treave
Arcane
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
Scattered Wine
You feel everyone’s eyes turn to you when you come out from your hiding place. Cao’er follows behind you quietly as you walk towards the Sword Saint. He nods approvingly, raising his cup. “Are you here for a drink too?”
“Just one,” you say, sitting on the ground without waiting to be asked. Turning to Bai Jiutian, you ask, “What have you got on the menu?” He just scowls, looking as if someone put a fresh, steaming pile of dung before him, but quietly pours you a cup of wine from the gourd anyway. Before he can hand it to you, Cao’er deftly picks the cup from his hand instead. “I’ll do the serving for Jing,” she says flatly, handing the cup to you. Bai Jiutian shrugs, saying, “Suit yourself.”
You look at him, and then at his master, Nie Wuxing. Smiling at the man, you raise your cup politely and bow to him. The Huashan leader glares suspiciously at you before turning back to the adherents of the Fire Temple. He seems to be struggling with a decision. Then, surprisingly, he hurls his shining, golden sword down. It sticks into the ground, standing straight up. “We will wait, then, evil cult! Face us when you are ready, you cowards!” he shouts. Turning his back to the Fire Cult, Nie Wuxing walks back towards the Sword Saint and takes a seat, his face heavy with worry. You had expected to do some work to get him to back down, but it looks like the head of the Huashan Sect has caved in rather easily.
“I suppose you are right, Chuji,” he grumbles. “Once their master reappeared there was no escape. If I order an attack now I lose either way.”
“Furthermore, even if the others are in the dark, you know full well that she is the niece of the Western Snake, don’t you?” grins the Sword Saint. “I doubt you want to be held responsible. Madam Nie will not be pleased if Chi Qilin dies here.”
“What I don’t get is why that girl appeared here in the first place, causing me no end of trouble!” complains Nie Wuxing. The Sword Saint only glances at you. You shrug off Nie Wuxing’s accusing stare. “Yes, she was with me,” you admit.
“And who might you be, young one?” he asks, his patience strained.
“Master, this is Xu Jing, the apprentice of the Southern Maniac,” explains Bai Jiutian quietly.
“That is right. Xu Jing, at your service. It is an honour to be in your presence.” You bow your head. “Thank you for the introduction, my good friend Jiutian.”
His reply is acid, as the young Huashan disciple takes a drink of his own. “Oh, think nothing of it, dear Man Tiger Pig. Everyone deserves to know your name.”
“Ah, just my luck. Just my luck indeed. I have a debt of dishonour to settle with you,” grimaces Nie Wuxing, “but that will have to wait to see if any of us make it out from here alive in the first place.”
You try to ask him what he means by that, but another voice drowns out your question.
“What is going on here, Brother Nie?” Looking up, you see Song Lingshu and two other men coming towards you from the orthodox side. They seem to be the heads of Taishan and Kunlun. “Su Cheng of Taishan, Liu Ye of Kunlun, Miss Song of Qingcheng, come. Come, sit and drink,” calls out the Sword Saint. Perplexed, they sit down, joining the strange little impromptu banquet. Song Lingshu greets you and Bai Jiutian with a heavy smile. “What is going on? I thought we were trying to negotiate a retreat?” asks the Taishan Sect’s head, Su Cheng.
“The evil cult’s master will not let us go without a fight, friend,” says Nie Wuxing wearily. “He continues to hold the girl hostage in order to pin us here.”
“Then I am afraid fighting is what we will have to do,” sighs Su Cheng. “It will be a great loss of face for us if we act and wilfully cause the girl to die as a result of our battle against the Cult.”
“That would not be just,” insists Song Lingshu, stealing glances at you and Bai Jiutian as she says it. “Qingcheng will not let our reputation be besmirched by putting the life of a single innocent above our own.”
“Indeed,” says Liu Ye. “We, and our disciples, will be shamed by the world. Besides, we still have a chance of victory. The Temple Lord, powerful as he may be, must have been severely weakened by the efforts of the Grand Taoist Zhengchong and the other sect heads. This small risk to our lives is a small price to pay for saving an innocent girl.” The Kunlun leader grins vacantly, though you can tell that he is nervous.
“Yes, you are right, Brother Liu. We can do this,” mutters Nie Wuxing, looking down. He doesn’t seem to have told them of Qilin’s identity. Still, if it means that they are not going to make any rash moves while Qilin is a hostage, you are not going to complain. They fall quiet, each person looking down. Looking over at the Fire Cult’s camp, you see that they are not making any moves either.
After a while, you break the silence. “I am curious, masters, what is going on here?”
“Who are you, boy?” asks Su Cheng. Song Lingshu looks away uncomfortably.
“This is Zhang Jue’s apprentice,” replies Nie Wuxing. The two masters of Taishan and Kunlun leap up as one, their eyes wide with surprise. Shangguan Chuji laughs. “Calm down, the two of you,” he says. “He is not as like to his master, that he would try to tear your heads off to see how tough your necks are... I think.” Again, you bow your head in respect to Su Cheng and Liu Ye. “Please receive my humble greetings, masters.”
“Right,” coughs Liu Ye as the two of them return to their places. “We certainly have more important things to deal with right now. As things stand, the Fire Cult are making us wait here until their lord is recovered enough to do battle. We fought them bravely at Heihu Cliff, but did not manage to finish him off.”
“Those foul cultists are holding a hostage in order to get us to do what they want,” says Su Cheng, “but as you can see, we are ready for them. We of the Eight Sects will not shy away from a fight.”
“Chuji,” asks Nie Wuxing, “you will be on our side for this, won’t you? Now that we have lost the elder heads of the Eight Sects, your aid will be sorely needed.”
The Sword Saint gives Nie Wuxing an inscrutable stare. After what seems like a long pause, the Sword Saint finally nods. “It is a pain, but I suppose so.”
“Good,” smiles the Huashan leader. “With you on our side, I think we might have a chance against that monster.”
“Not really, no. You are all going to die here.” A deep, baritone voice rings out. Su Cheng drops his cup of wine; the porcelain shatters against the ground, spilling the wine into the soil. Opposite you, a tall, powerfully-built man in his thirties, dressed in ornate, priestly robes, is seated casually. His hair is closely cropped and there is a shining circlet around his forehead. A short beard decorates his strong jaw, and he is smiling calmly.
When had he appeared?
“Ah, the Lord of the Fire Temple, I take it?” asks the Sword Saint, unruffled by the man’s sudden arrival.
“Yes. I am the earthly one blessed with carrying the name of Ahura as God’s representative.” He raises his hand, causing the other masters to draw back. “Wine would be good.”
“Yes, wine would be good,” agrees the Sword Saint lazily as he looks over at Bai.
Bai Jiutian pours him a cup, extremely reluctantly. As he moves to hand the cup over, Ahura grabs his hand and grins, staring at him. Song Lingshu winces, resisting the urge to jump up and help him. “W-what is it?” frowns Bai Jiutian, trying to keep his composure. After a while, Ahura says, “Hm. Nothing. Thank you for the wine,” before taking the cup and drinking from it.
“Are all of you ready to fight, pugilists of the Central Plains?” asks the Temple Lord, smiling as he looks each man in the eye with his fiery, magnetic gaze. “Now that Wang Zhengchong is not here, all that is left to do is for you to accept your defeat. If you surrender now I will spare your disciples.”
“Keep on speaking, heathen,” replies Nie Wuxing, his bravado having returned though whether it is a false front or not, you do not know. “This place will be your tomb.”
“Hold on for just a second, mighty Lord Ahura,” you raise your hand with a show of meekness, interrupting the conversation before the inevitable violence breaks out. “Since the hostage is of no more use, will she be let go?” He looks at you, an amused expression on his face. “No. She can still be of use in my dealings with her family. Besides, she is a rather fetching girl. I would make her one of my concubines.” Nie Wuxing’s brow furrows with added worry at Ahura’s words, though the other masters do not seem to notice.
“But do not worry,” continues the Temple Lord, “she will not be harmed now. You have my word on that. Now you, on the other hand…” He stands up, towering over every other person present. “My concubines have told me of you, Xu Jing. The Holy Maiden will never be free of impurity as long as you exist in her mind. I cannot have that. It is nothing personal, Xu Jing. I have the utmost respect for your skills, but you are not a necessary existence in the new world that the Temple will bring about.”
You stand up, facing him. The other masters stare at the both of you wordlessly, while the Sword Saint just sighs as he downs the last of the wine in his cup.
“Oh? You want that Yunzi to be pure in both mind and body, I guess?” you laugh, your reverent tone fading with every word. “I’m afraid that is not possible. She is so twisted I don’t even know how to begin to explain it.”
“I have my ways of fixing that,” says Ahura smoothly. “The first step is to remove you from this world.”
The Lord of the Fire Temple claps his hands together. The ground trembles and the wind blows. A glowing halo of light appears at his back, a manifestation of his powerful qi. The other masters scramble to their feet, Nie Wuxing diving for his sword while Su Cheng and Liu Ye draw their weapons. Before you can drop into a fighting stance, Ahura appears right in front of you, traversing the intervening distance with a single step. He looks down at you with a sneer, weighing you down with the pressure of his full attention.
Cao’er squeaks in a panic. You feel your limbs becoming heavy: his strong qi is of an oppressive nature, and you struggle to shake it off.
His fists blur.
A dull metal clang resounds around the valley.
Shangguan Chuji is standing by your side. His sword is unsheathed, the black blade positioned over your chest. The Temple Lord’s fist is pressed against its surface, the dark metal glowing hot where his skin touches the blade. If the Sword Saint had not been here…
Swinging his arm, the Sword Saint bats Ahura away. Ahura lands lightly, his face calm and his arms spread out. The heads of Huashan, Taishan and Kunlun surround him, as do Bai Jiutian, Song Lingshu and Murong Yandi, standing further back. “Very well, I will take care of you first,” he says, pointing at the masters. Vahista crawls to his feet, having regained consciousness and ended his stint as the Sword Saint’s stool. “My lord,” he says apologetically. “Retreat,” says Ahura. “I will destroy these unbelievers here.” He bows deeply and limps off.
The rest of the fighters on both sides appear to have fallen back, content to watch the battle between their leaders play out for now.
***
A. You enter the fight on the side of the Eight Sects. They could always do with another hand, and you think it would be best if the Temple Lord is defeated here. Your tricks and attacks should be able to contribute to victory. Once the Fire Temple is demoralized by the loss of their leader, it will be easier for you to grab Qilin back.
***
B. It seems that Ahura does not have any personal grudge against you despite his attack. Perhaps you can convince him it is all a misunderstanding about Yunzi and become his ally… or ‘ally’, if that is what you are planning. You join the fight on his side.
1. You jump in and fight besides him in the thick of things, helping the outnumbered Temple Lord against the Sword Saint and the three masters. Once they fall the battle will be decided.
2. You surprise the younger fighters by attacking them from behind, preventing them from joining the fight on their elders’ side.
***
C. You take advantage of the fight to go after Qilin. Hopefully Ahura’s words that she would not be harmed are the truth, or are still in effect even if someone tries to free her. You will use your sneaking skills to make as close an approach as you possibly can.
1. You go alone. You should be able to manage it without any outside help, now that there is a distraction going on in the middle of the field.
2. You ask Murong Yandi, Bai Jiutian and Song Lingshu for assistance, drawing them away from the fight. Asking only one or two of them would probably not yield any results, but having all three of them aiding you could make a difference.
You feel everyone’s eyes turn to you when you come out from your hiding place. Cao’er follows behind you quietly as you walk towards the Sword Saint. He nods approvingly, raising his cup. “Are you here for a drink too?”
“Just one,” you say, sitting on the ground without waiting to be asked. Turning to Bai Jiutian, you ask, “What have you got on the menu?” He just scowls, looking as if someone put a fresh, steaming pile of dung before him, but quietly pours you a cup of wine from the gourd anyway. Before he can hand it to you, Cao’er deftly picks the cup from his hand instead. “I’ll do the serving for Jing,” she says flatly, handing the cup to you. Bai Jiutian shrugs, saying, “Suit yourself.”
You look at him, and then at his master, Nie Wuxing. Smiling at the man, you raise your cup politely and bow to him. The Huashan leader glares suspiciously at you before turning back to the adherents of the Fire Temple. He seems to be struggling with a decision. Then, surprisingly, he hurls his shining, golden sword down. It sticks into the ground, standing straight up. “We will wait, then, evil cult! Face us when you are ready, you cowards!” he shouts. Turning his back to the Fire Cult, Nie Wuxing walks back towards the Sword Saint and takes a seat, his face heavy with worry. You had expected to do some work to get him to back down, but it looks like the head of the Huashan Sect has caved in rather easily.
“I suppose you are right, Chuji,” he grumbles. “Once their master reappeared there was no escape. If I order an attack now I lose either way.”
“Furthermore, even if the others are in the dark, you know full well that she is the niece of the Western Snake, don’t you?” grins the Sword Saint. “I doubt you want to be held responsible. Madam Nie will not be pleased if Chi Qilin dies here.”
“What I don’t get is why that girl appeared here in the first place, causing me no end of trouble!” complains Nie Wuxing. The Sword Saint only glances at you. You shrug off Nie Wuxing’s accusing stare. “Yes, she was with me,” you admit.
“And who might you be, young one?” he asks, his patience strained.
“Master, this is Xu Jing, the apprentice of the Southern Maniac,” explains Bai Jiutian quietly.
“That is right. Xu Jing, at your service. It is an honour to be in your presence.” You bow your head. “Thank you for the introduction, my good friend Jiutian.”
His reply is acid, as the young Huashan disciple takes a drink of his own. “Oh, think nothing of it, dear Man Tiger Pig. Everyone deserves to know your name.”
“Ah, just my luck. Just my luck indeed. I have a debt of dishonour to settle with you,” grimaces Nie Wuxing, “but that will have to wait to see if any of us make it out from here alive in the first place.”
You try to ask him what he means by that, but another voice drowns out your question.
“What is going on here, Brother Nie?” Looking up, you see Song Lingshu and two other men coming towards you from the orthodox side. They seem to be the heads of Taishan and Kunlun. “Su Cheng of Taishan, Liu Ye of Kunlun, Miss Song of Qingcheng, come. Come, sit and drink,” calls out the Sword Saint. Perplexed, they sit down, joining the strange little impromptu banquet. Song Lingshu greets you and Bai Jiutian with a heavy smile. “What is going on? I thought we were trying to negotiate a retreat?” asks the Taishan Sect’s head, Su Cheng.
“The evil cult’s master will not let us go without a fight, friend,” says Nie Wuxing wearily. “He continues to hold the girl hostage in order to pin us here.”
“Then I am afraid fighting is what we will have to do,” sighs Su Cheng. “It will be a great loss of face for us if we act and wilfully cause the girl to die as a result of our battle against the Cult.”
“That would not be just,” insists Song Lingshu, stealing glances at you and Bai Jiutian as she says it. “Qingcheng will not let our reputation be besmirched by putting the life of a single innocent above our own.”
“Indeed,” says Liu Ye. “We, and our disciples, will be shamed by the world. Besides, we still have a chance of victory. The Temple Lord, powerful as he may be, must have been severely weakened by the efforts of the Grand Taoist Zhengchong and the other sect heads. This small risk to our lives is a small price to pay for saving an innocent girl.” The Kunlun leader grins vacantly, though you can tell that he is nervous.
“Yes, you are right, Brother Liu. We can do this,” mutters Nie Wuxing, looking down. He doesn’t seem to have told them of Qilin’s identity. Still, if it means that they are not going to make any rash moves while Qilin is a hostage, you are not going to complain. They fall quiet, each person looking down. Looking over at the Fire Cult’s camp, you see that they are not making any moves either.
After a while, you break the silence. “I am curious, masters, what is going on here?”
“Who are you, boy?” asks Su Cheng. Song Lingshu looks away uncomfortably.
“This is Zhang Jue’s apprentice,” replies Nie Wuxing. The two masters of Taishan and Kunlun leap up as one, their eyes wide with surprise. Shangguan Chuji laughs. “Calm down, the two of you,” he says. “He is not as like to his master, that he would try to tear your heads off to see how tough your necks are... I think.” Again, you bow your head in respect to Su Cheng and Liu Ye. “Please receive my humble greetings, masters.”
“Right,” coughs Liu Ye as the two of them return to their places. “We certainly have more important things to deal with right now. As things stand, the Fire Cult are making us wait here until their lord is recovered enough to do battle. We fought them bravely at Heihu Cliff, but did not manage to finish him off.”
“Those foul cultists are holding a hostage in order to get us to do what they want,” says Su Cheng, “but as you can see, we are ready for them. We of the Eight Sects will not shy away from a fight.”
“Chuji,” asks Nie Wuxing, “you will be on our side for this, won’t you? Now that we have lost the elder heads of the Eight Sects, your aid will be sorely needed.”
The Sword Saint gives Nie Wuxing an inscrutable stare. After what seems like a long pause, the Sword Saint finally nods. “It is a pain, but I suppose so.”
“Good,” smiles the Huashan leader. “With you on our side, I think we might have a chance against that monster.”
“Not really, no. You are all going to die here.” A deep, baritone voice rings out. Su Cheng drops his cup of wine; the porcelain shatters against the ground, spilling the wine into the soil. Opposite you, a tall, powerfully-built man in his thirties, dressed in ornate, priestly robes, is seated casually. His hair is closely cropped and there is a shining circlet around his forehead. A short beard decorates his strong jaw, and he is smiling calmly.
When had he appeared?
“Ah, the Lord of the Fire Temple, I take it?” asks the Sword Saint, unruffled by the man’s sudden arrival.
“Yes. I am the earthly one blessed with carrying the name of Ahura as God’s representative.” He raises his hand, causing the other masters to draw back. “Wine would be good.”
“Yes, wine would be good,” agrees the Sword Saint lazily as he looks over at Bai.
Bai Jiutian pours him a cup, extremely reluctantly. As he moves to hand the cup over, Ahura grabs his hand and grins, staring at him. Song Lingshu winces, resisting the urge to jump up and help him. “W-what is it?” frowns Bai Jiutian, trying to keep his composure. After a while, Ahura says, “Hm. Nothing. Thank you for the wine,” before taking the cup and drinking from it.
“Are all of you ready to fight, pugilists of the Central Plains?” asks the Temple Lord, smiling as he looks each man in the eye with his fiery, magnetic gaze. “Now that Wang Zhengchong is not here, all that is left to do is for you to accept your defeat. If you surrender now I will spare your disciples.”
“Keep on speaking, heathen,” replies Nie Wuxing, his bravado having returned though whether it is a false front or not, you do not know. “This place will be your tomb.”
“Hold on for just a second, mighty Lord Ahura,” you raise your hand with a show of meekness, interrupting the conversation before the inevitable violence breaks out. “Since the hostage is of no more use, will she be let go?” He looks at you, an amused expression on his face. “No. She can still be of use in my dealings with her family. Besides, she is a rather fetching girl. I would make her one of my concubines.” Nie Wuxing’s brow furrows with added worry at Ahura’s words, though the other masters do not seem to notice.
“But do not worry,” continues the Temple Lord, “she will not be harmed now. You have my word on that. Now you, on the other hand…” He stands up, towering over every other person present. “My concubines have told me of you, Xu Jing. The Holy Maiden will never be free of impurity as long as you exist in her mind. I cannot have that. It is nothing personal, Xu Jing. I have the utmost respect for your skills, but you are not a necessary existence in the new world that the Temple will bring about.”
You stand up, facing him. The other masters stare at the both of you wordlessly, while the Sword Saint just sighs as he downs the last of the wine in his cup.
“Oh? You want that Yunzi to be pure in both mind and body, I guess?” you laugh, your reverent tone fading with every word. “I’m afraid that is not possible. She is so twisted I don’t even know how to begin to explain it.”
“I have my ways of fixing that,” says Ahura smoothly. “The first step is to remove you from this world.”
The Lord of the Fire Temple claps his hands together. The ground trembles and the wind blows. A glowing halo of light appears at his back, a manifestation of his powerful qi. The other masters scramble to their feet, Nie Wuxing diving for his sword while Su Cheng and Liu Ye draw their weapons. Before you can drop into a fighting stance, Ahura appears right in front of you, traversing the intervening distance with a single step. He looks down at you with a sneer, weighing you down with the pressure of his full attention.
Cao’er squeaks in a panic. You feel your limbs becoming heavy: his strong qi is of an oppressive nature, and you struggle to shake it off.
His fists blur.
A dull metal clang resounds around the valley.
Shangguan Chuji is standing by your side. His sword is unsheathed, the black blade positioned over your chest. The Temple Lord’s fist is pressed against its surface, the dark metal glowing hot where his skin touches the blade. If the Sword Saint had not been here…
Swinging his arm, the Sword Saint bats Ahura away. Ahura lands lightly, his face calm and his arms spread out. The heads of Huashan, Taishan and Kunlun surround him, as do Bai Jiutian, Song Lingshu and Murong Yandi, standing further back. “Very well, I will take care of you first,” he says, pointing at the masters. Vahista crawls to his feet, having regained consciousness and ended his stint as the Sword Saint’s stool. “My lord,” he says apologetically. “Retreat,” says Ahura. “I will destroy these unbelievers here.” He bows deeply and limps off.
The rest of the fighters on both sides appear to have fallen back, content to watch the battle between their leaders play out for now.
***
A. You enter the fight on the side of the Eight Sects. They could always do with another hand, and you think it would be best if the Temple Lord is defeated here. Your tricks and attacks should be able to contribute to victory. Once the Fire Temple is demoralized by the loss of their leader, it will be easier for you to grab Qilin back.
***
B. It seems that Ahura does not have any personal grudge against you despite his attack. Perhaps you can convince him it is all a misunderstanding about Yunzi and become his ally… or ‘ally’, if that is what you are planning. You join the fight on his side.
1. You jump in and fight besides him in the thick of things, helping the outnumbered Temple Lord against the Sword Saint and the three masters. Once they fall the battle will be decided.
2. You surprise the younger fighters by attacking them from behind, preventing them from joining the fight on their elders’ side.
***
C. You take advantage of the fight to go after Qilin. Hopefully Ahura’s words that she would not be harmed are the truth, or are still in effect even if someone tries to free her. You will use your sneaking skills to make as close an approach as you possibly can.
1. You go alone. You should be able to manage it without any outside help, now that there is a distraction going on in the middle of the field.
2. You ask Murong Yandi, Bai Jiutian and Song Lingshu for assistance, drawing them away from the fight. Asking only one or two of them would probably not yield any results, but having all three of them aiding you could make a difference.
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