[LP CYOA] 傳

[Nevill]

And Wuxing still has his "debt of honor" to settle with us, so he's no friend to us. Work with us under extreme circumstances, yeah, but not a friend.

Certainly. But if Qilin is adamant about keeping the Holy Maiden, what is Wuxung going to do?
What can they do with the girl, anyway? Execute her? This isn't a battle anymore, they can't just kill her.

Are you serious? They are completely defeated, their leader is crippled, only three of their Ameshas remain and for all intents and purposes, they are being exiled from China. This is the time when leadership is needed the most, and Yunzi was being groomed for leadership since her birth, a Tengrii High Priestess when we met her at the camp and future Ashina Khatun.

I am completely serious. So far Yunzi have played the role of their leadership in name only. What kind of a leader goes off to wander the counryside for 3 months just because she wanted to? Amesha Spenta will be able to manage without her.

They are not getting exiled yet, as far as I can see. In fact, nobody knows where they are stationed at. Few people had ever seen them before the tournament. Their only dealings were with the Wudu Cult.

What good is her leadership going to do them? What are the instruments Yunzi has to solve their problem? There are none, as far as I know, except for you and Qilin - you can influence the crown prince to give them a land to settle on, and the Wudu Cult are the only ones they can trade with.

They had their chance to solve their issues by themselves, and look where it got them. No, sorry, I don't think even Yunzi can get them out of the hole they dug themselves in, not alone.

"Shut the fuck up, woman, I know what's best!" eh? Don't think she'd appreciate that.

At this stage? We probably do.
The end result is what she is going to appreciate most. What will help the Fire Cult? I believe we might start with finding out what their problem is. 'Not having Yunzi' is not it, they fucked up pretty hard even with her around.

 

[Jester]

Guys you're all acting like everything is gonna be ok and normal after we let Yunzi go or we make her stay here but you forget something.



Something is definitely wrong here and I believe shit will go down in the most horrible way possible. I say we get the fuck out and take everyone we care about with us. I don't know what's going to happen but if Jing has a bad feeling about this it's enough for me. Our instincts have always been right so far, especially when it comes down to mortal peril.

Plus, the whole scene has a horror vibe to it, and things go too well to be true.

Oh, trust me man, I see it from a mile away: Ahura tries to off us with unstable neiggong, but doesn't know that Jing is the Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided. We suck out his soul and ascend to Warp, becoming Doombreed's predecessor, riding the Warp on a tiger and our three wives.

This riding on three wives is odd part for me.

 

[Elfberserker]

B. I agree with Rex Feral on this one. When suicidal fighter like Jing, who has trained bu Zhang Jue and lived one month with cannibalistic old man feels that something bad is going to happen then I think we should listen our instincts.

 

[treave]

Leader of the jianghu is whoever the Eight Sects' decides he/she is, and thus usually picked from the Eight Sects'. Considering the reputation and skill of the current heads, the line of succession will be as such:

Wudang -> Shaolin -> Emei -> Huashan -> Taishan -> Kunlun -> Beggars -> Qingcheng

Qi Liuwu, even though a Great, is too flaky and verging on unorthodox in his public behaviour for most of the puglists to accept.

If Zhang Jue wants the mantle of leadership he's going to have to maim some people for it. But he doesn't.

 

[Baltika9]

There isn't any solution except one: the sects won, they make the terms and they don't want kebab on premises. The Fire Tmple of Gushnasp (there's the location) just isn't welcome in these parts anymore:

And any benevolence of the orthodox sects goes as far as allowing the cultists to flee with their tails between their legs and perhaps sparing the life of their sacred figurehead. A truce, yes, but helping out the Fire Temple? No. Considering that the battle only served to deepen the enmity between both sides, it's impossible to push for any form of cooperation at this moment. You don't have the clout. Neither does the Sword Saint.

Diplomacy is off the table. Take Yunzi where she wants and needs to be right now, and it will make her respect us the most, much more than us holding her against her will when she feels a duty to help will. Leadership matters for any group, and spiritual leadership matters the most to a religious group. Shatter their Lord and steal their Holy Maiden, and they have no one left to believe in. The Ahuras are guardians, but they're not leadership figures, they alone won't be enough.

As for Qilin, as a Wudu Cult member she has no clout among the orthodoxes to broker peace, simple as that. Wuxing was looking out for her as a favor to his wife, the other sects were doing this for the principle of not wasting a hostage's life.

I know it's hard to let her go and I know it sucks after looking for her for so long only to let her out of our grasp when we finally have her. But love, in this case, means supporting her choice and her duty. It's okay, bros, if she truly loves us back, then she will find us. If not, then she never wanted to be with us in the first place.

 

[Nevill]

The Fire Temple of Gushnasp (there's the location)

It's a name. Not a place.

At least I think so, unless you can show me 'Gushnasp' on a map.

It's okay, bros, if she truly loves us back, then she will find us. If not, then she never wanted to be with us in the first place.

What reason does she have to? She places her people before herself, and have you ever done anything for them?

Look, I just think we can work out a better solution together instead of letting her come up with her own.

I read 'let her go' here as 'wish her best of luck and wash your hands of the matter'.

Diplomacy is off the table.

Depends on what you want to get out of it. They are willing to spare their lives and have a truce. That's a start.

Elfberserker, Rex Feral, why do you think the 'bad feeling' refers to something that is about to happen, and not to what already happened? If Wang dies here, I don't think Jing would feel good about it.

 

[Baltika9]

Depends on what you want to get out of it. They are willing to spare their lives. That's a start.

And as treave said, that's all they're willing to do. Any more is out of even Shagguan's reach.

What reason does she have to? She places her people before herself, and have you ever done anything for them?

Yeah, we definitely did when we saved her handmaidens. And will do so again in C. And we never were assholes to them. Being a ruler and being loveless don't necessarily correlate in Zoroastrianism.
We got her panties wet with our display of Alpha As Fuck against the Guardian of METAL! She'll be back for the D.


I want to clarify something. treave, earlier you said that Yunzi is pretty much a symbol and isn't in charge of anything while Ahura is around, but is the first one in charge when he is absent.
Now that he is, for all intents and purposes, done, Yunzi is the de-facto leader should she return, correct?
Edit: also, is this what Jing's mindset about C is?

I read 'let her go' here as 'wish her best of luck and wash your hands of the matter'.

 

[Anabanana]

On one hand, it's possible that keeping Yunzi with us will give us time to talk about her cult's problems. Thing is, the last time we made choices with the intention of learning more about the Fire Cult, Jing didn't go into the issue at all, out of respect for Yunzi. Yunzi and the Fire Cult are also most likely to going hate us for the abduction, which might ruin our chances of helping to settle this peacefully in the long run. Then again, Yunzi might understand that we had good intentions, but that might not count for much when we're literally kidnapping her.

On the other hand, returning their Holy Maiden to them could be a show of good faith, and open up avenues to talk with them down the line. Yunzi, for one, should be willing to negotiate with us if the need arises, as she hasn't had problems talking to us before despite her cult's restrictions. Look at how Vairya obeyed her, when it came down to it. That might change if fuck up how we treat her here. But it could also mean that we lose contact with Yunzi entirely. However, the Cult has shown its willingness to talk to Jing before, way back at the tournament, and Vairya seems interested in Jing after his display of prowess, so we might have an in there.

Overall, this is a complicated issue that doesn't hinge completely on just the actions of Yunzi and Jing. She is a key player, yes, but both of them are just fucking teenagers at this point. Assuming that we know better than her is arrogant and patronizing. I just think regardless of whether we return her to the cult or not, there are uncertainties in all the choices regarding how the Fire Cult problems will play out, and we will need to make further choices down the line that will affect the issue more directly. And in that case, I much prefer the choice that doesn't treat Yunzi like an idiot or shortsighted for wanting to rush back and help her people.

Perhaps if treave could elaborate on what Jing plans on doing with Yunzi in the case of a successful A and B? Because that "You will not let her go" makes me think of this image:

I feel like going with the A or B choices might just be personality-affecting decisions that turn us into this setting's Kinzo.

 

[Nevill]

And as treave said, that's all they're willing to do.

And that's fine. The truce means they won't have to be exiled.

And will do so again in C.

That really depends on your attitude towards the Cult in A or C.

However, the Cult has shown its willingness to talk to Jing before, way back at the tournament, and Vairya seems interested in Jing after his display of prowess, so we might have an in there.

The Cult have also shown their willingness to kill Jing on sight because he is bad influence on their Holy Maiden.
I don't think we can really work with anyone there, except Yunzi.

Fact is, we spent too little time with Yunzi. Jing doesn't even know her people matter that much to her at the moment, this part was cut out with the alternative timeline. If we get close to her, we will know of her problems and worries. And at that point, I expect Jing to work on solving them, because that is how the character was established, as willing to go to great lenghts for his friends. Or girls.

Yunzi is too self-reliant for her own good. I feel if we let her sort that one out by herself, we will miss an opportunity to really help her.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

C>A>B.
Dasright.

 

[Anabanana]

But will she be willing to open up to a captor, someone who didn't respect her wishes? Seems like we would have her in body but not in spirit with A and B, and in spirit but not in body with C, roughly speaking.

 

[treave]

I want to clarify something. treave, earlier you said that Yunzi is pretty much a symbol and isn't in charge of anything while Ahura is around, but is the first one in charge when he is absent.
Now that he is, for all intents and purposes, done, Yunzi is the de-facto leader should she return, correct?
Edit: also, is this what Jing's mindset about C is?

Depends on whether he's in any shape to give orders, and that won't be Jing's mindset in C.

Perhaps if treave could elaborate on what Jing plans on doing with Yunzi in the case of a successful A and B?

Keep her in a separate little mansion on Maniac Island, connected with a secret tunnel to the main one, of course!

Well, in all seriousness, what Jing plans on doing should be in response to how the other people involved react?

For example, if Yunzi tries to break free in A or B he would probably try to subdue her for her own good.

 

[Smashing Axe]

A>C

I'm going to trust the Grand Taoist on this one.

 

[Nevill]

Hey, Qilin just got her snake killed and got herself almost strangled to bring Yunzi in.

Do you trust her intuition, or don't you? It never really failed her, not in the Luoying Mansion when she noticed something was off and brought us to save Yu in time, not at the tournament, when she prevented us running off when we were poisoned, or when she found a safe place for Guo Fu and his wife to be. The girl has a heart of gold, and I am sure she will find a key to Yunzi's.

Besides, Qilin is the one who can help her people. Ahura didn't want Wudu in his pocket for nothing.

She will listen, I am certain of it.

And finally, there is this:

“He shifted everyone to where they should be,” says the Sword Saint matter-of-factly.

If there is anyone we can trust with this, it would be the Grand Taoist.

 

[Baltika9]

And any benevolence of the orthodox sects goes as far as allowing the cultists to flee with their tails between their legs and perhaps sparing the life of their sacred figurehead.

That's all they will do: let them GTFO from their lands.

On the other hand, returning their Holy Maiden to them could be a show of good faith, and open up avenues to talk with them down the line. Yunzi, for one, should be willing to negotiate with us if the need arises, as she hasn't had problems talking to us before despite her cult's restrictions. Look at how Vairya obeyed her, when it came down to it. That might change if fuck up how we treat her here. But it could also mean that we lose contact with Yunzi entirely. However, the Cult has shown its willingness to talk to Jing before, way back at the tournament, and Vairya seems interested in Jing after his display of prowess, so we might have an in there.

Overall, this is a complicated issue that doesn't hinge completely on just the actions of Yunzi and Jing. She is a key player, yes, but both of them are just fucking teenagers at this point. Assuming that we know better than her is arrogant and patronizing. I just think regardless of whether we return her to the cult or not, there are uncertainties in all the choices regarding how the Fire Cult problems will play out, and we will need to make further choices down the line that will affect the issue more directly. And in that case, I much prefer the choice that doesn't treat Yunzi like an idiot or shortsighted for wanting to rush back and help her people.

Bingo, totally agreed with you on all points, man. We can't really help them if they hate our guts, and wd have earned the respect of their strongest. With Ahura being pretty much finished and Yunzi in charge, that's a person whom we can communicate with freely on all issues. From a diplomatic standpoint, C is the smartest move: we give them a leader who is friendly to us and in doing so increase our standing with them, which means that our word will be golden to them in the future. From an interpersonal standpoint:

Depends on whether he's in any shape to give orders, and that quote about C's mindset is off.

For example, if Yunzi tries to break free in A or B he would probably try to subdue her for her own good.

Ahaha, fuck that. I'm not going into abusive boyfriend teritorry.

 

[Baltika9]

Hey, Qilin just got her snake killed and got herself almost strangled to bring Yunzi in.

Do you trust her intuition, or don't you? It never really failed her, not in the Luoying Mansion when she noticed something was off and brought us to save Yu in time, not at the tournament, when she prevented us running off when we were poisoned, or when she found a safe place for Guo Fu and his wife to be. The girl has a heart of gold, and I am sure she will find a key to Yunzi's heart.

Besides, Qilin is the one who can help her people. Ahura didn't want Wudu in his pocket for nothing.

She will listen, I am certain of it.

Oh come on, Qilin did that to save our skins from The Guardian of METAL! and it's nothing more than that. There was also almost no risk to her life involved, the sly little fox.

Please don't be guilt tripping us with the snake either.

As for helping, kinda hard to do that if the whole Cult is reclusive and views us and ours as enemies, which is what A and B will accomplish.

 

[Nevill]

Oh come on, Qilin did that to save our skins from The Guardian of METAL! and it's nothing more than that. There was also almost no risk to her life involved, the sly little fox.

No, she didn't.

Qilin looks surprised to see you appear.
[...]
Suddenly, Qilin goes into a dead faint, her eyes rolling up in her head as she slumps limply.

She didn't expect us to be there at all.

Qilin’s hands dart up swiftly, catching her by surprise. In an instant, the Miao girl is behind Yunzi, her limbs entwined around the Holy Maiden almost like a snake capturing its prey. “Hm, I was just waiting for this,” smirks Qilin gleefully. Vairya roars in anger and steps forward, but his advance is halted by the sight of Qilin pressing a needle lightly under Yunzi’s chin. The handmaidens move back in alarm. “Ah ah ah, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. This needle is poisoned, brave warrior. One poke and… oops! Holy Maiden becomes a dead maiden.”

But this is what she was waiting for.

I bet this was her plan since the beginning.

As for helping, kinda hard to do that if the whole Cult is reclusive and views us and ours as enemies, which is what A and B will accomplish.

They still deal with the outside world through the Wudu Cult. Why do we have to do everything personally?

 

[Baltika9]

Yeah, since the beginning of our fight with Xsaora. I wasn't saying that she was expecting us, just that she took advantage of an opportunity to escape Xsaora's grasp and lay in wait for Yunzi. Which, in turn, was to save our skins from this mess.

Anyway, this choice is about Yunzi, not Qilin.

 

[Nevill]

Why did she need Yunzi to save our skin? Couldn't Jing just get out when she no longer was in danger? In fact, could she not have attracted Xsaora's attention to her, since he was supposed to guard her above all else? I bet he would have dropped his fight with Jing if it threatened to fail the mission he received from his Lord. He didn't fight in the battle because his duty meant more to him than a good brawl.

No, she had a specific plan to take Yunzi captive. She had it even before we joined the battle:

“Strange, I thought you would have gone for the fire girl from the start,” quips Qilin. “What’s the matter, getting shy?”

“She can handle herself,” you say.”I need to warm up on some orthodox prigs first.”

“Such trust! I’m jealous.” Qilin laughs, and moves closer to Cao’er. “Are we still going with that plan to reel in Number Three? I mean, I thought our darling here was going after her first, so…”

You seem to be hearing something disturbing talk. “Wait. What are you talking about? What Number Three?” Qilin only gives you a smirk, her arm around Cao’er’s shoulder. “…it’s between us girls. You don’t need to concern yourself with it. Go… you have a fight to win…” says Cao’er calmly, pointing ahead of you.

Trust the woman's intuition on this.

 

[Azira]

Yeah, Cao'er and Qilin would be ever so disappointed if we were to simply let Yunzi go now..

 

[treave]

Well, getting captured wasn't actually part of the original plan, she saw an opportunity to improvise when you and Cao'er arrived in Ahura's absence and took it.

 

[Nevill]

Anyway, this choice is about Yunzi, not Qilin.

Yes, but both Qilin and Wang have said - through their actions - that Yunzi's place is with us. Were they ever wrong?

Ahaha, fuck that. I'm not going into abusive boyfriend teritorry.

You went there with Chanfeng already. I don't see anyone complaining about the results.

 

[Baltika9]

Now that's a strawman. Getting teleported (how the fuck?) in the middle of the Orthodox camp wasn't part of the plan either, just like getting captured wasn't, by treave's own confirmation.

Right now, we're kind of in a horrible spot: Yao's apprentice, two of the most unorthodox young fighters with mean reputations and the hated cult's Holy Maiden, surrounded by people that hate them and precious little friends. This is a really bad spot. We gotta get out of here, with B or C and I much prefer C because it avoids the "asshole boyfriend" route.

 

[Nevill]

Getting teleported (how the fuck?) in the middle of the Orthodox camp wasn't part of the plan either

Part of whose plan? It was Wang's plan.

just like getting captured wasn't

Ok, but bringing Yunzi in was, and not just 'to escape Xsaora'.

This is a really bad spot. We gotta get out of here, with B or C and I much prefer C because it avoids the "asshole boyfriend" route.

The Grand Taoist have said his piece. We can't run away from them forever. I find this as good a place as any to make a stand. What are they going to do to us?

The whole 'asshole boyfriend' argument depends on whether you consider Yu one. That is exactly what he did with Chanfeng.

...You can't really call him an asshole, can you? Then why do you bring it up?

 

[ScubaV]

C

For me, it's the same reasoning as letting Cao'er decide about going to the monastery or not. You shouldn't force people's decisions and that goes doubly so for those you care about.