Your old body felt… like a body. It didn't feel like anything, truly. It was just you. Your new body, on the other hand? It feels like warmth, life, energy as anam pulses in your core.
But the biggest change has to have been to your senses. It feels like your old body was wearing a dozen layers of protective gauze over every single sense, and now they've all suddenly been ripped away. Your sight is clearer. Your sense of smell is sharper. Your sense of touch feels so sensitive that you can no longer walk barefoot on the floor of the Spire. And your hearing?
...honestly, right now, you wish it weren't as good as it is.
Cultivators upgrade bodies like those pretentious assholes who switch in for the newest model of car every year. This is what happen whens you smoke the magic vapors!
Anyway, its pretty clear that Kong Zhi is transforming into a higher entity, a more spirit based one. The natural limiters the body has not to hurt itself are getting pulled away because it isn't really a body anymore. It's a car. That is to say, a vehicle. Am I making sense here?
But, but, but! He's becoming a pansy! He's stopped walking barefoot because it hurts! How you gonna react when someone hits you, huh Zhi?
When it finally stops again, you don't waste time. You spin and head for it's source. It's not hard to figure out where the howling is coming from. The sound seems to be emanating from a side tunnel near the courtyard- a suspicion that's verified when the howling starts once more and you're almost knocked over.
As you force your way through the tunnels, stopping every few moments to shelter from the noise, your mind races as you try to figure out what could be causing this. Could it be a spirit beast? It seems unlikely; you've never seen one this close to the civilized parts of the sect before. A kukuni is more likely; this pounding force in your skull seems like something one of the ephemeral forces would cause. Or it could be neither, or both maybe. Perhaps one is fighting something or this is an echo of a technique or an Elder is testing you all or-
It's telling that Kong Zhi's first instinct when encountering trouble is not to run away from it, but going straight for the source. He is a fluffy thing that does things he should not, indeed. It's understated, but still a badass moment. While the rest of the Servants and Soldiers are just ignoring whats happening, Zhi is going for the throat, even before he thinks it might be Nokai. That's pretty cool.
It barely takes you any time to comprehend Nokai's broken Radiant anymore
Aww.
She stands in one fluid motion, drawing her dogs with her. As she moves towards another tunnel that will take her further from the Ninth Circle courtyard, you hurry to fall into step with her. Zhao almost seems to roll his eyes, but he obligingly slows down, allowing you to take his spot at Nokai's side.
Heh.
"Zhao eat Ironclaw Mole two days ago and grow big strength. Kong Zhi fall behind again!" She laughs and reaches out, giving you a friendly push on the shoulder that still sends you stumbling. Behind you, Zhao gives out a small grunt. When you turn to look at him, he's fixing you with a beady eyed stare that makes you think that though Nokai seems to be joking, Zhao is not taking it as such.
You hurriedly turn away and chuckle awkwardly. "I will be sure to catch up as quickly as I can," you reply as you scratch Xue behind the ears. Then you have to pause and look at your arms, where Xue blinks up innocently at you. When did you pick him up?!
It brings a smile to my face to see that Nokai remembers the joke we made during the party. Continuity, people! It's a joy.
Xue is a stealth lord. The fluff master himself it as sneaky as he is cute. I'm so proud of him.
I think Zhao is our rival guys. He's dead serious about staying stronger than Kong Zhi. We cannot let this stand. If Zhao can beat us up, how can we call ourselves a true Artist? We're going to learn the Warhound's Cry, and we're going to learn the Aurochs spear, and we'll show him that man is superior! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!
even some waste barbarian thing about declaring your territory
Just because they train dogs doesn't mean they are dogs Kong Zhi! Gosh.
Beast anam coils within each member of Nokai's pack, and as she howls, it joins with the noise and her own personal anam. She's literally using her dogs as a power source in place of a Natural Wonder! You had no idea that was even possible!
Nokai has familiars! I'm sure they're called something else, but she can use them as anam batteries. While it would be very useful, I think that it's not something we can pursue ourselves. Nokai has expertise in the matter, so we'd be stumbling in the dark. If we want to learn how to bray (?) we'd have to do it in the waste barbarian style. It's outside of the scope of our current goals, but it might come up again as we push ourselves further and further into Nokai's corner.
That does remind me though. There is a limited amount of characters we can invest in to a tremendous extent. The more we interact with Nokai, for example, the more we learn from her, the more we become linked. We will have a responsibility towards her. A shared path.
If I'm to throw some story speculation out there, investing in Nokai as much as we have is going to make her problems, our problems. It's pretty basic relationship stuff. Partners in crime sort of deal. We know what Zhi's 'crime' is (being a Kong charmcrafter, being a Time cultivator, being the protag). Nokai's crime is being a Waste Barbarian, being uneducated in the ways of the Radiant Empire, and being a hostage, probably. A major focus of the quest is going to end up being Nokai based if we keep on using our social actions on her. That's great! I find her plotline one of the most interesting. But maybe the consequences of this vote isn't just about the social reaction. It's about how Nokai views us. It is her going "Kong Zhi is someone I can rely on. He is part of my pack, he is my support. He will be there for me."
Which is to say, we're tripping the flag for the Nokai route, and there's no going back now without choking on our tears. No choice but to see it through.
...this closing statement is a bit premature...
You stare at that newly opened space. You had not expected this. An invitation to learn a technique is rare enough, but being invited to learn a technique inspired by a barbarian's totem companion? That's another thing entirely. And there's no question in your mind that the technique will be a potent one. You were convinced of that the moment you were first hit by the howl.
But on the other hand...
-consorting with some young Artists of questionable background and character-
You aren't certain that it would really be the wisest idea.
Yeah, I think the rhetoric behind the vote was inherently fucked up. The social consequences aren't going to come from the howl itself, and the opinions people have about Kong Zhi knowing it. That's a my bad.
The social consequences, and indeed, the ramifications of this vote, will come from Nokai believing that Kong Zhi is absolutely in her camp, no questions asked, case closed. We're basically signing a blood bond with the girl. We are declaring our loyalty and kinship with her.
And Nokai ain't interested in the social graces and social standards of the Radiant Empire. Her idea of a friend is going to be way different than Kong Zhi's idea of a friend, and I'm gonna place a bet that Nokai is going to pull us into a hot potato situation because she thinks she can rely on Kong Zhi the same way she relies on her dogs.
Man. I was straight up foolish. We were focusing on the wrong thing all this time!
Wait. Wait. Wait. If Nokai can use her anam alongside her dogs, does that mean that she might be able to share her anam with us if we're part of her pack? That the one becomes the all, the cores become a communal pool? That's wild speculation, but maybe that's part of the Waste Barbarian's strength, unique to them. Not having to walk the path alone?
