>>18658585
Hours after you blacked out, you are awakened by a knock on your door. Strange, you don’t remember sleeping in a bed… Undeterred by your lack of response, Tegan bursts into the room to check up on you, her blonde hair held up in her typical bun.

“Well, well, well, I was beginning to think you’d never wake up.” She’s glaring at you rather sternly, but she doesn’t look like she’s mad at you. Tegan sighs and continues, “When I heard you collapse outside, I dragged you in here and set you up with a bed. You looked like you’d just made a mad dash through the Darklands. What the hell happened out there last night?”

Well… what do you tell her?

>>18658628
Long story short, I killed the group of bounty hunters in a remarkably efficient and bloody manner. I had heard they had a mage with them but never saw him. After I left the last one alive with a warning and left I heard a scream from him about 5 minutes later, the forest went dead silent and I felt as if something horrifying was after me and was going to rip out my spine. So I ran, all the way back here and collapsed on your doorstep.

>>18658628
"The deed is done. The bounty hunters are no more, and my home is avenged. At least, I think it is. I fear there is another out there, looming, waiting for me. One who wields an arcane touch.
"I panicked.
"I fled.
"I returned here. You probably know the rest."

>>18658671
That sounds hella awkward.

>>18658671
You shake your head to get rid of the groggy feeling. Damn, you feel like you ran for miles. You tell her, “Long story short, I killed the group of bounty hunters in a remarkably efficient and bloody manner. I had heard they had a mage with them but never saw him. After I left the last one alive with a warning and left I heard a scream from him about 5 minutes later, the forest went dead silent and I felt as if something horrifying was after me and was going to rip out my spine. So I ran, all the way back here and collapsed on your doorstep.”

Tegan’s eyebrows furrow at your story. She starts to curl a loose strand of hair around her finger in contemplation. After a few seconds, she speaks. “Complete silence, huh? And you said you felt terrified? Hmm. That’s no good. I’ve only heard of a few mages able to cast magic like that, and all of them were Mucktouched. If we’ve got one of them in our forest, then we’ve got a real problem. They shouldn’t be this far away from the Rotting Swamps…”

What in the blue hell is she talking about?

>>18658803
Hey, Shun was raised alone in a forest for all of his life. He can't be Mr. Charisma all the time.

>>18658820
"Mucktouched? Rotting Swamps? You'll forgive me if I don't know those."

>>18658820
What do you mean by Mucktouched? What and where are the Rotting Swamps?

I know very little of mages and what they are capable of, what sort of magics can they usually perform?

"Mucktouched? Rotting Swamps? You'll forgive me if I don't know those.”

Tegan sighs at your ignorance and says, “man, you really were raised under a rock, weren’t you? The Rotting Swamp’s an area hundreds of miles east of here. No Shard has graced that land with its light in centuries. I’ve heard that it was a forest, ages ago, and deep within it was a magnificent city built into the trees, but now… it’s just a swamp. Full of diseases and fungi. Almost nobody can go there and survive.” Tegan pauses to think and continues, “Except the Mucktouched. Apparently they lived there before it decayed, and apparently they had some sort of magical connection to that forest, because now, they’re all insane, twisted. They hate everyone and everything. Some say it’s just because their home was destroyed, but I think they’re bitter. Their magic is just as disgusting as they are, and I can’t wait for the day when they’re all dead.”

Wow, that’s… heavy. Doesn’t tell you much about magic, though. “I know very little of mages and what they are capable of, what sort of magics can they usually perform?”

Tegan blinks. “Well, they can do just about anything. Fireballs, fear, illusions, raising the dead… a better question would be what they *can’t* do. And even then, I’m not sure, and I traveled with a wizard for the better part of a decade. But the Mucktouched… they’re different. Their magic is much more potent, it comes naturally to them.”

How... interesting. Action?

>>18658954
Makes sense so far, one question, what's a Shard?

I know, grew up under a rock, I spent my entire life training and learning martial arts under my master in the forest over there.

Anyways, what's for breakfast?

>>18658954
"I would say you lost me at 'Shard,' but I fear you'd take a wooden sword upside my head for my ignorance. But it sounds as though this Rotting Swamp is as dangerous as they come. What could compel one of these...Mucktouched to leave their home?"

“Makes sense so far, one question, what's a Shard?” Your question makes Tegan’s jaw drop. You decide to interject before she mocks you further, “I know, grew up under a rock, I spent my entire life training and learning martial arts under my master in the forest over there.”

Tegan composes herself a bit, but is far too confused to do a good job at it. “What’s a Shard? WHAT’S A SHARD?! Shun, I knew you didn’t know anything, but MAN, you don’t know ANYTHING. You see that big glowing thing in the sky? That’s a Shard. It kind of rains heat and light on everything. There’s a bunch of them floating through the sky, but fortunately Crestdale’s shard moves in a fairly regular pattern. For now. Some of them are even smaller, as small as your hand, and they fell to the earth. Mutated the hell out of some things, brought prosperity to others. But the fact of the matter is: some people will pay a *lot* to get their hands on one. You’d do well to keep that in mind.”

“Huh. Well. To get back to the last topic, what could compel one of these...Mucktouched to leave their home?"

Tegan’s eyes refurrow. “I’m not sure. Some of them leave the swamps to snatch children at night and do Zarus knows what, but that’s only in towns stupid enough to be close to the swamps. We’re way too far away for something like that.”

>>18659058
"It still doesn't change the issue that one of these Mucktouched sorcerers may be in the area, and I fear I may have 'ticked it off,' as it were. Plus, I still have to find my teacher. The bounty hunters are dealt with, but he is still unaccounted for.

"...are you any good with riddles?"

>>18659058
So, breakfast? Also you any good with riddles and/or know anything about local major bodies of water, waterfalls and the like?

"It still doesn't change the issue that one of these Mucktouched sorcerers may be in the area, and I fear I may have 'ticked it off,' as it were. Plus, I still have to find my teacher. The bounty hunters are dealt with, but he is still unaccounted for...are you any good with riddles?"

Tegan chuckles and rubs the back of her neck, saying, “nah, sorry, Shun. That’s wizard’s work, I just hit stuff.”

“Know anything about local major bodies of water, waterfalls and the like?”


Tegan begins to twirl her hair again. “Major bodies of water, eh? The first thing that comes to mind would be the Starry Seas. If you’ve got any watery riddles or something, chances are pretty good that’s what it’s talking about. There’s a river nearby, but I don’t know much about it.”

You’re clearly testing her knowledge of the world a little much, so you decide to change topics. “So, breakfast?”

Tegan looks at you and grins. “Breakfast? Yeah, I had one, it was pretty tasty. Some fruit and carrion’s always a good way to start the day, if you ask me.”

You might not be getting a free breakfast today.

>>18659264
"I suppose my humor will have to sustain my appetite. What're the Starry Seas like? The largest bodies of water I've seen are rivers and ponds, to be honest."

>>18659307
We should still make it a point to check out the river first, assuming we don't get jumped by the Mucktouched.

Part of me wonders if Shun will be gathering a party as time goes on.

>>18659264
Ooh, that hurts, I thought I was just too adorable to leave to starve, like a puppy. I'll grab something later then. Where are the Starry Seas anyways?

>>18659317

Short answer: No.
Long answer: It's unlikely, unless you guys really want it.

>>18659332
We'll worry about it as we go.

>>18659343
I just think like it would counteract the "lone assassin wandering a strange world in search of his master" feel I'm shooting for, you know?

"Ooh, that hurts, I thought I was just too adorable to leave to starve. I suppose my humor will have to sustain my appetite. What're the Starry Seas like? The largest bodies of water I've seen are rivers and ponds, to be honest."

“I’d be surprised at your ignorance, but that would just be a waste of time,” Tegan says with a grin, “A bunch of Shards fell into the oceans, naturally. There’s random whirlpools, ice floes out of nowhere, strange, mutated predators… not a nice place. I wouldn’t recommend travelling on it, the food’s no good.”

>>18659388
Yeah, those Starry Seas sound about right, where water and light converge, very much sounds like them, and to stare into the darkness there. Should be around there.

Before we set out we should do a bit of work here to acquire traveling funds, see if there are any bounties that need acquiring or high pay short term jobs that match our skill set.

>>18659379
Perhaps, but it's always the oddball cadre of people following that can make things interesting.
>>18659388
Yeah, that sounds about right.
"I feel you have made the search for my teacher that much easier. Where are the Starry Seas?"

"I feel you have made the search for my teacher that much easier. Where are the Starry Seas?"

“They’re a good distance away. You’ll wanna head on the road by the inn out of here. I can point you in the right direction. Follow that road until you get to Terec. It’s a few miles past that. And you’re welcome,” Tegan winks.

>>18659556
"Hmm. Terec. The hunters said they were hired by someone from there. I cannot speak to my teacher's exploits, but I'm a bit concerned. I've heard it's the most prosperous city in the world and is run by alchemists. What should I expect?"

>>18659556
As good as we are at living off the land we might want to check for quick money making opportunities in case there is something we have to purchase. Or we're stuck in a city for a bit of time, it's harder to scavenge there and it's a lot less classy to dumpster dive than to wrestle a elk to death.

Also we should pick up our new threads.

>>18659379
untill we find our master of coarse

>>18659649
... of course.

"Hmm. Terec. The hunters said they were hired by someone from there. I cannot speak to my teacher's exploits, but I'm a bit concerned. I've heard it's the most prosperous city in the world and is run by alchemists. What should I expect?"

“Terec’s run by a board of alchemists, led by the High Master. They’ve done a lot of good for the city, but the Masters tend to do a lot of squabbling and political infighting.” Tegan spits on the ground and continues, “Never cared much for it myself. There’s also the Daedelus Workshops. They use Shards to invent new machines. Last time I was there, I heard they were trying to make a flying machine. Impossible, I say, but hey, I’m just an innkeeper. All in all, it’s a pretty good place. Got a bit of crime, but what city doesn’t?”

You begin to get out of bed when you realize that you’re still in your robes. You turn to Tegan and ask, “I should probably go and pick up my clothes from Taylor’s, shouldn’t I?”

Tegan laughs and says, “Yeah, the bugger was annoying me about you last night. It’d shut him up, at least.”

>>18659676
Best to humor the guy and swing by to get our new gear.

>>18659676
Get our new clothes.

lets visit the tailor guy

You thank Tegan yet again for giving you a free bed and depart her inn. You make your way over to Taylor’s house, just a short walk away from Tegan’s inn. Before you can even knock, the door is flung open, and you are greeted by a pair of shockingly blue eyes bulging out of their sockets.

“THERE you are! I was beginning to think you’d made me work for nothing!” Taylor doesn’t seem too happy with your tardiness. “What are you waiting for? Come in, come in!” He turns around and hurries away, blue coattails swishing. You enter his home and he throws at you a set of clothes. “Don’t make me wait, try them on! I wish to see my handiwork!” You begin to ask where you could do that, but he points you towards a dressing room you didn’t notice before. Changing into your new threads, you glance at the mirror.

Your shirt is a deep green, with the occasional smattering of brown marking an external pocket. You notice that there is a hood attached, which looks pretty stylish when you flip it over your head. Your pants are an inverse, a dark brown with a surprisingly ornate green pattern on it. Your belt is also green, and is just long enough to hang from your waist, extending to your knee. Overall, it fits on you very well, and while you expect it would be tight, whatever material Taylor used is stretchy enough to allow you your full use of motion, which happens to be quite a lot.

Exiting the dressing room, Taylor is already pelting you with a question, asking “Do you like it? Oh, what am I saying, of COURSE you do! I think I did a most splendid job, got you everything you asked for AND you look fantastic in it! I’ve really outdone myself this time.” Taylor seems to be working himself into a frenzy again. You decide that it would be best to leave before he gets on a roll.

Well, you’re looking swagtastic and you’ve got the day ahead of you. What’s next?

>>18659923
Obtain travelling funds, we want to get going soon but having a bit of cash in our pocket is a good idea. See if Tegan knows anyone who needs something dealt with that corresponds to our skill set, if not is there a job board of a bounty board around here?

>>18659923
Check in with Tegan, and get prepped for the long trip to Terec.

Figuring that you’ll need some currency with which to travel so you aren’t totally screwed, you decide to ask Tegan to point you in the direction of some odd jobs.

“Hm… if anybody needs something done, you said?” Tegan runs her finger around her strand of hair and says, “To be honest, the Mucktouched mage is really bothering me. I really don’t think you can handle it, with your level of experience, though. Especially not alone. I’d love to help, but… it’s been a long time since I’ve been in a real fight. My sword’s not as sharp as she used to be.” Tegan looks away, thinking. “But I can help you counteract the fear. I’ve got an old pendant in storage that’ll ward you from terror magic. It might not stop it entirely, but it should be enough to help you get through the forest. Hold on.” Tegan disappears into her room for a few minutes and returns with a small necklace with a red gem on it.
“Consider it my last gift, Shun.” Tegan smiles at you.

>>18660101
"Oh, and Shun. Mucktouched don't like the light. It probably won't make itself known until night." What a handy tip.

>>18660114
I'll keep that in mind, I'm also comfortable during the night, the shadows are deepest then.

Any clever ideas for tracking the son of a bitch?

“I'll keep that in mind, I'm also comfortable during the night, the shadows are deepest then. Any clever ideas for tracking the son of a bitch?”

“Hmm. They don’t sleep, so you should be able to feel magic radiating from one. They tend to reek of disease, they’re covered in fungus and moss… I’d look for something that’s out of place in the forest. It’s probably someplace secluded.”

>>18660208
Well, I'm going to get a nice lunch then go hunting.

I'll try to bring you his head on a spike, you can leave him as a warning. Have a lovely day.

“Well, I'm going to get a nice lunch then go hunting. I'll try to bring you his head on a spike, you can leave him as a warning. Have a lovely day.” Tegan grins, pleased at your remark, and waves goodbye before going back to tending her bar.

You exit the inn and head into the forest. After an hour of hunting, you’ve nabbed enough meat and berries to fill yourself up quite nicely. You review the places of the forest that you know about. Notable locations are the cave you slept in the day you burned down your house, the riverbank near the cave, and the cliff where you last encountered the Mucktouched.

Where would you like to go?

>>18660303
Well, it prefers secluded locations. The only secluded place I can think of is our old training glade. Best to check through the other locations before going back to someplace so important, though. Let's start with the cave and work our way outward.

>>18660303
Start at the cliff, if where we felt him last, see if there are any visible traces of corruption lying around.

>>18660339
>>18660346

Roll a d10, gentlemen.

>>18660350
I'll actually default to >>18660346 here. Granted, the Mucktouched was probably influencing us the entire time we were hunting the hunters, but the cliff was where it was most profound.

rolled 8 = 8

>>18660346

rolled 7 = 7

cave base, maybe pick up another technique

You decide to investigate the cliff where you last encountered the beast. After all, there’s a good chance that it left behind some sort of clue.

When you arrive at the cliff, you go to investigate where you left the axeman last night. You are greeted by a horrible sight.

The axeman, or what’s left of him, is everywhere. There are bits on the ground, on the wall, in the river… it’s disgusting. Bones litter the riverbank. The two graves of his fellows have been completely smashed and dug up. When you look inside, some sort of plant springs up and sprays something at you!

(Defense roll = 17!)
Fortunately, you roll backwards just in time to dodge the gas! The plant, confronted with daylight, withers away instantly. What the hell was that? You’ve lived in this forest for years, and you’ve never seen anything like that. You carefully walk over to the grave and peer inside. You see a corpse, decayed, covered in a mold, with short, stubby stalks growing out of the eyes, nose, and mouth. You wager a guess that the other grave has something very similar in it. You do a little more investigation of the forest around the cliff, and a trail of decaying grass leads off into the distance.

What do you do?

>>18660527
Take a path parallel to the withered grass, we don't want to follow it directly, he may have left surprises, stay at good 50 or so feet away from it.

destroy the plants and
>>18660543
this

Some music for the rest of your journey in the forest.

www.endlessyoutube.com/watch?v=z_evkY46fzI&feature=related

>>18660543
Smart. Follow this. If the Mucktouched has laid traps like this like a git, then we'll have to out-git him when we find him.

This trail is your only lead. But you don’t want to be stupid about following it, you’d trap something if you’d left an obvious trail like this. You follow the trail, staying far away from it, but close enough to still track it.

As you follow it, the forest seems to get darker and darker. The canopy becomes thicker, and the trees almost look as if they weep. After following the trail for a while, the canopy covers the sky completely, and the entire forest, as far as you can see, has taken on a darkened, grey tint. Wind whistles through the trees, which look deader and deader as you walk. It sounds like a beautiful song, but it’s also haunting. You continue to follow the path, and the wind picks up. The forest itself is screaming at you now, begging you to leave, but you can’t. You need to follow this path. You’ve got to find this thing, before it attacks Crestdale, before it gets Tegan…

(Survival roll = 4-1 for being distracted = 3.)
You’re too busy looking around in a haze to notice the vines around your feet. You are lifted into the air by one leg, and a branch from a tree starts to swing at you…

What now?

>>18660700
Cut vines with shadow machete. Kinda goes without saying.

>>18660700
Chop the vines, drop to dodge the branch. If we can't chop the vines in time see if we can pull ourself up in order to dodge.

Instantly, you call the shadows around you to form in your hand as a blade and move to slice the vines…

(Attack roll = 17!)
And it’s a clean slice! You drop to the ground, landing on your feet as the branch swipes right where you were a second ago. As you begin to formulate a plan, the grass you’re on grow sharp, long thorns, and they dig into your feet. You feel a splitting pain in your head as the wind which was once deafeningly loud halts. The forest is completely silent again. Paranoia grips you, but you aren’t terrified. You make a mental note to thank Tegan when you return to Crestdale.
A deep fog rolls in between the trees, and you can hardly see a thing.

What do you do?

>>18660797
Walk silently towards the origin of the fog. We have a wizard who can manipulate the forest to kill.

jump away from green nature and shadow cloak

>>18660886
>green nature

There is no green nature, the forest is fucked right now. And why do I keep spelling "forest" as "forst"?

>>18660911
didn't even notice.

how about standing on some brown dirt then?

>>18660952
I see what you've written, and I understand the words, but as a whole, I don't get what the fuck you're trying to say.

You summon your Cloak of Shadows and silently walk forward. After trekking for several minutes, the silence is pierced with a high pitched, uneven voice.

“Are you not afraiiiiiidddd?!” It sounds like it’s trying to sing, but it’s much more of a wail. You try to pinpoint where it’s coming from, but before you get the chance, you feel something pouncing onto your back, and a wet mouth is inches away from your ears, reeking of decay. “You shoooOOOooould beeeeeee, teeheeeheeeeee…” you bring your elbow back to hit the beast…

(Attack roll = 16!)
And you get it square in the mouth! The Mucktouched wails in pain and flies off of you, back into the forest. It speaks with a lisp, as if you broke some of its teeth… glancing at the ground, you verify that, yes, it is missing about a dozen green teeth now. “You sssshouldn’t have done that! Not that! Not that at aalllllllllllll!” You’re beginning to make out where it might be…

What now?

we're standing on grass turned thorns, right?

so lets stand move in an area with no grass

charge the mudmage

>>18661040
Call out to the woods.
"You're not in your swamp, sorcerer. What brings you this far?"

rolled 4 = 4

>>18661040
Throw a goodly sized shadow knife in its direction and follow it up with a charge.

>>18661085
>>18661079
Roll 'em, boys.

rolled 3 = 3

>>18661079
We can't see the "mudmage," and I'd like to not charge headlong into a tree. I'd think we're smarter than that.
Rolling for >>18661085

You’ve got a pretty good idea of where it’s hiding. You manifest a shadow dagger and throw it…

(Attack roll = 11-1 for not seeing the enemy = 10.)

All you get is haunting laughter. “AHhhahahHAAAAAhaha, stupid boy thinks he can hurt us, how STUPID STUPID STUPID he is STUPID!” Fortunately, that makes it that much easier to locate it, and you charge towards it!

(Attack roll = 14-1 for not seeing the enemy = 13!)
You see it! It’s a small thing, about a foot shorter than you, covered from head to toe in grime, with green skin and hair that looks like moss. Its black eyes nearly bulge out of its angular face. They bulge out even more when you shove your fist in it! The Mucktouched jumps back in surprise, yelling out an incantation in a language you can’t understand!

(Defense roll = 14.)
Before you know it, the mage grows larger and larger! Or… wait, the grass is too. Oh, shit. You’re much, much smaller than you were before. You’re MAYBE half a foot tall, and, and the Mucktouched, once so small, looks like a giant to you now. And it’s laughter rings shrilly through the forest.

What do you do?

>>18661229
Motherfucker. Well at least he put us at optimum height for slicing his Achilles Tendons into ribbons, so do that. Maybe taking him down will release us from the spell.

>>18661229
"I would not laugh so casually, sorcerer!"
Jump at it and stab it somewhere in the neck up with a shadow blade.
"Even a bee's sting can bring down a giant!"

climb into his ear and start slashing around

>>18661263
>>18661254
>>18661269

Guys, please don't forget to roll during combat. If it helps, just roll all the time.

rolled 2 = 2

>>18661254
Rollan

rolled 3 = 3

>>18661286
Rolling for >>18661263

>>18661254

rolled 3 = 3

>>18661269

>>18661302
>>18661333
Reroll, my friends.

rolled 8 = 8

>>18661269
We're six inches tall. We're not a flea.

rolled 3 = 3

>>18661345
Re-rolling for >>18661263

“I would not laugh so casually, sorcerer!” You scream as you run up the Mucktouched’s legs! It moves to swipe you off, but you jump onto its arm and continue your climb! Just as you’re within arm’s reach, it quickly slams its hand on its shoulder…

(Attack roll= 20!)

You slice your way through its hand with a shadow blade and, with a flourish, you spin around, turning your body into a drill, and you pierce a hole straight through its neck! You burst out of the other side in an explosion of blood and muscle, growing in size, watching the fog disperse. You turn around and watch the Mucktouched’s body crumple to the ground, dead. "Even a bee's sting can bring down a giant!"


Fucking dramatic dice, I swear.

So, mission accomplished! What would you like to do now?

>>18661485
Our dice love dramatic killings. Chop his head off, stick it on a sharp stick for Tegan and go through his belongings with extreme caution.

Maybe there'll be hot dinner waiting for us when we get back, we kinda deserve it.

rolled 9 = 9

>>18661485
We promised a head on a pike.
So take its head, stick it on a pike, and walk back to Crestdale with it.

Manifesting the shadow blade, you slice its head off, taking care not to get too close to it. Shoving it through a pike, tip protruding through its mouth, you go through the creature’s pockets. It never hurts to scavenge.

(Another goddamn 20 what the fuck)
You find a strange, sparkling green gemstone in a fungus ridden pocket. You head back to town with your prize. After a few hours of walking, you’re back in Crestdale, and while you’re getting strange looks from the townsfolk, they seem too intimidated to really stop and ask you anything. You stand in front of the door.

Wanna do something fancy here?

rolled 7 = 7

>>18661680
"Tegan! I bring a birthday present!" Stand at the front door, holding our pike with the biggest grin in the world, like we're a bass fisherman with the catch of the day.

>>18661680
Yes, we just kicked the ass of a Mucktouched, we have the license to be dramatic.

Walk into town, headed pike at our side. Approach the inn, plant it firmly by our side.

Milady Tegan I have slain the vile monster that was poisoning the fair forest. I bring you its head as proof of my deeds and so my story shall live on and be told by firesides for a hundred years.

"Tegan! I bring a birthday present!" You yell out as you kick the door open, grinning like a madman, holding up the pike like an excited fisherman. Tegan’s eyebrows soar as she walks over to you, amazed.

“Shun! You actually did it! I’m… wow! Really?” She’s beside herself in happiness, and begins to inspect the head. When she’s satisfied, she looks up at you with the brightest smile you’ve ever seen. “Good job, Shun. You’ve more than earned your payment.” Tegan pulls out a bag from underneath her bar and gives it to you. “Three hundred gold pieces. It should be more than enough to get you to Terec, assuming you don’t lose it. I’m not gonna lie, Shun, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

rolled 9 = 9

>>18661845
"I wasn't sure I'd see myself again, either. The Mucktouched are a wily bunch, but they can't survive a straight fight, it seems.
"You actually worried about me, Tegan? I'm touched."

rolled 6 = 6

>>18661845
I'll admit it was an odd fight and got hairy for a second there but I pulled through and the forest is free of blight.

Thanks for worrying about me, my master would describe it as a good test of my skills.

Now how about some dinner, killing evil disease mages takes it out of you. Care to join me?

>>18661873
>>18661901
You guys do know that Tegan is like... 50, right?

rolled 6 = 6

>>18661913
No, I was thinking late 30's. That changes it a bit.

Thank her for the reward, thank her for caring about us and get some dinner. Get to bed early and leave town early.

>>18661913
And? She's exceedingly well-maintained for a 50-year old. Besides, who else does Shun know with any sense of familiarity besides his sifu? She's his first true outside connection in his life. Why squander it?

>>18661939
Even if she was in her late 30's, she'd still be around twice yuor age.

>>18661945
We're not saying "bang the well-built cougar." We're saying "be grateful for her good nature and hospitality."
I'm sure Shun will fine a nice, spry young lady in the time to come to know better.

"You actually worried about me, Tegan? I'm touched."

A grin appears on Tegan’s face and she says, “Please. I don’t like it when good people die. It’s a waste.”

“Thanks for worrying about me, my master would describe it as a good test of my skills. The Mucktouched are a wily bunch, but they can't survive a straight fight, it seems, but I pulled through and the forest is free of blight.”


“Good, good. I wish I could’ve seen how you handled it, but you don’t look too banged up, so I’m sure it wasn’t too exciting. “

You smile and say, “Now how about some dinner, killing evil disease mages takes it out of you.” Tegan laughs at you attempt to get more free stuff from her.

“Fine. Just this once, Shun. Do you prefer duck, or veal?” the two of you enjoy a nice dinner, and you go to bed full, well rested, and accomplished. You think you’ll try to learn a new technique tomorrow.

NEW TECHNIQUE LEARNED
Consensus gets to pick which one you’ll learn.

Blinding Strike – When you make an attack, you can infuse your strike with shadows which will creep up into your target’s eyes, blinding them for a few minutes.
Shadow Feint – When you strike, you can choose to have an illusory weapon also strike at the same time. This hurts just as badly as your normal attack if it lands.
Distracting Shadow – You summon a small shadow elemental to flank your enemy for a few seconds. It is independent of you, but will attack whoever you summon it by.

>>18662077
Blinding Strike, a blinded opponent is at one hell of a disadvantage.

>>18662077
While Shadow Feint and its double damage is tempting, I have to give it to Blinding Strike. It's not quite dirty fighting since it's no Pocket Sand, but it's still blinding an enemy, and that's a mammoth advantage in itself.

rolled 7 = 7

>>18662077
does the weapon from shadow feint actually cause damage, or does it only inflict pain? If it can actually inflict real, physical damage than I would go for that. If not, take distracting shadow.

>>18662144

It does. Cold damage, in fact.

>>18662144
You'd think "inflict pain" is the same as "deal damage."

Also, since I haven't had a reason to bring it up by now, your shadow weaponry deals cold damage.

... not that that's mattered up until now, but still.

Blinding Strike

if we're getting stronger like this can we make more objects out of shadows now?

rolled 1 = 1

>>18662160
Since the nature of the technique is illusory, it follows that anything it does may also be more mind-trickery. Sometimes, these clarifications are necessary.

>>18662173
Speaking of clarifications, if you guys have any questions about any of the mechanics I've introduced so far, feel free to ask.

>>18662173
"The mind makes it real," in case you've forgotten.

>>18662169
You were only limited by how many shadows you manifest before. It's volume, not shape that matters.

>>18662209
The further we progress, the greater the "mass" of shadow we can control?

>>18662223
Which means we can eventually make a Shadow Zweihander if we so wanted.

>>18662209
How long till we can create a shadow cannon?

>>18662235
What about shadow drills that have drills offshooting from the main drill?

>>18662223
>>18662235

Indeed.

>>18662238
>>18662246
I'll tell you when you're older.
Don't know why you'd want to, since you're kind of an assassin, though.

>>18662251
But hey, you guys are the ones who are in control of Shun. Just because it's the Fist of Shadow style doesn't mean you can't go full shadowmancer mode.

>>18662251
Because martial arts stories/quests boil down to rule of cool at some point?

>>18662251
A cannon makes a great distraction.

>>18662251
It's not like a murder weapon can be traced back to us, so the killing wound could look like anything we wanted: a blowdart, a claymore slash, a halberd, twenty drills to the chest, etc.

>>18662251
I just realized that we've never actually shown any shadowy powers to Tegan yet. Before we leave we should probably craft a small bird or something out of shadow and show it to her, have it fly around a bit before disappearing into a shadow.

>>18662267
>>18662270
>>18662273

This is why I like running quest threads.

Speaking of which, this seems like a good time to end it for tonight. I'll archive it. I should be back on the same time Thursday, because I sadly have work tomorrow night.

Feedback? I know we're a new quest and all, but I'd really like to get more people in on this thing. It makes me feel better about my writing skills. Tell me how I can get better! Let me know if there's a particular direction you want this to be heading towards!

>>18662273
Come on, if you saw the corpse of someone that died from twenty drills to the chest, you wouldn't know what the fuck happened to the poor sod, he (or she) would just be a lump of meat with a lot of holes in it.

Archived!

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/18658585/

Also, I feel like there's a better way I can format the first post, but I'm not sure how. Any tips?

>>18662332
Generally, people separate the LAST TIME thread from the bulk of the post, but other than that, it's pretty good. It's concise and thorough enough that going back to the old thread isn't *completely* necessary, but it still offers the option.

>>18662347

Yeah. Also, now that we've got a bit of inventory and another technique under our holster, I think I'll start including that in the first couple of posts.

>>18662299
I like the worldbuilding so far, I enjoy stalking and murderizing targets. I'm interested in seeing what we can pull off with fist of shadows in the future and am looking forward to the future martial arts fights against other supernaturalish practitioners that we are going to have.

Our master must have been one badass motherfucker.

>>18662332
Also, how about including a link to the quest archive tag instead of just the previous quest, so that latecomers have a (slightly) easier time catching up to the quest as it stands?

Example: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Fist%20of%20Shadow

>>18662363
We really do need a proper martial arts fight instead of relying constantly on our shadowy bollocks. We're a monk that just so happens to be trained in an assassin's style.

>>18662383
>>18662363

Consider it done. I'll have a reason for a crazy martial arts fight next time. Maybe an ETERNAL RIVAL?

>>18662383
And we did have a fight with Tegan last time. We're still a proper monk, but who wants to rely on that when you can just go Predator on some unlucky shits?

>>18662383
So far the enemies up until this point haven't really left us much room to use or actual martial arts, what with them being heavily armed and armored and in groups. It's just been more of a circumstantial thing that relying on shadow manipulation has been more effective than martial arts.

>>18662409
That's just it. We can tell the difference when we prioritize how much of a sneaky git we need to be.

>>18662411
Which is perfectly acceptable.

>>18662411
>>18662427
>>18662436

Don't worry guys, I've already got ideas for a rival who'll serve as a pretty good foil to Shun.
Hot bloodedness is optional.

Anything else I need to make note of? If not, then I'm headed out for the night.

>>18662486
Everything seems to be good so far from this end.

>>18662509
We need a somewhat-annoying animal companion.
With wings.

>>18662552
Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

>>18662552
Haha, you're funny.
I'll kill you last.

>>18662561
You wanna save this thread for later or just start a new one next time?

>>18662561
I'm good with that.

By the way I really wasn't serious. If you do add an animal companion I'll kill myself.

>>18662583
If you can keep it up until about 12 tomorrow, I can bump it, but then I won't be home until about 10 after that. I'll bump it if I can, but I can't make any promises.

>>18662601
Anyone knows if he means 4chan time or his local time?

Morning bump.

>>18665401
Bumping for when our story teller returns.

I HAVE RETURNED
... to bump the thread.

I've got a friend who wants me to go see her play tomorrow night, so I'll be doing a short installment at about 11 PM 4chan time tonight to tide you guys over.

>>18666888
>I've got a friend who wants me to go see her play tomorrow night,

Play what?

>>18666975
Her play.
At the theatre.With actors.
We were in theatre together during high school. Good times.

>>18667001
Cool, cool.

One more bump before I head off for work. I'll be back around 11 PM 4chan time.

>>18670085
Better than nothing.

Extra evening bump.

And WE ARE LIVE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Let’s jump right into it!


Wakened by the rays of the Shard, you get out of the bed you’ve spent the last three days resting in. Your rigorous training has really put a number on you, but Tegan proved to be a surprisingly good teacher, even if all she had to go off of was Sifu Tong’s notes. You’ve mastered the Blinding Strike, a move that causes your target’s shadow to creep up their body, temporarily causing them to lose their eyesight. Tegan wasn’t nearly as happy as you were when you finally got it down, but after a drink, she was excited for you.

“So you’re going to Terec today, aren’t you, Shun?” Tegan says, nursing her first drink of the day. “I can’t believe it’s only been a week since you stumbled out of that forest. Time flies, doesn’t it?”

>>18674134
Fuck, I love Olcadan.

>>18674144
"I can scarcely believe it myself. I didn't expect to leave my teacher's vale so...energetically. Sadly, there's nothing left for me there, so I can do nothing but move forward.
"Any last-minute words of wisdom before I shove off? Anyone I should look out for or get to know once I reach Terec?"

"I can scarcely believe it myself. I didn't expect to leave my teacher's vale so...energetically. Sadly, there's nothing left for me there, so I can do nothing but move forward.” You ponder for a minute while checking your pockets to make sure you have everything, then you continue, “any last-minute words of wisdom before I shove off? Anyone I should look out for or get to know once I reach Terec?"

Tegan’s finger is already twirling her hair before you finish your questions. “I don’t personally know anyone who still lives in Terec, but I can give you a bit of advice: make friends. You never know what’s out there, and you probably can’t take it on alone. It never hurts to have someone you can rely on when you need them.”

Profound words indeed. Anything else you’d like to say?

>>18674326
"Thanks for the help. I'll be sure to recommend your inn to the merchants and adventurers travelling along this road."
Head off.

>>18674326
"I won't forget, Tegan. And I certainly won't forget you. I truly cannot thank you enough for everything you've done for me. I doubt 'being the first human contact and friend of a naive master monk's apprentice in his entire life' matches any of your past exploits, but it means a lot to me. I wouldn't be here without you. So thank you, Tegan."

>>18674435
"That probably doesn't mean much to you at this point, but it's all I can do to honor you."

>udgethni bowed

"I won't forget, Tegan. And I certainly won't forget you. I truly cannot thank you enough for everything you've done for me. I doubt 'being the first human contact and friend of a naive master monk's apprentice in his entire life' matches any of your past exploits, but it means a lot to me. I wouldn't be here without you. So thank you, Tegan. I'll be sure to recommend your inn to the merchants and adventurers travelling along this road. That probably doesn't mean much to you at this point, but it's all I can do to honor you."

Tegan’s face breaks out into a great smile, touched by your words. “Thanks, kid.” She walks over to you and gives you a great big bear hug. “If you ever find yourself in the area, stop by! I don’t have anything better to do.”

You wave at her as you leave her inn, hopefully not for the last time. The Shard shines brightly in the cloudless sky. This journey is going to be a good one.

You head out east, on one of the two roads leading out of Crestdale. The forest caresses you as you leave, almost begging you to stay, but you press on. After a day of travel, the forest turns into a wide, vast meadow, with tall grass as far as the eye can see, with various critters running around, unaware or uncaring of your presence.

The second day, as you walk, you swear you hear a tune echoing through the meadow.

By the third day, the tall grass of the meadow has quickly shrunken to ankle level, with the occasional shrub. The tune returns just as the Shard begins to descend into the horizon.

>>18674605
Whoops, forgot to ask, what do you do?

>>18674605
True, Sifu Tong taught us to be one with nature, but I can't recall nature actually singing to us, at least like this. Savor the contact with nature, and wonder a little about that tune.

>>18674666
On a side note, we never did get that emerald we nabbed off the Mucktouched identified, did we? Ah, well. If anyone can ID it, it's someone in Terec. All the more reason to keep going.

Did Tegan say how far out (days travel) Terec is from Crestdale?

Hm. Strange, nature hasn’t ever sung to you before, but you’re not one to question it too much. As you walk through the plains, however, it gets louder and louder. Even stranger. You see smoke rising in the distance. Given that’s the only event of any note that’s happened in the past few days, and that it doesn’t look like it’s too far from the road you’re on, it couldn’t hurt to keep walking, at least until you get closer.

After about an hour of walking, the melody starts back up again. Maybe it’s coming from whatever fire is up ahead? You reach the top of a small hill the road is on, giving you just enough of a vantage point to see what’s going on.

Someone’s made a camp up ahead! From this distance, you only see one person, and he doesn’t seem to have all that much with him, that you can see.
What do you do?

>>18674747
Speaking of which, we should still have our gi on us somewhere, probably in a satchel with the rest of our swag.

>>18674747
It's about a month and a half's walk from Crestdale.

>>18674785
Hail the camp. If its nearing nightfall, might as well ask to share the fire.

>>18674785
This fellow is as unsubtle as they come, so there's no reason for us to be skulking about around him. Hail his camp.

Nobody who is this open about their position can be dishonest. A fool, perhaps, but an honest one.

You continue down the path, the sound getting louder and louder, while the sky grows darker and darker. You can hear words, too, but you can’t make them out until you’re about 300 meters away. This man is singing! You listen intently to his words…

“You’ll never find a better time,
Make a sound, you’ll be fine,
You know the game and all it holds,
Watch it now as it unfolds…”

You yell out to the man, hailing his camp. Turning towards you, he stands, and you see that he has… some sort of stringed instrument.


The man stands shirtless, but clearly defined, even more muscular and ripped than you. He wears the pants of a gi, emblazoned a bright, shocking red. His long ponytail, a bright blonde, sways in the breeze. Bright, alert green eyes look you over. After the man finishes sizing you up, he waves you over.

“Hello, my friend! I didn’t expect to meet a fellow traveler on this road!”


A fellow student of the martial arts, perhaps? What do you say?

>>18674959
Give him an obvious once-over.
"I should say likewise. You coming or going from Crestdale?"

You respond his sizing up of you with a once-over of your own. "I should say likewise. You coming or going from Crestdale?"

He responds with a big toothy grin, “to, my friend! I’m passing through there, trying to scrounge up enough money to buy passage to The Holy City! The fares are ludicrous, but understandable, given the voyage. What about yourself, friend? It seems you head east, do you seek Terec?”

>>18675129
"Something like that. I'm new to the region, though, and I'm not aware of any 'Holy City.' Whereabouts is that?"

Did Sifu give us a primer on world religions?

>>18675129
"Yes, I'm making my way to the Sea of Stars.

Are the fares that expensive? I'd like to know if my trip will be expensive if you know the fares."

>>18675163
Sifu was extremely selective in his teachings, given that you didn't even know that the fucking Sun wasn't actually a sun at all.

>>18675186
Tegan mentioned a deity earlier, Zarus. We let that one go because we didn't want to look like an even bigger idiot in front of her. Getting lectured on the pantheon of gods from a sculpted 50-year-old retired adventurer after immediately asking her what a Shard is would be pretty awkward.

Man, we're gonna be so out of our element when we hit Terec.

"Something like that. I'm new to the region, though, and I'm not aware of any 'Holy City.' Whereabouts is that?”

The young man’s intense gaze doesn’t falter as he says, “Across the Starry Seas, my friends. Of course, you could try and traverse the Darklands, those treacherous crags unblessed by the light of the Shards, but that’s nearly suicidal.” He smiles as he continues, “but at the rate I’m getting money, I’m afraid my skills might have to pay for a trip through.”

Interesting. You raise an eyebrow and ask, “Are the fares that expensive? I'd like to know if my trip will be expensive if you know the fares."

He lets loose a hearty laugh and says, “They’re murder, my friend! Over a hundred thousand gold for a one way trip! And even then, you might not make it there in one piece!”

Bloody hell, that sounds like a lot.

>>18675298
"I don't envy you, then. But how are you going to make a hundred thousand gold while shirtless and carrying...that?" Motion to his lute (LIKE WE KNOW WHAT A FUCKING LUTE IS).

"I don't envy you, then. But how are you going to make a hundred thousand gold while shirtless and carrying...that?" you say, motioning to his stringed instrument.

A look of confusion appears on his face, and just as quickly, it disappears, replaced by a big smile. “I don’t know! I figure if I travel the world long enough, I’ll either find a fallen Shard big enough to fetch a grand sum, or my martial skills will be honed to a sharp enough edge to brave the Darklands! It’s a flawless plan!”

>>18675404
"Ah-haaa. Flawless."
Pause.
"What's your style?"
NOW we'll find out if he's a martial artist with a question like that.

You laugh at his optimism. "Ah-haaa. Flawless." You lock eyes with him, feeling a fire rise from within. “What’s your style?”

The man’s intensity grows, as he begins to stretch. “I have taught myself over the years. I have traversed the Strobelands, trained with the men of the Shardstreams, and hardened my body at the Gateway to Hell. My style is the Rising Dragon, THE UNDEFEATED OF THE WEST! What path do you follow, traveler?”

>>18675510
It's pretty underground, you probably haven't heard of it.
Good Lord no I'm not serious.

>>18675510
I fear we're about to go full hipster here.

"Nothing bombastic like that, I can assure you. It's a very, well, esoteric style. You've likely never heard of it, so I won't bother you with the name. Just know it's not as 'loud' as your Rising Dragon, and for good reason."

>>18675567
>>18675568
Hipster-mode mind.

"Nothing bombastic like that, I can assure you. It's a very… well, esoteric style. You've likely never heard of it, so I won't bother you with the name. Just know it's not as 'loud' as your Rising Dragon, and for good reason."

You’ve struck the man’s interest, and hard. “Aha! So you do indulge in the pleasure of unarmed combat! Very well, if you won’t tell me what it is, then I’ll have to beat it out of you!” he bows and enters a stance, feet planted firmly on the ground, arms rigid. “Prepare yourself!” he yells out.

You face the setting horizon, and begin to stretch, joyed at the prospect of a true battle between martial artists. While stretching, you see that, opposite of the setting Shard, two smaller ones seem to be rising, giving the sky a strange purple color. The wind picks up, causing the grass under your feet to shift.


How do you want to start this off?

>>18675643
Snake Fist stance. If this guy wants to be loud and brash, then we'll have to be precise and accurate instead. Shuffle inside and get a few good bites on his joints (elbows, armpits, neck, etc.).

>>18675682
Now that we're fighting, remember to roll, guys.

rolled 8 = 8

>>18675682
I say "bite" metaphorically. They're more piercing jabs, but you get the idea.

With a burst of speed, you kick off towards the man! If you can close the distance and get some jabs in some weak points, you can end this in seconds. You’re about to enter striking distance…

(Defense roll = 5.)
When a foot slides under yours! Before you have time to react, a pair of fists clench onto your shirt, and he brings his leg up, causing you to lose your balance! He takes this chance to swing you around, throwing you over ten feet away! You gracefully roll into a solid landing, and turn around, ready to strike. The man hasn’t moved, but his current stance looks far more fluid than before; he’s lightly hopping on his feet, ready for something!

What now?

rolled 6 = 6

>>18675845
The guy's an airhead, but he's got talent. Go for it again. Check our angles, make sure nothing is trying to sneak inside our guard.

Just so OP doesn't think there's only one other person here, I'm saying I'm reading what's going on, I just suck at RP fighting, especially in the martial arts area.

>>18675910
Give it a shot! RPing is half the fun, man.

rolled 2 = 2

>>18675910
I like a good martial arts fight. You can be so versatile and be energetic and attack in ways no one else can.

>>18675930
I've done some in more peaceful times, I just can't into fights. Sorry.
Maybe I'll try soon, when I've got some coffee; it's 6AM, I was up at 10. Thankfully I have nothing to do tomorrow!

Must’ve been a fluke. You’ve fallen for it once, it won’t happen again. Carefully, you begin your assault again!

(Defense roll = 11+1 for being cautious= 12!)
He tries the same trick again, but it doesn’t work! You clench his leg in between yours, and raise your fists to rain down upon him!

(Attack roll = 18!)
You calmly land a blow on his left elbow! His arm crumples back in pain! You get ready to swing again but… what?! His left hand’s glowing red, and it doesn’t look like you hurt him at all! You look at him incredulously, and his smile is far more confident than it should be. You move to twist away from his hand, but you can’t just get out of a swing like that! A palm greets your chest, and holy *shit* does it hurt! A blossom of fire bursts out when he hits you, quickly dissipating, but your chest burns worse than it ever has before! You leap back, grasping your wound! The man enters a low stance, ready to pounce!

What do you do?

>>18675997
He pulled out the magic! I say respond in kind, Cloak up and creep behind him for a surprise attack.

rolled 8 = 8

>>18675997
As to be expected of a guy dressed in red pants with a dopey grin who's bigger than us. If he's so eager to wail on us, then let him come to us. Switch to a lower, more solid stance, and get ready to intercept him. Throw him over us with a good throw and catch him with a Blinding Strike while he's disoriented. He used his powers, now we use ours.

>>18676030
We're in a straight-up fight right now. Stealth is out the window. All we have is our technique now. This is one of those times we have to stand and fight.

>>18676030
You know what just disregard me, I'm going to go get a drink.

Attacking this guy head on hasn’t worked so far. You lower yourself, ready to throw him. He stays low to the ground while rushing you…

(Attack roll = 9+1 from being ready = 10.)

You act to move to the side and use his momentum to throw him, but you aren’t quick enough! He leaps into the air clear over you, and turns around, delivering a vicious roundhouse to your back! You stagger forward, stars in your eyes. This guy’s *good*!

“Do you yield, friend?” You turn around. He’s getting cocky.

What do you do?

>>18676135
Let him gloat. He'll come around and charge us again. Just as before, we have to watch those wacky angles he comes in at. Same verse as before: counter-throw into a Blinding Strike. Once he's disoriented, go to town.

Okay, one more shot…

You enter a stance, pleasing the man. “Not yet, I see! Good, good!” he charges at you again, this time in a zig-zag! Maybe this time you should wait for him to strike…

(Defense roll = 12!)
He comes from the left, his arm moving with all the force of a waterfall! But this time, you anticipate his strike, and push it out of the way, ready to respond with your own attack! Shadows coalesce into your hand, and you move to slam it down onto his head…

(Attack roll = 16!)
And he isn’t quick enough to dodge it! He slams down into the ground, but quickly recovers, leaping back to put some distance between you! He taunts, “It’s about time you landed a hit!” He doesn’t notice his own shadow creeping up his leg, moving towards his eyes… “ I was beginning to think you’d never-“ cut short by the shadows entering his eyes, he stands perfectly still, lost in confusion.

What now?

>>18676298
Move as silently as the shadows we wield.
Then destroy him.

Guh, coffee hasn't helped any. I'm going to bed.
Thanks for the quest so far, OP. It's been great fun. Hopefully there'll be many developments when I wake up.

Now that he can’t see you, you have the advantage, and you need to press it! You move as quickly and as silently as you can to bridge the distance…

(Stealth roll = 1!)
… and you trip over yourself. You haven’t done that since you were a child! What the hell happened! The man hears your complete failure, and that he has enough time to enter a completely different stance. He spreads his feet and arms wide, head bent to the purple sky, his nose furiously twitching. You briefly wonder what he’s doing, and you realize that he’s sniffing you out… and you’re downwind.

Your suspicious are confirmed when he shifts his body towards you. He yells out, “do you think I need my sight to defeat you?!”

Shit.

Here's some music which I think fits this guy, if you care.

http://endlessvideo.com/watch?v=mFbkPWu6clM

>>18676450
Oh, COME ON.
He's gonna charge us. Part of me wants to throw some shadow caltrops in his path, but that wouldn't quite be sporting.
Encase our hands in hardened shadow gloves/gauntlets. The next time he gets fiesty, we sock him once. He won't be expecting the extra power.

rolled 10 = 10

>>18676450
Dash in under his guard and hit him hard. Is it possible to do a shadow encased strike that wont pierce him? I want to return that explosive blow he hit us with with one that will shock him with cold. You did say that shadows deal cold damage, after all.

>>18676490
>>18676494
These are saying pretty much the same thing.
>>18676503
That was towards our natural 1 at one of the few things we're supposed to be good at.

Okay, so he isn’t as helpless as you’d have hoped, but you’ve only got a minute before the blindness wears off, so you need to act quickly. You leap at him, shadows jumping to join your fist, hardening until your hand is as hard as steel. You move underneath him, and go to deliver an uppercut…

(Attack roll = 3.)
But he catches your arm in between both of his! A blank grin grows on his face, as he grips your arm with both hands and leaps high into the air! Five, ten, fifteen…! You’re both twenty feet in the air, and he’s got a vicegrip on you!

What do you do?!

rolled 4 = 4

>>18676564
Wrench behind him.
Grab his back.
Counter into Izuna Drop onto his head.

rolled 2 = 2

>>18676564
Harden your other hand and wail him in the gut with it as hard as you can (while not piercing). Both of his hands are in use so he has no guard up.

Not really seeing what else you can do, you wrest yourself behind him, and try to grab onto him with your legs…

(Attack roll = 19!)
And it succeeds! You’ve latched onto him and you’re now both sailing towards the ground, with him hitting first! He smashes down into the earth, and with your added weight, you can feel his pain! As well as a little of your own. You stay on top of him for a little while to make sure he doesn’t have any fight left in him, and when you determine that he’s out cold, you roll over onto your back, gazing at the purple sky. Two miniscule Shards dot your view, giving off an orange lights into the landscape. A beautiful setting for a beautiful fight.

After a few minutes, he wakes up, coughing, and rolls over.

He looks at you and smiles. “Well done, my friend! I was positive that the battle was mine, but you showed me.” He pauses, “What’s your name? My name is Khan!” he extends a bruised arm over to you.

>>18676703
Give him another once-over. Dude should be sleeping right now.
"...Shun."

You look him over, astounded at his fortitude.

“… Shun.”

He smiles at you and says, “Ah, not much for words, are you? I understand, I understand. You fought extremely well! I was extremely surprised at your display of skill and knowledge of martial maneuvers. Perhaps we could exchange techniques?” He pauses and nurses his head a bit. “After we get some rest, of course.”

So, what kind of technique would you like to learn, and what wouldn’t you mind teaching?

>>18676806
I don't think there's a single thing we do that he can appreciate. Maybe explain the concept of our projectiles to him, and have him figure out how to replicate it himself.

>>18676837
As for what we learn from him, that's really his business, isn't it?

>>18676864
>an excuse for me to give you whatever the fuck I want

>>18676881
What the hell can he do that we can readily incorporate into our Fist of Shadow without being awkward as hell? We're polar opposites. Unless he wants to teach us to smell like Wolverine, then I'm not quite sure.

i'm worried about teaching anything. isn't it kind of messed up for us to be teaching people any part of an assassination shadow style?

>>18676987
Bro's got a point. There's probably good reason only Sifu and us are the only two people in the world who know this style. What if Khan goes blabbing our technique to everyone?

In exchange for the smell trick (good for locating targets/people) teach him how to manifest weapons.
Maybe he'll end up manifesting fiery weapons and we can bro-tier it up in Terec, heat and cool.

>>18676806
As much as I would enjoy swapping martial arts techniques I can't teach my art to you without my master, who recently disappeared and I'm on a quest to find him.

I may be able to teach you the principles behind the techniques, have you ever considered shaping your fire into a blade or into anything other than just covering your fist?

>>18677040
Scrap that "who recently disappeared and I'm on a quest to find him" particle. We don't need EVERYONE to know why we're traveling.

>>18677040
Oh yeah, what to learn, see if he knows anything about infusing ourself with the element like he does, we craft shadow into weapons and cloaks but we don't have it inside of us AFAIK.

>>18677040
Khan is burning power, while we are cool technique. I'm not sure how well he'll take to it.
>>18677075
And we want shadows inside of us WHY, now? We've done plenty well for ourselves thus far, plus I'm not going to let Shun compromise his identity for a power like that. Shun is Shun, not the shadows.

The two of you awaken the next… morning? Shards seem to move erratically outside of where you were raised.

You arise first, and begin your daily stretches and meditation. With a great big yawn, Khan wakes up after you, and joins you in your stretches.

“We had an excellent spar yesterday, Shun! But I’m afraid that I must be going soon. The life of a wanderer waits for no man! But before I go, I implore you to teach me one of your techniques, and I will do the same in turn!”

You begin to wonder what you could try to impart upon him, but he rattles off a list of techniques he can teach. You ask him why he can’t teach you how to smell so well, but he responds, “Learning the Hunter’s Scent stance requires attunement with your inner animal, which involves years of mental training and physical conditioning. It isn’t something you can learn overnight.
“You seem to have fire within you. How have you managed to do that?”

He laughs heartily, and says, “it’s all about channeling waves from the Shards, my friend! They move in patterns, and they send off magical energy in certain ways, allowing me to harness it in the air around me! A difficult technique, but I have trained since I was a child.”
Unfortunate. But, the following stick out to you:

Animal’s Leap – Through rigorous conditioning, you are able to jump up to twenty feet into the air.
Mighty Throw – You use superior leverage to toss an opponent up to ten feet away.
Elemental Riposte – You channel the shadows into a vicious counterattack. When you’re hit, you can call forth a mass of shadows into a focused point in your palm, allowing you to discharge it when you counter.

>>18677147
Elemental Riposte.
No question.
Leave no advantage uncapitalized upon.

>>18677147
Animal's Leap, a sneaky ninja assassin able to leap over everything, castle walls can't stop us, we can disappear from the ground to the forest above in no time at all.

>>18677147
The elemental riposte sounds like it would be quite useful, especially if we can use the basic principle of it in conjunction with other techniques for more advanced moves.

>>18677171
We're a monk, not a ninja. We have to clarify that. Our style JUST SO HAPPENS to be an assassin's style, but we're no ninja.
I recommend the Elemental Riposte, because with it, we can't be caught unaware, at least not without repercussions.

>>18677147
Elemental Riposte.
Mix that with our blinding thing and we can completely turn around a fucked up fight in one hit.

So, do you plan on sharing anything with Khan?

If not, how are you going to explain your perceived selfishness?

lets learn Elemental Riposte.

what do we teach him though?

>>18677239
What can we teach him, perhaps help him adapt cloak of shadows for cloak of fire? We aren't giving away the shadow bit just how to wrap an element around yourself.

>>18677239
I'm certain we can at least impart the ability to channel energy into projectiles. Instead of shadows he will be able to throw shard energy.

can we sort of teach him to turn his flames into blades?

>>18677239
We can show him the basic principles of conjuring projectiles and odd items, but no more.
"I am bound by my sifu to maintain the secrets of our style. I can show you general principles, but no more, not without his approval."

>School, pwtali

>>18677254
>>18677261
>>18677263

Oh man, three totally different responses.
Work it out, friends.

>>18677269
It's all mostly the same thing: mild element manipulation into various forms. Again, though, only the basics as outlined in >>18677268.

rolled 3 = 3

>>18677263

>>18677269
Except all mostly the same. It's all about the manifestation of the "element" that is used.

>>18677269
Ask the guy what he wants, we can't reveal any of the secrets without permission, but the base principle of manipulating an element around you is cool.

Being able to deliver an overpowering counterattack is just too good for you to pass up. Khan teaches you the basics of Shadow Riposte, then details the rest in your notebook, so you can practice it on the road. In turn, you agree to teach him the basics of elemental manipulation.

"I am bound by my sifu to maintain the secrets of our style. I can show you general principles, but no more, not without his approval." Khan nods, understanding you. He remains surprisingly quiet when you explain how to influence the energy around you to do what you want. After a short explanation, he gives it a shot. It doesn’t work, but he remains determined to do it. After a few tries, he successfully pitches a fist-sized fireball about thirty feet before it dissipates. He’s as excited as a small child learning a new trick. He thanks you profusely, but says that he must return on his journey.

“It has been a pleasure to get to know you, Shun. Although I must walk my own path, I am confident that, if you stay alive in this dangerous world, our destinies are certain to cross again. I’ve never met anyone as skilled at martial arts as you, and I know I can use you as a standard by which to measure my own growth. So, I guess you’re now my ETERNAL RIVAL?!” He puts way too much emphasis on those last two words.

>>18677382
Sure thing man, we'll go with that, whatever makes you happy.

Keep on walking towards Terec.

>>18677382
"Uhh...sure?"

“Uhh... sure thing man, we'll go with that, whatever makes you happy.”

Khan smiles at your ambivalence, and wishes you well. As you go your separate ways, Khan pulls his stringed instrument out of his bag, and begins to play and sing.

“Fly away now, fly away…”


And on that note, I'm bringing this installment of Fist of Shadow to a close.

So what do you think? I tried to do a good job of introducing a new returning character who serves as a foil, while also giving you guys the martial arts fight you wanted.
Feedback?

>>18677506
We have a rival now, and we performed a bitching piledriver on a worthy foe. LIFE IS AWESOME.

>>18677506
d20s are REALLY swingy. Beyond that, it's good to have a nice back-and-forth, even though it might get tedious asking for every little action. We'll see how it progresses.

I am especially happy that we have learned a new technique today

>>18677522
I know it's a bit tedious, but I really like seeing you guys' input. You often think of shit that I overlook, which is arguably the point of quest threads.

Well, if that's all, then I'll see you guys Friday afternoon! No need to bump the thread, I'll gladly make a new one.

>>18677615
Alrighty. Sleep well OP. I, for one, eagerly await your next thread.