Woohoo! Finally a Highschool grad! Any schooling form now on is by my own choice! Woohoo!
*Insert Joyous Dance Here*
And I'm not the only one to celebrate right now, as we have just finished our first Showdown! And let me tell you now, THESE will be our main EXP generators in this quest, and this turnout REALLY shows that. But, you'll find those out at the end of the chapter. For now, let's see the winning votes.
Spoiler: Winning Votes
How will this go? LET'S FIND OUT!
As the world came back to normal in field of view, you instantly take note that you are back in your precious Lab, somehow in the exact spot where you started the Showdown. There WERE some key differences you could note however. To start with, the 'Wu' you had one seem to have coiled or connected to various parts of your body in the instant you were unaware, with the Sash currently wrapped tightly against your waist and left shoulder, with your Pudding cup fitting neatly into the crossing section of fabric, bandoleer style, and Kimiko's former hair-ties wrapped firmly around your wrists, creating an almost bandaged look to them.
As you finished looking at yourself, your eyes finally found their way up once again, and were taken aback by the image you saw
Spoiler: Sweet Mother of Matcha!
It seems that Kimiko had a spare hair tie in her, having quickly taken her free-flowing hair and turning it into one massive ponytail. It also appeared that the previously long tunic she wore seemed to have burned away, revealing startling amount of leg and thigh that he was sure would have landed him in serious pain to see in any other circumstance.
The reason you think this? Because she was currently angrily stomping on the Brazilian looking friend of hers for making some kind of comment. It looked quite painful.
Not that they had your attention again however, you remembered just what started all this...insanity that transpired in the first place. The breaking and entering of your Lab and property.
So, after seeing Kimiko finally start to settle down, now securely trapped in the arms of the giant one wearing the ten-gallon hat, you clear your throat, gently trying to remind them they were in someone's home. Your eye then began to twitch a bit when you saw the noise be completely ignored, now due to the fact that Kimiko had somehow flipped the large one over her head and into the apparently 'Stupid, dumb, surfer dork'. Seeing this, you decided to try and get their attention another way before the REST of your Lab somehow gets wrecked due to these super strong idiots.
"Hey! We were in the middle of something! Mind if I call some attention back to the small fact that YOU BROKE INTO MY LAB!?" You yelled out, finally at the end of your surprisingly long rope, brought there due to a combination of pain, the insanity, and just not wanting to fix MORE of your Lab tonight.
It seems to have done the trick, as it snaps all their attention back to you, excluding Dojo, who seemed to be constantly looking through that impossible Scroll of his, ignoring everything around him.
The blushes on their faces flare a bright red as they calmly get of each other, with the tall one pulling the little stereotype out from where he was slammed into the ground, and Kimiko removing the 'surfer' guy's arm from where she was biting it. Now that you actually thought about it, you should REALLY get these people's names, if only so that you can stop refering to them with such stupid names.
"AHEM...Sorry about that, I...don't know what came over me there." Kimiko finally said, the blush still evident on her face, but definitely fading.
"Eh, I could tell ya that much. What happened here, there, and a bit too much in the Showdown, was what happens when ya tap into Fire Chi too much without the experience or control to go with it. Ya burn bright, but also out of control." Dojo replied from the floor, eyes still never moving from the Scroll.
That took you by surprise. Chi? What the Hell was that? And why was comprehension dawning on the small yellow ones face at that?
"OHHHHH! I should have known! I have done the same thing in early training! I was nearly washed away when I used too much water Chi!" The little one finally spoke, as if nearly dying was the most natural thing in the world.
You decided to ignore this in favor of something much more relevant at the moment.
"Yeah, yeah, that's great, Chi overloads, what a pain, now, could any of you, other than Kimiko, tell me their names? And maybe WHO'S GONNA FIX MY WALL!" You finally said as you got to your feet, clutching your aching ribs.
This seemed to have done the trick, judging by the sudden looks of guilt that flashed across the groups faces, before finally, the little one stepped forward.
"We are MOST sorry for the intrusion into your humble property. My name is Omi, and I shall do what it takes to make amends. I swear on my honor as a monk of the Shaolin Temple" The yellow one, named Omi apparently, said with conviction.
"I agree with he littlr fella, I'm Clay, and I'll have that wall up faster than a cheetah on a treadmill." The tall one said with a heavy southern drawl. Nice to know you COULD judge someone by how they appear.
"Eh, if it means getting out of here without the cops after us, sign me up. The name's Raimundo, don't forget it." The final one said in a cocksure attitude.
"Yeah, I for SURE won't forget any of your names." You said with conviction. And you indeed wouldn't. After all, this could be the exact thing that would get you out of your parent's shadow, and allow you to RULE THE WORLD! Or at least a good chunk of it. You weren't picky.
After the introduction however, things clearly became awkward, both due to the fact that the apparent 'monks' didn't know what to say now, and your own lack of communication due to the burning feeling of your ribs making it hurt to breath too hard.
Luckily, this silence was quickly filled, as Dojo finally raised his head from whatever he was reading.
"Found it! Sorry for being so quiet kiddies, I just had to check exactly WHAT happens if an unaligned party wins a Showdown. The last time it happened, the Pyramids were still being built! (1)
You see, cause ginger over there *At this you do your best to glare down at the tiny lizard, only for it to ignore you completely* can't be identified at this current time as Shaolin or Heylin, he's just a guy holding a mystical item. It's good in the case that it accepts him and allows him to use it fully, but the bad news is...he can't hold on to it for long. No, with out is master being Shaolin or Heylin, the Wu will constantly register as 'active' to every sensor that can find it. And that means, there would be more Showdowns for it. Sorry kid, but welcome to the your new life.
You gazed down, taking note of the stark serious look on the little lizards face, and then the looks of dawning horror on the monks face as they pictured what that would be like. Hunted for the Wu that MUST be captured before another reveals itself.
You shuddered as the reality of the situation hit you as well, and tried your voice steady as you asked a question that may change your fate.
"I-Is there...anyway to join a side? To claim it as my own?" The damnable stutter happened despite your best efforts.
Dojo's eyes softened a touch as he looked at you now.
"There ARE ways kid. But they each have negatives. You could try and join us, the Shaolins, but you would require years of training before actually being able to keep up with us. You could also, and it pains me to say this, try and Join the Heylins. And don't you kid look at me like that, not Every Heylin is Evil, just...ambivalent to good. There have been numerous times when both sides have worked together to help the world at large." As he trailed off, he looked into the eyes of the monks around him, trying to show them just how serious what he was saying was.
The mollified looks on Kimiko and clay were reassuring, but the doubtful ones on Omi were kinda scary, as was Raimundo's somewhat interested looking expression.
"The problem with that, however, is that the standard Heylins are less likely to recruit you, and more likely to just Kill you and take the Wu. And that's not even MENTIONING the non-standard ones. Sorry kid. No matter what you pick, your kinda screwed. I hope you enjoy what's left of time." He finally said, sadness and finality in your eyes.
As those options were lined out for you, you started to shake. With sadness, with fear, with anger, you didn't know anymore. You had just been minding your own business, working in your lab like you would any other day, and suddenly you find a stupid old piece of cloth, and now your gonna die a death just because of some 'hard' choices? SCREW THAT!
"GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY LAB! I-I...I, need to think about this." You exploded, before winding down as the injuries to your ribs brought your down to a near wheeze.
This prompted a flinch from Dojo, but nothing else.
"If you say so kid. But remember, if you want to take the chance, you can find us on the top of Mount Hua, in China." (2) As he turned around, you quickly stopped them however, mind having come up with at least some kind of plan.
"Wait! Before you go...could I have a look at that Scroll you're reading. I want to see for myself if what you said is true." You called.
The lizards eyes closed in thought for a moment, before nodding and opening the Scroll once again. On it, you could see what seemed to be a giant circle of empty space in the middle of it, which quickly filled itself with characters you recognized as Kanji. Luckily, you understood most of them, and found what he had said to be true.
Your eyes began to tear slightly as you saw that there was no mistake. This might be our end. But, if it was, you were going to face it head high, and robots forward. So, you quickly wiped away the little bits of moisture around your eyes, and passed the Scroll back.
As you did so, you noticed what had to be some of Dojo's scales suck to your now wet hand, most likely gathered there from the Scroll you were just handling. You decided not to say anything about it, as he seemed to be no different about them, and you had bigger concerns.
With that done, the monks and lizard quietly left out the hole they made, respecting the atmosphere they had never meant to create.
You...were not sure what to do now. You absentmindedly ordered your Jackbot's to repair the hole in the Lab, but other than that, you were completely lost.
That was, until your ribs flared up yet again, causing you to nearly double over in pain.
Okay, that knocked you back to reality really quickly. Time to go take care of that. Maybe also get some comfort food. You certainly needed it right now.
So, off you went to get some pudding and pain medication.
END OF CHAPTER
Gained:
450 EXP: YOU HAVE LEVELED UP! YOU HAVE LEVELED UP! NOW LEVEL 3!
2 Perk points: These points can either be used to buy a new Perk based on a random action we took during this encounter, be used to downgrade a Fault, or be used to Upgrade an existing perk! You can also save these for times of need! You decide!
Gained Third-Arm Sash!: When Equipped, gain +5 Strength, and an extra action to take when doing non-combat actions, such as cooking, cleaning, and building.
Gained Pudding Cup + ULTRA: This pudding cup has been temporarily turned into a Shen Gong Wu. At the present time, it can be used to instantly restore health to maximum to the one who eats it, but it has the potential to become so much more.
Gained Hailation Hair-Ties: These hair ties have been temporarily turned into Shen Gong Wu, and have reverted to normal. At the present time, they glow with an inner light, and give the wearer +2 Charisma, but it has the potential to be so much more.
Recovered 175 Hp through use of medicine and regular pudding!
Lost
Status -Half Dead-, has been downgrade to -Injured-: When under this affliction, both speed and strength get a minus one.
CHOICE: Choose one of the two below
[] Open the Puzzle Box (Become Heylin)
[] Search for the Shaolin (Become Shaolin)
CHOICE: Choose two of the options below
[] Create Transportation
[] Try and talk with your Sister
[] Contact your Family
[] Analyze the Scales
[]De-Stress
[]Write-In
END OF CHAPTER
(1) A Little reference to the Wu, Ruby of Ramses
(2) As the temple is never given an actual physical location to it, I went with an actual Chinese mountain that looked similar to it.
Alright people, things have escalated very far, very fast. We MUST choose a side in this conflict, or be hunted down to the ends of the Earth by both sides. Also, feel free to use the perk points however you wish. Also, regarding Jack's alignment, it is not to cats, tigers, or anything animal or Wu related. Here's a hint. What better to fight a Japanese Dragon? Just throwing that out there . You will understand if what I hope happens comes to pass. I look forward to seeing what you all do now. See ya'll in two days!