[LP CYOA] 傳

[Stygian Lurker]

B

 

[Zero Credibility]

I've already explained my goals. If we defeat as many of the elite students as we can and reveal ourselves at the end, we won't have to do as much in tracking them back down later and we should have a better time of directly challenging the remainder. While this will result in some techniques almost certainly being leaked unless we're just that good, we have to bear in mind that this would probably happen later anyway as we challenge people at their sects and word starts to spread.

Yeah, but would those we have bested in the tournament under a different name count, even if we reveal ourselves later? Would the Maniac be satisfied with that? I'm not sure but something tells me he wouldn't:

The competition is just a sideshow. The prelude to the real test I have for you. Xu Jing, I order you to go to each of the eight major orthodox sects, and challenge the best of their young disciples. I have heard stories of how this generation – your generation – has the potential to be the best pugilists ever seen. I expect my disciple to be the greatest amongst them. Do anything you have to win, to show that you are the strongest. Maim them if you have to. Kill them if you need to.

 

[Nevill]

I see no contradictions.

You beat them, you do it publicly, you let the world know that it was the Maniac's disciple who did that. Crosses the quest out in my book.

 

[Azira]

It's much more important if it crosses the quest out in Zhang's book. Make no mistake, he can still quite easily kill Jing should he want to.

 

[Kipeci]

Yeah, but would those we have bested in the tournament under a different name count, even if we reveal ourselves later? Would the Maniac be satisfied with that? I'm not sure but something tells me he wouldn't:

I specifically asked treave about this earlier to be sure and he said that it would indeed count if we revealed ourselves at the end.

In fact, let me dredge that up right now.

Wait, treave, would we be able to remove our mask, declare ourselves as Zhang's disciple and receive credit for trouncing the best students of some schools that we've beaten even if we register under something goofy right now?

Yes, especially if you beat them without using any techniques at all. LWC1996 had a previous post on this which was rather spot on. You do not get to usually challenge the best disciples without first proving yourself. They won't let any nameless kook come and fight their prized students, even if he is ranting about being the Southern Maniac's disciple. They'll just send out weaker ones until they get a good measure of your level (and your techniques).

The tournament, however, is a different matter - here they must fight.

 

[Baltika9]

It's much more important if it crosses the quest out in Zhang's book. Make no mistake, he can still quite easily kill Jing should he want to.

Yes, this is very important, the end goal here is to satisfy Zhang. Props to Kipeci for asking that question, but it all depends on how many of these disciples we face in the tournament proper. I won't lie, I love the sound of the all-on-one challenge to all the top students of the Eight Sects, but if we beat the six out of eight schools right here, then it's just pointless. On the other hand, if it's only two or three of our marks, then it makes sense to save us the time and call out all of them. I don't believe that we'll have to turn a match like that into a bloodbath, but they will get injured (and that's okay, we're freaking martial artists, the best of our generation, not snowflakes); proper planning and preparation will let us win without killing/maiming anyone. We're a badass in forested areas, we're good at countering teams and we're a pretty crafty troll to boot, which allows us to use the "divide and conquer" strategy. Huashan Hundun will have to be used, but these guys are sturdier than some two-bit bandits we meet on the road. But again, the necessity depends on the situation.

I was originally on board with the low-profile plan, but that whole "a no-name has to first prove himself by fighting the lower-ranked students" dulled it significantly. With matches like that, even if it's the initial three or four schools, our style will be deciphered by the audience fairly quickly anyway, so that defeats the whole purpose once word spreads.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, let's just focus on winning the tournament without showing off too much, and decide once the situation becomes clearer.

 

[Nevill]

Props to Kipeci for asking that question, but it all depends on how many of these disciples we face in the tournament proper. I won't lie, I love the sound of the all-on-one challenge to all the top students of the Eight Sects, but if we beat the six out of eight schools right here, then it's just pointless. On the other hand, if it's only two or three of our marks, then it makes sense to save us the time and call out all of them.

I was under the impression the number of our marks is no less than 20. Schools have several disciples they consider their best. Taishan’s Seven Heroic Youths come to mind.

We are unlikely to overcome more than half of them in the tournament directly.

 

[Baltika9]

What kind of Tigerkhan are we if we can't find a way to take down twenty people on favorable terms.

 

[Nevill]

I meant that this:

but if we beat the six out of eight schools right here

is not going to happen. We'll win the tournament long before we'll have a chance to fight most of them.

 

[Kipeci]

That's why I figure that we may as well maximize our chance of encountering them by going for the team match instead of the battle royale.

 

[Baltika9]

treave, I think we already went past the point of no return, I see no harm in asking abot what other alternatives we had for fixing our qi? Or was it always a "fix your coils or destroy them?"

 

[treave]

treave, I think we already went past the point of no return, I see no harm in asking abot what other alternatives we had for fixing our qi? Or was it always a "fix your coils or destroy them?"

No.

 

[LWC1996]

B

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Bandwagoning.

 

[treave]

Heroes of Taishan

Qilin laughs, looking at the group that you have been entered into. “Just our luck,” she grins. “We’re facing four of the Taishan Seven Heroic Youths in the first match.” You look at the other teams in the group – one consists of second-string Kunlun participants, and the other is an impromptu collection of participants much like your own. “Does anyone know anything about them?” you ask.

Guo Fu shakes his head slowly. He still hasn’t seem to caught on to the fact that you have met him before putting on the mask. The young farmer boy had been very grateful when you approached him to team up yesterday, to the extent of trying to buy a roasted pig’s thigh for you in gratitude. You had to turn it down; he and his wife would probably need the food more than you do. You could always just steal Qilin’s snakes in a pinch if you were starving. The disciple of the Sword Saint looks away when you turn your eyes to him. Well-groomed and dashing in his blue clothes, the boy nevertheless seems uncomfortable around the three of you, even though he had been the first to moot the idea of a team.

“If I’m not mistaken, they specialize in the Qixing Beitou Formation (北斗七星陣,Big Dipper Formation). I’ve not seen it in action before, but I’ve heard that it is intricate and everchanging. Taishan is also famous for the Qixing Luokong (七星落空,Seven Stars Fall Empty), a sword technique that attacks the seven main pressure points of the body with qi,” says Qilin. “I don’t have any further details; I don’t know much about them.”

“Well, at least we know they’ll be fighting mainly with swords. That means it’s a job for our swordsman over there,” you say. “W-what?” says Murong Yandi, surprised to be brought into the conversation. “Isn’t this a team fight?”

“It is, but you’re also the disciple of the Sword Saint, aren’t you?” you explain. “You should be good enough with a sword to beat them handily.”

“I don’t see what that has to do with anything.” A frown creases his brow as he ponders your masked head.

“Well, I’m just getting you ready for the very high possibility that all four of them will be coming for you from the start,” you say. Murong falls silent, his eyes twitching with a nervous tic. “I-I’ll handle that when it happens. Just fight as best as you can.”

A tournament official calls out the names of your team before he can say anything else. Elsewhere, some teams have already begun their matches. You pay them no attention, however – your first hurdle in this tournament is just ahead of you.

When your team arrives on the small stage, the Taishan disciples are already present. First you are expected to introduce yourselves to each other. You do so, giving your pseudonym and eliciting a chuckle from the opposing side. They seem relaxed and confident. They give their names in return, but in your mind you have already begun labelling them Taishan One, Two, Three and Four, like what the young Shaolin monks called them in private. You can tell that they are rather strong, but nothing about them really makes much of an impression on you, although your sense for danger – never a very strong sense – may have been spoiled by Zhang’s training.

The signal to fight is given.

Instantly, all four of them head towards Murong Yandi, attempting to take who they deem to be the strongest enemy out of the match at the start. His face freezes in fright as his pre-fight bravado finally gives way. As they swing their swords at him, Murong Yandi suddenly gives out a loud, panicked yell. Drawing his sword, he parries their attacks almost instantaneously, giving himself enough space to step back. Despite his frantic swings, you can tell that he was in control of his movements – defending against four at once is no mean feat, as you have found out yourself.

“Hey, hey,” you call out, “you’re ruining your cool image.”

“If you aren’t going to help me, stand back while I take care of them all myself,” he retorts, deftly parrying another flurry of attacks from the four Taishan disciples.

“Someone’s already gone to help,” you say cheerfully. Guo Fu rushes at the Taishan disciples from the side. His bull charge scatters them, forcing them to pull away from Murong Yandi. Two of the disciples – the ones you have labelled Three and Four, get around Guo Fu and continue going after the swordsman, who curses. Even so, he continues to defend instead of going on the attack.

One and Two continue to battle Guo Fu. He is surpisingly nimble for his size, and what he can’t dodge he blocks. Since the weapons given for the tournament are blunted, he stops the swords against his bare arms without any problems. He does not aim his attacks well, however, and the Taishan disciples manage to dance away from his blows without taking any damage. “It looks like they want to defeat the better fighters and leave the weaker ones for later,” you say. “Yes, we’re probably being left for later, but they’re attempting to force Guo Fu out of the ring,” says Qilin. You can see that the big fighter is gradually being pushed towards the edge of the arena, just as she said. “They can’t beat him down any other way.”

“Aren’t you going to join in, then?” you ask.

“Aren’t you? You’re supposed to be the strongest one here," says Qilin slyly.

Well, if she puts it that way…

You head towards Guo Fu first – Murong Yandi seems to be defending himself against two opponents with no problems. Placing one hand on his broad shoulders, you vault over his head and introduce your knee to his opponent’s face. Taishan One staggers back, clutching his nose. You tilt your head to one side, putting your hands on your hips, and bend over slightly to look at him in mock, wordless concern.

Grim determination flashing in his eyes, he settles into a stance, his sword raised high above his head, and charges at you. After a second of deliberation, you keep your sword tucked into your waist-sash, deciding to fight him unarmed. Taishan One swings his sword down, attempting to decide the fight with a single blow to the neck. It misses. You step to the side, avoiding his attack entirely. As you deliberate on the type of counterattack to use, Taishan One spins and sends his foot flying towards your face. You duck down on instinct. He follows without hesitation, sweeping his sword upwards to catch you as you crouch. Exhaling, you move a bit faster, just fast enough that the blade doesn’t even catch the tip of your nose.

Taishan One looks at you with mild disbelief, finding it hard to accept that some joker in a pig’s mask has avoided his moves. After that initial assault you can tell that he is technically skilled, but…

You take a basic stance, fists held up. You’ll step up your game a bit more. As Taishan One settles back into his sword stance, you act first. Lunging forward, you throw a punch at his face. He jerks to the side, surprised at your sudden speed. Bending your outstretched arm, you drive your elbow into the side of his face before he can react – perhaps a bit too lightly, as he staggers to the side instead of being knocked down like you hoped. You take a step back, allowing Taishan One to retreat. Raising an open hand, you make a beckoning gesture, daring him to come.

With a growl, he charges at you. The both of you exchange a few more blows, with none of his landing properly, before a strike from your palm pushes him away again. It looks like for all his skill, he cannot compensate for your superior speed.

“Erfu, Sanzhu, Shiwan, to me!” he shouts, as he backs away from you hurriedly. The other Taishan disciples break away from their respective fights and get into position around Taishan One in a formation of some sorts.

You look over at Guo Fu and Murong Yandi. Both of them are unscathed, and Murong Yandi seems to not even have broken a sweat, though he doesn’t seem to have gone on the attack against the Taishan disciples either.

“Beitou Qixing Formation!” shouts the Taishan disciples in unison, as they make a dramatic pose. You wonder if you should test out the formation alone – judging from the name, it is meant for seven people; its true potential should only be seen with all seven members of the Taishan Seven Heroic Youths. A four man formation would have its weaknesses.

Murong Yandi seems to be in a bad mood as he comes to your side. “Could you let me take them all down, Man Tiger Pig? The two of them were saying some rather rude things to me just now.”

***

A. Insist to go at it alone. You survived the nuns’ six-man formation, a crippled four-man formation shouldn’t be any problem for you, especially since none of the other disciples seem to match you in speed and strength. Beating four of them by yourself would be good bragging rights.

B. Let Murong Yandi handle the formation alone. He seems confident, and this could be a chance to see what he can really do. You might meet him in the elimination stages, and if he wants to show off you can benefit from seeing his techniques.

C. Offer to team up with Murong Yandi for the fight. The formation might be more than either of you are expecting, since none of you have actually experienced it before, and it would be safer this way.

D. Everyone is going to fight. You get Guo Fu and Qilin to help you and Murong Yandi. Qilin is not getting out of this match without even lifting a smug little finger. It is a team fight after all. You don’t want to take too much of the spotlight right now.

 

[Nevill]

“Well, I’m just getting you ready for the very high possibility that all four of them will be coming for you from the start,” you say. Murong falls silent, his eyes twitching with a nervous tic.

They give their names in return, but in your mind you have already begun labelling them Taishan One, Two, Three and Four, like what the young Shaolin monks called them in private.

Oh, Jing. Never change.


A would be good for glory and bragging rights. If we prevail, we can chalk it down as a win for Zhang's purposes. Unfortunately, we are more likely to lose.

I am tempted to go C or even D, if the two of the least experienced members won't get in the way.

 

[Ifeex]

C>D.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

C>D.

This.

 

[ScubaV]

These guys may be good in a group but I don't think they are that strong individually. Thus I don't think they qualify for Zhang's edict. We might have to fight Murong later in the tourney though, so I say let him expose his techniques. He seems capable enough, but has so far lacked the motivation to go all out. If he falters we can always jump in.

Voting B.

 

[Kipeci]

C

Wait. treave , what option(s) would Zhang find acceptable in his challenge provided that they all work out?

 

[Jester]

C

 

[treave]

What options are you talking about? I don't quite get the question.

 

[Kipeci]

The options in this update. If we allow Murong Yandi to handle everyone and it works out, my fear is that Zhang won't consider these four to have properly been beaten by us.

 

[treave]

The options in this update. If we allow Murong Yandi to handle everyone and it works out, my fear is that Zhang won't consider these four to have properly been beaten by us.

Uh, obviously he'll only accept A.

 

[Kipeci]

I'm tempted to flop to A, then, however... We would need to defeat all seven for that school, right? So we would probably need to challenge these guys again, anyway, so it might be for the best to simply see how the Sword Saint's disciple works and vote B. C isn't really useful, then, but I beed to think about what I should flop to.