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Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
I suppose our INT isn't enough to come up with a creative name. +M
 

Akkudakku

Arbiter
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Messages
1,125
So Xujing is emptyness. Would be fucking ominous in the beginning if we knew jack shit about Chineese.
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Xu Jing is 徐靖. Different words altogether. Different pronunciation, at that.
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012


***

Shun makes the first move. His Xuanyuan Sword splits sky and ground with a single swing – although you raise the Chixiao Sword to block his attack, his sword qi propels you backwards, skidding through the rain. Leaping after you, he raises his arm for another attack. You side-step deftly, circling around Shun while you trace a larger field around you with your sword. He spins, following up with a powerful slash aimed at your neck. You lean back ever so slightly, intercepting his sword with your own. A path of gentle guidance – your qi flows with, and not against, his blade. It works, but not as well as you had hoped: there is just too much power behind the Xuanyuan Sword for you to redirect effortlessly. You are knocked back a step while deflecting the attack. Shun regains his balance quickly, the shadowy Jiuyin qinggong righting him with ease. Wasting no time, he charges forward, closing the distance enough for him to attack with his palm techniques before you can recover. A one-two combination of the Jiuyin and Jiuyang palm techniques fly towards you; you manage to neutralize his initial attack with your own Xianglong Palms, but the follow-up strike smashes past your guard and sends a wave of pain shooting up your arm.

You fall back, cradling your wounded limb. At that instant, a blinding, scorching light fills your vision. Only your instincts save you from being incinerated – you throw yourself to the ground, feeling the intense heat singe your neck. Knowing Shun, he isn’t going to end his attack here. You push off of the ground and sprint at him; dark shadows engulf the spot where you had been, missing your feet by mere inches. It looks like the recovery time for these powerful attacks is not instant – Shun has barely pulled his arm back from the stance when you reach him. You thrust out with the spear in your hand. At the last second, a wall of dark qi stops it in its tracks. Sparks fly – remembering vaguely what Master Zhang did in his duel with Yang Xue, you summon forth your internal energy in a massive, swirling spiral, and stab forward with all your might. The spear cracks, but it succeeds in piercing through the wall. As the spear-point hits the armour, it tears a ragged hole in the metal… but it is then stopped by Shun’s flesh.

“You will not make a single scratch on me,” he smirks.

Shun roars. The spear shatters.

He brings his Xuanyuan Sword around to smite you, but you are ready for him. Drawing upon all of your skills and techniques with the sword, you unleash a chaotic, deadly dance that rivals the Sword Saint’s moves. The raindrops are dispersed in a wide area by the speed of your attacks, the crimson blade moving so fast that it would seem nothing more than a streak of red to the onlookers. Your first attack skims Shun’s cheek, drawing blood despite his protective qi.

For a moment, he looks slightly concerned.

Then, he reads every subsequent strike perfectly and counters it blow for blow, overpowering you with his far superior neigong and blocking your attacks expertly with the Xuanyuan Sword. His retaliation forces your guard wide open, and without mercy, he finishes with a slash that cuts deeply into your stomach.

Staggering back, you leap away, taking to the stormy skies. Shun comes after you, whirling around in a flurry of kicks – Yang Xue’s Wuying Leipo moves – and before you can react, smashes you hard in the chest. Falling away, you aim your trajectory towards the ornate roofs of the palace. Crashing into the clay tiles, you tumble across the surface and roll to your feet. The pain makes you wince – you are losing too much blood from your wounds. If this goes on, you are in trouble... no, you are already in big trouble.

Shun lands in front of you lightly, unperturbed by the wind and the rain. Lightning streaks across the sky accompanied by the rumble of thunder, as if heralding his arrival.

“After all that talk, is this all you are capable of?” he asks, pointing at your half-dead body with the Xuanyuan Sword.

You’ll have to try to get rid of that sword once more. You close your eye and laugh. “I thought I could go easy on you. You leave me no choice.”

“I know every move you have, every technique you can bring to bear. None of it will work on me.”

You hold the Chixiao Sword at your side, breathing in deeply. Raising one hand, you beckon. “Then come at me, brother.”

He does so, with scorching light and smothering darkness. The powerful manifestations of qi rush towards you, promising painful destruction if you are so much as touched by it. On the brink of life and death, you hear a faint whisper in your own voice, and you understand what you must do.

You really hope this works.

Tearing off your eye-patch, you concentrate all of your internal energyinto the Chixiao Sword.

The mastery of swordsmanship you have inherited from the Sword Saint’s arm and song.

The revolutions of the Tao that you have perceived from the Taiji skills.

The quick and fluid attacks of the Minamoto school.

The unpredictable and half-arsed swordsmanship of your youth.

The elegant power and grace of the beggars’ dragon palms.

The wild brutality of Master Zhang’s claws.

The soaring flight of Yang Xue’s kicks.

The line between order and chaos, where perfect balance and harmony is found.

The understanding that form comes from formlessness.

In your journey you have faced countless trials and tribulations – what you are now is a reflection what you have experienced. Your martial arts is but a mirror held up to your life. If the mirror reflects nothing, then…

You are empty.

The sword is all there is.

Your eye snaps open. The spark of flame in your empty eye socket dances in excitement. The Chixiao Sword shivers, making a keening wail that pierces the roaring storm as you cut apart the qi that Shun has projected, leaving behind a void in the wake of your blade. Like an empty mirror that shows nothing at all, your sword dance is a reflection of nonexistence – form returns to formlessness, and this is what you reduce the legendary techniques into. You dash across the slippery clay tiles, closing the gap between you and Shun, and he hurries to defend himself. Your swords clash once, then twice, and thrice. Each time, more of the roof is torn up. Each time, Shun loses more ground, despite wielding the Xuanyuan Sword. Then, on the fifteenth exchange, you slip past his defenses and nick his palm – twisting your sword, you wrench the Xuanyuan Sword out of his grasp. It arcs into the air and lands heavily, sinking up to its guard in the roof.

You stand still in the rain, gasping for breath – your wounds are starting to make your head spin. Shun has his head cast downwards, unmoving.

Did you do it? Was it the sword after all?

Shun begins laughing, throwing his head back with wild abandon. “Jing! You never fail to surprise me! I thought you would use Wuxiang Qiankun to raise yourself to my level, but it looks like you found another way of your own! That is just your style, isn’t it?” Glancing at you from between his fingers, he grins. “I was caught off guard... you should have killed me with that blow. I suppose you thought the sword was suspicious?” His hand makes a grasping motion.

You sense the danger, but your fatigue and injury makes you a bit too slow to react. Though you make the jump, the Xuanyuan Sword sinks into your thigh from behind, plucked out by what you now realize to be a targeted application of the Xixing Great Skill.

“You are only half-right,” mutters Shun as he tears the sword out of your leg, sending you screaming to the ground in pain. Gritting your teeth, you try to overcome the pain and concentrate enough to continue the fight. Shun raises the Xuanyuan Sword above his head, his eyes looking down upon you coldly.

It looks like you truly have no other choice.

Your grip tightens on the Chixiao Sword.

You launch yourself at him, and the fight begins anew. This time, despite your wounds, the advantage is yours. Your new technique has in itself the answer to everything Shun can throw at you. Before your blade his Xuantiedun and Jiumingjia are akin to nothing – you cut past his defenses with ease. His palm strikes are countered swiftly with the hilt of your sword, the movements that allow you to do so coming from within. His neigong is dissipated harmlessly, a mere reflection vanishing into infinite distance. You cut, and slash, and wound. Royal blood stains the rooftops, though he always manages to avoid the worst of it thanks to his skill and perception.

But gradually, somehow, he begins to adapt to your blade. His responses become faster. Your attacks find their mark less and less. You redouble your effort, and he unleashes even more of his strength.

Again, the two Great Swords clash, Chixiao and Xuanyuan. The shockwave blasts a hole in the weakened roof underneath the both of you, and you plummet into the throne room below. Even before you land the two of you are coming to blows. A second clash flings your respective swords away from your hands, but you do not really need it anymore – at the highest level of understanding, the stance becomes one that can be performed with or without a sword. The qi emanating from Shun is now so intense that it sets the entire hall alight - wood, stone, cloth... all of it burns. With a wave of your hand, you blast away his attack with your own chaotic qi before it can harm you.

"This is a bit too thrilling," says Shun sardonically. "Do you now see why martial arts is too dangerous?"

"You're the one doing property damage to your own house. You only have yourself to blame."

"Ha! Perhaps," Shun shakes his head slowly. "On a greater scale of things, that may be just as valid. Should a farmer burn his farm to the ground to rid it of pests?"

"You do know what your actions will bring, Shun. Why are you insisting on ruining your own empire?"

"The Empire is doomed regardless of whatever I do, Jing. The best I can achieve is to guide it into a gentle death," he says, his eyes suddenly hollow. "And if I have to sacrifice you to do that... then that is what I must do."

You laugh mockingly and beckon to him with a single finger. "I'm not too sure Heaven is going to like the taste of me... but if you think you can actually get rid of me that easily, bring it on."

The two of you charge at each other, exchanging blows that shake the entire palace.

***

When did it all begin?

When Yang Xue went on a rampage in Chang’an, striking the fear of martial artists into the hearts of many?

When the Ten Swords Conference was called, and the Emperor obtained the sword of divinity?

When the three legendary martial arts manuals reemerged into the world, starting a storm of bloodshed?

When the Fire Cult battled the Eight Orthodox Sects at Heihu Valley, heralding the end of pugilism’s golden age?

When Li Shun ascended the throne successfully over the machinations of his siblings?

When a prince’s companion decided to wander the jianghu alone, to begin his long journey unfettered by the rules of orthodoxy?

In the Tujue steppes, when a boy encountered a princess, and became embroiled in troubles far beyond his comprehension?

With a mad Emperor's strange compulsion to purchase a peasant playmate for his heir?

Or did it begin many thousands of years ago, an inescapable destiny rooted in the world when the earth and sky were still young, and fate was yet to be fully written in the stars?

Your eyes open. Your head is spinning; you touch it tenderly, feeling blood gushing down your right temple where Shun’s last blow had landed. Moving unsteadily forward, you grab your sword and drag your feet towards his fallen body. The timbers above you crackle with red flame; the expensive tapestries are being swallowed greedily by the fires of your battle with Shun. Before you can get close enough, he pulls himself upright. He looks shaken, and in as bad a condition as you are; his golden armour is cracked and falling apart, and his hair has come loose. Blood trickles down his face and lips – there is a small pool of red gradually spreading at his feet, glinting darkly as it reflects the flames.

“How much longer are you going to be stubborn?”

“I have said this before. You are going to have to kill me.”

Your vision wavers again, blurring. You stumble. There seems to be a hazy visage in front of you… the silhouette of a woman. You cannot make out her features clearly.

Your friend has been possessed.

A voice rings out in your head; soft, gentle, comforting, convincing. You remember it – Lady Ji.

There is a way to save him, if you are willing.

You shake your head, trying to clear your sight.

Sacrifice yourself. Let the Emperor kill you. Your death will shatter the chains binding his mind, and allow him to think clearly at last. As the person he cares for the most, this will-

Lady Ji’s form scatters into nothingness as a sword pierces through the cloudy mist and stops just in front of your nose.

“What are you doing there… standing around gaping like an idiot? Haven’t you learnt to pay attention in a fight?” gasps Shun, the effort of raising his arm alone taxing his reserves. “It would be an insult if you just rolled over and died here. If you are going to surrender your head, do it for the right reason. Not simply because someone tells you to.”

Wondering if he saw and heard the ethereal woman or if it was just a coincidence, you raise your blade and knock his weapon aside. “Hey. Don’t point that thing at me if you don’t have any intention of using it,” you grin.

“Take a step closer and I’ll show you just how much intention I have of using it,” Shun chuckles, slumping backwards and taking a shaky stance.

You do the same, staring into his eyes. His gaze is committed and firm. He has no intention of giving up – he will see this farce through to its final page even if he has to die for it.

All around you, burning wood and stone fall, vanishing into the roaring flames.

No matter when it all began, the next choice you make will be the end.

***

A. Kill Shun. The land will be plunged into chaos; you are not under any illusions that there is anyone alive right now that can be a more competent administrator or figurehead than he is. What he plans to willfully do will tear the country apart anyway. Rather than allow him to madly taint his legacy, you will end his story here. You will be hated and reviled as the murderer of a hero, but regardless of what the world thinks, you have people to return to. People who rely on you, who will be saddened by your death. People that you do not want to part with. No matter what happens to the country, or even to the world, the only thing you wish for right now is to return to them, alive.

B. Let yourself be killed by Shun. The land will be plunged into chaos; you are not under any illusions that Qilin, Yunzi or Cao’er will do nothing to avenge your death. The Wudu Cult will act, the Fire Temple will mobilize, and the Tujue tribes will ride. But Shun may yet be able to hold the country together competently in the face of such opposition – he has the personal and political power to do so as long as he gives up on his notion of destroying the sects. If it takes your death to make him understand that, so be it. He may not be able to bring about lasting peace and stability, but he will still be able to minimize the suffering. Although it will be a long and arduous struggle for him, you will leave it in his more capable hands.

C. Pray. No matter how this ends, it is clear that Heaven has won. Given all that has transpired here, in the long run, the Tang will not last another generation even if Shun lives through today. This seems to be the result they desired all this while. Perhaps a direct appeal will get their attention…
 
Last edited:

Tribute

Arbiter
Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Messages
919
I'm gonna vote C, I think.

First Jing gets possessed, now Shun?

The heavens have a lot to answer for.
 

Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
C, on the off chance that it won't destroy the entire county and might allow for some sort of peaceful transition however unlikely.

Failing that, I still really want that chair, it would look great on LORD Zhang's patio, so A.

C>A
 

Elfberserker

Liturgist
Joined
Oct 25, 2013
Messages
1,540
I am starting to think that when it was said that entire empire shares our misfortune they mean that Shun will be affected by our every action...By reverse or similiar event.
 

Elfberserker

Liturgist
Joined
Oct 25, 2013
Messages
1,540
Why does Chi You want to speak with Nuwa now?

Because his brother is in danger of dying.
There is good chance that Shun is incarnation of that whatever the hell was his name from that heaven update...Besides maybe it's time to make amends with lady Nuwa.
This petty pickering has been going to for long, long time.
 

Elfberserker

Liturgist
Joined
Oct 25, 2013
Messages
1,540
I can't help, but feel that maybe former emporor suffered from same thing that Shun suffers now. The dude got the throne after vicious civil war and all he did was basically lock himself in his room and study heavens?
He picked Xu jing to be Shun companion.
He gave direct order to burn Lady Ji's mansion down and before that hasn't giving single order in about 15-20 years after getting that nice emporor seat.
 

Rex Feral

Prophet
Joined
Jan 29, 2013
Messages
1,300
Well fuck.

Did I miss important things here? If our choices would have been different in the last 10 or so updates, would we still have to face shun? treave had we chosen not to give him the damned sword, would the outcome be the same?

Eh, I always wondered where the Pray option would have taken us.

C
 

Absinthe

Arcane
Joined
Jan 6, 2012
Messages
4,062
Voting A

Gentlemen, if we vote C now we're just bowing down to Nuwa just like she always wanted. Someone needs to kick her ass and teach her to stop all the fucking bullshit, and it's gonna be JING. Don't chicken out now. Remember the road of Xu Jing. The road of Zhang Jue. It's the road of MAXIMUM FUCK. Who's to say she's not going to continue her bullshit in the future?

Lets show heaven who's boss.
 

a cut of domestic sheep prime

Guest
Well, we already know that A ends in the god of war end, and B just plain sucks. It sounds like our harem will probably die trying to avenge us or succeed in killing Shun, making our sacrifice worthless.

C

Time to troll heaven. :troll:
 

Absinthe

Arcane
Joined
Jan 6, 2012
Messages
4,062
Eh, I'm pretty sure that by now, we are no longer following the God of War ending.

What Nuwa wants the least is Xu Jing dragging her from her pretty throne. Judging by the Chi You story we are pretty fucking good at that kinda shit. And from what we've seen so far, the celestial bureaucracy is a bunch of cunts who do this kinda "screw over the country" shit from time to time just for the lulz.

By the way treave, wouldn't the Wo people also attack Shun in the event of B? The Minamoto are leading them right? And I think their leader swore a life debt to Jing.
 

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