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Post by Kuma on Mar 7, 2018 3:47:33 GMT
Percival looked at Ann’s choice of food with barely veiled disgust. He searched on a pack hanging from the back of his belt, hidden beneath his duster, and revealed a couple MRE packages, one with a number 11 and the other with a number 14. The Old Mercenary proceeded to open them, while pouring a bit of hot water he had been warming at fireside. One seemed to be vegetarian tacos, while the other was pasta with cream spinach sauce. The packages also carried protein bars, labelled with “No animal components” hinting that he was a vegetarian. He efficiently went through his meal as he listened to Gianni and Ann’s chat. Finally, when he finished eating he neatly placed the packaging into a black bag and opened one of the protein bar. The Virtual Warrior asked about the source of his powers and for a moment his eyes wandered towards his duster, or better put, towards his inner pocket, but soon he realized that revealing would either bring distrust or disbelief so he chose to play the veteran card.
-You shouldn’t openly discuss these kind of things.- He commented. -Is clear you’re a relatively new denizen of the Hidden World, so as your elder I feel that I must inform you of certain things.- His tone was almost akin to a college professor’s. -There are many, many denizens across the whole world and most of them aren’t as friendly as we’re.- His fingers slowly grasped the hilt of his blade, more as a way to feel comfortable than as a threat. -There are many divisions among denizens, some wouldn’t even think you’re one, if your powers come from technology, many think that magic users are myths and some western denizens laugh at the idea of Ki, but everybody is wrong.- He sneered. -Not being able to understand something creates fear, even among those who’re unexplainable to the mundane folk.- He released his blade opening both hands in front of him, palms looking up. -So in the future I would advise for you to keep that kind of information and only release to people you know and trust lassie.-
Hopefully they wouldn’t realize he was basically trying to bury the topic to avoid answering. The source of his powers was something entrusted to him long time ago, something dangerous in the wrong hands so there wasn’t a living soul who knew what he was carrying.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 7, 2018 6:28:57 GMT
"No thank you." He took a slightly squished peanut butter and jelly sandwich from his backpack, rejecting the offer of the burger. He had found that a diet with a lot of protein and sugar suited him well, while too much fat made him feel ill. While he ate the sandwich with quick nibbles, he listened to Percival's explanation with surprise. He hadn't thought of something like that.
"Well, since Ann already shared, I think it would be unfair if I didn't. I'm an alien, believe it or not. I cast a spell each month to remain as human as I am." Ann and Percival would probably find it unsurprising, after seeing his wiry hair, purple-tinted skin, and puny stature. Gianni finished his sandwich and sealed up the ziplock bag he had contained it in. "I'm all for transparency, but I understand your standpoint on it. I won't ask about your powers, Percival." He put the bag back in his backpack and stood. He was ready to really dig into the tomb now. There was so much to study!
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Post by othus on Mar 7, 2018 9:06:41 GMT
Ann took Percival's worlds seriously, but she was a lot more optimistic.
"well, I might not know you all that well, but I trust you both" Ann said while looking at the fire.
as she stood up she then turned towards Percival
"Besides, the more you know about my power the more we can think of strategies right?"
-----
"wait, you are an Alien??!"
Ann had a big smile on her face, all this information made her excited about the things to come. "I have decided!, I wanna know more about this world! not just for the machine, but for myself!"
she faced towards the entrance of the tomb.
"I believe we have something to do, don't we?!"
Ann dusted off her clothes, her adventure was just about to begin.
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Post by Kuma on Mar 9, 2018 3:37:15 GMT
-That’s a nice outlook to have.- Percival spoke to Ann as he got closer to her. -But this kind of things must be thought over before starting.- A sudden flash of sadness crossed his face. -When I was young, long, long time ago, I made mistakes born out of my adventurous zeal and my convictions lassie.- He quickly composed himself, as if he was mentally swatting away the memories that bubbled out from the deepest confines of his mind. -I wouldn’t like to see others suffer the same fate, so we need to think of a marching order and some basic group dynamics if we plan to investigate the inside of a tomb, that for all we know, might be swarming with Jiangshi.- The Old Mercenary crouched and started tracing some lines on the sand using his finger. Soon his design was finished, displaying a couple of walls, forming a hallway, that ended in a T-Junction with other two open routes. In the first hall there were a circle, a triangle and a square.
-Let’s say we’re delving inside this underground complex and we stumble upon a bifurcation.- He pointed the T-Junction. -What do we do? How we can ascertain we won’t turn around directly into a trap?- He traced a line towards the bifurcation. -I lack any advanced senses and from what you told us it seems you aren’t equipped with that particular skill.- He stood up, turning to face Gianni. -Do you have any enhanced perception lad? Can you feel vibrations through those threads of yours?- He asked, wondering if he had more spider-like qualities hidden on his sleeve. Percival didn’t even react to Gianni’s previous revelation, he heard weirder stuff before.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 9, 2018 8:27:15 GMT
Gianni wondered what Percival was talking about when he mentioned past mistakes. Over a long life, he certainly had time to make many. The thought didn't sit well with Gianni. Percival seemed stable and normal on the surface, but he clearly had something deeply wrong in his past. Was that inevitable as you got older? It was an odd thought. Despite being in his early 20s, Gianni still had expectations for "adults" that just didn't match what he saw.
"Yes, I can. I don't really know how it compares to humans, but they never seem as sensitive to touch. If I keep a thread attached to the floor, I can feel footsteps a few hundred feet away, and walls don't really block that like they do sound. Otherwise, I don't think I have better senses than humans. Not my eyesight, that's for sure." Gianni tapped his glasses. His shortsightedness seemed to be a species trait, as everybody in his family had worn similar lenses. If Marika lived, she likely still would.
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Post by othus on Mar 11, 2018 2:33:35 GMT
"so, basically, we will have to rely on Gianni to avoid monsters and traps, how will we watch each other's backs?"
Ann was wondering about her weapons, the shotgun was effective against the Jiangshi, but it might attract too much attention if fired
"I say the best thing would be to avoid useless encounters, the only times we managed to beat the Jiangshi was because they were exposed to sunlight, other than that it seems they can take quite a lot of damage before going down"
Ann loaded her 9mm pistol and holstered it.
"since I'm the least experienced I will let the two of you guide the way."
As much as Ann wanted to further prepare, that was as much as she could do in her state.
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Post by Kuma on Mar 12, 2018 3:34:45 GMT
-That would be useful lad.- Percival commented on Gianni’s perception through threads. -You’ll take point, I’ll follow closely and she will...- He added, while pointing at Ann.- Keep the rear guard.- The Old Mercenary unsheathed his blade, taking it out from the scabbard hanging on his back with a soft “SWHING”. -You keep your threads on the floor and keep us posted about if somebody is coming, we will go case by case while we advance, my blade can potentially destroy them, but powering it up takes a while and can be quite visible.- The worn, yet well kept, blade gleamed with a soft golden radiance. -Is a Holy Blade, given to me a long time ago by a good friend of mine, it’s pernicious against undead and otherworldly creatures, yet Eastern Necromancy seems to have some fundamental differences from Western schools of magic, making half of it effect null and void against these creatures.- With that said he started moving towards the doorway, looking inside. They knew that the hallway would take them to a low incline, further into the Tomb. -So, shall we go?-
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 12, 2018 5:55:36 GMT
"Alright, that sounds good to me. But Ann raises a good point. You stabbed one before and it survived. Is there another way to defeat one? Decapitation maybe?" Gianni entered the tomb, approaching the decline. He gently touched the walls with his fingertips, closing his eyes. He could feel every groove left by the chisels of workers long ago. He paused every few steps to feel for movement below. He felt equally carefully with his feet. As the lightest member, he was the least likely to set off any pressure plates. He wouldn't even think about such things if he was a regular archaeologist, but that's how it was in the hidden world. He hefted his large flashlight and clicked it on once things got too dim in the tomb, carefully looking for carvings or anything else of interest.
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Post by othus on Mar 12, 2018 22:46:21 GMT
The entrance had a really ominous feeling to it, maybe because that's right where she died. Ann felt a chill run down her spine as they entered.
she unholstered her gun and took out from her vest a small flashlight, it wasn't much, but it was enough to check her surroundings. After all, Percival towered over her with ease and she couldn't take advantage of Gianni's flashlight.
she tried to make as little noise as possible, her combat boots weren't best suited for stealth, but she would have to deal with it.
Every some steps Ann would look back at the entrance and shine some light on top of her as if waiting for something to come out. being paranoid would surely do no harm here.
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Post by Kuma on Mar 13, 2018 4:50:25 GMT
-I might need some time to coat the blade, but I’m positive I can destroy this particular kind of undead, I’ve done it before.- Percival replied to Gianni’s inquiry as they started to move in. -If you two support me we might be able to efficiently clean this place, but I only have 5, maybe even 10 times as a limit, because my body can’t charge the blade many times, since I spend my stamina to do so.- Percival was about to explain more about his sword, but he noticed that Gianni was trying to listen so he made silence. The Arachnid Archaeologist would be relieved, as his perception of vibrations wasn’t picking up anything, no movement whatsoever. The room was another story, no traps, but the technique used to built the hallway and the walls was unknown to him, everything seemed to be curved, even the floor to a certain extent, giving the tomb a strange organic-like quality. If they advanced they would encounter a lightly bending passage with a slow decline, moving in a spiral into the depths of the tomb. The walls were smooth, too smooth, as if dozens upon dozens of worked had polished it long time ago, nothing was carved into them, at least nothing close to the entrance. The tunnel would curve for 20 more mts while still going down, until it would reach a large circular room with a domed ceiling, everything carved in the massive piece of White Jade. The room was mostly empty, with a thin cover of white dust over the concave floor. The walls had some carvings, and two openings that turned into tunnels. If Gianni wanted to see the carvings he would have to get closer.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 13, 2018 6:53:31 GMT
"If you get too tired to keep fighting, we're heading back to the surface to recuperate." Gianni insisted, feeling his way down. Nothing moved in the walls so far, and nothing awaited at the bottom of the tunnel. A sense of awe was growing in Gianni's soul, spurred by the vastness of the project. All this, dug out of a solid mountain of stone. How many graves were hidden in the desert around? And where was all the jade carved from the mountain? There must be hundreds of tons.
He glanced around at the bottom, feeling the walls again. He spotted the carvings on the other end of the room and sprang across faster than Percival or Ann had seen him moving even during the fights before. He gently touched the carvings while he examined them with his eyes, reading more from touch than from sight.
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Post by othus on Mar 13, 2018 9:40:50 GMT
Ann was impressed as they entered the room,it was the first time she ever Saw something like this. Somehow she felt in awe and her fear was gone.
"Percival, wouldn't this type of room have lanterns or something to compensate the lack of light?"
Ann noticed something caught Gianni's attention and she quickly followed, knowing Gianni had an eye for this type of stuff. whatever he was on would surely help her complete her mission.
She stopped for a moment, knowing Percival wasn't running as fast.
"I'm going with Gianni, let me know if you find some old torches or anything, we could really use the extra light, don't worry we won't be leaving this room, and yeah I know, I won't touch anything"
Ann gave Percival a smile as she said that, she then turned again only to see Gianni was already on the other side of the room.
*So fast!*
Ann went on with Gianni but she stayed a couple feet away, she didn't want to bother his research, plus whatever he was looking at she could record it after he was done.
Ann began looking elsewhere without going too far from Gianni
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Post by Kuma on Mar 15, 2018 2:53:11 GMT
-Of course, I’m not use to anybody if I can’t move, when my reserve are running low I’ll tell you laddie.- Percival replied to Gianni’s worries. This wasn’t his first rodeo, so he knew how to keep his energy. The Arachnid Archaeologist started checking the carvings as Ann asked Percival for more light. -I don’t have lanterns, but I can do something to get this place a bit more light.- The Old Mercenary placed his hand on his inner pocket, coating his index and middle fingers with the strange liquid held in there. He started tracing circles on thin air while chanting in a low humming voice, once again as if several voices came out from his throat.
Heofonlīċum Blæcerne
Tiny droplets of the oil-like substance floated in the air, leaving a trail behind his finger. Percival repeated the processes as he moved, creating 6 circles in regular intervals. His humming never stopped, almost as if he was throat singing. His tone changed, from the choir like harmony to a strange cacophony of old voices muttering over each other as his fingers glowed. Finally all the voices gathered in a single powerful whisper.
Breóaid
The circles lit up with soft golden light, radiating the entire room with it. -These will hold for a while, you can study freely laddie, I’ll prepare some alarms on the two hallways, just to be sure.- With that said Percival moved towards one of the corridors, taking a string and some small bells to build a primitive warning system.
Gianni, now with more light, might be able to properly study the carvings. It was a pictographic record, meaning it was using art as the main language to communicate a story or history itself. The carvings covered the whole circumference of the domed room. After checking it for a while Gianni, who was on his element, would easily pinpoint the starting point of the tale, to the left of the doorway the used to enter and the story finished to the right of the same doorway. A series of images, carved in a very archaic chinese art-style, similar to the one encountered on the Mogao Caves, but much more rustic and less lavish, with fewer to none colors.
A man dressed in courtly clothing, walking a forest The man talking to a hermit covered in rags, sitting on a large stone. The well dressed man studying under the hermit, sitting below dead trees. The student and the master writing talismans The duo helping townspeople with their illnesses and pains. The hermit being pointed out by angry townspeople. To the horror of his student.
And with that the story ended, surely more carvings deeper in the cave would continue the tale.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 15, 2018 5:53:15 GMT
Gianni didn't seem to hear anybody else, engrossed in the carvings on the wall. He followed them all the way around three times, absorbing more each time. Something struck him as strange. There was no writing. It wouldn't be surprising not to find writing if this was just a dig on a village, but this was a massive, expensive project. Surely some educated people were involved. Unless... this whole place was made by magic. That would explain many things, although it lead to a disturbing idea. However had done it would be seriously powerful.
He went over it again. He had looked into Chinese archaeology and history before coming, so he was passingly familiar with the Mogao Caves, but not deeply. The content was more interesting anyway. This looked like one of the many events that had lead to the Hidden World becoming enforced for the good of both the abnormal and mundane of the world. Discrimination based on magic was a good way to make evil sorcerers. "I think we might be in the tomb of a sorcerer with a vengeful apprentice, based on this." Gianni suggested, not realizing he had been unresponsive and silent for nearly 20 minutes.
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Post by othus on Mar 17, 2018 2:43:55 GMT
Ann was left speechless, she didn't know whether Percival's chant or the ancient wall was more impressive.
The virtual machine began piling on data as Ann looked around.
"If this is the work of a Sorcerer, then that would explain the jiangshi, wouldn't it? But I would never have expected for Magic to still work even after all these years, is that normal?"
Ann was troubled, one wouldn't normally want to record these type of stuff. Maybe the apprentice held a grudge of extreme magnitudes.
"Is it possible for the Sorcerer to still be alive?"
Ann was open to any possibility at this point, though she wished the answer was a no.
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Post by Kuma on Mar 18, 2018 2:19:40 GMT
Percival placed his traps and returned to the chamber, looking around for anything else of interest. He didn’t found much, just dust and small pieces of bones. The only noteworthy thing he noticed was the tracks in the dust, pointing that the group that broke the door and came before them had taken the path to the left, from the viewpoint of path they came from. That hallway was long and seemingly opened to another room, coming out of this chamber parallel to the entrance. The second passage came out diagonally in relation to the directionality of the first. Seemingly it stretched for a while until it took a sharp curved turn to the right, possibly into another hallway or room. The walls were the same everywhere, extremely smooth and carved by hand.
The Old Mercenary waited patiently as Gianni studied the carvings, knowing that maybe the knowledge found on them would be vital to them. While time passed he took out a small flat can and a worn out rag and started polishing his blade with care. He stopped when Gianni started talking. He was about to comment of Gianni’s discoveries, but Ann managed to talk first. Her questions almost drew a smirk to his face, considering the source of his powers. -In my experience, the older magic is, the strongest it tends to be lassie.- Percival wasn’t an expert, but he had a lot of experience dealing with mystics, even one of history’s strongest. -Originally those of mystical persuasion dealt directly with outer beings to summon powers from beyond the boundaries of mundanity.- His tone was getting closer to a college professor instead of a sellsword.
-But later those original mystics had children, who inherited their power through blood, ever expanding those who had access to the natural magical energies present in our dimension, so they became less powerful with the passage of time and the mixing of blood.- He let out a faint smile. -At least that’s how the mentor of a friend of mine explained it to me, a lot of Hidden World blood mixed with humans ended up creating magical users across the world and cultures, like the Taoist sages here or the druids back in my homeland.- He stopped and chuckled. -But I digress, lassie. I wouldn’t be surprised if some mystic still lives, they tend to extend their lives...- The Mercenary trailed off into silence, making a very pained paused, as if the words he just said hit something vulnerable in him. He quickly composed himself, shaking his head.
-But chances are that the Jiangshi just got active because of the graverobbers or something else.- He rubbed his chin deep in thought. -What confuses me is the lack of any Chi around this place, these things need a lot of Chi to function, where did they get it?- He started pacing. -They would have needed at least dozen people worth just to activate the ones we fought.-
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 18, 2018 6:15:14 GMT
"In addition to all that, the architecture seems sound enough to stay intact on its own. This place doesn't need a constant source of magic to support it. I just think magic would be required to remove this much mass without a significant work force." Gianni added onto Percival's explanation. The bit about summoning beings from other realities interested him. The magic of his people was based around that. Could they be related? That was something to investigate later. For now, there were other things to think about.
"Could the one who made this place have used chi instead of magic? I'm not very familiar with chi, but it can enhance the body and tools, correct? I've heard people speaking of chi masters living over a century, but not for a millennia. Perhaps a combination of the two?" He felt the carving in the wall again. Was this scraped away with a finger backed by chi? As far as he had heard, chi didn't keep like magic. It faded quickly when not being pumped into an object. The only other solution seemed to be that there were more humans down at the bottom of this tomb.
"Ann, can you summon any weapon stronger than what you've got? Don't do it now, I just want to know. Whatever the case is, I expect we'll find something worse than Jiangshi down here and, well... I already can't contribute much in a direct fight, so I'm counting on you two." He looked at his own small hands. A few threads weren't doing anything against any real sorcerer or a chi user past those bodybuilding jerks that shopped for protein powder at Vorpal's. His heartrate increased. He wasn't hired to fight things! Why were there always monsters when he just wanted to look at cultural artifacts!?
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Post by othus on Mar 19, 2018 0:58:34 GMT
Ann listened closely to Percival's explanation, she was getting to admire him almost as a father figure at this point, then Gianni further completed the explanation and asked her about her virtual machine.
"I think we might be in trouble, I don't have anything more powerful than that shotgun from before you know?!"
Ann was wondering if spending all those points on agility was a good idea, perhaps next time she would go for dexterity to add more weapons.
"the machine should give some EXP after I get to see every nook and cranny of this wall, but I'm not sure that will be enough to level up, we might be stuck the way we are for now."
She finally managed to get the images on the Virtual Machine Catalog, her Exp and quest progress increased again.
As the progress compiled she was happy at what she saw, adding info to the virtual machine was the most effective way of adding EXP, that mural alone gave her as much as the 3 Jiangshi fights before. the level cap was higher so she didn't manage to level up, but she was close.
Ann let out a sigh of relief
"Okay, hopefully, we can get more murals like this so that i don't get to die every time i try to level up, I don't really like the idea of things stronger than Jiangshi lurking in here."
she again got in formation with her teammates
"let's keep going, it would seem this is just a part of the whole thing after all."
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Post by Kuma on Mar 19, 2018 4:45:49 GMT
-This place is smooth, but you can clearly seem marks of tools here and there.- Percival moved closer to one of the doorways, pointing at several scuffs marks left by primitive carving devices. -I can’t sense any magic on the area, what makes me think that this was actually built.- The Old Mercenary then proceeded to explain another point related to Gianni’s inquiries. - When I say Chi, in this case, I’m not talking about the “Ki” or Martial Artist laddie.- He moved his hands closer, leaving a small space in-between them. -Usually Chi is used as an alternative word for Ki, but in the context of Jiangshi it means something.- A small bead of light formed between his hands, he was summoning a very, very small quantity of Ki, tiny electrical-like crackles connected the small sphere with his fingers. -I can summon a very small fraction of Ki, learnt how to do it mostly from seeing other BHA members, Ki is a reaction created by a mixture of physical and spiritual training.- The crackling light died out. -Chi, when it comes to Jiangshi, means “Life Force” they actually drain the life out of people, they’re built through magic means, but their fuel is basically years they take from people’s lives.-
-Jiangshi are called Chinese Vampires for something.- He pointed out. -Those who create them are magicians, being able to use Magical Energy through rituals, spells and relics, not users of Ki.- He pulled out his sword and got his free hand closer to the edge, once again summoning a miniscule particle of Ki. -Unless you know what you’re doing…- He moved the bead closer to his sword, but before they touched a small detonation, brought from the bizarre energy feedback, made him move his hand away. -Ki and Magic don’t usually mix well.- Once again he sounded less like a Mercenary and more like some kind of teacher, maybe in the past he worked in a similar position or something alike, but at the moment his grizzled look and his scholarly tone had a very harsh contrast. Upon finishing his lecture he turned to Ann. -That would be for the best lass, but which path do we choose? The one to the left goes straight or the one to the right goes out in an angle?- He asked while pointing at the two options.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 19, 2018 5:19:08 GMT
"Well, that will have to do." Gianni said to Ann and stepped away from the walls. "Ah, so it's almost certainly magic we're dealing with. Thank you, Percival." That didn't help much, given the sheer versatility of magic, but it was something to go off of. "The entrance faced south. I did some research on the meaning of directions, and that makes sense, since the north is considered the back traditionally. Now, that means that the right path goes East. The left path goes North. East suggests sunrise, beginnings, and so on. North can represent darkness. While it might not mean anything, I feel safer trying East. Any objections?" He stepped into the hallway with the sharp angle, feeling the walls for movement and carvings.
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