The Elders of the Azure Blade Sect called a short meeting with the investigators to share the information on the assassin's transformation ability, urging the investigators to double check the identity of anyone they come into contact with after a period of separation. They also begin a sect-wide tally of all disciples remaining within the barrier in an attempt to flush the imposter out of their hiding.As the sect elders conduct their search, the investigators slowly disperse to search for additional clues around the sect, many now focused on searching abodes for dead disciples that may now be the assassin's new identity.
Zarko Straadi — Today at 12:20 PM
Just before the group was about to depart,
Shen Jian had an idea. She hurried over to Elder Cheng and bowed. "Excuse me, Elder Cheng. "While we pursue the assassin, it would be wise to also wait in front of them. Are there any other items, besides the Peach, that they might wish to steal? Especially any that might help them escape the barrier? Also, are there any individuals who are important to maintaining the barrier, who are not doing so or presently under the best protection? Or anyone who could be used to breach it in one way or another, such as a scholar who teaches the skill of creating such a barrier, or someone who knows counter-sigils? If so, such people should be brought to a defensible location so that they can be protected."If there is anything I can do to assist, I am at your service."
kookyboy9OP — Today at 12:24 PM
Elder Cheng pauses for a moment to think before nodding."The barrier formation is safe. For security reasons, I hope you can understand that I cannot explain our precautions. As for other items that the thief may desire..."He stops to think again. "They will likely desire to retrieve their token that they lost alongside Xiao Lifeng's Azure Blade Token. Also, and though I doubt this, they may be interested in the late Grand Elder's peach tree, although even we have yet to breach the formations he had on his personal abode."
Zarko Straadi — Today at 12:34 PM
"Of course Elder, your precautions must be kept secret,"
Shen Jian replied. Her expression turned thoughtful for a moment. "Is there anyone here who might know anything about the Grand Elder's formations that you do not, such as an old friend in another Sect, or an Elder who could have helped him create them?"
"What's
taking her so long?!*
Zi Dian said. "Maybe we should go without her and let her catch up if she can," she snapped.
kookyboy9OP — Today at 12:36 PM
Elder Cheng shook his head."Unfortunately, the Grand Elder designed the formations himself, and they're entirely sustained by the spiritual vein beneath his abode. He did have a few friends outside the sect, but all are hermits living in danger zones, and as such virtually impossible to contact without advanced notice."
Zarko Straadi — Today at 12:38 PM
"Patience, child,"
Xiao Dan said. "In a hunt such as this, wisdom is more important than swiftness of foot."
."Is there any way to disrupt or destroy this spiritual vein? You would never think to do so, but the assassin might."
Shen Jian said.
Zi Dian huffed, but said nothing more, leaving it to her tapping foot to express her ire.
Yu Xuan remained silent through the drama.
I wonder which of the women is going to be the more irritating? It is a close contest thus far, he thought.
kookyboy9OP — Today at 12:43 PM
Elder Cheng shook his head."If the assassin had the capability of severing spiritual veins, then they would already be home free and the sect's defensive formation would have long since fallen."
Zarko Straadi — Today at 12:45 PM
"Ah. Thank you, Elder Cheng,"
Shen Jian said, then bowed. "Is there anything you wish of me?"
kookyboy9OP — Today at 12:51 PM
Elder Cheng gave Shen Jian a small, tired smile."Go see if you can find the culprit."
Zarko Straadi — Today at 12:52 PM
"Yes, Elder Cheng, I will do my--oh, my apologies, one more question," Shen Jian said. "Is there anyone whom you send through the barrier, such as to procure supplies or relay messages?"
kookyboy9OP — Today at 12:53 PM
He shakes his head."No, the sect is self-sufficient, even with the formation active. If we need to transmit a message outside, we have contacts outside of the barrier to serve as go-betweens."
- Off to the side of the pair, the mystery token begins to sink into its own shadow.
Zarko Straadi — Today at 12:58 PM
Sensing the current of magic, Shen Jian's head snapped to the token. She lunged to snatch it in a blur of motion.
kookyboy9OP — Today at 12:59 PM
Shen Jian attempts to grab at the token, but finds the shadow it is sinking into to be entirely impermeable to her hand. It sinks slightly further, now more than halfway submerged.
Zarko Straadi — Today at 1:04 PM
"Yu Xuan, help!" she cried. Yu Xuan turned toward her, considering the idea of being reluctant about it, until he saw what she needed help with. With a swirl of his hands, he sank into a deep dragon stance, whorls of shadow trailing from his hands. Thrusting a hand forcefully toward the token with his fingers bent into claws, he launched a stream of shadow that formed a reptilian claw, grasped the token, and sought to pull it free.
kookyboy9OP — Today at 1:05 PM
The stream of shadow mixed with the puddle below the token, allowing his shadowy claw to gain purchase on the token, jerking it free. The token sails into the air before landing on the ground once again.
Zarko Straadi — Today at 1:07 PM
Yu Xuan quickly made the same gesture with his other hand to send another shadow claw to grab the token from the ground.
kookyboy9OP — Today at 1:08 PM
The claw scoops up the token, delivering it to Yu Xuan's hand. At some point, the token appears to have activated some sort of built-in mechanism, and now is wreathed in an aura of shadow.
Zarko Straadi — Today at 1:12 PM
"Let's find out what this thing does, shall we?" Yu Xuan said, holding his other hand over the token and turning his focus toward sensing the shadow aura and the token beyond.Shen Jian hurried to his side. Zi Dian opened her mouth to offer a snide comment, but Shen Jian held up her hand to silence her, flicking her eyes toward the prince: do nothing to disrupt his concentration.
kookyboy9OP — Today at 1:14 PM
The shadow aura appears to be some sort of shadow travel technique embedded into the token. If Yu Xuan's mastery of shadow techniques is good enough, he may be able to either track the technique to its destination or even just simply hijack the technique to bring himself and anyone else he desires along for the ride.
Zarko Straadi — Today at 1:26 PM
Yu Xuan's lips curled into a cocky smirk. "I can trace the Shadow Path to the assassin...or carry us along it.""Let's go then!"
Zi Dian said, bristling for a fight."It could be a trap,"
Shen Jian said. "They have deceived us before." "Very well, I shall trace it then. Go ask the Elder if he has any other means of instantaneous transport we can use that can get us there undetected.""I can get us there with great speed,"
Xiao Dan said. "Not instantaneously, but far faster than walking," he said with a twinkle in his eye.Jian nodded, and hurried back to Elder Cheng. "Please excuse me again, Elder," she said. "The prince is able to trace the direction of the 'Shadow Path' the assassin was using to try to take the token. Do you have a means of instantaneous transport?"
kookyboy9OP — Today at 1:28 PM
"Instantaneous? No. I have my own movement technique for short distances, or we can use flying swords to send you somewhere quickly."
As Shen Jian spoke to Elder Cheng, however, the technique began to disperse, the shadows growing thinner and bits of the token beneath beginning to show through.
Zarko Straadi — Today at 1:40 PM
"We're running out of time!"
Yu Xuan said. If he tried to sustain the connection with his own Shadow power, he would very likely alert the assassin.
Shen Jian hastily bowed to the Elder and rushed back to the others."Let's gooooo,"
Zi Dian said before Jian or anyone else could try to offer any words of patience or wisdom."Better to act in battle than hesitate,"
Xiao Dan said. Jian tried to hide her surprise, but...he had a point. She nodded."Come close,
quickly!" Yu Xuan said. The others gathered, and he formed the mudra to bring them along the Shadow Path to confront whatever awaited on the other side...
kookyboy9OP — Today at 1:45 PM
As Shen Jian rushed away from Elder Chen, he threw a token with his name written on it to her."Carry this on you and I'll be able to track where you come out the other side and come to assist as long as it's within the Sect-Protecting Formation."Yu Xuan and the other sink into their shadows as though they are water. A current in the inky blackness seizes the group, dragging them along. After a few moment of travel, a light appears ahead of them as they are ejected from the shadows, landing in front of a group of three investigators. A panicked look briefly shot across one of the investigator's faces as the group shot out of the shadow, but was quickly replaced by a more neutral expression."Can we help all of you?"
Zarko Straadi — Today at 1:48 PM
"We need to speak with
you, alone,"
Yu Xuan said to the one who had given the brief flash of fear.
kookyboy9OP — Today at 1:50 PM
The investigator nods."Alright, then." He turns to the other two investigators before continuing, "Hopefully that should be enough for you to work off of. We can meet back up later to share our findings when I've finished speaking to these four."
Zarko Straadi — Today at 2:00 PM
Once the others had left,
Xuan turned to Shen and said, "I presume you have some kind of illumination mudra? Use it."
Shen Jian sank into a cat stance and put her hands in front of her sternum, wrists touching, hands aimed up and down. Her fingers shaped into that created a warm globe of brilliant light, almost like a miniature sun, banishing shadows from around the group. Xuan tensed with discomfort, but kept his face a stoic mask. "We are taking you into custody as a suspect in the murder of the Grand Elder."
Zi Dian's expression turned even more fierce than usual, a lopsided grin on her blood-red lips.
Go ahead, fight us, I dare
you! she thought.
kookyboy9OP — Today at 2:01 PM
The investigator pauses as a flash of alarm passes through his eyes again, but attempts to play off the pause as being taken aback. "...I'm sorry? That's absolutely absurd."
Zarko Straadi — Today at 2:07 PM
Yu Xuan turned to Dian. "You're from what is it, the Red Spider Clan?"
Zi Dian's eyes narrowed. "
Scarlet Spider Clan.""Good. Bind him." Dian bristled at the prince's commanding tone, but she shifted to a front stance and shaped her hands into the mudra of a spider Westerners would one day call the Darwin's Bark Spider. She thrust her hands toward the suspect and cast a stream of magically-infused webbing of immense tensile strength at the man.
kookyboy9OP — Today at 2:10 PM
As Yu Xuan turned away, the investigator's hand was enveloped by shadow and shot forward as a spear, devouring anything the shadows came into contact with. As the webbing shot at him, the man sunk into the shadow beneath him before reappearing somehow both behind Shen Jian and Xiao Dan to strike them with roundhouse kicks delivered by shadow-encased legs.
Zarko Straadi — Today at 2:40 PM
With a grunt of annoyance,
Xiao Dan shifted to a cloud form that allowed the assassin's leg to pass through. Then lighting flashed within him and struck toward his attacker.With her focus on her illumination mudra,
Shen Jian did not sense the new attacker until it was almost too late. She leaned to fall away from the kick, swinging an arm to block. His leg struck with a twinge of pain, but she dispersed most of its force by rolling away from him and into a back stance, hand sweeping into a mudra that caused her hanfu to begin shimmering with blue-white light. Then she reached for the token Elder Cheng had given her, took it and thought,
We've found him, please come quickly!"Aiiii't--HA!"
Zi Dian shouted, striking toward Jian's attacker with a flat hand, fingers held slightly apart. Shafts of blood-red light shot from her fingers that would cut like the sharpest sword.
Yu Xuan let the others have their fun for the moment. He was focused mainly on being ready to prevent the assassin from creating a new Shadow Path to escape, but he also extended his senses toward the two figures to sort out which was man and which was shadow.
kookyboy9OP — Today at 2:43 PM
The figure attacking Xiao Dan burst, releasing a cloud of shadow around the elder. The one that had struck Shen Jian, on the other hand, unleashed his shadow spear technique once more, clashing directly against Zi Dian's finger technique. He used the resulting recoil from the clash to launch himself into the sky, his eyes seizing on something in the distance.He glowered, beginning to form hand signs as he slowly floated towards the ground, his energy growing greater and greater as a jade box from within his robes floats out in front of him.
Zarko Straadi — Today at 3:00 PM
Zi Dian formed the Trap Door Mudra just in time to vanish into the ground as shards of the assassin's spear hissed through the air where she'd been. One of them had managed to graze her cheekbone with a small cut, the sting of it only fueling her will. As with her opponent in the arena, she surged from under a trap door of earth, with two sets of extra arms reaching to grab him while she thrust at him with twin daggers in her natural hands.
Yu Xuan thrust two Shadow Dragon Claws at him, one aiming to seize the box as he had the token, the other reaching for the man's face.
Shen Jian swished her arms out to the side, rising into the air with a flying jump spinning kick aimed at the assassin, followed up with a backfist at his temple to use the rest of her angular momentum, and a straight punch toward his sternum.
Xiao Dan's cloud form began to rain, but the downpour swirled into a thick ribbon of swirling water as he returned to human form, and with a smooth, sweeping movement sent the water flying toward the assassin.
kookyboy9OP — Today at 3:06 PM
The assassin makes no effort to block or dodge any of the attacks, simply taking them as he completes his hand signs. Yu Xuan's attempt to seize the box with his dragon claws fails when the sheer energy surrounding the box causes the claw to destabilize and disintegrate. As the final hand sign is completed, the thief pauses for a moment, wheezing out a final few words."If I cannot escape, neither shall you!"His hands begin to glow an ominous purple-black as he slams them together, the box opening to reveal the Peach of Immortality. Before the group's eyes, the peach quickly rots, collapsing into a single droplet of black energy that phases through the jade box."Heaven-Shrouding Secret Art; First Movement: Devour the Eternal"As the droplet of energy strikes the ground below the culprit, his energy scatters and he falls towards the ground, a smile on his face. Just before he hits, however, a black sphere of nothingness expands, completely absorbing him. Gravity itself bends around the group, yanking them towards the hole in space itself as it grows, steadily absorbing the mountainside around it.
WILL OUR HEROES SURVIVE THE DARK FORCE OF COSMIC DESTRUCTION UNLEASHED UPON THEM AND THEIR WORLD? OR WILL THEY MERELY BE THE FIRST TO PERISH IN THE ULTIMATE CATASTROPHE? FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON: STOLEN PEACHES!