Teo Deum Abducto

[Simmeh]

<Investigate to see if there are any of the armour looks like it would provide better protection than his Chainmail, and if any of the weapons would be more lethal than his Pike or Warhammer>

 

[TentacleTherapist]

All the weapons are sidearms not fit for good fightin' folk. You do see a suit of what looks curiously like splint mail, but with metal plates strung together with cloth and lacquered wood. When you go to examine it and pick it up, it seems unusually light for that sort of armor.

 

[Simmeh]

"Is this splint mail available for use, milord? It would seem to provide better protection and mobility than my infantry mail."

 

[TentacleTherapist]

"As I said, take whatever you wish, but only that?"

 

[Simmeh]

"Unless any of these have special qualities, magical or otherwise, that I'm unaware of. I'm only familiar with the weapons and armour of my land, so perhaps things are different here."

 

[TentacleTherapist]

"Magical? No, of course we don't have any of that. Techniques channel the power of your Qi into the world, and elemental cores can be used to make medicinal pills, or imbue attached items with the forces of the associated element."

 

[Simmeh]

"I see. That may be something I'll learn as we proceed, in addition to all the customs of this land. In that case, is there any weapon here that you would recommend? My training was mostly about the discipline needed to stand in a pike square, but I did receive some instruction on using a variety of weapons in more direct means, and I'm sure I can figure out which end of any weapon goes where."

 

[TentacleTherapist]

His face scrunches up as he sighs, "This is going to be more difficult than I thought." A few moments pass with Xiao Yan staring intently at the wall of scrolls and cores before an idea lights across his face. He grabs a misshapen crystal from a drawer and presses it into your hands "Focus your mind intently on the crystal and think about... pretend it is a trusted friend that you are desperately trying to save. It will measure the element of your Qi."


(This is an important moment, you can choose any one of the five Chinese elements {Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, Wood}, you may also choose Fire and Wood if you want to become an Alchemist, or none of the above if you'd like to try experience some other kind of 'cool shit' later.)

 

[Simmeh]

Teo concentrates on the crystal and tries to do as the lord says. He finds, strangely, that the whenever he tries to use the 'trusted friend' image, he always gets someone who looks like Xiao Yan. He eventually tries focusing on his god, Heironeous, with his metallic armour and weapons...


<Teo's greatest affinity is with the Metal element>

 

[TentacleTherapist]

The crystal lights up like it contains a field of stars plucked from the night sky, but they shake and dart around at random. It seems like Xiao Yan sees more in the crystal than you do, but doesn't seem particularly startled or confused by what he sees. He takes the crystal from you and replaces it with a scroll case.


"Your Qi vortex is lightning aspected, not a common element, but not unheard of. The scroll contains a cultivation technique, just read it and you'll experience an awakening of your Qi. The scroll is written in the blood of a magical beast, so you don't have to worry about being able to read our script, but awakening can be a little overwhelming. I'll prepare supplies for our trip in the meantime, and we can meet again tomorrow morning, okay?"

 

[Simmeh]

"Yes, milord."


Teo takes the scroll and opens it. Whatever happens next, it can't be the weirdest thing that has happened to me recently.

 

[TentacleTherapist]

The scroll rolls open to reveal dense text that you, indeed, cannot read. The writing smooth and caligraphic, done in an ink so silver that it looks like the scroll is covered in paper-thin blades. Xiao Yan speaks suddenly in an alarmed voice "What? You're going to do that here?!"


You try to look at him, but can't take your eyes off the now glowing text. You feel your senses pulling into your body as you lose taste and smell, then hearing, touch, and finally sight. You see... no, that isn't right, you feel a space deep in your body, and from it radiates a web of pathways like blood vessels. Inside the open space is a single plume of yellow smoke that flits around a black void that is you. You understand that the smoke is a kind of power that you can draw upon, and that focusing deeply on this sense of your soul lets you glean the same kind of power from your surroundings.


A minute amount of white gas suddenly enters one of the pathways in your body and begins to rage along them. As the gas passes you are wracked with pain, and the pathways seem to crack and expand. You know that this new energy is useless to you, and will simply do as it pleases until it can break from your body, but if you force it to follow a certain path it will become yours. It cycles around and around as you rally your concentration and force it to follow the path that you want. After what feels like an eternity you make it go the right way and it is shaved down in size, wisps of now yellow smoke flowing towards your center and slowly beginning to spin. The white gas passes again, then a third time, losing more and more energy and empowering the yellow vortex now spinning deep inside you.


You wake up, covered in sweat, laying in a bed. Xun Er is wiping your face down with a damp cloth when she notices you are awake. "You've finally agglomerated a Qi Vortex? Brother Yan was worried when it took you so long, it's been three days since you started."

 

[Simmeh]

"I think so...? I feel like I've done something very foolish again."

 

[TentacleTherapist]

"I don't know what you think is foolish or not, but you've also taken a step towards true strength" she says coyly. "Either way, Brother Yan has been waiting since he finished his preparations for your little trip to the clan dungeon. I'll even give you a little hint to help you out: The ceiling is more important to watch than the floor."

 

[Simmeh]

"Then I shouldn't keep him waiting any longer. Thankyou, my lady, I'll be on my way then."

 

[TentacleTherapist]

You find Xiao Yan sitting on his throne, deep in thought. When he notices you, he perks up "You're awake! You've done it, congratulations. We can depart to train immediately if you're feeling up to it."


Now that you think about it, despite what you've gone through, you don't feel tired. In fact, you feel a little more energetic than usual, like you had been a little ill your entire life and have only just recovered. 'Great' is a good description of how you feel, actually.

 

[Simmeh]

"I think that might be best, milord. Apparently I've been asleep for three days now."

 

[TentacleTherapist]

"Very good, very good, we leave immediately!" Xiao Yan seem to be traveling a little... light, not carrying any bags, weapons, or armor, but he seems confident in his actions. He leads you outside into the clan compound, and around the backside of the building that contains the throne room. Suddenly Xiao Yan stops, bends over, and throws open the doors of what looks like a storm cellar nestled in the ground.


He starts to descend the steps, and you follow quickly after. Once your head passes underground you feel a distinct sense of malaise, and it feels like a brick or two has been piled up on your chest.

 

[Simmeh]

"Milord, what exactly is down here? I have this odd feeling of foreboding."

 

[TentacleTherapist]

"This is a 'dungeon', but not the kind you keep prisoners in. Think of them like living creatures that create monsters and treasures inside themselves to lure in unsuspecting adventurers. Killing the boss at the end of the dungeon causes the entire thing to wither and die, so many powerful nations with dungeons nearby carefully regulate the killing of monsters and leaving the boss alive. Completely ignoring dungeons causes the monsters inside to amass and then flood from the dungeon to destroy everything around it. That unsettling feeling could be called the maliciousness of the dungeon itself, but it won't be a lasting feeling."


At the bottom of the stairs sits a roughly round room with a roof and floor of dirt and roots. Even though it is underground, dim light diffuses through the dungeon with no clear source. Three dirt corridors branch off from the circular room you've entered.


"This is where we will be training. Don't worry, the first level of this dungeon only has imps and mad dogs. The imps are mostly solitary and use fire magic, the mad dogs attack in small groups of two to four. I should be able to sense the number and types of monster groups, so we don't have to worry about getting overwhelmed. Choosing our battles appropriately should keep us from getting trapped between multiple groups of monsters. Also be wary of secret doors, though there shouldn't be many at the first level. So what would you like to try fighting first?"

 

[Simmeh]

"Let's try fighting an Imp, then."

 

[TentacleTherapist]

Xiao Yan leads you down one of the earthen corridors for only a minute or two. The creature hovers at eye-level, an almost skeletal foot tall mockery of the human form. Between its fingers sits a wispy ball of flame, and from its back sit bat-like wings.


The corridor is ten foot tall and wide, but extends as far at the eye can see. You are armed with your (insert prepared weapon here), but the imp reacts faster than you. It throws the little ball of fire at you with a startling speed, but the ball doesn't have any real force in it when the flame hits you. Instead your armor heats up and sears your flesh underneath. (You take 1 damage)


Xiao Yan makes no attempt to move forward and help you, but instead seems to be watching you carefully.

 

[Simmeh]

Teo approaches his foe steadily. Though drilled in combat, he had always trained as a member of a line of pikes, not as an individual soldier; extra caution was necessary. He stops just within reach of the demon, and thrusts.


<Teo attacks the Imp>

 

[TentacleTherapist]

You pierce the creature on your first strike, and it falls to the ground. A few moments later the imp's body dissolves away, leaving behind an organ of some type and an acorn-sized gem whose surface seems to flicker. Xiao Yan moves forward to where the body used to lay.


"Splendid work... what was your name again?"


(Gain 50 experience. Obtained an Oil Bladder, Obtained a Least Fire Core.)

 

[Simmeh]

"My name is Teodor, milord. Teodor Spisson."