EternalObserver
eYe Gaze baCk
- Location
- The Void
Survived another rng roll once again. phew
Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Varder
Tired Cultist
- Location
- Hell
Well, we weight the dice with artworks.
Very Ling Qi of us, actually.
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
You know, TREE.
Beast King's Savage Dirge: Yang, Wood, Darkness, Music, Beasts, Conquest, Power
- Bear God's Fury: The Bear God, avatar of wrath, whose crushing paws sundered trees and reshaped hills, Learn the stanzas of the great ballad which spoke of his coming and the ruin of the wolf gods plans. Learn the Bear God's Fury technique, which summons the phantom limbs of the titan to crush and pin down foes. Unlocks One Project. (0/3)
- Primacy of Beasts: Learn the song of nature, the melody of tooth and claw. Where lies the line between beasts and men, which brings us to war? Mere greed and pride, or something more? Alters the primal War Calling technique. Advances the Power and Want Projects by one step. (0/3)
- Xiangmen, Fortress of Tsu Pt. 1: Before the ravening of the Gods, Xiangmen stood uncaring, and in the trunk sheltered all of the people of the Emerald Seas. Against the Gods stood the Diviner, who would see that man was never subjugated again. Alters the Eagle God's Defiance technique. Advances the Motion and Home projects by one step. (0/5)
The only project we ever need. It has all the answers we need. If you think that it doesn't, then I will ask that you practice Argent mirror and stop lying to yourself.
You see, the TREE is the ultimate project group we have and every vote were we do not progress it is a tragedy. Remember to vote TREE.
- Location
- United States of America
Have you not heard? Has the news not reached you?
The Tree is all-powerful, all glorious, all important. Vote for the Tree at every opportunity, for its splendor demands nothing lesser.
All joking aside, it is the Beast Kings Savage Dirge techniques we can cultivate. One of which is a telling of the last time Xiangmen, the Tree Whose Branches Pierce Heaven, last took action.
From what Ilsur said, if they aren't raiding lowlanders the Clouds are raiding each other. It's why his dad joined up with White Sky because he was tired of that shit.
- Location
- Spain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
@Neshuakadal A plan like this will be acceptable or has too little TREE?
Beast King's Savage Dirge:
Beast King's Savage Dirge:
- Bear God's Fury: The Bear God, avatar of wrath, whose crushing paws sundered trees and reshaped hills, Learn the stanzas of the great ballad which spoke of his coming and the ruin of the wolf gods plans. Learn the Bear God's Fury technique, which summons the phantom limbs of the titan to crush and pin down foes. Unlocks One Project. (0/3)
- Xiangmen, Fortress of Tsu Pt. 1: Before the ravening of the Gods, Xiangmen stood uncaring, and in the trunk sheltered all of the people of the Emerald Seas. Against the Gods stood the Diviner, who would see that man was never subjugated again. Alters the Eagle God's Defiance technique. Advances the Motion and Home projects by one step. (0/5)
- Garden of Mists: You keep no hearth, but you do tend the garden. Kin and clan, parents and siblings, dreams of the future and trials of now. You have come to know the ways of boundaries and stories, told to keep back the night. You protect your own. Alter the WInter Hearth resounding Art, replacing the Fire Keyword with Dream and Music with Formations. Advances Community and Cycles Project by 1. Advances Liminal Carver by 1. (0/5)
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
It has TREE so it's good. There are many ways to the TREE, so any path towards it will have my vote.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I was thinking about it earlier and looked this as an option:
(.)Phantoms are Friends, not Fodder, Nesh Approved:
-Bear God's Fury: The Bear God, avatar of wrath, whose crushing paws sundered trees and reshaped hills, Learn the stanzas of the great ballad which spoke of his coming and the ruin of the wolf gods plans. Learn the Bear God's Fury technique, which summons the phantom limbs of the titan to crush and pin down foes. Unlocks One Project. (6/3)
-Phantasmal Mastery: You have tasted the cruel wine of isolation, and known the pain of loneliness. Is it any wonder then that the arts of conjuring have been core to you since the day that you first took up the melody of the Forgotten Vale. At your direction, phantoms and figments dance more deftly and with more mind, animated by the lingering dreams of a girl who can never forget loneliness. Grants the Phantasmal Mastery Trait, which increases the power and flexibility of summon techniques. Advances Isolation by 1 Step. (8/5)
-Xiangmen, Fortress of Tsu Pt. 1: Before the ravening of the Gods, Xiangmen stood uncaring, and in the trunk sheltered all of the people of the Emerald Seas. Against the Gods stood the Diviner, who would see that man was never subjugated again. Alters the Eagle God's Defiance technique. Advances the Motion and Home projects by one step. (6/5)
This is a more combat focused turn of projects; BGF comes pre-doubled based on bonuses alone, acquiring the domain and BKSD phantom multiplier trait, as well as a new direct damage and delay tech for BKSD, Xiangmen slotted because we all owe Nesh for his contributions and altering Eagle might be cool. I originally had Grinning in the third slot for Isolation IV, but Nesh requires his sacrifice. I love BKSD though so I wouldn't mind a turn based around it.
(.)Phantoms are Friends, not Fodder, Nesh Approved:
-Bear God's Fury: The Bear God, avatar of wrath, whose crushing paws sundered trees and reshaped hills, Learn the stanzas of the great ballad which spoke of his coming and the ruin of the wolf gods plans. Learn the Bear God's Fury technique, which summons the phantom limbs of the titan to crush and pin down foes. Unlocks One Project. (6/3)
-Phantasmal Mastery: You have tasted the cruel wine of isolation, and known the pain of loneliness. Is it any wonder then that the arts of conjuring have been core to you since the day that you first took up the melody of the Forgotten Vale. At your direction, phantoms and figments dance more deftly and with more mind, animated by the lingering dreams of a girl who can never forget loneliness. Grants the Phantasmal Mastery Trait, which increases the power and flexibility of summon techniques. Advances Isolation by 1 Step. (8/5)
-Xiangmen, Fortress of Tsu Pt. 1: Before the ravening of the Gods, Xiangmen stood uncaring, and in the trunk sheltered all of the people of the Emerald Seas. Against the Gods stood the Diviner, who would see that man was never subjugated again. Alters the Eagle God's Defiance technique. Advances the Motion and Home projects by one step. (6/5)
This is a more combat focused turn of projects; BGF comes pre-doubled based on bonuses alone, acquiring the domain and BKSD phantom multiplier trait, as well as a new direct damage and delay tech for BKSD, Xiangmen slotted because we all owe Nesh for his contributions and altering Eagle might be cool. I originally had Grinning in the third slot for Isolation IV, but Nesh requires his sacrifice. I love BKSD though so I wouldn't mind a turn based around it.
While Gerel's tribe may not have joined in the war against the Empire neither does it appear that they attempted to forcefully block the Northern tribes from attacking the Empire from their territory, as evidenced by the increase in game and graze after the Northern tribes fled the repercussions of their attack on the Empire. I don't blame the Empire for seizing the territory from which they were attacked. And in a moment of foolish pride Gerel's Khatun sacrificed his own tribe in an obviously hopeless battle.
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- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
The support for TREE is gratifying, but I also want to make clear that I will spend my omake points when I want. I am not trying to leverage them to make TREE happen, so don't feel obligated to vote for tree because I use omake points.
Memes aside I do believe tree is a very powerful upgrade path. It's phantoms are some of our most consistent damage, so upgrading those solidly boosts damage output. Bear fills in a neglected hole in our kit (if someone is doing something and they are already in our mist we don't have a way to stop them) and so is an enticing option. And finally I see Xiangman as an ancient mirror to LQs own efforts. Tsu rallied the different tribes of the ES seas and with those forces overthrew the beast gods. Some might see it as a story of war, but I see it as a story about the end result of diplomacy. No force can make Xiangman move. But diplomacy did.
So please don't feel obligated to vote for TREE because of outside factors. Vote for TREE because you believe in it like I do.
Memes aside I do believe tree is a very powerful upgrade path. It's phantoms are some of our most consistent damage, so upgrading those solidly boosts damage output. Bear fills in a neglected hole in our kit (if someone is doing something and they are already in our mist we don't have a way to stop them) and so is an enticing option. And finally I see Xiangman as an ancient mirror to LQs own efforts. Tsu rallied the different tribes of the ES seas and with those forces overthrew the beast gods. Some might see it as a story of war, but I see it as a story about the end result of diplomacy. No force can make Xiangman move. But diplomacy did.
So please don't feel obligated to vote for TREE because of outside factors. Vote for TREE because you believe in it like I do.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I feel donating one or two votes your way is a good trade for the entertaining omakes and then the use of the points afterwards. You can't stop me.
Nomads 101 - you are dealing with specific tribes. Specific tribes uphold specific deals, the collective will follow the path of least resistance and the path spans a vast area you cannot control more than fractions of.
Specific tribes will die out, assimilate or move away and you will need continous new efforts with their replacements.
You bargain from a posture of abundance in wealth, and thus any deal that only costs wealth is a good deal. Let them have their wins. Let them think you fool.
They bargain from a position where life is cheap, any trade of blood for anything else is one they will have the advantage. If they wish tribute let them have it. All that they can carry is nothing much at all.
Subjugation builds a bridge of ice upon hot sand, every bit you grasp at desperately only weakens it all the faster. Generosity is how you create lasting security, for tribes fat on imperial grain would be loathe to starve, and stronger than their peers that refuse to trade.
And when tribes that favor you prosper, you have shifted the forces upon the field without sticking your hand in an anthill.
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Speaking of Beast King technique. Isn't there a couple of animals past Bear before the sytem change? What happened to them?
- Location
- Central Europe
Locked behind Bear presumably? Just like in the old system we would have gotten one new Beast God spirit every Step, we now have to unlock them as projects one after another. Meanwhile the two other projects change the Art as a whole.
How did you calculate it?
- Location
- the internet
Our fight with the Hui corpse lord previewed some of the possible techs for BKSD.
Some sort of Draining Birdsong tech seems to be part of BKSD too. 👀
I think they were just Arts used by the corpse. Nothing to do with BKSD
Turn 13: Arc 7-2
"I wonder," Ling Qi mused. She had an idea, and Sixiang was amenable to helping. "You make the sea sound beautiful, but I think the sky is a greater inspiration for artists."
"As you have never seen it, that is unsurprising," Xia Anxi replied. "The majesty and romance of the ocean is the pinnacle of the world's beauty."
"I don't know," Ling Qi said, keeping half an eye on the arena. "The sky is the vault of heaven, the closest the material world comes to the Father's essence. It is the open canvas of the world, free for inspiration to strike like lightning, and creativity to blow in on the wind. Since it represents the world's creative forces, it seems obvious that it would be superior."
"Well, I suppose one who followed modern orthodoxy would think so," Xia Anxi said with a sniff. "The eight elements model is an artificial imposition on the world, which the five elements better represent. The ocean, being the tears of the Nameless father for his slain wife, is the ultimate representation of emotion, which is ultimately the source of art."
Well this was working, some condescension still, but he was taking her seriously. She would have to thank Sixiang later for feeding her information.
"You can thank me by actually remembering this stuff and learning on your own," Sixiang grumbled.
"Hm, I think water as a representation of persistence and stubborn advancement is more accurate," Ling Qi said. "Emotion is better represented by spontaneity. Is that not how passions work?"
"It is not spontaneity which makes art," Xia Anxi said, finally turning fully in his seat to face her. "PFah any dabbler may have inspiration. A true artist, of song or pigment or any other type, must have in them a persistence, a refusal to leave a work unfinished. This is the passion of the sea, deep and abiding, shaping beauty of islands and beaches over eons with the wear of the waves."
Ling Qi smiled faintly. "True, although I'd argue the wind does the same with the mountains and hills. But all the same without inspiration and innovation, you will only endlessly repeat the styles of your ancestors."
"And what is wrong with that?" he replied. "To iterate again and again, this is how the world advances. So to with art. I study the work of my ancestors. There is no need to reject the past in order to create new things. They have given us tools, only fools refuse to use them."
"I suppose I have been told that I follow in the style of Grandmistress Lei, though my only teacher was the spirit Zeqing," Ling Qi said, loosening her grip on her qi enough that her mentors name vibrated with the meaning underneath the base sound.
"A testament to the Grandmistress' skill that her style became so much a part of the world," Xia Anxi said, a note of fervency in his voice. "That is what I mean, even one with no learning uses the tools left by behind by those such as her. The works of the Coral Serpent, first of our line are much the same. Even the urchins and toughs of the docks sing her songs, crude as the rendition might be."
Ling Qi tilted her head to the side. "...How would you know what songs street urchins and labourers sing?"
Xia Anxi's golden eyes widened marginally before his expression smoothed over. "I speak in metaphor of course, to express how deeply a true grandmaster affects the world."
"Right," Ling Qi said, not letting her dubiousness show. Something to file away for later. "To get back to the original point though, I think the nature of the heavens is more expansive. Within it you have the seasons, from which my winter is drawn, you have weather, which shapes both the people and the land, and crucially, it is omnipresent. Any person, anywhere may look to it.
"It may be true that the majesty of the sea is exclusive to those who live on its shores and above or below the waves, but the rest of that is nonsense," Xia Anxi dismissed, leaning upon the arm of his seat. "Weather arises from the cycle of rains, and even the winds arise from the interaction of sun and sea, fire and water, which is why it is absurd to class them as their own element. I shall grant you the seasons on technicality, as the Celestial movements may be considered a part of the heavens, but the depth of the seas are as infinite as the skies, the waves a match for any procession of clouds."
He hummed a bar, and Ling Qi felt the change in the areas qi.
Push and pull, everlasting. Pressure. Sunlight glinting on rippling wavers, the infinite colors glittering beneath clear blue water. Near weightless suspension, floating on the current of the world.
Life, blooming with vitality. Living clouds of fish, gleaming in the dappled light that extended beneath the surface, wonders and horrors on a scale greater than the dry lands above.
Mystery, deep and infinite. The black abyss where the sloping sands dropped off. The infinite expanse where not a single island remained in sight.
Drumming her fingers on the arm of her seat, Ling Qi hummed back.
Wide as the world, stretching beyond comprehension, wisps of white the only stains in an infinite expanse. The feeling of soaring, freedom from the bonds of the earth, able to travel whatever direction one wished.
Colors, hues beyond counting splashed across the world, casting it in their light. The shadows of mountains and hills and cities silhouetted against the setting and rising sun. The white cloak of winter, setting all the world a-glitter. The stormy ides of spring, awakening chaos and bringing life to the world.
Noise and life. The howl of the wind through the mountaintops. The cries of birds migrating to and from far lands. The whisper of the breeze in the streets carrying all the scents of life.
"Ling Qi," Cai Renxiang's stern voice cut her off, and Ling Qi realized just how spiritually 'loud' they had gotten.
"Xia Anxi," Meizhen joined her, sounding more amused than stern.
"My apologies, Lady Cai," Ling Qi said.
"It seems we became too enmeshed in our conversation," Xia Anxi apologized, bowing his head.
Ling Qi had to admit, privately that it had been interesting. She hadn't directly… contested with another musician since that sect challenge early in the year. Maybe she should do it more often in the future. She had felt her music was stagnating a little lately.
"Oh boy, is it time to actually wrangle some music theory into this head of yours? Besides me, I mean," Sixiang teased.
+1 to Expression XP
Bond with Xia Anxi raised to 1
"It is no concern," Meizhen dismissed. "But the matches are beginning."
"It would be rude to ignore them," Cai Renxiang agreed.
"Less entertaining though," Lao Keung drawled from the railing. "The fifth match is already over."
"Already?" Ling Qi said, blinking in surprise.
"Hm, I suppose after last year, the Han wished to show their virtue of speed," Bai Meizhen mused. Ling Qi peered down where a lazily smiling Han Jian raised his hands to the stands.
"I understand that the Sect's inability to give them face at last years tournament was problematic," Cai Renxiang said.
"The Han? Those would be the maquis of the east?" Xia Anxi said, catching up. "Hm, I hope the Guo know what they are doing with those."
"I rather doubt that the Han will choose to march like fools into the empty desert, to declare themselves king's of the grave," Bai Meizhen said dryly. "But yes, I imagine the Guo Lords are wary of the Han's rise."
"It is a delicate situation," Cai Renxiang agreed. "The Han are not so belligerent however. I have heard that the Han heir has secured a marriage for his son with a less valued Guo scion."
"Is that so," Ling Qi said, looking down at Han Jian. She wondered how Gu Xiulan would react to that. She knew, despite everything, that girl was still smarting from Han Jian's rejection. No matter how impossible his reciprocation would have been.
"It is good that they are being proactive," Lao Keung said neutrally. "The Guo are wise."
Ling Qi hoped so. Perhaps she should ask Xiulan about things, when she wrote her next letter. At home, surrounded by her family and their soldiers she doubted the other girl was in any danger even if there was some turmoil. Still she worried for her friend.
Below, the sixth match was beginning. Ma Jun, her brief bodyguard, and Fan Yu, who she had… mixed feelings about.
"Hm, didn't you say that girl was one of yours?" Xia Anxi asked.
"She followed Lady Cai," Ling Qi replied as the arena shimmered, bringing the combatants to a storm-wracked mountain top. "And guarded me for a time, with her sister. It seems she will be a peer though."
"Too modest," Xia Anxi chuckled.
"Odd, I do not recall seeing any Fan on the guest list," Bai Meizhen mused.
"There is one, an older brother I believe," Cai Renxiang said, watching the opening movements. Fan Yu armored himself, pulling up stone and soil, Ma Jun began to summon shimmering flower petals around herself.
"The Fan would be… ah the remaining agricultural clan in the east," Xia Anxi said, peering down. "Quite potent as things go over there, I am not certain about this one though."
"Some tribulation of the heart. No certainty in his movements, cultivation unstable," Lao Keung grunted.
The two lashed below, stubborn stone against flashing petals and wind, neither came away marked.
"Well whatever you say, it seems you instilled some pride in that girl," Xia Anxi said to her, watching Ma Jun circle the arena, feinting, dodging, chipping away at her opponent. "The colors, the metre, they scream of drive."
Ling Qi hummed to herself. "Frustration too."
She wondered what that was about. She would have to ask Gan Guangli.
Below the shape of the match was becoming clear. Ma Jun was having difficulty hurting fan Yu, but he… he was only weathering her. Twice, she saw openings where he could have struck out at her, and twice Fan Yu failed to take them. It was…
"Pfah, the match is already over," Lao Keung said disdainfully. "Even if it goes on for awhile yet."
"I agree," Bai Meizhen said. "He is frightened, and that fear does not drive. It commands. Unfortunate for him."
Ling Qi was silent. She thought of the boy who had mocked her on her first day at the sect, who had been loudly against her throughout those early days. There had been, if she was honest with herself some satisfaction in surpassing him, even if she chose not to be blatant about it. Then there was pity, by year's end.
Now, there was not even that. He simply wasn't relevant to her life.
She would have to congratulate Ma Jun later though.
As the match ended some time later, she continued to chat with the others in the box. The final two matches went as expected. Xiao Fen's opponent fought hard, but was simply outmatched by her speed, brutality and martial skill. Han Fang's opponent managed to not be beaten in the initial ambush, but fell shortly thereafter.
And like that the first round of the tournament ended. It had been predictable. The next one however, would begin to show some real clashes.
But for now, they would descend to congratulate the winners from their side.
"As you have never seen it, that is unsurprising," Xia Anxi replied. "The majesty and romance of the ocean is the pinnacle of the world's beauty."
"I don't know," Ling Qi said, keeping half an eye on the arena. "The sky is the vault of heaven, the closest the material world comes to the Father's essence. It is the open canvas of the world, free for inspiration to strike like lightning, and creativity to blow in on the wind. Since it represents the world's creative forces, it seems obvious that it would be superior."
"Well, I suppose one who followed modern orthodoxy would think so," Xia Anxi said with a sniff. "The eight elements model is an artificial imposition on the world, which the five elements better represent. The ocean, being the tears of the Nameless father for his slain wife, is the ultimate representation of emotion, which is ultimately the source of art."
Well this was working, some condescension still, but he was taking her seriously. She would have to thank Sixiang later for feeding her information.
"You can thank me by actually remembering this stuff and learning on your own," Sixiang grumbled.
"Hm, I think water as a representation of persistence and stubborn advancement is more accurate," Ling Qi said. "Emotion is better represented by spontaneity. Is that not how passions work?"
"It is not spontaneity which makes art," Xia Anxi said, finally turning fully in his seat to face her. "PFah any dabbler may have inspiration. A true artist, of song or pigment or any other type, must have in them a persistence, a refusal to leave a work unfinished. This is the passion of the sea, deep and abiding, shaping beauty of islands and beaches over eons with the wear of the waves."
Ling Qi smiled faintly. "True, although I'd argue the wind does the same with the mountains and hills. But all the same without inspiration and innovation, you will only endlessly repeat the styles of your ancestors."
"And what is wrong with that?" he replied. "To iterate again and again, this is how the world advances. So to with art. I study the work of my ancestors. There is no need to reject the past in order to create new things. They have given us tools, only fools refuse to use them."
"I suppose I have been told that I follow in the style of Grandmistress Lei, though my only teacher was the spirit Zeqing," Ling Qi said, loosening her grip on her qi enough that her mentors name vibrated with the meaning underneath the base sound.
"A testament to the Grandmistress' skill that her style became so much a part of the world," Xia Anxi said, a note of fervency in his voice. "That is what I mean, even one with no learning uses the tools left by behind by those such as her. The works of the Coral Serpent, first of our line are much the same. Even the urchins and toughs of the docks sing her songs, crude as the rendition might be."
Ling Qi tilted her head to the side. "...How would you know what songs street urchins and labourers sing?"
Xia Anxi's golden eyes widened marginally before his expression smoothed over. "I speak in metaphor of course, to express how deeply a true grandmaster affects the world."
"Right," Ling Qi said, not letting her dubiousness show. Something to file away for later. "To get back to the original point though, I think the nature of the heavens is more expansive. Within it you have the seasons, from which my winter is drawn, you have weather, which shapes both the people and the land, and crucially, it is omnipresent. Any person, anywhere may look to it.
"It may be true that the majesty of the sea is exclusive to those who live on its shores and above or below the waves, but the rest of that is nonsense," Xia Anxi dismissed, leaning upon the arm of his seat. "Weather arises from the cycle of rains, and even the winds arise from the interaction of sun and sea, fire and water, which is why it is absurd to class them as their own element. I shall grant you the seasons on technicality, as the Celestial movements may be considered a part of the heavens, but the depth of the seas are as infinite as the skies, the waves a match for any procession of clouds."
He hummed a bar, and Ling Qi felt the change in the areas qi.
Push and pull, everlasting. Pressure. Sunlight glinting on rippling wavers, the infinite colors glittering beneath clear blue water. Near weightless suspension, floating on the current of the world.
Life, blooming with vitality. Living clouds of fish, gleaming in the dappled light that extended beneath the surface, wonders and horrors on a scale greater than the dry lands above.
Mystery, deep and infinite. The black abyss where the sloping sands dropped off. The infinite expanse where not a single island remained in sight.
Drumming her fingers on the arm of her seat, Ling Qi hummed back.
Wide as the world, stretching beyond comprehension, wisps of white the only stains in an infinite expanse. The feeling of soaring, freedom from the bonds of the earth, able to travel whatever direction one wished.
Colors, hues beyond counting splashed across the world, casting it in their light. The shadows of mountains and hills and cities silhouetted against the setting and rising sun. The white cloak of winter, setting all the world a-glitter. The stormy ides of spring, awakening chaos and bringing life to the world.
Noise and life. The howl of the wind through the mountaintops. The cries of birds migrating to and from far lands. The whisper of the breeze in the streets carrying all the scents of life.
"Ling Qi," Cai Renxiang's stern voice cut her off, and Ling Qi realized just how spiritually 'loud' they had gotten.
"Xia Anxi," Meizhen joined her, sounding more amused than stern.
"My apologies, Lady Cai," Ling Qi said.
"It seems we became too enmeshed in our conversation," Xia Anxi apologized, bowing his head.
Ling Qi had to admit, privately that it had been interesting. She hadn't directly… contested with another musician since that sect challenge early in the year. Maybe she should do it more often in the future. She had felt her music was stagnating a little lately.
"Oh boy, is it time to actually wrangle some music theory into this head of yours? Besides me, I mean," Sixiang teased.
+1 to Expression XP
Bond with Xia Anxi raised to 1
"It is no concern," Meizhen dismissed. "But the matches are beginning."
"It would be rude to ignore them," Cai Renxiang agreed.
"Less entertaining though," Lao Keung drawled from the railing. "The fifth match is already over."
"Already?" Ling Qi said, blinking in surprise.
"Hm, I suppose after last year, the Han wished to show their virtue of speed," Bai Meizhen mused. Ling Qi peered down where a lazily smiling Han Jian raised his hands to the stands.
"I understand that the Sect's inability to give them face at last years tournament was problematic," Cai Renxiang said.
"The Han? Those would be the maquis of the east?" Xia Anxi said, catching up. "Hm, I hope the Guo know what they are doing with those."
"I rather doubt that the Han will choose to march like fools into the empty desert, to declare themselves king's of the grave," Bai Meizhen said dryly. "But yes, I imagine the Guo Lords are wary of the Han's rise."
"It is a delicate situation," Cai Renxiang agreed. "The Han are not so belligerent however. I have heard that the Han heir has secured a marriage for his son with a less valued Guo scion."
"Is that so," Ling Qi said, looking down at Han Jian. She wondered how Gu Xiulan would react to that. She knew, despite everything, that girl was still smarting from Han Jian's rejection. No matter how impossible his reciprocation would have been.
"It is good that they are being proactive," Lao Keung said neutrally. "The Guo are wise."
Ling Qi hoped so. Perhaps she should ask Xiulan about things, when she wrote her next letter. At home, surrounded by her family and their soldiers she doubted the other girl was in any danger even if there was some turmoil. Still she worried for her friend.
Below, the sixth match was beginning. Ma Jun, her brief bodyguard, and Fan Yu, who she had… mixed feelings about.
"Hm, didn't you say that girl was one of yours?" Xia Anxi asked.
"She followed Lady Cai," Ling Qi replied as the arena shimmered, bringing the combatants to a storm-wracked mountain top. "And guarded me for a time, with her sister. It seems she will be a peer though."
"Too modest," Xia Anxi chuckled.
"Odd, I do not recall seeing any Fan on the guest list," Bai Meizhen mused.
"There is one, an older brother I believe," Cai Renxiang said, watching the opening movements. Fan Yu armored himself, pulling up stone and soil, Ma Jun began to summon shimmering flower petals around herself.
"The Fan would be… ah the remaining agricultural clan in the east," Xia Anxi said, peering down. "Quite potent as things go over there, I am not certain about this one though."
"Some tribulation of the heart. No certainty in his movements, cultivation unstable," Lao Keung grunted.
The two lashed below, stubborn stone against flashing petals and wind, neither came away marked.
"Well whatever you say, it seems you instilled some pride in that girl," Xia Anxi said to her, watching Ma Jun circle the arena, feinting, dodging, chipping away at her opponent. "The colors, the metre, they scream of drive."
Ling Qi hummed to herself. "Frustration too."
She wondered what that was about. She would have to ask Gan Guangli.
Below the shape of the match was becoming clear. Ma Jun was having difficulty hurting fan Yu, but he… he was only weathering her. Twice, she saw openings where he could have struck out at her, and twice Fan Yu failed to take them. It was…
"Pfah, the match is already over," Lao Keung said disdainfully. "Even if it goes on for awhile yet."
"I agree," Bai Meizhen said. "He is frightened, and that fear does not drive. It commands. Unfortunate for him."
Ling Qi was silent. She thought of the boy who had mocked her on her first day at the sect, who had been loudly against her throughout those early days. There had been, if she was honest with herself some satisfaction in surpassing him, even if she chose not to be blatant about it. Then there was pity, by year's end.
Now, there was not even that. He simply wasn't relevant to her life.
She would have to congratulate Ma Jun later though.
As the match ended some time later, she continued to chat with the others in the box. The final two matches went as expected. Xiao Fen's opponent fought hard, but was simply outmatched by her speed, brutality and martial skill. Han Fang's opponent managed to not be beaten in the initial ambush, but fell shortly thereafter.
And like that the first round of the tournament ended. It had been predictable. The next one however, would begin to show some real clashes.
But for now, they would descend to congratulate the winners from their side.
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- Location
- Leeds
But where are we going to find another Muse? Turtle Boy took the other one who was interested...
Clearly the ocean talk was a hint.
- Location
- Canada
Hah, a total fall into irrelevancy.
Maybe he can claw his way into the inner sect in his third year, though by then he clearly isn't going to be going much farther than that unless some momentous change happens.