Oh awesome I found this in the archive a day or two ago and I've been looking forward to getting in on the fun.

INVENTORY:
5 wooden shurikens, 1 dull wooden stake, 2 doses of Heaven Berries, 300 gp, a pendant of Ward Fear, 1 emerald gem, 1 fist-sized Shard

TECHNIQUES:
Cloak of Shadows – You can be concealed by darkness while moving. +1 to stealth rolls while moving.
Blinding Strike – When you make an attack, you can infuse your strike with shadows which will creep up into your target’s eyes, blinding them for a few minutes.
Elemental Riposte – You channel the shadows into a vicious counterattack. When you’re hit, you can call forth a mass of shadows into a focused point in your palm, allowing you to discharge it when you counter.
Shadow Feint – When you strike, you can choose to have an illusory weapon also strike at the same time. This hurts just as badly as your normal attack if it lands.
(Your practice with shadow projectiles has allowed you to make mildly larger projectiles. Not as large as the lance, but a little more than the daggers and wires you’ve used up until now.)

To catch you up to speed: Last time, you encountered the Tribe of the Dawnchaser, a nomadic people who travel the world in search of Shards. The man who told you all of this was being rather rude, so you decided to steal the Shard located at the top of a mountain. You climbed your way up, murdered a gargoyle, and knocked a Dawnchaser boy out to steal his Shard. When you were making your escape, you saw one of the tribesman glow a bright blue. Before you knew it, the tribe was hunting you down.

Exhausted, you found a small cave hidden in the hills and passed out in it. You woke up to a cave-in, and explored the cave. After walking for what seemed like miles, you found the entrance to a large cavern that contained a massive jungle. You fought something in an abandoned metal building, and rested there for the night(?).

You dream of an age long past…

A serious looking teenage boy with long black hair, eyes closed, about 13 or 14 years old, meditates in a gleaming forest clearing. The sun showers down bright, warm rays. The steady flow of a river gently occupies the boy’s ears. As serious as the boy is, a look of serenity graces his face. Here, he is at home.

His peace is interrupted by a man happily entering the clearing. This man’s closely cropped red hair contrasts with his shockingly white beard. A pair of golden eyes survey the boy temporarily, before the man brings the tranquil silence to a halt, announcing, “G’morning, Shun. You ready for your morning instruction?” The boy’s black eyes open in response.

“Yes, Sifu.” Shun stands up and bows at his master, eager for the day’s training.

The master beams at his pupil. “Of course you are, you’re always ready for the next step.” Sifu Tong begins to walk in a circle around his student, saying, “Today, you’ll learn about the Shadow Feint technique. It’s pretty basic, but you’re new to your training. I don’t want to push you into something you’re not ready for.”

Shun frowns heavily, brows creasing, “But master, I’ve been training intensely! I can control the shadows now, I want to learn!” His eagerness causes Tong to gently shake his head at his student.

“Ah, you can make the shadows into shapes, yes, but do you really control them?” He comes to a stop in front of Shun, and stares directly into his pupil’s dark eyes before slowly continuing, “The shadows are a dangerous weapon, Shun. You can’t learn any of the more intensive techniques until I’m absolutely sure you can handle it.” A pause.
“I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Shun shifts his gaze towards the ground, dejected but compliant. Without looking up at his teacher, his father, he speaks, “I understand.”

“I knew you would.” Tong smiles gently at his protégée, turns around, and says, “Now, the Shadow Feint is an invaluable tool in combat. With it, you force your opponent to make a choice: either block one of your attacks and certainly get hit, or try and dodge and risk suffering two blows. It is an excellent method of manipulating your foe in battle, which can and will save your life. Now, in order to perform it, you…” Sifu trails off, before turning around and meeting his student’s expectant and sharp stare.
A light smile graces his face, “How about I show you?”

Shun gasps in surprise, exclaiming, “Really?!” This was new! In the year he had learned under him, Sifu had never actually demonstrated any of the techniques of the Fist of Shadow! Maybe he was making progress…

Sifu’s shadow creeps up into a space in front of him. “First, you prepare your shadows, and then you move to strike…” He releases a quick jab into the calm forest air. “But while you’re attacking, your shadow needs to attack at the same time.” He jabs again, but this time, a thin pillar of shadow also jets out to the imaginary target in front of him. “It’s a bit difficult to control shadows you aren’t touching, and it’s even more difficult to shape them. But when you’re good enough, you can turn it into nearly anything. Blades…” A keen sword shoots out of the darkness. “… maces…” This time, a blunt force strikes from above. “… even arrows.” Darts fly from the shadows.

Wow… Shun knows, deep down, that one day he’ll be just as good as Sifu. Even better, if he trains harder! From what Sifu told him, he was quite the slacker when he was young. “But that’s enough shadow mastery for the day. I’m still a bit groggy. You mind going out and grabbing lunch for both of us? It’s… solo hunting training!” Apparently, some things never change. The man chuckles as he sits under a shaded tree in the glade, watching his son run off to feed them both. If only life could always be this way…

The heat bearing down on you, you slowly awaken from your stupor. Blinking the moisture from your eyes, you look around. The cold, hating metal stands out from the warm, creeping plant matter around you. Blinking the sleep out of your eyes, you walk outside of the building. It made you feel uncomfortable for some reason. You didn’t notice it before, but everything about this structure was made for someone almost two feet shorter than you. You could ponder why, but you’ve got to stay focused. The heat in here is nearly unbearable, and you’ve been sweating since you woke up. The trees all around you stifle you, there’s maybe four feet between each tree, if that. Gazing upwards, you see that… *something* is on the ceiling of this cavern. It’s big, it’s dark, it’s hanging upside down… and it’s asleep. Some primal part of your brain tells you that, whatever you do, you can’t be in sight when that thing wakes up. You can’t. But you have no idea when that’ll be…

So what's the plan?

A little bump to get this off the first page.

I might've overdone it with the wall of text.

>>18740068
Well, we have to get out of this forest thing sooner rather than later, right?
So we should probably start trying to find a way out.
Unrelatedly, does it take some sort of energy to use our abilities, or do they just have a cooldown? If the second, is there some sort of limited duration?

>>18740209
All but your most basic abilities, such as forming weapons out of shadows and your Cloak of Shadows, have a cooldown. (I'll update the intro with this next thread).

Blinding Strike has a cooldown of 5 minutes. Shadow Riposte is 1 minute, Shadow Feint is 3.

I don't understand what you mean by limited duration.

>>18740233
Mainly relating to Cloak. Would it be possible to use it for forever?

>>18740240
Yes. There is an upgrade later that makes you completely invisible, but for a few seconds.

So anyway, what I'd say we do, is head toward one of the sides of the cave thing, then follow it around until we find an exit or get back to where we started.

You can’t stick around. You don’t know where you are, you don’t know the terrain, and you certainly don’t know what lives here. Nor do you really want to find out. It would be easiest to stick to a wall and follow it until you get out of here. You put your hand on the rocky surface. It’s glossy and wet. You walk along the wall for a time. Shrieks fill the air, you hear rustling all around you, the hairs stick up on the back of your neck, wet with fear. It’s unbearably hot, and you wipe the sweat from your eyes, hating it. You think you see something big moving on the edges of your vision. Is it stalking you? Hunting? You keep moving in a slow, desperate attempt to escape. An hour later, you hear a group talking. There’s someone else down here! Filled with relief, you trudge your way through the thick growth to meet them.

You’re surprised when you see a dozen little men, all as grey as the cavern you’re trapped in. They’re about 3 or 4 feet tall, and their mossy hair is long and shaggy. Wait… that’s because it is moss! The things speak among themselves, a deep and guttural language. You have no idea what they’re saying.

>>18740336
The rocks are alive?
Well, shit.
I vouch for watching them, following them if they go anywhere, but if nothing happens soon moving on and continuing to look for our own way out.

Also, are there more than two of us in here?

>>18740415
Probably not. I think it's just you and me for now, but more will come as time goes on. And MMM MMM rice nigga. That shit's good.

>>18740442
Well, I hope they're satisfied with my BAD DECISIONS

>>18740449
Bad decisions make a good quest, don't you agree?

>>18740467
Couldn't say, this is my first. It's been fun so far, though.

>>18740474
Well, we've got time to kill. I'll be here all day.
When did you join us on Shun's quest?

>>18740487
Sometime during the first, I'm the one that sucks at combat RP. Haven't really posted all that much until this thread, but the really dickish suggestions were probably mine.

These things seem to be… waiting. You blink the sweat out of your eyes, wondering what they’re waiting for. Your question is answered within a few minutes. Another one of the grey things comes from the jungle… dragging something leathery. Wait… that’s a human! The thing dumps it in the middle of the group, and begins to remove its armor. Midway through, he wakes up. Screaming.

Screaming. Screaming bloody murder, screaming for help, screaming for mercy. *Screaming.* It sends shivers down your spine. You've... you've never heard the sound of a man who knows he is about to die.

>>18740610
Well, I doubt there's much we can do to help him, there's a dozen of the bastards, one of them is strong enough to drag an armoured human, and we don't know if they have any sort of super special awesome power.
We'd probably get more from seeing what the locals, if you will, of the cavern do than from grouping with another outsider anyway.

That being the case, I would recommend continuing to wait and watch. Don't want to rush into things.

You can’t help him. For the first time in your life, you can’t help someone…

You squat, transfixed on the scene. The things surround the poor man. You can hardly see him anymore. His screams make your ears ring. The screams don’t stop when you see a spray of blood shoot out of him. They don’t stop when you see the things ripping him apart. Even as two of them walk away , gnawing on a piece of his leg, the screams don’t stop. Are they… are they drawing this out? They could end his life easily, but… they’re staying away from the parts of his body that would mercifully kill him quickly…

After a minute, the screams suddenly stop, as one of the things tears out his throat with its teeth. It chews and chews, mouth, body splattered with blood. The… monsters keep biting off chunks of the man, hungry for more. After they’ve sated their bloodlust, they scatter from the man, walking away into the darkness of the jungle. There’s nothing left but bones. Nothing.

>>18740727
Jesus.
That was... unexpected.
We gotta get out of this cave. Cloak up and back to the wall.
And try to change as little as possible, don't want to show them where we've been.

>>18740727
Also, >no name

>>18740783
Sorry, posting in other threads and I don't wanna be a faggot.

>>18740788
I can dig it. It was pretty clearly you anyway.

Oh… oh shit. Oh SHIT. You’ve got to escape. You’ve got to.

The shadows cover you as you flee back to the wall. It’s hot, swelteringly so, but you’re shaking. You can’t let those things find you. You creep along the wall, looking around frantically, making sure nothing’s sneaking up on you. The shrieks and rustling of the jungle make it hard to tell if someone… or something… is tracking you. After a while, you know something is. The bushes nearby rustle, and they have been for too long now. Whatever’s following you is here.

>>18740852
Oh boy, combat. Stealth seems to be a non-option, as it's managed to track us already.

As such, I'd try to locate where the thing is, and throw a shadow ball at it. If we can't do one big one, lots of small ones. If we can't locate it, lots of small ones all around the area it could be.

Fine, if this thing wants to get the drop on you, you just need to hit first…!

(Attack roll = 10.)
You grab shadows from beneath you, and unleash a barrage into the bush! There’s no way you could’ve missed it! But… you don’t hear anything. No screams of pain, no grunts, nothing. All you hear is rustling. And then… one of the things stalks out of the bushes, staring at you. Grey eyes unblinking. It’s got no weapon, and you think it’s the only one around… You can take one. Just one. Right?

GodDAMMIT TRIP

>>18740988
Well at least we're not dead yet. If it's still a way off, try again with the range attacks. If not, prepare to dodge -> shadow feint.
Relevant to combat: do we still take the damage from the hit when we use our counter?

>>18741029
Mhm. You need to get hit to use it.

Alright, maybe you just missed it last time… You call up the shadows yet again as the thing starts to stiffly walk towards you. You fling a massive shadow orb…!

(Attack roll = 17!)
And it strikes the creature dead on! But… it doesn’t stop. It doesn’t even flinch. It just… walks. Steadily. Towards you. Unblinking. Emotionless. Those dead eyes make you shudder…

WHAT THE FUCK TRIP COME ON

>>18741084
Good God. Well, at least all my decisions haven't been bad.
Now is time to prepare dodge -> shadow feint.
If that fails, guess it's time for fleeing.

Your back to the wall, you get ready to dodge this thing, slowly walking towards you. Its mouth contorts into a leer, its spiky teeth menacing you. It walks closer and closer, ever closer, and when it comes within reach, it lurches to grab you…!

(Defense roll = 9+1 for being ready = 10!)
You easily slip under its grasp and turn, grabbing a handful of shadows from around you and forming it into a blade! You prepare the shadow blast from the side, and bring back your arm to sink into its hide…
(Attack roll = 16!)
(Attack roll = 17!)
Your blade dives deep into its shoulder, as a shadow spear pierces it from the side! You leap back, assessing the creature… a clear liquid seeps out of its wounds, but… it doesn’t look like it’s affected at all. It slowly turns back to you, teeth still bared. Its wounds… its wounds are sealing shut incredibly quickly! Plop. Plop. Its feet leave behind deep prints in the soggy dirt. Plop. Plop. It just won’t stop!

Also, this music just got related to this quest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n38zz9byASY&feature=related

>>18741212
Nice rhyming. That aside, we may be slightly fucked right now.
We did manage to hit it, though. Maybe try using a blunt force to smash a limb off.
Same approach as last time, but dodging in a different way so it can't expect it. Then blunt force feint, both attacks to the same point. Try to shatter.
I guess if this fails, my next idea would be the same but back to blades, focusing, again, on limb removal. In case that makes things easier for you.

Fine, if blades don’t work, then you’ll just have to beat this to a pulp...!

(Attack roll = 7!)
Shadows leaping to you, you transform your arm into a dark hammer, and smash it onto the beast’s arm, crippling it! You hear a loud crack, and the creature doubles over in pain… wait, no, it’s just getting ready to punch you!

(Defense roll = 17!)
This thing is way too slow for you to not dodge. You swing yourself around it, making a shortsword, and using your momentum to cut off a limb…!

(Attack roll = 15!)
You hack into its thick, grey elbow… and get stuck?! Your blade was sharp enough to cut through trees, how did this thing stop it halfway? Somehow, it brings the same arm up to slug you!

(Defense roll = 7.)
Before you can get over your surprise, you catch a fist to the face! Gah… it feels like you got hit with a boulder, what is this thing?! You stumble backwards, confused by what’s going on. You hear rustling from around you…

>>18741357
Shiiiit.
Sure hope we don't die right now.
A couple of questions: How functional are its arms now? Still near enough 100%?
If so, so long as we have any control left, run as fast as we can into the bushes, then cloak and keep moving, subtly.
Otherwise... I don't really know.

>>18741357
These rock people are getting really annoying. We might be a little out of our depth here. Perhaps we should get to high ground before we get swarmed.

>>18741406
It looks completely unharmed, despite the damage you've dealt out.

>>18741422
Hey, martial arts arts person! Sorry for, like, everything. NOW YOU ARE HERE EVERYTHING WILL BE BETTER

>>18741430
Well, shit. Time for running.

>>18741438
I have some bad news.
[nospoilersontg]Things aren't going to get better.

>>18741444
God
Dammit.

>>18741438
Give or take. I'll be a couple hours before I'm at full capacity. GUESS I'M NAMEFAGGIN THOUGH

>that feel when accidentally make the foundations of a circlejerk

>>18741444
Do we remember what those murals on the building wall looked like?

Oh shit. They’re all around you, you’ve got to get out of here before they rip you to shreds!

Throwing stealth to the wind, you sprint into what you think is an opening in the beasts. You run past a naked beast, too slow to stop you. You run into the jungle, deeper and deeper, as it turns darker and darker. Sharp branches slice into your flesh. Giant plants prickle your skin. Sweat pours into your eyes, and you can’t blink fast enough to get rid of them. Breathing heavily, you push yourself to get as far away as you can. Your legs scream at you to stop, but you remember the tortured cries of that man…

You think you’ve run far enough, and you stop to catch your breath, mind racing. Thoughts fill your head, but you’re too panicked to make sense of them. Without warning, a deep rumbling sound fills the air, and you look up...

The dark giant is waking up. Massive black wings, leathery wings unfurl. Sharp, spindly legs… more legs than anything should have begin to tap the ceiling. Eight massive eyes stare down at the jungle, hungry. Jaws, hidden between mandibles, open, to reveal a set of huge, razor sharp teeth. It rose from its sleep, and it’s ready to hunt.

>>18741549
Bearded men, both short and... stout. Oh.
Oh shit.

>>18741581
I'm getting the feeling we may be slightly fucked.

>>18741607
We horror quest now.

>>18741581
Aw, whaaaat the hell. How did we not notice this creature when we went to sleep last night?
Stay still, hide in shadows, look like another piece of foliage while this beast does...whatever it does. Think peace and calm. The last thing we can do is lose our head right now. What would sifu think if we panicked like this? We're better than this.
>>18741598
There was more to the mural than that, I know there was. Anything else that comes to mind.

>>18741638
We saw it when we got up: >>18740068

>>18741654
I saw that. You'd think we noticed something like that last "night."
Any explanation for the sudden sweltering heat?
Is the Green Shard still visible from anywhere?

>>18741654
Oh by the way I support this action: >>18741638

I have to go eat now, though. Now it's your turn to be all on your own.

>>18741638
The men seemed to be digging in the engravings. Some of them were fighting huge, humanoid beasts. They cut their limbs off, but they grew back. There were a few symbols you didn't get, though.
Most interesting, however, is that at one point, the engravings suddenly shift to plant life, instead of earthen symbols. Then, a little later... the engravings stop.

>>18741672
Retcons, I'm afraid. I really shouldn't have tried to start this section when I was sleepy. And the Green Shard is always visible if you look to the far end of the cavern. It seems to be floating in the air, almost like a sun.

>>18741672
What do you want to do, given this new information?

>>18741702
Perhaps these dorf-type people became one with nature at some point, or it's something to do with the Shard. The humanoid beasts and regrowing limbs are justified at this point.
Priority one is, naturally, to get the hell out of here. Part of me thinks we could take care of that blockage at the entrance we came in through. It won't be that simple, though. Perhaps the best thing we can do right now is make our way to the Shard in this cavern. What we'll do there, I'm not sure yet. DON'T BE DUMB about getting there, though. Discretion is beyond necessary, and calm is required.

>>18741769
I sure hope you're writing something for >>18741807
If you aren't I will be SO COMPLETELY ANGRY GOD DAMMIT

Okay, okay… you can’t panic. Whatever it is, it won’t find you as long as you DON’T PANIC. You take a few deep breaths to calm yourself down. Sifu Tong’s words come to mind: “Losing your head is a surefire way to lose your life. Always remain calm. Always.” You breathe in, and out. In, out. You focus on you slowing heartbeat. Thump. Thump. Thump. Okay. You snap your dark eyes open, ready to take on the jungle and get out of here.

Hmm. Important things tend to revolve around shards, given your (albeit limited) experience. It might be wise to go and check it out first. You cloak yourself in darkness, and begin to skulk towards the Green Shard. It’s still extremely warm in here.

You walk, and walk, straining your ears, listening to everything around you. It’s… quiet. Not quiet quiet, but too quiet for a jungle teeming with life. You feel eyes upon you... You begin to walk in a different direction to confirm if you’re being hunted. The brush behind you gently rustles as you meander. Yup. You’re being followed again. You don’t much like being the prey here.

>>18742002
Not again, dammit. We can't afford to draw attention to ourselves with combat, not that we'd win anyway.
I'm fresh out of ideas, except for trying to stealth back a way to give the follower the slip.

>>18742002
At this point, it seems to come with the territory. How these "dorfs" can detect us when we are masked in shadows is anyone's guess. Maybe heightened sense of smell or something?
I'll assume our shadowmancy is not progressed to the point where we can create a doppelganger to throw off our pursuers. Maybe we can form shadow caltrops in our wake to deter our hunters somewhat. Whatever the case, they have the home advantage and will harass us whenever they can.

Screw 'em.

Keep going at our solemn pace towards the Shard. Keep an eye on the bugger on the ceiling, assuming it's not already swooping and hunting and whatnot.

I shall return in a couple hours.

>BIRDS kinduo

You keep a steady pace towards the Shard. You’ll deal with your stalker if they show themselves. A minute or so later, you notice tracks imprinted into the dirt. Fresh tracks. About 2 feet long. Very thin, with 3 long toes, one of which looks longer than the rest. Possibly reptilian? They’re not that deep, either… so it’s unlikely that whatever made this was very heavy. That rules out the grey men. The tracks lead over to your right, into the bushes…

Sorry about the wait, I got hungry. All this writing about hungry predators instilled the need to feed...

Bump so other people can see this.

>>18742184
Alright, whatever this thing is it's managed to survive against the stone men and whatever's on the ceiling. We most likely don't stand a chance.
Continue superstealthstyle towards the Shard, but be prepared for a suprise attack.

As you stand up, finishing your inspection of the strange tracks, a high pitched screech pierces your ears!

(Defense roll = 17!)
You dive to the left, just barely getting out of the way of some large creature! You stand up and look at the bipedal lizard. It’s nearly twice as tall as you, and its scaled skin runs from the tip of its long skull to the bottom of its feet, which end in a massive talon at least a foot long. The lizard begins to stalk around you in a circle, waiting for you to make a move. You’re no fool. You stand your ground, unafraid, ready to dodge this beast. But you don’t notice the other one leaping at you from behind!

(Defense roll = 4.)
It’s too late to do anything! The animal had a companion with it, and right now, it’s got a talon dug into your back! You fall face first into the dirt, struck with pain. God DAMN this hurts! If you don’t act quick, you’re not going to ever find Sifu Tong…

>>18743412
>You are going to die: the quest
How incapacitated are we?

>>18743471
You've got a ten foot tall lizard on your back.
Your arms are fine, but you can't get up with this thing on you.

>>18743481
I guess it's time to slash at what's pinning us, then.
Blinding Strike on the leg, if it doesn't get off then Shadow Feint.
Assuming we can reach around.

You can’t die here, you just can’t! You’re juuust flexible enough to get a punch in…

(Attack roll = 1.)
The animal, seeing that you’re trying to strike it, quickly lifts its leg up and slams it down into your back again! Shit, you don’t know what it’s hitting, but it hurts, bad… You…. You don’t think you’re getting out of this one…

Just as you start to pass out from blood loss, you hear someone yelling… wait, someone? You look up to see a slender girl running towards you, and as she leaps off the ground, leg extended, you black out.

>>18743563
CRITICAL FAILURE
Hopefully this girl is better at surviving than we are.

A child tries to climb a tree, failing each and every time. A man, sitting at the top of that tree, says something. You can’t hear it. The child tries, again and again. For hours he bleeds on that tree, pouring his heart into climbing it. The man sits there, occasionally speaking to the boy. Every time, the boy looks up at him, face contorted in determination and anger. He keeps trying. The sun sets, and the man leaves, telling the boy something. He shakes his head, and looks back at the tree. He keeps trying. For hours, he keeps trying. The man exits his home the next day, and the child is nowhere to be found. After looking around, he finds the boy passed out in the branches of the tree, a content smile on his face.

this is how i see shun, minus the boobs

>>18743697
Personally, I prefer the image I started with. Yours is just too pale for me.

Ugh… your back hurts.
Your eyes open, staring at the green canopy of the jungle. What happened? The last thing you remember, you were on the ground with some animal about to claw your back open. And then… blackness. Sitting up, you ignore the pain to get a look at your surroundings. You’re very deep into the jungle. You can’t see the ceiling, nor can you see that… black spider thing. You shudder just thinking about it. Looking at yourself, your torso is covered in bandages. Strange, you don’t remember having any of those…

A rustling puts you on edge; reflexively you ready a shadow blade… and a woman steps out from the undergrowth. Oh! Realization strikes you- she was the one who saved you! Her short black hair frames her pale, attractive face nicely. She wears a blue top with an ornate pattern, slightly ripped, and thigh high black boots. Little cuts are all over her body, but she looks otherwise unharmed. She looks weaponless. Your heart skips a beat.

The woman smiles at you, “So you’re awake. I’m so glad to have found someone else down here.”

You can’t hold back your stupid smile as you stammer out a thank you.

Er, that's you cue to start talking.

>>18743913
Gimme a minute so I can catch up.

Oh boy, she's kawaii.
Might as well introduce ourselves and explain a little; "I'm Shun. I got trapped in a cave and managed to find my way in here, then I was attacked by some things and then you saved me - thanks again for that, by the way. Who're you?"

"I'm Shun, by the way. I got trapped in a cave and managed to find my way in here, then I was attacked by some things and then you saved me - thanks again for that, by the way. Who're you?"

She blink at you and smiles widely before introducing herself as Naliah. “So, did you lose your weapon out here somewhere? It’s not a good idea to be down here defenseless.”

>>18743792
"Well. Either I'm hallucinating from pain and blood loss, or there's a spot of color in this dank cavern. Much as I didn't expect to say this, I owe you my life. You are?"

>>18743978
"I don't use one. Well, not a conventional one, at least. It's a little hard to explain. Where are we, by the way?"

Hm. She looks like she’s in great shape. "I don't use one. Well, not a conventional one, at least. It's a little hard to explain. Where are we, by the way?"

A wistful sigh escapes her. “I have no idea. Me and a few friends of mine stumbled upon this place when we were clearing out a temple near Terec.” She frowns. “I hate undead.”

>>18744056
"Would that I met one, I'd likely empathize with you, given the name. Then again, I don't seem to know much of anything nowadays. Living under a rock all your life tends to do that. Where are your friends, now that you mention it? I'm starting to learn that some things require an extra pair of hands in this world."

>>18744056
"Why'd you stick around in here? Hardly seems the ideal location for... anything, really, except painful death."

>>18744089
shut up lady deathstrike

ask why she was clearing a temple and check to see if you still have your shard when she is not looking.

ask about the city while you're at it

>>18744085
derpderpderp

"Would that I met one, I'd likely empathize with you, given the name. Then again, I don't seem to know much of anything nowadays. Living under a rock all your life tends to do that.” Naliah chuckles at your little joke. “Where are your friends, now that you mention it? I'm starting to learn that some things require an extra pair of hands in this world."

She looks at the ground, downcast. “I dunno. We got separated when we were attacked by this big group of Squats. I’ve been looking for them ever since. I… I don’t even know how long I’ve been down here. Not too long, but when you’re underground, it’s hard to tell, you know?” A weak smile crosses her face. At least she’s staying strong.

"Why'd you stick around in here? Hardly seems the ideal location for... anything, really, except painful death."

Her smile grows a little wider as she chuckles and says, “Well… I’m kinda lost, actually. And I’m looking for my friends, too. I can’t quite remember where we came in from, but I think it was over by that weird Shard.” The Shard! Seeing your pack a couple of feet away, you shuffle over to it and look inside. You give a sigh of relief. Everything’s accounted for.

“What, did you really think I’d go through your backpack? Naliah says, pouting. It’s rather cute, actually.

“So why were you slaying undead in an underground temple?”

Naliah shrugs and exclaims, “It paid well. Gotta make a living.”

>>18744187
"Well, in any case, thank you again for, well, this. I would say we should stick together, but that seems like a foregone conclusion at this point. I was making my way to that Shard you were talking about. Maybe it can point us to a way out."
Try and stand up.

>>18744187
>>18744230
"Do you know anything about this hole? What it is, what's inside, anything like that?"

>>18744272
She already said something tantamount to "I have no clue."

>>18744304
I guess. Was hoping for some information regarding what lived in here, mainly.

You stretch your sore arms and neck, and say, "Well, in any case, thank you again for, well, this. I would say we should stick together, but that seems like a foregone conclusion at this point. I was making my way to that Shard you were talking about. Maybe it can point us to a way out." You put both hands on the ground and slowly lift yourself up. Your back aches, but it doesn’t feel as bad as earlier. That’s good.

Apparently you were making a pained expression, because Naliah comes over and puts her hand on your back to help you up, saying “Easy, easy! Your back was pretty hurt when I found you, we wouldn’t want you to go and open that would, now would we?” Her hand feels warm on your back. It feels nice.

Wait, you’re getting distracted. You shake your head, clearing your mind of thoughts you’ve never had before. You need to focus on getting out of here.

>>18744316
Relatedly, what does Shun know about sex and the like?

>>18744316
Since we have a traveling partner, we can't be quite so stealthy anymore, assuming we can't extend our shadows to Naliah. We may as well get the obvious out of the way.

"Can you fight? You harangued me for having no weapon, yet, I don't see one on you."

>>18743978
Fuck yeah, Deception 2!
*ahem*
Carry on.

>>18744344
Obvious answer: not a fucking thing. Wouldn't put it past him to be a virgin, either.

>>18744344
Er... he got the talk from Sifu Tong, but Tong was... lacking with details. Shun knows only the basics (Tab A into Slot B and that jazz.)

As I lack the social skills to decide for myself, should we tell her about that guy who got killed? Maybe he was one of her friends.

Wait, there’s something you need to know before you get moving. "Can you fight? You harangued me for having no weapon, yet, I don't see one on you."

Naliah grins cheekily. “I’m a disciple of the Phoenix Storm martial art! My body is the most dangerous weapon of all!” Actually, Sifu told you that the mind was the most dangerous weapon…

>>18744414
If it comes up, it'll come up. Otherwise, I'd leave it alone.

>>18744430
"Is THAT a fact? Can't say I know the style. I do some bujutsu myself, if you must know. I doubt you've heard of my style, though. It's one-of-a-kind."

>>18744477
>Hipster mode: engaged

>>18744488
Like we have a choice in the matter.

tell her about her friend, ask about the city tepu-whatever, perhaps teach each other something like with our rival?

>>18744535
We're hardly in a fit state to learn things.

Consider your… interest aroused. "Is THAT a fact? Can't say I know the style. I do some bujutsu myself, if you must know. I doubt you've heard of my style, though. It's one-of-a-kind."

Naliah looks at you, interested. “You don’t say? Hmm. You’ll have to show me sometime.” She winks at you. You’re sweating. It’s just the heat, though. Right? “Oh, hey, did you happen to see anyone while you were exploring?” She bounces on her heels, waiting for your response.

>>18744535
We can trade techniques and get to know each other better AFTER escaping the mortal danger death pit.

>>18744547
"Sort of. I may have some bad news for you." ... "Earlier, before you saved me, I saw a man in leathery armour get killed by a bunch of the small stone people. Might have been one of your friends."

>>18744547
"...One. A fellow in heavy armor. The, uh, the Squats got him before I could."

>>18744557
Let's not get presumptuous about whether or not it was her friend. Just say it was a dude. She'll fill in the blanks herself.

>>18744581
Hence the may and the might. I guess your way makes more sense, though.

"Sort of. I may have some bad news for you." She stares at you intently. You’re not quite sure how to put it, so you just spit it out. "Earlier, before you saved me, I saw a man in leathery armor get killed by a bunch of the small stone people." It hurts to see the girl’s face drop so dramatically.

“Oh.” She grits her teeth as her eyes narrow. “Thanks. We should get going.” she says emotionlessly.

>>18744610
"I'm sorry."
Let her stew a while.

You try to assuage her with an apology. She ignores it. You both walk in silence towards the Green Shard for a while. Your back hurts and you’re obviously injured, but apparently the animals here prefer single targets. You smirk. No reason to complain. On that note, this heat is really getting to you. Your mouth is severely dry, and you lick your lips to try and deal with it. Everything here is strangely wet, but you learned at a young age not to go around licking things when you’re thirst. Sifu let you learn that one the hard way.
Before too long, Naliah breaks the silence between you two. “Hey. Look up ahead.”

You avert your gaze from her bare back to where she’s pointing. A group of buildings like the one you saw earlier is up ahead. This seems to be like a small village. Like the first structure, plants have invaded, although not as badly. There are a few buildings around the same size and shape as before, but what stands out is the large, nearly pyramidal building. Unlike everything else, this one doesn’t have any windows and the growth on it looks… sickly. Dying. In the distance, the Green Shard pulses. The giant spider creature is nowhere to be seen. For now.

>>18744778
Good God, we're a creep.

>>18744778
That pyramid could be a shrine of sorts. A shrine we probably shouldn't fuss with. Plus, who knows how many other Squats live here, if any? Take a cursory glance inside a couple buildings, but keep moving.

>>18744811
Well shit man, what would you do if you were in the sexual prime of your life and just met a cute girl your age for the first time?

>>18744824
I didn't
Um
I don't
You win this round

Huh, I could've sworn there were more people around.

>>18744905
So far as I can tell, there's me, Martial, and one other guy who doesn't use grammar.
And you, of course.

>>18744919
Ah. Martial was the only one telling me what to do, so I assumed...

i'm here, just distracted

can we at least ask her about her fighting style?
give her a vague answer if she asks about ours, like, we depend on speed and finish fights fast or something

>>18744930
I've just been agreeing with what they suggest. If you want I could say that I do.

>>18745035
It reassures me that people are still here.

Hm. You don’t like the look of that pyramid, it’s too… unsettling. It would be best to stay away from it.

Naliah doesn’t share your sentiment. “Wow, what’s this?” she exclaims as she bounds over to it. “Hey, Shun, come check this out! Look at the engravings on this thing!”

You sigh and say, “Naliah, we really should get moving. We don’t know what could be around here.” She waves you away, insisting that you come inspect this with her. Underneath the decaying vines, it looks like there’s a series of engravings that depict a big spider fighting a pack of short men. One of the stout men stands alone, and with his pickaxe, strikes the spider down. A pyramid was built over its corpse. You figure that it must be this one.

“I wonder what it means?”

>>18745099
"Maybe the squats managed to kill one of the big spider things like the one on the roof. I mean, if I managed to, I'd sure want a monument built to mark the occasion."

>>18745099
"It seems like a tomb or honored burial ground for one of their heroes, if these glyphs are anything to go by. Whether it was to the Squat or the spider, I can't say. Neither are friendly, I know that much."

Naliah is quite the lively one.

Hmm. You think for a moment, before saying, "It seems like a tomb or honored burial ground for one of their heroes, if these glyphs are anything to go by. Whether it was to the Squat or the spider, I can't say. Neither are friendly, I know that much.” You pause. “But I know if I managed to, I'd sure want a monument built to mark the occasion."

Naliah giggles, “Yeah, me too. But I’d rather something way cooler, like an awesome dojo made out of gemstones or something!” You let a smirk slip past you as Naliah moves around the pyramid to see what else is around here. Just as you leave to inspect the houses, you hear her scream. You break out into a dash, worried. Did she get ambushed? Was the pyramid trapped? When you get to her, she’s on her knees next to a decaying corpse in rusty armor. You hear her whisper “No….” The poor girl’s on the verge of tears.

>>18745223
Oh boy, emotions. Just what we need.

suggest you two bury the body
that'll make her feel better
not by much i imagine but it should help

>>18745223
"I'm sorry, Naliah. But we need to keep going. If you want to honor your comrade's memory, you'll survive, and you'll live. All right?"

>bury the body
>keep going

Uh oh.

>>18745311
We could offer both, let her decide.

>>18745324
It'll be her choice.

You put your hand on her shoulder. She’s shaking… you really wish you could sympathize, but… you’ve never had anyone close to you die. You’re not very good at this, but you try and keep her on track. “Naliah, I’m sorry. But we need to keep moving. If you want to bury him, though, I’ll understand.” A sniff escapes the poor girl.

She stands up and looks at you, eyes misty. You hear her whisper, “You’re right.” Her voice picks up as she says, “The best way to honor him would be to get out of this hellhole. To… survive…”

You two leave the stinking corpse of her comrade behind. Naliah is even quieter than when you two were travelling here. You take the silence as an excuse to stay completely alert. You’re not out of the woods yet, so to speak. You’re not too far from the Green Shard yet, and you haven’t seen any Squats for a while. Good.

A few minutes later, your ears pick up someone speaking. A Squat growling, to be precise. Shit. It sounds like it’s in between you and the Shard.

>>18745527
Get her attention, make sure she's heard it too.

You tap Naliah on the shoulder, and her wide brown eyes meet yours. You whisper to her, asking if she heard the Squat. She nods in response.

>>18745527
>>18745588
I'm assuming we can't make out what the Squat is saying. Perhaps we can swing wide and avoid the Squat and still make it to the Shard.

>gicajew species

>>18745588
"Sneak around?"

>>18745613
dat picture

double team the gnome
shatter his skull and/or cutt off limbs untill he is can't act

>>18745724
Fighting these things didn't go so well last time. Let's just sneak around.

>>18745745
i hoped we could defeat it now that we have an ally and an idea as to how it works.
i'm sure we could win if we fought creatively

You know too well what happens when you fight one of these things. “Sneak around?” you mouth to her. She nods, and the two of you begin to sneak through the trees, as quietly as you can, still moving towards the Shard. You’re almost directly underneath the Green Shard, and you stick your head out to investigate. Squats. An entire colony of them, dozens sit on the ground, mouths moving, transfixed on the Shard. And past them, a building! It doesn’t look like any of the other ones you’ve seen around here. Tall columns frame a wide, expansive door into a dark brick laden room beyond. You feel Naliah’s breath on your neck as she whispers to you, “I think that’s the temple I was telling you about. We can get out there!” she’s got a wide smile on her face. This is your best chance to get out, but there’s a lot of Squats between you and the exit.

They look distracted, but the jungle ends before the temple begins. You’d have to sneak across an open field AND get Naliah with you. This is going to be difficult.

>>18745870
We don't know how potent our new ally is, and our attacks don't seem to do any damage at all. I wouldn't recommend going into combat in this situation.

>>18745885
So, first what we do is pull back a bit so we won't be seen. Then we decide on a plan.
I'd suggest us going away from where we are, getting their attention so they come investigate, then stealthing past to the exit.

>>18745885
The Squats are all transfixed by the Shard. Much as it'd be interesting to claim it for ourselves, it's probably in our best interest to leave the Shard alone and slip past the hypnotized Squats into the temple. Hopefully, they won't follow us once we make it into the temple. I anticipate a mad dash towards the end.

fuck that dawn chaser bastard for getting us into this mess. i guess we won't be able to take that green shard.

can we cover her in our shadow cloak? lets try

>>18745944
The Shard's actually pretty big. Like, the size of a car big.

>>18745962
You're only experienced enough to cover yourself for now.

>>18745962
Try a way back though, if we do. Like fuck is our first attempt going to be the one that counts.

>>18745967
Then don't worry about the Shard. Assuming the Squats care about the Shard more than us, we should hopefully be able to slip past them. We can swing wide if we have to. Once we hit the open field, we sprint like bats out of hell and make it for the temple. Presumably, we'll be home free if we make it.

>(Not quite a monk, but I like the picture.)

>>18746039
>cleavage windows

Motioning towards the far edge of the jungle, you and Naliah sneak there without incident. The Squats seem too preoccupied with the Shard to see you. Naliah whispers, “So what’s the plan?”

“We try and slip past them. If that doesn’t work, then ru-“ The Shard pulses, and everything around you quakes and rumbles! A massive ring of energy shoots out of the Shard! Before you can register what’s going on, the spider creature bursts out of the jungle, scuttling towards the Shard, screeching at everything, impaling Squats on its legs; it’s absolutely chaotic! The little grey men slowly run at the beast, trying to smash it apart with their fists!

It flails, sending Squats flying into the air all around it! Unfortunately for you, one of them crashes through the trees where you’re hiding, and it doesn’t seem phased at all by the landing. When it sees you, though, a deep, loud groan erupts from it, and now entirely too many Squats are looking right at your position.

ok, shadow cloak and go to the opposite side of wherever we are and cause a distraction so she can get to the temple then lead the gnomes around a bit and lose them.
then catch up to her in the temple.

throwing some knives at them will prolly suffice for a distraction

>>18746161
Oh Jesus.
I do believe it's time to say, fuck this shit let's get out of here.

>>18746161
Run.

>>18746179
Too complicated. Just book it.

hmm?
oh, that was for before the shard pulsed like that

only coarse i see now is running, maybe try and ride the spider thing like a horse to the temple

>>18746258
That idea
Just
That idea
>what.jpg

>>18746258
Wait, wait. I'm sorry.
What?

>>18746258
Stop it.
Stop it.

You yell at Naliah to run, and you both kick off towards the exit. The spider beast ignores you, but the Squats that were near the temple don’t; they position themselves in a line in front of your destination.

You run and run. You can figure out what to do when you get there, but if you stand still and think, you’re going to die. Looking to your right, you see Naliah running far faster than you, straight at the Squats! Her legs moving into action, she moves faster and faster, until she’s almost too fast for your eyes to catch up to, and she leaps clear over the Squats! A couple of them turn to face her, and you use that as your opening to use them as steps, making it past the line!

You both run deeper into the dark temple, but you don’t hear the deep footsteps of the Squats behind you. You slow down to see what they’re doing. The Squats are all staring directly at you, still in formation, but you see something you never could’ve imagined: on their faces is a look of absolute terror.

hey, you never know.

hop on the giant spider and make two shadow knives, stab it when it takes a wrong turn.

i mean, hell, its the only thing that seems to be damaging the gnomes

>>18746317
This goes from bad to worse. Still, at least we won't be eaten alive by small stone men now.
I'd say recuperate for a short time where we are, then move on further inside.

>>18746325
I SAID STOP.

>>18746317
Pah. If Naliah made it through here on the way in, then we can make it through on the way out, especially with us here.

"Well, we made it. You remember how to get topside again from here, Naliah?"

But that doesn’t stop you from running further into the temple. After a minute, you both slow to a stop. You’re out of breath, but Naliah seems perfectly fine.

“Ah… hold on a bit, Naliah…” You take a few deep breaths as she looks at you, smugly smirking. "Well, we made it. You remember how to get topside again from here?" Still smiling, she looks around at your surroundings. You’re in a hallway. Moss grows through the bricks, glowing just brightly enough to let you see. Wooden coffins line the walls. While she cranes her head, Naliah’s smile slowly, slowly slips away into a look of confusion.

“Uh… No, actually. I don’t remember a hallway like this, and especially not near the jungle. “She blinks a few times, deep in thought. “But I know we got lost in the jungle right underneath the Shard in a clearing…”

>>18746460
"That doesn't sound so good. We should probably be careful."

>>18746460
That's not encouraging.

"Well, as long as we keep going up and out, we ought to reach the surface at some point.
"Right?"

"Well, as long as we keep going up and out, and stay very careful, we ought to reach the surface at some point.” For the first time in years, doubt enters your mind. "Right?"

Naliah yawns, “Well, yeah. But… I’m getting really tired. We’ve been on the run all day. We should really rest here.” A chill wind blows through the hallway, causing you to shiver. “Hey, are you alright?” Naliah says concernedly.

“Yeah, it’s just a cold wind. I’ll be fine.”

Naliah blinks. “A cold wind? I didn’t feel anything.”

>>18746619
You want to stop and rest in a room full of coffins, never mind in a dungeon of sorts. THAT will end well.
"...Let's move. Now."

>>18746619
"This is some crazy voodoo shit. We don't want to stay here."
I kid, but seriously.
"There's something wrong about this place. We need to get out as soon as we can."

The hairs on the back of your neck stand on end as you feel goosebumps prickle on your skin. “There's something wrong about this place. Let's move. Now.” Naliah looks at you, confused.

“But Shun-“

“Now.” You begin to walk down the hallway. It’s deathly silent here, so quiet all you can hear are your footsteps and your blood pumping through your veins. When you reach the end of the hallway, a bust of some sort of horned monster greets you, stony teeth contorted into a face of hate. There’s an archway to your left, but the glow of the moss doesn’t reach that far, and you stare into the blackness. Something about this place makes you feel ill.

>>18746763
We can take out our Shard and use that to show the way, right?

>>18746782
Of course, if you want to be the only light in a dark room.

>>18746782
We could.
Are there no other exits?

>>18746803
There's the exit to the jungle.

>>18746786
Hm.
Didn't Naliah say she followed Phoenix Storm?
Maybe she can do fire or something.

>>18746811
You ask her if, given that the follows the Phoenix Storm, she can conjure fire.

She laugh lightly and says, "Er, no. It revolves around transitioning between slow and quick movements, like the death and rebirth of a phoenix. Sorry. It's purely martial."

>>18746807
ASIDE from that.
Guess not.
Whip out the Shard or whatever torch we have for light.

>>18746832
So, maybe, we could get her to create INSANE FRICTION with our dull stake, thus creating a throwaway torch?

So, do you reveal your Shard?

>>18746902
If we don't have any other light source.

>>18746920
>>18746902
Ahem. >>18746872

>>18746930
Sorry, my browser's fucking up.

find another way damnit!

she went monster hunting for money, ya don't think she'll try and steal it later when she has seen it?

>>18746930
That's silly.

A brilliant idea strikes you! You whip out your dull wooden stake and ask, “Naliah, do you think you could create enough friction to light this thing on fire?”

She scoffs, “With what, my bare hands? The bricks? I mean, I could, if you wanted me to shred the skin off my palms.”

… she didn’t have to be so sarcastic about it.

>>18746995
Aw.

>>18747000
;_;

Seeing no other choice, you pull the Shard out of your bag. Naliah’s eyes follow it, and they widen in astonishment when she you unveil it, illuminating part of the room.

“A Shard?” She moves closer to you and says, “Where did you get this!?”

>>18747049
"It's a long story, now isn't the time. We need to find a way out, I can tell you after."

>>18747049
"Let's just say you can thank the Expedition of the Dawn for introducing me to you. Come on."

Walking into the room, you say, "Let's just say you can thank the Expedition of the Dawn for introducing me to you. Come on."

Naliah opens her mouth to say something, but when you step through the archway, a deep, dull, guttural roar shakes the foundations of the room. Fuck.

“Uh, Shun, what was that?”

You’re not sure what to say. This room is square, the cracked bricks reflect your light well. Spiderwebs decorate the ceiling. To your left and right are heavy looking wooden doors.

>>18747107
Shiiiiiiiit.

>>18747107
How far off did the growl sound?

I recommend keeping this going to get in the mood.

http://endlessvideo.com/watch?v=6lutPqoQz5s

The growl sounded very, very close.

>>18747150
Is there any sort of foliage around either of the doors? Perhaps some green worked its way down the temple and is getting some air. Beyond that, we're wandering blind, so we need something to work with.

>>18747215

The room you're in is startlingly empty for a temple. There is literally nothing but the doors and cobwebs.

>>18747230
Then screw it, let's take the doors one at a time.

You creep over to the right door first. You open it slowly, and it creaks, creaks, creeeeaaaaks open. It’s a flight of stairs, leading up. You sigh in relief; there might be a way out of here after all!

Naliah, however, opened up the other door. “Hey Shun, come check this out!”

Deciding to indulge her, you go to investigate.
Through the doorway is another room, but this one is well furnished. There are three rows of long wooden benches, all facing an empty altar. A statue of a man in fur robes looks over the room with a disinterested gaze. Your nose twitches and- ACHOO! Ugh, everything in this room is piled with dust. It hasn’t been touched in forever.

You hear Naliah yawn next to you, and she rubs her eyes. “Shun, please, can we just rest here? If you’re worried about something sneaking up on us, we can just barricade the door and take turns sleeping or something. Come onnnn.” Great, now she’s doing that cute little pout again.

Dammit.

>>18747323
Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope
"That'll hardly help if it's already in the room. Come on, I found some stairs upwards."
[spoiler]No copy/paste was used[/spoiler]

>>18747323
"...Fine. We'll take a short break. Help me brace the door." Grab some of the pews and wedge them against the door.

yeah lets rest, for all we know the dawn chasers are waiting for us up there, lets rest up just in case.

lets do something about hiding our shard though, we don't know this girl enough to trust her. just cause we like her and shit doesn't make her trustworthy

maybe cover it up and hide it in shadows or putting it in a very delicate and easy to rouse location on our selves?

>>18739874
>if it's already in the room
>you just checked it out and didn't see anything

You're just paranoid, man.

>>18747351
As much as I don't want us staying in an ominous temple, better not to die fatigued at least. We can spare a couple hours.

>>18747400
I don't trust you any more, I just want to get out of here.

>>18739874
But my friend, you made the mistake of trusting me in the first place.

>>18747404
>>18747359
>>18747392
Besides, this pretty clearly isn't natural tiredness. She was fine when we only just entered.

>>18747419
Well, she did rescue you and explore with you for hours on end.
But that's just my justification for it. Don't let that stop your paranoia.

>>18747419
We don't know how long she's been running around before we met her.

>>18747444
>>18747446
>>18747419
To clarify, by entered I mean entered the temple. As in, not long ago at all.

You sigh and give in. "...Fine. We'll take a short break. Help me brace the door." Naliah beams at you and hugs you tightly.

“Thanks, Shun! To be honest, I’m so tired that I was just gonna fall asleep anyway. I’m just about ready to pass out.” You spend the next few minutes properly blocking the door. If something tries to get in, you’ll definitely hear it. You’re not too worried anymore. As soon as you’re done barricading the exit, Naliah curls up in a corner and black out. Guess you’re taking the first watch.

You spend the next few hours bored out of your mind. Your thoughts drift from that one time Sifu threw darts at you while you slept to get you to be more vigilant to that other time Sifu beat the crap out of you for 3 hours straight after you disappeared following a butterfly and got lost in the woods. Those were the days. Of course you think about Naliah. You don’t have any experience with girls, and you know it. She’s pretty, and fairly nice, and she even knows martial arts! Are you getting overly excited? Should you do something? Hours fly by while you try and deal with these new feelings, when you hear her begin to stir. She stretches and yawns, “G’morning, Shun! Looks like it’s your turn to get some rest!”

>>18747558
inb4 TERRIBLE DEATH

>>18747558
"Are Phoenix Storm practitioners always so...perky? I thought the martial arts were to assist in centering yourself, honing your identity."

fuck fuck fuck, if she does end up stealing the shard from us, we will hunt this bitch down

Oh, we should sleep with our pack as a pillow.
She ain't takin' our shit, no siree.

>>18747597
Sleep on top of our satchel. Barring that, encase it in a small spiked shadow dome so Naliah doesn't get any sticky fingers.

"Nothing against you, Naliah, but I only know your name and your style. You'll forgive me if I'm still rather cautious."

>>18747641
no no lets not make it obvious

You’re a little surprised that she’s so energetic when she’s sleepy AND seconds after she wakes up. "Are Phoenix Storm practitioners always so...perky? I thought the martial arts were to assist in centering yourself, honing your identity."


Naliah giggles, “Not all of us are, I’m just a perky girl! Thanks for noticing, though! I never really thought that my style could be used to find myself.” Her voice picks up, “I always thought that exploring the world, meeting people, and experiencing life would do that better.” She shrugs.

Eh, that makes sense too, you figure.

>>18747658
Well, I think I'm starting to see why her brain isn't her greatest weapon.

I kid, I kid. Just wanted to make the joke.

lets sleep on our pack

>>18747658
Methinks she's mildly missing the point of the martial arts, at least to us. Then again, it's all we know, so perhaps Shun is a bit of a purist regarding its usage. The arts should be used chiefly for defense and self-improvement of some manner. None of that "strong rule the world" or "violence" malarkey.

>>18747733
Bullies have always pushed people around, making passive sheep of the so-called weak. The arts were created so that the weak can stand up to the strong and prevail. To think that strength is all there is in the world is horseshit.

>>18747768
>replying to own post
I don't understand.

You yawn, and tell Naliah that you’re going to turn in.

“Sweet dreams!”

You take your bag off your back and put it under your head as you lay down. Nothing against Naliah, but you’ve got some things in here that you’d rather not anybody know about. After a minute, you drift off into a dreamy landscape. You’re stumbling through long, dark hallway after hallway, unendingly walking forward. After what seems like forever, you see a light far off in the distance. As you get closer and closer, the walls slowly crumble, crumble… you see that the light isn’t an exit, but Naliah holding a Shard. Your Shard? You don’t have time to think, as her face begins to melt, teeth grinning upwards at an angle that isn’t possible for a human jaw. You hear the sound of glass breaking as she crushes the Shard with her bare hand, throwing everything into darkness.

You jolt up with a start in a cold sweat. You look around for Naliah; she’s run off with the Shard, she stole it and left you here to die…
No, no… she’s in the corner, looking off into the distance. You slowly stretch your neck, and you notice something strange on the floor. You crawl over to investigate and… footprints? Muddy footprints come from the door… right to where you slept.

>>18747774
Thoughts tend to come to me after I post something, so I try to tack it on after the fact.

Is that an issue?

>>18747790
I was just slightly confused, thought maybe someone had stolen you name for some reason.

>>18747782
Well that sure is creepy.
I told you about the resting, bro.

>>18747782
Why does this shit happen only to us?
Double-check our pack to make sure everything is in order.

"Naliah. What is this?"
Point to footprints.

What.
What.
What the fuck.

You quickly rustle through your bag to make sure everything’s there. Shurikens, stake, berries, skull, money, gem… it’s all there. You get Naliah’s attention by pointing to the footprints and asking, “Naliah, what’s this?”

She looks over at where you’re pointing and gasps, exclaiming, “Shun, I… I don’t know. Nothing came in here while you slept, I promise. I didn’t even hear anything all night!” You don’t like the sound of that. Not one bit.

>>18747885
...Skull?

>>18747885
"Guess I'm rested enough. Let's get out of here. The sooner I see some Shards in the sky, the better off I'll be."

You shake off the nagging feeling of dread in the back of your head. "Guess I'm rested enough. Let's get out of here. The sooner I see some Shards in the sky, the better off I'll be."

Still staring at the footprints, Naliah agrees.

You both move the benches out of the way and get ready to open the door. Your hand moves towards the handle, but… what if the thing that left these footprints is still out there? Wait. What if it’s still in here? The thought gives you the adrenaline to open up the door, staring into the room, ready for something, ANYTHING, to happen. Nothing does.

Looking down at the footprints, you notice that they started from the doorway and headed further into the room. There’s nothing leading outside of the room or into it. It was just… there.

>>18747977
Ugh. Either someone didn't clean up after themselves, or someone's messing around. Let's get going.

And what's with the skull earlier?

>>18747977
I'd say try more doors, but keep the stairs open in case we need a sudden exit.

Whatever, you need to keep going. The sooner you’re out of here, the better. You walk past the room and head upstairs, taking each step very slowly. Before too long, another archway is in front of you. You fill your lungs with air before you cross it…

And right when you do, a rumble nearly knocks you off balance. A deep growl penetrates your ears. It’s close. Very close. You hear Naliah behind you ask, “Shun, did you hear that?” You nod. “I… don’t remember the temple being like this…” You step into the room fully and look around. There are three doors here, and… and a skeleton in the corner. Grinning. At you.

It stares.

http://endlessvideo.com/watch?v=90gID2mLPZA&list=FLuFBdAsrmMgoe0VgDmOvf1A&index=10&featu
re=plpp_video

>>18748114
What skull were you talking about earlier?
I don't remember ever picking up a skull.

>>18748114
"And just what do YOU think is so funny, dry bones?"
Anything unique about the doors?

>>18748175
Unlike the ones before, these have knockers in the shape of skulls.

Leering, jealous skulls.

>>18748191
>>18748114
>>18748136
>Questrunner ignores question about skull that nobody remembers
GET THAT SHIT OUT OF OUR BAG

While you ponder which door to open first, a piercing scream comes from the door on your right, causing Naliah to jump and yelp in surprise. “Shun, what was that?!” The poor woman’s shaking. To be honest, your fingers are moving a bit more than you’d like them to…

>>18748274
Oftentimes, the most ridiculous answer is the right answer. Part of me wants to go through the right door.

… something tells you that you should open that door. You know it’s a bad idea, you just know it, but you have to. You shuffle over to it, and slowly push it open, hinges creaking loudly, rattling your ears. You step inside. It’s… a torture room. Chains with cuffs attached to them hang from the wall, a wheel with fasteners on them, a firepit with a noose hanging over it… and it’s all covered in blood. The room, from floor to ceiling is painted red, and a sickly copper smell hangs in the air like fog. Behind you, Naliah wretches in disgust. From what you can see, despite the blood… there’s nothing else in here. No bones, no body parts… nothing.

>>18748385
Slam that door shut and open the door opposite to it.

>>18748385
If there's no other exit, quietly close door. Move on to left door.

Right, I've got work to do. It's 6AM already and I have a regular day coming. Thanks for the fun quest.

oh god, when did this turn into a horror movie?

try another door

Unsettled, you quietly, slowly close the door, and it creaks all the while. Alright, you’ll just have to try the other door, then. You walk over and push it open. Or, you try, since it absolutely refuses to go forward. Fine, then, you pull it open, and… it’s a wall? A brick wall just like the others except… this one is falling apart. Almost literally, like it’s been here far longer than everything around it. Uh. Alright. You’d rather not think about it.

As you turn around, you notice that the skeleton in the corner is bleeding. Profusely.

>>18748486
"Is something wrong, Mister Bones?"

>>18748486
"I guess you're not so dry now, huh?" Where is it visibly bleeding from?

You joke a bit to lighten the mood. "Is something wrong, Mister Bones?" A nervous grin cracks on your face as you walk over to it to check it out. It looks… it looks like it’s bleeding from inside the bones. But you’ve never heard of anything like that before…

>>18748543
Come on. We're Sifu Tong's kid. No temple will get the best of the heir to the Fist of Shadow. Head for the middle door.

destroy it with shadows

You bolster yourself with courage. You can’t die here; you’re one of the Fists of Shadow! If you died, all of Sifu’s teachings would’ve gone to waste, and you can’t disappoint him like that. That fear is greater than anything this place can throw at you.

… but before you open up the middle door you throw a few dozen shadow needles into the skeleton. Just to make sure. You stand in front of the door, hand shaking a little bit. You reach for the handle, and just as you grab it, you feel a violent shaking in your backpack.

>>18748599
I TOLD YOU ABOUT THE SKULL GUYS
I TOLD YOU

>>18748599
Search backpack for the origin of the shaking?

>>18748599
I had a feeling he was evading the question for a good reason.

OH GOD WHAT THE FUCK IS IN YOUR BAG

You rip it off your back and yank it open, dropping everything onto the ground. Out pop your shurikens, your stake, the emerald, your sack of gold, your bag of berries… everything is accounted for. But… maybe it’s still in there…

>>18748650
GOD
DAMMIT.

Do you look into the bag?

>>18748650
Continue holding bag upside down.
Lance through to the center of the bag with shadow needles from our hand, making sure not to damage the bag itself.
THEN look inside.
The Shard is accounted for, right?

>>18748686
The Shard still illuminates the room.

>>18748670

NOPE YOU SURE AS FUCK DON’T WANT TO LOOK IN THERE

SHADOW NEEDLES SPRING OUT OF YOUR FINGERS AND YOU STAB THE SHIT OUT OF THAT BAG AND THEN YOU STAB IT AGAIN JUST TO MAKE SURE. OH GOD YOU STILL DON’T WANT TO LOOK

BUT… you… you have to. The Fist of Shadow is supposed to be fearless. Right? Fearless.
You quickly turn the bag upside down and look into it, and you’re astonished.
It’s just nothing.

You put your items back into it, deeply disturbed.

ok ok we get it, it was silly to suspect the girl.... yet

>>18748726
Ugh.

Middle door.

>More modern brawler than monk, but still.

>>18748758
That had to have tipped Naliah off to our power, right?

Um. Yeah, you should keep going. You open the middle door to find another set of stairs.

Your footsteps are the only thing ringing throughout the stairway. That and your heartbeat. You can’t hear anything else. Once again, you stand in front of an archway at the top of the stairs. You don’t want to cross it, you really, really don’t, but… the Fist of Shadow fears nothing. That’s how it’s supposed to be. You resolve yourself to not be afraid, but that dries away when you hear demons screaming into your ear the second your foot steps onto the rug.

You’re in… a dining hall? A long table framed by chairs dominates the room, and an unlit, ancient chandelier hangs from the ceiling. There’s a few paintings on the stony walls depicting various landscapes. Plates adorn the ebony table, empty save for one at the head of the table, where a massive throne resides. The plate here is covered with a dome. There’s a door to your left and to your right.

Something feels off.

>>18748829
She didn't say anything when you did it.

ok, lets calm the fuck down now. we have been trained from the time we could throw a fist, we have been prepped to fear nothing. lets stand still for a second, breath, and let our training take over

>>18748836
Inspect the head of the table before we move on through either door. Just to be thorough.

>>18748874
>>18748836
Remove the dome with a thrown stake.

Alright, you’ve let your emotions get ahead of you, it happens, but you need to calm down. A few deep breaths, in and out…. In and out… Okay. Okay. You’re good. Really.

Doesn’t mean you trust that dome, though. You pull a stake out of your bag, and with careful aim, you throw it right at the dome, knocking it aside to reveal… an empty plate. Now you’re just jumping at shadows. You walk over to inspect the throne. It stands out from the other chairs, being incredibly ornate, even for a throne. Every inch of it is detailed with animals, people, symbols… Interesting, but not strange. You ask Naliah what she thinks about the engravings.

She doesn’t respond.

>>18748941
Ground control to Major Tom?

>Charlie's Angels, if you wanted to stretch it?

Oh blimey, I tripped over my internet chord on my way to get a light so I could leave my room and not be scared shitless.

ok lets check on the girl

why wouldnt she react or respond when we ask a question and when she saw our shadow powers?

You turn around to ask Naliah if she’s alright.

She’s gone.

oh for fucks sakes!

shout her name and throw shadow blades at everything, EVERYTHING

>>18749090
>just calmed down
>see something normal
>???
>flip your shit

>>18749105
Sonuvabitch. This is really starting to drag now.

"I said stick together, Naliah! Where are you?"

“I said STICK TOGETHER, Naliah! Where are you?”

You’re not really surprised when you get no response. So, left door or right?

throw a shadow dagger in the air and go in the direction it lands

>>18749166
Er... that doesn't make sense.

>>18749166
I'm not certain that shadow projectiles actually have mass or are affected by gravity.

go in the direction the sharp part points towards when it lands

>>18749166
>shadows
>aerodynamic

Start with the left.

Well, since you’re closer to the left door, you might as well see what’s on the other side. At the calmest you’ve been since you entered this damn temple, you boldly swing the door open into… a kitchen?

When you step inside… yup, it’s a kitchen. It’s got a stove with a rusty pot on it, ebony cabinets, a couple shelves, a fireplace… It’s actually not too different from the kitchen you had back home. You walk over to the stove and lift the pot, expecting to see a severed head in it, bleeding more blood than should be possible. All you find is more rust. Grasping the cabinet handles, you fling them open, knowing a body’ll drop out! And they’re full of dust and nothing more. You investigate the fireplace, and you know, you just KNOW there are bones hidden underneath the ancient, rotting wood. Nothing.

It’s almost strange how normal things are now.
You don’t notice something moving in the shadows at the edge of your vision. You head back into the dining hall

other door

You walk over to the other door, hoping that it’s finally an exit to this hellish place. You kick it ajar, fearless now. It’s a massive entryway lined with pillars, leading outside! The doors are wide open, inviting you into the starry night outside. You walk down the hall, when something on the wall to your left catches your eye.

Secure in yourself, you walk over to it and raise the Shard up to read it. Written in… what looks like blood is:
“THEY DON’T LIKE LIGHT.”

>>18749362
Whelp. That's good to know.

>>18749362
GOOD THING WE HAD THAT SHARD, EH?
Any sign of Naliah?

>>18749389
Nope. Nary sight nor sound.

>>18749389
If not we have a favor to return. We'll have to go back in after her. Won't that be fun?

>>18749394
Call out for her one more time. I'd hate to think she's still somewhere inside.

there is probably a boss around somewhere with her

>>18749411
Perhaps. We may have been hit with some sort of mind altering effect when we stepped on the rug as well. Seeing as we probably don't have any reliable way of getting out of an illusion though, we'll just have to assume this is all real.

>>18749430
The exit’s right there, but… you can’t leave Naliah behind. She saved your life, and you need to return the favor. That’s just how the world works to you.

You call out to the empty hallway, “NALIAH, CAN YOU HEAR ME?!” You hear something stirring in the corner of the room…

What's your next move?

>>18749486
Check out the stirring, naturally.

follow the stirring, this shouldn't even be debated

>>18749498
>>18749506
yep. Prepare for something to lunge for our shard while we're at it.

You raise your Shard and walk towards the stirring, ready for anything…

Sitting limply in the corner, pale as bone, is Naliah, her clothes soaked in blood, eyes shut. She… she can’t be dead…

As you move to touch her, the same deep, dark growl rumbles right in your ears, like it's inches away from you! You jerk your head towards the sound, and all you see are hating, furious shadows in the distance.

The growl halted your hand. Dare you go further? You can still escape...

>>18749555
Fireman's carry over the shoulder, and BOLT.

keep going!
you're a shadow fist warrior not a pussy!

>>18749555
Choice time. I'm for manning up and pressing on.

No.
No, you can’t back out now, not when you and Naliah are so close to getting out of here. You’re going to get her out of here. You put the Shard on the ground and heave Naliah onto your shoulders. She’s lighter than she looks. Almost too light… but you can worry about that later, you bend over to grab the Shard…

And the shadows betray you. Stretching from the blackness behind you, a mass of arms reach out towards you, ready to swallow you whole! You can still make a run for it, but you’d have to leave the Shard behind…

fuck no, take the shard, we're a shadow warrior we must have some sort of resistance to shadows or something

>>18749639
>put the Shard on the ground
Bitch, we had a perfectly serviceable belt within which we could jam the Shard so it doesn't fall out. This entire tangent was because of that Shard.

>>18749639
Life > Trinket. Admittedly it's a trinket that we busted our ass to get, and it's an extremely important item to many. What has it brought us though?

>>18749664
Belt?
It's like the one in the OP pic, it would totally fall out while you were running.

>>18749685
As long as the Shard remained on our person, it'd be a matter of hoisting Naliah up and catching our grip on the Shard again. It's like doing a hammer-and-nails job and holding the nails in your mouth.

>>18749702
Regardless, you're the tiebreaker here. Do you try and get the Shard?

>>18749668
it might get us an ass load of cash or better yet satisfaction at crushing it in front of the dawn chasers

>>18749722
We've kind of proven our point though. They were rude to us so we took it. Leaving it here will still be a huge pain in their ass to retrieve and they won't be able to track us any more. I don't mind the prospect of money, but that's something we can earn through other means. But hey if you guys want to beat the shadows into submission I won't cry about it. If we live we'll probably learn a cool new technique.

>>18749709
We fought a stone hunter, pissed off an entire tribe of people, went spelunking against our will, met a perky young girl, and traversed through a temple of unspeakable horror, all because we watched a bright technicolor explosion as the Shard crashed into the hills.

As prestigious and gratifying as it would be to walk into Terec holding a Shard for all to see, even though we don't know what exactly it does, fuck it.

Let's bail.

>>18749722
That's too petty.

>>18749755
Not to sound like a coward or anything because we couldn't get the girl AND the Shard without jeopardizing our health and hers. We're no stereotypical shonen hero.

You tell yourself it’s not worth it as you make a mad dash to the exit. It seems like that’s all you’ve been doing lately.

It’s about 30 yards to the exit. You can make it, if you just run… but Naliah’s really slowing you down… The arms don’t just come from behind you, but from both sides, reaching for you, squirming for you, they NEED you, Shun, they NEED TO HAVE YOU and YOU NEED THEM SHUN. Thoughts that aren’t yours invade your head. EMBRACE IT SHUN LEAVE HER JUST DIE SHUN DIE DIE DIE

Tears streaming down your face from sheer adrenaline and gut punching fear, you keep running… you’re so close! When you’re not 15 feet away, a wave of shadows surges in front of you, blocking your only way out! From behind, from the side, arms stretch out to intercept your stride, but you can’t stop running, you can’t!

When you’re within arm’s reach of the door, a cold hand snatches your ankle…

didn't the sign say they hate light?

>>18749810
Struggle on towards the exit, be prepared to sever that hand if need be. If our wits are about us enough see what has a grip on us before attempting to sever it.

>>18749810
If that's not the adrenaline burst we need to learn how to manipulate shadows around our other limbs (shadow blades and spikes on our feet to cut the assailing hand), then I don't know what is.

>>18749836
It did. Apparently they can move around it just fine though.

>>18749836
They do. That's why they waited until you weren't holding the Shard to strike; you couldn't use it against them.

>>18749847
Necessity and innovation and all that jazz. Agreed. We haven't attempted any shadow manipulation against this thing yet. We may be able to sever the shadow or even wrest control of whatever is hindering us.

Everything gets heavy as you feel your strength leave you… your legs get sluggish; your shoulders cry out in pain under Naliah’s weight, it hurts to breathe… Is it going to end this way? Consumed by what you thought you could control? Is this what Sifu was always afraid of? Losing yourself to the darkness?

You don’t have time for questions. You need to save Naliah. This isn’t for you anymore, it’s for her… you’ve got enough strength to maybe throw her out of the temple, but it’d be suicide. Maybe, just maybe you can both still make it if you press on, but… it’s so hard…

Or maybe there’s a third option…

>>18749883
>>18749894
Perhaps you didn't hear me the first time.

As >>18749880 said, necessity begets innovation. Just because we can form shadow tools with our hands doesn't mean those tools can't be projected by other means that are still connected to us. They are still an extension of us, regardless of where they form.

We form a blade of shadow along the length of the sole of our unrestrained foot, and we stomp on the hand that holds us, cutting us free.

Because this is some bullshit on a level that has yet to be comprehended. It's our job to be alive so that we eventually can comprehend exactly how much bullshit this endeavor has been.

>>18749883
Push through it. Hard is living every day of your life in harsh training. Hard is fighting off sheer terror that can make a man's head explode. Hard is climbing a sheer cliff with nothing but your skill and and some luck to fight a monster made of stone, steal an artifact of untold power and run for your life over the course of several days. This? This is just running a few dozen yards with a teenage girl over your shoulder. If you died because you couldn't even complete a simple sprint while laden with the weight of one girl you'd never be able to face sifu in the after life. So suck it up and push on through!
/internal drill sergeant

>>18749927
On another note, SIFU TONG DIDN'T RAISE NO PUSSY. We may be his son through adoption, but there's damn good reason why he chose us to be the heir to the Fist of Shadow. You don't become heir to a powerful esoteric style by whining and complaining about every little hardship. There is no such thing as "human limits."

So long as the soul is willing, the body will never tire.

>>18749936
Here. Also this: >>18749927

>>18749945
>>18749954
As the recently-departed Kamen Rider Stronger put it:
>"I am stronger today than I was yesterday. I will be stronger tomorrow than I am today.
>"'Strongest?' That word doesn't exist to me."

Sifu told you once that the step between student and master is complete control over one’s own shadow. That one’s innate connection with their own darkness would be able to produce edges sharper than any blade, arrows stronger than any steel, armor unable to be pierced by the greatest lance. This unseverable connection would save any follow of the Fist of Shadow many times over, and would become its greatest ally, always at its side, stronger than any foe, prepared for anything. All it takes is enough willpower.

You know you have enough will for this. You search deep inside of you for that spark that Sifu instructed you laid in the souls of every true man, the light that ignites power, the candle that flickers eternally. The brightest light leaves the longest shadow. Wrestling in your very essence, you dive, frantically looking for it. You know it’s there. It’s always been there.

You see it! Far off, beyond everything inside of you. You dive further, swatting aside your doubts. Your fears assail you, your terror of failure, your phobia of being unworthy, and they bounce off of you uselessly. As you stretch out your arm to grasp it, an arm grasps at the back of your skull, telling you that you’ve lost, that Sifu should’ve picked a better student, a better son, a better man. Telling you that Naliah should’ve left you to die, that you could never be enough for her, or anyone. Telling you that you’re not good enough. You ignore it as you wrap your hands around the light…

Your shadow bursts into action, throwing off everything around you, shredding through the darkness, more powerful than it! Legs stronger than ever, you sprint at speeds so fast that you can hardly see straight! You pierce through the wall of shadows in a split second, as the ground, the walls, the shadows furiously quake and scream at your survival. Nothing could stop you from saving Naliah. Just as you breath in the cool night air that your lungs so desperately deserve, the massively thick wooden doors behind you swing shut in a rage.
Digging your legs deep into the dirt, you arrive to a stop, panting wildly. You did it. You actually did it.
Just like you knew you would.

>>18750050
>>18750052
Not so much for Naliah as for ourselves, but yeah.
Mission accomplished. Kinda.

>>18750069
What can I say, Shun's a selfless guy. When people aren't dicks to him.

>>18750052
Give our selves a second to catch our breath, then tend to Naliah. If she needs them give her a dose of the berries and see if it helps at all.

You pant, and pant, and pant until you’re finally okay enough to move. You set Naliah on the ground and look her over. Despite her paleness, none of the blood she’s drenched in actually looks like it’s hers. That’s… good, you think. You shake her a little to try and get her to stir. Her eyes twitch and flutter open. Dark eyes look into yours as she says, “Shun? What… what happened? All I remember was seeing you open a door and then… nothing. It was really weird.” You smirk as you begin to relay what happened while she was blacked out…

(You can now control your own shadow. Shadows made from your own are stronger than normal ones, but are in less quantity for now. Self-Shadow manipulation is required for high level techniques.)

>>18750136
Rockin'.

And on that note, I'm bringing tonight's quest to a close. It's archived here: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/18739874/

As always, I'd love some feedback and I'll be more than happy to answer questions.

>>18750136
That's definitely something we'll want to cultivate. Now we just gotta figure out where we are...

i don't suppose we can go back for the shard later?

>>18750159
So this was your exercise in setting tone? A horror episode?
>>18750168
I'd say for our own safety, that Shard is lost to the ether. Then again, it's right inside the doorway, so who knows?

>>18750168
When we're more powerful we may as well go back for both if the opportunity arises.

>>18750168
It's probably not a good idea to go back into the place that almost swallowed you whole.

Besides, it would make giving you a choice to leave it or take it pointless if you could just go back and grab it now.

>>18750181
Yup. I wanted to do horror in the jungle, but I wasn't quite sure how to do that with the setting I had written out, so I said fuck it and just went full on Eternal Darkness WTF mode.

And shit guys, you've foiled my plans. I was going to have Naliah die horribly here, but you just had to be selfless, didn't you? Now instead of ending the quest on a somber note, we're stuck with some FUCK YEAH.

Dammit /tg/.

>>18750168
I'd say the shard's in the safest place possible right now in terms of storage. The expedition of the dawn may be able to track it to the temple, but I doubt they can do anything to get it. Also, now that the shard is no longer with you I don't think they can track you anymore since it would appear that they track shards, not people. Also, the entities within the temple can't get at it since it radiates light.

>>18750159
Found the quest in the archives, and I'm glad I was able to make it for the end of this one. I don't remember seeing it so forgive me if it's already been asked but why don't you use the /tg/ dice roller? Just curious really.

Horror isn't usually my bag, so I'm glad that it looks like the story will get back to kung fu fightan and more adventure.

>>18750240

Rolling my own dice allows me to fudge it for dramatic reasons.
I'm not sure if it good or bad, but I haven't messed with any rolls that mattered too much. I fucked around with things like if you hit the Squat in your first fight or not. I figured it would be a good way to show off its extreme hardiness and regeneration, at least in a better way than having some animal do it.

>>18750204
Kudos to you for rolling with it my man. That's a big plus in my book [for what it's worth].

>>18750268
I'm not much of a railroader. I've seen too many bad stories on /tg/ and from my friends to walk that road on purpose.

Besides, players fucking over my plans just makes things better for both of us: you get to feel important because your actions actually have consequences, and I have to find new ways to deal with your actions (and fuck ups).

>>18750263

Ah I see. So on a scale of 1-10 where would shun be in regard to his mastery of the Fist of Shadow? Have we ever seen Sifu do really crazy shit with it?

>>18750288
Sounds good.

>>18750324
Shun's at the high end of a 2, low end of 3. He hasn't *seen* Sifu do any crazy shit, but he's certainly heard stories. Like that one time he walked on his own shadow from a cliff to a tower to murder a corrupt noble.

Crazy shit, bro.

>>18750338
Last question from me for the night. Would it be possible for us to look at advanced skills in the training manual to see what foundations we need to acquire them? It may help us pick when we learn a new technique.

>>18750374
Sure. I'll write them up for the next quest.

>>18750379
Sounds awesome. It's been a fun read so far. Keep up the good work man. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the world as Shun explores it.

>>18750409
And I'm looking forward to writing it.

I know you're out there, Martial Arts Artist. I've grown to expect more than one question from you, but I'm getting tired. Drop a question/feedback and I'll answer/read it in the morning.

And that goes for everyone reading this. I'll see you guys Friday afternoon for the next thread.

>>18750472
Not much out of me tonight.

>>18750483
Not sure how to feel about that.
I'll take it as either I did good, or you're also really tired.

>>18750495
Just thinking about how Naliah clashes with Shun's sensibilities. I would imagine Shun doesn't turn into a slobbering dog in front of her, even if she's the first female his age she's met. I wasn't expecting a perky martial artist who travels "for kicks" and doesn't put much stock in her style.

>>18750515
I agree, actually. I wrote her as a one-off character who was slated to die, but I guess now I have to actually give her a character.
Oh well, I don't have a problem with that.

>>18750535
Nah, nah, that's all right. You can say she decides to part company. Say the hooplah in the temple gave her perspective on things and that she needs to reevaluate. I have no issue with swapping her out. We just saved her because it was the right thing to do.

>>18750554
A good idea.
We'll see. I'll have to think about what to do with her...

>>18750554
That was me, FYI. I keep taking off the name in other threads and forgetting to put it back on.

>>18750578
Yeah, I've been there.
Welp, time for bed. 12 hours of this stuff really grates on you.

See you assholes Friday.

Fuck.

How did I miss this thread yesterday!?

>>18751582
I dunno, especially since we were up all day.