I'm torn. On one hand, a construct that isn't a charm that can monitor the heart. How does it work? Can we convert it into a charm or make something similar?
On the other hand, jetai will probably help us figure out what we're doing better than other options. Interesting, but we'll being dealing with everyone sooner or later. Sticking with my vote.
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>Kumi of Fifth Circle, who is operating some form of construct that is surveying the Heart.
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You thought that Xiong Eryu was moving fast when she began taking you on your tour. But now that she has a goal in mind, you can see just how wrong you were. She takes the staircase up so quickly that she may as well be flying through the wood and stone, vanishing from your sight within seconds. There is no way you can possibly keep up with her advanced speed; trying would only tax your already worn body.
But giving up without even trying is not even an option. You throw yourself up the stairs as quickly as you can, gritting your teeth against the burning knives of agony that shoot through your ribs. Your talon catches on the stairs, pulling a board up with it with your next step, but you pay it no mind. Sun Yijun seems to be of the same mind; he comes right after you, hopping over the newborn gap with as much thought as you would give to taking a bite of food.
At least, that's how it starts. You only lead Sun Yijun for the first flight. Bare steps into the second level he overtakes you, bouncing off the stone floor and then back onto the stairs in front of you. Then it's your turn to stare at his back as he begins to pull ahead.
That just makes you fight harder to walk, kicking the board on your claw away after half a dozen angry attempts. Once you are no longer encumbered… you do not catch up to Sun Yijun. But you do manage to keep him from getting any further ahead.
You do not have to race Sun Yijun for long though. Once you make it back to the entrance level of the Warren, the two of you skid to a halt as you finally catch up with Xiong Eryu. The Third Circle Disciple is exchanging low whispers with the nearly feral looking Jetei. The tattooed disciple is near the curtain, a coil of rope over one shoulder and a fresh brace of knives strapped to his leg. As you walk in, Xiong Eryu glances over in your direction.
"Jetei is preparing to undertake a task," she informs you. "He can bring one of you along if you so wish." From Jetei's face, he does not seem to be in favor of this idea, but it's equally clear who's in charge here in Elder Siani's absence. "Do either of you wish to volunteer?"
Sun Yijun pauses in front of you before shrugging. "I don't see why not," he drawls. "If it ain't any trouble."
Jetei looks like there is something he wants to say but a glance from Xiong Eryu stills his tongue. "Not at all," comes his short reply.
"Very well," Xiong Eryu states, glancing from Sun Yijun to you. "Then if there are no objections…?"
You consider it. Truly, you do. You're certain that going out to see one of these missions that are apparently only entrusted to the 'Caretakers' would be a boon. But… you are struggling to breathe after running up a paltry eight flights of stairs. In the condition that the Vestige of the Ghost City left you in, you are in no shape to keep pace with a disciple of the Fifth Circle. You shake your head.
Xiong Eryu does not miss your gesture. "...then that sounds wonderful. Sun Yijun will accompany Jetei. Kong Zhi, follow me. The others are all in the midst of their own tasks. You will shadow one of them until Master returns."
She turns and moves back towards the stairs, passing Sun Yijun as he trots towards Jetei. Your fellow Eighth Circle bows to her as she moves past him before moving on to his new guide. He does surprise you though; before the two of them leave, Sun Yijun turns and offers you a nod that you think might be a friendly farewell. You are not certain- the pain in your midsection is claiming most of your attention- but you still respond in kind, just in case.
Then he and Jetei are gone through the curtain, leaving you in the entrance hall with Xiong Eryu. For a moment- shortly after, it's just you as Elder Siani's second begins her blistering trek up the stairs once more. This time you don't have to follow her nearly as far. She pauses after a few more flights, allowing you to catch up.
The next floor she stops in is another one room level much like the entrance chamber. But unlike that room, this one is crowded with furniture. Desks and tables fill the room from end to end, wedged in against each other so tightly that you have no idea how the last one was put in. Oil lamps hang from the ceiling, casting the entire room into flickering patches of light and shadow.
There is only one place in the room not subject to the whims of the lanterns. Towards the far end of the chamber, there is a patch of soft golden light emanating from behind one of the desks. It is not a blinding glow but still you find yourself squinting to see through it. Once you're able to penetrate the radiance, you have to pause as you take in it's source.
The light is pouring off the smaller disciple from before- Kumi, the only one who seemed to listen to your story all the way through. Her eyes are open, but they seem to be a thousand miles away as they focus on a small scroll clutched between her hands. The light dances and writhes with her breathing, ebbing and flowing in time with her heartbeat. Kumi herself is near motionless; the only movement you see is when one delicate finger rises up and presses against the paper in front of her before dropping back to her side.
You stare wide-eyed at Kumi for a long moment. "Is she… cycling?" you ask.
"She is not," Xiong Eryu answers. "Kumi is currently using one of her favorite techniques to gather information for the Caretakers. She has progressed quickly since she first joined our ranks. Even a year ago, she would not have been able to take notes while focusing on her construct."
Construct? Technique? You find your curiosity very much piqued.
Xiong Eryu can see that as well. She does not bother to ask you if you would prefer to shadow Kumi for a time. Instead she turns back towards the Seventh Circle Disciple and breathes out. Her breath forms a slight gust of wind which brushes Kumi's round cheeks and blows her braids back.
The dark-skinned disciple blinks at the sudden shift, the light faltering with her loss of focus. As you watch, it does not so much die as it is reabsorbed back into Kumi. The light contracts and presses against her like a second skin before retreating into her eyes. She blinks again, her eyes burning a gleaming gold. Even when her anam fades and takes the brilliance of the gold with it, they still gleam like two golden coins hanging in the night.
"Kumi," Xiong Eryu states, interrupting your inspection of the Seventh Circle Disciple's face. "Kong Zhi wishes to shadow you as you work until Master returns. Do you have any objections?"
The disciple in question glances up at her Senior and shakes her head. "None at all," she answers, voice raspy from disuse. Kumi glances down then back up, coughing in her hand to free her throat. "But my junior may find himself uninterested in my labors. There is precious little to see as I perform my tasks."
"That will be fine," comes Xiong Eryu's answer. She glances down at you. "Elder Siani will come for you when he returns; he wishes to have words with both yourself and your new Brother. Until then, mind Kumi's words as if they came from the Master himself. While you are in these chambers, her orders are absolute. If she requires anything, it is your duty to provide it. Is that understood?"
You give a hasty nod. "Yes, Senior!" Xiong Eryu fixes you with a weighing glance before favoring you with a slight nod. Kumi gets one as well before the elder Disciple sweeps from the room, vanishing up the stairs at that punishing pace of hers.
Kumi watches her go. The moment Xiong Eryu's gown vanishes up the stairs, the small disciple turns back to you. "Please, do not worry about providing me with anything," she answers, voice low with embarrassment. "I will not require service or assistance in these matters. But I thank you for your willingness to provide such!"
She bows again, the motion far deeper than it should be. Your own cheeks flush with matching embarrassment and you bow in turn, fighting your burning ribs to bend at a deeper angle than she did. "Think nothing of it," you answer, voice shaky with pain. "I am but your humble junior. It is my duty and privilege to assist a senior with…"
You pause and stare at the paper in her hands. "...with whatever it is that Elder Sister is doing."
Kumi tracks your gaze. "Oh, yes, please! Come and I shall explain."
You do as you are bid, fighting not to let out a grunt of satisfaction as you sit down. Kumi does not seem to notice your relief. Instead, she brandishes the paper. "My task at this moment is a humble one. Master has determined that things have been too quiet, and thus greater vigilance must be practiced. So in my spare moments, he has tasked me with exploring the tunnels with my construct and making note of anything that I feel may develop into a situation that will soon require our attention."
"Oh," you answer, staring down at the scroll. It is covered from end to end with minuscule glyphs the likes of which you've never read before. Is that a code or simply a language you are not familiar with? Part of you itches to find out, but the rest of you focuses on just how much writing there is on the scroll. "It seems your search has been productive."
"It only seems that way on the surface," Kumi states. "When Elder Siani goes through my notes, I am certain that the vast majority of my findings will be discarded. Truth be told, I am tempted to discard some of them myself."
One of her fingers jabs out and pokes at one line of glyphs. "If the honorable Elder had not instructed me to make note of every last thing, I would not even have bothered to mention this one. It is a simple Spirit Mole with a water aspect. All Water Moles do is dig through rivers and lakes until they find a suitable den. That one is digging upwards is hardly irregular. But Master states that any irregularity, no matter how small, must be noted."
"And this one," she continues. "It is a Seventh Circle Disciple planning a hunting expedition. There is nothing more common- but because he hunts the Reaper Ape, it must be investigated. It will likely be referred to the Administration and that should be the end of our involvement. Another disciple being blinded by the materials the creature contains and ignoring it's body count hardly falls under our remit."
Kumi pauses and shakes her head. "But that is for Elder Siani to decide. It is my job now to scout and note points of interest- not to apply my own judgement."
There really is not much you can say to any of that. So instead you focus on the task itself. "If the honored Senior does not find my question impertinent, may I ask how you are conducting this search? You mentioned something about a construct…"
"Of course!" Kumi answers. "It is my pleasure to educate my junior." She pauses and falls silent, falling into another breathing pattern. A moment later, her eyes open to reveal the golden gleam of her anam. It pours from her like a waterfall, racing down her cheeks and covering her body before expanding into the shining aurora you witnessed when you entered.
"This," she informs you, "is the Dream Dancing Lily." Her brow furrows, and for a moment the light congeals into the shape of a proud ship sailing an ocean of sparks. The image vanishes as quickly as it appeared, returning to Kumi's gentle aura. "It is a Scholar Technique born of Dream Anam. With it, I venture through the minds of those on the edge of slumber and see whispers of what dwells in their sleeping minds."
"Oh," is all you can muster. That... that is a truly astounding technique. The control it must take to manifest and then guide boggles your mind. No wonder Kumi had difficulties taking notes as well. You can scarcely imagine doing anything else while mustering something as simple as a Blooming Spear; doing such with a technique the complexity of the Dream Dancing Lily must be a sheer exercise in willpower.
Eventually you are able to muster a thought again. "That is quite impressive. Are such techniques a specialty of yours, Senior?"
Kumi only answers your question with a slight shrug. "I would not go quite that far," she demures. "It is… anyway, it is not important. What is is that if we continue to gossip like old hens, Elder Sister will be most displeased. I am supposed to be showing you by doing."
The golden aura redoubles. Kumi reaches into her desk and produces another scroll, quill, and inkpot. "I will speak of my findings," she informs you. "Please make note of them." You nod your ascent and wet the quill as Kumi falls into the grips of her technique fully. You're not certain if she sees you, but you sit ready regardless.
It only takes a moment for Kumi to speak up again. "There is a Kukuni born of a higher aspect in the Midlands. It is content to observe for now but only for now. Soon, it's nature will demand it approach a Mortal for reasons unclear."
You've barely finished your notes before Kumi breaks the silence again. "In the deeps, a newborn Spirit Beast trumpets for it's mother. It has not found them, yet it continues to look. It shall continue to do so until it can walk no further."
And so it goes. Kumi glides through the minds of the half-awake. Each mind she touches turns into a line on your scroll. Soon you have to unroll it even further, and soon after that you need to ask for another. You are starting to see why she writes her own scroll in those small glyphs; if everything was written normally, her searchings may cause a new boom to the logging industry above.
"...a younger disciple is cycling at the Roaring White, and has been there for quite some time," Kumi states some time later. You aren't certain how long you have been sitting here assisting her, but it has not been long enough for her to run out of points of interest. "He does not leave the Wonder, not even to eat or bathe. It is unknown if he bears a Sigil. Someone must go investigate and see if they are attempting to remain without approval-"
"He is," a deep voice interrupts. "Word will be passed on to the Court."
You are gratified that you are not the only one to jump. But where you sit in shocked silence, Kumi twists in her chair as her technique flickers out. "Master!" she barks. "I was in the middle of my-"
"Yes, and now you are not," the implacable voice of Elder Siani continues. "You allowed yourself to be startled out of your technique with only a few words to blame. You should work on that; if you can only sustain the Dream Dancing Lily under ideal circumstances, it is useless."
With the glow of the Lily gone, you can finally see Elder Siani standing near the staircase. Your Master seems unchanged from when you saw him hours ago, down to the same self-satisfied smile beneath his mustache. Kumi glares a hole in him, but doesn't speak again. She seems to be saving her sounds for angry-sounding noises that she huffs to herself.
Elder Siani doesn't pay the Seventh Circle Disciple any further mind. His focus has switched to you. "Kong Zhi, come," he intones. "We must have words."
He may be calling you like one of Nokai's hounds, but he is your Master. You rise and- after trading bows with Kumi once again- trot after him. He waits until you are near before he starts descending the stairs, and thankfully his pace is far slower than Xiong Eryu's. You're able to keep up with nothing worse than some mild twinges in your ribs.
As you walk, you look up at the Elder. "Was your business fruitful… sir?" you ask, trying to figure out how to address your new Master.
Apparently 'Sir' is enough for him because he does not comment on it. Instead he answers your question. "It was," he replies. "Truly, it was just some light work. But that is a reward all on it's own. You see, Kong Zhi, there is nothing quite like a simple task to clear one's mind- and my mind has been quite busy as of late."
You note that he's not telling you what his task actually was, nor do you get the sense that he is going to. So instead of attempting to press, you pick up the thread of the conversation that he has left dangling in front of you like a string in front of an entranced cat. "Oh? What thoughts have troubled your mind, Elder?"
"Mostly thoughts of you," comes the answering reply, words so direct that they nearly make you trip. "And of how you have much work to do."
As you walk, the two of you make your way back into the entrance chamber. Siani makes a beeline for his chair and drops down into it as if he never left in the first place. You take a respectful position in front of him and wait. "Of course, Honored Elder. I know I've many steps to take to be of service, and I shall devote every fiber of my being to taking them."
"I have no doubt that you will," Elder Siani replies. "But I suspect you have more steps to take than you realize." He steeples his fingers and rests his chin atop them. "Kong Zhi, I shall be blunt, for this is a situation that calls for directness."
"I do not take disciples often. Before you and Sun Yijun, the last disciple I took was Kumi two years ago. She was the first I took in ten years, and the disciple I took before her was the first in five. As such, when I take a disciple, I expect them to meet certain standards."
Elder Siani shakes his head. "As you are right now, Kong Zhi, you do not meet those standards."
His words punch you in the gut so hard you almost double over, broken ribs or not. "I… I am aware," you mutter, staring at the floor. "But soon, I shall have my body under control once again, and then-"
"Oh, that?" Elder Siani interrupts, annoyance in his voice. "I could not care less about that. I am referring to the state of your techniques."
You blink. Once. Twice. A third time. "My… techniques?" you ask.
"Yes, your techniques," Elder Siani sighs. "You see, Kong Zhi, the first thing I do when I take a new disciple is lead them into the realm of the Farmer. It is not until you are at least two steps into the Farmer's domain that you can truly be of service, and so we work towards that above all. But we cannot do that quite yet because you, Kong Zhi, are not yet a proper Soldier."
"I'm… not?" you ask, thoughts racing and fighting to connect his words. "And this has something to do with my techniques?"
"Indeed," comes the answer. "You see, a Soldier draws their name from their ability to fight. They forge a core and then integrate techniques capable of drawing from that core to its fullest. The core and the techniques are two parts of the greater whole that make up the Soldier's Step. You can learn other techniques, of course, but you will never truly reach your true potential unless you begin to take advantage of the boons your core gives you."
"And you, Kong Zhi…" Elder Siani shakes his head. "You have three techniques, two integrated, and not one matches the Core of the Forge Eternal. Until you rectify this, you will never be a true Soldier. If you were to attempt the Farmer's Step now, your potential would be shacked for years."
You nod slowly. You… you had not really thought about it before, but Elder Siani's words make sense. You forged your core out of specific types of anam. It only stands to reason that techniques using those same aspects would then be stronger.
...you are not certain how that would affect you once you took the Farmer's Step, but if Elder Siani says it is true, you are willing to take it on faith for now.
"I see," you reply. "So before you begin to truly train me, I must integrate a time technique, a smoke technique, and a steel technique. I shall-
An upraised hand stops you. "That is only partially correct," Elder Siani informs you. "It is true that the next thing you must do is integrate those techniques. But I did not say that I would not train you in the meantime. In fact, I would be a poor master if I did not assist you in breaking through these barriers."
Elder Siani pushes back on his chair, rocking on to it's back legs. "As far as Time goes, you are not yet ready to receive my instruction on it. Moreover, I suspect you may have an idea of how to proceed on your own. For now."
At this his voice is steady but carries a weight that seems to pin you to the ground. But the weight passes and he continues. "But for the others, I would be most pleased to assist you. If you so wish, I will retrieve a selection of techniques for you to peruse and begin studying. This will save you no end of searching, not to mention all those wonderful sect points you ducklings covet."
You open your mouth to accept this most generous offer, but Elder Siani's hand is still upraised. "Or," he adds. "I can assist you in a different way."
"As a member of the First Circle, I have access to resources that are far beyond your reach, duckling. That includes many Natural Wonders set aside for our personal use- Natural Wonders I would be more than happy to allow my little disciple to cycle from. They will not help you find the techniques themselves, but once you have them, you will have a ready source of power to help you master them."
...ah. You see. That would indeed be helpful. Since the Lost Armory has lost its power, you have no ready source of Steel Anam, and your only source of Smoke is the Cloud's Breath. With just the bottle to aid you, actually integrating the techniques will be the work of months.
But… you look up at your Master. "I do not suppose the most honored Elder would grant me both boons?" you ask.
"I would not," comes the expected reply. "I am attempting to help you, duckling. Not spoil you."
Elder Siani has offered you a choice. He will grant you a Smoke and a Steel technique so that you can finish your Soldier's Step, or he will grant you access to the Natural Wonders it will take to power techniques you find yourself. Which offer do you accept?
[] You will accept techniques from Elder Siani's personal collection.
[] You will accept access to Natural Wonders normally reserved for members of the First Circle.
[x] You will accept techniques from Elder Siani's personal collection.
While getting the resources to cycle the techniques up will be a pain (and this is partially a result of our ""planning"" and not knowing what we're doing), I think it is preferable to have really solid techniques that will fit with our core, and figure out how to integrate them later.
[X] You will accept access to Natural Wonders normally reserved for members of the First Circle.
Personally I want to spend more screen time on experimenting and learning techniques, as they're liable to last us longer then sites we may outgrow or get distracted from later on.
[x] You will accept access to Natural Wonders normally reserved for members of the First Circle.
It would be an absolute pain to integrate techniques without natural wonders, as the update mentions. We would inevitably end up seeking out such wonders (or perhaps buying pills, if we can find a source), because otherwise our rate of progress would be painfully slow. In other words, this choice is really whether we should spend our time looking for Wonders or looking for techniques. Frankly, I would much rather spend our time designing or picking out interesting techniques than I would searching for Wonders. As @Happerry above me puts it, techniques just merit more screen time.
This is a question of safety versus potential. If we take the wonders, we're guaranteed a source of Anam, and we can grind sect points until we can afford to buy the techniques we need from the archives, but the quality of those techniques is liable to be limited. Taking the techniques secures us some really good moves, but we'll have to either roll the exploration gacha until we get what we need, or choke down more pills than Keith Richards. The question is: do we feel confident in our ability to secure a source of Steel (and to a lesser extent Smoke) Anam? We do now have the ability to specifically look for Wonders at the cost of mental stress, so we wouldn't be rolling completely at random.
[X] You will accept access to Natural Wonders normally reserved for members of the First Circle.
See, I'd be all for the techniques, but we just destroyed the Lost Armory. Got to have a plentiful source of the right anam type first, you know? Besides, this also covers the infusion problem, since we only have the 25-potency Second of Eternity RN.
Also, for reference, the members of the First Circle are Elders, who are Warlords and Sages. Wonders that are specifically requisitioned for their use sound like they would be monstrously potent from the perspective of a Soldier.
[X] You will accept access to Natural Wonders normally reserved for members of the First Circle.
Elder Siani specifically mentioned that we could purchase appropriate techniques with sect points, whereas access to quality Natural Wonders seems to be much, much rarer. Going for the wonders seems like the smarter bet to me.
[X] You will accept techniques from Elder Siani's personal collection.
We have regular access to smoke anam, and Shouxi has made steel pills for Fa, so we know we can bargain with him for Steel in a pinch.
However, a Grade One Fire Archer tech Costs 30 sect points at the Archives. All the anam in the world won't matter a lick if we don't have the techs to cycle the anam into it. Plus, we know we can locate wonders using SEG even if we can't specify aspects yet
And this is the Elder in charge of Weird shit, Like the dream monitoring tech we just saw. I want me some of the GOOD stuff he's got squirreled away.
[X] You will accept techniques from Elder Siani's personal collection.
I'd rather get techniques, we can find wonders with SEG even though I'm certain they won't be as good as what he is offering right now.
