"You're a few decades too late for that advice. Besides, you and the others don't help in that regard either." You say as you crack your knuckles and loosen up your neck. "One more time." Ming gives you her patented look but the two of you know that your patented stubbornness would win out so she simply turns around and sits down once more. You place your hands on her back again and reach out with your feelings. This time you work with what you know and reach out to her as a whole. If you fill her with your chi it should have the same effect as whatever you could have done with precision right? You attempt to manipulate her Chi as you would anyone else's when you use your pressure point technique though this time you try to coax your own energy to flow into Ming. Rather than trying to force your will upon her, you try to offer it as a gift in the same vein as simply requesting an opponent's Chi to work with you and stop them.

At first you feel nothing. Ming being as separate from you as she always was but soon you feel it. A small trickle, like water running off your fingertips, flows from you into the pool that is Ming's chi. Soon enough however, the trickle rises and becomes a small stream. It flows freely and moving quickly to fill Ming's vessel before the dam seems to break and an unrelenting stream rushes forward. You become acutely aware of sounds entering your hearing once more and the headache you had from before creeping back into your consciousness. It was as if you were slowly being pulled out of your projection but more importantly is the sense of exhaustion that is washing over you. Panic begins to settle in as you realize that you cannot seem to stop the stream and all attempt to move or do anything feel sluggish. There seems to be a full second between your mental commands and your body reacting. Exhaustion builds up more and more until you finally tear yourself away from everything and send yourself flying backwards as your body jerks away.

You crash to the floor head pounding, back aching, and feeling like you had been up for several days straight. Your stomach growls in ravenous hunger and every limb feels like it weighs dozens of times their normal weight. Ming comes rushing over to your side, no longer limping. "What happened?!" She shouts, causing your head to pound even more. She puts your arm over her shoulders and tries to lift you up. "I should never have let you do this." She says helping you to your feet. "This was a bad idea." She continues as she tries to get you to the nearby table and have you lay on it.


>What do you do?
>Lay atop the table. You could do with some sleep. A nice long sleep. Ming can probably wake you up later.
>Pull free from Ming. Let her know you're ok. She doesn't need to know how you feel. Not yet.
>Try and get Ming to rest. She's going to need as much sleep as she can get before the ritual. You only need to run and you've been doing that since you could walk. She'll be doing the heavy lifting from now on.
>Write in.

I'm sure there's some kind of saying that mentions no matter how hard you hit, life hits harder? Still hanging in here. Sorry for leaving the last thread hanging.

>>5778184
>Try and get Ming to rest. She's going to need as much sleep as she can get before the ritual. You only need to run and you've been doing that since you could walk. She'll be doing the heavy lifting from now on.
>Lay atop the table. You could do with some sleep. A nice long sleep. Ming can probably wake you up later.
Nap time, get Xin involved as well so they can make sure Ming doesn't skip on the sleep.

>>5778184
>Sit on the table.

Do not, go to sleep. We're probably somewhere in shock right now. So it's best if we take some internal stock and don't fall unconsious.

>"Hey. . you feeling better?"
Lets see if we can still talk.

>>5778462
I'll change to this, anon seems to knows more about it then I do

>>5778474
the difference between "Oh your body is achinging, tired, drained of all energy and you feel like you weigh a ton" and "hey, go have a sleep have a nice long sleep."

Is giving me GREAT CONCERN.

>>5778184
>Pull free from Ming. Let her know you're ok. She doesn't need to know how you feel. Not yet.

>"i'm fine just a little tired. It was just hard to pull away once i started. gave you a little more than i planned to."

You let Ming lead you to the table but rather lay down, you simply sit down and try to assess your own condition. Your muscles groan in protest as you force them to keep you up and stable rather than let them relax. This feeling of exhaustion was different but not wholly unknown to you. It had been decades since you've felt this but it felt like the exhaustion you felt growing up when you had gone all out in training. Only now it felt like you gone for days on end at full force and exerting everything you had nonstop. You're not even sure if you could consciously do something like that. Instinctively you knew that your body would slow itself down and refuse to go to it's limits even in a life or death situation. It was as if everyone had an inherent limiter, a line that the body would not cross or risk injuring itself, and you had somehow ignored it and pushed past it for far too long.

Was this the power of the body's Chi? Memories of years past flutter by and you recall your fight against that mythical creature in the graveyard back when you first met Xin Lan and Ming. He had done something similar, growing stronger and more youthful has he did so. You try to speak only to find your throat dry and strained. Clearing it was somewhat painful but eventually you gather enough saliva to speak properly. "I'm fine. Just a bit tired is all. What about you?" You ask as you pat the empty space next to you for Ming to sit next to you.

She takes a seat next to you and seems to mimic your self assessment. "I feel...better. Much better than I've had in weeks. Kind of like a weight was pulled off of me. Like something inside me has woken up again." She explains. "It's kind of strange. I don't think I've ever actually felt like this before."

"That's good to hear. I think we'll need you at your best for this. That being said, you should get some sleep." You say as you coerce your body to hop off the table and walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Ming asks.

"Going to make sure Xin Lan isn't slacking off and pushing all their chores onto Tigress. I'll see if I can help them find what you need quicker. Now rest. You don't need to worry about us." You say before closing the door behind you.

----

"This should be a good a spot as any." Ming says and comes to a halt. The 4 of you had been running at as fast as Ming could run all morning. While Ming's speed was now far faster than the average person, you were quite thankful that she couldn't reach the speeds that someone like Xin Lan could because even at this pace you were doing your best to hide the sweat on your brow and keep your breathing under control lest anyone suspected you were exhausted.

"We're quite a ways away from the camp by now." Tigress agrees while setting down her bag full of the various objects Ming asked to . "There shouldn't be any risk of that thing going after them should we lead it here."

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"What's all this stuff for anyways?" Xin Lan asks as they pick through the bag much to Tigress's annoyance.

"Just bits and pieces from what I gathered while studying." Ming says as she kneels to inspect the objects. "There's a lot of things that can help ward off evil spirits and the like. Like peach wood is said to help ward off spirits but there's too many stories as to why. We don't have branches per say but we do have this cane made of peach wood. Lucky for us, someone managed to have a sword and even though it's not blessed it should work." Xin Lan casts a look of doubt at you as Ming draws the various objects from the bag. "I guess the exact tools aren't really important so much as the symbolism...and a lot of faith."

Xin Lan casts a concerned look at you just as you managed to compose yourself. You give them a reassuring motion for them to just go along with what Ming has planned. Otherwise this all might just end up in failure. "So how exactly is this ritual going to work?" You ask. "How do we keep what's out there from attacking you while you work?"

"To put it bluntly...we're making a cage for it." Ming replies as she pulls out a handful of paper and a writing kit. "Just like we set up a perimeter around the camp, we're going to make an inverse one here. You'll lead the spirit in here and we'll seal the area off. The talismans will prevent it from leaving and from there...we'll need to cut it's ties to the material plane."

"Where will it go from there?" You ask.

"I...don't know." Ming admits. "Hopefully it'll go to the heavens where it can be judged and hopefully it can find peace there. We have yellow paper which is the color of purity and red ink for luck. It's worked so far from keeping it out so if we don't give it any exits then it'll work to keep it in. If we can't banish it then we'll need to seal it away. I have some jade we can use as a gift from the spirits. Hopefully that is strong enough to contain it." She stands up and pats dust off her robes. "Right, I'm going to need your guy's help to set this area up. We'll need more than just a handful of talismans to make this work. We're going to have to set up charms, bless these tools and get some lines draw into the ground. Tai Lung, how much time do you think you can buy us?"

"How much do you need?" You try and ask casually.

"Well before I would have said a day or 2 but...I think I can do more now. If you can go for another day or so I might be able to properly consecrate the area." She takes a deep breath. "If you can buy us 5 days...I think I can fully make an exorcism mask as well. Something that's said to protect the exorcist from the evil energies they're fighting."

"That's almost a week." Xin Lan balks. "Couldn't we have done this all at camp?"

"No...there's too many people. Too many distractions. Even preparing the tools requires focus and prayer to get them blessed. Out here we're free from everyone else's emotions and we can align the Chi with that of our sanctuary. It's like making an antidote. The more ingredients we have the more potent it can be but the more potent it is the easier it can go from antidote to poison. With everyone's emotions running high, their own Chi could inadvertently taint our work. It's why I brought you guys here. The people I trust the most."

"Alright. If it's how it work then I trust you. We'll do what we can." Xin Lan says before turning to look at you. "Well Big Guy? How much time can you buy us?"

>What do you say?
>Say you can only manage the minimum. 2 days at most. Transferring Chi drained you more than you expected and they should know how well you're doing.
>Offer 4 days. You're more tired than you've ever been before but that's never stopped you. If you need to push then you'll push yourself.
>Say 5 days. Ming needs every advantage she can afford. You've seen what happens when a ritual is preformed with haste. You don't want to repeat that again.
>Write in.

>>5781682
>Say you can only manage the minimum. 2 days at most. Transferring Chi drained you more than you expected and they should know how well you're doing.

>>5781682
>We can buy you 3 days.
The area being concencrated is gonna be huge. We can't manage 5, but she says she needs about 3 to consecrate the area.

We'll be running 12 hour rest, 12 hour on methods. Lack of sleep is gonna mess with us but hey, so what. If needs be, we can meditate in the slow time to try and recoup our energy.

>>5781971
>We can buy you 3 days.

"3 days. Any longer than that and I'm afraid that our target will choose to go after much easier prey." You half lie. Truthfully, you weren't sure how long you could stay up with your current condition even with several hours of rest during the day especially if you weren't going to allow yourself to sleep.

"Alright. We'll do our best to get ready by then. Good luck...and please be safe." Ming says. You give her a smile.

"If anything goes wrong I'll be sure to come look for you guys. I trust you guys to be able to handle this." You say pulling out your compass. "I'll know how to find you."

Somehow, Tigress manages to grunt out, "Good luck."

"You better come back! Or I'll never forgive you!" Xin Lan shouts after you as you vanish into the trees. You briskly jog through the forests and attempt to take note of your surroundings and what little landmarks you could make out. It dawns on you that it could be possible that the evil in the woods could simply alter your sense of direction and have you lead it back to Ming and the others. Although that didn't seem how it seemed to hunt. All the tales indicated that it preferred to isolate it's target rather than use it to lead it to other victims. Nonetheless, you pull out your compass to make sure it still worked. Coming to a halt, you feel relief to see that it did point back towards Xin Lan and Ming. A small feeling of selfishness and longing tugs at you as you watch the needle lazily turn around and point in a north eastern direction towards the unknown country.

You wanted everyone back together of course and nothing would make you happier than to see the others' reactions one you reunited with Renshu but part a small part of you just yearned for those quiet moments back in the Library where it was just the two of you. Part of you worried what you'd find up north and if anything had changed. Was he still the same man you knew? More importantly...did he still feel the same about you? You grunt and shake your head. Why were these thoughts running through your mind at a time like this? This wasn't like you to be distracted like a teenager with their first love. Even with your lack of romantic grace you weren't such a fool as to let it cloud your thoughts with death and danger on the horizon. You look at your surroundings once more. It was barely noon but even now your thoughts seemed to be uncharacteristically anxious. It couldn't be the spirit. It was far too early for that...

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Your anxiety turns towards your current condition. Could it be that with you being so drained after donating Chi that you were more susceptible to malevolent influences? Yes, there could be no other explanation. After all, one's Chi was their spiritual energy or sense of self. It could also reflect one's force of will be it over themselves...or others as did your Chi striking technique once before. Even if that wasn't the case, you were weakened by your efforts and that could be enough for the effects of the evil to at least have a minor presence despite the time of day. You quickly gather some materials and make a small fire to sit by. The flames crackle eagerly as you feed them and your anxiousness is tempered a bit. With your mind clearing up, you push aside the shame from your prior thoughts and focus on a plan. You had three days to work through and if the fear was bad before you arrived at camp...then it was going to be far worse in the coming days. You take up a meditative position and fall back on your training to build up some mental defenses. Routine and Repetition were the foundations to clear one's mind of outside thoughts and they would be what would keep you strong. This was no longer a test of physical endurance but a battle of wills. Your first task was to get the spirit's attention.

>How do you do it?
>Try and act like someone who was lost. Perhaps if you seemed like an easy target then it would come to you. All the previous victims were ones who straggled behind or left the camp on their own.
>Try and see if you can find some benevolent spirits to help you. Perhaps they can keep you safer and maybe they can help you with attracting the monster of the woods.
>Meditate and open yourself up spiritually. If you were already sensitive to the evil influence then opening yourself up might attract it's attention as an easy target. The problem being is that you have no idea how dangerous it would be in your current state.
>Write in.

>>5783701
>Begin to sing and act like we are lost. Take bait it throws out, like sounds of screams and other stuff.

The noise might very well attract it, and if he are rallying ourselves with the song then it may take that as a sign of weakness
It's conjoined souls are from the library, so maybe a song from there would get it's attention?

>>5783701
>Try and see if you can find some benevolent spirits to help you. Perhaps they can keep you safer and maybe they can help you with attracting the monster of the woods.

>>5783701
>Try and see if you can find some benevolent spirits to help you. Perhaps they can keep you safer and maybe they can help you with attracting the monster of the woods.

>>5784379
>>5783906
Looks like we're asking from our elemental friends. Any specific element you're looking for or method you want to use to try and get their attention?

>>5784546
Well, we can only really speak to the wind ones, so let's do that.
Besides, they are also responsible for forests aren't they? Since it's the whole situation we had when we first met Bao. So they might actually be the ones that are best equipped to help us.

>>5784552
You can also speak to water spirits and have heard a single word from an earth sprite. Fire spirits seems to be the only element you've not tried interacting with.

>>5784546
Go for Wind.
We like wind.

If you were going to fight a spiritual enemy then it would be best to have some spiritual help on your side. They might be able to assist you should the evil in the woods attempts to attack you from the astral side while you are busy running. You feed the flames some more before attempting to feel out the area around you. The world felt cold and empty as if all life had been smothered out like a flame reduced to embers. You decide not to wander around and merely feel out with your instincts. Part of you felt that if you did leave your body behind then you would somehow lose your way and be forever unable to return to it. Only the small area created by the fire was a small haven against the foreboding sensation around you.

Much like you used to do with Xin Lan, you decide to search for the reverse. Like you used to search for the emptiness within the vibrancy of the world for them, you know try to search for spots of life within the bleakness. Your mind instantly and instinctively finds Xin Lan and the others despite being so very far away, a testament to how skilled you had become at doing so. You can even faintly feel traces of the charms that Ming had left behind at the survivor's camp though it seems like whatever power prevented people like Madam Web from locating it also prevented you from searching within. You redirect your search away from the familiar feelings and to the other ends of the forest. You feel something faint and familiar. Following this sensation, you come across a small handful of wind sprites floating around the woods, tugging at low branches, and making leaves flying about.

Despite their playful motions, they seem much less energetic than you remember them but you're unsure if it's due to the current situation or if it's due to the aftermath of the Library's attack that is causing it. More importantly you see a large figure among the sprites. It had been a long time since you had seen a full fledged spirit of the wind. It stands there imposing and watching over the smaller sprites. The winds that rip around within it's figure threaten to burst forth and tear through the woods. Even with all your might, you are unsure if you could withstand such an assault in the material world. You watch for a moment, unsure of how to act.

>What do you do?
>Ask the sprites for help. They are small and quick. With their help, you might be able to devise some kind of hit and run tactic against the monster in the woods. You might not be able to lead it around while doing so but you'll certainly hold it's attention.
>Ask the spirit for help. You know the older the spirit is the more set in it's ways they are but having such a powerful ally could help keep the evil at bay while you rested. If you knew how then you perhaps could have worked with it to fight in the astral plane. It's only a matter of convincing it to help you.
>Approach the spirits and talk to them. Maybe they'll be able to get help from the Spirit world. Perhaps a younger less powerful spirit to assist you. One that isn't currently holding an important job.
>Write in.

>>5792326
>Ask the sprites for help. They are small and quick. With their help, you might be able to devise some kind of hit and run tactic against the monster in the woods. You might not be able to lead it around while doing so but you'll certainly hold it's attention.

>>5792326
>Approach and talk to them

>>5792326
>Approach the spirits and talk to them. Maybe they'll be able to get help from the Spirit world. Perhaps a younger less powerful spirit to assist you. One that isn't currently holding an important job.

You approach the spirits. "Children of the wind, I come to ask for your aid." The sprites cease their dancing and immediately float down towards you.

"Look! Look! It's a cat!"

"No it's a Tiger!"

"Hello Mr. Tiger!"

The sprites dance around your head, set at ease by your aura. They blow wind around your face and cause leaves to float around your nonexistent body. The large spirit remains still, studying you and gauging your existence. "By now you are aware of a great evil infecting these woods. My friends and I are attempting to exorcise this spirit and bring balance back to these lands. However, they require time to prepare the ritual and I have volunteered to hold the evil's attention. I fear that I may not have the strength to do so alone. I'm here to asking for the wind's help. I don't intend to risk the lives of children nor to pull you away from your duties but I beg that you bring my request to the lands beyond in hopes that one of your siblings will offer their aid." You explains. The elder spirit moves and you hear the sounds of creaking boughs from long forgotten trees, the whispers of secrets long since said.

"Child of man..." The spirit speaks, it's voice so old and ancient that it reverberates throughout your soul. "Why do you struggle?"

"To save the innocent. There are others in these woods are merely attempting to flee. They do not deserve to perish when there is a way to save them all. Standing around and doing nothing is not something I can do. Especially if we have the power to stop this." You reply immediately. The spirit leans closer and you can feel that same pressure you sense from greater beings bear down upon you. The sprites around you come to a halt and tremble slightly like a child being scolded by their parent.

"Father has abandoned you." It says. "He will forever mourn the children your people have failed to protect. The lives lost are on your hands and the dragons may not return. Yet you still stand here to demand aid?"

>What do you say?
>Appeal to the spirits emotion. Say that the Dragons and mortals are the same in that regard. Both would do anything to protect their children and the children of others. The people of the Library still worship them and the spirits regardless of what has happened to them. Their faith remains strong.
>Appeal logically. The evil spirit of the woods will continue it's rampage even if all the citizens of the library are gone. If there are no mortal souls to consume it may very well decide to turn it's focus on the elementals. Aiding you is the most pragmatic approach.
>Appeal to it's sense of justice. Say that the massacre in the library was not the fault of the Library's citizens. Many of them lost their own loved ones attempting to protect their and the spirit's homes. The real culprits are still out there and you have sworn to bring them to justice. Helping you here is simply one of the many ways you will not allow them to succeed.
>Use your authority. You are the Great Dragon's friend. Not only of him but of his priestess who is also him. As such, you have at least earned the right to have this favor granted.
>Write in.

>>5798443
>Appeal to justice.
>Shenlong grieves, But he does not forget his friends or his domain. The spirit here was born of the violation of the great library and the death of another friend of the wind, it is the duty of mine to put an end to the schemes of those who perpetrated this atrocity. Given who has unleashed this monster and the faith of those now being targeted, it is the duty of the Wind to help me save them.

Argumentation by three prongs.
Yeah, the people who did this are the people who abused/destroyed the sprites on the mountain. Ergo help stop them
Yeah, The people we want to save tried their best to stop the mongols and failed, but they remain faithful and devout in spite of hardship.
Yeah, A friend of the dragon, who tended his peoples, was killed to spark this. And another friend of the dragon is avenging him. There is authority here we are CHOOSING not to use.

>>5798443
>"I'm not demanding anything, out of you or your father. I come here asking for help, as a friend. I struggle because it is the right thing to do. In the face of adversity, we must be ready to push back against it, no matter the odds. The first friend of Shenlong fought against an empire that drained the hi of all. My master Oogway fought agasint his friend who wanted to capture the chi of all. And now it is our turn to fight against the enemy that seeks to corrupt the chi of all. TO make things right. They will never be the same, but it is the only hope for them to be be good again"
>"I know that Shenlong has not abandoned everything. I have spoken with Bao, the high priestess. His pain is great, his grieving incomprehensible. The pain of a father who has lost his children. But that is exactly why we need to act. The people who did this are still at large, this evil the result of their meddling. Only more lives will be lost if we do not act, of both mortals and spirits."

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"I'm not demanding anything. Neither from you or your father. I'm here asking for help as a friend. Your father's grief is incomprehensible. To lose so much and see it used as fodder for corrupt...it's impossible to even begin to measure the pain one could feel. But the people who are responsible are still at large and that is why I must act. The people of the library still remain faithful, Sangpo gave up his life to save my friend, all so they could live on and help bring the people behind this to justice. If we do not act then more than just mortal lives will be put in danger. It would mean we are giving the culprits another chance to reenact what they did at the library. Both mortals and spirits are in danger now. Honor would demand that you aid me, the friend of your father, but I chose not to invoke his name because it is not honor that compels me to act. Just as aided the King of the Sea, just as I stopped Kai in the spirit world, I do this because it is the right thing to do and I could not call myself a friend of your family if mere titles and tradition were what propels me to do what I do."

Time drags on as the air spirit studies you and the sprites move to hide behind your shoulders, peeking over them to look at the spirits with curiosity. "You speak as if you are certain you can succeed." It finally says. You nod.

"Failure is not an option." You say solemnly. "My countrymen and yours are all in danger. I do not know what madness has possessed the people of the north to do such a thing or perhaps they are ignorant of the Dragon's power but if they are capable of this then who knows what else they can think of. Please, I ask you again, will you not aid me?"

The spirit studies you again for a moment and gives an almost imperceptible nod. "Know that we will be watching. Make sure you do not make father regret his decision." It says before vanishing and allowing the sense of emptiness begin to creep into the area once more.

With time being as ambiguous while projecting, you're unsure how long you have been waiting but eventually you feel a torrent of wind strike the area and the large wind spirit returns. As the winds settle down the spirit speaks. "I spread your message far and wide to all who would listen." It states. "But none would heed your call. They are too busy grieving along side my father to want to intervene on behalf of mortals. None save for this child." A small burst of wind appears and a cloud begins to form nearby before taking the shape of a small dragon. The spirit whips around and flies towards you gleefully.

"Mr. Tai Lung!" It says happily as it flies around your head. "Your still alive!"

"Yes...well mortal lives aren't that short little friend." You say with a chuckle. "Though I suppose it has been quite a while since we last spoke. You realize that this will be dangerous."

"I wanna help! It'll be just like your stories." They say. "Everyone else it too scared but they don't know you like I do!" They add proudly.

You nod. "Thank you. And thank you for giving me a chance. I will make sure this corrupt spirit will no longer haunt these woods. Come on. We have work to do." You lead your friend back to your body and pull yourself back from your meditation. Exhaustion and weariness flow back into your awareness once more but you fight back the urge to sleep. You had a plan to devise.

"What are we going to do?" The spirit asks.

>What do you say? How do you have your friend help you?
>Have it track the evil spirit from afar. You can then move to intercept it.
>Have them act as a guardian. They can try to fend off the evil if you feel like you cannot escape.
>Have them act as a decoy and let the evil spirit chase them while you rest.
>Write in.

>>5800778
>Have it track the evil spirit from afar. You can then move to intercept it.
>Have them act as a decoy and let the evil spirit chase them while you rest.
We switch up distraction and scout as need. We need to hold on for 3 days, and the spirit likely sees better at night.

Is this the little sprite we made friends with, after becoming a spirit?

>>5800778
>Alternate plans, acting as scout and decoy on alternating periods.

Hello little Fan.

>>5801052
It is indeed. Little Fan has grown up some but he's still in love with tales of adventure.

"For now, we need to find the evil spirit. It only seems to be active at night so we'll use what little time we have left to rest." You say as you feed the fire some more, perhaps a bit too eagerly. "After that we will be on the defensive. We don't know what the thing is capable of at close range so facing it head on is not an option. During the night, I'll need you to help me find it. During the day I'll leave it up to you to serve as a decoy while I rest. Together, we need to keep it away from Ming and the others for 3 whole days. Do you think you can do that?" You ask.

"Yes sir!" The young spirit says as they bob up and down excitedly. "Leave it to me!"

"Good." You say, quietly hoping that the spirit's enthusiasm would not put them at risk. Then again, perhaps their positive attitude would help against the incoming fear that was on the horizon. You take a sitting position and begin your anxious wait for the sun to go down. As the hours went on you find yourself glancing around more and more often. Everything seems to be on edge and yet nothing seems to stand out like it should when one is paranoid as if you were getting all the negative aspects and none of benefits. You begin to feel more and more restless all the while the fire before you feels small and smaller. Finally you can bear it no longer and you stand up.

If your sense of time had not been corrupted, it should be an hour or so before nightfall though the forest's thick canopy had already surrounded you in darkness. "Let's go." You speak up almost fighting through the quiet. "Can you go ahead and see if you can search for the evil? Should you hear screaming, do not heed it. I'm not sure if it's trickery can affect you but it will try and trick us to disorient and weaken us." The spirit uncoils itself from your arm and nods. "Once you find it, come to me directly. Just look for your father's mark. I doubt his gifts can be replicated. Don't try and confront the evil on your own."

"Right. I'll find the evil as soon as possible." They say and hurriedly fly away while erasing it's presence. Immediately your heart seems to seize up in fear. You were well and truly alone now. Doubt and uncertainty claws it's way into your mind. You quickly grab a torch and light it but it only manages to keep the fear at bay. Taking a deep breath, you force yourself to take a step forward and then another. You don't think you've ever felt this afraid growing up. A combination of youthful foolishness and your talent helped you deal with life but now you felt more vulnerable than ever.

The flames of the campfire seemingly immediately vanish the moment you break line of sight and instinctively you now that you'll never find that campsite ever again. You push away the thoughts of never finding your friends again and as you reach for the compass to find some comfort you fumble and drop it. Panicking you dig around the grass to grab it but just as you wrap your hands around the warm metal, you hear it. The sounds of distant screaming.

>What do you do?
>Run towards the sound. The evil spirit has made it's first mistake. It's given it's position away.
>Stand in place. There's no guarantee this isn't an attempt to weaken your resolve by tiring you out. Let little fan come find you after it's located your target.
>Try and lure the monster towards you by running the opposite direction of the scream. If it thinks your panicking and lost it might move in for the kill faster.
>Write in.

>>5802820
>Walk towards the sound.

Calm, sedate. Give time for Little fan to do his work.
Its better for us to be walking than standing still, in regards to watching for ambushes and calming ourselves.

>>5802883
Support

Once again you find yourself going through your mantras in an attempt to calm down. You focus your mind on the flame in your other hand as you pocket the compass and walk towards the source of the screaming. Your foot resists your command. Heart thumping you once again command yourself to walk and with some effort your begin your walk once more. You continue going, repeating your chanting. You try to keep your gaze steady and focus on your words but your training prevents you from doing so. Everything you see, even if it is for a glance is permanently burned into your memory. Every shadow, every overgrowth, every single angle that something can jump out to attack your from. The progress you worked so hard towards now working against you.

Your grip tightens and the wood that makes up the torch creaks as it threatens to snap under your strength. Another scream, this time closer to you and your focus is shattered. You turn around and point your torch like a weapon in the vain hope that it can keep away the very thing you're walking towards. You back up against a tree and jump in fright. If you weren't too busy trying to keep yourself from being swallowed up in fear, you'd have berated yourself for acting like a child.

You feel your chest tighten and your head grows light. It feels like every breath seems to flow through you rather than into you. You fall to one knee as you struggle to breathe, fear seeping into your very being. You don't know where all your bravery had gone. Never in your life had you ever felt this cowardly and a small ember of disgust flickers before it's quickly smothered by the fear. Your will to fight withers away and your body refuses to comply to your commands. You have failed. You failed your loved ones, and the loved ones of the people. You will die here. You will die and no one will find you. No one will mourn you.

Thoughts within thoughts urge you to simply succumb. To let it all fade away and end. That is until a small dart cuts through the darkness and wraps itself around you. "Tai Lung I found it! I found it and it's coming after us! We have to goooo!" The little spirit shouts seemingly unaffected by whatever is going on. The small gusts of wind it kicks up buffet your body and seem to push away the fog of miasma that was clouding your mind. You struggle to your feet as your muscles fight you every inch of the way. The small embers of defiance burn again as the presence of your little friend seems to feed a little life into them. As you fight you right yourself, you can see it.

In between trees, flickering from shadow to shadow, you see what you have been after. Words cannot adequately describe the monstrosity that walked the woods. It's legs, if you could even call the mass of broken limbs that were tangled together to force some kind of bipedal motion, stamp on the ground breaking silently but no less violently than you would break a man's arm in a fight as it lumbers towards you. Sometimes as it flailed it's upper limbs wildly, you could see a contorted face between the mangled limbs before it vanished once more. Even worse was that it was evershifting. You never saw the same face or limb twice as it's undulations would break them and reform them into someone else's.

Worst yet was that you can feel it. "Help me! Oh gods, somebody! Anybody!" It screams in what seems to be a thousand voices all at once. It's anguish crashes into you like waves in a stormy ocean. It's anguish and desperation crushing your weakened spirit with no effort. In all the madness, the realization comes to you as clear as day in a form of cruel irony. The being before you was not evil. Whatever spirits had been mangled together like this were trapped in an unending cycle. Their cries were not some cunning attempt to lure a victim but a desperate attempt to be saved and in that desperation they would consume and feed into the cycle once more. "Please! Save me!" It cries out once more as it shambles towards you.

"Mister! We need to run!" The little spirit shouts out again and tries to pull you with all it's might. You muster all the willpower your weakened mind can muster and force yourself to march. You can feel the abomination tugging at you, urging you to give in and succumb to the fear it radiated. It was only through the presence of your little friend that you did not simply lay down and die. You were not sure if they were doing it intentionally but you feel something welling up inside you once more.

>What do you feel?
>Anger. A hot blinding rage that you had not felt since your darkest hours. Rage against those who caused this and for those who could not feel it at this injustice. Dying here would mean you could not unleash this anger upon those who deserve it.
>Empathy. Even as you struggle to escape, you think that perhaps you are the only person to truly understand their pain. To die here would mean that there will be an untold number of people who would suffer the same fate and you cannot live with that.
>Hope. Not yours but that of the people you swore to protect. You remember the feeling back at camp once people finally realized that they would make it out safely. The expectations they placed upon you. A feeling you cannot allow to be smothered. Not here. Not ever.
>Nothing. An odd sense of nothingness seems to bury all other emotions. Was it your mind finally succumbing to the madness? Or perhaps a desperate way to try and cope with everything trying to overwhelm you? It could be a chance to learn how Xin feels but with your spirit weakened from transferring Chi...is it worth risking it all here?
>Write in.

>>5806905
>righteous anger. If you die here these monsters will go unpunished. people you promised to help will die without you. you'd break your promise to Xin and Ming. you can't fail here... you won't fail.

>>5806905
>Empathy, we knew these people when they were alive, we know the pain of their death and we're going to set them free. For their own sakes and others

Have a care for the people of the library. Both those at camp and these one's here. In fire and flames, you burn down the feelings to their most basic. And the most basic one here is "Oh Dragons, what have they done to you"

So THIS is who was screaming when we got to the forest.

>>5806908
>Empathy. Even as you struggle to escape, you think that perhaps you are the only person to truly understand their pain. To die here would mean that there will be an untold number of people who would suffer the same fate and you cannot live with that.

>>5807136
>>5807159
taking this.

You could not bring yourself to hate your enemy nor, despite the supernatural fear attempting to take hold, could you bring yourself to truly fear it. Instead all you can feel it pity. You push away all external emotions and focus on this. Just like those at camp, the thing before you was someone you had sworn to protect. These were once people you knew, people you interacted with and shared a home with. You promised their families that you'd set them free. You promised that you'd save those that remained. Dying here would mean that they and an untold others would share the same fate. Fighting through your conflicting emotions, artificial and real, you stumble forward and dash between two trees. The sounds of limbs breaking and overlapping voices sobbing and pleading follow close by as you dip under a sudden branch, the spirit's power over the forest's layout being fully being brought to bear upon you. Now it seemed like trees sprung from thin air, dips in the land appear right beneath your feet, and sometimes it feels like solid walls of trees block your path.

"What do we dooooooooooo?" The tiny spirit screams in your ear as it desperately latches onto you. "Look out for that tree! This isn't like your stories at alllllllllll!"

You grab a nearby branch and swing around to throw yourself at a sharp angle as you hear the mass of souls right in front of you. This was the biggest challenge, physically. You had to hone your sense of hearing and rely on it to tell you where your target was. Directions meant nothing now that the souls could simply turn you around and have you run straight at them. Often times, you only had a second or so before you ran into them and you had to turn on a point to run the other direction. More often than that you find your weary body unable to keep up with your sudden commands and you simply slip and crash to the ground only to scramble to your feet and flee. Dirt and mud now covered your front but by some miracle, or maybe the some divine intervention, your torch light remains steadfast and strong. You're not sure what brings you more relief, the fact that the fire and your little friend's presence are keeping you sane or the fact that somehow you hadn't accidentally ignited the entire forest in your run.

Despite it all, you lock the image of the souls in your mind. Every time you fall and struggle to get back up, you remember it and remember the pain and the fear. You'll never let it happen again. Never. Hours pass and slowly the screams grow weaker, the sudden changes are spaced father apart, until finally it all fades into memory. It's only when you finally come to the realization that it's daylight cutting through the canopy and stinging your eyes that you flick your wrist to put out the flames as you collapse to the ground. Your breath is ragged, your face is stained with tears you don't remember shedding, and every muscle in your body twitches unnaturally out of exhaustion and mental stress. You had conquered a single night...only 2 more remain.

You remain facedown in the grass for a few more minutes as the tiny spirits floats around in panic. "It's still here! It's gonna eat us!" It shouts, blowing leaves and grass everywhere. You drag yourself to a nearby tree and clumsily rest against it.

"We'll be fine." You croak. Your voice is barely audible. Had you been screaming as you ran? Or where you simply too drained to speak properly. It felt like you had been up for a month without rest. You clear your throat painfully and continue, "As far as we've seen the souls fade away in the day. Or their power is greatly diminished. However, our work isn't done. I need you to go look for it. If it looks like it's heading towards Ming and the others...I need you to get it's attention and draw it back here."

"What? Nooooo! It's too scary!" Your little friend says while hiding it's face in the grass.

"Good." You say, too drained for niceties. "Use that fear. Remember it. We do this so no one else has to be that afraid. We use that fear to push us forward. Before you protest remember that you out of all the spirits decided to come help me. That is the mark of a brave man. A hero. Now go." You order as you struggle to remain awake before quietly adding, "Please...protect my friends...they're my family."

The small spirit rises up from the grass and floats your around your head a few times. "Ok." It says resolutely. "I'll protect them. Just like you protected us." It loops around you once and darts forward disappearing into the darkness leaving you alone once more.

>What do you do?
>Try and climb up on of the trees. Perhaps feeling the full force of the sun might help burn away any lingering effects of the soulmass and rejuvenate your soul.
>Meditate. Try to recenter yourself spiritually and work what little chi you have.
>Try and walk around. Maybe you can find a stream to splash your face and drink from. You need to keep yourself up physically rather than spiritually. You're running at night not meditating.
>Write in

>>5808731
>Bask in the sun, then try and find some water.

A swim might be too much but it will certainly help to put our feet in the water.
The question now is. . How do we handle sleep.

>>5808731
>Try and climb up on of the trees. Perhaps feeling the full force of the sun might help burn away any lingering effects of the soulmass and rejuvenate your soul.

>>5808731
>Bask in the sun, then try and find some water.

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>>5809216
>>5809215
>>5808758
Tasting the power the sun. Writing.

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>>5813846

You ignore your exhaustion and struggle to your feet. Maybe it was some lingering desperation or perhaps it was some kind of genius inspired by your ragged state but a single idea stands out in your mind. If daylight warded off the souls' effects and that was due to what little rays filtered through the leaves then surely the full force of the sun's light would provide some help especially given that it's a sign of the Great Fire Dragon's power. The only issue was that you need to climb and you weren't sure if you had the strength for it.

You take a moment to focus before putting everything into a single jump. What was supposed to be you rocketing skywards ended up being your body half heartedly flailing through the air and crashing midway up the tree truck. While the distance traveled was by no means modest compared to the average man, you were happy that the branches that broke your crash also hid you from anyone who might have been looking. Spitting out a few leaves, you feel something tear as you half climb, half drag, yourself up the tree. Thankfully the tree was old enough that many of it's branches could bear your weight as you no longer had the energy to employ your martial arts techniques that would allow you to defy gravity and use any sized branch as a perch. As you climb, you can slowly feel the heat on your back increase as more and more of the sun's rays come through.

You're not sure if the sun was giving you it's energy or if it was simply the warmth of the light setting you at ease but you begin to climb faster and faster until your finally break free from the forest's grip and emerge to see a sea of green. Everywhere the eye could see was forest with only the mountains breaking through off in the distance. You sit rather precariously on some of the thinner branches at the top of the tree and simply take in the sunlight. You feel a sense of freedom you hadn't felt in a long time. Not since you broke free from prison and you ponder what this feeling could mean or how the two scenarios were similar. Maybe it was simply because both relieved you of a big weight on your mind. As you rest, you begin to feel the weight of sleep come upon you and your eyelids feel heavier than ever before. There really was nothing like a good nap in the sun and after all you've been through you more than earned it.

Still, you couldn't allow yourself such a luxury. Not while there was still mission to do. Even so, you can't help but close your eyes for a moment and drift off slightly. There was plenty of time before sundown and your mind was desperate for something to keep it away from what you were going to face. You didn't want to accidentally fall asleep though and so you try and turn your mind on other things before you went back down. This could be a good time to reorganize your thoughts while you were completely free from the forest's effects.

>What do you do?
>Stand on the top most branch and meditate. This was the first time in so many decades that you were pushed to this limit. As the saying goes, desperation is the mother of all innovation. Perhaps you might find some kind of breakthrough here as was typical in many of the stories you heard of the old masters.
>Try and nap. It could run the risk of you simply going unconscious for several days, assuming you survived a single night, but if you managed to get a few hours of sleep it could do wonders for your next night awake.
>Climb down and go back to getting water. This wasn't the time to try and discover something or risk falling asleep. You needed to stay awake. Not matter the cost.
>Write in.

>>5813915
>>Stand on the top most branch and meditate. This was the first time in so many decades that you were pushed to this limit. As the saying goes, desperation is the mother of all innovation. Perhaps you might find some kind of breakthrough here as was typical in many of the stories you heard of the old masters.

>>5813915
>Climb down and go back to getting water. This wasn't the time to try and discover something or risk falling asleep. You needed to stay awake. Not matter the cost.

>>5813915
>Stand on the top and meditate.

Perhaps we can ruminate on the pity we feel. This monster is the closest to a stranger, an unholy abberation as have ever found. Maybe we can empathise with it.

If we can do that. . perhaps the peaceful style we were developing can be used here.

>>5813958
>>5814202
Looks like we're meditating. So here's the question, what do you want to develop?

As >>5814202 put it, you can certainly focus on the emotions you have experienced and work towards your pacifist style.

You can also try and cultivate the sun's cleansing energy within you. The dragon warrior can subsist of the dew of a single gingko leaf but you have learned to harness the power of the sun.

or

Learn to absorb the sun's cleansing power within you and blend it with your Chi. Ghosts and evil spirits will be repelled if they attempt to posses or harm you by coming in contact with you and you will have an easier time fighting off the effects of evil rituals and Chi.

Of course, you can also write in a suggestion as always.

>>5815170
The second one

>>5815170
>Praise the sun

>>5815170
>Learn to absorb the sun's cleansing power within you and blend it with your Chi. Ghosts and evil spirits will be repelled if they attempt to posses or harm you by coming in contact with you and you will have an easier time fighting off the effects of evil rituals and Chi.
Adding onto your Chi Nature seems more interesting to me than a faster refill!

>>5815170
Now that's peculiar. . . Hmmmm

>Expand the pacifist style
It's a dedicated style for absorbing and adapting to a single foe, this seems pretty perfect.

But in the event of a Tie, I'll definitely put absorbing the cleansing power as a second. This is pretty cool

>>5815515
What this guy said basically