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.
Shenhua is so cool. 😍
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
Well I have good news for you! On the upcoming commission list is a series about Sun Shao and what is probably his attack on the west. It is on the commission list though, so it will be a while. The list is very big.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Oh you're right! And for Patrons it isn't even that far away!
My subtle plug is very subtle... Yrs love me.
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
It is amazing how cool Yrs has made Shenhua, while also clearly making her the final boss.
"Shoddy work"
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
I don't think there would have been. No matter what route we chose, Shenhua's plans would not have changed.
- Location
- Who Knows
Been a while since I said anything in thread lol, but I like really weird character extremes taken to a far-reaching conclusion and the latest things were very sexy and fun.
Trauma! Nice.
Trauma! Nice.
Helps that the usual phrase I read is "didn't know whether to laugh or cry". Lol
- Location
- CA
No, I'm pretty sure there'd be a different end boss in the sect route.
It wouldn't make any sense for Renxiang to be the final boss in this timeline.
...except insofar as she's the one making Ling Qi do her fair share of the post-Shenhua paperwork, anyway.
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
So there are two sect routes now. There was the choice between Cai and the sect, which had we gone sect there likely would have been a different end game boss, and then there was the choice between diplomacy or sect. That was the choice I was referring too in my post.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Well that certainly was something, I love this miniseries!
This line here, im really interested in.
Could it be that we can take this line literally at face value?
We know moomy Cai can weave stuff off and from people (literal parts of human souls).
We now know that she had her grown before her ascension to the Ducal Throne.
We know that the most potent artefacts require ridicules resources to produce (she didn't have those resources before taking the throne).
We know that the body of an high lvl cultivator is a resource in itself, albeit rarely used cause of reasons (don't know where we learned that … if I'm wrong you can discard this theory).
We know from Bai ?Suzen? that one of the things Shenhua should not be able to feel anymore is love.
Add that all up together and im asking myself the question:
Did Cai Shenhua weave parts of herself before her ascension or maybe parts of her Heavenly Kings into a gown? And used a cultivation technique like the cloud tribes to form a way closer bond with her gown than imperial cultivation should make possible? Is that why she can feel those things, because her gown is woven with it and the spirit in it can feel those things?
My imagination is running wild right now …. Thinking abound CRX and Liming and it was not a "little" accident but planned so her Daughter will always feel anger towards her mother and can't sacrifice her anger to cultivation. Liming will always be there.
Need to reread this after Work when i have more time ...
This line here, im really interested in.
Could it be that we can take this line literally at face value?
We know moomy Cai can weave stuff off and from people (literal parts of human souls).
We now know that she had her grown before her ascension to the Ducal Throne.
We know that the most potent artefacts require ridicules resources to produce (she didn't have those resources before taking the throne).
We know that the body of an high lvl cultivator is a resource in itself, albeit rarely used cause of reasons (don't know where we learned that … if I'm wrong you can discard this theory).
We know from Bai ?Suzen? that one of the things Shenhua should not be able to feel anymore is love.
Add that all up together and im asking myself the question:
Did Cai Shenhua weave parts of herself before her ascension or maybe parts of her Heavenly Kings into a gown? And used a cultivation technique like the cloud tribes to form a way closer bond with her gown than imperial cultivation should make possible? Is that why she can feel those things, because her gown is woven with it and the spirit in it can feel those things?
My imagination is running wild right now …. Thinking abound CRX and Liming and it was not a "little" accident but planned so her Daughter will always feel anger towards her mother and can't sacrifice her anger to cultivation. Liming will always be there.
Need to reread this after Work when i have more time ...
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I got you, fam: Conceptual Projects
And yes, advanced insights count towards total insights. "10 insights, 3 advanced" as a cultivation requirement means "At least 10 insights, of which at least 3 must be advanced."
You know, it's been a while since our Domain Weapon's had some solid discussion. So, I want to discuss our Domain Weapon. I've even got a pretty neato idea for it, if I do say so myself, but first some reminders since it's been so long. All the quotes lead back to the updates they're from, if you want to peruse the context.
ANYWAY, this is the last time we actually saw the Domain Weapon in action. And it's with a familiar face, creepy Weilu skeleton, a classic and fan-favourite institution of the story. We saw him before in meatspace instead of dreamspace, here.
Turns out the weird solid chunk of darkness we had our Domain Weapon crafted out of counts as, like, this funky Weilu skeleton spirit's blood! A thing we merged 3 of our meridians into, to make it part of our body and spirit. Uh, whoops!
But also: cool?
Now, it's not strictly necessary, but in my mind it stands to reason that future refinement of our Domain Weapon would naturally be influenced by this peculiar connection. Otherwise why even bring it up? There seems to be a strong shared resonance of Isolation between them, appropriately enough.
The trouble starts in shared emblems for further tweaks to its form. He doesn't seem to have a musical bent at first glance. And while we're both thieves, Ling Qi doesn't have a very conventional aesthetic for one, so something like a dagger which seems appropriate is kind of iffy. For my tastes anyway. Especially when you get into the function of Ling Qi's Domain and its foundation in Isolation. Something like a lockpick would be thief-y but a weird stretch for the same reason. It doesn't reflect the identity of Ling Qi's Domain.
Finding some physical form that reflects elements of both Ling Qi and the spirit while respecting the element of Isolation in the Domain itself is tricky. But doable, if we go a bit more abstract.
Horns! Ling Qi's Domain Weapon could transform into a pair of shadowy Weilu-style horns sprouting from her temples.
For one, I think she'd look very nice in them. For two, it would be very funny. For three, it would be "stealing" something from our skele-mentor-to-be. For four, direct physical attacks and clashing of Domain Weapons has often been awkward or forgotten because of our fighting style. I think we can cut that aspect by having ours glued to our head just fine. For the main logic, see below.
The shadowy Weilu horns represent the Isolation wrought by the Endings inherent to time's passage into history. But they're also a meditation on how the present takes from the past in the context of the Weilu's use as a unifying symbol. Ling Qi's understanding of Isolation is the motivation behind her drive to seek connections. The Weilu are gone, there's no living connection to them, but the clans of the Emerald Seas use their legacy, and legitimacy, as a way to bridge the distance between themselves so they are not alone.
It fits with Ling Qi's growing exploration of the past's meaning to wear a symbol of its authority on her brow(ish). Seeking the deeper meaning of the past is what brought her to the skeletal Weilu remnant. As an odd refugee/relic of that time, it would make sense for their collaboration to lead Ling Qi down this road. As thieves, it would make sense for Ling Qi to be inspired to rifle through the past and make the valuable her own. (Not so different from her advice to Su Ling.) Even in terms of the diplomatic project with the White Sky, taking on some legitimacy of the Weilu-as-founder-story would just be an extension of the arguments she's already publicly committed to.
I think it'd be super rad to have rad Domain Weapon shadow horns, and I think getting side-eyed for it would also be rad, honestly. It's just kinda fitting for a lot of Ling Qi's themes and trajectory, and would be a convenient way to trim some of the awkwardness of Domain Weapons.
Here's what it looks like these days. It used to be a more ornamental spiral design wafting mist from between its misty twisted blades, but integrating FVM/Isolation into our Domain shifted it to this more streamlined and understated appearance. Mist also spontaneously manifests within Ling Qi's Domain range rather than spewing from the blade as a focal point. I liked the change, never being completely sold on the original aesthetics, but I'm not wholly satisfied with the dagger aesthetic either.
ANYWAY, this is the last time we actually saw the Domain Weapon in action. And it's with a familiar face, creepy Weilu skeleton, a classic and fan-favourite institution of the story. We saw him before in meatspace instead of dreamspace, here.
Turns out the weird solid chunk of darkness we had our Domain Weapon crafted out of counts as, like, this funky Weilu skeleton spirit's blood! A thing we merged 3 of our meridians into, to make it part of our body and spirit. Uh, whoops!
But also: cool?
Now, it's not strictly necessary, but in my mind it stands to reason that future refinement of our Domain Weapon would naturally be influenced by this peculiar connection. Otherwise why even bring it up? There seems to be a strong shared resonance of Isolation between them, appropriately enough.
The trouble starts in shared emblems for further tweaks to its form. He doesn't seem to have a musical bent at first glance. And while we're both thieves, Ling Qi doesn't have a very conventional aesthetic for one, so something like a dagger which seems appropriate is kind of iffy. For my tastes anyway. Especially when you get into the function of Ling Qi's Domain and its foundation in Isolation. Something like a lockpick would be thief-y but a weird stretch for the same reason. It doesn't reflect the identity of Ling Qi's Domain.
Finding some physical form that reflects elements of both Ling Qi and the spirit while respecting the element of Isolation in the Domain itself is tricky. But doable, if we go a bit more abstract.
Horns! Ling Qi's Domain Weapon could transform into a pair of shadowy Weilu-style horns sprouting from her temples.
For one, I think she'd look very nice in them. For two, it would be very funny. For three, it would be "stealing" something from our skele-mentor-to-be. For four, direct physical attacks and clashing of Domain Weapons has often been awkward or forgotten because of our fighting style. I think we can cut that aspect by having ours glued to our head just fine. For the main logic, see below.
The shadowy Weilu horns represent the Isolation wrought by the Endings inherent to time's passage into history. But they're also a meditation on how the present takes from the past in the context of the Weilu's use as a unifying symbol. Ling Qi's understanding of Isolation is the motivation behind her drive to seek connections. The Weilu are gone, there's no living connection to them, but the clans of the Emerald Seas use their legacy, and legitimacy, as a way to bridge the distance between themselves so they are not alone.
It fits with Ling Qi's growing exploration of the past's meaning to wear a symbol of its authority on her brow(ish). Seeking the deeper meaning of the past is what brought her to the skeletal Weilu remnant. As an odd refugee/relic of that time, it would make sense for their collaboration to lead Ling Qi down this road. As thieves, it would make sense for Ling Qi to be inspired to rifle through the past and make the valuable her own. (Not so different from her advice to Su Ling.) Even in terms of the diplomatic project with the White Sky, taking on some legitimacy of the Weilu-as-founder-story would just be an extension of the arguments she's already publicly committed to.
I think it'd be super rad to have rad Domain Weapon shadow horns, and I think getting side-eyed for it would also be rad, honestly. It's just kinda fitting for a lot of Ling Qi's themes and trajectory, and would be a convenient way to trim some of the awkwardness of Domain Weapons.
A knife just feels a bit lacking. Ling Qi doesn't really knife around these days, and knives don't have resonance with FVM as an art or with Ling Qi's conception of Isolation. The flute-like design elements make sense since they obviously come from somewhere, but having a floating flute-weapon feels like it would seriously interfere with the aesthetic of Ling Qi as a flautist.
I've never been a fan of Xianxia swordsmen having flying swords doing their actual swordfighting for them, and if we look at the prominent fighters in X of Destiny, we see they avoid that trope. They keep their weapons in hand, and their character presentation benefits from it. Since the flute is Ling Qi's chief tool, her direct use of it should remain central to the presence of flutes among her efforts. Also, just superficially, two flutes is a bit discordant with the premise of Isolation- there's workarounds, kind of the premise for Ling Qi's entire family/bonds schtick, but the work isn't there with dual-flutes.
A Domain flute strikes me as messy and cluttery.
I've never been a fan of Xianxia swordsmen having flying swords doing their actual swordfighting for them, and if we look at the prominent fighters in X of Destiny, we see they avoid that trope. They keep their weapons in hand, and their character presentation benefits from it. Since the flute is Ling Qi's chief tool, her direct use of it should remain central to the presence of flutes among her efforts. Also, just superficially, two flutes is a bit discordant with the premise of Isolation- there's workarounds, kind of the premise for Ling Qi's entire family/bonds schtick, but the work isn't there with dual-flutes.
A Domain flute strikes me as messy and cluttery.
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- Location
- UK
If we're considering boundaries to be a theme going forward then another possibility for the domain might be a 'door'. A literal hole in the world (fitting the material it was made from in appearance) or some other form of portal with the Mist waiting on the other side. It already has holes in it from where the Mist pours iirc.
(Actually a blade cutting a portal would be pretty neat if it fit LQs themes a bit more.)
(Actually a blade cutting a portal would be pretty neat if it fit LQs themes a bit more.)
- Location
- Richland
I've been thinking it was something like that ever sense we got a look at CR's dress and how it works, I think part of her mom's method involves carving off pieces of yourself to make artifacts that can grow with you and be reincorporated later down the line. Not 100% on what the exact benefits would be besides keeping parts of yourself you would otherwise loose though.
Cecylene
Eternal Idea Engine
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Pronouns
- He/They
It also gives a good lead on how Shenhua has been able to bootstrap "artificial" spirits into existence, when no one else ever was.
Turn 13: Arc 9-1: Finale
Ling Qi peered at Cai Renxiang out of the corner of her eye, remaining silent as they ascended the long stair that lead to the box at the top of the stadium. She was haggard. Cai Renxiang hid it well, but Ling Qi recognized the small differences in her posture, the touches of cosmetics around her eyes. The meeting with her mother had definitely been harsh.
"Is there anything I can assist you with today, Lady Cai," Ling Qi asked casually, she followed precisely two steps behind Cai Renxiang as they ascended.
"Not today, I think," Cai Renxiang said, she sounded a little tired, but there was something that had been missing from her for some time. The steel determination of someone who knew what they had to do. It wasn't quite what it once was, but it was back.
Something had changed.
"I will call on you when I need you, Ling Qi," Cai Renxiang said, her voice quiet in the privacy of the stairwell. "I think we will have much to talk about on our journey north."
Ling Qi gave a small nod of acknowledgement. Words that they shouldn't speak then, even here at the Sect? That was… worrying. "I am with you," Ling Qi said "Soon, Gan Guangli will be too."
"Yes," Cai Renxiang agreed. "Understand Ling Qi, that I require some time in cultivation before I may speak clearly."
"Of course, Lady Cai," Ling Qi said. Not entirely a matter of danger then, but also processing. Well, she could wait. There was certainly enough on her plate for the moment.
Well, she would just be glad that Cai Renxiang had found that part of herself again, because today they were sharing a box with the Duchess, not the Bai.
She could already feel the pressure growing on her shoulders.
All too soon they emerged into the brilliantly lit interior of the spectators balcony that sat above all the rest. The presence of the Duchess nearly overwhelmed all others, seated with one leg crossed over the other, as languid in the stadium seat as she had ever been on her throne. She wore an ornate and formal gown of white and gold worked through with imagery of blooming flowers. Only the near hip length slit in all three layers of the gown showed the Duchess' unusual fashion sense.
Seated beside her was Diao Linqin, who sat beside her with arms crossed, expressionless, her gown was pale rose pink, with deeper reds in the underlayer and hems, and her honey brown hair was drawn up and woven between ornate jade ornaments. Her eyes flicked to the two of them, and Ling Qi felt the older woman's dislike wash over them. It was not powerful, merely a frisson in the air like bramble thorns scraping against one's skin.
The last one, sitting two rows in front of these women was Diao Luwen, who sat in his seat wearing a plain green robe, his chin on his hand, looking intensely disinterested. His eyes were blank and black staring ahead with numbers and character's dancing in them like motes of starlight.
It struck Ling Qi then, looking upon these people how truly empty the word 'family' must be in Cai Renxiang's eyes.
"Renxiang, my daughter, it is unlike you to press the edge of lateness," Cai Shenhua said, an indulgent smile playing about her lips.
"I must apologize, honored Mother. I spent much time in contemplation of the insights you deigned to share with this unworthy daughter," Cai Renxiang replied quietly, the bow she offered was stiff but precise.
The Duchess seemed terribly amused. Diao Linqin's expression was studiously blank. "So diligent," Cai Shenhua chuckled. "Take your seat dear. Your soldier's match is about to begin."
Cai Renxiang straightened up and nodded, taking a seat beside her father. He didn't even glance at her, Ling Qi sat beside her, trying not to sweat under the terrible radiance that burned on the back of her neck, like a high summer sun. She caught Cai Renxiang drumming her fingers on the armrest of her seat, a sure sign of agitation in the stoic girl.
Ling Qi sank into her seat, sitting with a little less straight backed poise than was strictly possible. This was awful. Doing her best to take her mind from the discomfort, she instead focused down on the arena where Gan Guangli and Lu Feng were now facing off.
The arena shimmered with familiar light, and the two combatants disappeared, consumed by an expanding cloud of dark green. In moments it resolved itself into a deep and dense woodland scene. Old growth trees towered some thirty or fort meters overhead, with trunks as wide around as small houses, between them were smaller trees, nonetheless towering high. Weeds, brambles and brush choked the leaf strewn ground, and a thick canopy of leaves overhead allowed only tiny shafts of sunlight through to dapple the browns, greens and pale yellows of the undergrowth.
Between a native of the Emerald Seas, and one of the jungles of the west, Ling Qi supposed that this was the closest to neutral ground you could get. She spied Lu Feng for but a moment, a flash of silky black hair and red silk vanishing into the shadowed canopy. Gan Guangli had appeared in a small clearing atop a wide flat stone that blocked the growth of the trees. He stood briefly in the sun, his expression grim as he clapped his hands once in a gesture like a prayer, and began to walk into the darkening wood.
With each footfall, Ling Qi felt an echo of qi resonating out through stone earth and root, and slowly a faint golden glow began to crawl along the joints of his armor, casting the dark forest floor in vibrant light.
"How much has this one changed I wonder, " the Duchess' voice cut through Ling Qi's attention, pressing down on her skull, despite the fact that they were not directed at her.
She pulled her attention back, just a little, to listen to her liege's reply.
"Gan Guangli did not require much change. He only needed to step from my shadow," Renxiang said. "That is not his role."
"Hoh, you say that like it is a small thing, daughter," laughed the Duchess.
Below, a tree twisted, bark warping into a screaming demonic maw. Root and branch lashed out. Gan Guangli let out a bellow and a his metal clad palm shattered a trunk to sawdust.
Ling Qi saw a creeper vine curl around his ankle. He twisted his leg and ripped it free. A falling trunk writhed with renewed life, toxic qi coursing through a hundred rings as it detonated into a vile purple cloud. Just barely, Ling Qi could see where threads, uncountable in number gleamed among the wood.
Gan Guangli's chest inflated in the moment before the toxin was upon him and his hands came together in time with a great shout. A shockwave erupted, blowing away poison, vines and trees alike. Ling Qi heard the faint snapping of threads.
"Lu Feng!" Gan Guangli demanded, his voice made metallic by the golden face plate of the helm he now wore. "Know that I cannot be worn down by such petty tricks!"
Ling Qi smiled faintly at the theatrical shout, sensing the tingling qi in the air that bounced from trunk to trunk, just the same as the vibrations of his massive footfalls. It looked like Gan Guangli had found a way to weaponize his own loud nature. She was glad for him.
There was a faint whine in the air, and Gan Guangli spun round, raising his palm to catch a blur in the palm of his hand, then another came, and another and another. Thunder cracked in each projectiles wake, a fusillade of hundreds of she saw to be pale green thorns, their direction forcing Guangli to shift and turn as he took a close stance, his hands lashing out in metallic blurs as he bashed them all aside.
Gan Guangli's head brushed the lowest branches, and then pushed through. His light grew with him as he came to tower higher. Three meters, then four then five, until the thorns bounced from his armor like falling leaves and he slammed his palms downward, joined by two additional golden hands that shattered smaller trees like matchsticks and send out a rumbling shockwave that ripped up the earth for over a hundred meters in the direction of the thorns.
No more flew, but as Gan Guangli shook his head like an oxen bothered by flies, Ling Qi could still feel countless threads stretched taut in the dark.
This was not going to be a short fight.
AN: Sorry to pause here, but this is what I could finish today. We're working toward the wrap up of the turn finally! Might be a bit short on votes since I just need to finish up some establishing scenes for the next part of the story.
"Is there anything I can assist you with today, Lady Cai," Ling Qi asked casually, she followed precisely two steps behind Cai Renxiang as they ascended.
"Not today, I think," Cai Renxiang said, she sounded a little tired, but there was something that had been missing from her for some time. The steel determination of someone who knew what they had to do. It wasn't quite what it once was, but it was back.
Something had changed.
"I will call on you when I need you, Ling Qi," Cai Renxiang said, her voice quiet in the privacy of the stairwell. "I think we will have much to talk about on our journey north."
Ling Qi gave a small nod of acknowledgement. Words that they shouldn't speak then, even here at the Sect? That was… worrying. "I am with you," Ling Qi said "Soon, Gan Guangli will be too."
"Yes," Cai Renxiang agreed. "Understand Ling Qi, that I require some time in cultivation before I may speak clearly."
"Of course, Lady Cai," Ling Qi said. Not entirely a matter of danger then, but also processing. Well, she could wait. There was certainly enough on her plate for the moment.
Well, she would just be glad that Cai Renxiang had found that part of herself again, because today they were sharing a box with the Duchess, not the Bai.
She could already feel the pressure growing on her shoulders.
All too soon they emerged into the brilliantly lit interior of the spectators balcony that sat above all the rest. The presence of the Duchess nearly overwhelmed all others, seated with one leg crossed over the other, as languid in the stadium seat as she had ever been on her throne. She wore an ornate and formal gown of white and gold worked through with imagery of blooming flowers. Only the near hip length slit in all three layers of the gown showed the Duchess' unusual fashion sense.
Seated beside her was Diao Linqin, who sat beside her with arms crossed, expressionless, her gown was pale rose pink, with deeper reds in the underlayer and hems, and her honey brown hair was drawn up and woven between ornate jade ornaments. Her eyes flicked to the two of them, and Ling Qi felt the older woman's dislike wash over them. It was not powerful, merely a frisson in the air like bramble thorns scraping against one's skin.
The last one, sitting two rows in front of these women was Diao Luwen, who sat in his seat wearing a plain green robe, his chin on his hand, looking intensely disinterested. His eyes were blank and black staring ahead with numbers and character's dancing in them like motes of starlight.
It struck Ling Qi then, looking upon these people how truly empty the word 'family' must be in Cai Renxiang's eyes.
"Renxiang, my daughter, it is unlike you to press the edge of lateness," Cai Shenhua said, an indulgent smile playing about her lips.
"I must apologize, honored Mother. I spent much time in contemplation of the insights you deigned to share with this unworthy daughter," Cai Renxiang replied quietly, the bow she offered was stiff but precise.
The Duchess seemed terribly amused. Diao Linqin's expression was studiously blank. "So diligent," Cai Shenhua chuckled. "Take your seat dear. Your soldier's match is about to begin."
Cai Renxiang straightened up and nodded, taking a seat beside her father. He didn't even glance at her, Ling Qi sat beside her, trying not to sweat under the terrible radiance that burned on the back of her neck, like a high summer sun. She caught Cai Renxiang drumming her fingers on the armrest of her seat, a sure sign of agitation in the stoic girl.
Ling Qi sank into her seat, sitting with a little less straight backed poise than was strictly possible. This was awful. Doing her best to take her mind from the discomfort, she instead focused down on the arena where Gan Guangli and Lu Feng were now facing off.
The arena shimmered with familiar light, and the two combatants disappeared, consumed by an expanding cloud of dark green. In moments it resolved itself into a deep and dense woodland scene. Old growth trees towered some thirty or fort meters overhead, with trunks as wide around as small houses, between them were smaller trees, nonetheless towering high. Weeds, brambles and brush choked the leaf strewn ground, and a thick canopy of leaves overhead allowed only tiny shafts of sunlight through to dapple the browns, greens and pale yellows of the undergrowth.
Between a native of the Emerald Seas, and one of the jungles of the west, Ling Qi supposed that this was the closest to neutral ground you could get. She spied Lu Feng for but a moment, a flash of silky black hair and red silk vanishing into the shadowed canopy. Gan Guangli had appeared in a small clearing atop a wide flat stone that blocked the growth of the trees. He stood briefly in the sun, his expression grim as he clapped his hands once in a gesture like a prayer, and began to walk into the darkening wood.
With each footfall, Ling Qi felt an echo of qi resonating out through stone earth and root, and slowly a faint golden glow began to crawl along the joints of his armor, casting the dark forest floor in vibrant light.
"How much has this one changed I wonder, " the Duchess' voice cut through Ling Qi's attention, pressing down on her skull, despite the fact that they were not directed at her.
She pulled her attention back, just a little, to listen to her liege's reply.
"Gan Guangli did not require much change. He only needed to step from my shadow," Renxiang said. "That is not his role."
"Hoh, you say that like it is a small thing, daughter," laughed the Duchess.
Below, a tree twisted, bark warping into a screaming demonic maw. Root and branch lashed out. Gan Guangli let out a bellow and a his metal clad palm shattered a trunk to sawdust.
Ling Qi saw a creeper vine curl around his ankle. He twisted his leg and ripped it free. A falling trunk writhed with renewed life, toxic qi coursing through a hundred rings as it detonated into a vile purple cloud. Just barely, Ling Qi could see where threads, uncountable in number gleamed among the wood.
Gan Guangli's chest inflated in the moment before the toxin was upon him and his hands came together in time with a great shout. A shockwave erupted, blowing away poison, vines and trees alike. Ling Qi heard the faint snapping of threads.
"Lu Feng!" Gan Guangli demanded, his voice made metallic by the golden face plate of the helm he now wore. "Know that I cannot be worn down by such petty tricks!"
Ling Qi smiled faintly at the theatrical shout, sensing the tingling qi in the air that bounced from trunk to trunk, just the same as the vibrations of his massive footfalls. It looked like Gan Guangli had found a way to weaponize his own loud nature. She was glad for him.
There was a faint whine in the air, and Gan Guangli spun round, raising his palm to catch a blur in the palm of his hand, then another came, and another and another. Thunder cracked in each projectiles wake, a fusillade of hundreds of she saw to be pale green thorns, their direction forcing Guangli to shift and turn as he took a close stance, his hands lashing out in metallic blurs as he bashed them all aside.
Gan Guangli's head brushed the lowest branches, and then pushed through. His light grew with him as he came to tower higher. Three meters, then four then five, until the thorns bounced from his armor like falling leaves and he slammed his palms downward, joined by two additional golden hands that shattered smaller trees like matchsticks and send out a rumbling shockwave that ripped up the earth for over a hundred meters in the direction of the thorns.
No more flew, but as Gan Guangli shook his head like an oxen bothered by flies, Ling Qi could still feel countless threads stretched taut in the dark.
This was not going to be a short fight.
AN: Sorry to pause here, but this is what I could finish today. We're working toward the wrap up of the turn finally! Might be a bit short on votes since I just need to finish up some establishing scenes for the next part of the story.
My boi!
Tomorrow though I'm gonna need you to help me kill my mom though
But seriously I'm glad that CRX has got some of her purpose back and is already planning. Good for her!
This fight is gonna be fun too. I wonder if we'll finally see the main ability of GG's armor or if it's just something like "really good defense and grows with you." That doesn't seem as cool as flight or paper soldiers though.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Good god, Ren, you are so tough.
Yep, probably feeling some fresh displeasure over Shenhua's endgame plan. We won't have to cross that bridge for a very long time, but it will always be there.