*comment REMOVE *save_checkpoint *temp val 0 *temp val2 0 *temp cagediff 6 *temp manaclediff 6 *temp stealthdiff 6 *temp fren "" *temp key false *temp shipdamage 0 *temp bloodboost 0 *temp cultists 30 *temp thesecret false *temp kosukehelp false *temp leonagag true *temp bloodsecret false *temp leonatortured 0 *temp botortured 0 *temp cj 0 *temp thebluff false *temp silentcounter 0 *temp taioknowledge 0 *temp angelodeception 0 *temp angelicblanket false *temp seared false *temp distraction "marbles" *temp celldone false *temp kold false *temp chaindone false *temp lostbonus false *temp insult "" *temp oneye false *temp manaclefail 0 *temp cagefail 0 *if (race = "Oni") *set insult "hellspawn" *elseif (((subrace = "Cat") or (subrace = "Dog")) or (race = "Kitsune")) *set insult "filthy stray" *elseif (subrace = "Reptile") *set insult "coldblood" *elseif ((subrace = "Bovine") and (heshe = "she")) *set insult "you outdated piece of farm equipment" *elseif ((subrace = "Bovine") and (heshe = "he")) *set insult "farm equipment" *elseif (subrace = "Monkey") *set insult "monkey" *else *set insult "trash" *if ((bffromance >= 1) and (heshe = bffheshe)) *set bffromance 0 *if (infused = 777) *set key true *set potential "" *set infused 0 *set chapter 5 *if (sonarmode) [b][Chapter 5][/b] *else *image https://www.auraclash.com/assets/img/ap-chapter-five.png [b][i]In which suffering is imminent,[/i][/b] *line_break [b][i]Hostile plots come unveiled,[/i][/b] *line_break [b][i]And disaster falls upon the land.[/i][/b] No matter how much power one obtains, no matter how far one's victories lead them, all paths must come to an end. Your path faces its greatest danger yet, but it is more than death that haunts your future. For better or worse, not all paths are walked alone. *page_break *set stripped true *if ((equippedaccessory1 = "Weighted Clothing") or (equippedaccessory2 = "Weighted Clothing")) *set agility + 1 *if ((equippedaccessory1 = "Sabretooth Cloak") or (equippedaccessory2 = "Sabretooth Cloak")) *set power - 1 *set persuasion - 1 *if ((equippedaccessory1 = armguardname) or (equippedaccessory2 = armguardname)) *set fortitude - armguardfort *set power - armguardpow *gosub_scene quicks timepass *set forspent fortitude *set powspent power *set solspent soul *set agispent agility *set chispent ((soul/2) + chipool) *label woundchecker *if (((health + (fortitude / 2)) - wounds) >= 2) *set wounds + 1 *goto woundchecker It's hard to tell what wakes you first. Is it the rattle of metal chains? Is it the screams of some unknown victim? Or is it your own gasping breath? All three fill your ears at once. Air rushes through your lungs in shivering desperation as your eyes shoot open, bleary and red from an intense fever dehydrating your body. Your lips are dry and cracked, it feels as though every ounce of water in your system has spent untold hours fleeing out your pores in the form of sweat drenching through your clothes. The ailment has depleted not just your chi but your physical form; the world feels so cold, as though every bone in your body has been emptied of marrow and replaced with harsh winds biting through the hollow lining inside your skeleton. *if (style = "Midorikatai") *set auracolor "green" *set fren "Fang" "Good morning, Thunderfaller." Tian Fang whispers softly, crouched in a corner of the outdoor iron cage housing the two of you. She faces away from you and her tail stands on edge. "I do not think we are in a good place." Turning over quickly on a painful floor of iron bars reveals that you're *elseif (style = "Kurokonton") *set auracolor "purple" *set fren "Guiren" *if ({metguiren#3} = 1) "'Mornin, retard." Says Guiren, equally debilitated lying on the floor across from you in an outdoor iron cell. He *elseif ((guirenromance >= 1) and (heshe = "she")) "Goodmorning, bright eyes." Says Guiren, laying across from you in an outdoor iron cell with one arm propping his head up casually. From the cold sweat you can tell he's suffering too and trying to look cool. It's not really working, he *else "Bad night?" Guiren asks as if you were drinking buddies, his own prone body lying helplessly across from you in your outdoor iron cell. He doesn't even bother raising his head and looks like he hasn't slept in days. You must look worse. A quick scan of your surroundings shows you're *elseif (style = "Kiihakai") *set auracolor "gold" *set fren "Desdemona" "Try not to move." Whispers *if ((desromance >= 2) and (heshe = "he")) Desdemona, pressed against you from behind while lying down. *else Desdemona from mere feet away. "Pretend to be unconscious." You crack one eye open ever so slightly and gaze at your surroundings. The situation is not good. You're *elseif (style = "Aoyusumu") *set auracolor "cerulean" *set fren "Angelo" "Take things easy." Says Angelo, sitting cross-legged in the outdoor cage housing both of you. He is playing some sort of card game on his lap, with himself. "Ailments are worst at night, when the yin aspect of Darkness holds domain." Turning over slowly on a painful floor of iron bars reveals that you're *elseif (style = "Akakiru") *set auracolor "scarlet" *set fren "Leona" You shiver until enough warmth gets into your body to feel like you can move. An action you soon regret. When you turn to survey your surroundings you realize you're trapped in a five foot cubic iron cage *if (style = "Akakiru") alone, *else with ${fren}, one of a dozen iron cages forming a circle around the many campfires that illuminate the night around the market square of this pillaged coastal town. Most of the nearby cages are filled with other moaning victims, but you envy them for having human proportion cages. The smaller cage in which you're trapped is even worse for you, feverish as you are. The close quarters are a known debilitation meant for prisoners, purposefully not long enough to stretch out or stand and specifically designed to interrupt good rest. *if ((bodytype = "Petite") or (bodytype = "Manlet")) [b][Bodytype Event: Short $!{manwoman}][/b] *line_break *set apval 5 *gosub_scene quicks apboost For most people. You, on the other hand, are short. Your rest was slightly rejuvenating and direly needed. Still, it's not enough to improve your situation. *else *set combatstat "fortitude" *set combatstat2 "soul" *set combatdiff 8 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) [b][No Aura Pressure Loss][/b] The night was harsh, but your body is made for harsher things. *else *set apval 5 *gosub_scene quicks aploss The night was not kind to you. As you look around you see dozens of slaves bound in chains, each carrying crates of goods or hauling barrels down the main road towards the docks downhill. They keep a steady pace, considering the Sunbringers in uniform whipping them into motion. It's hard to miss the fresh scars on most of the slaves, which isn't surprising when you see the state of the town. Once housing hundreds inside the safety of walls, this port town has since been looted, torched, and turned into a bloodbath. Crimson sigils line the doors of each house and shop down any road in which you look, with many of the buildings suffering destroyed roofs or fire damage. It's clear this town was taken recently. The acrid taste in the air lets you know what the sigils are drawn in. Blood. *page_break *if (style = "Midorikatai") A soft rattle catches your attention and you notice manacles around Tian Fang's hands with glowing sigils along the edges. She turns around, face covered in the shadows, and trails your vision to her wrists. "Oh, you have noticed my new jewelry have you?" She rattles the manacles again lightly. *if ((fangromance >= 2) and (heshe = "he")) "You had best be careful, it seems these Sunbringer men are purchasing Tian Fang enchanted ornaments! Hmhmhm." *else "Do not be jealous, as we are the best of friends we both have a pair! And they even have Seals!" She tries to laugh but you notice a shiver, as if she's wincing from pain the whole time. You look down and realize the same manacles weigh heavily on your own wrists. You can feel what the enchantment is: your spirit is being disrupted from recovering. *choice #"Have you noticed anything useful while I've been out?" *set honor + 1 *set powexp + 2 "Have you noticed anything useful while I've been out?" You ask Fang. Taking stock of any situation immediately is common sense. "Only that there are slaves from many areas here, most Laborers and some with low Aura Pressures. I suspect the Sunbringers have ambushed many, yet I do not know how. Mountain Hazard's reports always stated the Sunbringers were steadily weakening since the death of Master Bangle at Crusher Mao's hand." You think back to that iconic day, the duel between masters in the lower fields. The day your conviction sparked to life and you knew you wanted to be a Martial Artist...the path that put you in this cage. *if (honor >= 50) *set powexp + 3 It was worth every second. "Why are you smiling?" *else Mistakes were made. "Is something wrong?" Fang asks, getting closer to take a look at you. #"Are you okay?" *set ruthless - 1 *set fangrep + 1 "Are you okay?" You ask, analyzing the wolfgirl more closely. "Hah, thank you much for asking but...no." She says on the verge of tears. "No, Tian Fang is not okay." #"Where are your wolves?" *set fangrep + 3 *if ((fangromance >= 2) and (heshe = "he")) *set fangromance + 1 "Where are your wolves?" You ask, noticing the lack of the animals. "Hah." She says, more in quick exhale than a laugh. "Very kind of you to ask, they are well." "How can you tell? Do you have some mental link with them?" Fang bats a hand at you *if (fangromance >= 1) playfully *else dismissively and stands up, cupping both hands around her mouth. "Awoooooo!" She howls into the night sky. "AWWOOOOO!!" Howl back a dozen wolves, though it sounds too close as if they were in cage somewhere nearby too. When Fang shifts her head to the side the shadow of your cage's bars no longer passes over her eyes. The light of the moon reflects off Fang's pupils and you can finally see why she's been acting so strange. Despite the manacles sealing both your chi, Fang's eyes do not show the brown pupils of Mountain Hazard's star disciple. They shine amber. The eyes of the Beast you met in the storm. She leaps back quickly when you jump to your feet. "Please, please no! I am in...in control!" Her upper lip stretches as if to shake a dental annoyance and you see why. Her fangs are back. "Fang, that's not from Wild Chi. What's happening?" "I know not, but it is," she takes a long inhale, "it is most unnerving. My mind feels as if I am trapped between the Beast and myself." She shakes her head lightly and tries to smile. "Yet it is not so bad as the Heavenly Gates, my mind will...will...." She ends the sentence there, pupils dilating. Ever so slowly her gaze shifts, looking off to the side in silent focus. Her pose reminds you of a predator sensing prey. You snap your fingers near her face. "Fang, stay with me. *if ((ruthless < 50) or (fangromance >= 2)) Please. We need a plan." *elseif (style = "Kurokonton") Guiren shakes the manacles on his arms as he does a single, strained diamond-pushup to rise. *if ((heshe = "she") and (guirenromance >= 1)) "This isn't how I pictured waking up next to you, though the chains were always an option." "Hah. Hah." You say slowly between strained breaths. *else "Looks like we're sufficiently fucked." He says through a grunt. "These manacles are the end of the line." *if (honor > 49) "As if I'd give up to [i]Sunbringers[/i]." You reply. *else "I had a good run." You turn your neck enough to make it pop. "What are these anyway?" You look down at your own manacles and see sigils etched onto them. Now that you think about it, you don't sense any nauseating chi from the blood sigils on the buildings surrounding your cages. You don't sense any chi at all. "Binder's Bands, good for capturing enemies. They won't suppress your active powers so they're no good in a fight, but if you can beat your opponent into submission they'll stop your enemy's chi from recovering. Weakens us by about half, I'd say. Enough that cages will hold us." "So we..." "Walked into their hands by exhausting all our energy, yeah. They struck at the perfect time. Almost like they were stalking us waiting for the right moment. I respect it." You both take a moment to look out into the streets and disheveled buildings of the town, where the occasional slave is hauling crates or rolling barrels to the whipcrack of Martial Artists in Sunbringer gi. None have noticed you've woken up yet, so you turn back to Guiren. *choice #"Are your men okay? Last I saw they'd broken out in a fight." *set ruthless - 2 *set guirenrep + 2 "Are your men okay?" You ask while sitting up. "Last I saw they'd broken out in a fight." "Ancestors I hope so." Guiren says. "The odds don't look good for them. I trained them all poorly, as a joke." "...Did you train me poorly?" "I would've, but we only had a week." #"Can you pick the locks?" *set guirenrep + 1 *set agiexp + 2 "Can you pick the locks?" You ask in hushed tones. "With my chi sealed, my hands bound, guards actively patrolling, and no tools? Of course I can pick the locks. But it's going to take me time." #"By the way, that Oni underling of yours was going to trace a dick on your forehead." *set honor + 2 "By the way," you say like the snitch you are, "that Oni underling of yours was going to trace a dick on your forehead." "Pffftt." He covers his mouth to suppress a laugh. "That's genius. Think about it, I couldn't prove who did it unless I looked at each of their groins for ink stains, which is even worse." He sighs. "It's the perfect crime, I'm so proud of those idiots." Guiren looks out over the hellscape that this village has become. "I hope they're still alive." He rubs his hands together and leans against the inner wall of your mutual cage, his thin prehensile tail wrapping around one of the bars. "So what's the plan?" "Plan? My plan?" "Yeah, I taught you Kurokonton for a reason, now you can break me out of here." You heave several steadying breaths through the fever burning your head up from inside. "I doubt I'm in any condition to escape from my own bed at the moment. Do [i]you[/i] have a plan?" *elseif (style = "Kiihakai") Now that you've come to your senses something is noticeably missing: one of your senses. Your spiritual perception is cutoff entirely. In fact, you can't even feel chi inside your own body, and you know the culprit: a pair of manacles bound around your wrist. They radiate a cold sensation that numbs your spirit and body both, preventing your recovery. "Desdemona." You whisper twice, as your first whisper is drowned out by the hooting of owls. "Did they bind your wrists too?" "Unfortunately." She *if (desromance >= 2) whispers back, right next to your ear. *else whispers back. "I'd break the damn things open but my spirit won't recover, is it my fever or are yours the same?" "The same, Binder's Bands can't suppress our chi but they can prevent us from recovering it. They only work on defeated enemies." Desdemona sighs. "It seems our captors have the funds or plunder to hold several pairs of a high enough quality for either of us, and the perfect timing to use them." "Do you know a way around the enchantment?" Somehow you can [i]hear[/i] her malicious smirk without looking. "Of course I do, and they'll learn their mistake soon. Unfortunately not soon enough though, it's going to take time. The Sunbringers have been patrolling to see when we awaken. So long as we feign unconsciousness, we should buy all the time we need." *choice #"Good, I'm counting on you." *set desrep + 3 *set honor + 2 "Good, I'm counting on you." You say, feeling confident in the Dreamriver Mistress's powers. *if ((heshe = "he") and (bodytype != "Manlet")) *set desromance + 1 There's a short silence and you risk turning your head to make sure she's okay. When you see her face she's staring directly at you like a deer caught in the hunter's lantern, cheeks blushing. Ever so slowly, to avoid the Sunbringer guards noticing, she pulls her hands over her face. "Th-Thanks." *else "A wise decision." More owls hoot off in the distance and Desdemona suppresses a short laugh, exhaling lightly out of her nose. "Something funny?" You whisper. *goto desowltalk #"Are your Disciples okay?" *set ruthless - 2 *set desrep + 2 "Are your Disciples okay?" You ask quietly. "They are well. I cannot sense them with my chi bound so, but Li Moon and Li Sun have peculiar ways of communicating with each other. A private sibling language I could never fully crack." "Such as?" The hooting of owls drowns out your hushed question again. You grind your teeth and consider eating owl when you get out, then repeat, "such as?" Desdemona suppresses a short laugh, exhaling lightly out her nose. *label desowltalk "There are no owls in the swamps, and I doubt there are any owls coming to a burning town. My disciples are talking to each other in code." Oh. "Can you understand them?" "Sometimes. If I'm hearing properly they're in a legitimate prison, not a cage, and are preparing an escape." Another distant hoot interrupts her and she nods. That's the first bit of good news you've gotten since waking. If her disciples are healthy enough to communicate freely then you've got reinforcements, you just need to get out of this damned cage. "Keep me updated on the plan." #"I don't suppose you've hidden any medicine on you?" *set solexp + 2 *set honor - 1 "I don't suppose you've hidden any medicine on you?" You ask softly, eyes closed and breathing controlled to feign rest. "I had several hidden *if (heshe = "she") on my person *goto butitseemsdes *elseif (honor < 46) in my bra-" [b][Honor Check Failed][/b] "There was room to fit?" *set desrep - 2 "Silence, and thank the Heavens we're in luck. They may have found most of my supplies but *else in my bra *label butitseemsdes but it seems the Sunbringers searched me thoroughly." "Likewise." You can't help but notice all your missing possessions. "Luckily whoever searched me was inexperienced, because they missed *if ((heshe = "he") and (desromance >= 2)) one." "Missed one?" You ask in hushed tones. "How could they miss one?" "It's..." Desdemona's quiet for a moment in consternation. "It was trapped under my...It was concealed, okay? Don't ask questions and just take it. You *else one. Here, you need this more than I do. Do not forget this favor." A small pill is slipped into your hand. Pleasantly surprised, you *if ((heshe = "he") and (desromance >= 2)) rub your fingers over the pill to feel its shape and slip the medicine into your mouth. Immediately your fever lessens; not entirely, but enough for you to function. [b][1 Fortitude Core Restored][/b] *set forspent - 1 *set forexp + 1 *line_break [b][1 Agility Core Restored][/b] *set agispent - 1 *set agiexp + 1 "Now try to sleep." She whispers. "You'll need real rest if we're to enact the plan." *elseif (style = "Aoyusumu") "Darn." Angelo says in the dim light of the cage. "I had hoped to see the future in these cards, but I am growing confident that they are in fact gambling cards. I'm afraid I don't know how to read either set." Angelo slides the cards off his lap with the sound of metal on metal. Only then do you notice the manacles around his wrists. *if (angeloromance >= 1) You look to his eyes and find them sternly on you. "Seen our new accessories, have you?" He gives the bindings a quick shake. "Binder's Bands if my education is worth anything, useless to contain real power but exceedingly useful to stop it from coming back. Only works on defeated enemies, reducing their power by at least half. They were either exceedingly lucky or frighteningly patient to find us when our spiritual reserves were completely depleted. If we were a year or two stronger these wouldn't even affect us, we could rip them off without using chi at all, but such is our fate." You look down and realize the same set around your own limbs, which explains why you can't sense any nauseating demonic chi coming off the sigils of the doors surrounding the market square. Even your spiritual senses are sealed away. "Do you have a plan?" "Not a single one." Angelo answers calmly. "These situations tend to either sort themselves out or get us killed. I am certain that time will tell. No need to rush things." *choice #"How can you be so calm?" *set honor + 1 "How can you be so calm?" You ask. "I'm actually quite livid. Many innocent died here recently." Angelo says, looking out over the town as another set of slaves march through the market square between the cages, eyes cast down as they carry a crate together. Scars mark their necks and arms. "Truth be told, I will be holding every blood cultist individually accountable when we escape. By the time this is over I may shed more blood than they have." Angelo certainly doesn't look angry. He looks as calm and serene as ever, as if a child is smelling flowers for the first time and he's watching them enjoy the experience fondly. You're not sure if his masked expression is thanks to the Aoyusumu power of the mind or simply the kind of person he is. "I think I know a way out." He says after a short pause. "I'm all ears." #"Have you ever heard of the name 'Taio'?" *set powexp + 1 "Have you ever heard of the name 'Taio'?" You ask. "No, should I have?" You seem to have caught his attention. "He's a bald monk and blood cultist. He also knows how to make Clones through some sort of Shinobi Technique." Angelo nods. "A Kurokonton Style advanced Technique, I'm aware of it." "Well I fought one of his clones before and defeated them, I suspect this Taio who captured us now is either the original or another clone, either way he said he wanted to find out what his other self was up to." Angelo nods further and rests his chin on a fist. "I've an idea. Did the first clone seem like the proud type?" You think back to Taio's monologues. "Absolutely." "Then make up some of that Taio's grand successes. Make this Taio believe he's inferior to his peer." *set angelodeception 1 "Why?" "Because people who use Forbidden Techniques are exceedingly vain. You're a witness to the first Taio's 'greatness' so this one will prepare some grand display to prove his superiority to you specifically, as no one else will be able to properly compare him to his copy. That will give us time to enact our escape plan." "Which is?" #"Can't you use some sort of Saint power?" *set solexp + 1 "Can't you use some sort of Saint power to get us out of here?" You ask, eyes still adjusting to the campfire light. Angelo cocks an eyebrow. "You must have me confused with someone else. Though of course we can both use the most important power of Saints." Try as you might, cycling your chi yields no results, like trying to shove solid mud through a straw. Your new cerulean aura won't appear. "I don't think we can use Aoyusumu at all. At least I can't." "Nor can I." Angelo says with a smile and a rattle of his chains. "Yet Sacred Chi is not the most important power at our disposal." "Then what is?" *if ((heshe = "she") and (angeloromance >= 1)) #"I can't believe you'd leave a sick girl shivering in the cold like this." *set angeloromance + 1 *set forexp + 1 *set angelicblanket true "I can't believe you'd leave a sick girl shivering in the cold like this." You tease, though truly you are shivering with an aching fever. And in fact, it is Angelo's fault. This whole thing was his idea. Now that you think about it, you probably wouldn't even be captured if it weren't for- "Of course, how rude of me." Angelo replies with a court nod. Just as you're beginning to get mad at him he removes his pilgrim's robe, pulling it over his head slowly and splitting it in half when his manacles get in the way. The robe tears seamlessly and doesn't even slow his motions down. He stands, as much as he can in this cage, and flourishes the makeshift blanket over your prone body. You're suddenly no longer mad at him. With both hands he grabs the bars of your cage's ceiling and surveys the surrounding cages, leaning over you like a protective guardian wearing nothing but a pair of white slacks and standing [i]so very close[/i]. Flickering lights of the campfires throughout the market square highlight the lines between each of his muscles and as you look up from snuggling into the warm blanket you can't help but notice the shadows never cover his cerulean eyes. The warmth of his robe radiates through your body almost instantly. Your freezing bones seem to warm at its touch and your breath comes more easily. [b][1 Fortitude Core Restored][/b] *set forspent - 1 *set forexp + 1 *line_break [b][1 Power Core Restored][/b] *set powspent - 1 *set powexp + 1 "Prayer." Angelo says decisively. *if (angelicblanket) "Hm? Huh?" You say, suddenly trying to maintain eye contact. *else "Huh?" "Prayer, I believe it's our best way out of here." He says, scanning the other cages. "The Saints may hear us and send rescue. I don't know of any in the area, but I am sure the Trials have attracted at least a handful. Surely they will be able to detect our prayers over the thousands of others in these days of desperation and strife. And if not, there's always the Heavens." *choice #"You don't happen to have a better plan, do you?" "...You don't happen to have a better plan, do you?" #"If it's meant to be, then that's our best plan." "If it's meant to be, then that's our best plan." *set ruthless - 3 *set honor + 1 *set angelorep + 2 *elseif (style = "Akakiru") Chains rattle as you move and you realize that your wrists and ankles are bound with some sort of Sealed manacles. Sigils glow along them and you already know what they do: your spiritual powers are being bound. Not entirely, as you're able to sense chi within a few inches, so these manacles must instead be preventing you from recovering your chi after expending it all in the last step of Leona's training. Leona... Where is she? When you first woke you were alone inside this cage and assumed she was in another cell nearby, but as you look around the town square that the cages and campfires surround you don't see her in any of the other cells. It's hard to miss a girl with *if (heshe = "he") long golden hair in this part of Imperial Rasen. *if ((heshe = "she") and (((((haircolor = "yellow") or (haircolor = "dirty blonde")) or (haircolor = "golden blonde")) or (haircolor = "gold")) or (haircolor = "golden"))) For a while you thought you were the only one. *if (honor < 47) Maybe you'll save her on your escape, *else You'll have to get her out of whatever predicament she's in when you make your escape, if you can save yourself in the first place. "Think, $!{name}, think." You recite to yourself, focusing your thoughts through the delirium of fever. "You need a plan." "A plan for what?" Asks an approaching voice. *if (style = "Kiihakai") Desdemona curses under her breath. *if (style = "Kurokonton") "Aw shit." Says Guiren. *if (style = "Midorikatai") Fang lets out a low growl. You turn quickly and see five Sunbringers patrol through the main road into the market square where your cages are held. The quartet of Human Sungringers in the back wield whips but the wrinkled Oni man with white hair and a sharp beard talking in front of them holds two knives instead. He looks to you and sneers. "A plan to escape, I'd wager? Get that thought out of your mind right now, *if (race = "Oni") *if (heshe = "he") brother of the blood. *else sister of the blood. *else ${insult}. You stand in the presence of Crow Li, Upper Disciple and impromptu Master of the Sunbringer Sect, and I have no use for rebellious slaves. If you're good and useful then I may have mercy, break your Cores, and let you enjoy the fruits of hard labor." His ratty high pitch voice laughs at his own intentions, and several of the Sunbringers join in. *choice #"Why are you doing this? Attacking Trial-goers is a death sentence." *set ruthless - 1 "Why are you doing this?" You ask the old man. "Attacking Trialgoers is a death sentence by the Inner Kingdoms." Two of the Sunbringers in back start laughing, but Crow Li speaks up first with scathing condescension. "The Inner Kingdoms are as much a false hope as any leaders. They do what benefits them and nothing more. Their command to spare all Trial-goers is simply a bluff to keep fools in line, as well as an excuse to punish or extort the arrogant few who break the rules while still attending. Did you think that calculated show of force was for anything more than to cement their authority? They are no saviors. The law only applies so long as it is convenient. We have no intention of competing in their farce down in Nanhou and so they will not even spend the manpower to come claim you out here." "We'll see about that." *set honor + 1 The old Oni nods. "We will." He looks to the four with whips behind him. *label collectourguest "Let us not prolong this any further. Take ${himher}." *if (style = "Aoyusumu") Angelo pipes up. "Might I convince you to repent of your sins instead? It is not too late and take up a life of farming or fishing." Crow Li spits on Angelo in response. "We'll deal with you later, outsider." *elseif (style = "Kiihakai") Desdemona continues to play dead. *elseif (style = "Kurokonton") Guiren lunges at one of them with his manacles, slamming them in the head. The Sunbringer he strikes doesn't miss a step and uppercuts your lizard Yokai ally in the gut, knocking him out cold. *elseif (style = "Midorikatai") Tian Fang backs into the corner as they open the door, growling and crouched low like a cautious animal. They pay her no mind. #"Working for Taio is only going to get you killed." *set honor + 2 "Working for Taio is only going to get you killed." You say more to the Sunbringers in the back than to Crow Li himself. *if ((persuasion >= 2) or ((persuasion >= 1) and (honor >= 52))) *set powexp + 2 *if (persuasion >= 2) [b][Persuasion 2 Check Passed][/b] *else [b][Persuasion 1 Check Passed][/b] The two in front snicker but the other two in back exchange glances. You detect hesitation and acknowledgement in their exchange, they know they're in over their heads. *set martial_retainers + 1 "Insolent fool, I do not work FOR him, I work WITH him. He is an advisor, nothing more." Barks Crow Li. *goto collectourguest *else One of them whips the side of your cage with a sharp crack. "You've got it backwards, Thunderfaller!" He barks, "Us working for Taio is going to get [i]you[/i] killed!" The others break out in laughter. Crow Li grins at the barb and nods to the rest of the Sunbringers. *goto collectourguest #"You have ten seconds to let me go before I start killing." *set ruthless + 2 "You have ten seconds to let me go before I start killing." A few of the Sunbringers snicker and Crow Li drags his knife across your cell bars. "The only one you're even capable of killing in that condition is *if (style = "Akakiru") yourself. You're welcome to try, of course, after my advisor is done with you." *else your friend there." *if (style = "Aoyusumu") Angelo waves. *elseif (style = "Kiihakai") Desdemona continues to play dead. *elseif (style = "Kurokonton") Guiren sneers. "Why don't you come in here and try it yourself you expired-raison looking motherf-" A single blast of crimson illuminates the cage and knocks Guiren into the opposite wall. He drops to the ground, coughing up the same smoke emitting from the Oni's hand. *elseif (style = "Midorikatai") Tian Fang backs into the corner of the cell, eyes on you and crouched low like a cautious animal. The elder Oni Sunbringer turns to his whip-wielding underlings. *if (style = "Akakiru") "Collect our guest. *else "Open the door and drag out the Thunderfaller. Master Taio's curiosity must be sated." The four Sunbringers surge their mix of gold or crimson auras and drag you from your cell with insult more than injury: the whips aren't even needed. You swing at two of their heads the second they open the gate and plan to use that motion to launch yourself back so you can prepare for the other two. Instead all you achieve is a painful impact like you punched a rock. They don't even flinch. Without your chi you're no match for them, which becomes obvious as they each grab a single limb of yours and carry you down the main street upside down like a bound goat. You're dragged through the streets and see even more of this destroyed town, called Ebikowa if the cracked signs are to be believed. Entire buildings lie destroyed or marked with the same strange blood sigil on the door. Slaves push empty carts up and down the sloped streets to and from the docks, ignoring the corpses of slain villagers as they pass. What concerns you, in an odd way, is that there's nothing suspicious or malicious about the contents being carried around. You'd expect a horror-show of gore, these are blood cultists after all. You expected them to be collecting the bodies of the dead. Yet all the supplies being brought to the docks are basic goods. Cloth, lumber, nails, salted fish, wine and water barrels, lanterns, bushels of grain; the plunder looks more like what you'd expect from an explorer's expedition than a bloodthirsty demonic sect. Finally your captors reach the outskirts of town and come to a wider four-story building surrounded by a tall and decorative iron gate, likely some merchant's mansion. It doesn't exactly feel like a torture chamber. The Sunbringers drag you through the gate and into the back entrance, then through a lavish dining hall where you see the mansion's original inhabitants seated dead at the table, their throats slit. You instinctively fight against your captors at the sight but they don't miss a step in dragging you through the dining room and down the dark set of stairs into an unlit stone basement. Each step brings you further into the dark until they close the door to the stairs above, cutting you off from the only sources of light. [i]Now[/i] it feels like a torture chamber. "Here is good." Crow Li says in the dark. The forceful hands gripping your numbing limbs place you upright and use chains to strap you to a vertical stone table...and then they leave. You weren't counting the number of footsteps as they ascended the stairs so it's tough to tell, but judging by the silence it seems all five have left you alone in the darkness. *page_break "$!{fullname}." Calls a voice in the dark. "I hear you defeated Crusher Jack in your youth, a boy that interests me greatly. He interests quite a lot of people, I hear. They say he's been on a warpath from Thunderfall all the way to Nanhou, subjugating Upper Disciples in duels for their resources. Primed to win the Heavenly Ascension Trials, as the rumors circulate." A light chuckle comes from the shadows. "I must admit, I am quite interested to study the specimen who defeated him. Oh, but where are my manners? I don't believe we have been properly introduced." Six torches light the room simultaneously. Your prison-basement illuminates to show each corner adorned with a vertical stone slab like the one on which you're tied. Each is stained in blood. A set of vivisection tools rest on a table ominously close by and Taio himself stands before you hovering over the set of torture instruments, poking and prodding the sharpened tools with analytical grace. He smiles as he turns to you while holding an odd grabbing contraption: a pair of pliers with the tips made of wide fingernail-shaped pieces of metal. You can guess what it's for. "I am Taio of the Akuma Lords, and you are an ambitious reject of some moderate local Sect. It is your pleasure to meet me. Twice, I believe." *choice #"Things didn't end well for the first Taio to challenge me." *set ruthless + 1 "Things didn't end well for the first Taio to challenge me." "That's why I've brought you here instead of slitting your throat." Taio says dismissively. "I'd wager the other clone was quite the brute, scheming and yelling like a boisterous fool." The man's expression darkens instantly. "I am not like him. I am different. I am better." *if (ruthless < 50) "You're crazier." *else "You're both trash." You reply. "Allow me to show you the difference between myself and other clones." "Clones? Plural?" *goto taiocomposure *if (style != "Akakiru") #"Let ${fren} go and I'll give you what you want." *set ruthless - 2 "Let ${fren} go and I'll give you what you want." You plead. It's a dangerous gambit but if you can get ${fren} out of here at least one of you survives. "An intriguing offer, certainly." Taio says, tapping the pliers against his knuckles. "And one only made by the deliriously desperate. I already have your friend properly bound, and I have you in my torture chamber. You will give me what I want no matter what, so why would I surrender an additional possession? Now, let us begin." #"Indeed. Surely we can talk without the chains?" *set honor - 2 "Indeed. Surely we can *if (persuasion >= 3) [i]talk without the chains?[/i]" [b][Persuasion 3 Check Passed][/b] "Yes, of course." Taio replies, turning to your bindings. "It's not as if y-" He freezes and pulls his hands back, trembling as if dangerously close to a venomous snake. His head turns towards the floor, staring down in concentration, calculating the danger, then he places a palm against his eye. "What am I...why would I do that?" He steps back three times and stares at you, head inching forward even as his feet try to drag him away. "How did you do that?" *set apval 5 *gosub_scene quicks apboost What's he talking about? "I just asked." You reply, confused. "You asked a ridiculous request, and yet my mind told me to perform it. Only my Blood Marbles stopped me from-" "Blood marbles?" *label taiocomposure Taio glowers. "I've said too much." He shakes his head slowly, regaining his composure with a deep breath. "Let us return to the rightful process of a proper interrogation." *else talk without the chains?" [b]Persuasion 3 Check Failed][/b] "No." "Please?" "No." Pain suddenly explodes in your hand and Taio smiles at the look on your face. #[Resist against your chains.] Against all logic you try to break the iron chains holding you down. Your own skin begs for sweet surrender as you press against the iron chains with only the bare minimum amount of chi pressing through your spirit and body. Bruises form along your flesh and even bone as you strain harder and harder against the chains, their taught metal links screeching out as they bend. "I wouldn't resist if I were you," Taio taunts, "with your ailment you're more likely to-" *set combatstat "power" *set combatdiff 7 *if ((bodytype = "Muscular") or (bodytype = "Dommymommy")) *set combatdiff - 1 [b][Bodytype Event: Difficulty Reduced][/b] *line_break *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) The chains break just before you do. Iron links fly throughout the room like shrapnel ricocheting off the stone walls. Several pelt Taio enough that he actually guards his face. *set apval 5 *gosub_scene quicks apboost You use that opportunity to lunge at the man with both manacled hands and swing for his head. This is your chance! *page_break You find yourself back on the stone slab, bound with tendrils of blood instead of chains. There was no wind, no rush of action. The back of your head doesn't hurt like it would if you were knocked back into your table, and Taio is still flinching. It's not as if you were shot back onto the stone slab faster than you can see, it was something beyond speed. You were not on the torture rack, and then you simply were. What the Hells is going on? *comment understanding Taio's abilities *set taiocombat - 1 Taio looks up to see you bound with tendrils of blood. "What *if (heshe = "he") an unruly subject. *else an interesting subject. I'll have to tread more carefully." He clacks his torture instrument twice. "If you're done with the interruptions, it is time to begin." *else A blood vessel pops in your eye and your body seizes up the second you relent. Immediately the full repercussions of fighting against the chains reaches every limb in your body and deep pain echoes through your bruised bones. To make matters worse, your lungs feel like you've done real damage to them by straining too much pressure into your chest, all in a vain attempt to summon more strength. *set apval 3 *gosub_scene quicks aploss "See?" Taio says. "You may have obtained a modicum of power, but it has not had the years to soak into you. Without access to chi reserves you are like a fresh rose: easily plucked and only a danger to the foolish." #[Spit at him.] *set combatstat "agility" *set combatdiff 5 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) Taio disappears completely as if you had blinked for too long. He was where you aimed one moment and then beside you the next. However, you recognize it has to be some sort of Technique, one that he has to activate. One that doesn't improve his reflexes. You know this because despite his instant transportation, your spit is on his face. He didn't dodge in time. *comment understanding Taio's abilities *set taiocombat - 1 "You've got something on your cheek." You taunt. Taio wipes the spit from his face with his sleeve, looking down on it in disgust. "Enjoy your victory from within your chains." Taio says. "I shall enjoy mine far more." *else You spit at the bastard and he appears to the side, as if he were where you aimed one moment and to your left the next. The dust around his feet doesn't even move. "A level of resistance, duly noted. I find it beneficial to have a baseline to judge off so I can know when the patient's pain tolerance has been reached." He holds up the pliers and your left pinky rings with an aching sting circling all around its tip. Taio smiles as you look closer and see your own pinky fingernail in his pliers. You never even saw him take it out. "We will start with basic tests." With a hungry look he grabs your left hand before you can even react and [i]squeezes[/i] your fingers hard enough to make your knuckles crack against each other. Sharp and growing pain blazes through the hole where your fingernail used to be and spreads to the rest of your hand. *if ((honor >= 52) or (fortitude >= 5)) *if (honor >= 52) [b][Honor Check Passed][/b] *else [b][Fortitude 5 Check Passed][/b] You refuse to scream. *set forexp + 3 *else *set honor - 1 [b][Fortitude 5 Check Failed][/b] Against your best wishes, you do scream. Taio pulls back and looks down at his palm now that it's coated in your blood. With several quick handsigns and a crimson glow he activates some Technique, causing your blood on his hand to illuminate the room. He begins to mumble to *if ((honor >= 52) or (fortitude >= 5)) himself. *else himself through your recovering breaths. "Subject is roughly ${age} years of age..." *line_break *if (aurapressure >= 2000) "Over two thousand Aura Pressure, terrifying *elseif (aurapressure >= 1000) *if (aurapressure = 1000) "One *else "Over one thousand Aura Pressure, unbelievable *elseif (aurapressure >= 900) "Nine-hunded Aura Pressure, [i]exceedingly[/i] impressive *elseif (aurapressure >= 800) "Eight-hunded Aura Pressure, quite impressive *elseif (aurapressure >= 700) "Seven-hunded Aura Pressure, impressive *elseif (aurapressure >= 600) "Six-hunded Aura Pressure, showing mild talent *elseif (aurapressure >= 500) "Five-hunded Aura Pressure, as to be expected *elseif (aurapressure >= 400) "Four-hunded Aura Pressure, typical *elseif (aurapressure >= 300) "Only three-hundred Aura Pressure, I don't even know how that's possible..." *goto skipsubjectagetalk *elseif (aurapressure >= 200) "Two-hunded Aura Pressure...? How it's so low I cannot begin to guess." *goto skipsubjectagetalk for subject's age and province..." *label skipsubjectagetalk *line_break *if (race = "Kitsune") "An interesting amount of spiritual interference in the lifeline...Oh, you must be a Kitsune. Interesting but not important. Let's see, what else..." *line_break *elseif (taint > 0) "An interesting amount of spiritual *if (race = "Oni") corruption, even for an Oni..." *else corruption..." *line_break "A recently realized talent in the ${style} Style's natural chi..." *line_break *if ((element1 != "None") and (element2 != "")) "A coerced infusion of both the ${element1} and ${element2} Elements..." *line_break *elseif (element2 != "") "A coerced infusion of the ${element2} Element..." *line_break *elseif (element1 != "None") "A coerced infusion of the ${element1} Element..." *line_break "And...By the Hells, what's this?" *page_break What's what? Taio steps away from you quickly, pacing the room and staring at his palm in astonishment. "I almost can't believe it. Yet it all makes sense." He pushes his palm in your face close enough that he nearly wipes your own glowing blood over your nose. "Did you know about this?" "Know about what?" You say through gritted teeth, trying to keep the blood from touching you. "Your Foundation! I was under the impression Thunderfall taught Fortitude-based Foundations, akin to an increased Fortitude Core, and yet this...why this changes my investigation. And substantially at that!" *if (jadedragonfoundation) You curse internally, hoping he didn't find out about your Jade Dragon Foundation. *else Tian Fang mentioned Foundations, could yours be special? "What are you talking about?" Taio paces more quickly, scratching his head obsessively with one hand while staring at the glowing blood in the other. "Surely you know every Martial Artist has a passive Technique built into their physical body upon their first Advancement, their Foundation if you will. I had assumed you were able to defeat the other me due to your unexpected resilience from a Fortitude-based Foundation tricking him into lowering his guard, meaning he was a [i]fool[/i] for not researching the Thunderfall Sect while operating in their territory, but you never had Thunderfall's Fortitude foundation! You have a [i]Fuel Foundation[/i]!" He smiles wide and almost genuinely at you. It doesn't look right on his face. Also, you don't know what a Fuel Foundation is. After a moment his smile falters. "I see you share no love of the pursuit of knowledge. A pity." He holds his blood-covered palm up and all your blood on it floats three inches into the air, coalescing into a hardened crimson sphere that he quickly pockets. "A Fuel Foundation is a low-grade Foundation focused on absorbing Heavenly Gates. It allows the wielder to absorb more chi from them and increases their combat prowess when inside of a Gate. With how heavily populated Heavenly Gates often become, it's virtually useless. For most it means an extra hundred Aura Pressure in a lifetime and a bit more usefulness for those rare Sect battles fought over Gates, while being weaker outside of them." *if (jadedragonfoundation) That can't be right, is he unable to sense your Jade Dragon Foundation? Or do you have two? It would make sense that he can't sense your Jade Dragon Foundation, they're so rare that he probably didn't make a way to test for them. Yet yours didn't come into fruition until [i]after[/i] your fight with Jack. It sounds almost like he's saying... *else But you never felt stronger inside the Heavenly Gates...then again, it's hard to tell in the rush of battle. Your difficult fights were almost all inside of... "You get it now, don't you?" Taio asks, stepping closer. "Tell me I did not explain it for nothing. Are the pieces coming together in your little mind? Your victory over Crusher Jack, the entire reason why people know your name, it was due to a temporary power increase! A fluke! Crusher Jack has become a prodigy, feared and honored among Outer West, his name on every pair of lips. When I caught you I had thought I found the one contestant who could beat him, someone worth studying, blood worth harvesting, yet it was all an *if ({metfang#2} = 1) accident. You didn't even defeat Mountain Hazard's Tian Fang without the help of your situational Foundation!" *else accident!" *if ({metjack#2} != 0) You restrain yourself from rolling your eyes. This guy might know Foundations but he doesn't know you and he doesn't know Jack. You beat Crusher Jack before any Gate even triggered when you *if ({metjack#2} = 1) stabbed him. Idiot brought the raw and unbridled chi of the human soul to a knife fight. *elseif ({metjack#2} = 2) pushed him off a cliff. It was his fault really, he shouldn't have been standing there. *elseif ({metjack#2} = 3) fed him to a giant man-eating Thunderbird. He should have stayed out of your woods. *elseif ({metjack#2} = 4) blasted him through the chest with the power of a cursed scroll. It was awesome. Not wanting to give this bastard free information, you entertain his delusions and change the subject. *else Hate bubbles up from your *if (ruthless >= 55) heart. *else heart, burning hotter than you expected. *if ({metfang#2} = 1) Those victories are [i]yours[/i]. They are [i]real[/i]. *else That victory against Jack is [i]yours[/i]. It's [i]real[/i]. Yet you cannot give him the reaction he wants. You breathe in and out, twice, calmly, and try to change the subject. *choice #"You seem to know an awful lot about my life for someone who wasn't there." "You seem to know an awful lot about my life for someone who wasn't there." Taio smiles like he's just won a game you didn't know you were playing. "Oh I should, after all I would never trust the words of a single Martial Artist. I've already heard your life's story, this is just a..." He motions to the torture chamber around him. "A formality. A confirmation. Your tale has already been recounted to me by those who know it best." #"So you've been following me afterall. The Storm, outside the burned village, the dreams. All of it." "So you've been following me afterall. The Storm, outside the burned village, the dreams. All of it." Taio blinks. For just a moment he stares at you in genuine confusion. Then it looks as if he's trying to see past you, for something that isn't quite there, but he quickly shakes his head with a grimace as if dismissing your foolishness. "I have no idea what you're incessantly babbling about. I know about your life because I've heard it from those who know it best." Those who know it best? Who? Worry soaks into your mind. If he's saying what you think he's saying... Taio nods with satisfaction as realization shows in your eyes. He claps twice and the sound of footsteps come from upstairs. "Sunbringers!" Taio shouts out to his underlings above. "Bring down the siblings!" *page_break No. No! Shouts of resistance come from upstairs as Sunbringer Martial Artists drag two more prisoners down the stairs. Taio keeps his eyes on you the entire time. "You've been seeking *if (style = "Akakiru") your brother *else your brother and sister out if my scouts are to be believed, so allow me to reunite you with *if (japannaming) $!{clan} Rin and $!{clan} Jin." *else Rin $!{clan} and Jin $!{clan}." Six men and woman in Sunbringer uniform that you don't recognize drag the two prisoners down and strap them to torture racks. When they part to give you a view you look with horror upon the bruised and beaten faces of your sib...lings... Those aren't your siblings. *if (style = "Akakiru") *set an "Leona" *else *set an "the Lunargoth woman" It's Bo, Jack's skinny friend, and *if (style = "Akakiru") Leona. *label leonastraining "Big *if (heshe = "he") brother!" *else sister!" ${an} shouts, straining against the chains with exaggerated struggle. "Please save us, you're our only hope!" *if (style = "Akakiru") She gives you a wink but shakes her head. What in the world is she doing? *else Is this some kind of joke? What's going on here? Bo looks through his black eye from ${an} to you, to Taio who's gazing at you like you've fallen into his trap, to ${an}'s chest, and back to you. "Uh...Yeah!" He blurts out in his nasally voice. "Do something big *if (heshe = "he") brother!" *else sister!" Judging by the fear in his bruised eyes, you don't think he's playing along to any plan. *else you don't even recognize the girl. *if (portraitpics) *image https://www.auraclash.com/assets/img/Leona.jpg A blonde Lunargothic woman with different colored eyes. She has two empty sheaths at her side that likely once held swords, and she's currently sporting a bleeding lip on her left side connected to a sizable cheek bruise in multiple colors. *goto leonastraining Taio looks *if (race = "Human") at *if (style != "Akakiru") the woman and frowns. *else Leona, her appearance noticeably different from yours and Bo's. Her skin pale, her hair golden, her eyes blue and green. He frowns. "She's adopted." Says one of the Sunbringers, *elseif (race = "Lunargoth") at Bo; his skin, eyes, and hair not matching the Lunargothic traits of you and Leona. He frowns. "What's the matter with this one?" "Product of an affair." Says one of the Sunbringers, *else from Bo Lo, a Human, to *if (style != "Akakiru") Leona, *else the woman, a Lunargoth, and to you, a *if (race = "Kitsune") Kitsune posing as a Wolf Yokai. *else *if (subrace != "") ${subrace} ${race}. With a frown, he turns to the nearest Sunbringer for answers to his unspoken question. "Different fathers." The man says confidently, turning back to tighten Bo's bindings. "Ah." Taio replies in disgust. "A mark of weakness on the lineage. No matter, have them gagged." The blood cultist turns back to you with fingers pressed together. "Now that I have your complete attention, we will cut to the end. I was originally interested in your spiritual composition, but I have seen it's a sham. Your body and soul are nothing *if (jadedragonfoundation) special beyond a high Aura Pressure. Extraordinary for where you were born, but not of interest to me. *else special. All I care now about is what you know about the other Taio." He snaps his fingers and one of the Sunbringers clamps two metal instruments onto both of Bo's thumbnails, grips the handles harder, and rips them off in one quick jerk. Bo screams louder than you thought possible. Taio smiles at the sound, cherishing it. "Every time I hear an answer that displeases me, we will make sure your siblings pay the cost. Here is your first question: when did you meet the other Taio, and what was he planning?" Bo looks at you expectantly with panic in his eyes, his teeth gritting in pain. $!{an} just nods as if you're all following the same secret plan that no one told you about. *choice #"He was leading a gang of bandits to enslave and sell Thunderfall's farmers." [Truth] You think back to your first and only real mission for the Thunderfall Sect. "He was impersonating a Sect Master on behalf of the Sunbringers, leading a gang of bandits to enslave and sell Thunderfall's farmers. The bandit I captured said the end goal was to weaken Thunderfall and that was the first step." *set taioknowledge + 1 Taio tsks. "I believe you, but I doubt that was the true purpose...Unless he needed funds for some purchase he could not acquire freely. Hm...what was he after..." Taio stares to the ground, brow wrinkled in silence for too long. One of the Sunbringers coughs while idly holding a scalpel to the skin under Bo's eye. "Master Taio, he was working for [i]us[/i]. We told you all of that." "I know what you told me. Now keep your instruments ready in case you are of need." He turns back to you. "Next question. *if (element1 != "None") #"He trained me in the ${element1} Element so I could kill other Taio clones." [Lie] "He trained me in the ${element1} Element *label taiotrainedme so I could kill other Taio clones." *if ((deception >= 2) or ((deception >= 1) and (angelodeception = 1))) *set agiexp + 1 *if (deception < 2) [b][Angelo's Guidance Granted][/b] *line_break [b][Deception 2 Check Passed][/b] *set thebluff true Taio looks from you to the other Sunbringers. "Did you know of this?" You notice the wrinkled Oni is missing and no one else wants to step up. Crimson chi radiates around Taio. "I asked a question. Answer me." "N-No, Master Taio." Says one of the women. "We only hired that man to make trouble for Thunderfall, last we heard from him he had taken over a bandit gang and we lost track-" "You lost track of him [i]because[/i] he had a coterie of bandits. A crowd too large to add your scouts onto without attracting Thunderfaller attention." Taio chastises. "You fell for a simple obfuscation which allowed him to train this upstart here with who knows what kind of tricks and information. Worse, you failed to mention it when we met." He looks back to you. "It seems I underestimated the threat you pose, despite your *if not (jadedragonfoundation) lack of talent and false reputation. Next question." Taio leans closer, his eyes peering into yours. *else [b][Deception 2 Check Failed][/b] "Ah." Taio says dryly. "You're under the impression I can be deceived. How foolish." *goto taiodisappointment *elseif (element2 != "") #"He trained me in the ${element2} Element so I could kill other Taios." [Lie] "He trained me in the ${element2} Element *goto taiotrainedme *else #"He trained me in the Martial Arts so I could kill other Taios." [Lie] He trained me in the Martial Arts *goto taiotrainedme #"You can ask him after I kill you." *set ruthless + 1 You look Taio in the eyes defiantly. "You can ask him after I kill you." *label taiodisappointment Taio shakes his head in disappointment. "I don't believe we're getting results. Electrocute the girl." $!{an} bites through her gag and spits out, chomping at the Sunbringers holding her down by the shoulders as another of Taio's martial artists takes on a wide stand, surrounds his body with lightning, and swirls his hands in an arc. *if (style = "Akakiru") Leona *else The fake Rin sees the display and immediately switches tones. "Whoa whoa hey, let's not get hast-IIEEEYYAAAHHH!!" *set leonagag false *set leonarep - 2 *set leonatortured + 1 $!{an} screams as her body shakes with rapid spasms, blasted with the hostile chi attack directly in her midsection where it threatens to shatter her core. In the shock of the moment your peripheral vision barely notices Taio consume some sort of crimson marble and mimic the same motions. Electricity lights up the room next to you as he conjures up the same power and blasts bolt after bolt of pain directly into your spirit and body. You're overcome with a blinding rush of sensitive pain; your face tenses to hold back screams but the effort is so demanding that veins show on your forehead. *if ((element1 = "Storm") or (element2 = "Storm")) [b][Element Event: Storm][/b] Despite it all, your spirit does not suffer true damage. Though the lightning burns with hostile intent, your body has long since been attuned to the powers of the storm. *set combatstat "fortitude" *set combatdiff 5 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) [b][Reduced Damage][/b] *set apval 2 *line_break *else *set apval 4 *gosub_scene quicks aploss Taio wipes beads of sweat from his forehead and nods in satisfaction at the smoke coming off your body. "Next question." He says as *if ((fortitude < 5) and (honor < 55)) your breathing approaches hyperventilating and you and ${an} cough out smoke. #[Remain Silent] *set honor + 1 You remain silent, nonchalantly staring into the blood cultist's face. If he expects you to talk then that's his problem. *set silentcounter + 1 *goto taiodisappointment "What did the other Taio reveal about the Akuma Lords?" *choice #"Nothing." [Truth] "Nothing." You say. Why wouldn't you? You've never heard of the Akuma Lords. *set taioknowledge + 1 *if (persuasion >= 2) [b][Persuasion 2 Check Passed][/b] *set powexp + 2 Taio opens his mouth to give the next torture order but stops, hand hovering in the air as he stares at you inquisitively. He peers into your eyes scrutinizingly and a tingling sensation between your shoulders lets you know he's scanning your weakened spirit simultaneously. Your brow furrows as you stare back, unsure what he's looking for. "Hm." He says, as if that settled things. He lowers a hand and the Sunbringers behind him put their torture instruments down. "Next question. *else [b][Persuasion 2 Check Failed][/b] "I see. How unfortunate for your family that you resist." *goto handslice *if (thebluff) #"He said if we worked together I could join them." [Lie] "The Akuma Lords?" You think back to your encounter with the other Taio. He never even mentioned such a thing. Time to get creative. "He said if we worked together I could join the Akuma Lords, but he never told me what they were." Taio sneers. "You were offered entry into our secretive Sect and accepted, not even knowing our goals or what we are?" You switch to the offense, staring at Taio like he's making a fool of himself. "If you were at the bottom of your home's hierarchy with your Sect Master out to get you, would [i]you[/i] have turned it down?" *if ((deception >= 2) or ((deception >= 1) and (angelodeception = 1))) *set agiexp + 1 *if (deception < 2) [b][Angelo's Guidance Granted, Difficulty Lowered][/b] *line_break [b][Deception 2 Check Passed][/b] Taio concedes with a nod. "That may be true, though I wonder why he sought you out at all. I suppose he must have missed your Foundation and suspected you had some other method for defeating Jack, some other merit...or maybe he learned something I haven't. Yet." He turns back to the Sunbringers for just a moment, analyzing them, but shakes his head and turns back to you. "Next question. *else [b][Deception 2 Check Failed][/b] Taio shakes his head. "There are gaps in your story that you lack the knowledge to understand. The other me would never accept you into the Akuma Lords if his goal was to kill the other Taios." He snaps his fingers twice to signal the Sunbringers behind him. *goto handslice2 *else #"He threatened to sacrifice my blood to them." [Lie] "The Akuma Lords?" You think back to the other Taio threatening to add your own blood to his power...that sounds close enough to what this Taio probably wants to hear. With a long inhale, as if giving something up, you say, "He threatened to sacrifice my blood to them." Taio glances to his left, then to the floor, then to his left again. Calculations show in his expression and you see Bo and ${an} grow more nervous with each breath. *if (deception >= 2) *set agiexp + 1 [b][Deception 2 Check Passed][/b] Finally Taio relents with an expression of unamused disappointment. "How dreadfully dull. He should not have exposed the Sect at all if it were for something so banal. Next question. *else [b][Deception 2 Check Failed][/b] Finally Taio shakes his head. "No, I doubt he would expose the Sect at all if it were something so banal." He snaps his fingers twice. *goto handslice2 #"Less than you since he had the smarts to not mention them. Moron." *set ruthless + 1 *set taioknowledge + 1 "What did the other Taio reveal to me about the Akuma Lords?" You chuckle condescendingly before answering. "Less than you since [i]that[/i] Taio at least had the smarts to not mention them. This is the first time I'm even hearing those words and it's your fault, you moron." The Sunbringers look from you to Taio, gauging his reaction to your challenge. *label handslice Taio releases a long, drawn-out sigh. *label handslice2 "Burn the boy." "Yes, Master Taio." Says two of the Sunbringers. "Mrh!!" Bo yells out through his gag. "MRHH!!" He screams louder as one of the Sunbringers walks behind his stone slab and seizes his arms from behind to steady him. Another Sunbringer stands in front of him, waving two hands together as if molding clay. Between the man's palms forms a ball of fire that he launches at Bo's midsection, hitting him in his spirit's center. When the attack hits it explodes not once, but four separate times. *set borep - 5 *set botortured + 1 Bo's screams fill the basement with thankfully unenforced power. They must have beaten Bo badly before capturing him to get his chi as depleted as yours, then used the same binding manacles on him that they're using on you. It's only thanks to that depowering that your ear drums don't burst from his blood-curdling scream as the fire burns into his skin. When the flashing red and orange light dissipates you see blood on Bo's gi and his head hangs low, his breathing shallow. Yet that's not your biggest concern. Your biggest concern is Taio placing a crimson marble into his mouth, crunching it with his teeth, and stepping in front of with the same fluid motions of the fire artist who attacked Bo. "I see." He says contemplatively between bites. "So that's how you do it." You struggle against your bindings as two other Sunbringers grab your arms from behind and fire forms between Taio's palms. With grim satisfaction he surges extra power into the attack causing the molten flame to expand, then launches it into your torso with the speed of a full force punch. The explosive pain is excruciating, and it only gets worse with each successive blast as his attack erupts on your body five separate times. *if (element1 = "Fire") or (element2 = "Fire") [b][Element Event: Fire][/b] Only by the grace of your body's baptism in flame do you withstand the attack with only superficial damage. It does little to lessen the pain of your body, but your spirit remains stable during the attack. [b][No Aura Pressure Lost][/b] *else *set combatstat "fortitude" *set combatdiff 5 *if (leonatortured > 0) *set combatdiff 6 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) [b][Reduced Damage][/b] *set apval 3 *else *set apval 6 *gosub_scene quicks aploss *if ((honor > 54) or (fortitude >= 5)) You're proud to say you didn't scream. *set leonarep + 4 *set forexp + 2 *if (heshe = "he") *set leonaromance + 1 *else You'd like to say you didn't scream. *if (heshe = "he") *set leonarep - 3 *else *set leonarep - 1 When he's finished *if (clothes != "") the top of your *if (clothes = "White Tobi Pants and Black Small-Sleave Shirt") black shirt *else ${clothes} is nearly *if ((bodytype = "Hourglass") or (bodytype = "Bodacious")) destroyed, much to the joy of several Sunbringers. You thank the Heavens that Bo is nearly dying, otherwise he'd get a view you didn't want to give him. Speaking of Bo, you understand his *else destroyed. You understand Bo's *else you understand Bo's difficulty breathing; the smoke filling your lungs has locked up your ability to properly inhale. You look up to Taio and his Sunbringer minions *if (ruthless >= 55) with murderous intent *else with steel determination and do your best to hold back a coughing fit. Taio wipes his hands as if done with an honest day's work. "Next question. #[Remain Silent] *set honor + 1 You remain silent, nonchalantly staring into the blood cultist's *if (silentcounter > 0) face again. "You wish for more pain?" Taio asks. You don't react, staring back defiantly. "Hm." *else face. Taio shakes his head. *set silentcounter + 1 *goto handslice When clues of another Taio clone lead me to the Sunbringers they informed me *if (thebluff) the Taio they worked with had already perished. How did that happen?" "I killed him." You say without emotion. Taio freezes, staring off for a moment as he thinks through your answer. "You killed your mentor?" "He's the one who raised me to kill copies of himself. I had to know my training was up to the task." *set leonarep + 2 The blood cultist's eyebrows raise slowly and he gazes at you in a new light. The man slowly leans forward, intrigued. "How did you do it?" *else that the other Taio they worked with was already dead, slain by your hand. How?" *choice #"I copied his Immortal Core Advancement method and caught him off-guard." [Truth] *set taioknowledge + 1 *set taiocombat + 1 "To kill the other Taio was easy." You exaggerate; as it exhausted you to near death. "We fought for a bit first, then when he released his 'real' power from a Soul Treasure tome to use Immortal Core Advancement-" "A Soul Treasure Tome?" Taio asks impatiently. "Elaborate." You give him a short stare, feigning your own impatience at being interrupted. "It was a Path Manual that released his crimson chi into the air around us. I assumed it was a Soul Treasure too; it seemed to release whatever power he stored in it. I don't have it anymore, what's important is I copied his method and unlocked my own Immortal Core Advancement during our fight. The blowback knocked him away and with the element of surprise I ended him in the next hit. From there I dragged him back to Thunderfall where we found out he was a clone." Taio shakes his head. "Immortal Core Advancement is not a Technique, it cannot be 'copied', it is a form of enlightenment reached only after intense contemplation of purpose while maintaining a certain level of Aura Pressure. Plus it makes no sense for you to defeat him in one hit even with a few meager Immortal Cores. You do not possess the Techniques or the Soul Treasures for such a decisive strike, the only-" *label taiomustgo Taio slams his own hand over his mouth, eyes uncharacteristically wide in shock. "Oh that's good." He mumbles from behind his hand. "That is simply sublime. It all makes so much sense..." $!{an} and Bo look from you to Taio. You return their looks with an expression of surprise, you don't know what's happening either. "Master Taio?" Asks one of the Sunbringers. "Is something wrong?" "If you had a shred of intelligence you'd know it's the opposite." Taio declares, standing to his full height. "If my new theory is correct, this subject will make an [i]exceptional[/i] sacrifice, but we must take precautions. Have *label gotojaildonotpassgodonotcollect200dollars all three of them locked in the town's prison with our excess sacrifices, put several of our Martial Artists watching over them, and of course we can't have dangerous enemies kept unchecked. One of you, give me your blood. We will use Crow Li's new Technique to ensure our prisoners know their place." One of the Sunbringers kneels to Taio and cuts her own palm with a wince, offering her bleeding hand up to him. "Allow me to be your guide, Master Taio." "I will allow it." Taio responds to the woman, holding his own palm above her own. Before your very eyes the blood in her palm rises into the air and swirls in place, condensing into another of the blood marbles Taio created earlier. He takes the small orb into his mouth and nods as if gaining an understanding, like he was hearing wise words that helped put pieces into place. "Ah, a clever application." He says, holding up two fingers. "Like this." A shining light fills the basement as a small star glows from his two fingertips. Two of the Sunbringers do the same and before you know what's happening he aims his fingers at you, just as the Sunbringers aim at Bo and ${an}. Taio looks you in the eyes from behind the glowing light of his hand and then nods to his underlings. "Blind them." *page_break A Sunbringer steps behind each of your torture tables. One grabs your head from behind, holding it still, as another grabs Bo and another grabs *if (style = "Akakiru") Leona *else the Rin imposter. Taio points his glowing fingers at you and you strain against the Sunbringer gripping your head. When his power comes into focus the entire room heats up with more hostile chi than you've ever exerted. The glowing light from Taio's hands shines brighter than the sun and in it you see the end of your journey. He adjusts his aim right between your eyes and [i]smiles[/i]. "Another witness properly dealt with." [i]I must go...[/i] Taio's eye twitches. His smile wavers. [i]I must go...[/i] His expression shifts into a frown, his cheeks twitching with irritation and brow twisting in concentration. [i]I MUST GO!!![/i] "STOP!" Taio commands. Each Sunbringer in the room jerks as if their bodies are forced still, their veins noticeably bulging on their arms and faces for a second. The shining light of their signature technique snuffs out, reducing the torture chamber to the dim torchlight from before. One of the older Sunbringer's jaw tightens and his head slowly turns to the blood cultist. "Master Taio, what is the meaning of this?" All their bodies seem to release at once, each of them flexing their wrists and necks from stiffness. Taio looks from you to the stairs. "I must go, place them into the prison with the other sacrifices." "Of course Master Taio, but if I may ask why-" "You may not." Taio responds, standing with purpose and striding to the staircase. From behind its base he lifts a satchel that clacks with the sound of a hundred marbles. "This interrogation is complete. Inform Upper Disciple Crow Li that he is in charge until my return." "Yes, Master Taio!" They call back in unison. *page_break A door upstairs opens and closes, its sound signifying that Taio really has left the mansion. What in the world just happened? Nothing about this has made sense. All Sunbringers present release a sigh of relief, then they all turn to you and Bo like hungry wolves. One Human woman in her mid-40s sporting a nasty scar over one eye speaks up first. "The Heavens smile on us today with two Thunderfallers bound and bloodied. Who's up for some fun?" *if (leonagag) $!{an} finishes chewing through her gag and spits it *else $!{an} hocks a loogey and spits it at the back of the Sunbringer's head. "Sounds like you'd have to ask Crow Li for permission first like a good little doggy. Or are you disobeying your [i]Master[/i] when he said the interrogation is over?" *if (leonagag) She then spits more than just her gag at the Sunbringer woman's face. "Silence your tongue, spoiled brat!" The Sunbringer woman snarls and reels her whip back, but another grabs her wrist. "Don't let them provoke you into breaking orders. Save it for tomorrow's sacrifice." At first you're relieved when the Sunbringer woman lowers her whip, but the vicious smile on her lips tells you to feel otherwise. Plenty of customs involve leaving sacrifices of meals or incense to spirits or Beasts, but it's easy to understand that's not what they're talking about. Tomorrow's sacrifice is you. They all untie the three of you from the torture racks and carry you back to your cells. *goto backatyourcell #"I blew him apart with our village's Thunderfall Technique." [Lie] You look Taio in the face, your cocky expression a clear threat. "I blew him apart with our village's Thunderfall Technique." "Holy shidd." Bo whispers through his gag. Taio turns back to Bo with indifference. "Your gullibility is disappointing." He leans backward and turns to you, analyzing your face, then crosses his arms and shakes his head. "I find it hard to believe you mastered such an advanced creation. According to my reports only Crusher Mao and three of his Upper Disciples have learned the relatively new Thunderfall Technique." "Your reports are wrong. The other Taio was my *if (thebluff) Master, *else very first mission, I couldn't have beaten him if I hadn't stolen Mao's Path Manual on the Thunderfall punch." Taio shakes his head. "You've been caught in your lie, *if (heshe = "she") little flower. *else foolish boy. Crusher Mao has not created Path Manuals since the famous debut of his Sect's new Technique years ago. My agents have checked." *set val 3 *if (style = "Midorikatai") *set val - 1 [b][Style Event: Midorikatai][/b] *line_break [b][Bluff Difficulty Lowered][/b] *if ((deception >= val) or (((deception >= 2) and (angelodeception = 1)) and (thebluff))) *set agiexp + 1 *if ((deception < val) and (thebluff)) [b][Angelo's Guidance Granted][/b] *line_break [b][Deception ${val} Check Passed][/b] *set leonarep + 2 *set borep + 10 "He doesn't make them for a [i]reason[/i]. I am that reason." 'Ooohs' and 'Aaahs' fill the room from ${an}, Bo, and several Sunbringers. Taio nods thoughtfully, the pieces falling into place as he rubs his chin. "That would explain why Ma-" *goto taiomustgo *else [b][Deception ${val} Check Failed][/b] "Oh, well. I..." Bo and ${an}'s eyes burrow into you expectantly, their safety hinging on the success of your bluff. "I made one myself..?" Taio shakes his head. "Wrong." *goto yassqueenflay *if (heshe = "he") #"I bedded his mother until he killed himself out of shame." *label dabontaio *set ruthless + 1 "You really want to know how I defeated him?" You ask in *if ((botortured > 0) and (leonatortured > 0)) amusement, ignoring the pain of your torture. *else amusement. "The same way I'll defeat you." Taio's expression remains stone-faced. "Enlighten me." *if (heshe = "he") "I bedded his mother until he killed himself out of shame. We were going at it front of his crew, in every position, for days at a time. Poets still write about it. Come to think of it, she was your mother too wasn't she?" *else "I laughed at the size of his manhood in front of his men until he killed himself out of shame. He was a clone, so I assume you're the same size?" *set leonarep +3 Bo's mouth hangs open in disbelief and despair. Two of the Sunbringers and ${an} whistle in astonishment at *if (heshe = "he") the size of your balls. *else the audacity. Taio dismisses them with a wave of the hand. "I was unaware we were dealing with a humorist. I look forward to seeing if your brother and sister enjoy your jokes as much as you do." *label yassqueenflay He turns his neck to look at the Sunbringers. "We've wasted enough chi on them, use the whips." Several of his lackeys draw whips from their waists, hands itching with eagerness. The others turn you around and rip the clothing at your back, exposing your skin for the attacks. The sting of the whip strikes like a viper against your back, reverberating through your body with more impact than expected. The whipcracks come in rhythm, two Sunbringers striking each of you in tandem so there is no reprieve. Bo screams out by the 8th whipcrack. $!{an}'s screams begin at the 18th. *if ((fortitude >= 6) or (honor >= 55)) *if (honor >= 55) [b][Honor Check Passed][/b] *else [b][Fortitude 6 Check Passed][/b] By the 30th, you still haven't screamed. Even when they throw salt onto your wounded back, you deny them the victory. *else [b][Honor/Fortitude Check Failed][/b] *set val 12 + (fortitude * 3) You scream by the *if (val = 21) 21st whipping. *else ${val}th whipping. When they finish at 30 and throw salt onto your wounded back by the handful, the screams grow so loud that your hoarse voice scratches your own throat bloody. *set borep - 3 *set botortured + 2 *set leonarep - 3 *set leonatortured + 2 *if (botortured >= 3) *set bocombat - 1 *set combatstat "soul" *set combatstat2 "fortitude" *set combatdiff 9 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) *label fakepassfrommido [b][Damage Reduced][/b] *set apval 5 *line_break *else *if (style = "Midorikatai") Without access to chi it is only by the grace of your enhanced body that you partially resist the damage of the whips. *goto fakepassfrommido *set apval 10 *gosub_scene quicks aploss The three of you are turned around as Taio looks at the scene in boredom. In his hands are six crimson marbles. Being this close, you feel a shred of your own chi inside two of them. Whatever he's doing, he's making something out of your blood. "I should have enough material to get the answers I need." Taio says. "Now have *goto gotojaildonotpassgodonotcollect200dollars *else #"I laughed at the size of his manhood in front of his men until he killed himself. He was a clone, so I assume you're the same?" *goto dabontaio #[Remain Silent] *set honor + 1 *if (silentcounter = 2) and (honor >= 52) *set honor + 1 Your stony expression betrays nothing. The scent of blood and smoke is heavy in the torture chamber from the attacks you've suffered so far. Yet you are a mountain, unwavering. Taio looks into your gaze without emotion, his eyes shifting from your mouth to your cheeks to your pupils as if he were bored and merely monitoring the ants outside his house. Then he turns to the Sunbringers. "We're done here. Have them brought to the prison." "We're not going to torture them?" One replies hesitantly. Taio stands and opens his palm toward you like an item on display. "A waste of energy and blood, it's clear as day this one will not talk. Have *goto gotojaildonotpassgodonotcollect200dollars *else You remain silent, nonchalantly staring into the blood cultist's *if (silentcounter > 0) face again. *else face. "You truly want to hide such important details from me?" Taio asks, his voice nonthreatening, his eyes sunken and dead. You don't respond, meeting his gaze in kind. Taio shakes his head in disappointment. "I will not be denied." *goto yassqueenflay *label backatyourcell *page_break *if (taioknowledge = 0) *if not (jadedragonfoundation) *achieve speaknoevil *set aurapressure + 5 *elseif (taioknowledge = 3) *set taiocombat + 1 *if (leonatortured >= 2) You wake up on a cold stone floor illuminated with torchlight, much like the torture basement you just endured. Unlike that basement however your current surroundings aren't so spacious; you're held in a single prison cell of stone ceiling, floor, and walls with no window in sight. The most noticeable addition is a new obstacle: a chain has been locked to your manacles, connecting you to the wall of this cell and making escape even harder than the cage. The only light source you have is from the moonlight coming through the thin window and the torchlight visible through the door of iron bars locking you in. Between the bars you see a row of cells adorning the opposite wall as well, a single wide hallway separating you from the jailcells across. Through the moans and groans of other captives you hear *if (style != "Akakiru") two distinct whines across from your cell, telling you Bo and ${an} are securely locked in too and *else Bo's nasally whines from directly across from your cell where he's no doubt suffering the same disorienting pain that still plagues your spirit. *if (style != "Akakiru") Yet their cell is not the only one with multiple occupants. *else Yet unlike his cell, yours has two occupants. Next to you *if ((style = "Kurokonton") and (heshe = "he")) Guiren is crouched low saying something about how you need a healer, but you can't hear him through the pain and delirium of blood-loss. He takes this the wrong way and shakes you back to full consciousness. "Alright, alright! I'm up!" You shout out, shoving him off and feeling your back ignite in pain. *elseif ((style = "Kurokonton") and (heshe = "she")) ${fren} is tending to your wounds and seems to have been for a while now. "So they moved you down here too, huh? These wounds of yours look bad." He says with genuine concern. "I'm no healer, we're going to need medicine. Soon." *elseif (style = "Akakiru") Leona wakes on the ground in just as much pain. "Uuuuunnnnhh." Leona groans into the dirt underneath your cell's bars. *if (heshe = "he") "That ruined whipping for me, forever." *else "Next time do me a favor and kill me first." *elseif (style = "Kiihakai") ${fren} is tending to your wounds and seems to have been for a while now. "This looks bad." She says flatly. "I'll need proper herbs to heal this." *if ((heshe = "she") and ((thievery < 2) or (alchemyreagents < 2))) "Don't remind me." You sigh and try to keep your breath steady. "I got to feel how bad it was first-hand." *else *choice #"Don't remind me." "Don't remind me." You sigh and try to keep your breath steady. "I got to feel how bad it was first-hand." *selectable_if ((thievery >= 2) and (alchemyreagents >= 2)) #Like these? [Requires Thievery 2, Alchemy Reagents x2] *set apval 3 *gosub_scene quicks apboost "Like these?" You ask, ripping a false pocket in your pants to reveal a very real pocket filled with several medicinal herbs. "How in the world did you...give me a moment." She rubs them together quickly and spits, forming a makeshift unguent and rubs it into your back after gently wiping away the salt that the Sunbringers liberally applied to your cuts. [b][1 Fortitude Core Restored][/b] *set forspent - 1 *line_break [b][1 Agility Core Restored][/b] *set agispent - 1 *if (heshe = "he") #"I knew you cared, you softie." *set desrep + 2 "I knew you cared, you softie." You say through hisses from her touching the fresh wounds on your back. "Wah-?! Don't be ridiculous! I only care because you're supposed to be helping me in Nanhou." "A likely story." You sigh into the ground as she tears another bandage off the bottom of her robes, then hiss as she 'gently' wipes the salt out of your wounds. *elseif (style = "Aoyusumu") ${fren} is tending to your wounds and seems to have been for a while now. "I'm afraid you don't look so good." *if ((angeloromance >= 1) and (heshe = "she")) "Yes I do." You whine in protest, your back feeling like a hot iron is pressed against it. He chuckles lightly. "Of course, of course. You always look good." *if ((heshe = "she") and (honor < 50)) "Hrrnnnn." You whisper weakly into the stone floor, trying not to cry. *else "Noted." You hiss through the pain. *elseif (style = "Midorikatai") a soothing sensation treats the wounds on your back. You turn over to see what it is and jump when you see Tian Fang, her face covered in red. She was licking your wounds. And her eyes are still amber. She leaps back to her side of the cell with a yelp just as you jump to your feet. *else [b][ERROR][/b] *else You're dragged back through the town and passed the original cages. As the dock comes into view your captors turn to the left down a side-street and enter a long stone building that turns out to be a prison. As you're dragged in, upside down, you see the dark building holds jail cells lining both walls separated by a wide hallway. "Over here is where we want ${himher}." One of the Sunbringers says, opening an iron bar door and collecting a chain from inside that's bolted to the stone wall of the cell. Another Sunbringer pulls out a shiny new lock and connects your manacles to the other end of that chain before throwing you into the cold hard *if (style = "Akakiru") cell. Immediately afterwards a second pair of Sunbringers toss Leona *if ((heshe = "he") and (leonaromance >= 2)) on top of you *else next to you and slam the cell door shut. Leona rolls to her feet, reaching for a sword that isn't there but quickly adapting to a hand-to-hand fighting stance. "Finally, a battle! Which of you rejects is coming in here to fight us?" *else cell, surprisingly next to ${fren} who must have been transported while you were tortured. *if (style = "Aoyusumu") *if ((heshe = "she") and (angeloromance >= 1)) He catches you gently with both arms, careful not to hurt you with his manacles. "Miss me?" You ask. "I did worry." He responds wistfully, though his eyes are locked on the six Sunbringers outside your cell. *else He helps you to your feet. "I'm glad to see you're well." "I wouldn't say that." You reply, recalling tomorrow's sacrifice. *elseif (style = "Kiihakai") She's apparently given up her plan to play dead after being transported and is meditating in a seated position, interrupted by your body being lobbed into the cell. You land with a hard 'thud' and she cracks one eye open to look at you without moving her head. "How bad was it?" You hold up *if (leonatortured >= 2) one of the bandages that fell off your back, covered in blood. *if (honor >= 54) "Nothing I couldn't handle." *else "Bad." *else your bleeding hand. "The work of amateurs." *elseif (style = "Kurokonton") He doesn't move as you're thrown into the cell, instead he simply glares at the Sunbringers. "What?" Asks one of the younger ones. "You want a piece of me?" Guiren lunges forward, held back only by the chain latched to his manacles, and hisses. "You'll be in pieces alright!" *elseif (style = "Midorikatai") The wolf yokai woman leaps to the side as you're tossed in and snarls at the Sunbringers, eyes nearly glowing amber at this point. She quickly dashes for the cell entrance now that it's open but the door is slammed in her face. "AWWWOOOOOOOOO!!!" She howls angrily, hand reaching through the cell door, and elsewhere in town several wolves howl back in a frenzy. *else [b][ERROR][/b] Suddenly a massive blast of water rushes through the iron bars and drenches you both, knocking you against the stone walls of the cell. "That's enough talk!" You turn *if (leonatortured < 2) from the now-wet ground to see the Sunbringers outside your cell *else to see the six Sunbringers from the basement right outside your cell. They part to make way for the older wrinkled Oni Sunbringer from before, Crow Li. "I trust the interrogations went well?" Crow Li asks over his shoulder. "We couldn't quite tell, Master Crow Li, but Master Taio seemed to get what he wanted." Says one of the Sunbringers in front. "And he said you're in charge while he is gone." Crow Li's wrinkled face turns ugly. "While he's gone? I am always the Master, he is but an advisor." The other Sunbringers stare at each other nervously. "Er...Master Crow Li, we thought you had discussed it already with Master Taio. It's just...His Aura Pressure is so-" "ENOUGH!" Crow Li screams. "It seems the usurper was so generous as to give me control of my own Sect for a night, like some sort of pittance. Pah. Well 'Master' Taio is not here right now. Let us see to these interrogations with my own eyes. Take the *if (style = "Akakiru") girl back to the mansion's basement." He nods to Leona. "Oh come on!" Leona shouts, throwing her hands in the air in *if (leonatortured >= 2) exasperation and wincing in incredible pain when her movements open the wounds on her back. *else exasperation. "Crow Li...she was already tortured by Taio. He may see a cross-examination as an affront." The wrinkled Oni frowns deeper than you thought possible. "I will not be constrained by the whims of an absent man. Move her to the cell with her weaker brother while I vent the night's frustrations." The door opens and several of the Sunbringers reach in, grabbing Leona as she bites them, kicks them, and thrashes. You try to intervene but she grabs your hand and throws you back, spinning you off-center due to the wet stone floor. You drop to the ground as they drag her out and feel genuine anger that she got in your way. You're getting so mad that your hand even hurts where she touched you, as if rejecting your help inflicted actual damage on your pride and body. Then you stop closing your fist and realize your hand [i]actually[/i] hurts. You look down and see she's shoved some sort of metal shiv's handle into your grip, a torture tool she confiscated from the basement. You look back up at her in astonishment as the Sunbringers slam your cell's door shut and carry her across the hall, dropping her into Bo's cell. "Now come." Crow Li says to the others. "Let us fetch one of the other captives. My instruments yearn for use." The rest follow after the wizened Oni until only one Sunbringer remains. He takes a seat at the front desk near the jail's entrance. As Leona lands *if (leonaromance >= 2) butt-first in her cell she looks up at you with a bleeding smile, nodding down to the shiv in your hand and then over to the Sunbringer Lower Disciple left monitoring the prison. A shiv against a Martial Artist...is she insane? *if (style = "Aoyusumu") Lunargoth to the torture mansion." "That must be me." *if (race = "Lunargoth") You and Angelo say simultaneously. Angelo chuckles and pats your shoulder then *else Angelo steps to the entrance of the cell. "Before we begin, hellservants, *if ((botortured >= 1) or (leonatortured >= 1)) my friend here was wounded *else my friend here was given a nasty cut on ${hisher} hand while in your custody. I cannot allow such actions to go unpunished." Crow Li scoffs in response. "Is this the part where you threaten my life?" "There is no need, at least not for you." Angelo replies. His eyes do not shine Sacred cerulean or Water dark blue. With his Aura Pressure bound by the manacles he makes no show of power. He simply shakes his head as if witnessing an unavoidable tragedy. "It is too late for you already." "Tch." Crow Li turns to his subordinates. "Take him, and do not let your guards down." All six Sunbringers open the cell, unchain Angelo's manacles from the wall, and pull him out without resistance. Two grab each of his arms and they march him out of the jail, presumably towards the mansion acting as their main hall and torture chamber. Just before he disappears from the jail, however, he whispers something you hear as if he were standing right next to you. His last piece of advice before your separation. "Be not afraid." And so you are not. [b][1 Soul Core Restored][/b] *set solexp + 1 *set solspent (soul - (soul - 1)) *elseif (style = "Kiihakai") the round-eyed girl." He nods at Lady Desdemona. "I don't suppose we can talk this out." Desdemona replies in dry monotone. "That's exactly what we are doing," Crow Li responds with open arms and a smile, "you will be talking things out, and I, in turn, will be separating your lovely skin from your flesh." Despite the calm scowl on Desdemona's face her breathing noticeably quickens and she looks back to you. As the Sunbringers open the iron bar door and reach to collect her she jumps frantically for the corner of the cell opposite of the entrance, hands scrabbling for the corner of the cell's uneven stone floor for leverage. Several Sunbringers laugh at her attempt before they grab her feet, undo the chains connecting her manacles to the wall, and drag her out kicking and screaming. "Come on little girl!" One of them shouts. "We'll play nice!" Taunts another. "Let go of me you idiots! Let go!" Desdemona screams. "$!{name}, don't let them take me!" You motion to help her but as the two Sunbringers drag her out by each leg you see her panicked expression drop in an instant, returning to an unimpressed deadpan glare. Her eyes dart pointedly to the corner she was grasping at earlier and just before they drag her out of view she mouths the word 'morons'. The door to the prison shuts and they drag Desdemona out, presumably to the torture mansion that serves as their main base in town. After several seconds when you're sure no prison guard is watching you check the corner she indicated and... Find a piece of dark clothing in the corner floor of your poorly lit cell. A piece of her sleeve, ripped off in the clawing and scratching. And underneath you find the cloth had covered and hidden a piece of folded paper. Something that would be easily noticed if her captor's eyes weren't glued to a desperate and entertaining prisoner instead. Clever girl. When you open the parchment you find no secret message or last words, because the piece of paper holds only a set of instructions to an ambient chi Handseal. One that she says will get you out of here. *elseif (style = "Kurokonton") lizard to the torture basement." Guiren crouches low into a combat stance. "Try it you shriveled ballsack, I'll dry this floor with that mutated yam you call a face." Three different beams of Light energy slam into Guiren hard enough to make him look like he's dancing. He crumples to the ground immediately after. "You fools!" Crow Li scolds. "You've played right into his hands, he can't give information if he's unconscious." The old Oni looks to the other Sunbringers behind him, their hands smoking from their Light element chi blasts. "I am surrounded by incompetents. Collect him anyway, it will be your responsibility to wake him." The Sungringers shove you out of the way as they drag Guiren out of the cell, undo the chains connecting his manacles to the wall, and drag him out of the prison. Presumably up the street to the torture mansion being used as their main base. You stare at the ground in disbelief of your situation and open your eyes wide, staring in even more disbelief at the new feature to your jail cell. Scratched into the stone floor, opposite of the entrance where the torchlight barely touches, is a detailed escape plan for you to find. Did he know he was next? It makes sense but... But half of the plan was ruined by Crow Li's water attack. You can only make out pieces but if you're reading this right Guiren's spent his time well. Several of his men have escaped and used disguises to impersonate the dock-worker slaves, they intend to come down to the prison to do cleanup work. Hopefully they can give you the rest of the plan...As long as you don't mistake someone else for one of Guiren's men. Desperate captives might sell you out for a chance at freedom. *elseif (style = "Midorikatai") wolfgirl." Tian Fang snarls at the group of them, lunging for the cell door with the claws and fangs. One of the younger Sunbringers takes a pair of keys to open the cell and jumps back when Tian Fang's claw scrapes his hand. "That actually hurt!" He shouts out. "Truly?" Crow Li steps forward and inspects Tian Fang's arm reaching through the iron bar door, clawing at the group. "It seems her Wild Chi is more Beast-attuned than it should be. A fascinating find, it leaks through the Binder's Band enchantment slowly but surely. Beat her and have her dragged out, we'll need to make sure this one doesn't recover too much energy." With a hateful scream Fang kicks off the cell bars and suddenly leaps back, turning on you with her larger fangs bared. In shock you motion to block and she clamps her jaws down on your manacles, shaking her head as a wolf does its prey. Your wrist feels like it's being twisted in half and- And... Are those sparks? Tian fang's amber eyes meet yours with unexpected clarity. She growls violently as her Beast-like fangs cut into the mystic sigils of your chi-suppressing wrought iron manacles and in that moment, locking eyes with the animal in her soul, you don't feel like you're dealing with a feral monster. You feel like you're dealing with another of her wolves. The same ones you've traveled with. The Sunbringers rip the cell door open and pull her off of you with several blows to her torso and head. You attempt to push them off but are slammed back into the stone wall, weakened as you are by the fever as much as the bindings. Finally the attacks add up and Fang falls unconscious; they drag her out. The cell door slams in your face before you can react and Crow Li cups Tian Fang's chin in his hand while the others hold her up by the arms. "Quite the specimen." Crow Li says. "Bring her to the torture chamber." You watch them leave through the jail and stare in bewilderment at the bite marks digging into your manacles, right across the sigils that blocked your chi from recovering. *set powspent - 1 [b][1 Power Core Restored][/b] *page_break A crash comes from outside. You hop up to your cell's window hoping to see a fight or a rescue but instead see a lowly slave getting whipped within an inch of their life. At their feet is the remnants of a broken wooden crate they must have clumsily dropped. As you try to angle your head around the bars to get a good look you see marble-sized crimson orbs spilling out of the broken crate by the hundreds, all rolling down the steep street's hill towards the docks. They seem to be the same kind of orbs Taio made from your blood. Whatever they are, they must be valuable. Even more valuable than watching over prisoners, since multiple guards throughout the jail sprint out of the entrance to help pick them up when called for aid. The jail explodes into chatter and the clanging of fists on steel. The lone guard remaining jumps to his feet in a panic, running from cell to cell to stop any would-be prisonbreaks. "Now's our chance!" Hisses Bo's nasally voice from the cell across the hall. *if ((leonatortured < 2) and (style != "Akakiru")) You didn't even notice he was there. "$!{name}, what's the plan?" You let out a sigh, exhaling all your fatigue to the best of your ability. "What makes you think I have a plan, [i]Jin[/i]?" You ask Bo inquisitively. "Because the Heavens spoil you like their favorite child and this time I want a slice of that blessing. That's why I told them my name was *if (japannaming) ${clan} Jin *else Jin ${clan} when I was captured. Nobody knows the great Bo Lo, but of course things would work out for a lazy ${clan} like they always do." He spits at the ground. "And imagine my shock, it worked." "This whiny guy gets it." *if (style = "Akakiru") Leona says from next to Bo in the cell across the hall. *else Says the blonde Lunargoth woman impersonating Rin. "I don't know what 'it' is, but he totally gets it. *set chapter 5.1 *if (style != "Akakiru") I'm Leona by the way. Not your sister, hah! Obviously." You get a better look at her now that you're not under duress. "I'm $!{name}, why did they think you were Rin?" "Oh they didn't! The Sunbringers at least. I was framed and given to Taio to get a good torture session in, a classic. If I had to guess why? Jealousy. Each of them supremely jealous of my skills, hair, calligraphy, and natural charisma. After all, how can they shine against competition like me?" *if (heshe = "he") She bats her eyes playfully. *else She flexes an arm and scrunches her face in concentration. "In the Trials?" You ask. "No, in the Sunbringer Sect. I'm a Sunbringer." "You're a WHAT?!" Bo shouts, taking three steps back. "Well I was!" She blurts out defensively. "Back when it was a good thing! Before Master Crow's crazy plan to get everyone into demonic cultivation. Look, I like spilling blood as much as the next sword artist but that doesn't mean I want to drink it." She rattles her manacles. "Told old Crow that to his face so here I am, marked for execution in Binder's Bands." She smiles wide and raises one shoulder while turning in a pose. "Not bad acting for someone who's never met your sister, huh? Especially since I didn't pick up on what was happening until halfway through." *choice #[Give a small applause.] You clap gently in approval of Leona's acting skills from your cell across the hall. "Thank you, thank you." She leans at the waist with both hands pressed in a bow, or maybe it's just her Binder's Bands locking her forearms together. "I do it all for my adoring fans." "Are you two going to take this seriously?!" Bo blurts out. "We could die here!" Leona gives him a side-eye glance. "We're the only two taking this seriously, as we're the only two staying in character. If *goto yourhisbrother #"Terrible acting, kowtow and seek forgiveness from your audience." "Terrible acting," you condemn from your cell across the hall., "kowtow and seek forgiveness from your audience." *set leonarep + 3 *if (heshe = "he") *set leonaromance + 2 Leona drops to her knees and presses her forehead to the ground. "Please forgive this dishonorable cur, oh wise and exalted *if (heshe = "he") one-man *else one-person audience." "One *if (heshe = "he") man?" *else person?" Bo asks. "What about me?" "You don't count, we've been in the same cell twice already. We're basically family. In fact...If *goto yourhisbrother #"Just stay out of my way." "Just stay out of my way." You reply from your cell across the hall, looking for a way out of your situation. "Fine by me! As long as you can get us all out of here and..." *set leonarep - 4 *if (heshe = "he") #"Just what I needed, the first hot woman in months and she's a filthy Sunbringer." "Just what I needed." You complain from your cell across the hall, "The first hot woman in months and she's a filthy Sunbringer." *set leonaromance + 1 "Stop flirting with the enemy!" Bo shouts out, baffled that he has to say it out loud. "No, keep flirting with the enemy!" Leona protests, pressing herself against the cage. "And you're one to talk, [i]Brother[/i]." She grumbles to Bo. "You've been staring at my chest since we got in this cell. So much for our cover story of being related." *goto bocoughin *else And since we're in my old Sect's stomping grounds it'll come up anyway, sooooo..." *if (heshe = "he") She bats her eyelashes several times. *else She puts on her best impression of an innocent little girl, and you're not buying it. *if (bodytype = "Petite") Especially since she's taller than you. "I should probably confess by now that I'm from the Sunbringer Sect." "You're WHAT?" You shout over the loud sound of Bo shouting the same thing. He looks like he's about to strike but looks down at his manacles instead, probably realizing his aura isn't recovering. "How does that even make sense?" You ask, shaking your head. "They dragged you in pretending you're my sister Rin. I know it's false, so why would they do it if they also knew it was false?" "Because Taio didn't!" Leona cheerily responds with one finger up as if teaching. "They thought they could trick him into bloodtorturing me or something. Typical cowards, couldn't do it themselves. So relax!" She coos assuringly, holding her own manacles up to her face and leaning a cheek on them. "I was marked for execution. That makes us all friends, right?" *choice #"Pft, fine. Friends to the end." *set honor - 1 "Pft, fine. Friends to the end." You say. "Seriously?" Leona asks. "Just like that?" *set leonarep + 3 "Do you want it to be harder?" *if (heshe = "he") "Yes! I mean, no, I mean well, *else "No, no, we're all set. Well, that's one problem out of the way. That just leaves..." #"It would have, if you told me when we met." *set honor + 1 *if (heshe = "he") *set leonarep - 2 *if (heshe = "she") *set leonarep + 2 "It would have made us friends, if you told me when we met." You point out. "Oh yeah right." Leona drawls sarcastically. "If I told a Thunderfaller that I was a Sunbringer and lost the fight you could've brought my head back home for a bounty for all I knew." "And ${heshe} should have." Bo adds. Leona jumps into a ninety degree turn towards Bo and starts to protest until she sees where his eyes are looking. "You know, little guy, if *goto yourhisbrother #"I'm marking you for execution too." *set ruthless + 1 *if (heshe = "she") *set leonarep - 2 *if (heshe = "he") *set leonarep + 2 "I'm marking you for execution too." You declare. "Oh don't be that way." Leona says with a dismissive wave of a hand. "And besides-hold on a second." She pauses for a moment and looks to Bo. "You know, if *label yourhisbrother you're ${hisher} brother and I'm ${hisher} sister, then you and I are [i]related[/i]. You'll have to stop staring at my chest, dearest brother." *label bocoughin Bo coughs too quickly. "Everyone focus." You say, swallowing to wet your dry throat. The fever hasn't gone anywhere, you've simply done your best to fight through it. "Bo, I don't like you and you don't like me. Leona, neither Bo nor me like Sunbringers-" "Neither do I." She says in exasperation while rattling her manacles. "-but we have to work together. We only have a few minutes tops before the guards come back. If we can get out of the cages and the manacles we can start recovering our power." At least they can. You leave out that your aura won't recover for days anyway thanks to ${fren}'s ritual to put you on a full-fledged ${Style} Path. *if (style = "Akakiru") Bo doesn't need to know about your temporary weakness. "That's your plan?" Bo asks in disbelief. "We'd only get a fraction of our strength back. Our full power will take days and we're surrounded, they'd catch us immediately if we tried to run at low strength. Honestly I don't know why I wasted my life training if some stupid bindings can just turn it all off." Leona snorts in derisive laughter. "Are you seriously whining right now, like someone's going to take pity on you for being screwed? Ew. Aren't you a man?" "Shut it, Sunbringer!" Bo snaps back. "Mocking a Thunderfall Disciple is a danger to your health." "My health?" Leona steps back with a hand on her chest in shock. "Well aren't you a forward man, having such an interest in the condition of my body! And for the record? Binder's Bands aren't special. Stopping our chi recovery with mystic Seals is no different from giving us a hard gutpunch every hour. The bands are just a prettier way to do it. Get stronger and you can break steel without chi, problem solved. Hell, $!{name} and I are already almost too strong for these pairs to work. Losers like you may be screwed long-term, but conquering the Trials will get me Archonate training potent enough that bindings on my level won't even exist." "Conquering the Trials?" Bo retorts, face reddening from the insult. "Don't make me laugh, [i]girl[/i], a lone Sunbringer couldn't conquer an empty latrine. Let's get one thing straight, if there's anyone who has a chance to get us out of here it's [b]me[/b], so you best watch your tone." *if (ruthless >= 54) "Shut up, *else "Calm down, both of you." You *if (ruthless >= 54) command. *else say. *if (honor < 46) Normally you'd love to goad them into a fight but your *else Your head throbs and their bickering isn't helping. "Focus on what we can use to get out." "Yes, *if (heshe = "he") [i]sir[/i]," *else [i]ma'am[/i]," Leona concedes. "I've been tied up a time or two so I've got some advice, these bindings only stop our recovery and cycling. We can still get our power back with the replenishment elixirs they have in that gigantic house on the *if (leonatortured >= 1) hill where they tortured us. *else hill. *if (leonatortured >= 2) One of the torturers said it, just before whipping me half to death. He asked if he should go [i]upstairs[/i] for medicinal pills, remember?" *else I saw one of the guards take some from a crate." That catches your attention *if (style != "Akakiru") instantly, plus the mansion is where Crow Li is holding ${fren}. *else instantly. "Okay, that's the plan then. Find a way out of these chains, break out of jail undetected, get to the mansion, and steal their medicine. From there we should be strong enough to break the manacles." "Is that still all you've got?" Replies Bo with as much attitude as ever. "I thought you'd have some grand scheme but if it's just 'break out' then let's see which of us actually breaks out first." "Ohhh, a race!" Leona says, excited. *if (underlings > 0) "Will you shut up already?!" Shouts one of the other prisoners. "It's bad enough I'm captured [i]again[/i], I don't need my old master barging in and making my final hours even worse." *if (underlings = 2) Another voice mumbles agreement from outside your view. *if (underlings > 2) More voices mumble agreement from outside your view. An old master, he says? Leona and Bo look to you questioningly. It seems neither of them own any servants. That must mean... "Holy shit." You say out loud, trying to turn your head to see into the neighboring cells. *if (underlings = 1) "Servant? You're *elseif (underlings = 2) "Servants? You're both *else "Servants? You're all stuck in here too? I was wondering what happened to you!" A heavy sigh fills the air before *if (underlings > 1) one *else he continues. *if (underlings >= 3) "You ran off *if (style = "Akakiru") to fight that crazy tart *elseif (style = "Aoyusumu") with that tall monk *elseif (style = "Kiihakai") with that darkly dressed witch-girl *elseif (style = "Kurokonton") with those ninjas *if (style = "Midorikatai") after that peppy wolfgirl and *else "Your parents sold *if (underlings >= 2) us *else me off to a caravan for grunt work while you were training. *if (underlings >= 2) we *else I thought *if (underlings >= 2) we were *else I was finally rid of you when the chance came to sneak away at night, so *if (underlings >= 2) we *else I did. Fat lot of good that did for *if (underlings >= 2) us, *else me, caught by another Sect and stuck back in this cell. It ain't fair I tell you." *if (underlings = 2) "Here here." Adds another mopey voice. *if (underlings > 2) "Here here." Mopey voices add from the front cells. "$!{name}," Leona pipes up, "It's great and all that you're having a touching reunion with your *if (underlings = 1) manslave, *else manslaves, but can we please break out of prison before the blood cult butchers us to turn our blood into aphrodisiacs or something worse?" Right, you think to yourself, the escape. *page_break Bo begins ripping strips of cloth off the bottoms of his pantlegs and tying them around the lock connecting the wall's chain to his manacles. For some reason he starts trying to twist the cloth. His face visibly reddens from the effort. Leona on the other hand bangs her face into the cell door and calls the guard over for medical attention, a new nosebleed running down her chin while she flashes an inviting smile at the young Sunbringer and waves. The guard ignores her. It's not looking like you can expect much from them. That leaves you to... *label Next_breakout *choice *if (chaindone) *selectable_if (chaindone = false) #Deal with the wall-chain. [COMPLETE] *else #Deal with the wall-chain. The chain attaching you to the wall is your biggest problem. Even if the jailcell door magically opened, you'd still be incapable of escaping. *if (ruthless >= 51) A wise double measure for imprisonment that you keep in mind for the future. It adds security and removes hope, the perfect combination...for your prisoners, that is. When used on you it's rather annoying instead. *else A ruthless double-imprisonment likely thought up by a sadist to take hope away from prisoners. *if (thievery >= 1) The worst part is you can't even pick the lock at this angle. Your hands are bound together and chain is locked to the bottom of your manacles, near the center of your forearm. If you want release from the chains, if you want any chance at freedom, you'll need to get crafty. So you... *choice *selectable_if (key) #Use your smuggled key. Though the manacles suppressing your powers are clearly some type of custom-built Soul Treasure, the lock connecting them to your chains is well-polished and lacking any dents or scratches. A new purchase, by the looks of it. And you know who's been selling them. You are, without a doubt, the smartest ${manwoman} alive. How many others can say they already procured a key to their prison days in advance when they didn't even know they were being pursued? Dou Nohal is a Saint in your eyes for selling copies of the same lock and key across the region. Scummy trade practices be praised. When no one's looking you retrieve the key from a hidden pocket in your clothing and insert it into the lock, turning the key with ease. [b]*click*[/b]. *label chainremoved Immediately you catch the chain and lower it gently to the ground so as to not alert any passersby. You're unsure if there are more Sunbringers than you counted inside the jail, or if there are any posting guard outside, but you don't need them alerted to your success. Not until the time is right. *set chaindone true When you turn to Leona and Bo you see Bo staring in absolute disbelief and Leona still seated on the floor, silently laughing at Bo. He shoves her over and scowls at you. "A lucky fluke." He whispers across the hall. "I'll still get out of the cells first." "Are you guys breaking out?" Asks a fellow prisoner one cell over. "Take me with you!" "Hells be damned, Bo," Leona hisses from the floor. "Why not announce it to the whole fucking world." Great. Just great. The barking prisoners have put you on a timer before the guard catches on. Thinking quickly you decide to... *goto Next_breakout *if (style = "Kiihakai") *disable_reuse #Use Desdemona's ritual notes. Reading through the note Desdemona left makes you feel like the bottom of your stomach just dropped, taking your hope with it. It's supposed to make the user intangible like a ghost, but it includes any Soul Treasures they have on them...soul Treasures like your manacles. And it gets worse. According to her notes and sigils, as well as the listed Zodiac handsign combinations, this ritual will take multiple casters under the same moonlight and 30 minutes to complete when using ambient chi at the level Outer West provides. You don't have 30 minutes, you need this ritual done [i]now[/i] before the guard comes back. With a sigh of resignation you sit in meditative trance anyway, holding your hands at your center and initiating the handseals in accordance to Desdemona's instruction. Maybe the Heavens will smile upon you like Bo was whining about and- [b]*CLANG*[/b] The chain and lock drop off your manacles and fall into your lap, then through your lap as if you were a ghost. Both land with a loud clang right onto the stone ground. But the ritual needs casters for... *set chaindone true Sweet merciful Ancestors, Desdemona's disciples must have been casting it the whole time! *if (honor >= 50) If Desdemona left her people's escape plan up to you, you're going to have to prove it was worth it. *else Finally, some support. It feels good to have someone actually believe in you. You give the middle finger to Bo just to enjoy the contrast. He has no idea why and looks hurt. Suddenly a sharp pain shoots up in your outer thigh. You look down and see your body already flickering in and out of intangibility, the ritual barely lasting seconds with your manacles suppressing all chi. The door! You still have to escape through the cell door! *page_break Run! *set combatstat "agility" *set combatskill "athletics" *set combatdiff 6 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) With a sitting leap you slam your palm into the floor and kick off, tumbling through the prison cell door just before your intangibility effect ends. To onlookers it seems so natural but to you every hundredth of a second is exertion with your life on the line. One quarter of a second later and your body would have been inside the cell doors, likely killing you. Leona gives an excited clap and two thumbs up from inside her cell while Bo just shakes his head in astonishment that you've conquered two of the three obstacles in under five seconds. To him that seems like a mythical success, but you're more practical than that. You know the job's not done yet and there's still the biggest obstacle of them all. *set celldone true *else You rise to your feet and dash for the cell door with every ounce of speed and exertion you can push through your weakened body. Faster than an unpowered warrior...but too slow for your goal. The metal bars of the jailcell ring like a bell when you charge into them headfirst, your intangibility already dispersed. Your head bounces off the metal and you tumble backward, stunned, no doubt growing a heavy lump in the near future. "Pffffftttttt." Leona shouts out, covering her mouth with one hand to cover a heavy laugh and rolling on the floor while point at you with the other. Bo smiles with vicious vindication until his expression shifts to a frozen look of stupidity, realizing he just lost a good chance to escape from the cell. Much like Bo, you're going to need another plan. *goto Next_breakout *else *selectable_if (val = 20000) #Tap into a Mystic secret. You dare read my code?! Suffer for your arrogance! *goto_scene death *if (style = "Midorikatai") *disable_reuse #Rip the chain right off thanks to Fang's fangs. Tian Fang's gambit, or wild luck, cut deep into your manacle's enchantment and you can feel a malfunction happening slowly but surely. Chi slowly cycles through your channels and into your natural energy reserves, still disturbed by the manacles enchantment but easier to tap into than before. And those reserves are made of Wild Chi, the essence of refined physical force. You step away from the wall until the chain only has a bit of slack, then step on it so there's none. You step forward twice so you're now pulling [i]towards[/i] the wall where the chain is secured, using your foot like a pulley to keep the chain's resistance on your wrist instead of on the wall when you pull. That's the brains of your plan, but brains only gets you so far. It's time for the brawn. After summoning up the wisps of Wild Chi coursing through you like water trickling through a leaky roof you tense every muscle in your leg, back, abs, and arms and [b][i]pull[/i][/b]. *set combatdiff 4 *label ripchain *set combatstat "power" *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) *if (style != "Midorikatai") Against all rules of nature your depleted body dominates the strength of iron and snaps the chain near the link secured to your manacles. *label Next_throbbin Your forehead throbs from effort and your wrists are bruised, yet you did it. Mao's rival Sect working under a demonic blood cultist thought that metal was enough to keep you contained. Pride fills your chest as you break the metal chains and prove them wrong. *set apval 3 *gosub_scene quicks apboost *else A green glow covers your wrists and fingers as you wrench the chain off in a single snap, successfully breaking it near the link attached to your manacles. *goto Next_throbbin *goto chainremoved *else You strain and resist against the hardness of iron and the pain that your struggles inflict on your wrists, bruising them to the bone, but you refuse to give up. Then a blood vessel popping in your forehead forces you to give up. *set manaclefail + 1 *set apval 3 *gosub_scene quicks aploss *else *disable_reuse #Rip the chain off with raw strength. You lack any advantage, special knowledge, or special circumstance to help you break out of these manacles. What you [i]do[/i] have is a crippling fever. Breaking the iron bindings with what is essentially an unempowered body is nearly impossible. *if (ruthless >= 55) For weaklings. *elseif (honor < 45) For losers. *else For anyone else. You grit your teeth, widen your stance, stomp on the chain for leverage, and flex every muscle in your back and arms, taking hold of the chain with determination and an iron grip. Then you [b][i]pull[/i][/b]. *set combatdiff 6 *if ((bodytype = "Muscular") or (bodytype = "Dommymommy")) *set combatdiff -1 [b][Bodytype Event: Difficulty Reduced by 1][/b] *line_break *if (subrace = "Bovine") *set combatdiff -1 [b][Bovine Yokai Event: Difficulty Reduced by 1][/b] *line_break *goto ripchain *disable_reuse #Use your knowledge of craftsmanship to break the lock. Breaking a lock is no easy task. If even a Lower Disciple like you could do it without chi then locks wouldn't be used, and the other prisoners would have broken out by now. It's going to take more than just brute force to get you out of here, it's going to take smarts. Luckily you're a smart ${manwoman}. *if (craft >= 2) Unfortunately, that means you know why no one else has been able to break out. Craftsmanship is all about materials and design. The design is easy enough, you need something that can take up the shape of a simple tumbler key slot. The material is more difficult. You'll need something solid but malleable, at least compared to metal. Something you can shove into the key slot and have it warp into the right shape while still being hard enough that it breaks the tumbler at the top when force is applied. The material is available...but it's not going to be fun. You truly are cursed with knowledge, you think to yourself, as you rip out one of your back molars with your bare hands and jam it into the lock root-up before slamming the lock against the stone wall to force the tooth fragments up and into the lock's mechanism, breaking the contraption and popping the lock open. This better be worth it, you think to yourself as you spit blood. [b][Craft 2 Check Passed][/b] [b]*click*[/b] Oh yeah. It's worth it. *goto chainremoved *else [b][Craft 2 Check Failed][/b] You scrape your manacles against the stone floor and walls as quickly as you can to build up stone dust and then spit on it, forming a wet sand that you shove into the lock. You then take your fingernail and push it into the sand, turning to open the lock and...and it doesn't work. The sand just moves your fingernail. It doesn't affect the tumblers further inside the lock at all. "What's all the noise?" Asks a voice from behind. You turn around to see the lone Sunbringer guard outside your cell. "I was-" Another clash of metal can be heard from elsewhere in the prison and the guard screams in annoyance, holding a hand up to you with a heavy glow of red and yellow chi. "I don't have time for this!" A flash of light slams into your face and everything fades to black. *goto kosuketime *if (race = "Oni") *disable_reuse #Attempt to hijack your manacle's handseals. [Requires Oni] Your usual handseals will have no effect here with your chi contained, but plenty of unpowered mortals with no auras use handseals as well by using ambient chi. Your choices are far more limited, but you have to try something. [b][Race Event: Oni][/b] Now that you give the manacles a better look, there's something oddly familiar about the enchantment suppressing your chi. You're no blood cultist, but you are an Oni. Even without your spiritual senses there seems to be a kinship within the power of these Soul Treasure manacles. A Fiendish kinship. On an educated guess, you add a different handsign into the mix. Not one of the Zodiac, but a sign with your index and pinky finger up, middle and ring finger curled. To your shock, the ambient chi around you responds and twitches as it does when casting any other handsign. *set apval 4 *gosub_scene quicks apboost *if (handseals >= 2) [b][Handseals 2 Check Passed][/b] *set solexp + 2 Your handsigns pull enough ambient chi from the surroundings and force their instruction upon the manacles. Recognizing the manacles as a Soul Treasure you reverse its built-in effect for just a moment to send chi out instead of sucking it in. Using the sign of the Horse and the sign of the Rabbit you direct the location and speed, shoving all the contained chi within to the base of the manacles where a small explosion of natural energy bursts the chain's lock right off. *goto chainremoved *else [b][Handseals 2 Check Failed][/b] Despite the interesting addition of a new sign you end up trying dozens of zodiac finger formations before you give up on the plan. The ambient chi doesn't respond well enough and even when it does, it has no effect on the manacles themselves. *set manaclefail + 1 *if (manaclefail >= 1) *page_break "Hey, what's going on here?!" Shouts a young cat Yokai in Sunbringer garb running by the jailcell windows, head tilted to get a better look at you from above. *label becomefugged You look around your cell immediately, pretending to look for whatever he's talking about. "A blood sacrifice is what's going on?" You say as if it were obvious. "I think it's tomorrow though." He gives you a disgruntled stare in return and whistles out into the night air. Several more Sunbringers show up in a blur of white and yellow auras outside the jail. *label sayingshiddalot "What is it?" One of the older Sunbringers asks. "We need a bigger patrol," says the cat Yokai, "the prisoners are trying something. I say we keep more stationed in the jailcell. This was a huge security risk." "Good idea." A third says. Shit. Shit, shit, shit! You can't escape with such a large patrol keeping an eye on you! You wrack your brain for plans over the next ten minutes as more and more Sunbringers show up in the jail to inspect the prisoners. You glance to Leona and Bo for hints or clues or any form of assistance, anything at all, but they seem as stumped as you with so many Martial Artists in fighting shape keeping an active eye on them too. "Guards, guards!" You shout in desperation, trying to get one to approach. Maybe you can take a hostage? Those thoughts go out the window when one of them responds by launching an energy blast into your face. *goto kosuketime *if (celldone) *selectable_if (celldone = false) #Escape from your cell. [COMPLETE] *else *selectable_if ((celldone = false) and (chaindone)) #Escape from your cell. Next up comes the jail cell. Your original plan had been to break the door down but you quickly learn the bars dig at least a foot deep into the stone making up your floor and ceiling. Even with chi this would be a difficult task for Upper Disciples. Your only saving grace is there's a spare pair of keys on the guard's desk, four cells away from you, and he's preoccupied stabbing a Qian spear into random cells to get people to stop revolting. Twenty feet is a long way...this is going to be harder than you thought. *choice *selectable_if (key) #Use your smuggled key. Your smuggled key really is the gift that keeps on giving. The lesson here is that crime [i]does[/i] pay and you will [i]never[/i] regret robbing people, [i]ever[/i], no matter how much they trusted you. With care and stealth you push your arm through the bars of your cell with key in-hand, bend your arm, and press against the lock until the key finds the hole and slides right in. [b]*click*[/b] Just like that, you're a free ${manwoman} and a damned genius. *set celldone true There's just one problem...You're not alone. You were hoping other prisoners would have broken out by now but it seems you're alone. Just down the hall the last obstacle of yours is jamming a Qian spear through one of the cell doors to keep the inmates locked inside. *goto Next_breakout *if (style = "Kurokonton") *disable_reuse #Get Guiren's men to pick the lock. If Guiren's men really have escaped then all you need to do is find the right ones. They must have keys or lockpicks if they got out of their own cages. Then again, if Guiren's men could escape then why did they stick around? It doesn't seem like it was for Guiren, they treat him like trash. As you ponder it over a familiar face goes by your window, an Oni in chains, pulling a cart full of furs. "Hey, you!" You hiss-whisper. "You're one of Guiren's men, Yoji right? Get me out of here, I need to go save him from the mansion." The oni looks over to you. "I have no idea what you're talking about." "What do you mean y-" Oh Hells. It's the wrong oni. The man seems too busy with his own despair to get curious. He pays you no mind as he keeps going without another thought for you, hauling the cart of goods down to the dock. "Wow." Says a voice from the shadows of the closest destroyed building across an alley from the prison. "Just wow." Out steps another Oni, *if (race = "Oni") Yoji for sure this time. *else Yoji...you think. "Boys, I think we have an Oni-hater on our hands, thinking us Oni all look the same." You groan from within the cell. "Can we not do this? *if (race = "Oni") We're both Oni, it was just a mistake." "Oh just a [i]mistake[/i] huh? I've met betrayers like you before, selling out our people to fit in with the Humans or the Lunargoths." *else He just looked like you, okay?" "Oh, he [i]looked like[/i] me?" "I am [i]literally[/i] trapped in a demon cult's blood sacrifice prison. Can we do this bit later?" You pinch the bridge of your nose to hold down your frustration. Are these the kind of gimmicks Guiren has to deal with all the time? Poor guy. Yoji crouches low to your window and grimaces. "What are you *if (race != "Oni") saying, *if (race = "Kitsune") Yokai? *else ${race}? *else saying? That I somehow have anything to do with a demonic blood cult? Why? Because I must be guilty for my ancestry?" *if (race = "Oni") You grab him by the shoulders and pull him against the cage. "I have the same ancestry, jackass! We're both Oni! Open the cage!" *else "Oh for the love of the *if (ruthless < 50) Ancestors. I'm sorry okay?" *else Ancestors." You might rather die than keep going through this. "Relax, relax!" Yoji says, pulling out a pair of keys. "I'm just having some fun like I would with Guiren. You give off the impression of a leader, consider it a compliment." *if (ruthless >= 53) "I don't know how he doesn't kill you for it." *else "I don't know how he puts up with it." You say as Yoji tosses you the key. "Eh, it goes both ways." One of Guiren's human underlings says, stepping out of the shadows. "We deal with a lot of bleak jobs, and having all-powerful boss makes it easier to see our leader as one of the regular guys. Someone we can be ourselves around. It's just that..." "Your regular selves are assholes." You finish his thought. Both nod in agreement. Yoji looks around your cell from the window. "We're on Guiren's orders to rob the place blind, but where's Guiren? We had to go find a key for his cell and he got out himself? The nerve of some people." You shake your head. "They took him to a mansion up the hill where they *if ((leonatortured = 0) and (botortured = 0)) threatened to torture *else tortured me first." The Human shivers. "That place has a menacing aura. Good luck getting him back, that's above our paygrade." *choice #"Leave it to me." *set honor + 1 *set powexp + 1 You turn your vision to see if you can view the torture mansion at the edge of town where Guiren's being held. Getting him out of there will be hard but his lackeys might not be up to the task. That leaves the burden on you. "Leave it to me." You say resolutely until you see they've already 'disappeared', though now *goto closershadow #"You guys are useless." *set honor - 1 *set agiexp + 1 *set guirenrep + 1 "You guys are useless." You say to the duo refusing to help you fight. "We know." One of the humans says as both meld back into the shadows and 'disappear'. Now *label closershadow that you're closer you can see them crouching and walking around in the building's shadow across the street. It makes for a poor exit. With them gone you pick up the key that Yoji left you and open your cell door. Leona stops waving for the guard and looks to the key in your hands with rapidly growing amusement as Bo looks at you success in disbelief. *set key true *set celldone true You still have one obstacle to deal with however... *goto Next_breakout *else *selectable_if (val = 20000) #Someone else picks the lock for you. *label arrogance You dare tread where no mortal eyes may pass?! Suffer for your transgressions one thousand times! *goto_scene death *disable_reuse #Attempt to pick the lock. Picking a lock without the proper tools is a fool's errand, but with deft enough hands and enough desperation it's worth a shot. *set val 3 *if (craft >= 2) [b][Craft 2 Check Passed][/b] For idiots. For you the clear answer is to create your own tools. The Sunbringers may have stripped you of most everything you had, but your travel boots still hold laces and hardened leather you can peel off in thick chunks to push in the lock's tumblers. With a couple minutes of grunt work you've braided the laces of your shoes together and peeled off thick enough chunks from your boot's heel to use at the pick of the lockpick. Here goes nothing. *set val - 1 *set forexp + 2 *else [b][Craft 2 Check Failed][/b] If only you knew how to assemble a lockpick from mud. Oh well. Here goes nothing. *if (thievery >= val) [b][Thievery ${val} Check Passed][/b] *set agiexp + 2 You press *if (val = 2) your makeshift lockpick *else some muddied sticks you found on the ground outside your window into the lock and even you're surprised by how smoothly the tumblers bob up and down, answering your skilled fingers with rapt attention. You slide them into their respective slots until they each click into place at once, then grip your tool and twist. [b]*click*[/b] *set celldone true The door swings open. Another obstacle down. Leona stops hailing the guard over, abandoning her plan instead clapping at your success. "Not bad at all!" She exclaims. "Someone's been arrested before." "Yeah, for being a filthy Laborer [i]criminal![/i]" Bo hisses, leaning towards you and squinting in jealousy at your success. "Wow." Leona says. "You really want ${himher} to leave you here." Bo freezes, your situation suddenly becoming more apparent. "Uh...No." You ignore the pair, there's still one issue for you to deal with before any of you can think about freedom. *goto Next_breakout *else [b][Thievery ${val} Check Failed][/b] You press *if (val = 2) your makeshift lockpick *else some muddied sticks you found on the ground outside the window into the lock and curse constantly as you fail to get a solid grip on the tumblers. You can't even feel the vibrations through your makeshift tool to know if you're doing it right. Eventually the *if (val = 2) threads tear and the lockpick shreds to pieces inside of the lock, securing your fate. *else sticks break and the muddied bits of wood get stuck inside the lock, securing your fate. *set cagefail + 1 *set val 0 *disable_reuse #Fish the pair of keys off the guard's desk 20 feet away. The fact that you have to resort to the most ridiculous plan is not a good sign for your future, but you've never been one to give up. If you're going to do this right you're going to need a long string and something solid. You can throw the solid object into the loop of the keyring...if you've got the best aim in town. First thing's first you'll need a set of string twenty feet long. *if ((craft >= 1) or (survival >= 1)) *if (craft >= 1) [b][Craft 1 Check Passed][/b] *else [b][Survival 1 Check Passed][/b] Easy enough, using Bo's idea to take the string off the edges and limbs of your clothing. Things get a bit breezy but you're still covered up. *else [b][Craft 1 Check Failed][/b] *line_break [b][Survival 1 Check Failed][/b] You can't even manage to get the string to pull off this plan. Where are your fuuinjutsu tags when you need them? *goto sunbringeroutside Next you're going to need something solid and small. A pebble will do, luckily you can just grab one of those from the ground outside your window. You tie your string around the thumbnail-sized pebble several times and look back to the keyring lying on the guard's desk. *if (heshe = "he") Leona *else Bo sees you holding such a long string outside your cell, swinging the pebble in circles. *if (heshe = "he") She *else He looks from you to the desk where the keyring is stored and notices you have to throw it [i]passed[/i] the guard. *if (heshe = "he") "Are you seriously going to throw that?" "Yes." Leona whistles low. "He's going to hear the keys fly past him." "Yes." "You're going to have to fight him the second you get out." "Yes." She smiles wide. "You make the best plans." *set leonarep + 1 *else "The guard's going to hear the key fly by him!" Bo hisses. "Are you out of your mind?!" "Yes." *set borep + 2 Bo stops and takes a step back, as if planning to explain why you were wrong, but he's been thrown off by you admitting the lunacy of your plan. He looks to the floor, brow furrowed, before looking back to you. "...Okay. Don't miss." In that second your throw lines up and you release the line, sending your pebble soaring across the jail towards the guard's desk at the far end of the main hall. *set combatstat "agility" *set combatskill "perception" *set combatdiff 7 *if (subrace = "Monkey") [b][Race Event: Monkey Yokai][/b] *line_break [b][Difficulty Lowered][/b] *set combatdiff - 1 *if (background = "Trapper") [b][Background Event: Trapper][/b] *line_break [b][Difficulty Lowered][/b] *set combatdiff - 1 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) Against all odds you loop the rock through the keychain's small loop. *label angelohelp The pebble passes through the keychain loop, bounces off a tightly rolled scroll, and falls back into the keychain's loop one more time to make a solid wrap. You cannot believe your eyes, skill, or luck. *set celldone true *set key true *if (stealth >= 1) [b][Stealth 1 Check Passed][/b] You immediately shush Bo, not even looking to see if he was going to say anything, because trusting him to shut up has so far been a losing strategy. As you look over to your fellow Thunderfaller you see his mouth wide open and fists held in front as if he was about to scream in disbelief, but he sees your signal. It seems you made the right move. With one quick jerk you pull the key soaring through the air towards you and catch it, reducing the amount of metal-on-metal sounds while the lone guard is busy with the others. It feels surreal to be so close to freedom when you push the keys into your cell door and it opens. Now there's just one obstacle to deal with. *goto Next_breakout *else [b][Stealth 1 Check Failed][/b] Apparently neither can Bo as he screams "BY THE HEAVENS!" In absolute astonishment. You curse under your breath and yank the string with all your might, sending the keys flying through the air until you catch them and scramble to find the right one and shove it into your cell door's lock. You twist the key and rush out of your cell quickly, immediately locking eyes with the Sunbringer Lower Disciple charging you with a spear. *goto fightguard *set key true *else *if (style = "Aoyusumu") [b][Style Event: Aoyusumu][/b] As you see the pebble soar through the air, trailing a 25-foot line of string behind it, you can't help but feel a connection to its trajectory. It's off. The rock will land too far to the left, it needs to correct ever so slightly and it [i]will[/i]. You feel a familiar sensation as the pebble glows the barest hint of cerulean and your mind feels a deeper control over its trajectory. [b][1 Soul Chi Spent][/b] *set solsurge + 1 *goto angelohelp *else Your pebble bounces too far to the right and hits the desk. Immediately the guard's head snaps to his desk, sees the line, and follows it over to you. He's outside your cell in the next two seconds. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asks. "I can explain-" You say, inching forward to try and strike him through the cell. He immediately leaps back and holds up a glowing hand. The Light from his Technique blasts you in the face and its brilliant light fades to darkness as you fall unconscious. *set seared true *goto kosuketime *if (style = "Akakiru") #Use Leona's shiv to take out a guard and steal their key. You look down at the shiv in your hand and back up to Leona who is violently nodding with a big smile. This is such a stupid plan. Are you sure you want to do it? *choice #Hell yeah. *set ruthless + 1 "Guard! Guard, spider bite!" You shout to the Sunbringer trying to keep other shouting prisoners in check down the hall. "Why should I care?" Replies the enemy Martial Artist without looking. "It's a blue bird-spider! If I don't get medicine I'll die before Taio can come back for more questioning! Worse, it's still in here." The enemy Martial Artist grunts angrily and stabs his qiang into the cell he's at, eliciting a scream. "You're going to wish you were dead if you're lying. Let me see the bite." You hold your hand out of your cage on the left side, using your body to block the torchlight so your shiv hides in shadow on your right. The Sunbringer walks even closer and grabs your wrist, squinting to look for the wound. "I don't see any-" *set combatstat "power" *set combatdiff 5 *if ((bodytype = "Agile") or (Bodytype = "Legs")) [b][Bodytype Event: Quick Movements][/b] *line_break [b][Difficulty Reduced][/b] *set combatdiff - 1 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) As he stares at your arm you jerk your other hand through the bars and up into his head with all the force you can muster, jamming the shiv under his jaw so hard that it penetrates through the bottom of his mouth, the roof of his mouth, and into his brain. The man dies on the spot and crumbles to the ground. "Eeeeeeh!" Leona squeals with joy. "I knew you could do it!" "Shut up!" Bo hisses at her. "Don't alert more guards!" As the two bicker you grab the keys off the guard then quickly unlock your cell and step out, scanning for more guards. As impossible as it may sound, it looks as though you're free. *goto jailtestsdone *else As he stares at your arm you jerk your other hand holding the shiv through the bars with all the strength you can muster, aiming for his head. Panic rushes through your mind when he grabs your wrist. "Oh we have a very, very big problem here." The Sunbringer says, eyeing your shiv. "I told you you'd regret this!" He twists your wrist so hard that it feels it will break, ripping the shiv from your grip. Your body is forced into a twist to avoid breaking your arm, and in that movement your lower jaw is exposed. His fist slams down on your head with enough force to knock the lights out of you. Your body crumples to the ground, falling unconscious. *set cagefail + 1 *goto kosuketime #Hell no. *set ruthless - 2 Thinking better of it, you consider different options first. *goto Next_breakout *if (cagefail >= 1) *label sunbringeroutside *page_break "Hey, what's going on here?!" Shouts a bearded cat Yokai in Sunbringer garb from outside, head tilted at your jailcell window to get a better look at you. "It sounds like a riot in there." You turn to the window and lock eyes, frozen, as the tingle between your shoulders tells you he's scanning your spirit. *label searscatalogue "I can explain." You say calmly. "Don't bother." A flash of light is the last thing you see before being knocked out as his Sunbringer signature energy blast closes the gap instantly and sears your face. *set seared true *goto kosuketime *selectable_if (celldone) #Deal with the prison guard. *choice *selectable_if ((key) or (thievery >= 2)) #Stealthily release other prisoners. Any Sunbringers could be within shouting distance and if they have even a shred of talent they could quickly arrive by surging an Agility Core. All your opponent needs to do is call out and your escape is over. That's why you need stealth. If you want to defeat him before he can call for help you're going to need to ambush him with overwhelming force. *if (stealth >= 2) [b][Stealth 2 Check Passed][/b] *set agiexp + 2 You wait until the moment is right, staying by your cell for seconds longer until the guard moves on to another cell of rowdy prisoners. That's when you sneak out and make your move. *if not (key) [b][Thievery 2 Check Succeeded][/b] One by one you unlock several of the jail cells around yours, including the cell holding Leona and Bo. By the time the guard notices something is wrong he's bumrushed by a dozen prisoners beating him half to death with metal manacles, the free two-handed weapon supplied by your jailors. Your wrists hurt after giving him a few beatings yourself, but when you're all done you look around and realize you actually did it. You're free. *goto jailtestsdone *else [b][Stealth 2 Check Failed][/b] You wait until the moment is right, sneaking through the shadows and- The moment was not right. The guard's qiang slams into the stone near your head and you leap back in surprise. Before you can even prepare for battle the jail lights up as the guard prepares a Light and Fire energy beam between two hands and releases at you like a whip. The blast connects with your face and your own lights go out. *goto kosuketime #Fight him head-on. Any Sunbringers could be within shouting distance and if they have even a shred of talent they could quickly arrive by surging an Agility Core. All your opponent needs to do is call out and your escape is over. You thank the Ancestors he's too arrogant to try that first. You've got one shot to take him out before he realizes he's going to lose. *label fightguard *choice #Throw sand in his eyes. As the Sunbringer guard, the last obstacle in your way, charges you with his Qiang spear you throw away any sense of honor and focus purely on victory. *set honor - 2 That's why you had been scooping together a handful of sand for just this occasion. He closes the gap faster with a surged Agility Core and launches his qiang forward in an attempt to skewer you just as you raise a handful of sand into the air and throw it into his face. *set combatstat "agility" *if (stealth = 0) *set combatskill "thievery" *else *set combatskill "stealth" *set combatdiff 6 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) The cloud of dirt and dust lands in time and blinds him to your movements. His spear misses your ribs by inches and your foot trips him in his charge, knocking him to the ground. They may have sealed your chi but they haven't sealed your Martial Arts. Before he can land you spin and kick him into the side of you jailcell's door, then leap onto his back and open the unlocked cell before quickly closing it on his head. Then you slam the steel door on his head again. And again. And again. Finally he stops struggling and his aura of yellow and red dissipates. You've won. *choice #Finish him off *set borep + 2 *set ruthless + 2 With a final slam you crunch the steel door into the Sunbringer's head and give him the same fate he wished for you. "YES! YEAH!!" Bo shouts in uncharacteristic cheer. "That's what happens when you mess with Thunderfall!" #Spare him *set ruthless - 2 *set honor + 1 *set borep - 2 You get off the Sunbringer and wipe sweat from your brow, then take the keys off the man's belt and release Bo and Leona. *goto jailtestsdone *else He misses you with the blade of the spear and you go to trip him, not seeing his fist coming out of the cloud of dirt. With his speed tripled the blow strikes you hard enough to send you barreling down the jail's central hallway and into an opposing stone wall. Luckily you lose consciousness before hitting the wall, a small mercy. *goto kosuketime #Break the spear with your manacles. As he charges you with his spear you tense your legs, loosen your elbows, and prepare your shoulders. You only get one shot at this as the Sunbringer surges an Agility Core to move at triple speed as he tries to run you through. The second his blade gets within striking distance you loop your manacles over the top and drop to one knee, narrowly avoiding your throat being slit when his qiang stabs over your shoulder. With all your might you pull the manacles down with you as you drop to the ground, the spear caught between your metal manacles and sturdy shoulder. *set combatstat "power" *set combatskill "athletics" *set combatdiff 6 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) *set borep + 2 His qiang snaps in half and the man tumbles to the ground, tripping over you and colliding into his own large spearhead chest-first. His supernaturally enhanced speed causes him to tumble several times before coming to a stop with his own blade sticking out of his heart. You wipe sweat from your brow and can barely believe you made it, but you did. You take a single calming breath and rise, seizing the keys off the guard's belt and releasing Bo and Leona. *goto jailtestsdone *else It doesn't break. You stand quickly and drop again, trying to break it one more time. It doesn't break then either. The Sunbringer holding the spear looks upon you with impatience as he takes his hand off the spear, illuminates it in a white-yellow glow, and blasts your face with enough force to knock you to the other side of the jail. You thankfully lose consciousness before your back slams into the stone wall. *goto kosuketime *selectable_if (key) #Throw your keys to Leona. You're not stupid enough to bet your success on a duel without chi. Before the enemy Martial Artist closes the gap with his qiang you toss your keys to Leona and brace for impact. *set combatstat "fortitude" *set combatskill "perception" *set combatdiff 5 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) *set borep + 2 You slam both arms down on his qiang the second he was about to cut you and lift yourself. Rather than skewer you with his fast movement the man simply pushes you away. He raises the qiang into the air and takes you with it, about to slam you into a stone wall, when Leona jumps on his back and starts biting his ear off. "AAHHHH!!!" The man screams as her teeth find purchase and she rips her head back, taking the ear with it. "I want the other one!" Leona screams into his remaining ear, "I WANT THE OTHER ONE!!" The Sunbringer panics and abandons his heavy qiang holding you up, using both hands to grab Leona by the hair and throw her over his shoulder at you. Before he can recover Bo slams him in the back of the head with his manacles. The man drops to one knee until you and Leona surround him, all three of you stomping on the Sunbringer until he stops moving. You gasp for air from the exertion, catching your breath. You actually did it. You're free. *goto jailtestsdone *else You slam both arms down on the Sunbringer's qiang the second he was about to cut you. It doesn't have any affect on his momentum, so he does cut you. That's quite a bit of blood, you note, as the fever, exertion, and blood loss begin to add up. Your vision blurs as you look back to the Sunbringer blast your thrown keys out of the air. The last thing you see before falling unconscious is his boot closing in on your face. *goto kosuketime *label jailtestsdone *if not (jadedragonfoundation) *achieve escapeartist It's then that you gaze upon the rest of the prisoners still locked in their cells. At least two dozen fighting-age men and women, all silent, all staring at the keys in your hand. A small army at your disposal. *choice #Deliver a speech. You stand at the center of the jail's wide hallway, all eyes on you, and hold your head high in victory. *if (persuasion >= 2) [b][Persuasion 2 Check Passed][/b] "People of Ebikowa, you have been imprisoned against your will by a seditious Sect working alongside a blood cultist. They no doubt ambushed you like the cowards they are, but fear not. The ${clan} Clan and Thunderfall forces have come to put a stop to this. Thunderfall has been hunting these Sunbringers so efficiently that our Master killed theirs, and as the Head of the ${clan} Clan I have defeated this blood cultist who calls himself 'Master' Taio before. I will defeat him again. The only advantage these Sunbringers have is numbers and chi, yet as you can see..." You motion to the defeated Sunbringer behind you. "They can be defeated even by the bound. With my help, you are not only going to stop this blood sacrifice, and you are not only going to avenge your town. With my help you are going to [i]reverse[/i] this invasion. We will take from these Sunbringers everything they have brought with them. Their pills, their weapons, their ships, their very lives! Every drop of blood they seized from *if (ruthless >= 52) your people *else the innocent will be *if (ruthless >= 52) repaid tenfold, and we will rip it from their hearts! *else avenged tenfold! Are you with me?" Several of the prisoners start to cheer and bang on their cell doors. "I expect the cheers of warriors!" You stomp on the defeated Sunbringer's back for effect. "I SAID [b]ARE YOU WITH ME?![/b]" The entire jail erupts in contagious *if (underlings > 0) cheer, even your *if (underlings >= 2) underlings join *else underling joins in. *else cheer. You throw the keys to Bo to unlock all the prisoners and march to the front of the jail. *if (honor >= 50) *set prestige + 3 *else *set prestige + 2 *set retainer_morale + 2 *else "People of Ebikowa, you've been imprisoned against your will by-" [b][Persuasion 2 Check Failed][/b] "Oh for crying out loud, shut up and let us out!" Shouts one of the prisoners. "More of them could be here any second!" Shouts a second. "They've got a point." Bo says. "Fine." You concede, tossing Bo the keys. "Go release the ungrateful bastards." You ignore your irritation and march to the desk at the front of the jail. #Just let them out. "Bo, take the keys and let them out." You command, tossing him the keyring. "You're all free now *if (honor < 50) and if you listen to me you might make it out of this alive." Bo gives you a look. "You're not planning on recruiting a bunch of peasants are y-" *else my power as the ${patriarch} of the ${clan} Clan." Bo's face scrunches in disbelief. "It was the Lo Cl-" *set prestige + 1 *set prestige + 1 Leona waltzes up fast and slaps Bo [i]hard[/i]. Hard enough to knock him to the floor. "Silence, retainer! Do as your master says!" Bo grits his teeth from the floor, rubbing his cheek and checking for blood. He stands poised to attack, but instead breathes slowly, reluctantly, and returns to letting prisoners out of their cells. You nod to Leona and march to the desk at the front of the jail. The time to plan your counterattack has begun. *set kosukecombat + 2 *label continuestory *page_break Just as you hoped, the front desk holds keys to all sorts of confinements. The chains, the cells, and most importantly the Soul Treasure manacles suppressing your recovery. Like a ${manwoman} dying of thirst in the desert you seize the keys and excitedly put an end to the biggest obstacle in your way. [b]*click*[/b] Immediately trickles of inner chi cycle through your body and spirit, the fruits of your natural state's recovery that were held back by the manacle enchantment. *set forspent - 1 *set agispent - 1 *set powspent - 1 *set solspent - 1 *set chispent - 1 [b][1 of Each Core Replenished][/b] *line_break [b][1 Chi Replenished][/b] It should have been more, damned fever, but the presence of chi through your system fills you with renewed vigor all the same. Leona squeals at the sight of your manacles falling to the floor. "My turn, my turn!" While she's busy rummaging through the keys you glance over the desk and find a collection of scrolls and diagrams. It takes a moment to realize the treasure trove you've come across. You'd hoped for maps of the town or shipping routes for where the Sunbringers are planning to sail, but you find something far more telling. Plans for the sacrifice. *set val 4 *if ((lore + handseals) >= val) *label kiibonushandseallorecheck [b][Lore + Handseals ${val} Check Succeeded][/b] According to the sigils and Seals planned for use, they were looking to condense a massive amount of power into one place. There's nothing listing what it was for but this much power dropped in one spot is a hundred times more than the danger levels of uncontrolled chi. If you're looking at it correctly this goes far beyond risking a spirit's creation. It even goes beyond risking a dozen spirits' creation. This amount of blood aura they plan to release and condense into Taio's Blood Marbles is an impossible amount, but if they can actually keep producing it and release it all in one place.... You don't know. You've never read about anything like this. But it can't be good. *set solexp + 5 *if (handseals < 2) [b][Handseals +1][/b] *set handseals + 1 *elseif (lore < 2) [b][Lore +1][/b] *set lore + 1 *elseif ((style = "Kiihakai") and ((lore + handseals) >= 3)) [b][Kiihakai Bonus: Difficulty Lowered][/b] *set val 3 *line_break *goto kiibonushandseallorecheck *else [b][Lore + Handseals ${val} Check Failed][/b] From what you can tell they were planning on using the power in so much blood for something and, being a Demonic Sect, you imagine it's not something good. Probably demon summoning. Ancestors, you wish you were classically trained on all these stupid sigils and seals like the other Thunderfall disciples- Oh. Bo was classically trained. *set val 0 "Leona, get Bo. We need to *if (bloodsecret) get out of here even sooner than we thought." *else find out what these bastards were planning." She doesn't reply. *page_break What's that noise? Screams fill the jail. Screams that could alert enemies from the outside. Cries of battle come from a commotion in the back of the prison near Bo, causing dozens of prisoners to come running towards you. "Fiends!" Screams one of them. "Fiends in the prison!" Your stomach drops. Superstition always warns that demonic cultivation brings great risk. Its corrupting energies can warp the bodies of weak-willed practitioners into any sort of mindless, ravenous Fiend. *if (kosukehelp) When you told Bo to release the other prisoners it *else It was assumed that only people were kept in the cells of this jail, but the Sunbringers have become a Demonic Sect. Of course they locked their mutated rejects in here with you. If they were still wearing clothes, it makes sense Bo would accidentally let them out. "Everyone in here!" Leona shouts, rushing to a sliding steel door to your left. She hefts it open and several prisoners skid to a halt in panic. "That's not the exit!" One of them shouts when the room beyond the doorway comes into view. "It's better!" Leona announces with a manic grin. She grabs that prisoner by the shoulders and throws him through the door then turns to the rest. "It's an armory!" The stampede of prisoners thankfully doesn't hesitate, following those in front and charging as a single unit into the armory. Over their heads you see the room filled with weapon racks, its walls lined with various tools of war meant for the town guard or confiscated from prisoners. Greedy, desperate hands seize the weapons off the wall by the dozen and you realize time is of the essence if you plan to get one yourself. *set retainers 22 *choice #Grab a weapon. You leap over the congregation, almost weightlessly hopping from shoulder to shoulder, until you enter the room and survey your options and quality of weapons. With the Fiends chasing the back of the prisoner crowd they must be closing in fast. You reach out and quickly snatch a... *gosub_scene quicks unequipweapon1 *choice #Bo Staff, a Zenshin-style combat staff *set itembostaff 100000000 *gosub_scene quicks unequipweapon1 *set equippedweapon "Bo Staff" *gosub weapqualitycheck *if (craft >= 2) *set itembostaff + 10000000 *set weaponbonus itembostaff [b][Item Gained: Bo Staff][/b] *line_break [b][Equipped to Weapon slot][/b] You rip a long bo staff off the wall and spin it several times overhead to test its weight, finding it well balanced. The tips are coated in metal and its central grip is impeccably well made to ensure your hands stay in the comfort zone but can slide passed it without issue if needed. *if (subrace = "Monkey") [b][Monkey Yokai Event][/b] Within your central spirit you feel a foreign yet familiar force, as if someone else's aura rested within your own. The presence gives off the impression of entertained approval before suddenly vanishing from your senses like a laughing puff of smoke. *set apval 5 *gosub_scene quicks apboost You look around for what could have done that but see nothing. No one else even reacts, and your spiritual senses pick up no such presence lingering. With a hesitant judgment call you banish any nervousness from your mind and return to the problems of the present. After one final spin you line the staff against your forearm, pointing the long end behind your back so the staff doesnt drag, and #Greataxe, a Gothic-style two-handed double-bladed axe *set itemgreataxe 100000000 *gosub_scene quicks unequipweapon1 *set equippedweapon "Greataxe" *gosub weapqualitycheck *if (craft >= 2) *set itemgreataxe + 10000000 *set weaponbonus itemgreataxe [b][Item Gained: Greataxe][/b] *line_break [b][Equipped to Weapon slot][/b] A large smile spreads across your face as you grab the biggest blade available, a massive Lunargothic greataxe. *if ((race = "Lunargoth") and (craft < 2)) You may not know much about local weaponry but you'd never mistake the signs of high quality gothic design. You grab the best one the armory has. [b][Weapon Improved!][/b] *set itemgreataxe + 10000000 With one overhead swing you test the axe against a nearby chair, slamming it down in one clean motion that cleaves the furniture in two. A shiver of satisfaction runs down your spine. Afterwards you #Jian, a Cathayan-style straight sword *set itemjian 100000000 *gosub_scene quicks unequipweapon1 *set equippedweapon "Jian" *gosub weapqualitycheck *if (craft >= 2) *set itemjian + 10000000 *set weaponbonus itemjian [b][Item Gained: Jian][/b] *line_break [b][Equipped to Weapon slot][/b] The most numerous weapons available are also the most versatile. The Cathayan jian you take off a wall-mounted weaponrack proves perfectly balanced in your hand with a sharp edge, sturdy grip, and just the right amount of weight for a sizeable impact. You wave the blade through the air in several figure-eight test swings and #Kunai, a Zenshin-style throwing knife *set itemkunai 100000000 *gosub_scene quicks unequipweapon1 *set equippedweapon "Kunai" *gosub weapqualitycheck *if (craft >= 2) *set itemkunai + 10000000 *set weaponbonus itemkunai [b][Item Gained: Kunai][/b] *line_break [b][Equipped to Weapon slot][/b] Grabbing the kunai off the wall *if (style = "Kurokonton") *set agiexp + 2 feels right in your hands, the Cursed Chi surging through your spirit running smoothly over its aerodynamic design. You can envision a hundred ways to control it with your Cursed Chi as if it were a part of your own body, using your chi leash like a rope or pulley to change the trajectory mid-air and surprise your opponents. In doing so, you envision several ways you can use your Cursed Chi towards acrobatic maneuvers as well. *if (athletics <= 1) [b][Athletics Increased by +1][/b] *set athletics + 1 *elseif (stealth <= 1) [b][Stealth Increased by +1][/b] *set stealth + 1 *else *set apval 5 *gosub_scene quicks apboost *else proves the right decision when it cuts the weaponrack on the way out. You never expected something so thick to be so sharp at the edges but the closer you look the more impressed you are with its design both for melee and ranged combat. You test its weight, hold it outward and inward for a few mock-slashes and stabs, and nod in satisfaction. With no time left to waste you *if (((style = "Akakiru") or (race = "Oni")) or (taint >= 30)) #Katana, a Zenshin-style curved sword that [b][i]calls to you.[/i][/b] *set itemkatana_1 110001000 *gosub_scene quicks unequipweapon1 *set equippedweapon "Muramasa" *set weaponbonus itemkatana_1 *gosub_scene quicks weaponbonuses *goto katanatext *label backtomuramasa [b][Item Gained: Muramasa, the Cursed Blade][/b] *line_break [b][Equipped to Weapon slot][/b] As you grip the handle of the magnificent black blade before you, you suddenly feel something wrong. A second aura shoves against your own from within the hilt. A cursed blade. Your face contorts with anger immediately. [i]Another[/i] obstacle? "No." You command the blade in absolution. You've had enough of obstacles today. Several prisoners leap away from you in surprise and fear as your body glows *if (style = "Akakiru") scarlet, pulling on the Bladed Chi of your recovering spirit. The floor, walls, and ceiling form small cuts as invisible slashes fly all around you *elseif (style = "Aoyusumu") in a cerulean forcefield, your aura pushing back every prisoner and weapon rack around you *elseif (style = "Kurokonton") purple with thrumming Cursed Chi, its entropic hunger stretching out all around you *elseif (style = "Kiihakai") golden, surging with wave after wave of potent life energy *elseif (style = "Midorikatai") green with the heavy pressure of Wild Chi, your spirit roaring to life until you take that power under control and focus all of it into your dominant arm, [b]shoving[/b] all your chi into the blade until it can't take anymore. *set combatstat "power" *set combatdiff 6 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) The blade submits immediately, its dominating power crushed by a superior pressure. You know cursed Blades are dangerous objects, influencing their wielder in mysterious ways, but you have no time or patience for such theatrics. If this blade wishes to contest your authority then it only endangers itself, not you. With a solid grip and a silent threat *else [b][1 Chi Spent][/b] *set chispent + 1 *set taint + 5 With a surge of power you envelope the cursed sword's aura in your own energy and keep it contained, for now. With the blade temporarily placated you feel a well of power inside the Soul Treasure of a weapon and realize the bounty you've come across: all the power the cursed blade has ever stolen, now at your fingertips. [b][Muramasa adds +1 Power to its wielder.][/b] *page_break You #A regular Katana, a Zenshin-style curved sword *goto regkatana *else #Katana, a Zenshin-style curved sword *label regkatana *set itemkatana 100000000 *gosub_scene quicks unequipweapon1 *set equippedweapon "Katana" *gosub weapqualitycheck *if (craft >= 2) *set itemkatana + 10000000 *set weaponbonus itemkatana [b][Item Gained: Katana][/b] *line_break [b][Equipped to Weapon slot][/b] *label katanatext Snatching one of the rare katanas from the top weapon rack fills you with *if (race = "Human") *set forexp + 2 *if ((craft < 2) and (equippedweapon = "Katana")) *set itemkatana + 20000 a deep sense of ancenstral pride. The Katana has served to distinguish Zenshin warriors from their Cathayan progenitors for the last three millennia since the founding of Imperial Rasen. Battle after battle it was the katana that brought the Zenshin ways to rule over and protect Imperial Rasen from the domestic Beasts, western pirates, northern snow demons, and eastern desert-dwellers across the sea. Against all threats, civilized Humanity turns to the katana. Now it's your turn. *elseif (race = "Lunargoth") *set solexp + 1 a curious feeling. This kind of blade represented the native population of this world for millennia before your people arrived, and now you hold it in your hands as if to accept their ways as your own. It's an oddly fitting sensation. If Mother's history lessons were any indication, the arriving Goths were never too stubborn to resist a new concept if it was a good one. And oh Ancestors, does this sword feel good. *else a sense of security. Finally, a [i]real[/i] weapon. You draw it quickly several times to feel its weight and speed and could not be happier with the results. It glides through the air like a graceful reaper of death. *if (equippedweapon = "Muramasa") *goto backtomuramasa *else You #Meteor Hammer, a Cathayan-style chained throwing-mace *set itemmeteorhammer 100000000 *gosub_scene quicks unequipweapon1 *set equippedweapon "Meteor Hammer" *gosub weapqualitycheck *if (craft >= 2) *set itemmeteorhammer + 10000000 *set weaponbonus itemmeteorhammer [b][Item Gained: Meteor Hammer][/b] *line_break [b][Equipped to Weapon Slot][/b] One object grabs your attention more than any other: the meteor hammer. Two bluntly spiked steel balls bigger than your fists attached to a long and dexterous chain. It's...it's beautiful. You grab the chain in one hand and give it a good swing, feeling the heavy weight of the metal maceheads on both ends for leverage. With a soft release you let the spinning ball of steel fly off into an opposing wall and crack the stone foundation before pulling it back in one quick jerk, catching the steel macehead in your hand. *if (honor < 49) Hell yes. Helllllllll yes. *else In an odd way, its inefficient design makes it superior. You doubt many opponents have been trained on how to defend against such a rare and strange weapon. With your new favorite toy you #Qiang, a Cathayan-style halberd *set itemqiang 100000000 *gosub_scene quicks unequipweapon1 *set equippedweapon "Qiang" *gosub weapqualitycheck *if (craft >= 2) *set itemqiang + 10000000 *set weaponbonus itemqiang [b][Item Gained: Qiang][/b] *line_break [b][Equipped to Weapon Slot][/b] Grabbing a long qiang off the wall proves fruitful on many fronts. The impressive spear houses a multi-pronged and sturdy blade at its end as well as an awe-inspiring thick red and gold tassels for decoration. You give the spear several spins and thrust forward to test its weight and reach, finding both to be superb. With no time left to lose you #Yumi, a Zenshin-style bow *set itemyumi 100000000 *gosub_scene quicks unequipweapon1 *set equippedweapon "Yumi" *gosub weapqualitycheck *if (craft >= 2) *set itemyumi + 10000000 *set weaponbonus itemyumi [b][Item Gained: Yumi][/b] *line_break [b][Equipped to Weapon Slot][/b] You grab the yumi off the wall and find that, thankfully and irresponsibly, it's already been stringed. You grab more string for later and seize two quivers of arrows, slinging them around your back and waist while quickly notching an arrow. On instinct you aim towards the armory doorway and see everyone immediately part at the doorway, making way for your test shot. But it's not going to be a test shot, because as they part you see the Fiends have reached the crowd. You dash forward just in time to get a look at them before all Hell breaks loose. *goto yumresumi #Weighted Handwraps, a universal fist weapon *set itemhandwraps 100000000 *gosub_scene quicks unequipweapon1 *set equippedweapon "Handwraps" *gosub weapqualitycheck *if (craft >= 2) *set itemhandwraps + 10000000 *set weaponbonus itemhandwraps [b][Item Gained: Handwraps][/b] *line_break [b][Equipped to Weapon Slot][/b] You're a Martial Artist damn it, and that means fighting with your fists. You strip a pair of weighted handwraps off the wall, grip the tips between your index finger and thumbs, and swing them in circles while deftly maneuvering your fingers around the bands as they rotate. In under a second they're successfully wrapped around each finger and knuckle. You slam your fists together with the extra weight, nod in satisfaction, and sprint out of the armory doors just as the shouting crowd of prisoners parts to make way for you. And as you exit the armory you find out why such a crazed mob parted so easily. The Fiends are at the door. *label yumresumi Lost. Undead corpses housing barely-sentient demonic energy. Seven of them in total, the Lost sniff the air as they approach with unnatural twitching. Their dead eyes reflect no emotion or iris but you know it's a trick to preserve chi; the second they detect prey black or crimson energy will fill their eyes and allow them to see. Their pale skin is pierced from the inside by black bone-rock growing in several places that might be sharp but it's the black claws coming out of their fingertips that must be watched most carefully, for those are [i]certainly[/i] sharp. You find yourself *if (ruthless < 50) looking at the hushed and fearful faces behind you as the Lost close in, mere feet from the crowd. These people have suffered enough death and destruction, it needs to end here. An inner well of energy surges through you as you feel pushed to defend the prisoners. It doesn't matter if you have to kill seven Fiends at once, not one more innocent will die. Not. One. [b][Compassion Check Passed][/b] *line_break *set apval + 10 *gosub_scene quicks apboost *elseif (honor >= 50) *set powexp + 2 *set honor + 2 preparing your weapon in silence, the crowd hushing as the Lost grow ever closer. Deep down you know there's no point to the hesitation. The enemy is before you. The next step is obvious. [b][Honor Check Passed][/b] *line_break *set apval 5 *gosub_scene quicks apboost The first movement will decide this fight. It will be yours. You close the gap with a leaping kick that sends the Fiend in front flying to the back of the prison, its jaw clearly broken. "Begin." You announce, inviting the suddenly crazed Lost to charge into their second death. *else somehow smiling. You've been waiting for an excuse to vent some frustration all day and these abominations volunteered. "Thanks." You whisper as you punch the closest one in the face so hard that it tumbles into another. The others jump into a bloodcraze in your direction and you wouldn't have it any other way. *page_break *if (equippedweapon = "Handwraps") Charging headlong into *else Using a true Warrior's weapon like your ${equippedweapon} in the rush of battle with chi coursing through your body and soul reinvigorates a part of you that neither the fever nor the manacles could truly suppress: your training. Long lost is the little ${boygirl} struggling through the secrets of the Martial Arts. From your corrections under Big Chu to your constant successes thereafter, you've evolved into something you *if ((ruthless >= 52) or (honor >= 52)) always knew you were: *else always dreamed of but never truly envisioned: Not just a fighter who can contest with the monsters of this world, but a force they should fear. *if (equippedweapon = "Yumi") You bless the fletcher who stringed this bow as it survives the staggering amount of drawstrength you put on it. In a single arrow you put enough force to shoot through two Lost skulls at once, causing them to drop instantly to the ground before the others can close the gap. When they lunge you spin and kick one into the ceiling as another comes at you with its claws, finding your fist in its hand. The Lost pauses for a half-second, confused as you uppercut the center of its palm and forcefully close its claw-hand harmlessly around your wrist. Before it catches on to curl its clawed fingers you headbutt it with enough force to crack its skull and throw it into two others, sending them tumbling. You draw three arrows and finish them off before they get up, then fire another arrow down the hall to finish off the Lost you sent flying. Not a single arrow gone to waste. *elseif (((equippedweapon = "Handwraps") or (equippedweapon = "Meteor Hammer")) or (equippedweapon = "Bo Staff")) You bludgeon the first two Lost in the heads with such weight that their skulls shatter. The second they drop another leaps over them only to take a heavy kick to the gut, keeping it airborne for a second longer as you headbutt the Fiend into the ground and decapitate it with a ${auracolor} glowing stomp to the neck. No scrolls told you that decapitation would work against a Lost; you followed a lifelong guide that decapitation almost always works. The next four take serious coordination as you strike their limbs and chest, swinging your *if ((equippedweapon = "Meteor Hammer") or (equippedweapon = "Bo Staff")) ${equippedweapon} in circles between hits to build momentum for the decisive strikes that finish them off. *else fists like a crazed animal and striking with enough weight to launch the Lost into walls. Three more fall to your weighted punches before the final Lost is launched by a forceful punch so hard that it hits the bars of a cell halfway down the jail. Unlike the others, it stands back up. *elseif ((equippedweapon = "Greataxe") or (equippedweapon = "Qiang")) As the first three Lost charge at you they're met with the heavy blade of your ${equippedweapon}, decapitating two in a single swing. The third gets too close too fast and you're forced to kick them back before turning your blade upward and slamming the butt of your ${equippedweapon} down onto its skull. Two more close in, eyes burning black and claws flailing at you, but you rush forward faster than they can move and clothesline them with your weapon, turning as you pass and sweeping downward to cut through one of their heads. You sidestep the other Lost coming up behind you and kick it onto the second one on the ground before *if (equippedweapon = "Qiang") impaling them both. *else raising your axe up high and slamming it down onto the pair of Fiends, cleaving through them both. A clicking causes you to turn and you see the last Lost, analyzing your performance. It feels unnerving for something supposedly mindless to watch your moves so closely. *elseif ((((equippedweapon = "Jian") or (equippedweapon = "Katana")) or (equippedweapon = "Muramasa")) or (equippedweapon = "Kunai")) You meet the Lost head-on by charging in faster than they can, slashing your *if (equippedweapon = "Muramasa") cursed blade *else ${equippedweapon} in an upward arc as you pass by one and turning just afterward to perform a downward slice on another. Immediately the situation changes from three Lost charging you first to two Lost being beheaded and the remaining five trying to circle you. "You." You declare, charging forward at the unlucky Lost before they can gain a formation. *if (equippedweapon = "Muramasa") Muramasa *else Your ${equippedweapon} pierces the Lost's chest with enough force to lift it off the ground. You gain solid footing and spin quickly; the sharpness of your blade slices through the Lost's midsection, spilling black blood everywhere, and your spin causes your ${equippedweapon} to collide into the head of the nearest Lost that was charging after you in retaliation. The next two reach you in the confusion of the skirmish and raise their claws high to attack but you kick one with so much force that both you and the Lost are launched ten feet back. In the swiftness of your blow and movement you dodge the other Lost's claw. Immediately you throw *if (equippedweapon = "Muramasa") Muramasa *else your ${equippedweapon} directly into that Lost's head and kick off the wall, charging fast to draw you blade back from its head and fly past it into the next Lost, beheading that one with ease as well. That leaves only the one you kicked away. It rises off the ground and analyzes you, its eyes glowing crimson. The final Lost's Aura Pressure feels far above the others in spiritual senses. If you had to gauge a number it feels closer to 400 than the low 100s of the others, but it has a new weakness: it's attacking you alone. Without any distractions you dodge three claw strikes, *if (equippedweapon != "Handwraps") trip it with your ${equippedweapon}, *else wrap your loosening handwrap around its leg and pull hard to trip it, grab it by the leg as it falls, and spin in a circle as fast as possible. Your arms glow ${auracolor} as you build up speed and the Lost flails its claws outward in vain struggle. Faster you spin, faster and faster and faster, until your body appears a blur and finally you let go of your projectile opponent. The Lost is sent flying into the stone wall with so much momentum that its head nearly cracks. When your built-up chi leaves your arm in an energy blast that hits it from behind to add to the impact, its skull [i]does[/i] crack. Black blood litters the jail as all Lost lie dead on the floor. [b][${equippedweapon} Weapon Expertise:[/b] *if (equippedweapon = "Bo Staff") [b]Soul + Fortitude][/b] *set apval (soul + fortitude) *elseif (equippedweapon = "Greataxe") [b]Power + Fortitude][/b] *set apval (power + fortitude) *elseif (equippedweapon = "Jian") [b]Power + Soul][/b] *set apval (power + soul) *elseif (equippedweapon = "Kunai") [b]Agility + Soul][/b] *set apval (agility + soul) *elseif ((equippedweapon = "Katana") or (equippedweapon = "Muramasa")) *if ((equippedweapon = "Muramasa") and ((soul + power) > (agility + power))) [b]Soul + Power][/b] *set apval (soul + power) *else [b]Agility + Power][/b] *set apval (agility + power) *elseif (equippedweapon = "Meteor Hammer") [b]Agility + Fortitude][/b] *set apval (agility + fortitude) *elseif (equippedweapon = "Qiang") [b]Power + Fortitude][/b] *set apval (power + fortitude) *elseif (equippedweapon = "Yumi") [b]Soul + Agility][/b] *set apval (soul + agility) *elseif (equippedweapon = "Handwraps") [b]Power + Agility][/b] *set apval (power + agility) *else [b][ERROR: The Heavens have abandoned you! (Invalid weapon bug)][/b] *line_break *gosub_scene quicks apboost #"To arms!" [Reject weapons, rally the prisoners] *set retainer_morale + 2 *set retainers - 2 *set martial_retainers + 1 Several men and women look fearfully through the armory doorway as others rush passed them for weapons. If you want this threat stamped out every freed prisoner needs to be ready to fight. "To arms!" You shout to the hesitant escapees. "Do you want to give them your life for free? Did you escape just to give up?" Several more prisoners stream past you as you shout at the last few. "Don't let this last hurdle stop you from putting an end to this Hell. If these Fiends want to kill us then don't reward them, make them earn it! Make them regret it! Make them know fear!" *if (persuasion < 2) *label Next_persuasiongain [b][Persuasion Increased by +1][/b] *set persuasion + 1 *elseif (insight < 2) [b][Insight Increased by +1][/b] *set insight + 1 *else *goto Next_persuasiongain You had felt out their fears and their biggest problem: a sense of security. Each one had hoped someone else would fight. Luckily your speech has roused the rest of the crowd. They stream into the armory just as several more come out fully armed in various bows, spears, and blades. And as the last of the freed prisoners stream in you stop them with a heavy fist to the one in front, hitting him in the chest and knocking him back down the hallway. They almost slipped by you in the chaos and commotion but you recognized in the last second their dead eyes, black bone-rock growing out of their skin, and sharpened black fingertips. The Fiends. Lost. Seven more follow behind the one you backhanded, raising their sharpened bone-claws at you and sniffing the air to locate your presence, blind as they are. A massive weight falls from your shoulders. No wonder you didn't know they were in the prison, Lost are the lowest of the Fiends and follow basic instincts. The fast-moving corpses with sharp claws wouldn't have made any movement or noise until an opportunity came to acquire flesh. These demonic grunts will be easier than you expected. If it were Bloodwalkers, Grim, or even the contagious Ghouls this would be a nightmare, but these people will survive against Lost. You make sure of it. The two dozen men and women stream out of the armory with weapons drawn. You lose track of Leona in the crowd as you take the front line and turn the tide. Inexperienced fighters charge in with zeal and slash, stab, and slam their weapons against the supernaturally hardened Lost. Their weapons find purchase. Unlike you most of these Lost have Aura Pressures under 200 and the sharp cuts of steel are still enough to damage them even from commoner hands. Each time a prisoner comes close to being sliced by a Lost's claws you intervene and kick them off-balance, palm-strike them into a more prepared fighter with a longer reach weapon, or directly crush the Fiend's skull with your own fists and, on one occasion, a heavy knee straight through a Lost's face. Keeping track of seven opponents would be difficult but with over twenty fighters on your side in high morale the fight goes smoothly enough that three Lost die before your first intervention. The fight ends just as quickly as it begins, black blood spilling onto the floor of the prison from the destroyed Fiends. The prisoners pant for breath and look around in disbelief at the combat victory they won over supernatural enemies. They look to you as if to queue a cheer but you hold up a hand to silence them instead. You don't need to attract any Sunbringer attention of you haven't already. *page_break Bo limps toward you from behind the dead Lost. He's covered in scratches and behind him, at the other end of the prison, you see four more Lost lying dismembered on the floor outside one of the cells. That paints the picture; *if (ruthless >= 52) the careless idiot *else Bo let the Lost out without knowing. *if (ruthless >= 52) But it was on your orders... *else The blame might be on you for this one, it [i]was[/i] on your orders. All eyes are on you as Bo limps closer, a smug smile of battle victory on his face. As you gauge how best to treat him you see movement among the Lost in the back of the jail: the backdoor creaking open. A face peaks in and, seeing the chaos, quickly pushes through the doorway and closes it behind ${bffhimher}. You recognize the Sunbringer uniform and calm your breathing, preparing to fight for your life. Only an Upper Disciple would have the confidence to take you all on alone. With no need for etiquette, you send a strong spiritual scan across the jail and feel your wave of energy wrap around the Sunbringer...and recognize them instantly, before their face even shows through the shadows. *if (bffromance >= 1) The *else A face you'd recognize anywhere. "Kosuke?!" You blurt out. *if (kosukehelp) "Kosuke!" Bo shouts in anger, turning around like a wolf sensing its prey. *else "Kosuke?!?" Bo shouts in alarm, turning around in disbelief. *if (kosukehelp) "Oh, you survived." Leona says *else "Kosuke?" Leona asks in near-boredom, stepping out of one of the prison cells while dragging a decapitated Lost behind her. *if ((heshe = "he") and (bffheshe = "she")) "Hi guys!" *elseif (bffheshe = "she") "Hey everyone!" *else "Hey everyone." Kosuke says, stepping over the dead Lost with a crooked smile. "Sorry I'm late." *page_break "I'll kill you!" Bo screams in a rage, trying to leap at Kosuke on an injured leg. Leona tackles him to the ground as he struggles and shouts. "It's your fault I'm in here! It's your fault they captured me!" *if (bffheshe = "she") "I didn't ask you to stalk me, creep." *else "Good, I'm glad they caught you. Dick." Kosuke says as ${bffheshe} walks passed the struggling pair and stops three steps from you, looking at the freed prisoners all staring at you in awe. "Ah..." Picking up queues fast, ${bffheshe} gives you a deep bow. "Laborer Kosuke, retainer of the ${clan} Clan, reporting for *if (kold) duty and returning your funds." $!{bffheshe} hands you a pouch of 20 Gold that you don't recognize. "So what'd *set gold + 20 *else duty. What'd I miss?" *label kosukereturn *choice #"Everything." [Explain your journey] You *label explaintokosuke give Kosuke the quick rundown on your journey from Thunderfall to Ebikowa, including your meetup and training with ${fren} and your new ${style} aura. "Oh bullshit, of course you stumbled onto a new power." *if (honor >= 50) "You say that like it was easy." *else "It wasn't stumbling!" You say defensively. "The training was rigorous, I still have a fever, and it all got me landed in a torture chamber." "Big whoop," Kosuke replies, always arguing for fun, "People like Bo get landed in torture chambers too and instead of getting secret powers or praised by a giant crowd he's over there getting suffocated by-" Kosuke looks back to Leona who whips her head up and gives ${bffhimher} a warm smile. Bo struggles for air underneath her, his body prone while she kneels on his neck. "-I don't even know who that is but *if ((bffheshe = "he") and (heshe = "he")) holy Heavens look at the rack on her." "Thanks!" *elseif (((bffheshe = "she") and (heshe = "she")) or (((bffheshe = "she") and (heshe = "he")) and (bffromance <= 0))) but I want a set of armor with a boob window like hers." "It's got Seals!" *elseif (((bffheshe = "he") and (heshe = "she")) and (bffromance >= 1)) you're prettier." "Good save!" *elseif ((bffheshe = "he") and (heshe = "she")) is she single?" "Yes!" *elseif (((bffheshe = "she") and (heshe = "he")) and (bffromance >= 1)) but I don't trust any tart with a boob window." "It's got Seals!" *else [b][The Heavens condemn you! Kosuke-MC relation bug!][/b] Leona says back as Bo's face turns red from lack of air. "Alright, alright." You concede to save time. *if (honor < 50) "The living Hell that is my training is actually good fortune, fine. *else "I have good fortune. But what happened to you? Did you really rob the Thunderfall Sect?" "Yes!" Shrieks Bo's choked, raspy voice from the floor. "Yep." Says Kosuke, walking over to the armory to find a sword mid-story. "Mao's caravan nearly found me too, *label kosukesstory I was stowing away under a random wagon and they still tracked me. Shows how much I know about cultivation. Spiritual senses are going to make crime harder with an aura. I fled to the north and Jack sicked Bo on me. Sold off all the goods while the bastard followed me through four towns, a week of wilderness, and two close calls where he hit my tavern room with an energy blast. Imagine my surprise when he finally catches me at the Ebikowa docks only for the old Sunbringers to arrive and start killing everyone." Kosuke chuckles softly as if remembering a fond memory but it sounds forced. "What a day. Luckily I keep a pair of fake manacles on me so I slipped them on and pretended to be a slave. Nobody kills free labor. Sunbringers had me carrying cargo while dragging Bo off." $!{bffheshe} turns to Bo. "It's a little trick called smarts, Bo. Which is why [i]I[/i] was able to drop a crate of Soul Treasure marbles near the docks fifteen minutes ago to make an escape distraction while [i]you[/i] have been uselessly giving blood donations." $!{bffheshe} spits on Bo. "That's for trying to kill me. Loser." You notice minor lacerations on Kosuke's shoulder and realize ${bffheshe} really was the 'slave' getting whipped for dropping the marbles that made your escape possible. "Bored!" Leona suddenly declares, jumping off Bo. "Oh shit." Kosuke says, jumping *if ((bffheshe = "she") or (heshe = "he")) behind you. *else into an amateur combat stance. The Thunderfall Disciple rises to his feet, spits blood on the ground, and glares from you to Kosuke between heavy breaths. Finally he closes his eyes as if suppressing something deep, deep, [i]deep[/i] down. "$!{name}, we can't waste time on this. You said *if (style = "Akakiru") we're going to the mansion for battle medicine. *else you have an ally in the torture mansion, where the medicinal herbs are. Is that still the plan?" Kosuke looks to Bo hesitantly then whispers to you. "I was hoping he'd make us fight him. It's his fault I didn't get to bathe for a week." This close, it smells that way. "Er...Excuse us." One of the two dozen freed *if (underlings = 1) prisoners, your old minion actually, *elseif (underlings >= 2) prisoners, one of your old minions actually, *else prisoners says politely. "But are we in that plan? We'll do anything, really, just please get us out of here." #"More like what did [i]I[/i] miss, where have you been?" "More like what did [i]I[/i] miss, where have you been?" Kosuke scratches ${bffhisher} neck. "Well, it's a bit embarrassing but you see, I sort of robbed your Sect." "I know." You reply instantly. "Huh?" Kosuke blurts out, blank stared as ${bffheshe} walks to the armory for a weapon. "Yeah, everyone back home assumes it was you. There are no other suspects." "Oh." Kosuke says dejectedly, "Shit. That's going to make things even harder. Well, after that, to make a short story long, Mao's caravan found me. *goto kosukesstory *if (heshe = "he") #"That's 'What did I miss, [i]Master[/i].'" *label kosukemastertease "That's what did I miss, *if (heshe = "he") [i]Master[/i]." *else [i]Mistress[/i]." You correct. *if (heshe = bffheshe) You hear a soft but guttural groan from Kosuke as ${bffheshe}'s bent in the low bow. "Come on, don't make me do the whole thing." "People are watching." You whisper back. "We could recruit *if (heshe = "he") a whole crew, *else our own servants, put on a show!" After a soft sigh Kosuke rises. *else Kosuke's back shakes with a suppressed snicker, trying to stay serious in front of the crowd. "Of course, my *if (heshe = "he") Master. *else Mistress. This humble servant gives ${bffhisher} most sincere apologies on behalf of seven generations of ${bffhisher} ancestors." *if (heshe = bffheshe) You notice the world's quickest eyeroll and hope no one else saw it. "That will suffice." You reply, nose upturned. "Thank you, most esteemed Liegelord. Back to the matter at hand, what did I miss, *if (heshe = "he") [i]Master?[/i]" *else [i]Mistress?[/i]" *if ((bffheshe != heshe) and (bffromance >= 1)) *set leonarep + 2 *set bffromance + 1 "Oh just fuck already!" Leona shouts from on top of Bo, wrestling to put him in a chokehold. Ignoring her, you *else You *goto explaintokosuke *elseif (heshe = "she") #"That's 'What did I miss, [i]Mistress[/i].'" *goto kosukemastertease *if ((bffheshe != heshe) and (bffromance >= 1)) #[Open-mouth kiss Kosuke in front of everyone.] *set bffromance + 1 After so many risks of death and so long without Kosuke you don't even process the question, closing the distance between the two of you and *if (heshe = "she") hopping onto him, wrapping your legs around his waist and your arms around his shoulders as you pull him in for *else lifting her high into the air, wrapping one arm around her to press her chest against yours as your lips meet in the most ravenous kiss of both of your lives. *if (bodytype = "Dommymommy") He collapses to the ground under your muscular weight and you don't letup. Gasps come from the two dozen men and woman behind the both of you. "WOOOO!!!" Leona screams in applause, clapping as she tries to choke Bo with her thighs. *if (heshe = "she") *set leonarep + 5 "Get it, woman!" *if (heshe = "he") *set leonarep + 2 *set leonaromance + 1 "Disgusting!" Bo grunts in a raspy voice while Leona constricts his windpipe. "Poor people kissing?! By the Ancestors, I'm going to be sick!" You pull away from Kosuke and look on ${bffhimher}, all dusty and worse for wear. Scrapes and bruises, exhausted eyes, hair all disheveled, and ${bffhisher} *if (heshe = "she") fashion sense *else sense of self-respect clearly gone to shit in that Sunbringer uniform. "What happened to you?" Kosuke smudges a bit of Lost blood off your cheek and starts to glow white with a passable Aura Pressure, certainly higher than any beggar should have. "A lot." *page_break "It all started when I robbed the Thunderfall Sect." Kosuke says, looking through the armory for a weapon while ${bffheshe} talks. "It was the chance of the lifetime with everyone gone so I took what I could and got out of town for good, sold and cycled what I could manage, and then shit my pants when Mao's caravan turned around and almost caught me. *goto kosukesstory A plan...Nothing's changed, when you think about it. You need those medicinal herbs. Taio supposedly left, and the only Upper Disciple you know of is Crow Li. If the three of you can ambush him *if (style != "Akakiru") together, free ${fren}, *else together and pocket the Sunbringer's entire reserves of battle pills you could in theory fight for hours against the Lower Disciples. Long enough to push them back, escape, or even win. One thing you hadn't counted on was having an armed mob of two dozen fighting aged men and women at your command. You decide to have them all... *choice #Join you in the attack. *set cj 1 *set retainer_morale - 5 *set retainers - 2 *set martial_retainers + 1 "Prepare your weapons and steel your resolve." You accounce to the crowd of prisoners. "We're taking the fight to the enemy!" You feel an ounce of pride as they cheer. #Dress as slaves and move precious cargo onto a single escape ship. *set cj 2 *set retainers - 2 *set retainer_morale - 2 "We Martial Artists will be taking the fight to the enemy." You say to the crowd, alleviating their fears. "That will give you all time to prepare our escape. I want you all to sneak your weapons into a looted house near the docks and disguise yourself as captured slaves. From there you'll blend in as crate carriers and move as much precious cargo as you can from the Sunbringers' various ships onto a single ship that we'll use for our escape." Many seem hesitant but they follow your plan, leaving out the back door a few at a time. You're not sure how many will see the next morning but if everything goes well they'll be richer, and so will you. #Feign imprisonment and take no risks, you'll take care of this without them. *set cj 3 *set retainer_morale + 10 *set retainers + 4 *set prestige + 2 "You've done well to survive up to this point." You say to the crowd. "Get back in the cells so no Sunbringers suspect anything. Leave the rest to us and we'll get you all out of this." The relief in the air is palpable. Many of them stow their weapons into the dark corners of their cells as they return or hide in the armory and close the door, making the appearance of a captured population. You, Kosuke, and Leona prepare to head out in earnest, giving a second search through the prison's side rooms first and finding a pleasant surprise: the evidence room. All your possessions lie stuffed into unlocked coffers. [b][Inventory Returned!][/b] *set stripped false *if ((equippedaccessory1 = "Weighted Clothing") or (equippedaccessory2 = "Weighted Clothing")) *set agility - 1 *if ((equippedaccessory1 = "Sabretooth Cloak") or (equippedaccessory2 = "Sabretooth Cloak")) *set power + 1 *set persuasion + 1 *if ((equippedaccessory1 = armguardname) or (equippedaccessory2 = armguardname)) *set fortitude + armguardfort *set power + armguardpow More than that, however, is that you're not the only person in this prison. A dozen other coffers hold the possessions of the other freed prisoners. *choice #Take the valuables, you're risking your life for these people! *set retainer_morale - 4 *set ruthless - 1 *set honor - 5 *set leonarep + 2 *set bffrep + 2 *rand val 130 150 [b][Item Gained: ${val} Shards][/b] *line_break [b][Infamy +1][/b] *set shards + val #Take the valuables, your status grants you the right. *set retainer_morale - 7 *set honor + 2 *set borep + 2 *set bffrep + 1 *rand val 130 150 [b][Item Gained: ${val} Shards][/b] *set shards + val #Leave the valuables, these people have been through enough. *set retainer_morale + 1 *set honor + 1 *set ruthless - 5 *set bffrep + 1 *if (infamy > 0) [b][Infamy Decreased][/b] *set infamy - 1 #Leave the valuables, you are no thief. *set honor + 4 *set ruthless - 2 *set val 0 Two minutes later *if (cj = 1) your mob is traveling up the town as a show of force, marching up the main road toward the torture mansion. Yourself, Bo, Kosuke, and Leona form a perimeter around the two dozen armed prisoners as *else you, Bo, Kosuke, and Leona find yourselves sneaking through the shadows of town when you reach the market square where you were first locked in cages. Leona's second sword soars past your ear and continues through the air, sticking through an open second-story window of a burnt building. A Sunbringer man falls out, the blade lodged through his eye. "Holy Hells." Kosuke whistles low. "You could see him?" "Nope!" Leona purrs with content, jogging to the body. "The dotard was hiding there when I was first dragged in, made fun of my eyes a lot. I figured he never moved. Heh, idiot, who's got weird eyes now?" She jostles the sword out of the dead Sunbringer's eye socket and looks around for approval on her joke but notices something else instead. "What do we do with them?" Your gaze follows her pointing sword and notices the other caged inhabitants. You weren't the only prisoners when you were first brought in, and many of the cages are still full with Ebikowan citizens. They all rise as they see your party coming through without Sunbringer uniforms. "They're the ones with auras who weren't in the local Sect." Bo says, looking on their disheveled faces. "Woodsmen, off-duty guards, arrogant hopefuls like you used to be. I saw them get wrangled together after they captured me." *if (style = "Midorikatai") "No, what about THEM." Leona says, pointing to a packed cage in the back. "Those are...coats?" Kosuke replies, squinting. "White fur coats?" "No." You correct with a growing smile. "They're wolves!" You run over and break the lock on their cage much to the dismay and warning of Bo and Kosuke. "Relax." You say while freeing potentially man-eating predators, "They know me." The door to their cage opens and the wolves lazily waltz out and sniff your hand, clearly subdued by starvation after barking for what must have been hours. You take out some dried rations from the centipede fight and bring some life back to the pack when they scarf the meat down. [b][Wolves Acquired][/b] "What about the people?" Bo asks. "They could be of use." "Of use?" *else "Let's get them out of the cages." Kosuke says. "They can help us." "Help you?" Asks one of the caged prisoners. "You want us to fight these sadistic monsters? I'm getting out of here the first chance I get!" Leona leans on one of her swords and picks her teeth with the other. "Okay, stay in the cages." "That's not what we're saying," the man pleads, "it's just not fair to expect free men and women to-" She shoves her blade through the cage's bars, its tip half an inch away from the man's chest. "I said stay in the cages." You step forward and try your best to lead negotiations instead. *choice #"Come with me if you wish to live." "Come with me if you wish to live." You say to the congregation of freed prisoners, their meager auras in the low 100 coming back after their Binder's Bands are *if ((((((((((equippedweapon = "Tanto")) or (equippedweapon = "Katana")) or (equippedweapon = "Muramasa")) or (equippedweapon = "Greataxe")) or (equippedweapon = "Qiang")) or (equippedweapon = "Kunai")) or (equippedweapon = "Jian")) or (equippedweapon = "Iceblade")) or (equippedweapon = "Chiblade")) removed with a slash of your ${equippedweapon}. *else removed. "That's it?" One woman asks, rubbing her wrist and looking at your crowd. "We're supposed to follow you with just that?" A scream comes throughout the town as a Sunbringer patrol must have found a survivor in hiding. "Yes." You reply. "Idiot." Adds Kosuke and Bo, both glaring at the questioner. *set val (persuasion + 1) *set val2 (2+(persuasion * 2)) [b][${val2} Retainers Recruited][/b] *set retainers + val2 *line_break [b][${val} Martial Retainers Recruited][/b] *set martial_retainers + val *set val 0 #"The local Sect sent me to save you, swear under my Clan's banner and I'll get you out." "The local Sect sent me to save you, swear under my Clan's banner and I'll get you out." You lie through your teeth. You don't even know who the local Sect is...well, was. "The local Sect?" Asks one of them. Unfortunately. "Why would you say that instead of the Sect's name? I'm not swearing to an-" You grab the man by the shirt and twist his collar, slamming him into the cage behind him. "I didn't ask them when I got here and found the place on fire, fool! Sign on with the ${clan} Clan and earn my protection or become Fiend food, your family might care about the difference but I do not." *if (deception >= 2) He tries to protest, only to get a hand on his shoulder by another in blue gi. "We'll serve under Clan ${clan} if it means getting out of here." Your Clan's power grows. *set val2 (2+(deception * 2)) [b][${val2} Retainers Recruited][/b] *set retainers + val2 *line_break [b][${deception} Martial Retainers Recruited][/b] *elseif (deception >= 1) Most of them start running immediately in different directions but a few weaklings too scared to leave your side remain. Thankfully one woman in that crowd has an aura, her Aura Pressure registering in the low 100 area. It's a start. *set val2 (2+(deception * 2)) [b][${val2} Retainers Recruited][/b] *set retainers + val2 [b][${deception} Martial Retainer Recruited][/b] *else With the exception of a few weaklings too scared to leave your side, they all break into a sprint in opposite directions. [b][Deception Check Failed][/b] *line_break *set val2 (2+(deception * 2)) [b][${val2} Retainers Recruited][/b] *set retainers + val2 *line_break [b][0 Martial Retainers Recruited][/b] *set martial_retainers + deception *if (race = "Kitsune") #Invoke the Foxcharm Technique. [Requires Kitsune] With luck on your side you notice the mildly strong ones are mostly *if (heshe = "he") women so this will be easier than usual. *else men so this will be easier than usual. *if (honor > 50) Still, you've always hated doing this, especially since it risks revealing your nature, but there's no time. *else You're fairly rusty on your heritage's tricks but there's no time. *set honor - 2 All of your Martial Arts have been about focusing on your spiritual nature, but now it's time to focus on your Spiritual nature; all Kitsune being part Spirit. With one arm against Leona's chest *if (heshe = "he") *set leonarep + 1 you push her back and step forward, the center of your ${eyecolor} eyes shining pink in a hypnotizing fox charm. "You want to come with me. You want to swear yourselves to my Clan's banner. You want to protect my allies." "We...want to serve." One says. The rest nod along. [b][5 Retainers Recruited][/b] *set retainers + 5 *line_break [b][6 Martial Retainers Recruited!][/b] *set martial_retainers + 6 Kosuke looks from the enchanted fighters to your pink glowing eyes. "You never used that on me, right?" "Haha, what? Noooo." You *if (honor > 45) almost tell the truth. What's one extra retry *else lie through your teeth. Still, what's a few extra retries (per week) on janken between friends? Especially when it decided who had to do something tedious. *if (honor > 54) It wasn't your fault. You were twelve. *if (style = "Aoyusumu") *selectable_if (((chipool + (soul/2)) - chispent) >= 1) #Manipulate their minds. [Requires Aoyusumu, Costs 1 Chi] You channel your Sacred Chi in a different way. In your training you had to convert your mental power into physical force, pure untyped kinetic energy separated from the natural world, but now you duplicate and flip the process. You grasp your mental Sacred Chi and push it into the physical world around the heads and minds of the freed Warriors and then revert the process, converting it back into psionic mental essence. Mental essence attached to your desire. Attached to your will. "You want to come with me." You say, coercing their minds to save their own town. "You want to swear yourselves to my Clan's banner." You add, to keep them out of trouble later. "You want to protect my allies." You add, so they'll protect each other. At least, those are the excuses you tell yourself. "We...we will follow you." Says the one in front, his head glowing cerulean for a short moment. The rest begin to nod along. [b][5 Retainers Recruited][/b] *set retainers + 5 *line_break [b][6 Martial Retainers Recruited!][/b] *set martial_retainers + 6 "Was that Aoyusumu Style?" Bo asks, looking concerned. "Even if it doesn't increase Fiend Corruption, altering people's minds is always a Forbidden Technique." "This was the right time for it." You counter. "I'm saving their lives." "And besides!" Leona chirps in. "You didn't see anything." Bo takes a defensive step back and clenches his fist. "I know what I saw!" "Which is nothing." Leona says, her sword swinging within an inch of Bo's chest instead. *if (bffheshe = "she") "Measure dicks later!" *else "Kill each other on your own time!" Kosuke hisses, pushing a couple of your new fighters to the front as you all continue your march. *page_break There's surprisingly little resistance with most of the Sunbringers preoccupied with *if (distraction = "fire") their best ships burning down at the docks *elseif (distraction = "alarm") manning the walls or scouting the fields for an enemy that isn't there *elseif (distraction = "marbles") collecting their precious blood marbles out of the shore *else [b][ERROR! The Heavens have abandoned you! (distraction variable improperly set)][/b] thanks to Kosuke. Even moving at high speeds, it would take them at least a minute to get to you. That will have to be enough. *if (stealth >= 2) [b][Stealth 2 Check Passed][/b] A patrol of three Sunbringers nearly catches the party, coming down the main road holding crates of *if (perception >= 1) goods. [b][Perception 1 Check Passed][/b] *set forexp + 1 But *else goods, but *if (cj = 1) with an armed crowd you've got enough scouts of your own to see them coming first. *else your group sees them coming first, hidden as you are in the shadows. The four of you position yourselves back down the road, splitting up to two different sides. Kosuke and Bo hide in opposite alleys while you and Leona crouch from opposite rooftops. As the patrol passes by, you strike. Your target is a middle-aged Human of broad stature, and you *if (equippedweapon = "Yumi") unload arrows into him just as Bo closes the gap with a flying kick. *goto nextpatrol *elseif ((equippedweapon = "Handwraps") or (equippedweapon = "")) kick off the roof and grip your left hand in your right, combining the weight of your *if (equippedweapon = "Handwraps") handwraps *else fists into an overhead slam onto the Sunbringer's head. *else drop on him with an aerial swing of your *if ((equippedweapon != "") and (equippedweapon != "Tanto")) *if (equippedweapon = "Muramasa") cursed blade *else ${equippedweapon} into his shoulder. His aura shatters instantly and he falls to the ground. *label nextpatrol Leona likewise makes short work of a woman with a whip, armed with two swords she took from the armory and laughing maniacally as she slashes her target. *if (kosukecombat >= 6) Surprisingly Kosuke defeats a Lower Disciple as well, crashing a crate over their head and kicking them when they're down. It seems all your training together was worth it. *set apval 10 *gosub_scene quicks apboost *goto skipreward *else Kosuke struggles with ${bffhisher} opponent but *if (cj = 1) a dozen of your unpowered soldiers charge into the fray with qiangs and swords, turning the tide to end the fight quickly. *set kosukecombat + 1 *elseif (martial_retainers >= 3) your new empowered fighters manage to help turn the tide. *set kosukecombat + 1 *else the three of you are able to help when your targets are down, ending the fight quickly. *set apval 5 *gosub_scene quicks apboost *if (weight >= chapter) *line_break [b][Weighted Training Bonus: Aura Pressure +2][/b] *set aurapressure + 2 *if (fightbonus > 0) *line_break [b][Enemy Aura Pressure Absorbed: ${fightbonus}][/b] *set aurapressure + fightbonus *label skipreward After the swift attack you get a better look at the Sunbringers' faces and recognize them, the three you ambushed make up half the group that Taio had with him in the torture basement. That should leave fewer defenders at the mansion itself. This just might work out afterall. *set retainers + 2 *else [b][Stealth 2 Check Failed][/b] Until a patrol of three Sunbringers catches you. Ones you recognize from the basement. *if (leonatortured >= 2) Ones who whipped you. "What are you all doing out?" One of them asks. "It doesn't matter, idiot!" Barks another, drawing her whip and charging it with chi. "Warn Crow Li that the sacrifices have escaped!" *if (style = "Midorikatai") Fang's wolves descend upon one without even being asked. You quickly remember they're not domesticated. That leaves the rest to you. *choice *if (equippedweapon = "Muramasa") #Charge in with your cursed blade. You grip the sheath of your sword and take a bracing stance. *if ((style = "Akakiru") or ({weaponbonus#2} > 0)) Your eyes meet the Sunbringer leading the patrol and paralyze her on the spot. Then you draw your blade, and the battle begins. *label weaponattack *if ((style = "Akakiru") or ({weaponbonus#2} > 0)) [b][Weapon Quality Test Passed][/b] Charging in towards the woman in front turns out to be the right move, *if (equippedweapon = "Yumi") your Yumi firing a ${auracolor} arrow through her chi-charged whip hard enough to pierce through it, severing her weapon in two and impaling her through the shoulder. *else *if (equippedweapon = "Muramasa") Muramasa *else your ${equippedweapon} *if (((equippedweapon = "Handwraps") or (equippedweapon = "Meteor Hammer")) or (equippedweapon = "Bo Staff")) crashing *else cutting through her chi-charged whip with the force of a superior weapon and *if (((equippedweapon = "Handwraps") or (equippedweapon = "Meteor Hammer")) or (equippedweapon = "Bo Staff")) slamming into her head with your full power. *else cleaving a slash down her torso. Her aura shatters in an energy rain of gold and white as she drops to the ground. *set apval 3 *gosub_scene quicks apboost *if (equippedweapon = "Chiblade") *line_break [b][Soulstealing Bonus: 3 AP stolen from your target!][/b] *set aurapressure + 3 *gosub fightblurb1 *else You charge in immediately with your ${equippedweapon} and duel against the whip-wielding woman in front, her chi-covered whip striking you with glancing blows as you trade her *if (((equippedweapon = "Handwraps") or (equippedweapon = "Meteor Hammer")) or (equippedweapon = "Bo Staff")) pummeling *else slicing blows in return. *set combatstat "fortitude" *set combatskill "craft" *set combatdiff 6 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) Leona, Bo, and Kosuke defeat the weaker two opponents as you outlast yours, finally getting an opening where you *if (((equippedweapon = "Handwraps") or (equippedweapon = "Meteor Hammer")) or (equippedweapon = "Bo Staff")) slam your ${equippedweapon} into her head with your full strength. *else cleave a slash down her torso. Her aura shatters in an energy rain of gold and white as she drops to the ground. *set apval 3 *gosub_scene quicks apboost *gosub fightblurb1 *else But it's not enough. The sting of her whip wears you down too much until Kosuke, Leona, and Bo finish with the other two opponents. Bo then hammers the whip-wielder in the head from behind with a double-handed overhead slam. *goto failpatrol *elseif (equippedweapon != "") #Charge in with your ${equippedweapon}. *goto weaponattack #Close the distance fast with a cannon-like punch. Stiffening your back and arm, tensing each muscle into your legs, and charging all chi into your back produces the desired effect of launching yourself instantly at your opponent, closing the gap before they can react and slamming an uppercut at the whip wielder with the force of your enhanced speed behind it. *set combatstat "agility" *set combatdiff 5 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) Your blow connects before she has the chance to use the whip, ramming into her stomach so hard that she throws up and her aura shatters into a rain of gold and light energy around the fight. *set apval 3 *gosub_scene quicks apboost A second Sunbringer is sent sprawling as you spin a kick at their head, barely getting up before your follow-up blow. The last two are easily dispatched with the help of Leona, Bo, and Kosuke. *else It would have been great if you hadn't missed. The distraction gives Bo the chance to clobber the woman and disarm her while Leona and Kosuke defeat the weaker two enemies. *label failpatrol You don't suffer defeat but you do prove that you're not the top dog in this group like you thought. That knowledge stings worse than any wound. *set leonarep - 2 *set borep - 2 *if (bffheshe != heshe) *set bffrep - 2 *if ((cj = 1) or (martial_retainers = 1)) #Throw the nearest Ebikowan civilian. "Ready yourself!" You order the nearest large freed prisoner, a bull Yokai. "Ready for w-" He tries to ask, interrupted when you grip the collar of his shirt and twist for a better grip, then lift him off his feet with a spin so fast he becomes horizontal. You grab his bottom leg with your other hand and spin him two more times. The Sunbringer in front takes one hesitant step back as you lift the three-hundred pound man. *if (subrace = "Bovine") "Apologies, brother!" You call to the fellow bovine yokai as *else Then you throw him with all your might, his head-first trajectory piercing through the air like a javelin. *set combatstat "power" *set combatskill "athletics" *set combatdiff 7 *if ((style = "Midorikatai") and ((power + athletics) < 7)) [b][Midorikatai Bonus: Difficulty Lowered][/b] *set combatdiff - 1 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) The patrol's leader doesn't have time to react. Before she can initiate some Technique from her glowing whip she's impaled by the horns of the Bull Yokai projectile, knocked off her feet, and pinned to the building behind her. *set apval 3 *gosub_scene quicks apboost Kosuke, Bo, and Leona make short work of the other two in the same time it takes you to finish off the leader and potentially invent a new sport. You're proud of the Yokai for not screaming and giving away your position, but when you pull his horns out of the wooden wall (and your opponent) you find it's only because he's unconscious. "Damn, he's dead weight." Leona says, looking at the bull yokai's unconscious form while she wipes blood off her sword. "Should we cut him up into steaks?" "He's a person." Kosuke replies plainly. *if ((honor > 50) or (race = "Yokai")) "He's a soldier." You correct resolutely, giving him a short bow as Kosuke and Bo drag him into the safety of an alleyway. The *set powexp + 1 *else Bo carries him into the safety of a dark alleyway while you scan for more attackers. With none in sight, the rest of you continue on towards the mansion. *else Your throw falls short, the bull Yokai hitting the ground before even reaching the patrol's leader. She responds by leaping onto his back and kicking off hard, injuring the man's spine, and charging at you with her glowing whip. Despite your best efforts this woman's combat prowess proves too much to dispatch quickly. You block and deflect her whip as best you can, taking only minor cuts and stings, but the opening to strike here doesn't show up until Bo finishes with his target and grabs her by the legs. Before you can move in to finish the fight Leona flashes passed with two swords she took from the armory and cuts the woman in three, ending it for you. *goto failpatrol *else #Leap into the air, crashing down on them fast and hard like a meteor. "You think it's you who've caught us?" You say to the three patrollers, looking back at *if (cj = 1) your small army. *else your superior numbers. With a curling flex and a pose you lock eyes with their leader, your head held high and your gaze condemning. "It's us who've caught you." *set combatstat "power" *set combatstat2 "agility" *set combatdiff 9 *if ((style = "Midorikatai") and ((power + agility) < 9)) [b][Midorikatai Bonus: Difficulty Lowered][/b] *set combatdiff - 1 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) You leap from the cobblestone main road and soar high into the sky to your right, flipping upside down and kicking off the overhanging roof of a two-story building. The patrol leader is just barely able to follow you with her eyes and spins her whip in an intricate loop to intercept you. Your speed and power prove too much for her finesse and you crash through the whip before its tip extends to damage you, your glowing ${auracolor} aura breaking through its glowing enhancement. The Sunbringer's body suffers a similar fate as you slam into her with both arms, crushing her into the ground like a comet and shattering her aura in a rain of white and gold energy all around you. She does not get back up. *set apval 3 *gosub_scene quicks apboost *gosub fightblurb1 *else You soar high into the sky and surge your chi into your arms and back, preparing to slam down onto them like an enraged gorilla. Unfortunately you soar too high or too slowly, because before you get a chance to fall back down your leg is caught by the glowing whip of the patrol's leader. She flings you into the cobblestone road where you crash hard into the ground, kicking up dirt and rocks, and before you can get up she leaps in close with her glowing leg reared back to kick your skull with the strength of a fully charged Technique. Her kick launches forward but in the rush of battle you take a moment to realize you suffer no damage. You suffer no impact, even. The lower half of her leg is missing. *label leonaslicin Leona suddenly stands behind the woman with a blur of scarlet, holding a new sword from the armory in one hand and the Sunbringer's shin in the other. *if (leonaromance >= 2) She drops it and grabs the woman's shoulder, pulling her back as she pierces her blade through the woman's chest. The patrol leader's shocked expression cements as last look on her face in life, and as the light goes out in her eyes Leona whispers in her ear. "Don't touch my man, bitch." *else She smacks the stunned woman with her own shin, hard, sending her tumbling over. Before the patrol leader can hit the ground Leona spins her scarlet-glowing blade quickly, beheading the patrol leader in midair. She holds a hand out to you. "Crazy chicks have to stick together, am I right?" *gosub fightblurb1 *goto failpatrol #Blast the closest one. You've been trying your best to avoid excessive chi usage since being imprisoned. You didn't want enemy Martial Artists detecting your escape, but now you're so close to the mansion where you're about to reek Hell anyway. This patrol is about to learn their mistake. You charge your new ${auracolor} power between your palms and prepare your attack, layering a heavy chi blast, when the patrol leader launches her whip directly at your nascent attack to explode it between your hands. *set combatstat "soul" *set combatdiff 5 *if ((style = "Kiihakai") and (soul < 5)) [b][Kiihakai Bonus: Difficulty Lowered][/b] *set combatdiff - 1 *gosub_scene quicks combatcheck *if (passcheck) Her chi-charged whip strikes your glowing ball of hostile spirit energy and *if ((element1 = "Ice") or (element2 = "Ice")) freezes in place. The glow around her whip changes from her golden chi to your ice blue chi in an instant, flash-frozen. Your manipulation doesn't end there, but it's too late for your opponent to realize. Your Ice chi crawls up the woman's whip in a rush of freezing power, locking her body in place and freezing her to the bone. You rip your glowing blast of freezing chi away from her frozen whip and change its nature to *if (style = "Akakiru") Bladed *elseif (style = "Aoyusumu") Sacred *elseif (style = "Kiihakai") Mystic *elseif (style = "Kurokonton") Cursed *else Wild Chi, launching the potent blast at the frozen woman and shattering her to pieces like an ice statue. *set apval 5 *elseif ((element1 = "Fire") or (element2 = "Fire")) lights aflame, your potent Fire Chi overcoming her whip's enhancement as your burning flames shoot up her weapon and reach her body, engulfing her in seconds. She has no chance to scream as the oxygen is burned from her lungs and you don't give her the chance to recover, pulling back your prepared blast and launching it across the battlefield with enough power to singe her out of existence. When the smoke clears, only her boots remain. *set apval 5 *else disappears. The entire tip of her whip disintegrates in your potent prepared blast and the chi surrounding her whip snuffs out the second her Technique touches yours. You hold your chi blast high overhead and launch it like a cannonball up the street, blasting her in the torso hard enough to knock her into a nearby building. Her aura explodes into a rain of gold and white energy; she does not get back up. *set apval 3 *gosub_scene quicks apboost *gosub fightblurb1 *else Your own attack explodes between your palms and your chest stings with wide-spread pain all over. It takes you a moment to realize what happened. The ${auracolor} smoke burns from your hands and chest and you do your best to recover in time for another counterattack but see you don't need to. *goto leonaslicin *page_break With the patrol defeated you glance up and down the street to get your bearings and scan for more enemies. After going uphill on the main road for so long you get a better view of the town upon turning around: a hundred wooden buildings, most destroyed along the central road, all packed into an extensive fifteen-foot tall town-wall leading into the ocean. A graveyard lies outside the walls to the north and a plethora of stables rest outside the wall near the southern road, visible thanks to your elevated vantage *if (distraction = "alarm") point and the shining lights from so many Sunbringers manning the wall at the southern end, clearly looking for something. Kosuke gives a nod of satisfaction at the sight of them all bundled so far away. *else point. The main road extends from your upper area down into a terrace where the market square hosts dozens of emptied cages around destroyed buildings. Further down the main road, at the water's end, lies the largest buildings: warehouses, taverns, mansions, and one crater that was no doubt once the headquarters of this town's Sect. Finally a long dock hosting over a dozen ships pushes deep into the *if (distraction = "fire") ocean, though many of those ships are burning while Sunbringers panic trying to put out the flames. *else ocean, a sight you've never seen before. You take in the view of the defeated town and feel a kinship; this is what Thunderfall would have been if Crusher Mao had lost to Master Bangle all those years ago. If not sacrificed, then at least completely conquered. *choice #It doesn't need him anymore, it has me. *set honor + 3 *set ruthless + 1 *set maorep + 2 #For once I'm actually glad we had Mao around. *set honor + 1 *set ruthless - 3 *set maorep + 5 #Thunderfall could still look like this if the Crushers get in my way. *set honor - 1 *set ruthless + 3 *if (heshe = "he") *set jackrep - 5 *set apval 2 *gosub_scene quicks apboost #I wonder if there's any loot left... *set honor - 3 *set ruthless - 1 *if ((thievery >= 2) or (deception >= 2)) [b][Event: Scheming Crook][/b] [b][Your criminal skills and focus on Shards has increased your commerce!][/b] *set commerce + 1 Your thoughts wander while you climb atop a building, laying low to scout your surroundings. "See anyone?" Asks Kosuke from below you after hiding the defeated patrollers in the same building. "No Sunbringers." You whisper back. "Not even a spiritual scan coming out our way." You climb down and lead *if (cj != 1) the rest *else your small army further uphill towards the mansion, cautious but growing optimistic. When you *if (style = "Midorikatai") and Fang's wolves reach the front gate of the mansion you see bright golden lights coming from the east wing's fourth floor. "Oooh that feels like a Barrier technique." Leona whispers. "Crow Li must have wanted privacy for his torturing. We can't get to him unless he lifts it." "That's his mistake." You reply. "Our first goal is to steal his Sect's entire supply of medicine and use it all. We won't have to go to him. By the time he realizes what we've done he'll be the one coming to us." *set spareval_1 cj *if (thesecret) *set sparestr_1 "thesecret" *set sparestr_2 distraction *page_break *finish *label kosuketime *page_break Could this really be the end...? Just [i]this?[/i] *set playerkosuke true *set kosukehelp true *set metkosuke + 100000000 [b][Elsewhere...][/b] Your name is Kosuke, a shameless beggar from Thunderfall, and you are so, so, incredibly fucked. Everything was going according to plan after robbing the Thunderfall Sect. Well, not [i]everything[/i]. When Mao's caravan turned around and almost intercepted the wagon you'd stowed away under you damn near shit yourself. Especially when Jack set fire to the northern forest that you'd escaped into just before they caught your wagon. What haunts you isn't how he burned half a forest down over the next hour, it's that he knew you'd gone into the northern forest at all. No one saw you, yet somehow he knew. He shouldn't have known. It only got worse when his crony went hunting for you: Bo, the fast bastard. He's a second-rate plaything for $!{name} but for you he'd be *if (kosukecombat >= 5) a tough fight. *set aurapressure + 4 *elseif (kosukecombat >= 3) *set aurapressure + 2 a dangerous fight. *else a fatal encounter. You avoided that deceptively scrawny deadbeat fairly well until the end. Switching caravans, selling off most of the goods for Shards to cycle, and trading the Thunderfall uniforms for different outfits. All of it made up for your difference in speed by throwing him off your trail for a short while. Still, he was always just one step behind you. When he finally did catch you in this coastal town of Ebikowa a bit of 'luck' showed up just in time. The Sunbringers attacked the town, and apparently they've become a demonic sect. Now the local Martial Artists are dead, Bo lies in a cell giving blood donations, and here you are, carrying crates to the docks as a 'slave', wearing a fake pair of manacles to fit in. You had planned to hijack a cathayan kakam and sail out of here in a couple hours, but then... *if ((heshe != bffheshe) and (bffromance >= 1)) Well then you saw the idiot. Your favorite idiot. *else Well then you saw the only person in Thunderfaller as dumb and audacious as you. What the hell is $!{name} doing here, and why is ${heshe} being dragged into a prison by a bunch of Sunbringers? *if ((heshe != bffheshe) and (bffromance >= 1)) Damn it all, why couldn't ${heshe} just be happy growing up to be Thunderfall's best ${background}? Now ${heshe}'s going to mess everything up and die. Worse, you're [i]both[/i] going to die, because *if ((heshe = "he") and (bffheshe = "he")) the brotherhood code is clear. You've got to try and save the moron. *else you're too stupid to not try and save ${himher}. *page_break Your first escape plan already failed. When you took the most precious crate of cargo you could find, one with its contents rolling around with each step, you figured it'd be best to break it on the hilly road outside the jail. At first it worked better than you ever could have imagined! The Soul Treasures inside were some kind of sphere, like dark red marbles, and they rolled downhill towards the docks. You couldn't have planned things going so well when multiple Sunbringers ran out of the jail to help on cleanup duty. Even the one that whipped you for the slipup had to abandon the 'corrective discipline' when the odd marbles gained too much speed rolling downhill. Yet it's been ten minutes now and $!{name} still hasn't come out. Sneaking into the shadows of the jail confirms your fears: ${heshe}'s bound up in a cell. You'll have to clear out the whole jail. This is going to be hard. First you'll need a major distraction in order to act freely, but what could be more distracting than a fortune rolling downhill? *choice #Set fire to the ships at the dock. *set distraction "fire" *set flagshipbase - 1 *set sparestr_10 "fire" It's obvious in hindsight that the best way to get these superpowered Martial Artists busy is by burning their ships. The problem is that ships are notoriously hard to burn. But sails aren't. With a quick rousing speech you convince three other captured *if (style = "Kurokonton") slaves, one being an oddly mouthy Oni, *else slaves to join your suicidal mission of throwing torches and lanterns all over the ropes and sails of several ships. It's surprisingly effective, you can't believe how quickly society can fall apart when you start lighting things on fire. Other slaves you didn't even talk to join in on the fun but you know to get out of sight [i]before[/i] the Sunbringers arrive. Martial Artists have keen eyes. You jump overboard and swim under the dock the second you're done and hope the others are smart enough to do the same. Those whips aren't going to be kind to rebellion. When the heavy sound of impossibly fast footsteps slams on the docks overhead you swim back to shore and look back at the dozen or so glowing combatants trying to put out the fires with a nod of satisfaction. It won't hold them forever #Ring the alarm bells to signal an invading force. *set distraction "alarm" *set retainers - 1 Every town worth a Shard has emergency gongs to signal an invading force. While Ebikowa clearly failed to use theirs in time, you doubt the Sunbringers would ignore such a useful tool. If some Sect approached while they're loading their ships there's not a doubt in your mind that they'd ring the town's gongs to marshal their forces, it's a strong and universal message. So you decide to use it against them. You scrape the bolt-tips of your crossbow bolts against the ground until they've lost all edge and climb onto a watchtower at one of the town gates. Once up top you see the gong you expected and, thank the Heavens, see gongs atop the watchtowers to the south and west as well. This plan can work after all. The darkness is on your side from this height where none of the torchlight can reach you, only the reflected moonlight even lets you know that the neighboring watchtowers have gongs at all. With a steady breath and a prayer to anyone listening you fire your dulled crossbow at the western watchtower's gong, lean onto your back to reload while kicking the gong beside you, then rise to shoot the southern gong. All throughout the town of Ebikowa, an emergency is declared. You repeat this process again before leaping off the watchtower and disappearing into the alleyways between houses. Sure enough several Sunbringers rush past you on the main road and leap to the watchtower in a single jump, scanning the dark hills for an unknown enemy. It will only last an hour at most but this distraction is easily one of your top three. Now to find someone who has a key to the jail... *page_break Your new distraction works wonders, pulling Sunbringers out of the woodwork to deal with it, but the jail itself still has two guards when you check through the window. You need to lower that by [i]at least[/i] one if you want to get the keys to $!{name}'s cell. And by all the blessings of the Heavens above, one's a smoker walking out of the jail on a smoke break. They must have wanted to do this the whole time but couldn't because too many people were looking. Heh. You're in a similar situation. The difference is you are the luckiest person on the planet, and the smoker's not. You decide to... *choice #Shoot him with a crossbow. A crossbow against a Martial Artist is a fool's errand, as you already found out when Taio beat you halfway to death's door and made you feel like you could fly when he launched you into a neighboring barn. Yet you are no mere Martial Artist, for they learn their lessons. You are [b]KOSUKE[/b]. You've managed to evade learning lessons all your life and you have no intention of starting now. The Sunbringer stands smoking beneath you as you silently crouch on the two-story roof of a fletcher's shop, almost apt for what you're about to do. From this angle a headshot is easier than ever so you line up your crossbow, aim for the Martial Artist's dome from above, and pull the trigger. Then you jump. The second the bolt hits the Sunbringer's skull it penetrates a half-inch and stops. He has no time to scream or retaliate before you're upon him, foot-first, kicking the bolt the rest of the way into his skull. You never would have been able to pull this off before. A powerless peasant [i]cannot[/i] kill a Martial Artist alone, unless your name is $!{name}, but you're not $!{name}. Then again you're not powerless either, not anymore. *if (kosukecombat >= 4) Training with the ${clan} family and robbing *else Robbing the Thunderfall Sect *if (kosukecombat >= 4) have *else has been good to you. A brief flare of white haze surges around your body as you drop onto the Sunbringer and kick the bolt through his skull with the force of a surged Power Core, killing him instantly with the element of surprise. You tumble to the ground after, nearly rolling your ankle and falling into a pile of debris where something metal painfully slams your shoulder out of place thanks to your two-story descent. You hear someone coming to the alleyway to investigate the loud noise and, in a panic, you grab the dead Sunbringer's keys off of him and hurl his body up onto a nearby roof. Just as the footsteps approach the alley on one side you manage to slip out the other side, disappearing into the shadows just as your chi-enhanced strength fades away. Your ankle and shoulder hurt with every step on your way to the jail. Next time you'll surge a Fortitude Core too. [b][Kosuke's Combat Prowess Increased!][/b] *set kosukecombat + 1 #Pickpocket the key. Everyone seems to think murder is the way to go, but that's because they're either inept or not nearly lazy enough. First thing's first, don't get seen. It's easy to tell which direction he'll be facing when he walks into an alleyway because the moon is clearly visible from one side of the alley. Smokers love looking at the moon in silence, it's a law of the universe. You slip your shoes off and approach him from the alley entrance opposite of the moon, keeping a low but steady pace. When you wade through the shadows you see that he is indeed facing away from you, staring longingly up in the dark sky to pretend he's mysterious. Typical. You sneak right behind him without making a sound and see the keychain and a small pouch tied by a thin rope around his white Martial Artist belt. Not being an amateur, you place four fingers between the four keys on his keychain, stopping the metal parts from touching each other, then cut the rope with a blade you sharpen daily for this very purpose, then pull the keys back along with the small pouch. He doesn't notice a thing. Years of experience serve you well as you leave the way you came and open the beltpouch t-HOLY SHIT FIFTY GOLD. *temp kold true Sweet mother of Beasts, you should be pillaging like these guys do. The pay is insane! This is so good that you could give $!{name} half and still call it your richest day. In fact, to celebrate saving ${himher}, you [i]will[/i] give ${himher} half. Well, maybe a little less than half. *page_break Now that you've got the key off that smoker guard all that's left is to infiltrate the prison and free $!{name} without getting killed by the last Sunbringer guarding ${himher} or noticed by passersby, which would be just like getting killed by the guard only with substantially more people involved. Sneaking in doesn't prove hard. The smoker left the back door open because everyone but you and $!{name} are amateurs and society is a joke. Whatever happened to professionalism? Being evil used to mean something. As you peak through the back exit of the jail you see the last Sunbringer guard stabbing a Cathayan qiang into a jailcell, screaming at the inhabitants at the far end away from you, near the front desk. Perfect! This is your chance. You silently crawl through the shadows, looking around for $!{name}, and notice something incredibly wrong. In the back of the jail where you entered there are several cells filled with corpses covered in black bone protrusions showing through their skin, their eyes dull and their fingers ending in spikes made of the same black substance covering their skin in swirling patches. Of all the monsters in the world, this is the one you know the most. Lost. Mindless undead killers. A dark fairytale told to keep poor people from selling their souls. You're warned time and time again that weak, poor-blooded people like you would become Lost if you ever fell victim to the corruption of demonic cultivation, your soul disintegrating as the demonic chi finishes infecting your body until you become a low-level Fiend. 'Low-level' they say, as if Lost can't tear people to pieces. Most of these ones are even wearing Sunbringer clothing still, clearly the failures of the Sect's new methods. Why the hell are they keeping so many Lost locked up? The dangers of them getting out are...Oh who are you kidding. They probably keep them as shock troops on purpose. This isn't your problem. Some hero can come solve this, you just need to get $!{name} out of here. Fast. *page_break Suddenly the four corpses in the cell to your right begin to move. You curse to yourself as you realize they must have sensed your chi. Ancestors be damned, why did you have to play pretend at the Martial Arts? Life was so much easier without chi. Their faded eyes open and lock in on you, their dark claws flexing and digging into the stone wall as they shakily pull themselves to their feet. You don't even have time to be scared. Something much worse than imprisoned undead reveals itself further down the jail: stupidity. "Kosuke?!" Bo blurts out. "You dare show your face here after robbing my Sect? You are courting death!" What an insufferable [i]moron![/i] He's more lucky than he could ever know that you arrived but he throws it all away to sling insults. Anger bubbles up from *if (bffheshe = "she") your, in your opinion, amazing *else your chest and you can't stop yourself from screaming back. "Ancestor's tits, Bo! Shut up for once in your [b]mistake[/b] of a life and stop getting in my way!" And there it is, your doom. Your kneejerk reaction to Bo's kneejerk reaction throws everything away: the Sunbringer guard down at the other end of the jail turns his face to you and sees an outsider breaking into his domain. His face turns to anger and hardens into determination, taking a battle stance as yellow and white light shines around his body. Your great escape is over. You could never win a duel against an armed demonic cultist with legitimate training in an Element and Style. ...But someone else can. *choice #Release the waking Lost. The guard may be fast but he has to cross the entire long hall of the jail. The Lost, on the other hand, are right next to you. It's an awful plan, probably your worst, but as the golden-glowing enemy springs into action and charges down the jail's main hall you unlock the cell containing multiple undead Fiendish killing machines. Then you back up. Four of the monsters charge out of the cell with deceptive speed, shambling slowly at times but leaping and twisting at high speed as they close distance. They exit the cage and sniff, their foggy eyes looking down the jail for the glowing Martial Artist. You almost thank the Heavens for your fortune until they charge at the Sunbringer and you see the fourth one, its black gums showing in an unsettling satisfied smile as it stares directly at you, tilting its head unnaturally far to the side. Then it attacks. *page_break The Fiend is a true monster, filled with unnatural power and designed to kill. While you...you're no Martial Artist. *if (kosukecombat >= 4) [b][Kosume's Combat Prowess Check Passed][/b] Something that could've fooled you, as you parry the Lost's sharpened claws and slam a fist into its ribs. The creature shows no signs of pain but you've gotten strong enough: you don't need it to show pain. You just need impact. Whether the Fiend shows pain or not means nothing when your punch knocks it into the stone wall, followed-up by a running kick you slam into its neck. The Lost grips your legs with both hands and opens its mouth wide to bite down and that's when its face glows bright from the illumination of both your hands charging a chi blast. You fire it right down this thing's throat. You don't even wait for the smoke to clear. Left hook, right knee, grip an arm and break the elbow. Rip. Tear. Slam. Strike. The attacks blur into a frenzy of adrenal panic and determination to live. By the time you get ahold of yourself you're panting hard, bleeding in a few shallow cuts, propped up on your knees on the floor and surrounded by the limbs of not one Lost but two. You don't even know when the other attacked you, but as you turn down the jail's main hall you see the Sunbringer dead next to the corpses of the other two Lost, beheaded by his now-broken spear. In a one vs four vs one, you came out on top. Choke on that one, $!{name}. You're not the only one who can do it. *else [b][Kosume's Combat Prowess Check Failed][/b] And it shows. The undead creature's unnaturally long claws cut into your forearm from below as you try for a punch and you're forced to resort to a kick, slamming it in the side and knocking it over. [b][Kosuke has been injured!][/b] *set kosukecombat - 1 You dive onto the Fiend and pin its arms down, trying to figure out what to do. As you look over to the Sunbringer guard you see the other three Lost claws at him as he spins his decorated Cathayan spear, a qiang, overhead. He brings it down in one heavy swing that beheads one of the Lost. Aw curses. You should've brought a qiang. With no better option and the forces of Hell pinned underneath you it's time to take desperate actions. You bite the Lost's neck with all your might, ripping out its throat and getting its black blood into your mouth. The decaying blood slides down your throat and you vomit instantly right into the face of the pinned abomination. It gurgles and convulses as it dies. Right after collapsing to the ground you rip some of your shirt to tie up the wound on your wrist and see the Sunbringer get impaled from behind by one of the Lost's long claws just as he kills the other. It turns its glowing red gaze to you and takes your chi blast to the face that thankfully finishes it off, because you are no longer in much condition to fight. Your wrist hurts and like all wounds it [i]keeps hurting[/i], throbbing with pain every few seconds. You have no idea how $!{name} puts up with this life. ...Oh shit, $!{name}! You run over to the jailcells further down and find ${himher} face-down in a cell. "$!{heshe} took a bad hit." Says a blonde woman from behind. You turn to see her and Bo in the same cell. "Let us out and we'll help release the rest." "I don't really care about the rest." You say honestly. "Okay???" she replies, insulted. "Let us out or I scream 'jailbreak' and get you killed." Damn, she's a good negotiator. You unlock her cell and *goto bovkos #Throw your keys to Bo. "On second thought, think fast!" You shout out, throwing your jailcell keys to Bo. He damned near misses the catch with what must be surprise, but thankfully his odd-looking thumb (why is it bleeding?) loops through the keychain and he starts to unlock himself. "Go getem, Bo!" You shout, hoping against all hope that he actually knows how to fight. His cell door slams open just as the guard charges by him on the way to kill you, though the Sunbringer Lower Disciple successfully evades the opening door and counterattacks by shoving his qiang into the cell at Bo, slamming into the Thunderfaller's manacles. That's when a blonde woman you've never seen before leaps over Bo and hammers her own manacles into the guard's head. Bo grips the qiang and forces it down with such force that the Sunbringer is dropped to the ground by its weight and the qiang breaks in half. *set bocombat + 1 The Lunargoth stays on top of the Sunbringer as he falls, grinning ear to ear while she headbutts him several times until they both have bleeding foreheads. Sweet Hells, didn't anyone tell this woman you're supposed to headbutt [i]the nose[/i]? Even you know that. Before the situation can get worse you run over to help, seeing actual hope in a three versus one, and start to stomp on the now-disarmed Sunbringer's left side to stop him from getting up. Bo leaps back into the fray and stomps on the man's right side as well, and as the blonde woman gets up it quickly dissolves from high-stakes Martial Arts fight into three near-strangers stomping on a prison guard several dozen times until he stops moving. Panting heavily, finally feeling safe for the first time in days, you still *label bovkos feel no sense of surprise or irony when Bo lunges for you. "This is your fault!" He screams as the blonde woman tackles him to the ground first. "It's all your fault I'm in here!" You quickly realize this is your best chance to get $!{name} out of here before Bo messes it up. You find ${himher} unconscious in the cell across from Bo's and feel supremely satisfied when your key opens its lock. *page_break After several seconds Bo calms down and the blonde woman gets off him. He yanks the keys off the defeated guard, waltzing off to free some prisoners and making a few vague threats about your life, but what more did you expect from one of Crusher Jack's lackeys? "Not bad, random savior dressed like a homeless *if (bffheshe = "she") girl." *else man." Says the blonde woman holding her manacled hands out for a handshake. "The name's Leona, want to be my friend?" "Sure." You say half-heartedly, checking the guard for anything useful. "That's great!" Leona says cheerfully, squeezing her arms out front. "Then I need you to kill three Lower Disciples about to come through the front door, or they'll ruin everything." Your blood freezes as the world seems to turn to ice. Not from a Technique. From fear. Three trained fighters? Heavens, when does it end... "I'll take care of it," you say in resignation, "but I can't kill them." Leona looks at you suspiciously. "What're you, some kind of Devanic pacifist?" "I'm not even a Martial Artist." Her eyebrows shoot up faster than a lightning bolt and an incredulous smile forces its way onto her lips. "Ho-ho-holy shit." She laughs in awe. "You've got more balls *if (bffheshe = "she") than a man *else than ten men if you're breaking into a Demonic Sect's sacrificial chamber without any training. So you're going to, what, lead them somewhere and just run away?" "I'm a homeless beggar, I run away all the time." You toss her your keys. "I'm even running from this conversation." Leona catches the keys and sticks out her upper lip in an appreciative frown. "Damn, walked into that one." For the first time in your life you surge an Agility Core, the world slowing down as you slip on the unconscious(?) Sunbringer's uniform and sprint for the prison's front door, opening it quickly and slipping out. You almost slip due to the increased speed but correct yourself through sheer determination, you can't risk messing things up this close to the end. It's a good thing you ran too, because as you step out into the cool night air three Lunargothic Sunbringers, with weapons drawn, stand a mere five paces from the prison's door behind you. Four paces from your face. "We heard a commotion," states the tallest one, "what's going on in there?" Every ounce of fear is pushed down as you try to put on your best facade. You've lied with high stakes before and you can do it again. Internally you call upon every ounce of scummy deception in your core, trained over years of survival on the streets. Time to lie. Your time to shine. You tighten your throat for a burlier voice and announce, "Someone poisoned the well water and it wasn't us, the prisoners have dysentery. We need investigators and cell cleaners. One of you stay to clean shit, the other two come with me to investigate the well. We're going to find who did this and bleed them dry." The three exchange glances, no longer wondering about suspicion and instead concerned with whose night just got ruined with gallons of liquid feces. "Forget it," you say, hands raised as if unwilling to deal with an argument, "you can all come for the well. We can't risk the chance that the enemy is an Upper Disciple." Sighs of relief come from behind as you turn and all three follow you, thankful to have detective work instead of latrine duty. People are so predictable. Hopefully you can predict a way to survive. *page_break *set playerkosuke false [b][Elsewhere...][/b] You are ${fullname}, ${patriarch} of the ${clan} Clan and currently dealing with one monster of a headache. Your eyes flitter open as someone violently forces your consciousness out of your calming dreams and back to the cold, unforgiving world of the waking. "GOOD MORNING *if ((heshe = "he") and (leonaromance >= 1)) HANDSOME!" *elseif (style = "Akakiru") THUNDERFALLER!" *else STRANGER!" Leona screams in your face, shaking you like a baby she hates vehemently. "Time to get up, we're on the run!" "Hng...the run?" Ancestors, your head hurts. It still feels like you're burning up. "What are we running from?" Leona shakes her head as if you're a lost cause. "It's an expression, *if (heshe = "he") Mister *else Miss Concussion. We're breaking out of jail. Come on, Bo's got the keys and he's letting everyone else out." Did you lose the escape race to [i]Bo[/i]? Hells that's embarrassing. You've gotten sloppy. The two of you rise and walk through the prison, seeing several of the prisoners loitering outside their cell or helping to open other cells with a second set of keys someone must have gotten off the front desk. Which reminds you... *page_break To the front desk! *goto continuestory *label weapqualitycheck *if (craft >= 2) [b][Craft 2 Check Succeeded][/b] With a keener knowledge of weapon quality than most, you pick out the best ${equippedweapon} available. [b][Weapon Improved!][/b] *return *label fightblurb1 In the background Bo pummels his opponent into unconsciousness *if (kosukecombat >= 6) and Kosuke surprisingly defeats ${bffhisher} target as well through the questionable use of a cargo crate as a melee weapon, stabbing the Sunbringer with broken shards of wood in the chaotic splinter storm caused when ${bffheshe} broke the crate over the Sunbringer's head. *else but Kosuke struggles with ${bffhisher} own opponent, wrestling on the ground and trading nasty elbows until Bo has time to assist and stomp on the Sunbringer's head. *return