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ERYFKRAD

Barbarian
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Strap Yourselves In Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
treave, is the affectation of surrender an option here?
 

treave

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Codex 2012
I'm sure Bai Jiutian will be happy to accept your surrender after he finishes with Zhang Manxing.
 

ERYFKRAD

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Strap Yourselves In Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Then can we just writhe on the floor, yell about poisoned tea and hope BJ is quick on the uptake?

P.S. Not surrender, just the affectation thereof.
 

treave

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If you start screaming about poisoned tea, all Zhang has to do later is to go back and tell everyone Bai Jiutian tried to poison you. That's probably even worse a reputation drop than he'd get from being found speaking with you. If the plan is to trick Zhang into thinking that Bai lured you here to kill you and the two of you aren't in cahoots, that won't work if you're considering sparing Bai's reputation.
 

Baltika9

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Yeah, if we want to frame BJ, then I'd rather we get naked and let Huehueshan make their own conclusions.
 
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Kayerts

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Jan 28, 2011
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883
Do you people WANT to tarnish the reputation of the big inside man we can get inside Huashan? I don't like Bai, but the Zhang family is even worse.
To be fair, nothing incriminates BJ more than manxing's body being found with holes from two different swords and two different techniques. Our involvement in the case is likely to leave traces of our presence.

BJ does have the option to defend himself by claiming that the wicked Man Tiger Pig used the Wuxiang Qiankun Skill to slay Manxing, despite his best efforts to save his beloved shidi. That could explain the techniques. No one could fault BJ for failing to defend against a master of one of the legendary skills. Alt-Tang Dynasty forensic medicine is apparently good enough to differentiate between wounds made by different swords, but perhaps that requires someone on Cao'er's level to manage. Or he might just not be enough of a jerk to say that.
 

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Or he might just not be enough of a jerk to say that.
He likes his position far too much to risk it.

Still, does the sudden appearance of manxing not make people wonder what he is doing here today of all days?

“I was wondering if my shixiong was going off to train at Huangpu this week. The twins saw you leave but refused to tell me… still, after I got forceful with them for a bit and reminded them just who is supporting their father’s leadership of Huashan, they learnt their place.” Zhang Manxing gives Bai a dirty leer.
I mean, he specifically tracked Bai Jiutian, and he was determined enough to force the truth out of the twins. Why would he do that? What does one gain from following Bai Jiutian to his private place where he seem to be training regularly? What is so suspicious about that to warrant such a response?

The only answer that comes to my head is that manxing somehow learned of our arrival here (maybe the girls did ruin the inn, after all), and having already suspected Bai Jiutian in treachery, he connected the dots. What else would we be doing here, in the midst of our enemies?

Now, if he went here hoping to see us conspire together, then he obviously should have some kind of a deterrent with him. manxing is stupid, yes, but nobody is that dumb to crash the meeting of the two high-ranking pugilists withous an ace up his sleeve. The question is, is that deterrent meant for us or for BJ? Regardless, the best move for manxing would be to force us both into a fight. Otherwise, if the deterrent only stops BJ, we would be free to kill him, and vice versa, unless it is awesome enough to stop us both.

I may be overthinking it, though, and there might be another explanation for manxing's arrival here.

Nevertheless, I'd much rather wait and see what he has got.
 
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ERYFKRAD

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Strap Yourselves In Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
If you start screaming about poisoned tea, all Zhang has to do later is to go back and tell everyone Bai Jiutian tried to poison you. That's probably even worse a reputation drop than he'd get from being found speaking with you. If the plan is to trick Zhang into thinking that Bai lured you here to kill you and the two of you aren't in cahoots, that won't work if you're considering sparing Bai's reputation.
To be honest, maybe his tea sucks that bad.
 

profreshinal

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Or he might just not be enough of a jerk to say that.
He likes his position far too much to risk it.

Still, does the sudden appearance of manxing not make peoploe wonder what he is doing here today of all days?

“I was wondering if my shixiong was going off to train at Huangpu this week. The twins saw you leave but refused to tell me… still, after I got forceful with them for a bit and reminded them just who is supporting their father’s leadership of Huashan, they learnt their place.” Zhang Manxing gives Bai a dirty leer.
I mean, he specifically tracked Bai Jiutian, and he was determined enough to force the truth out of the twins. Why would he do that? What does one gain from following Bai Jiutian to his private place where he seem to be training regularly? What is so suspicious about that to warrant such a response?

Manxing is probably the person BJ consulted in private. Manxing was in Tufan and was also there when we used the WQS and that's what BJ's question have been going on about. Manxing could have noticed that BJ had something going on, something to do with the special techniques and decided to check what's going on. Can't ignore those special technique leads. Hell, BJ came for similar reasons. To confirm if Jing knew something.

Unless Manxing's brother happens also be at Huashan he wouldn't have shared his suspicions with anyone.
 
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Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
BJ came here to talk with Jing. There was a meeting arranged.

On the other hand, as far as manxing is concerned, this is just another weekly training for BJ. What makes it different from any other, to the point where he had to 'get forceful'? Why the hurry?

No, 'noticing that something was going on' does not quite cut it, unless it happened very recently, and the only recent event we know of that could have prompted him to do that is our arrival at Huashan.
 

Tigranes

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Jan 8, 2009
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A.

Nevill has a good point - Zhang's reasons for following BJ in the first place is incredibly suspicious. He knows or has prepared more than he says. He definitely suspected BJ of being up to no good. So if he is going to sneak and track BJ down in his sickened state he surely has something - probably another kind of trick gadget rather than human backup.

On one hand, that means we shouldn't all rampage in (C) and get knocked out together. On the other hand, I don't believe Zhang expected us to be here - I think there's nothing to reasonably assume that he knew we entered Huashan, only that he suspected BJ of secrets. So, if we let BJ fight him alone (A), that might be exactly the combat situation that he has prepared for. Sticking with A for now, though, since at least we can intervene if shit hits the fan.

I'm not going for user-created options because I think previous experience has shown that Zhang is actually a difficult person to kill or capture, and we need to be decisive here. Having him escape under any circumstances would be catastrophic.
 

treave

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Codex 2012
Not too sure, I have some stuff to deal with for now but my guess is probably sometime tomorrow at least, or 24h from now. Updates will be very sporadic all through this week and the next, though after that I should have at least a month or so uninterrupted for near daily updates.
 

ScubaV

Prophet
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Feb 20, 2011
Messages
1,022
Not too sure, I have some stuff to deal with for now but my guess is probably sometime tomorrow at least, or 24h from now. Updates will be very sporadic all through this week and the next, though after that I should have at least a month or so uninterrupted for near daily updates.

:bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce:
 

treave

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Codex 2012
Black and White II

“W-wait, no, you can’t attack me! Do you know who I am? You dare?! Master Nie will hear of this!” protests Zhang Manxing.

"No, he won't." Bai Jiutian says coldly.

Zhang fumbles with his sword, attempting to get it out, and by a stroke of luck he manages to draw it in just the right time and position to block Bai Jiutian’s sudden slash. That does not last, however; with a quick flick of his wrist Bai scores a hit on the back of Zhang’s hand, causing him to almost drop his sword in pain. Bai’s shining blade swoops down for the kill, but the look in Zhang’s eyes changes from fear to one of anger, and he unleashes a strange swordplay in retaliation; at times blazingly fast, and other times painfully slow, all seemingly at random.

You wait no longer. Placing one hand on your wodao’s hilt, you move towards Zhang Manxing. He spots your approach out of the corner of his eye and panics. His movement falters. Before you can strike, Bai Jiutian has already taken advantage of this loss of concentration. His sword jabs right by Zhang’s face, taking off his left ear. Zhang shouts, dropping his sword. He backs away hurriedly, reaching into his clothes to bring out a small pouch – you recognize it all too well. Getting hit with that here would be rather unwise. Before he can do anything with it, you use your Kuanglang Step to dart in behind him.

Then, you draw your sword.

All it takes is one quick slash.

Your wodao slices through his wrist smoothly, parting bone and flesh with ease. A brief spurt of blood stains your blade as his disembodied hand – still grabbing the pouch tightly – drops to the ground. Zhang Manxing can do nothing but cry out in agonized disbelief, but that too is cut short in the next second; without hesitation, Bai Jiutian drives his sword into Zhang’s chest.

It does not penetrate far; you do not think Zhang would not be wearing a protective vest, but as Bai pulls his sword away, the rapidly spreading dark stain on the front of Zhang’s clothes is clear for you to see.

Zhang Manxing collapses with his arms folded up under him, his eyes closed.

Bai Jiutian takes a deep breath, staring at his fallen fellow disciple. Blinking twice, he turns his eyes towards you.

“Now, shall we continue where we left off?”

“Persistent, aren’t you, even after killing your shidi? Shouldn't you have other things to worry about?”

“It was barely even a workout thanks to your distraction. Besides, if I let you go here, there is no telling when I will get this chance again.” He raises his blood-stained sword, pointing it at you. “Are you more willing to talk now?”

“Are you going to try and make me talk?”

“I cannot afford not to. My shimu already suspects a thing or two about you… even if you do not talk now, you are merely postponing the inevitable.”

“The inevitable? What would that be?”

A vicious little sneer appears on his lips and he leaps at you without further warning.

He is fast, definitely faster than you are; in his little scuffle with Zhang Manxing he was not moving anywhere as fast as he is now. His footwork is swift and predatory, constantly circling towards your flanks. His sword is moving at such a way that it weaves silver arcs through the air, creating the impression of multiple blades in motion. The speed of his steel, however, is deceptive to the eye: you find that out first hand when you block the first slash with your scabbard and suffer shallow cuts to your shoulder and knee not a second later.

You lash out with your fist, but with a twirl he steps away from it, calling out to you, “You are not yet using everything you have, are you?”

Bai Jiutian raises his sword and comes at you again; you realize that if you want to survive his next onslaught you would have to focus. You concentrate, drawing apart yin and yang. Bai’s sword streaks through the air, almost invisible, the slashes coming in wild and fast in a sword dance that is at once dazzling and primal. The qi behind his attacks is forceful enough that the pressure from his attacks slice into the ground around you, tearing up soil and cutting down bushes.

Yet, you meet his attack head on.

Leaping forward in the form of the Vermillion Phoenix, you attempt to interrupt his attack. Bai adapts, however, expertly deflecting your powerful slashes and countering with swift jabs of his sword.

You duck under one thrust and stop another with your scabbard. The point of his blade digs into the wood, catching there for a second. Taking the opportunity, you subtly execute the Graceful Dragon Uncoils, almost catching him unawares with a deceptive palm strike. As Bai Jiutian bends backwards to evade your attack, you jump, sending a kick at his head. He brings his arm up to block, and you take advantage of it to push off of him, sending yourself further up into the air. He glares at you, making no move in pursuit.

You land a safer distance away from him and sheathe your wodao. Giving him a casual smirk, you ask, “Do you think I need to use everything I have?”

“I will make you use everything you have. You are not leaving this mountain otherwise, Xu Jing,” comes the reply.

“Man Tiger Pig comes and goes like the wind, Tian’er. I’m not that easy to catch,” you laugh, causing the refined Huashan swordsman to scowl.

Still, you don’t feel as confident as you sound. His speed is such that escaping might not be an easier proposition than staying and fighting him. Continuing the fight, too, poses its problems. If it was just a battle of neigong, you might be superior, but you can tell that his swordsmanship is practically flawless; you would have to draw him into a dirty, close-up brawl before you have a chance of hurting him. Not impossible… but very risky. There is no telling what other techniques he has up his sleeve either – he might still be holding back to see what you can do.

On the other hand, you could just show him what he wants to see.

***

A. You continue to engage Bai Jiutian in battle until either of you is defeated. It does not need to be a duel to the death - though there's no telling what will happen when two people of your respective skills collide in an uncontrolled fight. This will be a very rare opportunity to test your skills against a pugilist of his caliber.
  1. You use Wuxiang Qiankun; it is a good chance to practice the mimicking of someone with greater skill in battle. This could also be a deciding factor in achieving victory.
  2. You don’t use Wuxiang Qiankun. This will make your battle considerably harder, but you do not want to risk exposing the skill’s existence to him.

B. You call for a halt to the hostilities. If Bai Jiutian wants to know what you found in Tufan, you’ll tell him. Still, perhaps you don’t need to tell him the whole truth… though he appears to be suspicious enough at the moment that you cannot simply make up whatever lies you want. You’ll have to confess a shocking truth.
  1. You tell him that you have the Wuxiang Qiankun Skill, but say nothing about where you found it and what happened at the Fire Temple.
  2. You confide in him that you are the new Lord of the Fire Temple, and make no mention of the Wuxiang Qiankun Skill.

C. You run off. You don’t see any purpose in continuing to fight him, and you are rather confident that you should be able to lose him in the forest. Of course, if he catches up to you with your back turned you might be at a disadvantage, but you’ll deal with that if it happens.

D. You ask for a halt to the fighting so that you can ensure Zhang Manxing is buried. He might not trust you enough to graciously stop the fight to let you do so safely, but you are going to try and waltz over to his body anyway to confirm that he is dead.

***

Final tally:

Kz3r0 - A1
asxetos - A2>B2
Baltika9 - D
ERYFKRAD - D>B1
Nevill - D
Azira - A1
Smashing Axe - A1
Ganymede - D
Kipeci - A1>D
Kashmir Slippers - A1
Jester - D
Absinthe - A2
Rex Feral - A2>D>A1
Elfberserker - A2
Akkudakku - A1>B2>D
Grimgravy - D>B2
Sunnmøring - B1>A1
Lambchop19 - D>A1>B1
Tribute - Ax
Fangshi - D
XenomorphII - A2
profreshinal - A2>D
The Brazilian Slaughter - A1
archaen - A2>A1
Zero Credibility - D
Esquilax - B2

***

A1 - 7
A2 - 7
Ax - 1
B1 - 1
B2 - 1
C - 0
D - 9


Post-flop:

A1 - 10
A2 - 4
B1 - 0
B2 - 1
C - 0
D - 11
 
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Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Aww, we missed a chance to add Tian'er to our harem. If only he was his with that pouch... :(

treave, what exactly are we trying to achieve with D? It says we want to ensure that manxing is buried, but we just want to know if he is gone for good, is it? With him alive, I don't see our confessions/revelations turning out well.
 

treave

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Codex 2012
You're going to try and kill him more thoroughly, risks of being distracted in a fight and all. Bai seems intent on burying Zhang later and attacking you now because he doesn't trust you not to run.
 

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Ah, there is no kill like overkill, especially with the likes of zhang.

Do we see the pouch he dropped when his arm was cut off, or is he lying on it?
 

treave

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Codex 2012
The pouch is still held in the hand you cut off, which is besides his body.

To be honest, I'm only offering the choice to preempt the paranoid 'let's check if the fucker's really dead' requests which would have appeared. :lol:
 

asxetos

Augur
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Feb 11, 2009
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A2 > B2.
I dont think this is a battle to the death, since BJ isnt going to get the answer he wants and has nothing to gain by killing us if he suspects we have a legendary technique.
If you guys dont want to fight, then i suggest B2. He will definitely tell his master and we might get into trouble at the summit but at that point we will be ready to reveal Wuxiang Qiankun too.
 

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
The appearance of the choice is what made me paranoid in the first place. I thought he was dead just before I read up to that point. :lol:
 

Baltika9

Arcane
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Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
That didn't work out as planned. D.
 

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