao's Wake to help conduct the annual examination for the Spark."
Liren doesn't answer me. For a long moment, it seems as if he's passed out, but eventually he coughs once more. "Shoubiao's Wake?" he asks wryly. "Is that what the village is called this time?"
"It's what the headman calls it," I answer, hopping out of the eves to land at his bedside. My hand is on Chui Dao, but the rancher doesn't seem capable of harming a passing butterfly, let alone me. "Did it have a different name the last you were aware?"
"Oh, it had dozens before I stopped keeping track," Liren replies. "White Water Climb lasted for a time. Mu Nai's Bounty was popular for a while as well; I think it was trying to sound important with that one, like Jingyi's Summit. But the name always changes. Everything always changes outside these walls."
Liren twitches beneath his blankets. A moment later, I realize he's trying to turn towards me. I have to stop myself from reaching out to help him; I still don't know if he's dangerous or not. "That doesn't quite match what I've seen," I say instead. "It seems like outside, everything just repeats itself over and over again."
The rancher's answering smile is so sharp it threatens to slice through his gaunt cheeks. "And you are correct. For the most part, the people keep doing what they've always been doing. But the details? They change."
"It fancies itself as something of a scholar, I suspect," Liren sighs. "It always has to tweak things to see if they're more effective. Will the people be happier if they live in a village named Wolf Garden, or do they enjoy Yaning more? Is the hunter more perfect if he catches a rabbit, or if he catches a duck? They're never large changes… just small tweaks to make things just that bit better."
Liren's head flops to the side. Dry, unseeing eyes stare at me, a knowing glint dancing within them. "The big changes, it saves for when new people stumble into its sway. It tries to incorporate them into its Day and make everything even more perfect than before. If it hasn't started yet, just watch. Soon, you and your companions will be drawn into the fabric of this place-" He trails off, his breathing ragged.
I wait until he's regained some control before replying. "It already has," I tell him. "The Clerk we're escorting is able to perform his tests now, where before we were completely ignored."
"Of course, of course," Liren hacks. He pauses and turns his head away. There's a slight retching noise, but then he continues as if nothing happened. "What could be better for a young girl than to learn she's special and being taken away to one of the Grand Sects? Surely this will be the grand development it needs to make the day truly perfect."
Sense Motive Check: 5d10s7(1.2). Dice Rolled: 10, 7, 6, 5, 3, 5. 2.4, rounded down to 2 Successes!
The scorn in Liren's voice is a palpable, physical thing. But it's not the only thing buried in his words. It is just the loudest of his feelings, and it hangs over hatred, fear, disgust, and… just the smallest bit of shame.
A dozen questions flood my mind- a thousand! This… here is someone who not only remembers the repetitions, but doesn't seem to have anything curbing his tongue! I could finally, finally find answers. Every single question I have runs into its brethren, and none escape for the longest moment.
Finally, I'm able to ask one simple question. "Liren… what is going on?"
"Oh, I have about as good an idea of that as you do, Kong Zhi," Liren answers, the barest note of dry humor in his voice. "Less, probably. I've not seen anything but this room in centuries."
When I don't answer, the rancher sighs. "But," he finally adds. "There's no harm in telling you what I've figured out. What's the worst that could happen? It will kill me?" Liren snorts, as if the idea of his own death is a novel joke.
Though that does beg another question. "Do you… none of the others can speak with me directly. Those that do…" I trail off as memories of the Weaver pass before my eyes. "It doesn't seem to end well for them. Why can you talk to me?"
"I cannot say for certain," Liren answers promptly. "But if you were to force me to guess, Kong Zhi, it would be because I never see the end of this Day. I'm always dead long before the sun sets, and it is an intellectual that will never use its power unnecessarily. Since I'm destined to die, there's no sense using any of its effort to force me into its Day. That would just be a waste."
The sheer ease Liren discusses his own death boggles the mind. "You seem… at peace with that," I offer.
Liren's neck twitches, and he casts his eyes back towards the roof. "What would you have me do?" he sighs. "Weep? Gnash my teeth? Bemoan my fate? Scream to the heavens above for deliverance, ask why I must feel my lungs collapse day after day for all of eternity?!"
His voice rises with each word until the last is delivered thick with hysteria. Then comes the coughs, wet wracking one that splatter red against the already stained sheets. Liren trembles beneath his blankets and he clutches them close, burying himself beneath the woven wool. After a moment, he continues, voice weaker. "No. I've done that. I'm doing that. I will do it again. But right now? If you suffer anything long enough, it will simply become normal."
Liren's head falls back on his pillow. "That- that's as good a place to begin as any," he says. "I'm dying, Kong Zhi. And have died. Every single day, I die, and I wake back up at the crack of dawn. I breathe almost exactly seven thousand, three hundred, and ninety more times, and then I die once more before the whole thing starts anew."
The wistfulness in his voice rocks me back on my heels in a way his despair couldn't. I stare at him for a long moment as it sinks in. Here lies a man who has seen beyond the veil of death- and been pulled back. Only he may know how many times he's died, and considering he's now counting his own breaths, he very well may have kept track.
More than time repeating itself, more than a village of prisoners, more than any conversations with the creature, that makes my heart thunder and my mouth dry with fear. A man has died and then lives again by the power of the creature. It is a foul act, and simply thinking about it makes me shiver.
The rancher either doesn't notice or chooses not to acknowledge my reaction. Instead, he starts speaking once more. "I've been dying for as long as I can remember," he coughs. "It was a bad winter and I took a chill. The others who caught the same illness recovered. Through some quirk of fate, I… didn't."
"It took months for me to reach this point. When I first took ill, I tried to ignore it. I had to work harder to grow the herd, to help Liyan and Liyu. But eventually, there was no way to just work through it. I collapsed in the pasture. It was only thanks to Liyan coming home early that I wasn't trampled to death then and there."
Something that could either be a rueful smile or a pained grimace tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Might have been it would've been better if the cows had finished me then," he sighs.
"Fenhua did her best," he continues. "She was always able to fix whatever ailed us before, but this time? This time I let it linger too long while I was trying to ignore it. There was nothing she could do. Chief Lu tried to call for better medicines from the city, but there was no point. I was already too far gone, and the village needed to save its coin."
Finally, the headman's name… and one for the herbalist too. Liren falls silent as he marshalls his strength. Another wet cough takes him. When it passes, his breathing is even more labored. Each breath is a violent struggle. I take a step closer, bending slightly. "Do you want to sit up?" I ask tentatively. "Do you need a drink?"
He waves me off. "Thank you, but no. You're a good child for offering." Liren sighs before saying, "So Chief Lu and I talked. Liyan was going to be fine no matter what; that girl was always tough as iron. But Liyu was so young. Someone needed to look after her, and Liyan couldn't do it all on her own. Fenhua wanted to take her in; she was always looking for an apprentice. It seemed like a good idea, and I still think it was."
When the silence threatens to smother us once more, my voice sounds like thunder no matter how hushed my words are. "So what went wrong?" I ask.
"I couldn't say," Liren answers. "All I know is that Fenhua, Chief Lu, and I talked about what would be best for Liyu. At the end of it, we decided that she was too young to be burdened with all this. She still thought I was getting better, and I… I didn't want to ruin that for her. So we wanted to give her one last perfect day before I passed."
His cough is truly vile now. He turns and spits a gout of something dark and almost solid, his own nose wrinkling at the smell. "Not long now," he mumbles to himself. He rests for a moment and then continues on. "Fenhua spoke to the people and everyone agreed to make this day the best day possible for Liyu. At the end of it, she'd come back, and I would tell her the truth. That way she'd have good memories to look back on, no matter what happened."
"And it worked," he continues. "She had a wonderful day. But…"
Liren shakes his head. "But I died for the first time before she came home. I fought to hold on with everything I had, but… I just couldn't. After pushing through for so long, I couldn't hold on for one more pathetic hour to say goodbye to my youngest." The shame in his voice chokes the room in its iron grip.
"But then I woke up," he says after a moment. "I thought it a dream at first, some kind of prophecy. So I spoke with Liyu earlier this time, and died once more. But then I woke up again. And again. And again. And again- and I do not know what makes it do this."
Knowledge (Cultivation) Check: 8d10s7(1.2). 9, 9, 8, 7, 5, 5, 4, 2. 4.8, rounded up to 5 Successes!
He may not know what's happened… but when he speaks, things begin to connect in my mind.
"Kukuni are born from moments."
Those were the words of Auntie Bi when she taught me of spirits after my ill-fated encounter with Tiaoyue, the self-styled Arbiter of Rebirth. Kukuni are born from moments. Some are grand, some are humble, but each spirit comes from a powerful moment of some kind. Something happens that rings across the Tripart World with such purity that the universe itself embodies that moment forever more.
This village coming together for the good of its youngest resident? Uniting to provide a child one last true moment of joy? There is much power in that moment.
It would have been the perfect day for Liyu. Everyone was kind to her. Her friends were all free to play. The grandmothers would give her sweets, the headman would excuse her from chores, and everything would be perfect. A spirit could easily be born from a community rising up to take care of its own in such a way.
But… the day went wrong. It ended sourly, with Liren dying before he could give Liyu his heartfelt final words. She came home and found naught but her father's cooling body. The perfect day ended in tragedy. The day ended twisted and wrong.
So what would happen to a Kukuni born from a day of wonder and joy that ended in heartbreaking tragedy?
…it too would become twisted and wrong.
It would fight to finish the Day that was supposed to give it its true, proper form. And every time it failed, it would cycle its moment anew, making it worse, and worse and worse.
The creature, the Perfect Day, it strives for perfection. It struggles to make things right. It grows in strength as it fights to make everything just right.
It probably could achieve its original goal now if it wanted to. It's certainly strong enough to sustain Liren's health long enough to speak with Liyu. But by now, Liyu's been twisted by the day as surely as everything else has.
And besides… if it fixed things, how would it repeat its moment again?
How would it grow?
It needs to finish the Perfect Day, but if it ever does, its purpose will be fulfilled.
I push the theories and revelations from my mind and bring my focus back to Liren. There are still so many questions that need answering. I ask the first one that springs to mind. "The herbalist- Fenhua. What happened to her? Why is she no longer in the village?"
Liren's breathing is tortured now, but he struggles to answer me. "What happened? The same thing that happens to any who struggle against it's design and make themselves a nuisance. It erased her from the world."
"But why?" I ask. "What did she do that made it think her a nuisance?"
It takes a full minute for Liren to answer me this time. His voice is weak; he's fading quickly. "She had it rougher than most," he rasps. "All those who retain some fraction of their will do. She described it to me once like knowing with all your heart that you had to follow one specific path, but not being able to follow it no matter how you tried. But she never gave up. Fenhua always thought that there was a way out."
"She tried curing me again first," he rasps. "But she had already tried all her tinctures and potions. So she spent time trying to find new herbs in the forest in the time she had, but none of them were enough, not when I was this far gone."
Liren's eyes are glassy as he speaks. "So we decided to try a different tact..."
He takes another ragged breath. "S-she thought. Maybe if… if I went sooner. If Liyu…"
Liren's chest heaves with a mighty effort, straining to get one last breath.
"If she weren't the one to find me… if I went sooner… Fenhua was always good at poisons, and I…"
I wait anxiously for him to finish his thought. But it never comes. One minute turns into two, and then five.
My eyes squeeze close almost of their own accord. I wrench them open and turn my gaze towards Liren's chest. It doesn't rise or fall in the slightest.
Liren has died once more.
If the Kukuni's able to continue its loop, he will rise once again only to suffer through agony once more. And there's no telling if I'll be around to ask him any more questions.
There must be something I can do to break this time recursion. But what can be done to disrupt the Perfect Day?
[] Write-In
The Kukuni could have finished, but is intentionally failing to do so so it can keep aura farming. There's two ways to solve this, but only one will do so without driving it to attack in a hellish frenzy. And that's seemingly playing along.
And then... Finishing it.
It can't not try, but it doesn't need to do a good job--but we can attack in those margins. It can't interfere with us without killing itself then.
That's how we'll fuck it, it can't strike against us then without killing itself, because then it is intentionally trying to stop its Perfect Day--but when it gets it, it has nothing left to exist for.
I'm sure there's a Kong Zhi somewhere who's a master Thespian that we can borrow the talents of through the Mirror, we just need to set up the narrative that the dad had a miraculous recovery and do it convincingly enough that the day is "Perfect"
