Min quickly led Yuduo away from the seething zombie.
"Our life-challenged friend here is called Er Gui, a sentient jiangshi," Min tells him, speaking in a low voice, "and we'd prefer if you don't anger him just yet. We nearly got kicked out of yet another city getting him into the games. The longer he stays our ally, the better."
"I'm not particularly fond of him either, for the record." Ba shrugs, whispering in Yuduo's direction. "He gives me the creeps... then again, so does any other undead."
"Oh. I uhm...I didn't mean anything by it, I'm sorry." Deflated, he turns to Min and says quietly "He's even more emotionally sensitive than a living person is! Isn't that interesting? I wouldn't have thought that would be possible. I'll have to be more careful! So when you say sentient...What makes you say he's sentient? I mean what have you observed? He's sensitive and he can get angry...I wonder if that means he can suffer! interesting! I'm not creeped out by him I just want to know more! Fascinating."
"We still need a place to sleep..." Ba frowns a bit. "I think I see an inn over there," she points in the general direction of a building with a sign well-weathered by the elements. Of course, she can only hope that it's not reflective of the quality of the rooms themselves.
Min emerges from the hotel lobby, still a bit musty from his bath. Well-rested and a little bit on edge, he was ready for anything. Which would inevitably mean that something unexpected would come up.
The farther he got into this 'adventure', the less profitable it looked. Nearly dying is one thing. Gaining the ire of an god-duchess is another. A powerful immortal can make a few weeks of unending pain look like a walk in the park. Never mind that Gui and Yuduo might be an issue at some point in the very near future. All this for a single fancy spear.
...Still, can't back out now. Not with the Prince watching.
Man is a most complex simple creature: see what he weaves, and how base his reasons for doing so.
You see a few adventuring parties also getting ready. One of them - a six-winged, naked, sexless being made of ethereal red gems, with rows upon rows of living eyes covering its body - sees you. It approaches, and within your head a voice speaks;
Ba, having less than an ideal night's rest, stumbles a bit out of her room and takes a few moments to process what she's seeing in the lobby. Rubbing her eyes doesn't seem to make this strange creature go away, and Min appears to be conversing with it.
Yuodo stumps out of his room scratching Mei behind the ears stretching comically. "Gooooood morniiiing vietnam!" He walks past the creature without giving it a second glance and wanders off in search of breakfast.
Ba, sensing no danger, approaches the (hopefully) friendly creature, and nods understandingly at it. "I think it... they... want us to follow them and meet their mistress."
Man is a most complex simple creature: see what he weaves, and how base his reasons for doing so.
Un-Zabadel leads you to the center of the throng. The first thing you see is a great brass cannon of around six meters in length and ninety centimeters in caliber. Scenes from nativities, great stories, saints and monsters are carved onto its body, and decorated with fine wood. A small trail of smoke emerges from the bore.
The second thing you see is the person carrying it; it is lashed upon the back of a woman of average human height. Her eyes are two pebbles of amber, her hair copper wiring. She is dressed in a dark red buff coat that ends at her wrists and ankles, and is mounted with a metal breastplate. The woman is standing at a folding table, cleaning the parts of two very-large caliber pistols. She looks up, sees you all, and steps away from the table, cleaning her hands on a dirty rag.
Gui hopped toward the godling prince and said, "How is it that you know every god we have come to meet?" He hoped that his distaste for this endless parade of Gods before him came through.
"Tell me that you have a good relationship with this one."
Man is a most complex simple creature: see what he weaves, and how base his reasons for doing so.
"Royalty needs to know each other. Otherwise, you'd get knives at your back and invaders at your gate. But Yan Long, she's family. Battle Baroness of the Pao Clan. And that's the thing, isn't it? You wouldn't be here without a reason."
Min looks admiringly at the large brass cannon. Years of hunting down antiques have given him an eye for aesthetics. Engraving this good on a functional piece is always a rarity.
Man is a most complex simple creature: see what he weaves, and how base his reasons for doing so.
"I see you're admiring the gun." says Yan Long. "Hey, grandmother! Come out here and meet our guests!"
The stream of smoke emerging from the bore grows more intense, eventually leading to a blazing tangle of flames emerging from the cannon's mouth. The flames take the shape of a stooped-over old woman, who crosses her arms and leans on the mouth's edge, peering at those around her. She smokes a pipe made of the same brass as the gun.
Man is a most complex simple creature: see what he weaves, and how base his reasons for doing so.
"Gu Long does. The Lords of Wuji City were made wroth by your destruction of their Pearlsea-bound Gate. They made an uproar in Diyu's courts, demanding that you all be handed to them at once. But the Rambling is sacred and cannot be interrupted no matter what."
"And so it was that the emperor - Xue Long Huang - sent me to be placed in your way. Should I beat you at the Games, your prince's Rambling is over, and I will have leave to capture and retrieve your captain. If you were to win, then your father will wash himself clean of the matter and declare that we tried, that your Rambling goes on unimpeded."
Ba had never seen someone carrying a whole cannon on their back. Min seemed impressed by it - she was impressed also - and even more so when the old lady emerged from the flame. But still she is less than glad to hear that she and her newfound acquaintances are still wanted.
"We shall see to it that our party comes out on top, Lady Yan Long," Ba huffs a bit under her breath.
"Hmph. Gods and their tricks," Gui muttered under his breath. Then, louder, he said, "But even such tricks will not allow you to overcome us. Gu Long Wang is royalty for a reason."
Yuduo is listening, only half-interested, his eyes roving over everyone. He waits until one of the group is not involved in the conversation and asks quietly "What's all this about a Pearl-sea and a gate?"
After it is explained to him, he seems very relieved he was not involved and as though he's beginning to wonder what sort of people he's thrown his lot in with.
Man is a most complex simple creature: see what he weaves, and how base his reasons for doing so.
You make your way to the town square, into which is carved a very large compass, the night sky still overhead. Festivities are in full swing now, as you pass wineshops filled with drinkers, hotel guests cheering, bookies making bets, children running in the street. Around you dance troupes of dancers of every kind, from dragon-winders to lions, from daivika to tappers.
Your team takes your designated spot, south of the stage, and wait. Some of you sit, others lie down. The other three teams also assemble, in time. You wait for quite a while.
The skies brighten, and at the moment the sun is visible, trumpets blare and drums bash for a full minute before the whole town falls silent. You get to your feet.
Astra takes the stage, and steps to the podium. She begins to speak.
"Two hundred years ago, when Pearlsea was just a mortal gem farm and fishing port, a kind prince named Orion Ardell was approached by a ragtag group of adventurers. He saw potential and promise in these four, and resolved to help them. Outfitting the band with new weapons and armor, the grateful adventurers immediately set out into the wilds in search of gold."
"The days passed. Orion did not receive any word back from his charges. Days turned into weeks, then months, and then years. There were many times when Orion doubted himself. Had he made a terrible mistake? Had he unwittingly sent those fledgling adventurers to their untimely graves?"
"Eventually, that fear turned into a heavy, oppressive sadness. Orion was convinced that he had killed them through inaction, through not helping enough. Were their swords not sharp enough? Did their armor withstand the right blows? Did they have enough food to get through the wild country?"
"Thirty years after Orion sent out those adventurers with his blessing, something terrible happened: a specter of destruction cast a pall over Pearlsea. The great wyrm Vritra descended upon the people in a wave of death and water."
"Every soul in that city would have died that day, but the Wheel did not turn in that direction. Not very long after Vritra vomited his intestines for the feasting did they - the city’s people - hear a great thundering. A band of powerful gods known as the Heavenly Kings rode to Pearlsea’s rescue, waging battle against Vritra. Much of the city was felled during the clash, but eventually the four deities managed to kill the great beast."
"As Vritra breathed its last, the people people of Pearlsea rallied around their new heroes. But the Kings had no interest in rewards or praise - they pushed past the cityfolk and made their way to the noble district. It was there they encountered with Orion Ardell, now an old and frail man."
"The four adventurers knelt before Orion. In that moment, Orion instantly recognized them: they were none other than the same four young adventurers that he had sponsored all those years ago. They had won fame and power from the gods themselves."
"The young naga riflewoman was now a markswoman without peer. It was Virupaksa’s serpent-bullets that pinned Vritra to the earth, lashing down its thrashing form."
"The naive brahman was now a master dharmapala. It was Vaisravana’s mystic umbrella that deflected Vritra’s floods, gathering the waters and pouring into the mountain, where it eventually flowed back to the edge of the port and became Pearlsea’s river."
"The callow bard had become a master musician. Dhrtarastra retorted Vritra’s knowledge of the Syllables of Royalty word by word, strumming her lute with grace and majesty."
"The son of the town guard captain had grown into a veteran soldier and even commander of the gods themselves. At Virudhaka’s command, at the sight of his flashing sword, the citizens of Pearlsea fought back against the dragon."
"With tears streaming from his eyes, Orion Ardell moved to embrace the powerful adventurers. At long last, he knew that he had not made the wrong choice, that his hopes were not in vain, that he made a difference. And so Orion Ardell forgave himself."
"The Four Heavenly Kings spent the next two days at Ardell’s manor, celebrating their victory over Vritra and sharing stories about their adventurers. All the while, the four adventurers stubbornly refused all gifts and rewards, insisting that they were repaying an old, long-overdue debt. They argued that the true hero was Orion Ardell. Without his generosity, they would never have been able to pursue their life of adventure."
"Three days later, the Four Heavenly Kings left the city in search of more peril to test themselves against. Orion died of old age several months after their departure, with a smile on his face. In honor of Ardell, the city erected a statue of this local hero in the town square. The following year, on the anniversary of Vritra’s defeat, the people of Pearlsea resolved to honor Ardell’s memory."
"The then-mayor hosted a formal ceremony wherein upstart adventurers were given small gifts: new weapons, healing potions, and the like. It was a noble gesture, but none of you had no interest in pomp and circumstance, and for that I am grateful. You held a festival in the tenements, filling the streets with triumphant music and warm food. This was the beginning of the Galactic Games. And it only grew larger and larger."
"Today, we are hear to commemorate the two-hundreth Day of the Death of the Water-Drinker, or the Galactic Games. Let us begin with a dedication, and introductions."
Astra bids the north-facing group to approach her. They come, cup in hand, which is filled with white liquor. They kneel, bow three times, and then drain their cups. She bids one of them to rise.
"I give you Akina Darkfeather!" she shouts, bidding a young and lithe Wu thief to rise. She is clad in a feather-cloak.
"Li Erdong!" A twenty-year-old mortal man, a sorcerer by the looks of it, dressed in round glasses, a cloth coat, and rubber wading boots. On his shoulder is a frog.
"Osjavi Clevaury!" A naga soldier who wears scale armor, with a very long snake-tail for a body and very muscular arms. He has an authoritative air about him.
"Amela Fogwatcher!" A young goddess of archery, carrying a tall oaken bow. Naked, but with no noticeable genitalia aside from flowers in her hair. She doesn't stop smiling.
"Tesbir Luying!" A storm-warden with a rod and shield, wearing a coat adorned with lightning bolts. He has a distant, far-off look in his eyes.
"People of Pearlsea, I give you your Vaisravana Blacks!" The crowd gives a good cheer.
Astra bids another group to come forward. They repeat the ritual.
"I give you Vigil Helltide!" A haughty god. Tall, lean, handsome, swept-back white hair and wearing a blue longcoat. He carries no weapons, but bears the air of a seasoned swordsman.
"Zai En!" What seems to be a Dao priestess clad in black-and-white robes. She says nothing.
"Tian Shi!" A wild-eyed half-dragon sorceress, clad in a dragonscale cloak. She raises her arms, playing to the crowd, and laughs. At her side is a cruelly-barbed dagger.
"Un!" A paladin bearing a longsword and shield, wearing a powered exoskeleton of ivory metal. The shield has a symbol of a deity that you don't recognize.
"Gandharva!" - A god of music, with a sculpted physique, around his waist wrapped a rectangular piece of cloth, and around the shoulders another. He cradles his veena-lute like a lover.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your Dhrtarastra Whites!" The crowd gives another cheer.
Astra gestures for the next few to approach. After they bow and drink, Astra puts on her glasses and picks a piece of paper from her sleeve.
"Good people of this city, introducing Gunsmoke, Alchemy Orange!" A mortal wearing a broad-brimmed hat, leather vest and chaps, white shirt, and empty gunbelts. You notice that there is metal implanted into his hands. Strung along the length of the gunbelts - instead of cartridges - are test-tubes and bags of powder.
"Japa Mala, Monk Orange!" A giant of a man, dressed in yellow sleeveless ropes, sporting a very thick red beard. Burned into his shaved forehead is a diamond square of four-by-four dots. Along his neck is a rope of pure light, with oversized prayer beads strung along.
"Un-Zebadel of the 777 Choirs - Seraph Ruby!" You met it earlier.
"Tonkabelle, Pixie Pink!" A minor goddess, dressed in skin-tight indigo memory fabric. She too plays to the crowd, twirling and gesturing. With a wink, she shrinks and grows iridescent insect wings, and dazzles the audience with a quick aerial demonstration.
"And Yan Long Pao, Dragon Scarlet!" You have met her before, and even now she bears the cannon-shrine upon her bck. Yan Long gives a little bow.
"For all of us, I give to you the Virupaksa Reds!" The town thunders in approval, cheering and clapping.
Ba steps forward, takes a deep breath, and with strange confidence raises an armored fist into the air, chest up and chin high. It isn't so much a gesture toward the crowd as it is a reaffirmation of her own conviction. She shouldn't - mustn't fail. Especially not today.
Gui hops in line with Ba. He makes no grand gestures. He strikes no pose to try to get the crowd's applause. He feels no need to show off his confidence. Instead, he merely smiles a dreadful rictus grin.
As Min's name is called, he pulls out his dragon pistol, emptying out the chamber. As he steps forward, he begins twirling the weapon back and forth from hand to hand. When he reaches the line, he tosses the pistol in the air and freezes in position as the gun spins through the air. Then, he bows, the gun catching on his horns. The crowd cheers as he plucks the gun from his head and waves to the crowd.
Yuduo steps forward and has Mei run ahead; he summons low walls of energy and has Mei leap over them, performing all sorts of silly tricks. The old man is laughing and waving as he moves to catch up with the rest of the group.
Man is a most complex simple creature: see what he weaves, and how base his reasons for doing so.
Gu Long takes his turn. He smiles at the crowd, and performs a few small gestures. They like him okay.
"Gu Long Wang, the Bone Dragon King!" Astra shouts.
"For the Two-Hundreth Galactic Games, I give you the Virudhaka Blues!"
The crowd cheers for a good few minutes as the contestants bow for them.
As the people return to their festivities, Astra visits each of the team, passing out pamphlets and a few final questions. From east to west, from north to south.
The pamphlet contains a great deal of information, but most relevant as of right now is the following:
A map of the city.
The rules of the Games:
Participants in the Galactic Games must abide the following rules. Violators are subject to disqualification.
Participants cannot have previous adventure experiences. Upstart adventurers only!
Each trial has its own set of special rules, which participants must follow. Participants who violate the rules of an individual trial will be disqualified from that trial, but not from the Galactic Games on the whole.
During the first two days of the Games, teams may participate in any trial they wish, whenever they would like. The third day is devoted to the Trial of Speed, and the fourth devoted to the closing ceremony and the awarding of prizes.
Teams collect points when they win a trial. The teams with the most points at the end of the Games will be awarded a place in the champions’ circle. Adventuring groups can participate in as many or as few games as they like, using as many or as few members as they like.
The Games runs on the second and third days of the festival, from dawn to dusk.
A list of the trials.
Trial of the Titanslayer. Retrieve a token hanging from a hook at the top of a 30-foot-tall, 2 feet wide wooden pole.
Trial of the Ultrasphinx. Answer a bunch of riddles.
Trial of the Lost Ship. Retrieve tokens from the bottom of a deep lake.
Trial of Cunning. Catch a specific alley cat.
Trial of Might. Move a boulder to get a token.
Trial of Justice. Investigate a mock crime.
Trial of Shadows. Sneak past guards to get a token.
Trial of Fury. Fight.
A list of the safety protocols, security measures, and other miscellaneous information.
Ba holds the map between two huge metal fingers, rotating it upside-down, right side up, and every other way. She tilts her head in a further effort to comprehend the map, but to no avail.
"Looks like it'll be easier on us if we can get through the trials as quickly as possible. I don't know about you guys, but Trial of Cunning's right up my alley."
Ba nods in acknowledgement. "That sounds good. I'll handle things requiring muscle - Trial of Might, and Trial of Fury. I... suppose Gui can take care of the Trial of The Lost Ship, since he, um, doesn't seem to need air." She almost mutters the last few words.
Man is a most complex simple creature: see what he weaves, and how base his reasons for doing so.
"The Trial of Fury is a team battle. All of us are needed for that. In fact, we all need to be present and accounted for before we start any trials. We cannot split up."
"Also, we will absolutely not be able to perform every trial. I have calculated that if we do, we need to run like the damned devil and do everything perfectly. So I think we should start with the trial that would take the most time first, and then try to squeeze in the ones that we can do quickly. To that end, I feel we should tackle the Trial of Justice first."
"What, you assume that we can't do everything perfectly? I'm starting to think you have no faith in us." said Min with exaggerated disappointment. "But yeah, your plan sounds good."
Comments
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
"Who- what are you talking to, Min?"
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
"We shall see to it that our party comes out on top, Lady Yan Long," Ba huffs a bit under her breath.
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
After it is explained to him, he seems very relieved he was not involved and as though he's beginning to wonder what sort of people he's thrown his lot in with.
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Retrieve a token hanging from a hook at the top of a 30-foot-tall, 2 feet wide wooden pole.
Answer a bunch of riddles.
Retrieve tokens from the bottom of a deep lake.
Catch a specific alley cat.
Move a boulder to get a token.
Investigate a mock crime.
Sneak past guards to get a token.
Fight.
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
"What about you, Gu?"
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead