kookyboy9OP — Today at 12:03 PM
A crowd had gathered at the Azure Blade Sect's gate at the base of Shattered Sword Mountain. The crowd was bisected in two by the gate, with a large dome of energy crackling around the mountain. Dozens of symbols floated across the barrier, spelling out wards and restrictions. Outside the gate, a throng of martial artists and investigators had gathered. On the inside of the gate, the elders of the Azure Blade Sect sat in meditation, waiting for the appointed moment.The moment was short to arrive, as all nine elders simultaneously stood, brandishing glowing tokens. The gate slowly swung open, creating a path through the formation guarding the rest of the mountain.
One of the elders stepped forward and addressed the crowd outside."Welcome, all of you. I am Elder Cheng of the Azure Blade Sect. While I would normally like to offer you our hospitality, I'm afraid that the reason for our request is far too urgent. Please, step inside before the culprit manages to slip out." (If your character would not have been present at the Great Martial Arts meet, they begin outside the gate. If they would have been present, they would already be present on the mountain, as nobody has been permitted to leave for the week that the mountain has been sealed.)
Zarko Straadi — Today at 12:22 PM
Zi Dian watched the ceremony in silence along with the contestants and the other martial artists who had been inside the mountain when it was sealed. Her ire burned. Her Clan Elders had determined that her one win in the interrupted tournament was not sufficient to earn her a full Initiation into the Clan. Instead, they had instructed her to seek out and join the most promising-looking investigation into the theft of the Peach, and report to them on its progress. Her instructions offered no indication of any knowledge the Scarlet Spider Clan might have of the affair, or whether they might be involved.
The "most promising-looking investigation" had to be the one being conducted by the Azure Blade Elders themselves, and they had politely turned down her offers of assistance. That left her with the second-best choice: a group of warriors who would otherwise have been her competitors..
Yu Xuan hadn't had any better luck. He had, in fact, ended up in the same group. Which left him straining to avoid giving hostile glances toward the member he liked least, a woman named Shen Jian, and the one he trusted least, the Spider Clan Apprentice. Worst of all, he was nowhere closer to finding the Peach of Immortality. Did it even still exist? The thief could have simply
eaten the evidence of their crime by now. And perhaps, if they'd actually
planned their theft properly, they'd have had a way to escape the Mountain before Azure Blade could seal it, so they could be far away, living their best immortal life..
kookyboy9OP — Today at 1:05 PM
The crowd began to slowly funnel in through the gate under the watch of the Elders. However, roughly halfway through, a shift occurred in the stances of the elders. Elder Cheng drew his blade, stabbing it deep into the shadow of the gate as a shadowy figure rocketed out. The remaining elders gathered inside the gate, blocking the path of the shadow, forcing them to come to a halt. Elder Chen's followup strike with his blade forced the figure to fall back, a pair of tokens falling from the now-severed cord that had been holding them.The figure exchanged a few more blows with Elder Chen before suddenly dissipating into shadows that surged backwards into the mountain, apparently giving up on escaping for now.
The Elder turned to face the rest of the crowd."As you can see, this is the reason for our calling you here today. We sincerely hope that one of you are able to unmask whoever this shadowy figure is. Any clues towards their identity will be rewarded. If you somehow manage to capture the culprit, you will receive a much greater reward."The rest of the crowd was able to move through the gate without issue, following which the elders once more sealed the sect. The two tokens were left on the ground, nobody allowed to touch them in fear that any lingering traces of the culprit would dissipate if disturbed. Investigators were, however, allowed to look and use clairvoyant abilities on the tokens. The first token was a token belonging to an inner disciple of the Azure Blade Sect's alchemy peak. The second was an unknown token depicting shadowy clouds overtaking the sun.
Zarko Straadi — Today at 1:30 PM
Shen Jian watched the Azure Blade ritual with interest. Their magic was powerful--not subtle at all, but not ostentatious and flashy either. She had not had good fortune in her quest either. For one thing, it was difficult to investigate when she had no trust for two of her "compatriots." Their dark auras alone made them the sort of fellow contestants she would have wanted to keep away from the Peach in the first place. Elder Xiao had reminded her that half of the Yin-Yang was dark, and the greatest extent of darkness held a point of light. Yet, they weren't exactly open and forthcoming with her either. On the other hand, they hadn't done anything to give her just reason to refuse cooperation.
Find the Peach. Sail the river; face the rapids when I reach them, she thought.
Further contemplation was interrupted by an escape attempt by a shadowy figure, but thankfully it seemed that Elder Chen had been able to prevent their escape. Seeing the technique they used, she cast a glance toward the Prince, Yu Xuan. He was standing a little more stiffly than before.
He knows something, she thought. "Would you like to join me in examining the Tokens?" she asked, casting her eyes to include the Prince, the young assassin, and the Elemental Cloud Elder. The others nodded, and walked with her toward the Tokens. "Please do not touch them," she said, then crouched and held her hand over each one, concentrating and letting her eyes go out of focus so she could concentrate on sensing their auras. The Prince and the Elder each took turns sensing the Tokens, while the Scarlet Spider assassin watched with arms folded..
Aside from taking an opportunity to sense the auras of the Tokens,
Xiao Dan held his tongue. So long as there was no need to overshadow the young contestants, he would give them a free hand, and assist as needed.
kookyboy9OP — Today at 1:42 PM
Many of the investigators also joined the group in examining the tokens. The Azure Blade Sect token was clearly just a normal token of the sect. The second token, however, was much more of a mystery. It clearly did
something, but what exactly was difficult to ascertain without thorough analysis of the item. When examined with clairvoyant abilities, however, the tokens revealed something new. The Azure Blade Token had two separate auras on it. One was much stronger, clearly the long-time owner of the token. The second was a much weaker aura that was clearly attempting to closely mimic the energy of the original. Furthermore, the weaker aura closely matched that of the aura on the second. This same aura could be vaguely felt in a thin stream where the assassin had escaped from the Azure Blade Sect elders.
Zarko Straadi — Today at 1:52 PM
"Can you sense the trace?"
Xiao Dan asked Shen Jian. She nodded. "Good. You three, follow it. I will join you shortly," he said, then went to one of the other Azure Blade Elders, so that Elder Chen would not be distracted from being ready to stop another escape attempt should the Shadow Walker try again. "Excuse me," he said, then explained the Tokens' auras. "If I may ask, which of you has the most contact with other members of your Sect? Could you have them sense the aura of the Azure Blade Token, to see if they can identify its proper owner? Is anyone from your Sect missing?"
Zarko Straadi — Today at 2:04 PM
Shen Jian hurried away with the other two, moving as quickly as she could while still being able to sense and follow the aural trace. "With respect, Your Highness," she said to
Yu Xuan, "the power used by the killer seems similar to what you used in the Arena. Do you know of anyone who could have done what we have seen? Or anything about the Token with the shadow clouds?"
The Prince gave her a cross look and remained silent for a few moments, but finally he huffed, and spoke. "The Token can be used by anyone who wields Shadow. As for the power, it is called Shadow Walk. It too can be used by any Shadow wielder who knows it, and has sufficient training and mental discipline. It allows the user to step into a shadow and emerge from another. The more skilled the wielder, the farther they can Walk. It cannot bypass powerful Light wards, such as the ones Azure Blade is using to seal the Mountain, so as long as they are able to maintain them, the thief cannot escape."
Zarko Straadi — Today at 2:12 PM
Zi Dian followed in silence.
What should I do? she thought.
Those two will probably fight over the Peach if we find it. Should I try to take it for myself? That thought felt more than a little dangerous. As tempting as the prospect of immortality was (especially if it came with everlasting youth and beauty!), it had a serious downside, given that the more advanced members of her Clan were well-known for the ability to administer fates worse than death. Her Elders had not told her to retrieve the Peach, only to assist the investigation and keep them apprised of events. Was that because one of them already had it, or simply because they did not consider her capable or worthy of the task?
kookyboy9OP — Today at 2:19 PM
The elder turned to face Xiao Dan, eventually waving a disciple of the sect over. "Unfortunately, there're far too many disciples for us elders to be well-acquainted with many of them. However, this is Yu Ling, the manager of the alchemy peak."He turns to face Yu Ling. "Yu Ling, please answer the elder's questions."
Yu Ling paused for a moment to investigate the token before turning back to Xiao Dan. "This token appears to belong to Xiao Lifang. It's somewhat difficult to determine if someone from the peak has gone missing, however, given that they often leave on sect missions without informing me. Would you like me to look into that?"The group following the trace, on the other hand, found themselves in a clearing in the woods where the trail stopped. A few drops of blood had fallen to the ground, evidently some sort of injury sustained by the suspect during their exchange with Elder Cheng. A trail of footprints lead out of the clearing, but left little trail as they soon reached a cobblestone path.
Zarko Straadi — Today at 2:33 PM
"Please do, Elder Ling,"
Xiao Dan said. "While the thief may have simply stolen the Token from Xiao Lifang, I am concerned that worse may have befallen them. If Xiao Lifang is safe, and I pray that it is so, they may have seen the thief, or otherwise have clues to their identity."
Spotting the drops of blood,
Shen Jian crouched beside it, clapped her hands together to show respect to the spirits of the land, then held her right hand over the blood, opening herself to sense the subtle currents that flowed in the present moment.
"What are we waiting for?"
Zi Dian said. "They're getting away!"
"The obvious path is not necessarily the right path. All things are connected, but the bond of blood and body is strong enough to stand out against lesser ties,"
Jian replied as she sought out the skein of connection between the thief's blood and their body, in hopes of being able to follow that aural trace to them.
kookyboy9OP — Today at 2:36 PM
Elder Ling nods and gestures for Yu Ling to go. Yu Ling rushes off down one of the paths as the elder focuses his attention back on Xia Dan.
- "Very well. Is there anything else that you've noticed in your examination?"
- Shen Jian's examination of the blood yields good results. Although it takes a few moments to establish the connection, she can feel the owner of the blood fleeing eastward towards the nearby peak at a swift pace. However, the footprints lead west.
Zarko Straadi — Today at 2:52 PM
"The aural trace leads east,"
Shian Jian said, casting a glance toward the footprints heading in the other direction. "Pfft. Follow the aura,"
Zi Dian said. "That's just Vanishing Steps. It creates footprints to throw off pursuit." An Assassin's move, but that was hardly a surprise. The thief was
clearly an Assassin, and a good one at that, being able to bring down an Elder with such speed and ease.
"Thank you,"
Jian replied, and started leading them eastward along the aural trace. "Your Highness, you will be more attuned to Shadow than either of us. Could you please remain vigilant? You may be able to sense the enemy's presence before we can.
"You think I am doing otherwise?"
Yu Xuan snapped.
"I meant no offense."
Yu Xuan rolled his eyes, but returned his focus to seeking out any trace of Shadow qi.
Xiao Dan nodded, stroking his beard. I have sensed certain currents of emotion among the young contestants I have been working with. The Prince is tense, guarded. He may be concerned that some rival of his, perhaps a member of the Qin Royal Family, or a noble with similar training to his own, is responsible. His misgivings are diffuse, so he does not have a particular individual in mind. My intuition tells me that the Scarlet Spider Clan Apprentice suspects her own Clan, and is confused about what role she is expected to play, though she also has no certainty.
"If you have no further need of me, I should follow the others, so that I may assist them if they find the thief."
kookyboy9OP — Today at 3:06 PM
The investigation group follows the aura of the blood to a residence on the Alchemy peak, just in time to find Yu Ling opening the door. A wave of stench rolls out of the now-opened door, revealing the desiccated corpse of a dead disciple of the Azure Blade Sect. He has quite obviously been dead for days at least, but the blood connection leads back to his corpse.
Yu Ling seems saddened by the revelation, and leaves to inform the elders of what had occurred. Although it is unclear exactly what technique may have been used to fool the blood dowsing performed by Shen Jian, it is clear that they had been outwitted, and the culprit had slipped their pursuit.
Meanwhile, Elder Cheng nods as Xiao Dan explains his suspicions. "I see. The young prince's worries are well-founded, although we've ascertained through our own investigation that none of the experts of the Qin Empire with sufficient skill to assassinate the Grand Elder are in attendance."
As he finishes speaking, Yu Ling runs back into the gate clearing. He skids to a stop and offers a bow to the elder.
"Elder Cheng, Xiao Lifang has been found dead in his residence. It appears that he has been dead for some time. His essence has been drained, and considering that I spoke to him just the morning, it appears likely that the assassin has been masquerading as him for some time."The elder's face darkens at the news as he speaks to Xiao Dan. "I do believe that would be all for now. I shall be engaging in a search of the surroundings. If you desire to investigate the disciple's corpse, Yu Ling will bring you to the residence."