[LP CYOA] 傳

[XenomorphII]

B2

For now.

Pretty sure A is a dead end. Zhang said he would kill us first in this instance and I believe he would (though that might leave him vulnerable to Yao or the nuns, don't know if it would be enough to save our bacon though or not).

Doing as Yao told us may be wise, but I am afraid that Yao will almost certainly die fighting, which means goodbye arm when Zhang inevitably catches up to us.

Staying and fighting is reckless as all get out, but if we survive we should see some boosts to our combat abilities. Problem here is Cao'er (I imagine Yao still wants her kept from hurting anyone since she goes creepy then, and she will fight to protect us if things go bad) and a pretty decent chance of death for us or her.

Going with Zhang is probably the best way out (provided we can convince Yao to let us walk), but it is not something I really want to do. Yes he could teach us a lot, if we can survive his brutal training, but it will permanently scar Jing I would imagine (and not just physically, I doubt he will be able to maintain any semblance of being a decent guy under Zhang). Not to mention the massive social stigma we will carry for being the Maniac's Apprentice. Plus I like Yao, he is a bro, I want to pay our debt to him and stick with him longer.

 

[Azira]

We chose to boost speech for just this occasion. At least, that's why I voted for it. We need to try and keep everyone alive. Even the nuns if possible. Though we're not turning over the sword just yet. We came about it fair and square. They should at least offer something of equal value, or they can go bugger themselves with those whips of theirs.

C

 

[Grimgravy]

Well, that escalated quickly. I'm curious as to how the Emei knew that we got the sword. Only the Master Beggar, Master Yao, and Cao'er knew for certain. I'd say we got lucky losing Sleight of Hand. Duancao Legs hurts more but it may be the easiest to replace.

I don't like A. They don't care about us. I wouldn't trust them to risk their lives to help us after they have the sword. Plus, given their current demeanor, they might not be of much help. Heavy casualties even assuming we win. I trust the maniac will try to kill us first like he said.
B1, we run and hope Master Yao can delay the pursuit until we can get to safety (the Manor I guess). Then what? I assume Cao'er can cure our poison, but we might be trapped in the Manor for some time. I'd consider this a decent option.
B2, we disobey our master and risk Cao'er. She likely get involved and goes squirrely. Again, heavy casualties. I don't like it. We should respect Master Yao enough to trust his judgment here.
C, No casualties, at least not immediately. I don't like it, but this may be the best option. Our back is to the wall now, so Jing could justify going with the Maniac to save our "sister" and master. I'd guess C will win in a landslide.

B1 > C
A1

 

[XenomorphII]

Also on going with Zhang: If we do go with him, I doubt he will ever let us go. I expect we will be tied to him until he dies (probably by our hand) or we do.

 

[Nevill]

Alrighty. Let's go full Renegade and give Lambchop19 his long-awaited chance at grimdarkery.

Giving away the sword to the nuns accomplishes nothing. Even if they help you now, which they are reluctant to do, and scare off the Maniac (ha-ha), they won't guard us forever - they'll just take the sword and leave. Should we even survive this, we'll have the Maniac on our tail and promptly die in the next encounter. Unless we take a permanent asylum in the manor, or Zhang becomes so disappointed in us he abandons the whole idea.

Most probable outcome is that Zhang will simply kill us on the spot. Just because he warned us and we dared to go against his word.

Should we take the sword with us and flee with Cao'er... I don't know what happens next. The Maniac would have no reason to harm Yao in this case, but does he even need one? If Yao himself decides to cover our flight, he is dead. We'll be hunted by both the nuns and the Maniac. We'll have no permanent solution to our poison. If Zhang ever catches with us, we'll might end up without an arm. It is all the way bad. But we'll get to live for the moment.

Should we stay and fight, somebody is bound to get killed. Cao'er just can't defend herself, and the Maniac couldn't care less for civilian casualties. And if you don't suppose to kill Zhang in this fight, where is the guarantee he doesn't come back for you?

C is the peaceful resolution. We keep our plot coupon, we deal with the nun threat decisively, and we keep Yao and Cao'er alive and the Maniac off their tail. All it requires is a sacrifice on our part. And we are no strangers to it, this was the road we took back in Ashina and Songfeng.

Farewell, our freedom, you were but a fleeting dream.

P.S. How the hell Emei knew we have their sword? We never used it! Was it the tale that Songfeng heirloom sword broke apart during our duel that clued them in? I guess that would mean that Wudu also knows.

I expect we will be tied to him until he dies (probably by our hand) or we do.

Let's speed up the process, shall we?

 

[treave]

I'm curious as to how the Emei knew that we got the sword

P.S. How the hell Emei knew we have their sword?

It'll be discussed in the next update, depending on the choice you make.

 

[Baltika9]

Going with Zhang is probably the best way out (provided we can convince Yao to let us walk), but it is not something I really want to do. Yes he could teach us a lot, if we can survive his brutal training, but it will permanently scar Jing I would imagine (and not just physically, I doubt he will be able to maintain any semblance of being a decent guy under Zhang). Not to mention the massive social stigma we will carry for being the Maniac's Apprentice. Plus I like Yao, he is a bro, I want to pay our debt to him and stick with him longer.

This I can really sympathize with. Yao, despite all the initial unpleasantness with the poison and indentured servitude, is the closest thing Jing had to a male mentor. We learned a lot of useful survival skills working for him (though not necessarily from him, more like because of him) and developed good social skills as well. But I think the time has come to move onto someone that can teach us to fully utilize our potential. Throw ourselves into the Ordeal and return stronger than ever. That, and I think that the other choices will lead to someone here being either very seriously harmed and/or killed and knowing our luck, it won't be us but those closest to us.

Also on going with Zhang: If we do go with him, I doubt he will ever let us go. I expect we will be tied to him until he dies (probably by our hand) or we do.

That can be arranged, depending on how far he pushes us, no way I'm letting him persuade Jing to kill innocents if I have the say-so. I think you guys are really underestimating Jing's moral backbone here, yeah we're a lusty, thieving little bastard but we also stick up for innocents and put the douchebags back into their place; we care for those close to us and do anything to help them (if anything, our promise to Yao and Shun's mission will ensure our survival through sheer purpose and willpower) and we never back down. Yes, it will be tough but I think these factors, plus the medicinal knowledge we learned from Yao, will keep us alive and sane. But first, let's milk him for all he's got; besides, he may surprise us.

I'm curious as to how the Emei knew that we got the sword

P.S. How the hell Emei knew we have their sword?

It'll be discussed in the next update, depending on the choice you make.

The answer is Shulgi, do you really have to ask?

 

[Nevill]

I think you guys are really underestimating Jing's moral backbone here, yeah we're a lusty, thieving little bastard

We are not. Not thieving, anyway. I do not remember taking that what wasn't ours.

but we also stick up for innocents and put the douchebags back into their place; we care for those close to us and do anything to help them (if anything, our promise to Yao and Shun's mission will ensure our survival through sheer purpose and willpower) and we never back down.

True. But I think you underestimate the pressure Zhang can put on us, too. He is more strong-willed than us, and he gives zero fucks as to what is considered moral. If anything, he might consider it our weakness, and decide to purge it. I fully expect him trying to mold us into the form that resembles himself, and we are only 15 years old.

The answer is Shulgi, do you really have to ask?

Shulgi is 42.

 

[treave]

Right, to clarify, A1 and A2 are possible options. Fixed the arrangement so it should be clearer now.

 

[Grimgravy]

The maniac will provide a learning environment. It wont, however, be a healthy environment. I reckon it will be down right traumatic.

 

[Baltika9]

I think you guys are really underestimating Jing's moral backbone here, yeah we're a lusty, thieving little bastard

We are not. Not thieving, anyway. I do not remember taking that what wasn't ours.

Well,

A. Both Yao and Cao’er are really quite bad at talking to people. Horrendous, actually. You find yourself often being the face of your little physician troupe in socializing, negotiating and haggling for payment with stingy peasants and rich merchants alike. You begin to talk more smoothly and think more quickly, being forced to mentally calculate the proper compensation for the value of the herbs used and services rendered... and in some sadly frequent cases, especially when it comes to the merchants, acquire the unpaid monies subtly. (CHA +1, INT+1, Speech +2, Sleight-of-Hand +1, Sneak +1)

“Subtlety, Master.” You know you are not the best person to talk about subtlety, but the time you have spent with Yao and Cao’er has been very enlightening.

“Subtlety, eh?” Master Yao suddenly grins slyly. “When did you do it?”

“You have sharp eyes, my master,” you say, as you open up your palm to show a little pouch. “You were making a big fuss and crying bloody murder as they tried to beat your head in. In all that ruckus, no one was looking at the box. It was the best choice I could have made, considering the circumstances. I’m not going without dinner tonight; we didn't even have enough money to buy this chicken when we walked into the city." You shake the bag containing your dinner in his face. "The two of you have been spending a lot of taels on buying books and then burning them after reading.”

We did this shit all the time for Yao.

but we also stick up for innocents and put the douchebags back into their place; we care for those close to us and do anything to help them (if anything, our promise to Yao and Shun's mission will ensure our survival through sheer purpose and willpower) and we never back down.

True. But I think you underestimate the pressure Zhang can put on us, too. He is more strong-willed than us, and he gives zero fucks as to what is considered moral. If anything, he might consider it our weakness, and decide to purge it. I fully expect him trying to mold us into the form that resembles himself, and we are only 15 years old.

Yeah, but we're also rebellious as fuck, it will be very interesting to to see him try. We are past our most malleable years.

Edit:

The maniac will provide a learning environment. It wont, however, be a healthy environment. I reckon it will be down right traumatic.

Jing is a tough bastard, stubbornness is one of the character's defining traits.

 

[Nevill]

The maniac will provide a learning environment. It wont, however, be a healthy environment. I reckon it will be down right traumatic.

[...]we'd be going from one madman to another.

The story of our life.

We did this shit all the time for Yao.

I know. The money were ours. We earned it. And we never took more than we earned.

 

[Baltika9]

Still stealing, though, you can't rationalize that away.

The story of our life.

'Tis destiny.

 

[Nevill]

Right, to clarify, A1 and A2 are possible options. Fixed the arrangement so it should be clearer now.

Could you elaborate how would it even work, negotiating our retreat in front of the Maniac? The nuns clearly state they don't care for us, only for the sword. Convincing them to fight on our behalf would take time, and we don't have that, as the Maniac expressed his willingness to murder us the moment we try to hand the sword over.

 

[treave]

Take time? It'll go more along the lines of, I give you the sword now and you help me out. Yes or no?

Zhang Jue won't actually attack until you hand over the sword, no matter what you say in the meantime. He said he would kill you if you handed the sword over, not if you 'tried' to hand the sword over. As long as you're just talking, you haven't really handed it over. You could be bluffing. He'll just sit there and watch in amusement. The moment the sword passes hands, however, he'll strike. You're betting on the nuns distracting him then. Since they're upright orthodox people, once they give their word they likely won't renege on it lightly either, not even to save themselves. Of course it goes without saying they don't trust you enough to help you without laying their hands on the sword first.

Will it be enough? That you don't know.

 

[Grimgravy]

Giving up the sword would be worth it. If we save Yao and Cao'er If we can then elude the Maniac. If we can use the Maniac's interest in out chi to get help from Wudang.

That's a lot of if.

 

[Nevill]

Deleting the post is a bit of a dickish thing to do on my part, I just realised that A1 could be viable, given the clarification, and perhaps more so than B1. But what are we going to do next? We can't hide in the Manor forever. And in this case the Maniac would have promised to kill us for defying him. Did we learn if he is a fellow at the Manor, or just one of the invited? Or maybe just nobody cared to ask him if he got an invitation?

 

[treave]

Given that he has access to the inner court, he is most certainly a fellow. You don't think Lady Ji would bend the rules for him.

It might have been prudent to ask about Zhang Jue back during that choice. Even rumours would be better than nothing. At least you might have found out if he has a long or short attention span.

 

[Smashing Axe]

A1>B1

I trust Yao enough to think he knows what he's doing. If we get the Nuns to help him he may live. The sword is good, but it's not that good. Staying with A is suicide, staying with B seems irresponsible. The less said about C the better.

 

[Nevill]

At least you might have found out if he has a long or short attention span.

Given that he can't wait until the end of the conference to grab us, and that he is used to get his way, my bet is on short.

A man who would cripple his disciple just to aquire him sooner doesn't sound to me like one for long-term planning. The fact that no disciple of his lasts more than half a year is in favor of this hypothesis.

 

[Grimgravy]

He may have no long term plan, but he waited at least 3 days to get a hold of us. Once he's made up his mind, he's like a dog with a bone. He'll come after us until we find someone/somewhere strong enough to fend him off. That's likely one of the sects.

 

[Baltika9]

At least you might have found out if he has a long or short attention span.

Given that he can't wait until the end of the conference to grab us, and that he is used to get his way, my bet is on short.

We're talking about one of the Five Greats here, bro. He wouldn't get to the top of the Unorthodox world if he were some retard with ADD. This is a very intelligent and educated man, his shortcomings aside. Please don't underestimate him, I can totally understand where the sentiments against C are coming from, but let's be smart here: this man is a monster in combat,

“Someone get that boy back! He’ll get killed! Don't just stand around here!”

“Hey, you go then! I’m not going to cross him! We step into his range and we are minced meat!”

Panicked murmurs come from all around you, as the crowd reaffirms your sudden realization that this has been a bad decision.

Unfortunately, it has always been your bad habit not to back down in the face of death.

In a room filled with competent martial artists, they were all too terrified to intervene together. Anything other than taking Cao'er and running or negotiating through C will very likely involve injury and death of one of the participants. And it won't be Zhang.

A is very bad for one simple reason: after he retreats, there is nothing in this world that can keep him from tracking us down for whatever reason he has, be it revenge or a second/third try at getting us (which is even worse, because Yao won't even be able to cure our poison then so the arm is coming off). Also, how are you picturing us getting into Wudang? "Help, the Southern Maniac wants to make me his apprentice because of my chaotic qi that doesn't have a cure, not even in your library!" Why would they care, especially with our Junior-slaying reputation? What then?

I trust Yao enough to think he knows what he's doing. If we get the Nuns to help him he may live. The sword is good, but it's not that good. Staying with A is suicide, staying with B seems irresponsible. The less said about C the better.

Something tells me Yao knows very well that he is about to die for both his apprentices, even with the Emei on his side.
As for the sword, we just lost our only offensive kicking technique, if we hand it over to the Emei, we will be left without any offensive abilities so that means we run, which probably means Yao will die.

B just turns the whole thing into a chaotic threesome, perhaps we will be able to use the chaos to escape, but that's it.

 

[Smashing Axe]

It won't be very hard to get a new sword. If you're talking immediate short-term, granted. But we'd be running away and if he did catch up to us fighting back would be useless, so... eh.

 

[Baltika9]

No, I mean that if we give up the sword, that means we and Cao'er must GTFO immediately because we lost the only single offensive technique we had that doesn't use swords (Shadow Wolf will be really useless in such close and visible quarters), leaving Yao to his fate and I don't want the old coot to die.

Edit: even better, with A he'll kill us. Like, no shit, we're dead.

 

[Ifeex]

B1>A1.