Zeroth

The Jade Stream

"Even a dragon will die if its throat is clawed out." Dai Xin replied, though Liu's comment was apt. As the conversation went on the group explored the two possibilities more, fleshing out the dangers inherent to each. Kyang seemed oddly enthusiastic about putting herself and Torako in danger, from Dai Xin's perspective. Still, he could not deny that it was a sound plan. Liu advocated them to choose wisely, as either method they used had a chance of coming back to bite them. Dai Xin put a finger to his chin and was silent for a few moments as the others went back and forth. When he finally spoke again, he looked at the three companions in turn.

"I mean no insult, Miss Kyang, but if we were to use either of you two ladies as our bait--which I'm loathe to do, I must admit--I feel Miss Torako might be the better choice." He looked between the smart, sharp-eyed woman carrying the glaive, and the bubbly, flowery dressed woman whose sword didn't match her actions or personality at all. "As for the sword, she could possibly place it in a satchel or wear it on the back of her hips instead--the position of a sword that is being carried, respectfully, as a squire to a master. The way she wears it now is obviously that of someone who intends to use such a blade, but otherwise the bandits might think she was delivering it to someone else's hands." He nodded at the scabbard of the blade and its exquisite craftsmanship. "Her clothes would mark her as a foreigner as well, someone unfamiliar with this land, and too brightly colored to be entirely practical--the markings of wealth. A much more tempting target."

After this he again inclined his head to Liu.

"However, personally, I am more comfortable seeking information. You said that you could not intimidate powerful or influential people. It is wise that you do not kick the nests of hornets. However, if I were to assist, I believe I would have much better luck. My reputation often precedes me, and I find that the stories grow more embellished with every tale."

A memory occurred to him, and that might have been a smile that quirked at the corner of his stern face for about half a second.

"For example, the story of my conquest of the Mantis Blade Fist school claims that I kicked a hole in their wall with such force that the rocks flew from it and caved in some of the enemies' chests. That is ridiculous. I simply have a habit of kicking my opponents in the center of the body, and most of my kicks happened to collapse the sternums and chest cavities against the Mantis Blade Fist warriors. The only reason I kicked a hole in the wall is because whenever I went to the front door, they would hide like cowards and shoot arrows at me."

He let out something that might have been a cough, or a short lived laugh.

In Hunting Beasts and Monsters

Werewolves? Uh, what are those things in some games called...gnolls? In any case, they're human sized, but if that one can tear apart a rope with its bare hands, it either has superhuman strength or very sharp claws. Donny likely won't be able to overpower it.

The pale woman and the man in rags had acted as if Hunters were doing this world a favor, yet there were bystanders who cheered for the beasts. So were the newly awakened "hunters" simply being lied to, being used in some grander scheme? Was Kenji right in assuming that there was a possibility that the woman, the one being dragged off, was the one in the wrong and this "God's Hand" were instead the ones that were simply doing their jobs?

There were so many pieces to this puzzle that were missing. Kenji hated trying to make a decision when he didn't have enough information to know whether or not he was giving the right answer, but...but...

I've already tried to kill an old man. I've already decided to sit back and let others play the hero, sacrificing themselves. His grip grew tighter on his spear, the smooth steel of the slender staff cold against his sweaty palms.

I've already allowed that woman to be dragged, kicking and screaming, towards what has to be certain death. I've already started judging the people around me, rating them on how useful I think they'll be to me. He grit his teeth, felt every muscle in his body tensing, felt his breath growing sharper through his nostrils.

I've already decided that my primary objective in this world is to simply survive it, to make whatever decisions have the most logical and likely possibilities of keeping myself safe and figuring out the truth.

He started to run.

"So when am I going to start being a worthwhile human being!?" he yelled, his thoughts bursting forth, meaning nothing to anyone.

The beast atop Donny might have heard him, if its ears were as sharp as those of the animal it imitated. He didn't really know how fast it was. But with his sudden rush from the shadows, and the added length of his weapon, maybe he'd have the speed, the reach...

He aimed to plant his spear right into the valley of the creature's shoulder blades, gripping the cross spear with all his might and driving it forward with his weight...

The Jade Stream

"Baiting them out would expose the decoy to danger." Dai Xin said, "Would it be possible, young master Fengxian, for you to track them from a place where they were recently spotted?" He set his tea cup down and looked around the rest of the shop. "Or, perhaps we might search a tavern or the poorer streets of Mingdu for an informant? If the bandits have made the surrounding roads their target, they would perhaps need a fence to sell their ill-gotten gains, or someone looking out for them in town to tell them when the merchants are going or coming."

Having found no reason to be suspicious of anyone else in the shop, he returned his gaze to the table and bowed his head slightly to Liu.

"I am afraid that, like Miss Kyang, most of my encounters with the typical highwayman have been defensive. And I am not a hunter--I can offer little more to this attempt than my fists, though I give their service gladly. If Mingdu were a larger place, with a seedier underbelly, and contacts to a crime family or triad, perhaps I could offer more help. I have worked for such organizations in the past and know a little more of their dealings."

In Hunting Beasts and Monsters

As Kenji watched the scene unfold from a shadowed corner, Highball coming up behind him, he frowned and ducked back behind the building. From the smell of meat--all kinds, fresh, grilled, smoked, rotten--he thought it might have been a butcher shop, but that was beside the point.

"This is heartless," he began, glancing at Highball, "but I don't want to jump in without more info. None of the townspeople have reacted to this. As depressing as this place is, it leads me to a possibility that maybe that woman is some kind of criminal, or other undesirable, and they could be throwing her out of town for a good reason. If the cloaked figures aren't human, Donny's attack--which was too pre-emptive in my opinion and lowers my opinion of his intelligence further--will probably cause them to reveal it. If it doesn't become immediately clear in the next few seconds what side we should be on..."

He peeked around, seeing that Donny had not only strung one of the cloaked figures up--Great, he goes for a kill right off the bat too. Don't they realize that a crippled enemy that can still talk may be more useful than a dead one?--but was now...playing a guitar...

First off, how is he making those sounds from one guitar. That's a fucking orchestral piece. Wh...where's the choir coming from?

No, more importantly, why did he pick a guitar out of all the other things in that pile back there?!

He shook his head and looked at Highball again.

"If it's not clear in a few seconds what we should be doing, let's try and cut the woman off when she goes for an escape and drag her somewhere out of sight where we can question her."

In Hunting Beasts and Monsters

Really nice touch with the BGM. Also I'd almost forgotten that there's actually a map of Iredele on the first page of the OOC.

In Hunting Beasts and Monsters

Kenji nearly jumped out of his skin when the woman he'd attempted to speak to before nudged him, her steps falling in line with his own. After turning a particularly sharp glare on her, he relaxed...at least until the rat scurried out from practically under his foot. As he bristled he gave a half hearted kick at the creature, then watched it scramble into the darkness. He flexed his fingers on the haft of his spear before he looked back at the woman.

@Lugubrious"I'll try English--or whatever this language is we all seem capable of using--this time." he began, before turning his attention back to the town. As his eyes roamed the silhouettes of each building, he kept his mouth moving to distract his mind (was that a freaking corpse hanging crucified from that sign pole!?). "My name's Nakamura Kenji, surname-first. May I ask your own?"

As the woman answered, Kenji would nod absentmindedly--he was listening, and made sure to note what she said, but was also concerned with the look of the town.

Ghost town, maybe literally. That building with the most light and sound seems to be a bar of some kind--a good place to find crowds of people who might have loose tongues. Also a good place to get dragged into a drunk brawl, so I'd best be sure this girl's not fast to fight like Muscles McSteroids back there. I wonder--

A scream rent the chill air, and Kenji's first response was to raise his spear and take a half step back, lining himself up sideways to present as small a target as possible.

Straight ahead, main street. Take them? Would beasts and monsters "take," in the fashion of kidnapping?

A figure charged past him and the woman, and Kenji recognized Donny as he began to haul himself up the side of a wall.

Good thinking, but too obvious. Leaping from the rooftops will make his shadowed form stand out against the background of the moonlight.

He looked at Highball, and jerked his head towards a side route between the buildings.

"I'll take left, you take right, if you plan on helping. Instead of running straight down the thoroughfare, let's take the side alleys and try to get an eye on this thing before we actually charge into it. If you have to, let Mr. Chivalry up there be our bait."

So saying he took the roundabout roads through the shadows, keeping close to the walls and jogging along in a half crouch, spear held ready. He wanted to help whoever it was doing the screaming--he wasn't heartless--but he wasn't going to make any stupid, heroic, self sacrificial moves if he didn't have to. Honestly, what made this most worthwhile was the fact that, if he played his cards right, he could watch just what kind of battle might play out between this beast and whoever came to slay it, and gather some valuable data.

He grimaced with self-disgust.

The Jade Stream

"Travel is an excellent hobby, Miss Torako." said Dai Xin. "Expanding one's horizons is one of the many paths to enlightenment. I too have enjoyed seeing different people and places on my journey." Dai Xin ate a few more buns before graciously accepting the tea with a bow of his head. He gave off a very dignified air as he sipped at it, savoring the subtle intricacies of the flavor. After a few moments he lowered the cup and took a deep breath, savoring the scented steam rising from the cup.

"I could kill them, if you know where they make their hideout." he offered Liu nonchalantly. "Or capture them, if Mingdu prefers to give its criminals due trial." He sniffed, as if the idea of sparing the bandits was distasteful, but then went back to eating. Already between himself and Torako they'd finished what was left of the first serving. He made a "hm" sound as a thought occurred, then looked up at the others.

"Do the bandits have bounties, by any chance?" He looked around the table. "Miss Kyang, you seemed concerned about money earlier. Forgive me if I pry unnecessarily, but perhaps this would provide a solution? Or are you elsewise employed?"

The Jade Stream

Is this meant to be more character driven, or will there be a more focused kind of plot? I enjoy the character development and interaction, I just hope things don't slow down too much once we run out of things to talk about.

The Jade Stream

"My family were serfs on the land of a minor noble." Dai Xin answered, a bit late as he was focused on the food, but answering nonetheless. "I left my home village when I was fifteen, after my master died. I speak to them from time to time through letters, and last I heard things were as they always are."

He somehow managed to fit three of the dumplings in his mouth at once, chewing and swallowing as he listened to the others before giving his second answer.

"My master taught me to read, but I do not often have time to do so for simple enjoyment. I suppose I have no hobbies, as my training consumes most of my time." He looked over at Liu for a moment as another few bao disappeared. He wasn't quite as voracious as Torako, but had no less of an appetite than the girl. "If you are a graduate of the Mingdu school, why do you not become a soldier or a mercenary? The coin might be harder to get but it would surely be more abundant than game. If you've hunted this area for so long, no doubt the animals will grow scarce."

In Hunting Beasts and Monsters

From here on out, as we begin to explore the world, how much control do the players have over the story? Will any beasts we encounter and fight be treated similarly to players, going back-and-forth with the GMs until one side dies, or will that be reserved for "boss" monsters while lower ranked creatures can pretty much be auto-hit/killed as long as it's not excessive (like if someone writes about tearing apart over a hundred fodder creatures in one go)?

Will there be any kind of bestiary to be filled as we go along? And as for the "NPCs," so to speak, of the town or other locations in the world, how will interaction with them play out?