[OOC] The Jade Stream

[FujiwaraPhoenix]

So, uh...

@Muttonhawk@VitaVitaAR:
Should I just follow up here, or either of you wanna do something first?

[VitaVitaAR]

Waiting on @Muttonhawk since Torako has nothing to really do but watch. ^^;

[Muttonhawk]

I'm not sure that there would be much for Kyang to regard until further developments. By the way, where's Liu in all of this?

[FujiwaraPhoenix]

@Muttonhawk:

Still hanging back. You know, looking over the hostage that he's tied up with vines. While also trying to recover from that arrow to the arm.
It's not easy to just brush off something like that, after all.

In any case, I'll move the scene along now.

[Muttonhawk]

Cool beans.

[Zeroth]

Sorry for hogging the spotlight, I know it kinda left Torako and Kyang without much to go on. Dai Xin's reaction will probably evoke plenty of response, hopefully, due to its dubious moral nature.

[Muttonhawk]

It's all good. You didn't drag out the moment too long.

Though, the thing I am slightly worried about is the precedent that has been set with this ki business. The fight that we just had kind of put the ki channellers on a distinctly higher tier than non-ki channellers. I can see that causing more scenes in the future where the two tiers get split or else the lower gets sidelined. Well, I could be overestimating all this, or these guys were just particularly dangerous. Am I interpreting this right? I feel like I need to be discussed at.

I don't know, maybe it's my own fault for not putting too much emphasis on pure martial skill with Kyang. She is more of a tactician and a talker, even a scholar in some respects. If that's the case, there is probably more sidelining in her future regardless.

[Zeroth]

It's all good. You didn't drag out the moment too long.

Though, the thing I am slightly worried about is the precedent that has been set with this ki business. The fight that we just had kind of put the ki channellers on a distinctly higher tier than non-ki channellers.

@Muttonhawk

Yeah--I seem to remember several folks expressing interest, and then nothing coming of it once things got started. Usual fare around this place, but the fact that out of the few characters we got there was an even split between "powered" and "non-powered" folk might cause some issue. I know that there are two other "classes" we haven't even seen so far, I think--Liu is a Naturalist, but as of yet hasn't contracted/absorbed any animal/spirit that he could use to display those powers--and the "Lightseeker," while probably being the closest thing to what's been seen so far, was probably not intended to be seen as "upper tier" compared to the other two.

But I don't think Kyang and Torako could be considered "weak" or anything. Even with things like enhancing the body's durability or muscular strength with ki, though, I personally think that Dai Xin still wouldn't be able to stop a blade from cutting him. Body hardening techniques are a real thing in some martial arts, but that's how you become able to do things like break tiles/bricks and hit someone in the jaw without gloves and not break your hand in the process. Even with supernatural aid I think forged steel specifically designed to cut something with less power and more efficiently is going to beat flesh and bone. So weapon users aren't out of luck, especially if they make use of the Soulbound stuff. A martial artist might have speed and strength, but if a swordsman gets one good cut in and uses the length of his weapon to keep out of range, even superhumans can bleed to death.

[FujiwaraPhoenix]

I seem to have neglected looking at the OoC recently, so I didn't see this conversation start going off. Let me put my two cents now that I've noticed, though.

I actually share many of the sentiments that Zeroth here does; though one of the characters (his) is powerful, there is no reason to discount the other characters simply because they lack the ability to manipulate qi. As he said (and as we'll see in the future), this factor is NOT absolute. It doesn't, however, mean that people have to rely solely on qi as the defining factor in every fight; not every weapon has to be soulbound to beat the big guys with the big guns, to put it bluntly. Just means characters have to be a tad more skillful. In the end, for Torako and Kyang, the battles are probably going to be more focused on battles of wit and skill, rather than brute strength.
At least, that's how I see it. And hey, they're just in a unique part of the continent right now, where this ability is much more commonplace than... Well, basically everywhere else. Just because a guy's covered in some weird barrier doesn't mean they don't have weaknesses, after all. And if you hit the same place enough times, something's gonna crack.

I admit, I may have taken a bit of a... Well, awkward approach in dealing with the whole 'Xin beating the everloving shit out of everything in sight' problem and that everyone else was basically sidelined, but I've got some stuff in mind for everyone else. Everyone should get a chance in the spotlight, sooner or later. As for who I've got it my sights? Well... You'll see soon enough. Eventually, once everyone's gotten their own little arc done (I'm filing this one away as Xin's), we should be about ready for some of my... Grander plans.

[Muttonhawk]

Sounds good to me, boss!

[Muttonhawk]

Are you all good to post, Zeroth, or do you need one of us to respond?

[Zeroth]

Ah, I thought since Kyang and Torako were heading for Liu, and Torako was the first one Liu saw and asked his question to, I'd just wait a bit so that I could write more than a fluffed up "Xin followed the girls."

[Zeroth]

I assume that running out of Qi is a thing that wouldn't immediately kill somebody, so I figure that'll be a good way to let Dai Xin slip back a little bit and let everyone else be more prominent.

[FujiwaraPhoenix]

If everyone's fine with going back to town, I'll dial the clock ahead to the next day. Otherwise, I'll handle whoever's deciding to otherwise.

[Muttonhawk]

I have no protest.

[Zeroth]

No problems here.

How should Dai Xin's duel with the headmaster of Mingdu play out? Do you guys just wanna let him do that on his own so the other three can go back to capture the other bandits, or just do their own thing without him looming over them?

[FujiwaraPhoenix]

Isn't that basically saying the same thing? lol

But yeah, I think that if you want to go have the duel while the others clean up the fight at the bandit hideout, be my guest.

[Muttonhawk]

Who's on next?

[VitaVitaAR]

I am, but I'm struggling with making a post that's got anything to it other then Torako going to get a bath.

[Muttonhawk]

Yeah, I'm thinking this is a group movement where we turn in our bounty and go our separate ways for a bit. Should we just collectively skip to tomorrow and summarise our activities until the point where we meet up again to take on the leadership?