You see your upper chakra streaming out chi out toward the Wasteland.
You struggle along, gaining blisters on your feet and shoulders.
And then five guys step out from behind a ridge in front of you and your group.
"Welladay, look what we have here. Bunch of hard-working trappers, and some fine fellows in need of a donation." The leader of the bandit sneers. He pulls out a double-bladed axe. His others are armed with swords, an axe....your team is armed with working knives...and you.
I'll try to force the flow to close.
=============
I assume I have a large supply of chi in me because I was still trying to keep it with me at all the time. if this is not the case, disregard the following actions.
I drop my pack.(Dramatically!)
"WHO THE *BEEP* DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?!?!
PREYING ON THESE HONORABLE TRAPPERS!?!?!
SCUM THAT'S WHO!!!
I'LL WIPE YOUR KIND OUT OF EXISTENCE!!!
I'll use half my chi for my Iron Skin Technique and a third for my Muscle Empowering Technique.
I'll be trying to gather chi during the fight as fast as I can.
I'll rush the bandit leader with a flying side kick.
I'm using a sixth of my chi with exploding kick on the flying side kick.
It doesn't.
The lurch back when you yell at them. You hit the bandit leader in the chest, sending him flying, and he knocks the axe against your leg. He's laying down, the other bandits are staring at you.
"Yeaarghghgh!" The trappers scream and charge. The rest of the bandits flee with the bandit leader stumbling to his feet to follow them.
Your shin hurts.
+@1 to Intimidation skill. You've burned through most of your chi, and have little left. You're still drawing at the same slow rate.
... I'll try to move my chi sense over to where the flow is going.
===================
I use the rest of the chi to heal my leg.
I will continue to gather chi.
Did he drop his ax?
I'm going to try to recover the chi from my two techniques by ending them early.
"Is anybody hurt? If not, let's go before they return."
You can see the chi soaring out over the Wastelands. You're not sure, but you might be able to disconnect yourself from your body and follow it.
The bruise fades.
Yes, he dropped his axe.
They clap you on the back, give you big grins, and take your advice on getting out of Dodge while the gettings good.
Let's try it. But first I'll try to form a silvery cord that is designed to bring me back into my body instantly when I stop exerting my will to stay out or if my body is disturbed.
I try to get out and follow the chi over the Wastelands.
==============
I pick up his ax (Now its MY Ax!!! MWAHAHA!!!) and the backpack I dropped.
And follow them.
BUMP OF JUSTICE!!!
No one objects when you pick up the axe, and two of them give you the hand-held up and twisted symbol which is the local equivalent of a thumbs-up.
An hour and fifteen minutes later, its break time, and you try to do your silvery cord thing. It fails utterly as you can't seem to focus on just how to do it. And this time, you know its not the greenroot.
... I need research materials on the magic in this world and the Wastland. I hope the town is big enough for a book seller.
"How big is the town we are going to? Does it have a place that sells books?"
I'm going to use my chi sight to look at the trappers chi system. How does it look? Is there anything odd about it?
I'm not going to do much besides following them until we get to town. unless something important happens.
"Our village is but a hamlet." They laugh enthusiastically when you ask if they have a bookseller. "We have a roving blacksmith that goes around to five different villages."
The trappers seem to have a layer over their chi chakras.
You arrive at a place with twenty thatched huts, a granary, and a pier with a drying shed next to it. There are some boats as well.
That's odd. It must be a protective mechanism to prevent the Wasteland from draining the life out of them.
I'll follow them around while they are trading there furs.
"Is the anybody here that knows a great deal about the Wastelands?"
When we go to the place we will spend the night at, I will attempt to draw some blue mana from the sea. I'm attempting to cast a spell allows me to read other peoples thoughts for a few minutes. I using the blue mana as an antenna to pick up thoughts.(My spell would be a weaker version of this card.) Blue Mana has a affinity for the mind and intellect, so hopefully this will be a simple spell.
"Some of the King's knights are far scouts." Carl says. "Otherwise, there's us." And you already know that the trappers don't really go into the farther reaches of the Wasteland.
No one is there to trade, but they store their furs, in expectation that a trade ship will be along in a few days.
That night, there is a big party as the village welcomes back its trappers. You're invited to dance with a number of girls as well.
That night, you find that the greenroot is just as greedy as ever, but after spending some time, you cast your spell successfully.
I'm not one to refuse the request of a girl, But this should be interesting since I've never danced before.
Now that's extremely weird. I've never heard of a green creature that prevents blue mana draws... or green mana draws... The magic here is weird...
Did I pick up any interesting thoughts while the spell was active?
Before we go to sleep, I ask the trappers "You mentioned the Lord of Trade before, Is there a lord of knowledge or magic?"
You find a number of willing teachers. It seems several of your trapper friends have told the young ladies of your heroics facing the bandit king.
...'if that guy so much as looks in Emmy's way again, I'm going to beat his face in....
Emmy was cute, but not the prettiest.
"Oh, aye, the Four Lords. Lord of Trade, of Wisdom, of Craft, and of War."
That was nice of them. I wonder if they mentioned that I was unarmed during that.
I’ll continue dancing with the girls who want to dance (even Emmy).
If the guy tries to start a fight with me, I will remind him that I took out a bandit king while unarmed.
If he attacks any way, I will try to strike an energy meridians and send a chi pulse into in that is designed to knock him out and do no other damage. I’m using a sixth of my chi to do this. If this works, I will scan him for injuries and heal them. I’m drawing inspiration from the description of the DnD 3.0/3.5 monk’s stunning fist ability and various other anime martial artists’s who strike at the targets pressure points.
“Does the Lord of Wisdom have a personal name that you know of?”
There is a guy who gives you a dirty look or two when you dance with Emmy, but he stays out of his way.
"Personal name? No..."
I continue to party until we go to sleep.
When we go to sleep, I'll try to separate my consciousness from my body.
If I do that, I'm going to try to get the Lord of Wisdom's attention by calling out as loud as I can
"Lord of Wisdom, Hear my voice and grant me an audience with you! My name is Magnus, I am a verser. I offer my services on a quest in exchange for information on the Wastelands!"
I'm going to use all the chi I've gathered to make my voice heard across the spirit world.
You don't manage to separate yourself,but you attract attention anyhow.
Aware you're dreaming, you step into a small room, delicately decorated with a sealed bowl and tiny spiders and a tree inside it that has pride of place amidst the afghans, quilts, rugs, and tapestries that cover the smooth, white walls.
A man of Indian origin you'd say is looking thoughtful. A woman in a sari speaks respectfully to him.
"If we did that, we'd need a unifying myth."
"Gods," he snaps his fingers. "Lord of Trade, of course, hmmm, Wisdom, hmmm...."
A clear feminine voice comes from the darkness which wells up about you.
"He thought of me, even though he named me masculine. It was enough. I became aware of this universe."
"Thank you for granting me this audience with you.
May I inquire of your name and the quest I'll go on for the information?
Lord of Wisdom seams a bit distant for a direct conversation, don't you think?
And I want to know what I'm getting into before you give me the information.
A thought is in the back of my mind
Athena? She seems like her so far...
"Quest? An interesting notion." She laughs. "As you deduced, I am Athena. And I give wisdom with liberal hand to those who seek it. You have already paid the price for knowledge, the purpose of the price to make you ready for the knowledge. For what good is it to tell a fool all the secrets of the universe? Now let us speak together as friends."
"Thank you... What price did I pay?
...
What happened to the Wasteland and Why does it drain my chi when I gather it?
...
How do I stop the Greenroot from interfering with my mana based magic?
"Thank you... What price did I pay?
...
What happened to the Wasteland and Why does it drain my chi when I gather it?
...
How do I stop the Greenroot from interfering with my mana based magic?
You sought wisdom, and you prepared to risk life for it.
You find the darkness slides back around you, and you see a bored looking guy eating a taco in front of some computer screens. A pretty girl sticks her head in his cubicle.
"You wanted?"
"I thought you might find this interesting." He pointed at a timer counting down on a screen.
"What?" She seems intrigued despite herself.
"Remember how you were interested in terraforming?"
"Yes." She snaps. Her patience with the geek is obviously thin. He swallows.
"Well, in twenty-nine seconds, a package arrives. The first of seven."
"And what does it do?"
He flickers a smile.
You're standing on a flat plain, with greenroot near you. A bright light is in the sky. It grows brighter. And then it flares as if the sun were about to eat the planet.
"Another year. After things cool off, the first of the bacteria will hit the outer atmosphere." The geek said. "Say are you...?"
"No, but thank you. I'm going to sunbathe on my roof under the triple suns this night. Perhaps another time."
The geek waits until she's gone to exult.
"That explains a bit about the Wasteland.
Origionally, this planet was only inhapited by the Greenroot.
Then those two started to terraform it.
And the Wastland is where they haven't terraformed yet.
I'm still have no clue how the wasteland is drawing chi from me. Please, can you show me something to explain it?
Is the Coming Star that the trappers talked about and that star that star that showed up in sky part of thar terraforming project?
How is the Greenroot opposing my mana drawing?
I haven't notices any overt magic or psionics. Is there anyone who uses those powers? Where should I look for them?"
The Greenroot can by the power of its will draw in lifeforce. You draw in chi or mana, and it becomes lifeforce inside you. It then steals it from you.
No one on this planet uses more chi than the defense for when they do the Greenroot seeks them out. You have some ability to resist the Greenroot, they even less, so they fail.
The Wasteland is where the vast masses of the greenroot live.
The Coming Star...
"Wakey-wakey-wakey." A girl about ten hits a red button, and a plastic face shield pops open. Inside is the face of a man frozen in ice. "Hi, pops." She kisses him, and then wrinkles her nose. She goes to the next container down the narrow hall of plastic. She hts another button and a womanly face is revealed. "Mumsy. As soon as you wake, I'm ordering up some good food. I'm tired of lasing up bbq." She kisses the frozen face, and continues down the corridor...
"Good thing I can draw chi and mana, otherwise I would be in the next world or a dry husk.
My first inpulse is to eleminate the Greenroot.
Is there any reason for me not to follow this inpulse?
Is there any other thing things that are as dangerus to humans as the Greenroot?"
"Not on this planet although the Bollifers are very dangerous indeed. And I will not tell you what to do. I only urge you to act wisely."
"I have one more question.
If those people have the technology to terraform a planet, Why are the people on the planet only using Preindustrial Revolution technology?
I also have a request.
I know you're also a war goddess and a goddess of skill.
I would like to have a friendly sparring match with you."
You see a shuttle, rockets flaming, land, and people get out to their new planet.
One man takes charge, and he makes all the decisions. But he does not have time to get to everyone, so many people are left waiting for hours to do a simple task. Finally, forced, he appoints assistant judges. But these, also have problems with too many decisions to be made, and unlike the first man, they are not incorruptible.
Technology slowly fails, and when people complain, they are sent to work camps, and then later to gallows. Eventually a generation later, a revolution succeeds. But by then technology has collapsed to steam engine level.
Later, steam engines cross the land, and then the Bollifers come. They demand goods. The small villages and cities refuse. So the Bollifers leave, but not before using one of their shuttles to send an asteroid to crash into the center of human civilization.
Once humans pick themselves up, its the Age of Mud with stick hoes, and a river than floods annually. Later, another Coming Star comes, but its not the Bollifers. And these newcomers take the planet up to the beginning of the Age of Stone...which you're in right now. Small castles, knights, villages, basic iron work....and a steady but slow expansion into the Wasteland.
Second....
"Weapons?" Athena asks with interest.
"Interesting..."
-----------
"I'm not very good with weapons, so I would prefer unarmed.
May I use my chi techniques? I'm relatively sure that a normal human verser wouldn't be much fun to spar with. I would only use my Iron Skin Technique and my Speed Enhancing Technique. I also have Strength Enhancing Technique if you want me to use it. I sure mortal fists, even with superstrength, aren’t going to do much to you
… If I make Iron Skin Technique as strong as I can, I might survive you hitting me with a mundane short sword.
I’m not really sure how much more powerful you are compared to me. So it up to you to decide what is appropriate. I’m willing to try to spar you with a mundane weapon.
Use what weapons and skills you wish. We fight in a dream as its the only way I can come into this reality. You will not die by my hand here, and I will not use my full strength....there is no need to pick up Italy and whack you over the head with it.
A dojo appears in your mind, and you are atop a mat in a gi with a belt you cannot see. Her belt is a faded black. She bows, and then gestures for you to come and get it with an amused smile.
"... I feel stupid now.
I think that would be very funny... and painful."
I bow back and try to set up the techniques I mentioned before.
I'll rush her with a flying side kick and try to follow it of with two punches and a roundhouse kick.
I'll try to make mental notes on her style and try to recreate it later while I awake.
This is going to be so fun!!!
She slips to your left, and taps you on the right elbow as you land. Your arm spasms at the nervestrike.
You hit her shoulder which she turns inward with your first punch. Your second punch is unavailable, but you fake it, and you see a flicker of uncertainty on her face.
Your roundhouse kick comes in and she flips backwards on her hands out of reach.
You've got her partially in a corner of the mat. Your right arm is still twitching.
"If your foes cannot talk to each other they can be more easily outmaneuvered. If a messenger is slain so that the cavalry on the right wing do not move when the general commands, is that not as good as destroying the cavalry by brute force?"
"Heh. A pressure point style. I should have expected something that hard to master from you. Let's see if I can get the message through."
I'll try to force the arm to work with a large amount of chi and focus it with the words
"I REFUSE to let this stop ME."
Whether that works or not I'll rush her with a sliding side kick, a hook kick and a flip kick. I'll follow that with two punches
Your arm heals, and she comes flying at you with what looks like a flying sidekick with a trailing lower arm while you are healing.
"Attack when the enemy rests, when he eats, when he gathers his strength for then his weapons are not to hand."
I'll try to side step it and counter it with a roundhouse kick and two punches.
"True, But false weakness can be used to set up a counterattack."
Is she trying to teach me tactics? Or is it something more subtle?
She drops out of her kick early, and with the same flowing motion slaps a nerve behind your right knee even as you lash out with your roundhouse. You're unstable on your leg, but she gets too ambitious, and tries to hook your heel with her other hand. In so doing, she opens herself up for a good kick to the face.
You stagger forward, limping badly, and she rolls away very quickly before turning rotational momentum into vertical momentum.
She wipes the blood from her face, and grins.
"Teach a goddess not to be arrogant. I thank you for that lesson."
You feel as if its tactics, and its philosophy, and a way of looking at the world.
"... I'm not sure how to respond to that."
I'll fight defensively(I’m focusing more on parrying her strikes than dodging), try to heal my leg and try to make my nerves resistant to her nerve attacks.
This is useful. I will remember this and use it.
She pauses a bit as she analyzes your tactics, but even as you realize what she's doing, she moving to a new attack. She wheels about you, continually forcing you to turn, darting in with feints that might become real to distract you, and all the while hoping you trip.
You manage to heal your leg, and you push chi energy through your nervous system to amplify the commands you give your body.