>>4573463
We're back motherfuckers!

You hand over the now empty mug to Guang before facing An Bo. "Well, what interests you?" You ask. "Or what skills do you have? Perhaps we can find a way to incorporate them into the tavern?" An Bo fidgets a bit.

"Oh...I'm just...All I really know is how to make clothing. I'm not sure if that can help the tavern." She says quietly. You think for a moment.

"What about interests?" You ask. "Sometimes passion is all that it takes to start you on the road to a new skill. Hard work and dedication can always compete with with raw talent."

"W-well...I'd like to try and learn how to brew." She says. "Maybe cook? I've always made food while my mother and I traveled but I've never done it for a lot of people at once."

"We're not much of a eatery." Chuanli says. "But food and beer always go together. If you want to try your hand at cooking, I can show you what we serve. Maybe you might come up with some new ideas. I've never been one for cooking nor have I had ever had the time to run a kitchen and a bar with so many customers. Having more hands would definitely open up more options."

"Well it seems like that's two things you can try your hand at." You say. "Is there anything else you can think of?"

An Bo thinks for a moment. "No. I can't really think of anything." She admits.

"Don't worry An." Guang says. "You'll find your place. We'll try everything. You'll find something."

"Just give it your best." You say.

"I will." An Bo says. "...thank you. For everything."

You shake your head. "I didn't do anything. All I did was stumble across a few things. You're the one who decided how you wanted to live. All you need to do is to continue being the one who is in charge of your life. No one else can tell you how to live." An Bo bows and nods.

"You heading out then?" Chuanli says. "Not much to do this late at night."

>What do you say?
>Agree with Chuanli and head back to bed. Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully Xin has some news by the end of it.
>Stick around a bit more and talk. (What do you talk about?)
>Say that you are heading out but go do something else before you go to bed. You think you can push back going to sleep just a bit more though you have been pulling consistent all nighters for the past few days.
>Write in.

>>4573503
>Head to bed

A good sleep is as essential as food.

>>4573503
>>4573507
Yea let's call it

>>4573507
>>4573542
Heading to sleep it is then. Writing.

"Yeah. I've been pulling a few all nighters. I think I need the sleep." You chuckle. "I'll see you guys tomorrow then. If anything happens don't be afraid to look for me." You say as you stand up.

"We will." Guang says giving you a wave. "Assuming it's something I can't handle of course. Gotta fight my own battles."

"Have a good night." An Bo says. Chuanli gives you a nod and goes back to counting up the day's money. You bid your own goodnights and step out into the cool night air. As you walk back to the inn, you look at the night sky and wonder what Xin Lan was up to. Your thoughts then turn to Ming and Renshu working on the formula before you resolve to find or make a few days free for everyone to spend time with one another. You wonder if you could some how make Feburary a free month so you could all celebrate New Years together. Then again it simply seems like problems find you. Still, you weren't one to simply give up at the thought of things going wrong so it wouldn't hurt to at least try and have a month off.

---
The inn is quiet as ever when you arrive. Going up the stairs, you can see candlelight flickering from under Ming's door. You're tempted to knock and say your goodnight but instead you decide to leave the two be. They seemed to be caught up on their work and you didn't want to bother them. You open the door to your room you see that Xin Lan was still out doing their covert work as when you enter, you notice their clothes are still on Renshu's bed. Tired from your days and nights of work, you simply flop on the bed and bury yourself in your blankets. Sleep promptly finds you and for the third night in a row, you enter into a dreamless sleep.

---
You awaken the next morning as sunlight pours on to your face meaning you slept in as you're usually up earlier than this. Yawning, you're at least grateful for a restful sleep and as you are getting out of bed you see someone else fast asleep. Rather than move their clothes aside, you see that Xin Lan simply buried themselves in the pile of clothing and blankets before going to sleep. Their ears cover their face and you find it oddly fitting for them to have done so despite the fact they were still learning about emotions. Perhaps they were finally forming a personality or perhaps they were simply too tired to do so. Nonetheless, you stretch and get ready for a new day.

>What do you do?
>Go get breakfast. See if the bakery is open and bring everyone something to eat.
>Get to work. Might as well patrol for the day. Xin said they would probably need another day to talk to the mayor and you plan on asking Renshu for help this afternoon leaving you with a full day to do something.
>Try and go back to sleep? You're not sure if you can but the sheets do look awfully tempting.
>Wake up Xin. See if they have any new info on the noble.
>Write in.

>>4573586
>Get everyone breakfast.

Be the best big brother

>>4573586
>Go get breakfast. See if the bakery is open and bring everyone something to eat.
Get some food and check in

>>4573602
>>4573669
Sorry was making food. Getting breakfast for the friends. Writing.

You quietly open the door to your room and step out. The white rabbit doesn't stir or make a move or at least pretends not to. Once your in the hallway, you make your way out into the streets and towards the bakery. The two bakers were uncharacteristically calm this time. As they approach you, they give you a smile and wave.

"Hello there!" The woman says cheerily. "Wonderful morning isn't it?" You nod.

"A bit chilly but I always felt that helped me wake up for a nice run." You admit.

"Oh not for us!" The woman says happily as she sorts some baked goods. "We'd much rather huddle near the oven but that just makes the mornings nicer."

"What can we get you?" The man says.

"Do you guys still serve breakfast? A friend of mine came by here once and brought some delicious food." You ask.

"Oh that's nice of you. It's nothing amazing but yes we have some nice poridge right now. Freshly made!" The man says.

"I'll take some of that, some of that bitter tea. My brother liked that. Can I get some soup as well with some bread?" You look around a bit more. "You have any fried goods? I know someone who loves those and then just some sweet teas." The two bakers eagerly gather your rather large order as you count your coins. Soon enough you have a large bundle wrapped in a large cloth. You pay the two and gather all your things in both your arms. "Thanks." You say placing the coins on the counter and heading back to the inn.

---

Setting down the large bundle on your bed, Xin Lan is still fast asleep. You watch them sleep for a bit as you hesitate to wake them up. Your hesitation ends when you start to feel like a bit of a creep and you gently poke the rabbit's head. Your friend stirs for a bit before pulling the blankets tightly. "Ming...five more minutes. Stripes can come and wake us up later. You can run with the big guy." You gently shake Xin Lan a bit before they open their eyes and look at you. "Oh, it's you." They mumble sitting up and staying wrapped up in their blankets.

"Good morning to you too." You say amused. "Funny, I figured you'd be the kind of person who didn't care what time of day they awoke."

"I don't. I just like pretending I'm not." They say as their nose wiggles. "Food?" They ask. You nod.

"Yes, food." You say ruffling their ears. "You need me to step out while you get dressed?" Xin Lan responds by simply hopping out of their sheets. Luckily for you, they're still fully dressed in their stealth outfit as they dig into the bag. You tell them what's theirs and step out to go get the others. You knock gently on Ming's door and a few moments later, a very disheveled Ming pops her head out. She let's out a groggy noise that you think is a greeting. "I have food." You say gently. "Bought some more stuff from the bakery. It's in my room. Unless you want me to feed it to Xin. Got some things for Renshu too." Ming gives you a small nod and slinks back into her room. You give her some space and head back to your place to unpack the rest of the meals. Soon enough, your friends walk in albeit a bit tired looking and you all start to eat.

>What do you do?
>Eat in silence. Seems like everyone is still shaking off last night.
>Start a conversation. Maybe that will get everyone more alert. Something not work related.
>Ask about everyone's tasks. Maybe a bit more focused conversation will get everyone going.
>Write in.

>>4573821
>Eat in silence. Seems like everyone is still shaking off last night.
Just enjoy the food.

>>4573821
>Start a basic conversation
What do you think of the food?
You know, I've recently got a new sensation, that I can sense where you all are.

Just some silence then light stuff to break it up but the last topic will get their attention. I think Renshu will like that.

>>4573821
>Eat in silence. Seems like everyone is still shaking off last night.
Let everyone wake up a bit

>>4573831
>>4573827
Just gonna be quiet for a while. Let everyone wake up. Writing.

I have to say op, I am proud that you picked this up when the og OP fucked off back in thread 1

>>4573945
Thanks! I'm happy people are enjoying it. Honestly expected everyone to lose interest after the first thread considering how back and forth it was between if it was still alive, who was the new QM, and where the game was going.

You sit down on your bed to enjoy your meal. You're friends still seemed to be rubbing the sleep from their eyes as they ate and the warmth slowly spreading throughout the room didn't seem to be helping. Though soon the weary looks were washed away with looks of contentment. Once again the food from the bakery was of excellent quality. Perhaps this is what people meant when they said that you could taste the love someone put into their food. At the very least you could tell that the bakers were passionate about their craft and every ounce of effort went into their creations.

"Good..." Xin Lan says quietly as they lean against their brother sleepily. Renshu pats their head gently as he takes a drink from his tea. Of all the people, he seemed to be the one fully awake now. Ming yawns and stretches.

"This is sooo good." She agrees. "I could go back to sleep now but then the food would go cold."

"What happened to all that endurance training?" You teast taking a bite out of a sandwich. "Thought you were supposed to be able to go on forever." Ming gives you a smile.

"The food it too powerful." She says taking a drink of her sweet tea and dipping her bread into the soup.

"It does seem like the bakery here weilds some unnatural control over flavor." Renshu jokes. "Enough that even our vast endurance is no match. Which is why I reccommend you go order a cup of my tea."

"No...it's gross." Xin Lan says groggily. "No gross stuff after good food." They yawn and stretch as well trying to fight off the sleep. "Can we all just nap for the rest of the day? I feel like we've earned it."

"I'm afraid we still have work to do." You say. "We only have a few days left here if we want to stick to the one week limit we placed. Need to finish up."

Xin Lan grumbles a bit and grabs a cookie. "When'd you become the no fun patrol? I told you his job was a bad idea. Now he's policing us in our own sleeping quarters." They say waking up a bit more. "I need to talk to the mayor then."

"Renshu and I need to finish up our formula." Ming adds. "We're close. Just need to test a few more alteration and we can start making our final batch that we'll use."

"What will you be doing today?" Renshu asks politely.

>What do you say?
>Say that you wanted to ask Renshu for help today.
>Say that you'll just be earning a bit more money just in case.
>Say that you'll be checking up on An Bo's mother. She mentioned that the husband to be in the arranged marrige was supposed to arrive yesterday. Best you make sure she don't have anything planned.
>Write in.

>>4574036

>Say that you'll just be earning a bit more money just in case.
>Say that you'll be checking up on An Bo's mother. She mentioned that the husband to be in the arranged marrige was supposed to arrive yesterday. Best you make sure she don't have anything planned.

>>4574172
I'll support but I will also add
>Wanted to ask Renshu for help later.

>>4574172
Support, but try to not be direct with the mother with no name, if she sees us she will probably screech louder than a banshee.

>>4574172
>>4574260
>>4574415
We got guarding to do and mental health in the afternoon. Writing.

Also I just realized Renshu is alive again. So you've averted sad end #2. Didn't plan on that. Nice job anons. No sad buns on that front.

>>4574421
>One of the bad ends involved Renshu being his undead self
NANI?!

>>4574444
>Implying Renshu was still around in that ending.
That ending was far sadder than that

>>4574446
>Implying saddest ending isn't Tai Lung being forced to slay Renshu, thus causing a string of events that leave china in ruins with only Ming able to face him in mortal combat for The dark soul The dragon scroll to unfuck the situation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y2NBCVdyJ4

"I'm going to keep working." You say as you swallow a bite. "A bit of extra coin won't hurt. Plus I want to go check on An Bo's mother. Maybe it's just me being stubborn or the fact every one we faced didn't know how to cut their losses but I don't think that woman will take what happened sitting down."

"Clearly she's the greatest threat China has ever faced." Xin Lan teases. "I say just leave it. Best to not give her anymore reason to go around yelling."

"Do you really thing she can cause anymore trouble?" Ming asks. "I mean, her daughter spoke up againt her. It's not like her mom can force her to get married."

"Major trouble isn't really what I'm worried about." You admit. "But being a nuisance and harassing innocent people is." You take a drink. "Other than that, I'd like some help with something Renshu." Renshu gently lowers his cup.

"Yes?" He asks curiously. "What can I do to assist?"

"With some meditation." You admit.

"Certainly." He says. "I can make some time this afternoon. I'm sure we'll have most of our alchemical work done by then."

"And I can use that time to get some food." Ming says. "It's been a while since we've all eaten dinner together. Or I can nap. I'm sure Xin would like some company given how I find them buried under their sheets." She says giggilng.

"That was one time!" Xin Lan shouts. "Those sheets were super comfy. I saw you black out the moment your head hit the pillow too."

"How would you know that if you were fast asleep?" Ming counters with a grin.

"I...just know is all. When you're fully trained, you'll be able to do that same." They argue.

"Right. I look forward to that." Ming laughs. You and your friends continue to talk through breakfast but as always, the food and drink run out and you're all forced to face the fact that it's time to get back to work. Once your room was cleaned up, you all say your goodbyes and depart to get your tasks done.

>What do you do?
>Go to the guard station. Get paid and see what's up.
>Go on patrol. Make sure things are still settled down before you get on doing anything else.
>Go shopping. You have some coin on you now. Perhaps you can go buy something you've forgotten.
>Write in.

>>4574473
>Go to the guard station for pay and to get a sitrep

Considering it can never happen now, the sad end was "triggered" in the event Xin Lan somehow learned to feel again. See, Renshu was bound we previously mentioned and that was because Xin Lan did it. Once the younger sibling realized they had murdered their only family left, for a brief moment they felt truly and utterly alone. Unable to deal with both that fact and feeling these emotion for the first time, Xin unknowingly bound Renshu to the mortal realm so they wouldn't be alone. But seeing as they didn't know, they retreated back into their emotionlessness and assumed Renshu was truly dead. When Xin Lan finally got their emotions back or when they finally realized that Mind and Tai Lung where their friends in more than just the litteral definition. When they truly felt in their heart what their friendship meant...well Renshu's "task" as it were, to keep Xin Lan company, would be complete and Rensu's spirit would move on. And you know how that would go.

So the bad end is more bittersweet? Mostly because at the time I hadn't figured out the whole afterlife judge thing. Basically the moment Xin Lan found happiness, it would be time to for them to say goodbye to their only family. Had a nice speech written where a teary eyed Xin would hold Renshu's fading hand as he introduced his friend for the "first" time. But as running a game always goes. Players find a way to circumvent a GM/QM's plans and I think thats what makes running a quest fun. Keeps you on your toes and forces improv.

>>4574481
See, friendship kills.
True loyalty to your friends saves lives.

>>4574484
the true final boss of this quest is finding the perfect gifts for all of your relatives. Brother Renshu and Xin, and sisters Ming and Xin. Also convincing dad that he techincally is related to rabbits now. In a weird "I swear my life to you." kind of way. Holidays at the Jade palace will be fun.

>>4574495
>Brother Xin and Sister Xin

XIIIIIIIIIN! YOU DON'T GET TWO GIFTS JUST FOR CHANGING YOUR DRESS!

>>4574495
Shouldn't we have to give gifts to Master Tigress too? Since she is also technically our sister?

>>4574473
>Go on patrol. Make sure things are still settled down before you get on doing anything else.
>Go to the guard station. Get paid and see what's up.
Do our job and get paid.

>>4574502
I think she'd just appreciate us never coming back, and/or the opportunity to try and beat us senseless.

>>4574497
That legitimately sounds likes a conversation that would happen.
>>4574502
I said final boss not hidden super boss. Although the thought of Tigress begrudgingly taking your gift and secretly liking it sounds super wholesome and cute. But yeah, she's your step sister. Both you and her are adopted by Shifu.

>>4574507
Do not invoke the power of tsundere step-sister Luo, you are already meddling too far with the wacky misunderstandings, headpats and lewd comments with Xin.

>>4574511
I am stepping to close to Chaos, I must practice self control. Though to be honest, Tigress seems more like the person who'd go the opposite route. She'd plainly tell you how she felt. Both you, Shifu, and her are like that. Blunt and to the point though in TL's case, he's kind of moving away from that or at least trying to temper it.

>>4574512
I'd also honestly think her contempt would taint any sense of 'like' that she had about any gift.

>>4574505
>>4574477
Taking these votes and I'll get to writing.

Maybe I'll do a noncanon thing for chirstmas. Just for fun.

You decide to make a quick stop by the guard station to see how things are going. You doubt there was anything going on that was increably threatening but it wouldn't hurt to have a look. When you get to the station the two guards look somewhat surprised to see you. You give them a wave before they approach you. Confused you ask, "Something wrong?"

"Captain wants to see you." The procupine says. "We were just about to go look for you."

"But we couldn't decide who was going to go look." The monkey admits. You supress the urge to sigh. Instead you say,

"Well it's lucky that I decided to drop by. Mind showing me the way?" The two guards nod and lead you to the back of the guard station where the captain's office was. Stepping in, you see that the desk had been replaced with a rather basic table and the office itself was much tidier than before. All the papers were cleaned up and the maps were put away. The captain motions the two guards away and you close the door behind you.

"Captain." You say politely and then go quiet to wait for the man to respond.

"I got a visit from the mayor this morning." The captain says. "He says someone came to him with a complaint. Would you like to know who it was?" You don't respond but instead find yourself standing straighter. The captain's tone reminds you much of your father when he was lecturing you and you can't help but following old habits. "The mayor insisted I fire a certain guard. Something about an abuse of power. Overstepping their bounds. For once, I find myself in agreement. Leave your badge on the desk. You're fired." The captain goes to pull a file from a nearby shelf and moves to study it.

>What do you do?
>Hand in your badge and leave. You don't need it to do good.
>Point out how out of character this seems. You just got a raise and now you're being fired? Not to mention that the captain didn't seem to be the one to capitulate to random demands from the mayor and An Bo's mother.
>Don't turn in your badge. Say that you won't be pressured to quit and neither should the captain be forced to do something.
>Ask to keep your job. Point out how what you did was the right thing to do and was well within your rights as a guard.
>Write in.
>

>>4574567
>Hand in your badge. Now that we're not a guard, is there's anything he needs done off the books?

>>4574567
>Point out how out of character this seems. You just got a raise and now you're being fired? Not to mention that the captain didn't seem to be the one to capitulate to random demands from the mayor and An Bo's mother.
>Hand in your badge and leave. You don't need it to do good.
It doesn't really matter, when we uncover the noble (if he isn't just an idiot), take down the raider camp and recover the scroll we can deal with the mayor's corruption/incompetence.

>>4574567
>Hand it in
>This seems a little odd and for the record we didn't abuse our power. Can we get an explanation?
>Any other troubles needs doing?

We don't need the job or pay really, but I'd like to know why. And it amuses me to imagine that TL doesn't act any different when he's handed in the badge, just going on to make sure that the day is made better..

>>4574578
maybe rephrase this to
"Are there any other troubles around town". Saying it like >>4574571 does implies that we are offering to do more illicit or underhanded actions for the captain, which can be taken poorly.

>>4574571
>>4574574
>>4574578
We don't need no stinkin badge but something is sketchy about all this. Writing.

You remove your badge from your pocket and place it on the table. "Bit odd." You say. "Didn't think a raise constituted a warning for being fired or the fact that you're listening to the mayor and his cronies. What exactly were you told?" You ask. "That being said, now that I'm no longer a guard. Have you heard any rumors of trouble in this town?" The captain looks up from his file and looks at you.

"You're a good guard." He says. "Someone I could have used in my squad back in the day. Someone who's too talented to simply have stumbled around here by accident. I'm not a idiot. A snow leopard just happens to walk into my office, one who is built like a monster and walks around in the way only a man of war can? Considering all that's happened, I'm surprised you even decided to join the guard. It's lucky for you that I was too busy to take notice for the first few days. At the moment it doesn't matter. I need a man who can get work done. If you were the person behind the attacks on the villages, I'd have heard more from you."

"I'm not but in all fairness, what gives you the idea that I'm not the one behind everything?" You ask.

"Well for starters, you're coherent." The captain says. "All reports from what few refugees we've gotten stated that the attackers spoke some kind of forgein language. Could be japanese for all we know but the fact was they spoke nothing else other than their own native language. You're also meddling with the love affairs of a trader. Even if it was an excuse to survey the town, you'd be better off simply watching from a distance. You're too conspicuous to be wandering around town anyways."

"Bit of a roundabout way of doing things but why fire me? You could just have assigned me to it as part of my job. I'd have done it." You say. "Unless that woman is pressuring you to do so."

"While both are true, they're unimportant." The captain says. "That woman is loud idiot and I don't have time for her. Frankly I'm looking for any reason to throw her in a cell for a few days. What's more important is I need someone who isn't working for the guard."

"Keeping your job safe? I don't play those kinds of games." You say.

"I'm keeping both of us safe. More importantly, I'm keeping this town safe." The captain replies. "By firing you, I'm throwing suspicion off the both of us. If I send one of my guardsmen to do this then I'm basically outing ourselves."

"And what exactly do you need me to do?" You ask warily.

"I need you to go and survey Xiqi." The captain says. "This whole fiasco with the noble has been bothering me. The mayor is an idiot as well and he maybe looking after himself first and foremost but even he should have seen how odd of a request this should have been. He was too eager to do as he was told."

"I'm not sure." You admit. "People can be that stupid. You don't think the mayor has some ulterior motive do you?"

"Not sure. However, I want to make sure the people I sent are safe or at the very least I have can at least let their families know they're no longer with us. If the mayor catches wind I dispatched another guard to Xiqi and he is somehow tied to the raiders then it'll give them more reason to strike here in retaliation. Furthermore I want you to look into this buisness with the noble while you're there. See what you can find out or if there's any tracks you can follow. If this town falls then at the very least I want to make sure the others are on their guard."

>What do you say?
>Write in.

>>4574683
>I'm sorry to say that my friends and I are already ahead of you on that. We've been in town preparing for an expidition for investigating Xiqui and to deal with the raiders. They are led by a female snowleopard, that part is no lie but she speaks some broken chinese and they are [either mongols/not japanese, depending on what we know], and they have something in their possession that will threaten the entire royal family. As it is, we need 3 more days to be ready and I've already sent a friend to see if the town is in ruins.

>>4574683
>Well Captain, you are in luck, because me and my companions were already planning how to investigate and stop the raiders, and we been trying to investigate this noble since you talked about him.

>>4574738
Also maybe mention we already sent someone to scout it out and are waiting for them to return (I don't know if he will believe we can talk to elementals)

>>4574705
>>4574738
Sorry captain. We're already on it. Writing.

>>4574751
Could also tell him our assumed name, Xeubue, wandering kung fu master, as a sort of "proper" introduction.

"Lucky for you Captain, I'm already doing that." You say. My friends and I have been in town preparing for an expedition to Xiqi and how to deal with the raiders. According to our intel, their leader is a femal snow leopard though I don't fault the survivors for not paying attention to those details. She can speak Chinese though it's heavily accented. We're still not sure what her nationality is. What we do know is that they are in posession of something that threatens the enire royal family and the stability of China as a whole. Though The Five have been notified, we can't wait for them." The captain looks you, stunned. "We're very good at what we do." You say. "For now though, I'm sticking to what's going on in town. If there's anything you need me to do, I'll be happy to help."

"But what of the mayor?" The captain asks.

"As far as we know, the raiders have acted independantly of anyone in town." You say. "That's not to say they have had not help just that we've not found evidence of it. It could be possible that this noble might be in league with them or they're simply very incompetent. The mayor simply seems incompetent. He's looking for an easy way to rise in the ranks or to look good. Talks to anyone who seems to have any form of influence. Sounds about the same for that lady friend of his. I already have someone investigating him and his connection to the noble, we'll see if anything turns up by the end of the day I hope."

The captain nods. "That's...good." He says. "Not used to being preempted by someone." You shrug.

"I don't usually work with people." You admit. "Having a group to work with is a fairly new experience for me. Just so happens that we all work well together."

The captain stays quiet. "I don't suppose you'd admit to it..." He starts. "But are you special forces by any chance?"

>What do you say?
>Say that you are. It's not entirely a lie. You and your team certainly are special all things considered.
>Say that your identity is on a need to know basis. He can come up with his own conclusions.
>Smile and say you have absolutely no experience with the military. This job as a guard is your first every interaction with it. Ask what he means about special forces.
>Say that you're just a passing through martial artist. Things kind of just found their way to you.
>Write in.

Gonna go make lunch. Be back in a while.

>>4574886
>Smile
>"I've no experience with the millitary, I'm just a man who tries to fix things and help others, be the mountain to break the wind of misfortune as well as he is able. Do I act like your special forces?"

>>4574886
>You won't like hearing this, but it's important that you do anyways. I'm Tai Lung, and I'm doing everything in my power to repent for my unforgivable crimes. I can't take back what I did, but I can still help the ones that I've hurt.

>>4574895
>>4574886
Support

>>4574899
Lets do like we always do, and leave the name until we leave.

Once we have the mongol's leader and hand her off, we can tell him our name. Until then, we work together with our false one.

>>4574886
>Say that you're just a passing through martial artist. Things kind of just found their way to you.
Just your friendly neighborhood martial artist.

>>4574914
ech
you're all still cowardly about it, i see

>>4574924
And you are still leaning upon hopes that they permit us to continue rather than use force to stop us, which would end with their breaking, I see.

But no matter. There will come a time where we are no longer seen as the monster we were and our name will see more widespread use.

>>4574924
Not him, but I personally find that revealling our identity after finishing the job and then moving makes a better history.

>>4574936
Our actions can't then be multiplied by the preconceived notions they have about us.

Xuebu the leopard gets into a bar fight with a drunk, then after some talking the truth that the drunk started it can come out.
Tai Lung does the same, and he's tried to murder another guy.

Apply the same principles to insults, mistakes, going off on your own and any matter relating to trust. It's working with a mill around your neck for no real reason.

>>4574895
>>4574905
>>4574919
Taking these votes. Writing.

"I have absolutely no experience with the military." You say with a smile. "I'm just a passing through martial artist who tries to fix things and help others. Be the mountain to break the winds of misfortune as well as he is able. Do I act like special forces?" You ask slightly amused.

"Well you're certainly far more competent than most people I've met in the military." The captain grumbles. "I'll pay you when you get back. You'll get your severance pay on the way out." He says as he buries himself in his papers again.

"Is there anything else you need help with?" You ask.

"Just don't cause trouble." The captain says. "You're technically still a guard." He adds pushing the badge towards you. "I fired you 3 days from now and as far as the mayor is concerned I didn't see you until then. But you sure as hell did your job correctly. Didn't see any abuse of power." You grin and grab the badge off the table. As you turn to head out the captain finishes with, "If you ever want to settle down. We'll always have a position for you here."

You nod. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." You say before closing the door behind you and heading towards the front. You ask one of the two guards for you pay and are given another bag of coins. That's probably what the captain meant by severance pay. At the very least it'll keep you and your friends going for a while. You give your thanks to the two guards and head out to patrol once more.

---

The town itself seemed a bit more empty today. There were empty stalls in the market place and not as many people were wandering around. You wonder if it was because the weekend was around the corner and people were simply a bit more lax today. It's not until you reach the traders camp when you see another facet behind the town's emptyness. Many of the traders had left, leaving large open spaces in the camp grounds. Asking around, you are told that trading season is coming to an end. Many of the merchants have sold as much as they could and were moving off to another town or had bought what they wanted and were ready to do the same. It made sense though their presense certainly made a difference. It also meant less people to hide around when you wanted to check up on An Bo's mother.

>What do you do?
>Sneak around. You're pretty good at it and there's still enough people to try and hid around.
>Ask around town to see if An Bo's mother has been causing trouble. Best you get information before you confront her.
>See if you can find the supposed husband. You know most of the people in town by now. You should be able to find a new comer.
>Write in.

>>4575146
>Ask if she's been causing trouble or if there is a new comer in town
>Avoid being seen by the mother as much as we are able.

>>4575146
>See if you can find the supposed husband. You know most of the people in town by now. You should be able to find a new comer.
We know nothing about him and his family, so time to fix that.

I kinda wanna know how badass spec ops are if he thinks we are one of them.

Though granted, we've only displayed a keen mind and will to power (charisma to enact change), so maybe they are not sterling fighters but rather really clever motherfuckers.

>>4575163
Well, we showed up out of nowhere with a team, start looking for the rumor mill while embedding in the local power structure, had a lot of intel, specially very sensitive giving that's about the wellbeing of the royal family, deduced the location of the raiders while the captain didn't notice. It sounds like something a spy for the crown would do. And we didn't fight anyone so the captain isn't really comparing power levels, right?

>>4575186
Competent yeah, but special forces is quite a conclusion to leap to.
Not impossible and probably a subject of his millitary incination, but still

File: Name's Lung, Tai Lung.png (671 KB, 1280x720)

671 KB PNG

This talk of super spy Tai Lung inspired me to do this.

>>4575676
This is the dumbest thing I've ever seen

I love it!

>>4575676
That is hilarious. I love it.

>>4575153
>>4575155
Sneaking around to see if there's anyone new in town. Writing.

>>4575676
>Meatbun, steamed not fried
>The name's Lung, Tai Lung.

You dip back into a crowd. For now, observing from a distance would serve you best. Better than confronting or being caught by An Bo's mother. You move around the edges of the camp and keep a look out for anyone new in town. The supposed groom to be should have arrived by now and with all the traders leaving town, it gives you the best opportunity to find him. Keeping your distance you ask around the camp and in the market place if there was anyone new in town. Most people simply shrug and offer little help though you don't blame them. The average person doesn't pay much mind to others, especially when dozens of traders are flooding the town and then leaving. However, one or two mention that they think they saw a new cart arrive recently though they're unable to point it out to you.

After a while of questioning, you see the old clothing mender walking towards you with their cane. "Officer." He says and you raise a hand in greeting.

"Is there something I can do for you?" You ask and the old man nods.

"I'd like to report some suspicious activity." He says. "Someone came into my shop yesterday asking for that young girl you mentioned."

"Did they say why they were looking for?" You ask. "Who was asking?"

"It was this tall man. Bulky and well built. I'd say he was some kind of smith. Had the smell of metal on him. Says he was looking for the young lady who was meant to be married but wouldn't say why. When I asked what he meant, he would only say that she needs to return where she belongs."

"What did you tell this man?" You ask.

"Nothing. I told him to leave my house. I don't want anything to do with that." He says. "But I also don't want some poor child coming to harm because of my inaction. I've never met her but if Chuanli is willing to house her then I assume she's a good girl. It wouldn't be right if she's dragged back to marry that brute. Not right at all." The old man shakes his head.

"I'll see to it that this is all cleared up." You say. "If something is going on then I'll get to the bottom of this."

"I hope you do." The old wolf says. "This town isn't much for this kind of drama. We simply want to live in peace not be the stage for someone's romantic trists."

"I assure you, that the only one here causing trouble is the girl's mother." You say. "Anyone else would have seen that what they were doing is wrong or at the very least attempt to compromise. If there's nothing else, I'll get to work." The old man nods and bids his farewell before slowly walking away.

>What do you do?
>Go find this mysterious man. He's probably the groom and is none to happy that his deal is falling through.
>Go confront An Bo's mother. This has to stop now. It's no longer harassment, she's now actively consipering against someone.
>Go to Chaunli's tavern. Warn the family that things have starting heating up again and to keep their heads down for a bit.
>Write in.

>>4575796
>Warn the tavern, quickly and quietly.
First things first, inform the people needing protection.

Next on our list is finding the guy

>>4575796
Go to Chaunli's tavern. Warn the family that things have starting heating up again and to keep their heads down for a bit.
>Go find this mysterious man. He's probably the groom and is none to happy that his deal is falling through.
The town guard wont help them, so unless the family has mercenaries Chuanli and An Bo should be safe. We warn them and then go solve the problem directly, after all we still have to medidate with our bro later.

>>4575796
Slightly worried there. The smell of metal could be copper. Which as we all know, is the scent of blood.

An bo was intended for a mercenary warlord perhaps?
He should be a fox, unless something is off with this deal.

>>4575796
I'll back this >>4575808

>>4575825
If he isn't a fox, than it could be a hired guard or mercenary.

>>4575805
>>4575805
>>4575826
Going to warn Guang and the others. Writing.

>>4575837
More time for a martial arts fight!

Shame we can't throw the first punch.

>>4575859
Just catch all of his attacks. It's a classic move.

>>4575884
"You may have 3 strikes without retaliation" Is always a classic martial hero move. Usually reserved for masters though.

You quickly make your way to the tavern, making sure to keep an eye out for any stranger who smells of metal. You make it to the establishment without any issue though you were kind of hoping for some. At the very least that would mean you could catch whoever was searching in the act. For now you'll have to make due with warning the family of what was going on. The tarvern is now emptier than ussual and you make your way to the empty bar. As you wonder where the owners are you hear a shy voice say, "W-welcome. What can I serve you today?" You turn and find An Bo standing there.

"An, already at work I see." You say a bit amused. An Bo nods.

"Yes." She says happily despite her nerves. "I'm only allowed to serve the basic drinks right now. Guang has been teaching me how to mix some but I'd like to get better at that first before I try." She admits.

"What about food?" You ask, trying to calm An Bo down a bit before telling her what's going on.

"Oh, that's not ready yet." She says. "We're trying to find out what we should serve. Mr. Chuanli wants simple basic food but Guang wants to try some new things." An Bo giggles at that. "He's full of ideas."

"But what do you think?" You ask. "Remember that your opinion matters. No more letting people run your life."

An Bo nods. "I'm not sure to be honest, but I want to try and serve food that reminds people of home. At lot of the people I saw here are travelers so I'd like to make them feel more welcome or at least have them feel a bit of the home they leave behind when they travel. I think that would make them want to come back or at least give them comfort." You nod remembering how you and your friends always felt the most content and happy after a good meal. You're not sure about Xin Lan and Renshu but you were sure that you and Ming always felt better after being reminded of home while you ate.

"I think that's a great idea." You say. "Good food and drink always beat travel rations."

"Yeah but it's not an actual suggestion though." An Bo says. "Just a vauge idea."

"A vauge idea is often the foundation for a great result." You say. "Just look at Guang. He said it himself that his drink ideas are just based on what he thinks would go good together and you've seen the results."

"Yeah but...Guang is so smart." An Bo says. "He's always coming up with ideas and suggestions. I don't think I could every do anything like that."

"Nonesense." You say. "All you need is practice and time. As long as your passionate and work hard, you'll acomplish your goals."

"I hope you're right." An Bo says. "I really want to help."

>What do you say?
>Tell An Bo that wanting to help is the first step. She's on the second one already which is doing what she can to help. Soon she'll be the one who others come to for help rather than offering it.
>Ask An Bo where the others are. She seems relaxed enough to hear the news.
>Ask An Bo if she's heard from her mother. Maybe she tried to make contact with the young woman.
>Order a drink and keep making small talk until the others come here. Best that they're here for what you're about to say in case An Bo needs support.
>Write in.

>>4575921
>You're on the second step already, just keep at it.
>ask if her mother has tried to make contact
>Ask where the others are, they should be present.

>>4575921
I'll back >>4575929
Though we might want to tell them individually to keep suspicion down.

>>4575964
Perhaps, we could just tell the dad rather than the other two.

But it's official police stuff to inform them of potential threats.

>>4575921
>Tell An Bo that wanting to help is the first step. She's on the second one already which is doing what she can to help. Soon she'll be the one who others come to for help rather than offering it.
>Ask An Bo where the others are. She seems relaxed enough to hear the news.
They at least need to stay all together, no kidnapping or ambush will happen on our watch

>>4575968
I think An Bo needs to know if she's being a greeter

>>4575996
Which is where the "official police" part comes in.

>>4575929
>>4575964
>>4575973
Sorry about that. Chores got away from me. Writing.

"Wanting to help is the first step." You say. "However you are already on the second one which is doing what you can to help. Keep at it and soon you'll be the one people to come to for help rather than you being the one offering to help." An Bo just blushes at that. Getting a bit more serious you lean in for a bit of privacy. "Has your mother tried to contact you at all?" An Bo stiffens a bit and shakes her head.

"No. I haven't seen or heard from her since I came here." She says. "But I haven't left this building either. Guang says it's safer for me to stay here until we know my mom has left...if she leaves."

"Where is Guang and his father?" You ask.

"Guang went to go buy groceries and his father is in the back room getting another keg ready since we finished one today." An Bo replies. "Did you want to talk to them?"

You nod. "It would be best if we had everyone here but you and Chuanli will have to do. Could we speak in the back?" An Bo nods and leads you behind the counter.

"Did you have a question?" Chuanli asks from the other side as he sets a keg down. "Oh it's you. Something wrong?" He asks clapping his hands out of habit as if he were removing dust from them.

"I have something to report. Thought it would be best if everyone heard it but I can't wait for Guang to get back." You say.

"Then you better say it." Chuanli replies.

"I've gotten word that someone is looking for An Bo." You say. "A tall man who smells of metal. It's not one of the villagers but no doubt it's all tied to her mother. Seems like she won't take no for an answer."

"You think this man is dangerous?" Chuanli asks.

"I don't know but until I do, I think it's best that both Guang and An Bo stay here and keep their heads down just to be safe. I'm already investigating this but I thought it would be best if you and your family had a heads up. As far as I'm aware, they don't know of An Bo's location. Otherwise they'd have checked here. The other townsfolk aren't talking so it's unlikely they'll find An through them. However, this is a public establishment and it's possible they'll simply start checking every store just to be thorough."

Chaunli crosses his arms. "So we're just supposed to hide, eh?"

"I can't make you do anything." You say. "Not as a guard and certainly not as your friend. If you don't like that plan then the next best thing I can ask you to do is to simply be together with at least one person with the other. That way if someone tries something, it won't go unnoticed. You can still operate your establishment and both me and the law will be on your side if someone tries anything within here."

Chuanli grunts. "Well, if you insist." He says. "We'll have to wait for Guang to get back to tell him but if he doesn't show up, we'll come find you." You nods.

"Thank you. I'll come to you as soon as I find any developments or if this thing ends somehow." You say before departing and heading back out.

>What do you do?
>Go talk to more people. With a description, perhaps they can show you where to find the man.
>Head straight to the camp. If this person is with An Bo's mother then you'll probably find them there.
>Go back to the guard station and give the rest of the guards a heads up. Maybe they can help you.
>Simply wander around town. It's not that big and if you begin asking around then it could give the people you're going after a heads up.
>Write in.

>>4576236
>Go talk to more people
>Speed around the town, moving quicker we can probably see him if we move fast

given that the man was talking to the mender a while ago, it's good bets he is still searching the town.
If we do find him, We can simply state that we've heard that he is looking for a young girl and that sounds sketchy as fuck, which is our job to investigate.

>>4576244
Agree, I am picturing this person to try and do the whole physical intimidation to Tai Lung. Very amusing

>>4576244
>>4576346

lol support

>>4576244
>>4576346
>>4576350
We're gonna ask around town and look for the man. Let's see if he can bully someone who is a living weapon. Writing.

You go around town once more, this time asking around with the description of the man. Your search proves much more fruitful this time around than simply asking for new arrivals. Various townsfolk explain that they were stopped by the very same man. Though his apperance and the air around him were menacing, he did them no wrong. The most incriminating act you can gather is the fact that we was quite blunt and to the point which most people found offputting if not slightly rude. You couldn't really fault the man for that. You, yourself, were the same often prefering to simply speak to the point rather than mince words. Nonetheless, he was looking for An Bo and many of the villagers did express concerns of what he might be up to which,again, you could relate to though this did force your hand a bit.

As a guard it was your duty to protect and serve, and as Guang and his family's friend you had a duty to make sure they were safe so you continue your search for this mysterious man. You search leads you around town a bit more before you find your mark. A large brown furred feline was exiting the general store. He was muscular and well built, almost your height as well, though from his frame and muscle mass you can tell he was no warrior. The muscle he built up, according to your expert eye, was through the repetition only achieved through hard labor. It was too focused and overbuilt to be that of a martial artist or weapon weilder who's training would lead them to develop their muscles in a more broader sense. Still, that didn't mean he wasn't a threat. The man walked swiftly and quiet confidence. This surprises you somewhat as you were expecting a more arrogant or cocky stride. One that belongs to a man who is used to getting their way through brute strength and knows people would not stand up to him. Not the quiet stride of a man who is certain of themself but feels no need to prove it. You watch him for a moment and he stops a random townsperson. The citizen seems rather frightened but the man simply speaks to them plainly and waits patiently for an answer. When he receives it, he shows no indication if he is pleased or upset at the response but simply nods and moves on which is when you decide to approach him.

"Hello." You say raising a hand in greeting. The man stops and looks at you but says nothing. Undaunted you continue. "I've heard that you've been looking for a young woman. Is this true?"

For a moment the man says nothing before responding with a, "Yes."

You show the man your badge. "I'm with the guard. I don't mean to offend but you do realize that this would appear to be very suspicious and off putting to many? As such I've been asked to invtigate this."

Again the man simply nods and replies with a simple, "I know." You almost frown, you suspected that it would be hard to get information out of this man but you never thought it would be because of how brief he is rather than willing trying to be decitful. Perhaps a more direct line of questioning would be better.

>What do you say?
>Tell the man that the girl he is looking for isn't here. He should leave before causing trouble.
>Ask the man specifically who they're looking for. You've already been on one end of misunderstandings. Better to not put somone else on that end.
>Ask the man where he's from. How did he come across this town?
>Write in.

>>4576524
>What is your business with her?

>>4576524
> he likes blunt so ask why, if we get an answer that doesn't answer the question, keep asking why.
> If it is benign escort him, if it is not, warn him off

>>4576524
>> he likes blunt so ask why, if we get an answer that doesn't answer the question, keep asking why.
>> If it is benign escort him, if it is not, warn him off

>>4576524
>What's your buissness with the girl.

Best to be blunt

>>4576524
>Ask the man specifically who they're looking for. You've already been on one end of misunderstandings. Better to not put somone else on that end.
Who he is, who he's looking for and why. You know, the basics.

>>4576803
I think that's covered in the "whats your buissness". But if it isn't then forgive my assumption and I'd support.

>>4576571
>>4576590
>>4576594
>>4576652
>>4576803
Being very annoying about asking questions. Writing. Spent all day yesterday doing chores and errands I couldn't do because of a cold.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask. Why are you looking for her?" You say crossing your arms. "You're aware as to why people would be suspect."

The large man seems unfazed by your questions nor do his eyes give away anything and remain stoic. Nevertheless he answers your question, "It's my job." He says. You raise an eyebrow somewhat surprised at the detail of that response. At least the man wasn't giving you short answers to be beligerent. It was just that we was quieter than even you.

"Who hired you?" You ask getting to the point. Depending on his answer, you might actually have something solid to use against An Bo's mother.

"My employers." He says. You nod patiently.

"And what's their name?" You press.

"The Feng family." That name didn't ring a bell though if you had to guess they might be an important trader family if they're tied to An Bo and her marrige.

"Do they normally hire people to search for others?"

"No."

"So why are they looking for the girl?"

"To bring her home."

"Did they tell you why?"

"No."

You stand there a both amused and slowly getting frustrated. The man whoever doesn't seem to be annoyed by your questions and he certainly doesn't seem simple minded. You study him a bit more to try and get a read on him. He was neither nervous nor agitated but his body was tense even for someone who did hard labor. You can't quite put your finger on it however but it doesn't seem that the current situation is the cause for it. Maybe if Renshu were here, he could figure it out. People walking about are casting glances at you and you feel that your slowly losing your covertness by hiding in the public slowly slipping away.

>What do you do?
>Ask if he's ok doing this? Looking for a girl and questioning strangers certain doesn't seem like the kind of job most people would want to do.
>Ask if he has any idea why they would send him looking for the girl.
>He does smell of metal as the mender said. Ask if finding people is his primary job.
>Ask how much he's being paid. Perhaps it can give you the idea of influence his employers have.
>Ask if he knows why the girl is no longer with her family.
>Let the man go. You're probably not equipped to interrogate this man.
>Write in.

>>4578153
>Is finding people his primary job?
>Do you know why the girl is no longer with her family? [Does he give a shit?]

>>4578088
Hope you are feeling better mate.

>>4578153
>He does smell of metal as the mender said. Ask if finding people is his primary job.
>Is he the only one they send?
>Is the girl An Bo?
If there are more we go find Guang, if not we deal with him and the Feng family (ideally peacefully)

>>4578170
Good idea. Though I'm not sure mentioning her name would be good.
Eh, I guess there is no downside, since we can just vanish or refuse him if he attempts to stop us.

But if he's not a bounty hunter naturally, then the Feng family could be holding a debt over his head.
But who else has the name "family" after their name usually? She could have been married off to the triads. Unlikely, but potentially.

>>4578175
They could be minor nobility, be a family of bureoucrats, wealthy traders, arrogant people, the triad or all of the above.
I'm betting on arrogant traders simply because it's the kinda of people the Great Enemy would like to mingle with.

>>4578175
What >>4578184 said. "Family" tends to be a bit of a status symble. When a ummm...family uses it, it's usually to claim great importance. A bit of showing off in the vein of "Yeah we're that family." The only reason that it doesn't crop up that much is because TL has only really hung out with people who don't have much to their family name and most of the people he knows don't actually have family names. Out of your group only Ming has a last name and it's Ming. Her first name is Chan. Xin Lan is a single name (because I don't know how chinese first and last names work and it sounds fancy) and Renshu's "first" name is Wu which is chinese for Shaman so technically Renshu's first name is Renshu. Tai Lung doens't have a last name either. He's adopted and Shifu I presume has one but it's never been mentioned and I like to imagine he went full Jedi and gave it up to become a kung fu master.

>>4578157
Also, I'm feeling much better than a few days ago. Thanks for well wishes!

>>4578156
>>4578170
Asking these questions. Writing.

>>4578184
>>4578191
I may or may not be going through "I want to keep punching criminals" withdrawl.

But I remmebered all our friends names.

>>4578205
Hang in there, we will soon have an entire army to punch

Or the Five. That's always fun right?

>>4578211
Always fun!

>>4578211
Oh, I was worried they would also deduce the location of the raiders, B line towards there with no care and cuck us out of a fight after we spent so much time planning.

>>4578222
>Smash down the gate, Find the five there. Have a dreadful realisation that we've been delegated as clean up
TL: "Wait, that's illegal."

File: 604.png (22 KB, 381x205)

22 KB PNG

>>4578222
I'd never do that to you guys.

>mfw

>>4578235
The five has therefore bit off more than they can chew, and we come in at the end while they are surrounded, making for a humiliating trope reversal of classic chinese wuxia/xanxia fiction of the mentor coming to save their prodigal students, instead now being indebted to their enemy?

>>4578235
It's ok, it just mean they have to give a fight in the bandit's place. Without us holding back.

"Do you know why she's no longer with her family? If it's something underhanded, then I have to know. It's my duty as a guardsman to help." You half lie.

"Kidnapping?" The man says. "Mother was shouting it."

You give the man a look. "What do you normally find people for the Feng family?" You ask warily.

"No."

"What do you do?" You ask.

"Blacksmithing."

"Then why do this?" You ask and for the first time the man remains silent. You wait, assuming he was thinking but he doesn't respond. "Do you even care?"

The man remains quiet for a bit more before saying, "Yes."

"Have they sent anyone else?" You ask.

"No."

"What's the girls name? If she's kidnapped then why haven't her parents come to tell us? Is there a note?" You ask.

"An Bo." The man says quietly. "and I don't know."


>What do you do? (Writing for a man who replies in single words is harder than I thought.)
>Let the man go. Go confront An Bo's mother. Making false claims of kidnapping is too far.
>Go find the man's employers. Maybe they're under the wrong impression. Or they could be just as bad.
>Go to the tavern and get An Bo and Guang. It's time they settle everything once and for all. This is getting out of hand.
>Go get the captain. Things are starting to escalate and it's time the law comes down on it.
>Write in.

>>4578279
>Find the man's employers, maybe get him to tell us if he can.
>Before we leave "It wasn't kidnapping, I can tell you that much."

>>4578279
>Is there any reason for them not to simply ask the guard captain? Sounds more like she ran away.
Let's get him questioning his mission here

>>4578286
Sure, that can work.

Lets not try her mother. Even if we have our excuse of "not been to see the captain" I don't want to use it.

>>4578279
>Go find the man's employers. Maybe they're under the wrong impression. Or they could be just as bad.
Ok, since it's only him, An should be safe in the tavern. Let's go talk with the Feng, although they probably are assholes because no one with a brain would like the Thing, it's better to be sure.

>>4578284
>>4578286
>>4578310
Looks like we're going to meet the Fengs. Writing.

"Why hasn't your employer spoken to the captain of the guard?" You ask. The man shrugs surprising you over the fact he can emote.

"I don't know." He says.

"Even so, how do you know she didn't run away?" You say.

"I don't." He admits. "Not my job."

"I'd like to speak with this employer of yours. Where I can find them?" You ask. The man points towards the trader camp.

"In the camp." He says giving you a description of the man's cart and tent which was more verbose than you expected. You nod and begin to make your way towards the camp before stopping and saying.

"It wasn't a kidnapping, I can tell you that much."

---

You quickly head over to camp and start your search for the Feng Family's cart. According to the man's description, it was fairly elagent with the family crest on the side making it easy to find. Asking the remaining campers, you unfortunately learn that it's at the far end of the camp and right next to where An Bo and her mother are residing. You try to glean some more information about the family but most of the residents have learned to steer clear of that area to save themselves a headache. All that you can learn is that the Feng family members are also foxes which keeps in line with the mother's views, however none can really tell you about the man you just spoke with. While many have seen him, few actually intereacted or paid close attention.

You slowly edge to the family's location, mostly trying to find someone else to talk to before having to actually go there and deal with it but before long you have no other option but to go there. When you arrive, you can already see An Bo's mother wandering around her camp. She seemed to be talking to another much younger fox who was sitting looking rather bored. The young man wore fine silks and to your estimate probably never worked a day in their life. As An Bo's mother rants and raves, he seems to be uninterested and rather put off by her and only seems to be there because he has to. You take some time to watch the camp but you don't see anyone else reside with them. It seems its just those two.

>What do you do?
>Go up and talk to them. It won't be pleasant but you have to do it.
>Try and listen into their conversation. They won't notice you. They're either too bored or to riled up to pay attention to their surroundings.
>Head back and go do something else. Wait a while to try and get the young man alone to talk to. You don't really want to deal with the mother.
>Go talk to your friends. Maybe you can do a few things with them to kill time while you wait for an opportunity. Perhaps they have an update to the work they were doing.
>Write in.

>>4578461
>Try and listen into their conversation. They won't notice you. They're either too bored or to riled up to pay attention to their surroundings.
>Go up and talk to them. It won't be pleasant but you have to do it.

>>4578472
Oh do we haaaaaaave to?

Fine, I'll support. But god damn this woman is worse than the maniac who wants to poison an entire city

>>4578475
Be glad she is just a semi-rich woman. Imagine what she could do with real power.

>>4578479
Hire an army of mercs to kidnap her daughter, allowing us to beat the shit out of them and arrest her on grounds of kidnapping.

Hmm, the blacksmith may just be the Fengs retainer.

>>4578492
She'd probably go after best girl Renshu. Can't let her do that. He's got a younger sibling to look after.
>>4578475
>>4578472
Sneaky eavesdropping. Writing.

>>4579347
>Best girl Renshu
First, that's some heresy.
Second off, it amuses me that she'd hire an army to kidnap Renshu in disguise, before he busts out his moves.

>>4579363
Renshu wouldn't really look that good in a dress due to how muscular he is (Despite the fact his clothing makes him look rather frail and thin) but the idea of someone being fooled by it is hilarious.

>>4579424
Victorian matrons clothing is really concealing.

You move in closer to listen in on the two's conversation. Despite the fact you're utterly silent, you doubt they could have noticed you due to all the yelling An Bo's mother was making and because of this you didn't really have to get too close to hear.

"They've brainwashed my little girl I tell you! Useless mayor doesn't want to do anything! I don't know why I spend time with that buffoon!" She yells. "She thinks being some kind of harlot is ok! And it's all that boy's fault! Not to mention the guard are completely useless!"

The young man seems to sigh and wait patiently for a break in the woman's yelling before speaking up. "Yes, yes. I know. You've told me all this before." He says. "Honestly, you should be grateful that I'm even doing this for you. Any other family of our prestige would have simply left you. After all, you did fail to keep up your end of the arrangement. Why should I have to do all the work?" Despite his exasperation, you can tell he's hiding something else.

An Bo's mother immediately switches from outraged to fawning in a matter of seconds. "Oh yes. We're so greatful that you've taken the time to help us out. The fact that our families will be joining together is such an honor and we couldn't be happier." She says her voice dripping with so much groveling and flattery that it made you rather ill. "But..." She says trying to pitch up her tone to sound more innocent and fragile. "Can we trust that man? He's awfully scary. I'm afraid he might hurt my little girl." The young man sighs once more as if in agreement with your assesment of the woman's actions.

"Chongan will get the job done." He says now idly examining his clothes for dust. "He knows the consequences of failure and what it'll cost him." An Bo's mother adopts a curious look though her eyes reflect gleeful malice.

"What do you mean?" She asks sweetly.

"That is something you don't need to concern yourself about. Just see to it that my wife is ready when she's back." He says walking away to his tent evidentally tired of the conversation. "Once the wedding is complete, you'll get your dowry and we can return back to my family to discuss matters further." He adds and leaves An Bo's mother with a greedy glint in her eyes.

>What do you do?
>Go and speak to them like you planned. (What do you say or ask them?)
>Go and find Chongan, who is probably the man you were speaking to. Ask him something else or try to convince him to stop looking for An.
>Go and arrest An Bo's mother. She's planning to marry An Bo against her will after she said no. That might be enough to put her in jail.
>Go and confront the young man. He seems complicit with all this. Demand that he stop this at once.
>Write in.

>>4579449
>Speak to the young man alone.
This feels like the time to establish what exactly he has over Chongan and why exactly he is so interested in An, since as he mentioned, he should really just fuck off.

Then I guess we can ask him politely to leave. There is nothing there that can be used to convict, though perhaps it may be an idea to get An Bo to make a statement to the guard that she has no intention of ever going back to her mother and any attempt to do so was coerced/force full

>>4579454
Just realized that if Renshu were to face off against Tigress it would be Stripes vs Stripes according to Xin.

>>4579449
>Go and speak to them like you planned. (What do you say or ask them?)
>Go and confront the young man. He seems complicit with all this. Demand that he stop this at once.
Cease and fuckind Desist.

>>4579514
What threat can we leverage anon? Physical violence?

Nay, there is naught that these idiots will listen to or twist against us.

>>4579524
The fact that the captai said he was already looking for excuses to lock up the woman? More importantly, he's talking like a mob boss, no need to actually resort to violence, just need to make sure you look like you won't be pushed around.

>>4579533
But if we can get him alone, go for it.

>>4579533
Aye, but he's more just an asshole noble.

But warn him that if he tries to move her by force, and we will know if he has, then we have grounds to arrest him.

>>4579454
>>4579514
talking to the young man. Writing.

Actually, what exactly do you want to tell him. Other than for him to fuck off. Do you want to ask him why he's so interested in An Bo? What hold he has over the blacksmith and to tell him to stop?

>>4579598
Why he's interested, because there is SOME reason why he hasn't fucked off already for another one.
I'd like to find out why a blacksmith is out hunting for a runaway bride.
And warn him to stop/don't attempt a forceful relocation.

>>4579601
I'm pretty sure this is all that me and the other anon wanted to ask/tell him.

>>4579598
Why he is alone with just a blacksmith, shouldn't some of his family and some actual guards be here? And who he and his family arr for the matter.

>>4579601
>>4579628
Sounds good to me.

>>4579628
Oh, and why he is so insistented on getting her? Is it some political or economical move? Or is he some rich kid who fell in love al a fistance and takes what he wants no matter what?

>>4579630
That could be it, I hadn't considered that a half wealthy woman would meet In high society

You walk up to the camp and the woman's eyes grow wide before returning to a malicious look. Before she can say anything, you walk past her without a word and enter the young man's tent. He turns to glare at you for the intrustion and you point at your badge. "Official guard buisness. I'd like to ask you a few questions. ALONE." You say looking behind you at the woman. The young man waves her away before sitting on a pillow and looking at you.

"What can I do for you officer?" He asks professionally.

"I've gotten several reports of an employee of yours wandering around asking questions about a young woman. It's upsetting the citizens and upon questioning him, I've been directed to you." You explain. "So I've come to clarify a few things." The young man raises an eyebrow before motioning to you.

"By all means officer. Ask away." He says.

"Well for starters, why have you not come to the guard?" You ask. "If you were looking for someone, you could have come to us."

The young man shrugs. "Why would I bother the guard's valuable time with something that is so trivial in comparison to real crimes?" He asks. "Surely, you all have much better things to do than to search for something I can have done? You all look quite busy." He says with veiled mockery.

"Busy or not, our job is to keep the peace." You counter. "You are directly undermining that." The young man gives you a smug smile.

"My sincerest apologies officer." He replies. "If there are any fines to pay then I will gladly pay them as recompense." You resist the urge to frown.

"As of this moment, there are no fines. Just a simple warning." You reply. "But I must ask, the man you have looking for this young woman is a blacksmith? Why send him? I notice that you're alone too. Are you sure about sending him and leaving you here without guards?"

"I trust the guard to keep me safe." The young man says condesendingly. "Furthermore, my employee is quite capable. He is all I need to keep me safe on the roads, as you meant with your question, and to do any tasks I require to be done."

"I presume this it out of choice. Your family seems to be quite well off."

"Of course. The Feng family is well known across China. Even you must know who we are."

"Enlightmen me."

The young man gives you a scathing look. "We are the premire source of smithed goods in all of China. Our weapons and armors are widespread and almost directly requested by the royal family themselves."

"Considering that, you seem awfully insistant on finding this young woman. Seeing as this is an arranged marrige, surely you could find someone else willing to marry you?"

"Knowing that, then you must know she's my betrothed. I would do anything for the woman I love." He says, his lies obvious though he clearly does not care. "If this was purely out of political or economical desire then why would I put up with that woman if there are far more prominent families to seek out?"

You say nothing, clearly caught by your own words. You start to wonder if you're not equipped for this kind of verbal fighting but you press forward. "While that might be true. If it turns out that you're forcing the young woman to marry you against her will. There will be consequences. Love or not, politics or no, she has the final say on if she wants to get married. Am I understood?" You ask.

The young man's voice goes soft and menacing. "Are you threatening me officer?" He demands.

You look right into the man's eyes and match his tone of voice. "No. I'm merely stating facts. An educated man such as you would know that." You turn around. "Have a good day." you say before exiting the tent.

>What do you do now?
>Talk to An Bo's mother. (What do you say or ask?)
>Go find your friends. Perhaps they're done for the day. You did say you wanted Renshu's help.
>Go do something else.
>Write in.

>>4579688
Smug cunt, wanna smash is fuckin ead in.
>Go find your friends.
Must destress.

But I find the attempt at being threatening to be adorable. Little fox with a busy tail who's going to curdle like cream at the name of tai Lung.
No, bad anon, no reverting to evil.

>>4579688
>go find your friends

Sounds like the blacksmith is under some sort of threat.

Might be best to bring both the smith and An bo + friends to a coffee shop or something and get an bo to tell the smith to bugger off.

Stops the smith from trying anything, as I don't think he cares, just does what he is told.

>>4579711
Put a human face to their name. Good plan.

>>4579698
He really has no leverage here. It's not like we can get more wanted if things get physical

>>4579735
That would be true if he was targeting us, not a girl and her sweetheart who we need to leave unattended for at least a week while we sort out the raiders.

As it is, his money makes him dangerous

>>4579698
>>4579711
Gonna find the friends. Writing.

You shoot a quick glare at An Bo's mother before moving past her and heading back to the inn. You think you've had enough of dealing with duplicitous individuals, at least the ones that use deception to further their own selfish goals than helping those in need. You frown a bit and rethink that. As much as they have skills in manipulation, Xin Lan and Renshu rarely lied to you and you'd rather believe that they're open with you than you being unable to catch their falsehoods. You trusted your friends with your life and theirs with you. It was as simple with that. However, perhaps they could use their experience to help you. It was clear that you would need help if you wanted to catch the your current targets in a verbal trap.

You climb the stairs and enter your room where you're surprised to find Ming and the others there. "Sorry!" Ming says. "But we kind of spilled...some things in our room and we're airing it out. It's nothing dangerous! Just...stinky."

"You look tense." Xin Lan says as they lay on your bed, arms under their head.

Renshu opens his eyes from his meditation and eyes you a bit. "Xin Lan is right. Your energy is slightly off as well. Something has frustrated you. Something seems within your grasp and yet just out of reach. It's bothering you."

"Do you need a backrub?" Ming asks. "Renshu gives some pretty good ones."

You rub the back of your neck and sigh. You were pretty wound up and you shouldn't have expected to have kept it hidden from the siblings. "I'll...think about it." You say sitting on your bed next to Xin Lan.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ming asks. "Maybe that can help settle your thoughts."

You nod and give your friends a rundown of your day, your meeting with the blacksmith and his employer. You find yourself venting mostly but it does help keep your mind clear. Once your done you just flop backwards on your bed and stare at the ceiling. "What a vile woman." Ming says crossing her arms. "She's losing her daughter and all she can think of what she's getting out of this. Can't we do anything?"

"Nothing that we haven't sworn we'd never do again." Xin Lan says plainly.

"It seems like this is one of those rare occasions where we cannot convince a person to see the error of their ways." Renshu adds. "The best we can do is have them leave the town and the couple alone. How we'd go about doing this I do not know. Perhaps have the guard tell them they are no longer welcome here?"

"I don't know." You admit. "I just want them to leave An Bo alone. She's happy now and wants to live her life the way she wants. The best I can do is tell them to leave her alone under threat of action on the guard's part." You say thinking for a bit. Your friends go a bit quiet as they too try to figure out some way they can rectify the situation.

>What do you say?
>Ask Renshu about meditating. He seems to be free now if he and Ming are airing out their room.
>Ask Xin Lan if he's found anything out about the noble.
>Ask Ming how the formula is going.
>Go for that back rub? Maybe you do need some help easing up.
>Politely as your friends if they can keep the noise down. You need a nap.
>Ask your friends if they'd like to go get something to eat.
>Write in.

>>4579832
>Ask about the noble
>Ask how the formula is going
>Ask for Renshu's help meditating.

The others don't have to leave, but once the sitrep is done, I think we should try and get back to trying to reach Shenlong. It isn't a nice feeling to be unable to reach our friends on the other side.

>>4579832
>Ask Ming how the formula is going.
>Ask Renshu about meditating. He seems to be free now if he and Ming are airing out their room.

>>4579838
Hell, we could invite the others to join in if they want. Meditation can be surprisingly relaxing, though Xin has said they don't really need it.

>>4579841

Agree

>>4579838
Oh definitely ask Xin if they found anything about the noble

>>4579838
>>4579841
Talking not napping with the bun. Writing.

You turn to look at Xin Lan who is still relaxing on your bed. "Did you find anything out about the noble?" You ask.

"Yeah actually." They say. "You don't know how much flattery and how dumb I had to act to get the information."

"What about paperwork?" You point out. "Couldn't you have avoided speaking with the mayor then?"

"Well that's the thing." They say. "I couldn't find any. Tons of useless expense reports, man loves bean buns and cheese, and several love letters but nothing that would indicate a visit from nobility. There's no letters saying he'd be there, no offical summons or anything. As far as a paper trail goes, the man was never here."

"Is that normal?" You ask your friends.

"Not particularly." Renshu admits. "Most nobles would send a letter ahead of time to have rooms furnished or things prepared for them before they arrive. In the case of official visits from the empire then a letter is always sent unless it's a surprise inspection and that only reserved when something is suspect. From what it sounds like, it simply seems this was a surprise visit."

"But if the noble arrived to ask the town to help a reconstruction, why didn't he simply send a letter asking for aid? It would have been much easier to do that and he wouldn't even need to leave his home." Ming asks. Xin Lan sits up and crosses their legs.

"See that's where this gets fun." They say. "After a bit of talking I managed to wring a name out of the mayor. Turns out our noble is someone very special." The room goes quiet as everyone turns to face Xin Lan with their full attention. "Seems like this town was blessed with the presence of one Lord Hien." Ming and Renshu's eyes go wide and you cough before asking rather embarassed.

"Who...is that exactly?" Everyone gives you a confused look. "I've been in prison for 2 decades remember."

"Right, you wouldn't know from first name alone." Xin Lan says. "So let me rephrase it. Lord Hien Yan, third son of Emperor Yan and third in line for the Yan dynasty."

>What do you say?
>Ask if the mayor could have somehow corroborate this. A prince visiting a town like this would not have gone unnoticed. Furthermore, if this was a son of the Emperor, why didn't the captain say anything?
>Ask if the mayor had any more information on what Lord Hien was doing this far from the captial city.
>Ask your friends for more information on Lord Hien. Last you checked, the Emperor only had 2 children. A daughter and her younger brother.
>Write in.

>>4580556
So the Lord is using the mongols to steal the throne eh?

>>4580556
>Ask your friends for more information on Lord Hien. Last you checked, the Emperor only had 2 children. A daughter and her younger brother.
Hopefully he is a just the youngest, because if he is a legalised bastard or from a concubine, the rest of his family would oppose him even if he just got rid of his brothers, so having a deniable way to remove those too would make it all easier.

>>4580556
>Ask about the lord

This does seem suspect, but if he is only 19 years old or something.

>>4580565
>>4580647
Asking about the Lord Hien. He's probably a bat or something. Writing.

Sorry about that. Got pulled away from the computer due to something. I'll get to writing.

"Last I heard, Emperor Yan only had two children. A daughter and a son. Daughter was supposed to be the next in line to rule." You say. "What do we know about Hien?"

Xin Lan shrugs. "Not much really, he's the third in line to rule should anything happen to his siblings, was born just around the time you were sent to prison if not a bit earlier so he'd be in his 20s by now."

"Much of the public's focus in on his sister." Renshu clarifies. "She the first main family empress China has had in nearly 200 years and the young lord hasn't done much to curry attention. Though there are stories of him being quite studious. Those that have spoken to him all claim he's rather well studied and spoken."

"Some say he's a genius." Ming says. "Others say that he simply works hard and even if he was that his siblings are far more intelligent and skilled than him. He's a boy overshadowed by his only peers. Some even go as far as calling him The Forgotten Paragon because of it. I can't even imagine the kind of pressure he's under. Not only he has to be fit to rule all of China in the unlikely event it falls to him but he has to live up to the standards his family has already set."

"So then why'd he be all the way over here?" You ask.

"Dunno." Xin Lan replies. "Even the mayor didn't say not that he'd have been smart enough to ask. Seems a bit too convenient doesn't it? Had it been one of the Emperor's other children there'd would have been an uproar. Just so happens that it's the one child that no one ever remembers."

"Is he that unknown that even the captain wouldn't recognize him?" You ask.

"That is the beauty of the scheme." Renshu says. When you and Ming look at him in confusion he asks, "Miss Ming could you please describe Lord Hien?" Ming nods then pauses.

"Umm...he's a lynx?" She says awkwardly. "All of the royal family is. I guess he'd be around my height and look younger?" Renshu smiles as if he made his point.

"Miss Ming is increadibly intelligent and yet she cannot describe the young lord. It would be far too much to expect anyone in a town as far as here to know what the young noble would look like either. With a simple cloak, he'd easily be able to hide his identity to passing gazes. He's out of the public perception enough and far away from the captial that most people would not know him at a glance. If he's as intelligent as he's described then he'd easily know that. More importantly, anyone attempting to disguise as him could also capitalize on that fact as well." Renshu explains.

"So the mayor's word isn't a guarentee that the prince was here." You say thinking. "But...how would anyone even prove it? Surely someone would ask for proof. And what about the captain? He was in the military. He should know of the prince's exsistence."

"I wouldn't." Ming says quietly. "Demanding the prince prove himself is...I don't know, unthinkable. Their family was chosen to rule China. You know the stories. It's said that the blood of the dragons themselves flows through their veins. They were chosen by divine providence."

"True or not, I doubt anyone in this town would have the audacity to ask." Xin Lan says. "Considering he's your guys' ruler."

"He's your lord too." Ming says. Xin Lan shakes their head.

"Nope. Stripes and I were born outside of China. Close to the nation but outside just the same." They say.

"Xin Lan is right. We're not citizens of China." Renshu says. "I was raised in Japan as well pushing my nationality further away. However, should we somehow end up meeting one of the royal family, I expect a certain younger sibling to maintain proper courtesy at all times." He says crossing his arms and looking at Xin Lan. "Though they might not be our rulers, they are royalty just the same and demand the same respect that must be afforded to those that own the country." Xin Lan shoots a glare at Renshu.

"Fine..." They say grumpily.

>What do you say?
>Ask something else about the prince. (What do you ask?)
>Go on to ask about the formula.
>Ask about meditaion. The formula can wait until after. (Do you invite your friends?)
>Write in.

>>4580822
>Ask about meditation, Invite the others.
Lets get some peace on. And maybe explain our new tracking ability.

>>4580839
Agree with this

>>4580822
>Go on to ask about the formula.

>>4580822
>Go on to ask about the formula.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>4580839
>>4580857
>>4580864
>>4580865
Steep tie. Just gonna roll for it then.

>>4581032
ara ara~

"Do you really think the Lord Hien is out here?" You ask. "Seems kind of hard to believe."

"Honestly? No." Xin Lan says. "Just doesn't make sense. The guy would probably be barely of age and I bet he's too busy being groomed for the throne."

Renshu nods. "I agree. The young Lord would be much too busy to come here. Even if he had heard of the attacks, it would be far simpler for him to send troops here to help then come on his own. Worst case, the young man would far prefer the luxurious lifestyle of the palace than the hard one of travel."

"Plus, given what we know about the raiders, it would make more sense that they were using it to trick the other villages." Ming replies. "It's the best way to get a good look of the town's defenses and build as well as deprive them of resources and defenses while bolstering their own." Ming adds.

You nod. "Given how the mayor has been described. I bet he'd fall for it if it meant he'd have a chance to increase his status. Just imagine what he'd do if the prince himself arrived to speak to him. We might be lucky that all he did was send supplies. Which is only more of a reason to work faster." You look at Ming. "How's the poison going?"

"Great!" Ming says smiling. "We've nailed down exactly how to make it. All that we need is time to do so. If my room is cleared by tomorrow morning then we can spend a day making it. So we're ahead of schedule. All that's left is to find the raiders."

"The powder is activated with heat as well. It'll break appart and become much more fine and lighter allowing it to be carried by the smoke and wind. Given enough time it should circulate around the camp as you and Xin Lan planned." Renshu explains. "Unfortunately we can't use this on indivduals. It's far too potent. The fact it's being spread out by the flames and wind means it's more diluted and thus safer. As Miss Ming said, we'll just need to find our target and see their camp before planning out how to inflitrate the camp."

"Good. The sooner we can deal with the raiders, the safer everyone will be." You say.

"And the sooner we can rub it into The Five's faces. I bet Mei Ling will be absolutely fuming." Xin Lan says grinning.

"If Mei Ling joined The Five then that would make 6 of them. They'd need a new name." Ming points out.

"I dunno. "The Group with the angry stripey lady who doesn't deserve my brother's nickname" just doesn't have the same flair." Xin Lan replies. Ming just rolls her eyes.

"In anycase, we have some time to spend." You cut in. "Renshu would you mind helping me with meditation?" You ask.

"Certainly." He replies. "I would love to."

You look at Xin Lan and Ming. "Would you like to join?" You ask.

"Yes!" Ming says. "I always wanted to try it out. I heard meditation has so many health benefits and it looks rather pleasant." She admits. "I think it would be a great skill to learn."

"I think I'll pass." Xin Lan says. "Meditation doesn't really do much for me." They say. "Now a nice nap does wonders."

>Where do you go meditate?
>Suggest you go meditate in the woods. The quiet noise of nature can help you all relax.
>Say that you'll do it here. The room is nice and cozy plus it keeps most of the noise of city out. Perfect conditions for a clearing your mind...or napping.
>Near the shrine. It's not exactly a holy site but it might help you and your friends if you feel a certain spiritual sense.
>Write in.

>>4581109
>Try to tempt Xin Lan into meditating with the promise of food. That seems like it'd work.
>Suggest you go meditate in the woods. The quiet noise of nature can help you all relax.
Hmm...we should meditate near a stream. And burn a small fire nearby, both to keep warm and to bring in the last of the four spirits - the breeze brings air, the stream brings water, the dirt brings earth, and the coals bring fire. Maybe put up a really basic shrine out of small rocks.

>>4581109
>meditation in the woods

Gotta have some noises to learn to ignore.

>>4581109
>Suggest you go meditate in the woods. The quiet noise of nature can help you all relax.
Our big friend is tied to the woods as well as the wind right?

>>4581358
Wind rain and rivers I think.

>>4581144
>>4581190
>>4581358
Going to the woods. Writing.

"I'll buy you lunch?" You suggest. "It'd be nice if we were all there. There's comfort in being with friends." Xin Lan seems to think about it for a moment before shaking their head.

"Nah, you'd buy me food if I asked. And I'd do the same." They say and think for a moment before adding. "How about you buy me a drink instead?"

"Just a drink?" You ask confused.

"Yeah. Isn't that what friends do? Go out of a drink together?" They ask. "I want to go drinking with you sometime. I've drunk casually before but that was all lies to get information or steal something. I want to do it for real."

"Deal but I'd have bought you a drink if you asked anyways." You say with a grin. "Just no swapping out your drink with water." Xin Lan gives you a playful punch.

"I don't need to. I can out drink you without cheating." They tease.

"Aww Xin's making friends." Ming teases. "Or are you just trying to get him to buy you all the drinks on tap?" Xin Lan cross their arms.

"I'll have you know that I can buy my own drinks." They say haughtily. "And yes I am making friends. Next time we train I'm doubling you exercises."

"What? You can't do that! That's abuse of your power!" Ming shouts.

"And you're abusing our promise." They reply.

"I'm not. I'm just teasing you is all." Ming shoots back. "Watch your back. Next time you fall asleep you might fall prey to being dressed up. You could use a nice bow in your ears."

"Jokes on you, I can hear you in my sleep and I'm sure my sense of style out matches yours."

"Alright you two." You say gently. "How about we head out to meditate? We can go back to the training spot to do it. Beats trying to do it in a small stuffy room."

"But the bed is comfy." Xin Lan protest as they hop off your bed.

---

The soft rustle of leaves fills your ears and puts you at ease as you step into the small training area again. You can feel the gentle breeze blow past you and you inhale deeply. "This certainly is a scenic location." Renshu says. "Perfect for meditation."

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you meditate growing up." Xin Lan says. "You were just angry all the time."

"I was always meditating." Renshu says. "That is what a weapon does little one. Mental fortitude before raw strength." He ruffles Xin Lan's ears. "And I was never angry. Just focused. Someone needed to be cared for." He says smiling.

"Yeah...focused enough to break a few of my ribs that one time." Xin Lan mutters before stretching. "Alright, so how are we gonna do this then?"

>How do you want to proceed?
>Balance yourself on one of the poles. It could help you focus your mind through intense meditation.
>Take it easy and just sit on the grass. Relaxing may be the key.
>Try to use Chi somehow? Maybe that might have some special effect.
>Write in.

>>4581574
>Take it easy and relax

The means of meditation is to push everything out of your mind, let it all wash away. Once we can do that easily, We can move up to things like meditating in difficult positions.

>>4581574
> Form a massive funeral pyre for the two beasts and remove their taint from this world.
>Take a trophy from each, to present as proof of their death to the wild Vishnu, and find them
Try to focus on the flow of internal chi spots of the body or whatever they are called

>>4581667
Yes...perhaps next time we fight a bat we shall do that.

>>4581667
I think you are a bit lost mate. This is the kung fu china quest where we kick ass and save empires.
You want the Guandao china quest where we kick ass and usurp empires a few threads over.

>>4581674
Now I'm suddenly interested. I'm sure that quest is really good.

>>4581690
Primarch quest, playing the 2and primarch in what is basically china world that is covered in mist and fog.
The protagonist is Lieren the great hunter/benevolent Giant, a primarch who is big on his spirituality and bringing prosperity to the common folk who live under the yolk of corrupt and cruel noblemen.

It's

The vote he was making in this thread related with the killing of men turned monsters, If the context helps at all.
It's a great read, but not the vote for THIS quest.

>>4581701
Interesting. Much to my shame, I know very little of the the 40k universe beyond surface level stuff. The idea of a Chinese styled world would have never occured to me if I ever ran a game/quest in that universe. Props to the QM. Posting is slow today, no doubt due to christmas being two days away. So i'll just take the single vote and write.

>>4581708
They had a mongol themed world, so a chinese one isnt out of place. I would go on, but I dont want to turn our Tai Lung super star quest into a 500 post co creation about 40k. Its prevelant enough as it is

>>4581708
Work needs everything done today. You know the stuff they said yesterday, that didn't need to be done until end of Jan.

>>4581734
Ouch. Good luck with that my guy. I know when work says jump you need to ask how high and you can't do much about it but try not to push yourself too hard and take care of your health. Especially during these times.

>>4581674
This is what I get from copy pasting without checking
The vote was for this:
>Try to use Chi somehow? Maybe that might have some special effect.

>>4581763
Oddly the comment I made was for this one, but the vote was copied from the other one.

You sit on the grass and cross your legs. "By keeping it simple." You say. "The point of meditation is to all your thoughts to wash away and to let yourself simply be. We can do more intense meditations some other time." You pat the grass next to you which Xin Lan takes and sits down cross legged.

"Nice and easy? Sounds good to me." They say flicking their ears and closing their eyes. Ming sits down on your other side and crosses her legs.

"So what do we do? Just close my eyes and not think of anything?" She asks.

"Think you can do that?" You ask smiling. "It's a lot harder than you think."

"Well seeing as you said think twice maybe not." Ming giggles and closes her eyes. "Ok. So no thinking. No...thinking."

"If you keep repeating it, you'll start thinking about that." You tease making Ming stick her tongue out at you. You chuckle and exhale before closing your eyes. "Alright Renshu, mind helping us out here?" You ask.

"Of course." You hear him say as he walks infront of all you. You hear the grass rustle a bit as you assume he takes the same position as you all. "Meditation is the art of nothingness." He begins gently. "Many think that to meditate one more think of nothing. To block out all thoughts but that simply is not true. Focus your mind. Allow those thoughts to enter. To try and stop oneself from thinking is akin to stopping a raging river by hand. No matter how hard you try, you will always be swept away. Instead, just as in martial arts, one must all those thoughts to flow through you. Acknowledge them and allow them to move on." Renshu breathes evenly. "Such a thing is difficult to do and even moreso to master. To start, focus on your breathing keep it even. Light. Steady." He recites. You calm yourself and grow still focusing on your breathing and keeping it even. After decades of martial arts training such a thing is as simple as walking now but you stick to the fundamentals. You invited your friends to partake in this so it would be unfair to expect Renshu to jump to something more advanced.

"Your breath is the source of life. It mingles in your body before returning back to the world around you. Can you hear it? The breeze in the trees? The breath of every living thing mingled within it. The wind flowing as it returns to you? Your thoughts are the same. Take them in, allow them to flow through you and let them leave your mind." Renshu goes quiet to all you and your friends to practice. You feel the wind on your face. It's soft and gentle but there's more to it. Like half of a touch, you can feel something within the air and yet at the same time you cannot. It lingers just outside the edges of your perception and when you try to focus on it, it simply vanishes.

Renshu's voice fades back in. "Often times, it is said that meditation allows one to delve deep within yourself to unlock hidden potential. This is also a misconception. Meditation grants no secret powers. It merely allows one to examine themselves without reservation. True power and potential comes from knowing oneself truly. Take a thought, an aspect of yourself, or merely allow yourself to drift away. Focus on that and let it permeate your entire being."

>What do you focus on?
>Focus on the wind blowing around you. You want to get a hold of that feeling.
>Focus on your friends once more. That is what helped you last time.
>Look deep within yourself. Perhaps you have to find who you are to progress.
>Write in.

>>4581783
>Look deep within yourself. Perhaps you have to find who you are to progress.

>>4581783
>Look deep inside, Examine how much our terror and fear has shrunk/grown, and if we have internalized what our friends have given us.

Maybe by understanding our arcane bond with the others, it could be used to find ALL out friends.

>>4581783
>look inside
Maybe we can see what the damage is

>>4581786
>>4581792
>>4581804
Martial arts is often used as a means of self discovery and personal growth. Something we've long neglected for all of our life until recently. Now is the time we should face ourselves once more. Writing.

You inhale deeply and exhale slowly as you feel yourself slip away. You head deep into your own mind, the place where you could once find solace, where now you only find fear and despair. You step forward and promptly stop. Mentally, you find yourself trembling and shaking. Just ahead you can feel it. You can feel the searing heat, hear the screams of agony, feel your muscles twitch as they anticipate being cut open once more. Your breath shortens and becomes shallow in reality. You feel your knees mentally shake as you stand at the precipice and they threaten to take a step backwards for the first time in years. You're stuck and unsure of what to do when you feel something touch your face and head.

"Relax." You hear Renshu say quietly, gently. "It'll be ok. Take that step forward. I am here for you but only you can make the journey." You feel a hand leave your face and rest on your chest. "Breathe. In...and out." You follow the rabbit's instructions and breathe in time with his instructions. You feel your anxiety recede and you steel yourself as you take the first step forward. There is no instantaneous effect, no screams threatening to swallow you whole or fires to burn you. Instead you wander in deeper and feel anxiety fill you up again. You wonder if you'll ever be the same again. If you'll be whole once more. Will you ever see your friends on the other side? Was this damage all worth it for just one man? You feel like your starting to lose yourself in the misery again. The anguish, the fear, the pain. It's all just too much to go through once more. Renshu wasn't worth it. No one was. It was just better to be alone again. At least then you didn't have to worry about trivial things like others or their feelings. Only you and your strength alone that mattered. You could make anyone do what you wanted. No raving old women, no plots against the throne. All these thoughts swell and grow louder, threatening to consume you. To make you go back to your old ways because that's what didn't hurt. That's what was right. That's what-

No.

A single word rings out. Loud and defiant, it stands over all other thoughts and clears your mind once more. It's not Renshu's, nor Xin Lan's, nor Mings. It's yours. "No more." You say as you get to your feet in your mindscape. "No more." No longer did you cower before what you face. No longer did you fear what you might find. Today, if only for a short while, you would face yourself once more.

>What aspect of yourself do you wish to face (and perhaps possibly change)?
>Your strength. What does power mean to you? What should others use their own power to do?
>Sacrifice. How much should you be willing to give for others? What lengths will you go for those that put their faith in you. That you have taken under your care?
>Fear. What are you afraid of? What now strikes fear into your heart?
>Write in.

>>4581843
>Sacrifice
>Fear
>Our hope, the fire which tempered our will and gives us the strength to push on. What should we draw from beyond our friends? How much do others deserve of our hope?

Vision quest time.

>>4581854
My plot and plan here, is to confront our limits, Where we would hesistate and where we would falter, then push them just a little further until we can move with complete confidence, unhindered by doubt.

How much are we willing to give up? Push it until it's "everything".
What terrifies us? Acknowledge that we fear hell and with that acknowledgment push past to be willing to do it again.
Our Hope and the old instincts to dominate and control? shore it up to the point where old Tai Lung has no more presence.
That's the gameplan, so I suppose I should add

>Doubts
to >>4581854

>>4581843
>Sacrifice. How much should you be willing to give for others? What lengths will you go for those that put their faith in you. That you have taken under your care?
>Fear. What are you afraid of? What now strikes fear into your heart?
This two sound like they go would go together

>>4581860
I like it, but don't want to make a draw
>fear

>>4581913
There would not be much of a draw, the options dont conflict.

>Sacrifice
>Fear
>Our hope, the fire which tempered our will and gives us the strength to push on. What should we draw from beyond our friends? How much do others deserve of our hope?

>>4581854
>>4581860
>>4581884
>>4581913
>>4582399
We're going all in I guess. Are you willing to face the consequences? Writing.

>>4582420
We have faced our dulled temptations, it's time to wrestle with our limits.

Sacrifice and Fear

You grit your teeth and harden yourself further as you look inward even more. You find yourself wandering down a red carpeted court room. The halls are darkened and only lit by angry flames coming from bowls full of charcoal. The loud clinking of chains pull your attention to a striped rabbit walking laboriously, as if every step bore the weight of the world. Their eyes hollow and deviod of hope. You have yet to speak before you hear a loud voice boom and fill the room.

"You speak a great deal. Of honor and justice. Of redemption and rebirth. It is easy for you to do so in your position. Blessed by the Great Dragons, a record of sacrifice for the lives of others. A man can easily speak of the deeds they have done without regard for the difficulty of the task now that it has passed. You claim that he will change and yet you too have nothing to lose. So sure of yourself, the arrogance of mortals. So I will be the judge of your judge of characters. If you so desperately wish to save this criminal's life then I will offer you a counter offer. So sure of this man's ability to change are you that I will entertain this notion but you must face his punishments. Alone. You will bear the full weight of his sins and feel but a taste of his fate should you fail. Furthermore, I will return him to life. Fully but with only 13 years to live. At the end of his time he will face judgement. Should he succeed then I will allow him to live with his ancestors and perhaps, in the unlikely event that he has lived an exceptional life I may allow him to live until his natural death. Should he fail then his sentece will only be solidfied and his death will be added to your record forevermore. Should it seem that he is not making any progress after 7 years then I will add a portion of his crimes to you. This is my offer."

You look up to the source of the voice and you suddenly realize you stand before an impossibly large man, a Judge who bears a permanent scowl. You want to speak, you want to say that you accept. That you would willingly take such an offer for the man next to you but your voice dies in your throat, your heart races and threatens to burst as fear wells up within you. You feel the pain of infinite sufferings, infinite deaths. The burning pain of thousands of sins on your body. You instinctively feel all over your body for wounds and find yourself soaked in blood and injuries and at the same time are whole and healthy.

"Don't do it. Not like this, my friend. Not like this." The rabbit next to you says, his voice broken and void. It takes all you have to look at them, fear threatening to shatter your resolve.

>What do you do? What do you say? (You cannot change history. Events are long gone are forever written but a man's resolve, their ego, their mentality are forever malleable.)
>Write in.

>>4582440
>Kneel down and Give Renshu a hug.
>"I don't want to do this Renshu, I can already feel their claws. But I once told Ming that when others break against us it's because we are trying to help others and the price of inaction is too much to stomach. Sometimes we have to break instead I guess. Losing a brother and having my best friends family lost to such tortures forever isn't a fate I can allow. No matter how much it terrifies me, it won't end for you if I do nothing. So I'll see you when it's over Brother."
>"Yanwangluo, I accept."

Steel yourself, son of wind. For friends and for hope, smash the limits.

>>4582440
I think the way to approach these facets of ourselves is as a test of our mentality, to try and relive our old experiences with a new, maybe better, mindset.

>>4582455
I have nothing better to say, so I'll support

>>4582455
>>4582496
going with this. Writing.

Your breath is heavy and labored and you feel like your ribs are cracking from the pounding of your heart. You look deep in to the damned man's eyes. Hollow and devoid of that spark of life, hope. That spark, you realize, is his younger sibling. All in all, Renshu was a far crueler and evil man that you if you compared sins. He murdered for gain and possibly pleasure. You only murdered out of spite and hate. You look at the Great Judge. Could you do it again? After all the people he killed, after all the people he maimed, did he deserve a second chance? Especially if it cost you everything you earned? The memory of the screams grows louder than ever before, threatening to burst your eardrums and render you deaf. But you don't need to hear because your own voice is loud and clear.

"Yes. He does."

You smile gently and kneel down to pull Renshu into an tight hug, the impossible weight of his shackles meaning nothing to you. After all, what kind of a brother would you be if you could not shoulder the weight of those you loved? You hold the rabbit close and pet their head. "I don't want to do this Renshu, I can already feel their claws." You say quietly. "But I once told Ming that when others break against us it's because we are trying to help others and the price of inaction is too much to stomach. Sometimes we have to break instead I guess. Losing a brother and having my best friends family lost to such tortures forever isn't a fate I can allow. No matter how much it terrifies me, it won't end for you if I do nothing." You pull back revealing a teary eyed Renshu and give him on last smile. "I'll see you when it's over Brother." You stand up and face the Judge, determination etched in your face.

"Yánluówáng, I accept."


The Judge's face remains the same as if frozen in time. It takes you a while to realize that everything is indeed stopped. At the edge of your mind you can feel the memory of your time in the Courts of Hell emerging.

>Now is your time to choose. Do you go forward and face these memories once more? Or do you take your chance and stop?
>Continue onwards. Face your time in hell once more in full detail and try to overcome your fears.
>Stop for now. You have your resolve. You know that if things need to be done. You're willing to go through anything for your friends.
>Write in.

>>4582581
I don't want to do it. I really fucking don't. But they are memories of fire and if you want to forge a shield you need to break it down and burn it until it hardens. So fuck it, Once more unto the breach.

>Continue onwards, Remember what was done to us and digest it.
Once we know what was done to us, specifically, then we can start to rationalize it and try to remove the horror from it. Vague dreams that we don't remember will never help.

In the midst of this horror show, Merry christmass eve and day to you all.

It's been a fuckin' trip and a joy to go through the year with you all.

>>4582609
Merry Christmas. Sorry I couldn't deliver a double dragon adventure for christams that one anon asked for but I assure you, I'll get to is sometime.

>>4582581
>Continue onwards. Face your time in hell once more in full detail and try to overcome your fears
To defeat pain, you must become one with it.

>>4582609
Merry christmas anon
>>4582616
And to you too boss

>>4582581
We pride yourself on being brave and selfless, we didn't fully know what we where doing last time but now we do.
> Once more a step forward
> When we are done get hugs

>>4582646
After this, we still have Hope and Doubt to tangle with.

File: Santa Lung.png (440 KB, 1309x427)

440 KB PNG

It's cheesy but fuck it. Merry Christmas guys!

>>4582590
>>4582642
>>4582646
We face our fears head on. Writing.

Court 2: The Court of Judge Chujiang

"You have been found guilty of physical violence unto others! Your punishment shall fit the crime!" The large judge shouts and the imps drag you towards a large cloud of steam. Once again you feel the vapors burn you as you come into contact with them. You feel your skin split and tear as your body blisters and cooks. Your fur falls out once more and the imps push you into the boiling pools bellow...but not once do you scream. You grit your teeth, frown and focus. Your vision fails you as your organs are slowly cooked away and like before you wish for a death that never comes...but you do not scream. Not this time. You choose not to wallow in your misery because you have chosen this path. As your charred carcass is impalled by the imp's hooks and they drag you out of the boiling pools...you do not scream. You have chosen this path. This pain is nothing compared to the sorrow you would feel of failing your friends. Your failing body is dragged towards the judge once more and though you can no longer see, you glare at the man but you do not scream.

"Furthermore, you have defiled holy sites and such you are condemned to drowning in the Pool of Defiled Blood!"

You do not struggle as you are dragged across the sharp rocks on the floor. Though they dig into your fragile flesh and tear it apart, you do not scream. Instead you internalize the pain. It is not the reason you fear. Your punishment is severe and you know there is more to come but you know that it is not he reason you fear. It is only something that masks your true terrors. You are throwing into the pools of blood once more, and as you sink and your breath begins to fail you agian. You wrap yourself in the thoughts and memories of your friends. You want to protect them. You must protect them. You will protect them. Even if it means suffering through this again. Even if it means dying for them once more. But to do that you must overcome your limits. You may fail yourself. You may fall and stumble and break. But you will not fail the people you need your protection. You will not fail them...

Court 3: The Court of Judge Songdi

"Your crimes include the disprespect of the lives of others. Your punishment shall be that of your ilk. Removal of your heart!" The shackles keep you immobile as an imp throws you on your back and his bony little hand punches right through your ribs. Your chest caves in and blood causes you to choke as your still beating heart is torn right out of your chest. You feel the blood pour down your chest, sticky and hot but you refuse to succumb. Not this time. Not ever again.

"For inciting the flames of unrest, your punishment shall include you to be burned by the very fires you stoked."

A chain wraps around your next as your dragged to a pillar. Your back is seared by the red hot column as your chained to it and your mind refuses to go out and give you respite from the torture. Flames erupt all around you and your body slowly begins to give out as you're cooked alive. But you take this time to seek enlightment through your pain. Why did Renshu do all this? Why was he like this? You think about everything he's ever told you. Everything he ever revealed. You slowly come to realize what a gift each time you spoke with him is. The trust he places in you. Each time you asked, he spoke openly. He bared his heart to you as he revealed everything without reservation or worry. He made himself vulnerable to you simply because you asked.

It is not his fault he is the way he is. You realize. He had no choice. He was bred for this, raised to do this. He was never given the chance to choose. Never given a choice to decide for himself what he wanted to be. He had no freedom, no autonomy. Even as he tried to escape through drinking he had no freedom. He didn't just turn to alcohol to silence the voices, it was his only means of expression he could call his own. Even then he was not free, he was shackled to his vices. You come to realize, fully, that you were the first person in his life to ever offer him a choice. To live as he truly wished or to die a puppet of his past. Even by sacrificing your inner peace you freed him once more from the burden of his bound soul. Is it no wonder that he wanted to pledge is life to yours as a servant?

Court 4: The Court of Judge Wuguan

"For crimes against your siblings, I sentence you!"

Once again your thrown into the concave rock and are crushed between it and another. You feel your organs crushed and a few erupt from your mouth but pain is merely an afterthought now. It is as sharp as ever but now you come to study yourself. You had failed because you got too arrogant at your successes. Perhaps if you had taken your trials like you do now, by attempting to learn from them rather than conquer them, you would have not come out as damaged. Or perphaps that is you remaining arrogant. Either way you will use this to learn from your mistakes. You turn inward once more as you are crushed again. Why did you fear? What scared you? It was the pain. But there was more to it.

Court 5: The Court of Judge Yanluo
"For the crime of plotting the death of others for money. I sentence you!" You struggle to turn your body in the air as your push off a cliff into a mountain of knives. The knives, in their infinite sharpness, impale you with ease and refuse to allow you to stick. You slide down for an eternity as the knife continuously slice your body to shreds...but you continue to think as your body splits apart. Did you fear because you were worried this would be your fate? Were you afraid that you would not succeed in saving Renshu after experiencing the monument that is his sins? Was it the fear that you would end up as evil as he was not matter how hard you struggled to become a good man? Or was it the fear that all your work was futile when you see the reality of the after life?

Court 7: The Court of Judge Taishan
"For the crime of lies and decit. Punishment awaits!" You are chained to another pillar as imps circle around it, each one pulling your tongue out to clip it away with dull scissors. It seems that no matter how many circle around, they never finish cutting out your tongue completely and attempts to scream only cause the cuts to be incomplete, forcing them to tear the peice out by hand. Were you afraid of the fact that you saw the true man who stood before you? The Renshu you had met did not seem like the monsterous killer who's punishments you faced. Was it that, that scared you?

Court 9: The Court of Judge Pingdeng
"Those that have arrived in my halls have all sinned. Punishment here is not tied to a crime but to serve as a reminded of your past life so that your misdeeds will forever be seared into your mind." The judge says as you are forced to undergo your old punishments once again. No matter how much you struggled, begged, or screamed, the results were the same. There is no appealing to the courts of hell and their judges. No begging, no mercy...but there is learning. You were broken and you can never change that but you had failed to realize what you realize now. From the shatter pieces of what you once thought was the truth. Whether it was the idea that you would be the Dragon Warrior or your faith in yourself and your friends, there was a chance to rebuild and in rebuilding there was infinite possibility.

>What did you fear? Why do you fear it no more? What will you do now?
>Did you fear because you were worried this would be your fate?
>Were you afraid that you would not succeed in saving Renshu after experiencing the monument that is his sins?
>Was it the fear that you would end up as evil as he was not matter how hard you struggled to become a good man? Or was it the fear that all your work was futile when you see the reality of the after life?
>Were you afraid of the fact that you saw the true man who stood before you? The Renshu you had met did not seem like the monsterous killer who's punishments you faced.
>Write in.

>>4582811
Great writing, I'm gona give it a few, some annons do nice write ins

>>4582817
Thanks! I tried to recreate the horror of the first time but with a more hopeful twist to it. It's a painful memory but this time it's a learning a experience. I'll be heading to bed now. Stay safe this christmas!

>>4582811
>In the deepest part of your heart, you realized that you feared for your friends. Could Xin Lan and Renshu ever wash themselves of the sins of their past? Is Ming truly safe from your group's darker influences? Would any of you be capable of virtue that could outshine the darkest parts of you all?
>You also feared for others, to a lesser degree. Any who had to suffer this fate when they perished, not knowing what awaits them. People like Kai who had noble intentions but failed to see where their path took them...and people like He Ling, who fail to see how harmful their obsessions and pride can be. They choose to do evil, but there is always a cause to that - wounds of the past that never healed, malformations grown in one's youth. How could you claim that your friends should be given chances at redemption and not others as well?

I'm wishy-washy on the second part, not sure if I actually want it or not, hmm...
I'll get anon opinions.

>>4582857
I like, but I dont think it was more than a tangential fear for the wellbeing of those like He Ling.

A more deepset fear, it seems to me, is the terror that when we were broken we would never be able to get our strength back. That we had given up something irreplaceable for Renshu with a worry that they had no chance of being redeemed

>>4582890
to expand upon the why we are no longer afraid, it's because we have already gone back to what terrifies us and pushed through it again. We have already bounced back and recovered some of the lost strength already so why not getting the more.

On the other side of it, we have seen Renshu at his most utterly crushed without any motivation at all and willing to go to hell, because he rightfully deserves it. But there was concern for us when we stepped into his place and the man hasn't lied to us so far. All this put together with one of the most serious oaths that can be taken should put to rest any doubt as to his sincerity. And it's not like he is incapable or lazy.

>>4582811
>Were you afraid that you would not succeed in saving Renshu after experiencing the monument that is his sins?
>Was it the fear that you would end up as evil as he was not matter how hard you struggled to become a good man? Or was it the fear that all your work was futile when you see the reality of the after life?
I think the greatest fear Tai Lung has is that redemption is impossible. That no matter what he does he will fail himself and his friends.

>>4583050
To expand on it, I'm thinking of the trials the water dragon gave us, they were very similar, and all were themed around failure. That shifu would not accept us, that the pool would do nothing, that we and ours friends would be hunted forever. I think this is just a expansion of that fear to touch on our own soul, and that of our friends.

>>4583052
A fair assessment, but I've yet to really get that as a "fear" more than an "Anxiety".

>In the deepest part of your heart, you realized that you feared for your friends. Could Xin Lan and Renshu ever wash themselves of the sins of their past? Is Ming truly safe from your group's darker influences? Would any of you be capable of virtue that could outshine the darkest parts of you all?
>You also feared for others, to a lesser degree. Any who had to suffer this fate when they perished, not knowing what awaits them. People like Kai who had noble intentions but failed to see where their path took them...and people like He Ling, who fail to see how harmful their obsessions and pride can be. They choose to do evil, but there is always a cause to that - wounds of the past that never healed, malformations grown in one's youth. How could you claim that your friends should be given chances at redemption and not others as well?

>>4582857
>>4583050
>>4583580
And then OP never delivered. Oh wait, I'm right here. Excellent write ins gentlemen. I'll get to doing my own. Writing.

Fear was always with you, you remember. A true man is not one who feels not fear, for they are a liar, but one acknowledges their fears and learns to come to terms with them. You remember what the Dragon King once told you before you died.

>"... Your fears are those of one of true courage and valor. Not monsters, not demons. But those of true fear. Failure, Rejection, the loss of those we hold dear..."

In the deepest part of your heart, you realized that you feared for your friends. Could Xin Lan and Renshu ever wash themselves of the sins of their past? Is Ming truly safe from your group's darker influences? Would any of you be capable of virtue that could outshine the darkest parts of you all? The answer, you realize once, is what you want it to be and for you the answer is yes. You never once let anyone dictate what your views or opinions were and this was no different. You changed your ways. Who's to stay your friends could not do the same? How could a man be irredeemable if they willingly chose, chose after a lifetime of servitude, to be a good man? The Great Judge Yánluówáng told you that he didn't care if Renshu wanted to be a good man and that is where you made your fatal mistake. You assumed that meant he was irredeemable, that his sins were too great. So caught up in the horrors you faced that you forgot that Yánluówáng said he did not care whether or not Renshu wanted to be a good man or that he had no choice in the crimes but that only meant he was judging the man as he was now not the man he would become. If you could become a good man, then so could someone like Renshu or Xin Lan.

Of course such a task was not as simple as deciding to do good. There would be hurdles, there would obstacles but that never stopped you before. When you encountered a roadblock you simply kept at it until you overcame it and this was no different. Not because you were so arrogant to assume success but because you have seen the darkest parts of both you and your friend and could still see and believe in the good in them. Ming was always at risk of becoming caught up in your group's darker side but you now know that you have to have faith in her and in yourself. Before you relied only on yourself, on your own strength. You only belived in what you could see and feel and that led you down the wrong path but over the past months, you learned to rely on others, on their friendship, on their hope. Your sentence in Hell may have broken you but now it has only strengthed your resolve in yourself and others. They would keep you from falling and you would hold your hand out to keep them from falling.

Failure was your greatest fear. To fail your friends, to fail those who relied on you, to fail yourself. You feared failure because you wanted to take everything on your own. Even with your friends at your side you tried to shoulder all their burdens. To take them all and hold them yourself. But these past few days have shown you that you cannot do everything on your own. You would not fail but not because you were all powerful but because you rely on the strength of others and take them on as your own. You were a wall that evil would break upon, a wall made up of the hope and strength of others.

You awake once more in the vastness of your mind. There is no courtroom, there is no hell, there is no fear. But doubt still remains and with in that doubt lies a kernal of hope.

>Do you wish to continue?
>Yes.
>No.

>If you do. What does doubt mean to you? What is hope for you?
>Write in.

>Yes.

>>4583802
>Yes.
Doubt is the mind understanding the uncertainty of the world, for nothing is truly certain, and only a fool would believe it so. But if a person would doubt everything, they would do nothing. Hope is what shields one from despair, what allows faith and trust to exist. Doubt may be the basis of the nature, but hope is the building block of civilization. And they are both two sides of the same feeling.