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.
Shots fired!
- Location
- Canada
It wasn't really a failure, it was a success actually
Our job does not actually require taking out the issues, we're scouts
And while all the problems do seem connected to this star poison, talking to the earth spirits was the clearest way to get there
Taking out the worms for example, could have left the underlying cause overlooked
[X] Leave them to their individual tasks and search the southern border for signs of barbarian activity.
An encounter
- Location
- North Carolina
An Encounter
High atop the Cloud Peak Mountain, one could almost forget about all things below. Here, in this windblown field field with the whirling Qi of the Wind, and the aloof placidity of the Mountain, one's worries and fears would fade like so much snow on the breeze. Yet Gan Guangli knew his duties followed him , even here. The field was a gift from Baroness Ling, one of the many things passed along to him from his ally Xiao Fen. As a second year Outer Sect student, many of his previous sites were no longer available to him, and the hunt for new cultivation sites only turned up a few useful results.
Still, they had proven good practice at command. Leading a hunt was not the same as a proper drill, yet demanded the same skill at directing and coordinating. Having live targets to practice on, and tangible rewards to be had, added a valuable experience to the task. And with the events of the sudden storm passed, Gan Guangli learned that this field was now available. Though the elements of Wind and Water were unfamiliar to him, the Qi of the Mountain that gathered in this field was potent indeed, making it an ideal location to cultivate a few of his arts. The cold was biting, yet refreshing after a long session of honing and practice, and Gan Guangli found himself enjoying the solitude of the field whilst cultivating.
Yet in solitude lie reflection, and Gan Guangli always found his thoughts wandering. The tasks set before him were tall indeed, yet he had long resolved himself their challenge. But here in this quiet field, he had the luxury of wondering on his progress. Will it be enough, in the end? Will he stand once more in that arena, redeeming the glory and justice of Lady Cai? Or will he be shamed once more.
Flashes of those final moments in the forest flashed through his mind like the lightning that scorched him on that field. He had thought back to those last few moments many times. What mistake had he made? What had ultimately cost him his victory?
His studies in the art of War had brought some answers. Forming up and marching as one provided strength, yet ceded initiative. Ji Rong was one whom thrived upon such. Yet his assaults had been stymied with their formation intact.
And here came something he had yet to find the answer for. His own formation had been turned against him by the skulking of Lu Feng. That had spelled the beginning of his end. Yet the art of War provided few insights in addressing it. A looser formation would have crumbled against Ji Rong's assault, and his own arts could only defend his allies from physical blows. He and his subordinates had been working towards arts to defend each other from more esoteric forms of attack, yet barring his entire formation reaching the Third Realm, his ranks would always remain susceptible to such sabotage.
The best he could currently hope for was for Xiao Fen to employ her own talents to counter Lu Feng's, yet experience had taught Gan Guangli that such a solution could not be relied upon in the preliminaries. He could not break formation to hunt down him down, and he could not rely on having a skilled enough ally capable of taking Lu Feng out. Strike, and invite disaster. Hold, and see yourself crumble.
A dilemma of the ages, yet one that must be met by any who chose to lead others. He would not allow himself to fail.
A slight shifting of the snow brought him out of his meditations, opening his eyes once more on the lonely field.
Only to quickly realize he was no longer alone.
A pair of yellow-green eyes stared back at him, mere inches from his own face, and he could the faint sensation of the grey whiskers brushing against his cheek.
For an instant, Gan Guangli merely stared back at the feline face right in front of him. Yet it was yellow-green eyes that broke away first, a sound almost like a huff emitting from the great cat's mouth as it calmly turned around and sauntered away into the snow. For his part, Gan Guangli could only look on in confusion. To his senses, the great cat was well within the 3rd Realm, yet it's presence remain muddled and blurry. Even with the many black rings spots dotting the creatures grey fur, he could only scarcely make out it's figure as it stalked back off into the windy field.
He blinked, and got up. It seemed he had some work to do in the archives.
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The long shelves of musty tomes and jade slips were once an unfamiliar sight to Gan Guangli. He had received a thorough education from his Lady, yet the scholarly pursuits never held much appeal to him. Soldiery was in his blood and bones, and he always preferred to learn on the field rather than on a desk.
Yet the past year had taught him that a battle is fought just as much behind a desk as it is on the field, and Gan Guangli had spent many hours pouring over tomes of tactics, strategy, and history. Yet today, a new series of texts greeted him. Luckily, the Outer Sect kept extensive records on various spirits and beast that frequent the long ranges of the Wall. As such, it did not take long to find what he was looking for.
Still, the results were somewhat confusing. Steel Mountain Leopards are reclusive beasts of Metal and Mountain, roaming long stretches of territory in some of the highest areas of the mountains. Solitary yet powerful beasts, whom regularly reach the 4th Realm, one might think they would pose quite the threat to mortals. Yet unlike many other beasts of similar power, Steel Mountain Leopards were notorious in there steadfast avoidance of mortals, only ever attacking when cornered or desperate, though they would not hesitate to pick off the occasional livestock. Even when attacked, a 4th Realm Steel Mountain Leopard would still flee rather than fight a cultivator. Potent senses and skillful stealth meant they would only attack from ambush. Combined with their generally low population and large ranges, a soldier patrolling the Wall might never even see a Leopard's tracks in their entire life.
Which begged the question, why did one of these extraordinarily shy creatures approach so close from out of the blue? The best he could gather from the texts was that the beast in question was likely a juvenile, newly released from their mother's care, perhaps still establishing it's range. But that doesn't explain why it would stalk so close to a cultivator, let alone one who matched it's realm, though Gan Guangli would freely admit to not being the best informed of the nature of spirit beasts.
Still, the Leopard had not attacked him, and would likely not be a threat to anyone. Still, it was best to ere towards caution.
Gan Guangli turned to the next page, detailing the diet of these creatures.
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The next day, Gan Guangli hiked back up the mountain, bearing an extra burden. The day's earlier hunt had been fruitful, and together his subordinates had brought down a Cragspear Boar in the Third Realm, alongside several other prizes. One of which was stored within his storage ring.
As the Windblown Field approached, and his chosen cultivation spot came into view, Gan Guangli stopped and withdrew the carcass from his ring. A Cliffside Goat in the Second Realm, still intact save for the arrow wound which had pierced it's neck. Looking around, Gan Guangli could see no sign of the beast, yet even if it were here, he doubted it would let itself be seen so easily. Still, he laid the corpse down on a patch of snow. The beast was certain to detect his scent on the offering, assuming it was even here. Hopefully it would accept the offer as it stood, rather than try to spook Gan Guangli from it's range.
Having made his offering, Gan Guangli proceeded toward his chosen spot, and began to let the familiar qi of the Mountain sink into his bones.
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Things continued just like that for a while. The first time Gan Guangli had descended back down from the field, the carcass had been gone, with almost no trace of it ever having been there, at least to his senses. Perhaps the beast had simply stopped by. He'd tried paying closer attention to his surroundings, but between the snow and the howling wind, it was difficult to tell if the beast was nearby, not without having to stop his cultivation anyway.
Still, there had been no further encounters, not like the one that had happened that day. Still, he continued to leave the occasional offering of carrion when he could spare his share of the hunts.
Perhaps his senses had begun to hone further, or perhaps the beast no longer saw him as a threat, but occasionally he would catch site of a swishing spotted tail out in the snow, or a pair of yellow-green eyes staring at him from across the field before vanishing into the snow flurries.
Yet the beast never did more than accept his offers and prowl around the field, so Gan Guangli saw no need to press further. He was content to cultivate in peace, and it seemed the beast did not mind.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hunting was still an odd experience to Gan Guangli. It might seem strange from the outside, yet the duties of the soldier were quite different from the task of the hunter. Yet there was still one commonality between the two:
"The trail heads further south"
There was a great deal of walking involved. In this case, they had been following the tracks of a Third Realm Heartwood Stag. Fleet of hoof, and strong in vitality, the only way for a group such as theirs to take one down was from ambush. And that meant following the trail, hoping the Stag did not see them, and hoping the Stag is in a position for an ambush. Assuming the Stag is not spooked by something else, or didn't detect their group. Suffice it to say, skulking was not one of Gan Guangli's talents, though he had picked up some degree of skill from other hunts. Still, the Stag had already been spooked several times, and showed no sign of exhaustion just yet.
Still, they would keep at it for another few hours. It was a rare opportunity to face off against Third Realm foes, and the harvest from such a prize would greatly aid his subordinates. As quickly and as quietly as they could, the group crept forward. Signs looked good, the trail was getting fresher as they went along. Soon enough, they found themselves crouching in the brush near a small vernal pool. Their lead tracker was sure this was where the Stag was, and the spot was ideal for an ambush, with clear line of sight for their best archer.
Yet there was no Stag to be seen drinking at the pool. Their tracker had left to creep their way around the pool, yet so far there had been no signal that the Stag or it's trail had been found. Thus, Gan Guangli prepared to use his more intensive Perception Arts to search for the beast, though there was a good chance that the Stag might spot him from the Qi expenditure.
The Qi of Heaven and Metal raced through to his eyes, as the minute details of the world came into focus. The pond thrummed with slightest tinge of lake and water, and the trees pulsing with wood, and the earth itself seemed to radiate surety. Yet among all this natural Qi, the sharp and solid Qi of Metal and Mountain stood out, though only the slightest wisps could made out to his senses. Gan Guangli's eyes followed the small trail of Qi as it led up a nearby tree, only to blink as his sight reached the upper branches. There, the corpse of the Heartwood Stag lay for all the world to see, and his attention quickly focused on the wrenched neck of the great beast, and the single bite mark on it's neck. Other than that, the corpse was untouched, save for the wispy remnants of Metallic Qi still clinging to the fatal wound.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The hunt ended shortly afterwards, yet lingered on Gan Guangli's mind for some time. While he was still by no means an expert into the minds and habits of spirit beasts, his research and his own instincts told him that what he had seen had been no coincidence. Few predators within the woods at the lower parts of the mountain would be able to make a clean kill on a Heartwood Stag in the Third Realm, fewer still were aspected towards the qi of Metal and Mountain, and even fewer than those were the beasts that could climb trees without a scratch and drag an entire stag with them, whilst barely leaving a trace of their passage. Yet he could not be certain if this was the mark of a Steel Mountain Leopard. While they were known to descend from the mountains to find prey, they rarely passed so close to human settlements, let alone an area as controlled as the Outer Sect. And even still, a Steel Mountain Leopard never wasted food.
Yet, from what few wisps of Qi he had sensed of the great beast's markings, he doubted it could be anything else. Not to mention, if it was the Steel Mountain Leopard that stalked the Windblown Field, then it had to have been following him for some time. While he had no doubt it could do so without his knowledge, he could not fathom why it would do so.
Still, the evidence suggested it was indeed his feline neighbor. And for that, thanks must be shown.
So when Gan Guangli neared the end of his hike, he withdrew something a little different from his storage ring. The diet of Steel Mountain Leopards was mentioned to contain some vegetables, yet the texts he had were sparse on the specifics of their preferences. In the end, he'd had to rely on what little he knew of feline beasts and the recommendations of the vendors at the market to prepare this offering in particular.
One by one, Gan Guangli withdrew the various vegetables from his ring, each specially grown and cultivated in potency until they had reached the Second Realm. Loamy Florets, Deeproot Carrots, Spearhead Stalks, and a few others each found their way onto the pristine snow, vegetables unlikely to be found in the wild at this potency. Yet when he had finished, he did not simply continue onward.
Words would do him little good here, from what he could glean, most Spirit Beasts are unable to comprehend the tongues of mortals without the bond of a cultivator. Instead, many were adept at reading Qi itself, sensing intent rather than words. Even still, Gan Guangli was not Baroness Ling, whose Qi could express itself far better than mere words. Yet even still, Gan Guangli would try.
He bowed his head in thanks, and flared his Qi, emptying his mind of all else except the gratitude he felt towards the beast which had aided him. He knew not how long he held that state, but he hoped it was enough.
He opened his eyes, and was greeted with a surprising sight.
He had never had the chance to get a look at the beast, even when it had been staring him directly in the face. The great cat came nearly up to his waist, and yet was likely only long enough to measure up to his shoulders. Rings and spots of black dotted it's pale grey fur, save for the soft white fur on it's underbelly. A thick furred tail swished behind it as the beast calmly sniffed at his offerings, seemingly content to ignore him. Yet when it's nose met the last of the offerings, the beast paused for a moment, nose still pointed at the Silvermoon Vine that a shopkeep had recommended as popular treat for cats.
The beast let out a slight huff, and walked away into the snow. Gan Gaungli could only sigh as it left. He supposed he still didn't understand the beast.
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Once again, Gan Guangli found himself meditating, drinking in the Qi of the Mountain to solidify the progress he'd made with his Arts.
Still, something was off. Perhaps the wind was stronger and the snow had begun to build up around him. That would explain the sensation of something soft pressed against his back. But that would not explain the soft rumbling he'd been hearing. He would normally suspect thunder, but the sound was too close for that, unless he was unwittingly caught in the smallest thunderstorm he'd ever heard of. He'd tried to pinpoint the source, but with the wind howling and his eyes closed in meditation, he couldn't divine further details without breaking his meditation. A vexing conundrum, but his meditations were coming to an end now.
At first when he opened his eyes, he could indeed confirm he was not in a minuscule thunderstorm. The Windblown Field remained as solemn as it always was. But with his attention focused, he could tell the noise was coming somewhere from his left.
Turning towards that direction led to pale green eyes meeting with his own. Indeed, the entirety of his situation quickly fell into place upon the sight of the Steel Mountain Leopard which stalked this field curled up against his back.
Once again, Gan Guangli froze as the great cat merely blinked and pawed at it's face, still rumbling softly. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the great beast's tail swishing across the snow without a sound.
The Leopard didn't stare for long before rubbing it's head against his armor, and Gan Guangli finally managed to snap out of the strange sight. It..., no she, was being rather friendly. Almost... tame. Perhaps....?
Gan Guangli slowly reached out his hand towards the creature's head, taking care not to startle it.
The beast merely watched with curios eyes as his hand inched further to her head. Yet less than a foot away, the beast simply pushed her head against his hand, once again rumbling-no, purring, louder than before as it nuzzled his hand.
The beast then rolled onto her back before squirming about on the snow, still purring loudly.
This... was not quite what Gan Guangli had imagined would happen.
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So, my first, and hopefully not last, offering to @yrsillar
Figured Gan Guangli could use someone to watch his back. And he seems the type to attract cats. So yeah.
High atop the Cloud Peak Mountain, one could almost forget about all things below. Here, in this windblown field field with the whirling Qi of the Wind, and the aloof placidity of the Mountain, one's worries and fears would fade like so much snow on the breeze. Yet Gan Guangli knew his duties followed him , even here. The field was a gift from Baroness Ling, one of the many things passed along to him from his ally Xiao Fen. As a second year Outer Sect student, many of his previous sites were no longer available to him, and the hunt for new cultivation sites only turned up a few useful results.
Still, they had proven good practice at command. Leading a hunt was not the same as a proper drill, yet demanded the same skill at directing and coordinating. Having live targets to practice on, and tangible rewards to be had, added a valuable experience to the task. And with the events of the sudden storm passed, Gan Guangli learned that this field was now available. Though the elements of Wind and Water were unfamiliar to him, the Qi of the Mountain that gathered in this field was potent indeed, making it an ideal location to cultivate a few of his arts. The cold was biting, yet refreshing after a long session of honing and practice, and Gan Guangli found himself enjoying the solitude of the field whilst cultivating.
Yet in solitude lie reflection, and Gan Guangli always found his thoughts wandering. The tasks set before him were tall indeed, yet he had long resolved himself their challenge. But here in this quiet field, he had the luxury of wondering on his progress. Will it be enough, in the end? Will he stand once more in that arena, redeeming the glory and justice of Lady Cai? Or will he be shamed once more.
Flashes of those final moments in the forest flashed through his mind like the lightning that scorched him on that field. He had thought back to those last few moments many times. What mistake had he made? What had ultimately cost him his victory?
His studies in the art of War had brought some answers. Forming up and marching as one provided strength, yet ceded initiative. Ji Rong was one whom thrived upon such. Yet his assaults had been stymied with their formation intact.
And here came something he had yet to find the answer for. His own formation had been turned against him by the skulking of Lu Feng. That had spelled the beginning of his end. Yet the art of War provided few insights in addressing it. A looser formation would have crumbled against Ji Rong's assault, and his own arts could only defend his allies from physical blows. He and his subordinates had been working towards arts to defend each other from more esoteric forms of attack, yet barring his entire formation reaching the Third Realm, his ranks would always remain susceptible to such sabotage.
The best he could currently hope for was for Xiao Fen to employ her own talents to counter Lu Feng's, yet experience had taught Gan Guangli that such a solution could not be relied upon in the preliminaries. He could not break formation to hunt down him down, and he could not rely on having a skilled enough ally capable of taking Lu Feng out. Strike, and invite disaster. Hold, and see yourself crumble.
A dilemma of the ages, yet one that must be met by any who chose to lead others. He would not allow himself to fail.
A slight shifting of the snow brought him out of his meditations, opening his eyes once more on the lonely field.
Only to quickly realize he was no longer alone.
A pair of yellow-green eyes stared back at him, mere inches from his own face, and he could the faint sensation of the grey whiskers brushing against his cheek.
For an instant, Gan Guangli merely stared back at the feline face right in front of him. Yet it was yellow-green eyes that broke away first, a sound almost like a huff emitting from the great cat's mouth as it calmly turned around and sauntered away into the snow. For his part, Gan Guangli could only look on in confusion. To his senses, the great cat was well within the 3rd Realm, yet it's presence remain muddled and blurry. Even with the many black rings spots dotting the creatures grey fur, he could only scarcely make out it's figure as it stalked back off into the windy field.
He blinked, and got up. It seemed he had some work to do in the archives.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The long shelves of musty tomes and jade slips were once an unfamiliar sight to Gan Guangli. He had received a thorough education from his Lady, yet the scholarly pursuits never held much appeal to him. Soldiery was in his blood and bones, and he always preferred to learn on the field rather than on a desk.
Yet the past year had taught him that a battle is fought just as much behind a desk as it is on the field, and Gan Guangli had spent many hours pouring over tomes of tactics, strategy, and history. Yet today, a new series of texts greeted him. Luckily, the Outer Sect kept extensive records on various spirits and beast that frequent the long ranges of the Wall. As such, it did not take long to find what he was looking for.
Still, the results were somewhat confusing. Steel Mountain Leopards are reclusive beasts of Metal and Mountain, roaming long stretches of territory in some of the highest areas of the mountains. Solitary yet powerful beasts, whom regularly reach the 4th Realm, one might think they would pose quite the threat to mortals. Yet unlike many other beasts of similar power, Steel Mountain Leopards were notorious in there steadfast avoidance of mortals, only ever attacking when cornered or desperate, though they would not hesitate to pick off the occasional livestock. Even when attacked, a 4th Realm Steel Mountain Leopard would still flee rather than fight a cultivator. Potent senses and skillful stealth meant they would only attack from ambush. Combined with their generally low population and large ranges, a soldier patrolling the Wall might never even see a Leopard's tracks in their entire life.
Which begged the question, why did one of these extraordinarily shy creatures approach so close from out of the blue? The best he could gather from the texts was that the beast in question was likely a juvenile, newly released from their mother's care, perhaps still establishing it's range. But that doesn't explain why it would stalk so close to a cultivator, let alone one who matched it's realm, though Gan Guangli would freely admit to not being the best informed of the nature of spirit beasts.
Still, the Leopard had not attacked him, and would likely not be a threat to anyone. Still, it was best to ere towards caution.
Gan Guangli turned to the next page, detailing the diet of these creatures.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next day, Gan Guangli hiked back up the mountain, bearing an extra burden. The day's earlier hunt had been fruitful, and together his subordinates had brought down a Cragspear Boar in the Third Realm, alongside several other prizes. One of which was stored within his storage ring.
As the Windblown Field approached, and his chosen cultivation spot came into view, Gan Guangli stopped and withdrew the carcass from his ring. A Cliffside Goat in the Second Realm, still intact save for the arrow wound which had pierced it's neck. Looking around, Gan Guangli could see no sign of the beast, yet even if it were here, he doubted it would let itself be seen so easily. Still, he laid the corpse down on a patch of snow. The beast was certain to detect his scent on the offering, assuming it was even here. Hopefully it would accept the offer as it stood, rather than try to spook Gan Guangli from it's range.
Having made his offering, Gan Guangli proceeded toward his chosen spot, and began to let the familiar qi of the Mountain sink into his bones.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Things continued just like that for a while. The first time Gan Guangli had descended back down from the field, the carcass had been gone, with almost no trace of it ever having been there, at least to his senses. Perhaps the beast had simply stopped by. He'd tried paying closer attention to his surroundings, but between the snow and the howling wind, it was difficult to tell if the beast was nearby, not without having to stop his cultivation anyway.
Still, there had been no further encounters, not like the one that had happened that day. Still, he continued to leave the occasional offering of carrion when he could spare his share of the hunts.
Perhaps his senses had begun to hone further, or perhaps the beast no longer saw him as a threat, but occasionally he would catch site of a swishing spotted tail out in the snow, or a pair of yellow-green eyes staring at him from across the field before vanishing into the snow flurries.
Yet the beast never did more than accept his offers and prowl around the field, so Gan Guangli saw no need to press further. He was content to cultivate in peace, and it seemed the beast did not mind.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hunting was still an odd experience to Gan Guangli. It might seem strange from the outside, yet the duties of the soldier were quite different from the task of the hunter. Yet there was still one commonality between the two:
"The trail heads further south"
There was a great deal of walking involved. In this case, they had been following the tracks of a Third Realm Heartwood Stag. Fleet of hoof, and strong in vitality, the only way for a group such as theirs to take one down was from ambush. And that meant following the trail, hoping the Stag did not see them, and hoping the Stag is in a position for an ambush. Assuming the Stag is not spooked by something else, or didn't detect their group. Suffice it to say, skulking was not one of Gan Guangli's talents, though he had picked up some degree of skill from other hunts. Still, the Stag had already been spooked several times, and showed no sign of exhaustion just yet.
Still, they would keep at it for another few hours. It was a rare opportunity to face off against Third Realm foes, and the harvest from such a prize would greatly aid his subordinates. As quickly and as quietly as they could, the group crept forward. Signs looked good, the trail was getting fresher as they went along. Soon enough, they found themselves crouching in the brush near a small vernal pool. Their lead tracker was sure this was where the Stag was, and the spot was ideal for an ambush, with clear line of sight for their best archer.
Yet there was no Stag to be seen drinking at the pool. Their tracker had left to creep their way around the pool, yet so far there had been no signal that the Stag or it's trail had been found. Thus, Gan Guangli prepared to use his more intensive Perception Arts to search for the beast, though there was a good chance that the Stag might spot him from the Qi expenditure.
The Qi of Heaven and Metal raced through to his eyes, as the minute details of the world came into focus. The pond thrummed with slightest tinge of lake and water, and the trees pulsing with wood, and the earth itself seemed to radiate surety. Yet among all this natural Qi, the sharp and solid Qi of Metal and Mountain stood out, though only the slightest wisps could made out to his senses. Gan Guangli's eyes followed the small trail of Qi as it led up a nearby tree, only to blink as his sight reached the upper branches. There, the corpse of the Heartwood Stag lay for all the world to see, and his attention quickly focused on the wrenched neck of the great beast, and the single bite mark on it's neck. Other than that, the corpse was untouched, save for the wispy remnants of Metallic Qi still clinging to the fatal wound.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The hunt ended shortly afterwards, yet lingered on Gan Guangli's mind for some time. While he was still by no means an expert into the minds and habits of spirit beasts, his research and his own instincts told him that what he had seen had been no coincidence. Few predators within the woods at the lower parts of the mountain would be able to make a clean kill on a Heartwood Stag in the Third Realm, fewer still were aspected towards the qi of Metal and Mountain, and even fewer than those were the beasts that could climb trees without a scratch and drag an entire stag with them, whilst barely leaving a trace of their passage. Yet he could not be certain if this was the mark of a Steel Mountain Leopard. While they were known to descend from the mountains to find prey, they rarely passed so close to human settlements, let alone an area as controlled as the Outer Sect. And even still, a Steel Mountain Leopard never wasted food.
Yet, from what few wisps of Qi he had sensed of the great beast's markings, he doubted it could be anything else. Not to mention, if it was the Steel Mountain Leopard that stalked the Windblown Field, then it had to have been following him for some time. While he had no doubt it could do so without his knowledge, he could not fathom why it would do so.
Still, the evidence suggested it was indeed his feline neighbor. And for that, thanks must be shown.
So when Gan Guangli neared the end of his hike, he withdrew something a little different from his storage ring. The diet of Steel Mountain Leopards was mentioned to contain some vegetables, yet the texts he had were sparse on the specifics of their preferences. In the end, he'd had to rely on what little he knew of feline beasts and the recommendations of the vendors at the market to prepare this offering in particular.
One by one, Gan Guangli withdrew the various vegetables from his ring, each specially grown and cultivated in potency until they had reached the Second Realm. Loamy Florets, Deeproot Carrots, Spearhead Stalks, and a few others each found their way onto the pristine snow, vegetables unlikely to be found in the wild at this potency. Yet when he had finished, he did not simply continue onward.
Words would do him little good here, from what he could glean, most Spirit Beasts are unable to comprehend the tongues of mortals without the bond of a cultivator. Instead, many were adept at reading Qi itself, sensing intent rather than words. Even still, Gan Guangli was not Baroness Ling, whose Qi could express itself far better than mere words. Yet even still, Gan Guangli would try.
He bowed his head in thanks, and flared his Qi, emptying his mind of all else except the gratitude he felt towards the beast which had aided him. He knew not how long he held that state, but he hoped it was enough.
He opened his eyes, and was greeted with a surprising sight.
He had never had the chance to get a look at the beast, even when it had been staring him directly in the face. The great cat came nearly up to his waist, and yet was likely only long enough to measure up to his shoulders. Rings and spots of black dotted it's pale grey fur, save for the soft white fur on it's underbelly. A thick furred tail swished behind it as the beast calmly sniffed at his offerings, seemingly content to ignore him. Yet when it's nose met the last of the offerings, the beast paused for a moment, nose still pointed at the Silvermoon Vine that a shopkeep had recommended as popular treat for cats.
The beast let out a slight huff, and walked away into the snow. Gan Gaungli could only sigh as it left. He supposed he still didn't understand the beast.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once again, Gan Guangli found himself meditating, drinking in the Qi of the Mountain to solidify the progress he'd made with his Arts.
Still, something was off. Perhaps the wind was stronger and the snow had begun to build up around him. That would explain the sensation of something soft pressed against his back. But that would not explain the soft rumbling he'd been hearing. He would normally suspect thunder, but the sound was too close for that, unless he was unwittingly caught in the smallest thunderstorm he'd ever heard of. He'd tried to pinpoint the source, but with the wind howling and his eyes closed in meditation, he couldn't divine further details without breaking his meditation. A vexing conundrum, but his meditations were coming to an end now.
At first when he opened his eyes, he could indeed confirm he was not in a minuscule thunderstorm. The Windblown Field remained as solemn as it always was. But with his attention focused, he could tell the noise was coming somewhere from his left.
Turning towards that direction led to pale green eyes meeting with his own. Indeed, the entirety of his situation quickly fell into place upon the sight of the Steel Mountain Leopard which stalked this field curled up against his back.
Once again, Gan Guangli froze as the great cat merely blinked and pawed at it's face, still rumbling softly. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the great beast's tail swishing across the snow without a sound.
The Leopard didn't stare for long before rubbing it's head against his armor, and Gan Guangli finally managed to snap out of the strange sight. It..., no she, was being rather friendly. Almost... tame. Perhaps....?
Gan Guangli slowly reached out his hand towards the creature's head, taking care not to startle it.
The beast merely watched with curios eyes as his hand inched further to her head. Yet less than a foot away, the beast simply pushed her head against his hand, once again rumbling-no, purring, louder than before as it nuzzled his hand.
The beast then rolled onto her back before squirming about on the snow, still purring loudly.
This... was not quite what Gan Guangli had imagined would happen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, my first, and hopefully not last, offering to @yrsillar
Figured Gan Guangli could use someone to watch his back. And he seems the type to attract cats. So yeah.
Black Noise
Curious
- Location
- About 1AU from Sol
[X] Leave them to their individual tasks and search the southern border for signs of barbarian activity.
Advance the plot and hope for advanced stealth. Also suddenly glad for that A rank speed we have now, all the better to run away fast.
Advance the plot and hope for advanced stealth. Also suddenly glad for that A rank speed we have now, all the better to run away fast.
- Location
- UK
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Leave them to their individual tasks and search the southern border for signs of barbarian activity.
Looking like another one-sided vote
Looking like another one-sided vote
British English spelling seeping into what's otherwise American English, rather than the other way around. Finally
- Location
- the internet
Part of me also feels like its still too much a risk but people have a point that no one else is check the border until its too late. Stigma against the barbs is too strong. Of course there are elders who're gonna know that the barbs havin a sublime ancestor is a serious possibility. But those elders may be few and far between. Also it'll be take a while for them to be notified, since the message would probs go through the chain of command.
[X] Leave them to their individual tasks and search the southern border for signs of barbarian activity.
Though mind you, I don't hold with all of this "no one else is going to check the border until it's too late" business. I don't think there's any likelihood of a barbarian Sublime Ancestor waking up or anything- I don't think you all realize how rare and utterly dangerous for the continent would be.
But Ling Qi is here and she's supposed to be scouting, and a quick sweep to check for barbarian activity (fleeing rather than engaging if she detects anything) seems reasonable enough.
Though mind you, I don't hold with all of this "no one else is going to check the border until it's too late" business. I don't think there's any likelihood of a barbarian Sublime Ancestor waking up or anything- I don't think you all realize how rare and utterly dangerous for the continent would be.
But Ling Qi is here and she's supposed to be scouting, and a quick sweep to check for barbarian activity (fleeing rather than engaging if she detects anything) seems reasonable enough.
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- Location
- United States of America
Now, to be fair, we have OoC knowledge that there are super powerful spirits beyond the Wall that are making their way up towards the Empire. But... even without that I still wouldn't have full confidence in the Imperial Scholars in this matter.
I mean, you have the eldritch great one resting at the bottom of the ocean to the North, you have whatever weird stuff is going on in the Western Territories with the Sunflower Goddes, and you have a completely blasted radioactive wasteland to the East (with who knows what is beyond it). And that's just the stuff that is fairly common knowledge. You also have the gnawing ones down below which some people seem to know about while others dismiss it.
It seems that a pattern is forming in that wherever the Empire tries to expand, there will be an uber dangerous threat. I have no idea why individuals think that South of the Wall would be any different.
Either way, we now also have some eldritch stuff buried deep in the ground, right now, that could have theoretically come from the sky.
I liked it but you used the words "still" and "yet" waaaaaaaaay too many times in close succession
- Location
- Washington
[X] Leave them to their individual tasks and search the southern border for signs of barbarian activity.
- Location
- United States of America
Now... I know that this stuff looks pretty bad and even makes mountains run away. But, what if someone was able to actually use it productively? Take the poisonous and strange qi and twist it into something beneficial? Someone like... Li Suyin.
To be fair, I don't think Li Suyin will do much with this stuff, even if she could get her hands on it. The Corrupted Caverns has a lot of weird stuff that will take a lot of time to process and figure out proper applications for. She likely won't have much time for eldritch qi that may or may not have come from a falling star. However, this is the second really strange thing we've seen welling up from the Earth. The first, of course, being the strange impure corrupted caverns and the inhabitants who live there. I figure that combining the impurity stuff from those caverns with whatever this poison is can only be beneficial. Nothing bad could come from this idea. After all, it'll be in the name of SCIENCE!
[X] Leave them to their individual tasks and search the southern border for signs of barbarian activity.
- Location
- At the end of the world
[X] Leave them to their individual tasks and search the southern border for signs of barbarian activity.
- Pronouns
- They/It
[X] Work with Mo Lian, using her flight to help him with mapping and cataloguing.
- Location
- The Temple of the Winds
[] Work with Chang He to pacify or disperse spirits as necessary.
I don't really see why he would need help specifically nor what could be help him with other than being a strength arguement while he discuss whatever the issues are with the spirits.
[x] Work with Mo Lian, using her flight to help him with mapping and cataloguing.
Flight is something only we are able to do, and is highly useful for this given task, both increasing it's speed and security while doing so.
[] Work with Chun Yan to hunt or mark down dangerous and unfriendly spirit beasts.
While definitively something we can help do better, it's not our main job.
[] Leave them to their individual tasks and search the southern border for signs of barbarian activity.
We already voted against splitting the party. To do so because of some random tidbit from our minder, who arguably should not even have said anything, is entirely disregarding our job.
I think people have forgotten that the exercise has us working within the army, along side multiple other teams.
The correct thing to do with a highly sensitive piece of information is to report it to your higher ups so that they can send whomever is best suited for it, NOT trying to solve it yourself by abandoning your given job.
Note: the one who's job would be to report said information is Laio Zhu. And he already said we did the right thing, so what we should be doing now is return to our scouting mission in our given area.
I don't really see why he would need help specifically nor what could be help him with other than being a strength arguement while he discuss whatever the issues are with the spirits.
[x] Work with Mo Lian, using her flight to help him with mapping and cataloguing.
Flight is something only we are able to do, and is highly useful for this given task, both increasing it's speed and security while doing so.
[] Work with Chun Yan to hunt or mark down dangerous and unfriendly spirit beasts.
While definitively something we can help do better, it's not our main job.
[] Leave them to their individual tasks and search the southern border for signs of barbarian activity.
We already voted against splitting the party. To do so because of some random tidbit from our minder, who arguably should not even have said anything, is entirely disregarding our job.
I think people have forgotten that the exercise has us working within the army, along side multiple other teams.
The correct thing to do with a highly sensitive piece of information is to report it to your higher ups so that they can send whomever is best suited for it, NOT trying to solve it yourself by abandoning your given job.
Note: the one who's job would be to report said information is Laio Zhu. And he already said we did the right thing, so what we should be doing now is return to our scouting mission in our given area.
The Barbarian area is within our desegnated zone, it isnt outside the paramaters.
Radical Sway
Space Cowboy
- Location
- The Bebop
[X] Leave them to their individual tasks and search the southern border for signs of barbarian activity.