I'm fine with her as an NPC or being written out. I already feel guilty about it, since I haven't been able to contribute much of anything, and taking either approach puts a burden on someone else. Again, sorry for that.
In any case, I hope this RP does well despite everything. The group seems really fun, and deserves a good story.
I apologize for taking so long to get a post up. RL has been kicking my ass. My lease expires soon, and I'm having trouble finding places to live, since rent literally doubled around here.
Things were going smoothly now that she had convinced the boy Milo that it was safe to return. She gave him an approving look as a satisfied grin play on her lips. "Come along then. The kobold may be gone, but we're still in the middle of the wilderness." They two meandered through the tall grass, walking astride, when one of the other's approached.
Zhao eyed him up and down, noting his features, she realized, for the first time: tall, lithe, and pale with a mop of dusky brown hair. The goggles resting on his head gave her a moment's pause. She had not see anything quite like it. Perhaps he was a scholar of some kind?
"Puppeteer?" She parroted, sounding a little confused. Driven by mild suspicion, her eyebrows inched upward. Faint memories of a rustic village began to surface. Children gathered around makeshift booths along the street, and the nearby merchants put on a show with hand puppets next to their shops. She watched the puppets act out their slapstick scenes and Sam's magic trick with a stoic calm, but the glimmer of wry amusement in her eyes would easily betray her. Sparing a glance at Milo, she briefly wondered if he was interested in puppets like those children in the village.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Sam. I belong to the honorable Li family, humble protectors of Tian Xia. You may call me Zhao," she said with practiced formality, and bent forward in a modest bow.
Sorry, been very busy lately. I'll try to update probably this weekend.
Don't feel too pressured. If you want, the rest of us could chat a bit in the field before meeting the knight captain. It's like we don't have loads to talk about.
Everything was going to plan. A spray of gunfire from Wedge pelted the ranger's jeep. All of her senses sharpened as she focused on getting the right timing. Just as she was about to throw, she felt her world turn sideways as the bike veered sharply. Before she could even react, she was nearly throw off the bike as Wedge accidentally rammed into them. The bomb flew from her loosened grip and sail through the air. She recovered her balance quickly, narrowly avoiding a face full of concrete wall. When she looked back she saw the small light on the bomb flip from a steady green to a flashing red.
Knowing she had lost her chance, her her heart sank, but she didn't have any time to sulk. Just beyond the bomb, two enormous robots flanked either side of the tunnel, spanning nearly its entire width. Her mouth fell open in a wordless gasp.
"Fuck.. Are those sweep-?" Before she could finish her sentence, the bomb detonated and she caught a mouth full of dust and flecks of concrete. She coughed and spat, rubbing the debris from her eyes. When she looked back, a cloud of debris obscured the tunnel behind them, but she could still make out the metallic silhouettes of the combat robots. Then two dust-covered, metal spectres flew out of the debris straight towards them.
Slugrays.
Both had some dents and scratches, one of them had even lost one of its mini-rockets, so it glided through the air lopsidedly. Even damaged they were still a threat. "Keep the bike steady, but don't speed up." She yelled at Biggs, then tuned to Wedge. "Focus on the broken one, and try not to shoot me in the process. I'm going in."
One slugray raised its gun at them. She was already moving by the time the bullets left barrel. The clang of metal and against metal rang in her ears as she deflected the shots, most of them missing entirely or ricocheting off her clawed gauntlets and biting into the tunnel walls. It drew in closer.
Using the frame and tail pipes, she slid her legs to one side and scooted up into a crouch. As the drone tried to overtake them, magic power ignited the air like an invisible fire. She leaped towards the robot, spinning like a corkscrew. It rotated to fire at her but it was too late, her claws cleaved through the barrel of its gun and the shot backfired in the chamber. Her other hand found purchase easily, her claws ripping into its thin armor and giving her a solid grip. Wasting no time, she raised her knee, repeatedly jab into its hard underbelly in series of explosive strikes as her other claw tore away piece after piece of plating, weapons, and sensors. Bits of the machine flew in all directions as she mauled it like a wild animal, growling and cursing it with every strike. If she had fangs, she would have bit it in half.
One of the severed rocket packs, flew in loops through the air before exploding right next to the other slugray. With only two rockets left to keep both it and Kanade aloft, her eviscerated prey rapidly descended towards the ground. Kanade looked back at Biggs and Wedge and measured the distance. She growled in frustration, knowing she couldn't close the gap.
A thin veil of magical power bristled and pulsed around her. She drew her legs up, bringing all of her weight to one side, and steering the falling scrap heap towards Biggs. She kicked off the broken slugray as it crashed into the pavement and sailed forward through the air. Tucking her shoulder and head, she prepared for rough landing as she hit the ground and tumbled several meters. Pain lanced her shoulder as it struck against something hard and unyielding. She let out a cry of pain, but pushed on. Despite the fresh injury, she managed to scramble to her feet and began sprinting after the bikes.
Cool winds blew down from the mountain, a calming breeze as Zhao regarded the old knight with a tired stare, the kind of expressionless gaze she always used when dealing with troublesome people. She didn't dislike these knights, and even if they were no longer suspicious of her and the others, she was still suspicious of them. Serving in her father's army gave her a window into their mind. She sympathized with them. Who wouldn't be on edge if they had to regularly contend with monsters like the Kobold Lord. But somehow... hearing thanks and praise didn't improve her mood. It was obvious the knight captain was being earnest, but as he stumbled through his apology, her gaze wandered. Many of the knights were busy moving bodies, and chanting prayers. The reality of how many died began to sink in. Pity and despair twisted inside her, forming a dense pit in her stomach. She didn't know any of them, but she felt terrible all the same. What a waste...
She drew in a quiet breath, composing herself, and addressed the old knight with as much courtesy as she could muster. "You acted with integrity and courage in the face of terrible danger, and for that you have my respect. We may be strangers still, but as it is my hope we can continue as allies." She said with a slight bow. "Your kind words and hospitality are appreciated, but there still work for me to do here. Please excuse me."
Zhao turned on her heel as the knight vanished into a sliver of light. So much had happened it was enough to make anyone's head spin. She could feel the tension building into a headache. Nevertheless, she had made a promise to that child and she intended to keep it. Her feet carried to the center of the field where they had all appeared and she looked around for signs of the boy, but it was near impossible to find anything in the tall grass. She heaved a sigh and stared listlessly at the heavens, praying silently for guidance. The blue sky loomed above, and floating among the clouds was great hawk.
"Ah..." Higher ground provided many advantages, she remembered, perhaps she could find him more easily that way. However, gently sloping hills surrounded her in every direction. Her heart sank, when she realized a way to solve it. Memories of her father speaking of the Tao came rushing in. She could hear her father's voice saying 'Mastering yourself is the path to true power'. She scowled at the hawk with bitter resignation.
With a groan, Zhao widened her stance and lowered into a crouch, building power in her legs as she had done before. Her heart hammered in her chest. Be still, she told herself repeatedly. The ground cratered beneath her as she flew into the air. When she reached the apex of her jump, she ventured a look down and noticed the hawk was only a few meters away. Her fear of heights struck fast and hard, like an anvil against her chest. She let out a small cry and gulped hard as she began to plummet back down. Her eyes frantically scanned the nearby hills, using her fear to focus and look for any sign of the boy.
"There!"
Several hilltops away, she could see kobolds fleeting a small, shaggy-haired person standing in the tall grass. That had to be him, she thought as she braced for impact. The landing was hard and unpleasant. She skidded to halt as her feet dug trenches into the hillside and threw a cloud of dirt into the air. She drew in a few long breaths to calm herself and took a few awkward steps. Her legs felt stiff and her knees ached. She worked through the pain and started sprinting in the boy's direction, all the while dreading the thought of having do anything like that again.
"New skill 'Fear Resistance level 1' acquired!"
"Fear resistance? What a cheeky Goddess..." She thought.
After cresting a tall hill, she found him walking aimlessly amidst the grass, and rushed to him. "Are you hurt?" She asked, somewhat out of breath, and inspected him from head to toe. Her expression softened once she realized he didn't have an obvious injuries. "It was wrong of me to leave you behind. I didn't realize those knights wouldn't be able to keep you safe. On my honor as Princess Zhao of Pingyang, I swear to protect you, so please come back to camp with me." She paused for a moment. "Although... It's probably for the best, if you just call me Zhao for the time being." She offered hand, and smiled softly. "Since I've given you my name, why don't you tell me yours?"
@Travesty I meant to ask earlier, but is everyone's job 'undetermined'? Also, how do character acquire a job? It is controlled by the Goddess, or something people can work toward on their own?
If this would be a spoiler for something IC, then I'll happily wait. I was jc. ;3
On a totally unrelated note.... I know characters start dying when their HP hits 0, but what happens if a character runs out of MP? Do they just get exhausted like you sometimes see in other Isekai?
