[LP CYOA] 傳

[TOME]

But you can't break it if you can't catch it, and that's what A is for.

Could you clarify this? Do we need to hit the sword in order to break it? Can't we just block the hit and channel enough qi through it something? I'm not familiar with the setting, but I'm thinking of this

You had heard that skilled swordsmen could cut their targets without touching them physically with a sword, but this was the first time you had seen sword qi in action.

If you can hit a target without physically touching them, can't you also block hits the same way? What I'm getting of this is that it would be stupid to develop a sword grabbing technique, if we have a blocking technique within our reach that can shatter swords.

 

[treave]

No, the neigong is to augment your strength so that you're strong enough to break it. You don't know which spots you have to grasp to break the sword because you only have 6 PER and can't learn the associated technique, so you have to rely on brute strength, nothing more. The results are much the same, of course. A broken blade is a broken blade.

You don't have anywhere near enough internal energy right now to destroy a sword by just channeling your qi through it. Furthermore, you don't have a technique that allows you to channel it properly into an external object. You also don't have a technique that can emit your qi in a ranged attack. Well, your Xianglong Palms would definitely do it at higher levels, but not right now. It's not impossible, but by the time you can pull off such a move like breaking swords from range you will be facing opponents on a different tier altogether, and they would have ways to counter what you can do.

Speaking of blocking techniques, Shaolin does have a very powerful defensive neigong that allows its practitioners to block blades and other weapons with their bare body, perhaps even breaking them if the user is tough enough and his enemy swings hard enough, but you can't learn it because of your unique qi.

 

[treave]

Tournament Interlude

The nun springs to the attack before you are ready. It looks like she wants to win the match rather badly. You take a few hurried steps back, drawing your sword to block her strike. The blunted metal blades meet with a dull clang. With a graceful spin, Yiling crouches low to the floor and angles her sword for an upwards thrust. Her attack is swiftly parried, but she follows up with another flurry of stabs, mixing in quick jabs and powerful lunges.

Raising your own blade, you bat her sword away again and again. Without a sword you would have been forced to retreat if put on the defensive – her Qingcheng Stab cuts off passage to the sides with well-timed jabs, attempting to force the opponent into a narrow corridor dictated by the user of the technique. You use your own sword’s movement as cover to evade to the side. Your sudden movement catches her off-guard. As she turns to follow, you bring your sword down in a hard slash. Yiling retreats, leaping back a fair distance in the blink of an eye. Just what you wanted.

You take a step forward with your right foot, pointing your sword parallel to the ground. Crouching slightly, you kick off from the ground, rushing forward in a powerful lunge. Your Pine-Cutting Sword curves in a deadly arc towards the nun - Her eyes widen in surprise at the speed of your attack. With a shout, Yiling springs away before she is hit by your slash. She lands close to the edge of the ring, her skillful qinggong doing her more harm than good in this case. You stalk towards her, your sword held in a menacing fashion while you bob your masked face from side-to-side.

The nun is as good as you thought her to be – she judged in an instant that she did not have enough strength to block your strike outright, nor did she have enough speed to evade and stab you. Her only option was to run, and she did that without hesitation.

If she can think that far, she would also be able to identify the weak point of your technique. The Pine-Cutting Sword, like the Songfeng move it was created from, is simple and easy to see coming. Against lesser opponents the pure strength and speed behind the move would be enough to succeed, but against a skilled fighter it would not be hard for them to dodge and counter. If you tried the move again, Yiling would have a reply for it.

Stopping a dozen steps away from the nun, you point your sword forwards again. You see a hint of a smirk raised on her lips – you know that this time she will be ready.

You lunge.

She steps forward, crouching.

Her sword flies forward in a swift stab, faster than your slash. She is aiming right for your head – with the force she’s putting into her blow, if it hits you would be knocked out for certain.

The stab falls short, as you land a couple of paces away from where she predicted you would be.

An expression of surprise crosses her face, but she recovers quickly. Now is the deciding moment. The first step is to draw the opponent into a failed attack that leaves the both of you in close proximity.

With a sudden burst of speed, you sprint forward just as you touch the ground, throwing a stab at her. Your speed and proximity forces her to move to parry your stab, her sword flashing into position. Twirling the hilt of your sword in your hand, you grasp it in a reverse-grip, holding the blade folded parallel to your arm. The second step is to execute the feint.

Her parry meets empty air. Your fist follows through, slipping in between her guard to strike her on the jaw with the sword’s hilt. As she staggers back, you flip your sword back into position to deal the third step – the finishing blow – a quick stab to the chest before the enemy can recover their balance.

At least, you try to. The sword spins out of control as you twirl the hilt again. With a lighter, shorter sword you would have no problem, but the shoddily-made tournament-issue blunted swords don’t exactly have the best balance for this technique, and you don’t have the skill to compensate. Your fingers fumble as the sword flies from your grasp and hits Yiling in the forehead hilt-first.

She stumbles back but doesn’t fall off the stage – another step and she would have been out of the ring. It would be lucky for you if she did, but alas, you have only managed to lose your sword and anger her. The nun raises her sword. You can tell that she is going to finish you off as fast as she can.

You raise your hands in apparent surrender as she stares at you, her sword about to strike.

“What is this? Are you mocking me?” she asks furiously.

You shake your head sadly, the paper ears flopping around comically.

“Actually, I…” you begin. It is the first time you have spoken since coming on stage, and even the nun can’t help but pause for a while, slightly curious.

Then, you exert your inner strength. The primordial chaos within you bursts forth, feeding you strength.

Moving faster than she has ever seen you move throughout the match, you dart forward, catching her entirely off-guard.

Your hands, still raised in surrender, clap down on Yiling’s shoulders.

You give her a light shove, sending the nun out of the ring.

The gong is sounded.

You have won.

You raise both your hands and wave at the stunned audience. Abbess Miecao is – surprisingly – smiling faintly. You thought she would have been more upset at her student’s defeat. The crowd roars and groans simultaneously as you are declared the victor, the onlookers excitement mixed with the punters’ despair. An upset in the first round of the finals was not what anyone had expected.

It’s a good thing you made that bet.

***

In the aftermatch of the match, Cao’er comes to you with a bag of taels. After making sure you have given her a reasonable share, you hide it quickly before anyone – like Qilin – spots it. There is enough money here to buy you a few good meals, perhaps even some nice clothes. You ask Cao'er to continue betting on you - you have money to spare now, though your odds won't be as lucrative as they were against Yiling. Then, you listen to her report on the match between the mask-wearing Nameless and Shapeless.

Apparently there was no match at all. The both of them had gone up on stage, and Shapeless had surrendered immediately, to loud boos from the audience. You suppose Nameless is probably the leader of the trio. Besides that, Cao’er also tells you something interesting – she is certain that they are not Han. She cannot identify their exact ethnicity, but she has come to that conclusion from their words and body language.

There is not much time for you to rest – it looks like the next round should begin fairly soon. It would also be divided into two sessions, as with the previous round.

The first session would have:

Faceless vs Nie Shuixian

Wu Tong vs Su Liaojing

Zhou Xiaowu vs Yifang

Xuzhan vs Xuzhu

While the second session would be:

Nameless vs Zhu Cangxu

Wu Yin vs Xiaoxiang

Murong Yandi vs Guo Fu

Man Tiger Pig vs Nie Mudan

Cao’er has been summoned by the Abbess for some errands and thus won’t be free to help you out for this round. You could opt to watch any of the matches in the first session, or you could use the time to talk to find and talk to some of the other contestants that have lost their first match, and thus will be made to leave the participants’ area soon.

***

A. You watch the matches.
1. Faceless vs Nie Shuixian
2. Wu Tong vs Su Liaojing
3. Zhou Xiaowu vs Yifang
4. Xuzhan vs Xuzhu

B. You talk to some of the other contestants.
1. The Ashina fighter Lantu.
2. The Tibetan fighter Jixuan Wuni.
3. The oldest of the Wudang Brothers, Wu Jin.
4. The cock-masked fighter, Shapeless.

 

[treave]

 

[Esquilax]

Fuck, I guess that my gambit to figure out more of the "-less" fighters wasn't successful. Damn, hopefully we could make some use out of Cao'er's hint. treave, could she at least determine gender based on body language as well? Will she be able to watch a match from the second session? Also, do we know whether the Jixuan Wuni vs Nie Mudan match was competitive at all or not, or did she totally kick his ass?

Regarding the Woman-in-Black: Jing got a good look at her face, did she look Han?

Self-Taught Style.
Level 2:
Pine-Cutting Sword - A swift, direct lunge aimed at overwhelming the opponent with strength and speed. Modified from the first step of the Songfeng Swordplay.
Deceptive Fish Stab - A flexible and flashy three-step attack that involves luring the opponent into misjudging their distance, compounding their errors with an effective feint, and finishing them off with a quick stab. Works best with the Yuchang Sword.

I'm going to tentatively propose that we watch the Xuzhan vs Xuzhu match because it affords us a unique opportunity; a Shaolin vs Shaolin match between two participants who know each other's arsenal gives us the chance to see not only Shaolin technique in action, but also how to counter it. The Faceless vs Nie Shiuxian match would give us a double-whammy because it would show us something of the Huashan style while also showing us a bit of how the "-less" trio fights. Nevertheless, I think that seeing Xuzhu vs Xuzhan is a big opportunity and I'd rather not miss out.

As for who to talk to, since we don't have info on Nie Mudan and we know she won't underestimate us because of our big upset, we should probably talk to her last opponent, Jixuan Wuni. Of course, if Nie Mudan absolutely stomped him, we might not even get any tips on how to beat her. As much as I'd like to talk to the Ashina fighter, this is a priority.

A1

I could be persuaded to go all-out and go Faceless vs Nie Shiuxian while also talking to Nie Mudan's previous opponent. I might also be persuaded to talk to Wu Jin; I'm calling it right now, Rocky Balboa Guo Fu is going to beat Apollo Creed Murong Yandi, and it would be wise to talk to someone who's faced the big guy. It would certainly be a unique match, as I don't think that Jing has faced anyone who's physically outmatched him. We'd need to outsmart the big guy here.

 

[Zero Credibility]

Voting B2.

Let's talk to the guy about what happened in his match against our next opponent. He's foreigner, so he shouldn't have problems with our unorthodoxy and we are charming enough to get him to talk to us about his unfortunate defeat. Knowing is half the battle and all that.

A1 could also be interesting because I want to know more about these jokers. But we only have one choice, right? We don't get to vote for both watching the match and talking to fighters. Anyway, I get a feeling we'll be facing Nameless in the finals (if we even get that far), so there will be other opportunities to watch him fight before that.

Edit: make that B2 > A1.

 

[Azira]

A3 B2

As far as I understood the wording in the last update, this is an exclusive choice. Either A or B, not both.

 

[Ifeex]

B2.

 

[Esquilax]

Ah, fuck, I'm pretty sure you're right, Azira. Anyways, wouldn't it be ironic and hilarious if it turned out that Jixuan Wuni doesn't speak a word of Han?

 

[treave]

Or something could get lost in translation due to his poor command of the language and his well-intentioned tip ends up costing you the match.

treave, could she at least determine gender based on body language as well? Will she be able to watch a match from the second session? Also, do we know whether the Jixuan Wuni vs Nie Mudan match was competitive at all or not, or did she totally kick his ass?

Regarding the Woman-in-Black: Jing got a good look at her face, did she look Han?

Nameless is female though she affects a masculine posture (can't hide from Cao'er's eyes), Shapeless is male. Cao'er won't be free to watch any matches in this round. Jixuan Wuni lost to Nie Mudan convincingly, from what you hear. You don't have the details, but he just couldn't compete. Also, the Woman-in-Black is definitely Han Chinese.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

A1>B1

 

[Kashmir Slippers]

B1>A1

We need to know how our ticket to Khandom waifu is doing.


Edit: I like A1 as well. It would let us see what the Huashan have to offer and let us witness our masked opponents, but I kind of want to talk to the Ashina. We could flash our necklace and see what is going down.

 

[Esquilax]

B1

We need to know how our ticket to Khandom waifu is doing.

Nameless is a woman who is not Han, so perhaps Yunzi is closer than we think? *Shulgiiseverywhere*

treave, are Nie Mudan and Nie Shiuxian identical twins? I know that they're called the Twin Flowers, but if they're identical twins, then that implies that both of them have the same stats and attributes, though of course they can differ in terms of technique.

 

[Smashing Axe]

Yeah, I'm fairly sure this is the Shadow Wolf, who is Yunzi, who is our fiancée. However why she is part of the tournament and going about China in a masked persona, I haven't the faintest clue.

 

[TOME]

B1>A4

 

[treave]

treave, are Nie Mudan and Nie Shiuxian identical twins? I know that they're called the Twin Flowers, but if they're identical twins, then that implies that both of them have the same stats and attributes, though of course they can differ in terms of technique.

They are identical.

 

[Esquilax]

Yeah, I'm fairly sure this is the Shadow Wolf, who is Yunzi, who is our fiancée. However why she is part of the tournament and going about China in a masked persona, I haven't the faintest clue.

And we're both masked from each other. This is all so very mysterious and romantic. However, another possibility could simply be that the WiB, like your typical pain-in-the-ass radical feminists, don't mind keeping men around so long as they're meek, subservient little bitches:

Apparently there was no match at all. The both of them had gone up on stage, and Shapeless had surrendered immediately, to loud boos from the audience. You suppose Nameless is probably the leader of the trio. Besides that, Cao’er also tells you something interesting – she is certain that they are not Han. She cannot identify their exact ethnicity, but she has come to that conclusion from their words and body language.

The fighters wearing the mask could still very well be connected to the impostors that we had encountered earlier. Nameless is probably not the Shadow Wolf, since she's wearing the tiger mask:

The most interesting of that lot are the trio of Nameless, Faceless and Shapeless, who are appearing in a tiger, wolf and cock mask respectively.

It would be a pleasant surprise if it turned out that Nameless were actually Yunzi, but I doubt that's the case at the moment. The hints we have narrow things down, but they don't rule anything out, either.

 

[Baltika9]

B1, I really want to know WTF is going on upstairs and how Yunzi is doing.

Yeah, I'm fairly sure this is the Shadow Wolf, who is Yunzi, who is our fiancée. However why she is part of the tournament and going about China in a masked persona, I haven't the faintest clue.

She's a pretty spunky girl, so it's entirely possible she decided to take matters into her own hands and investigate her attackers personally. Probably why the tribes are so pissy.
Just like Jing would, I told you it's destiny!

The fighters wearing the mask could still very well be connected to the impostors that we had encountered earlier. Nameless is probably not the Shadow Wolf, since she's wearing the tiger mask:

I dunno man, maybe she bought into that 'tigerwolf' thing more than we think?

 

[Kipeci]

B1

 

[Stygian Lurker]

B1

 

[Rex Feral]

Nameless is probably going to beat everyone else until the final, so we have enough chances to see him in action. Plus, the soonest we'll be facing him is in the final, considering we even get there.

We should concern ourselves with more immediate adversaries. Murong Yandi is probably our next opponent if we win the next fight with the Huashan. Other than that I bet we'll be seeing Yifang, if we beat him. So I propose we take it one step at a time. A3 is best now because it gives us more insight on a battle that will come sooner than that with Nameless. Other than that we could try to find out more about him by talking to the other unknown combatants, although that would go more into our investigation about these people than concerning the tournament.

A3>B4 (which means i'll flop to B4 if A3 has no chance of winning)

Edit: Faceless, Nameless...

 

[Nevill]

We have already watched Yifang. With Cao'er, to boot. What is the point in doing so again?

Really, there are two choices here, A1 and B1. Either we prepare for our next fight with Nie Mudan - in which case it would be best to observe her identical twin with your own eyes, rather than talk to a foreigner that you don't even know if he speaks your language. Or we go and talk to the Ashina tribesman to ask him about what is going on between the tribes and the Empire.

A1 has another bonus - we get to observe the last of the 3 "-less" fighters. It is not yet decided that Nameless is the top dog here - all we know is that she is higher in the hierarchy than Shapeless. We can probably keep an eye on Nameless through Qilin, since she would fight her next.

Ashina fighter - by the way, how did we know he was Ashina? He was referred to as just a Tujue tribesman in the previous update - would be our choice if we wanted to focus on the overarching plot. We may not travel to Ashina in a year or so, but it would be good to know what stirred up the trouble in the north. My guess would be that, whatever it was, WiB were involved in it somehow.

Currently the concern about the tournament outweights my concern for the information you can't act immediately upon. If we manage to catch WiB here and expose the conspiracy against the crown prince successfully, chances are, we'll be sent with a diplomatic mission to the north anyway. So, my choice is A1.

However, another possibility could simply be that the WiB, like your typical pain-in-the-ass radical feminists, don't mind keeping men around so long as they're meek, subservient little bitches:

Absolutely. Who else but a feminazi would make a man pose himself as a Shapeless Cock, then force him into a public submission?

 

[Azira]

Those are good arguments.

A1

 

[Baltika9]

I may flop to A1 later, because our Tujue friend may not be nearly as helpful as we hope. For one, he may not even speak our language, or speak it poorly. That, and observing Nameless lets us draw our own conclusions, if they're Ashina, then we'll definitely recognize some moves.

Can Faceless be Yunzi? Possibly, but I doubt it. Why the masquerade, the weird names and why target all the orthodox sectarians in the free-for-all? I guess we could ask for her by name, "Yunzi, is that you?" and flash the amulet to see if rings any bells after the matches today, or before the matches tomorrow. But if they are WiBs, then we're just exposing ourselves to Sarkeesian Prime, there would only be one person she knows that could have an Ashina amulet around these parts, and that's Jing. Yeah, she seems batfuck crazy enough to remember our little tiff in the camp, chances are she's been stewing on it for a while.

Fuck, I guess that my gambit to figure out more of the "-less" fighters wasn't successful. Damn, hopefully we could make some use out of Cao'er's hint.

I wouldn't say it's a complete loss, we now know they are foreigners in a city almost chock-full of Han Chinese, so that narrows it down quite a bit, and that one of them is a Drag Queen King.

You raise both your hands and wave at the stunned audience. Abbess Miecao is – surprisingly – smiling faintly. You thought she would have been more upset at her student’s defeat.

Now that's just cute, she really is our gam-gam.

However, another possibility could simply be that the WiB, like your typical pain-in-the-ass radical feminists, don't mind keeping men around so long as they're meek, subservient little bitches:

Absolutely. Who else but a feminazi would make a man pose himself as a Shapeless Cock, then force him into a public submission?

Burned.

 

[XenomorphII]

A1