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Those Blessed with Talent

Reader mode
Ok, tentative non-vote:
[X] Strength Loss Adventure
[X]We know that strength breeds danger, not safety. It's been shown to us, again and again, from Han Wei to how we have seen the stronger people were the harder their duty and expectations were. But we are prideful. If Autumn Shade or Moutain Peak blossom truly wanted simple safety, it would be different, but they are prideful, too. We want to be something, and not just retire quietly before we ever knew what could have been. There is a reason we chose to be an indetured servant and neither adopted nor gone to the army: we want to be our own person,yes, we are very prideful... but we also know our limits. What separate someone foolishly trying to grasp the heaven to someone succeeding is accepting other people's help. We could, definitely, try to recover on our own. It is probably possible, there are skills, not too far away, that could hopefully facilitate such, but there is a limit to our arrogance.
-[X] Beside, even our pride dislike being used as a bluff.
 
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[X] Strength Loss Adventure
[X] Being hidden away does not guarantee safety. It relies on outside forces staying the same so that our benefactors remain powerful enough no-one would dare challenge them or the thing they use to bluff with. It relies on luck that nothing powerful and uncontrollable wanders through. The world is not so predictable that not causing trouble guarantees safety. And if trouble ever does come calling, than it means you get to watch what you care for die because you decided ignorance and weakness for temporary bliss was a fair trade.
 
[X] Strength Loss Adventure
[X]We know that strength breeds danger, not safety. It's been shown to us, again and again, from Han Wei to how we have seen the stronger people were the harder their duty and expectations were. But we are prideful. If Autumn Shade or Moutain Peak blossom truly wanted simple safety, it would be different, but they are prideful, too. We want to be something, and not just retire quietly before we ever knew what could have been. There is a reason we chose to be an indetured servant and neither adopted nor gone to the army: we want to be our own person,yes, we are very prideful... but we also know our limits. What separate someone foolishly trying to grasp the heaven to someone succeeding is accepting other people's help. We could, definitely, try to recover on our own. It is probably possible, there are skills, not too far away, that could hopefully facilitate such, but there is a limit to our arrogance.
-[X] Beside, even our pride dislike being used as a bluff.

I like it.
 
Peaceful Life

You haven't talked in months.

It's not because you cannot, it is because you have no reason to. The servants here have learned what you like, and where you go. You haven't had to ask them for a thing, because they have already put it out. Today you wake up to the smell of grilled leek, some rice and a small portion of meat, probably chicken.

You eat breakfast in bed, even as you stroke Autumn's fur. He has grown large enough that lying on your chest or your face isn't really practical, even if he does it anyway. You take a deep breath and hold it. Drawing in the scent of your companions and smile. It is delicious and you nod your thanks to the absent servants.

You don't need to talk to your companions either, Autumn leaps out of bed the instant you put the plates on the side table, the perfect picture of feline grace and strength. His rumbling purr accompanies you as you yourself stretch and slowly creep out of bed. Your cane had fallen over in the night and you don't even need to lean over to pick it up before Autumn places it in your hand. He butts his head against your chest, nearly knocking you back into the bed and you give a silent laugh. He then leaps to the door and gives out a soft basso roar for you to hurry up.

Autumn's own breakfast awaits outside, probably a goat, and he doesn't like to leave your side so you oblige him. You are slow thanks to your legs, but you are in no rush. Today is just another day after all.

Mountain Peak Blossom shifts against your skin even as you feel the pinpricks of its roots as it takes its own breakfast. Like Autumn it has grown large and while you do wear clothes for the sakes of the servants you probably did not need to, as Mountain has long since grown around you in a viney approximation of an outfit, well preserving your modesty and protecting you against any incidental dangers. You indulgently run your fingers along a flower and sniff it as Mountain presents it to you. It smells sweet.

Autumn is a mess as always after he eats, and so it is time to go off to the baths. Here, you need help, Peak Blossom as always is reluctant to give up its grip around you, and sulks as the two maids help you wash your body and your hair. You close your eyes at the contact. You... hate to admit it, but this little bit of human contact? Even if it is their jobs? You treasure it.

You are pretty sure no other human will touch you willingly, your wounds have made you ugly.

After the baths you hesitate, then head into the manor. Today, today you will read. You've been teaching yourself the more difficult words, both as something to do, and to gain access to the worlds that open up to you in the library. It is difficult without a tutor, but none of the servants have offered to help, and you have not asked. You however don't mind the time taken. If it is one thing you've learned since your first days of coming here, is patience.

And that is how you pass the day. You find a cup of tea next to you, then lunch, then dinner. And when your eyes strain, and each word seems an indecipherable blur, you put your books away. Then, with Autumn at your side, and Mountain Peak Blossom wrapped around you, you once again head for bed.

The next day happens. Library again,

And the next. Today you spend the day in the gardens, watching Autumn play and frolic as you wander the paths.

And the next. And so it goes.

The fifth day something breaks your routine. A letter is waiting for you at your bedside table. It is from Peach Blossom. You open it, honestly you didn't think she could even read, let alone write. It's been at least a year since you last saw her, when you thanked her for helping you against the fox. You honestly don't know what to make of the letter as you skim the first few lines.

Rival!

I bet you've gone on lots of Adventures since your last letter to me. I am a bit worried that they stopped coming.
​
You had occasionally written to her and Thoughtless as ways to practice writing with your left hand, but you had never intended to send those letters, as they were more like fiction then anything resembling reality. Dreams of another life. You have no idea how she got a hold of them.

So! I thought I'd give you some incentive! I've reached level 20! And am a full member of the Guild! So take that. Tomorrow I go on my first assignment of guarding a caravan as it travels to another city. There I will be sure to face many bandits and I shall defeat them all.
​
Bandits? Oh right. Your first encounter with her. She was a bit obsessed with defeating bandits.

It will not be as grand as facing a Dire Wolf Pack with only a plant to back you up...​

You stop reading. Mainly because the parchment is getting wet. You are crying. You don't know why. They were only flights of fancy, daydreams put to paper. Why is it so hard to see that Peach Blossom believes every word? She is an idiot, she'd believe the sky was green with purple polka dots if you told her.

You sob out a laugh brokenly, a gross croak of a sound. You are lying to yourself of course. You know exactly why. You want those daydreams to be as true as Peach thinks they are.
 
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[X] Strength Loss Adventure
[X] Being weak means never being safe. You have to rely on others to keep you safe, and the moment they decide it isn't worth the trouble you don't have anymore peace. The only way to be safe is to be able to fight or escape from anything that wants to hurt you. That might make others try to attack you out of fear but that is no different than what would happen if I were to be used as a bluff by the Mu clan. This way I can fight back, and if I do lose someone I care about at least I will have been able to try to protect them instead of being useless. Besides, there are more that I care about that just Autumn Shade and Mountain Peak. Who would keep an eye on the Idiot if I stopped, and what would Peach Blossom say if I gave up? Knowing that her rival quit might just break her fragile ego, and I wouldn't want that.

Took me about 20 minutes to put the reasoning into words, and I'm still not entirely happy with it. I could have just copied one of the other votes, some of them are really good. Easily better than mine at least. I chose not to because this doesn't seem like a vote we should bandwagon to me. Something about this vote seems like it should be as much from the players perspective as from Little Bees. Maybe it's just me reading to much into what Darkened was asking in character from what seems like the head of the Mu clan, but I'd rather make an entire new vote because of it. Even if it means my vote has no chance of winning since I specifically don't want it copied it just feels more right to make a unique vote for this than to bandwagon it. Also I know this switches from 2nd person to 1st person part way through- that was half deliberate, half how it ended up. I was doing my best to write this from Little Bees perspective, and I kind of doubt a 10 year old street rat would care about tense. That said I'm not exactly good at in character writing so may have ended up going way out of character.
 
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[X] Strength Loss Adventure
[X] Being hidden away does not guarantee safety. It relies on outside forces staying the same so that our benefactors remain powerful enough no-one would dare challenge them or the thing they use to bluff with. It relies on luck that nothing powerful and uncontrollable wanders through. The world is not so predictable that not causing trouble guarantees safety. And if trouble ever does come calling, than it means you get to watch what you care for die because you decided ignorance and weakness for temporary bliss was a fair trade.
 
[X] Strength Loss Adventure
[X] Being hidden away does not guarantee safety. It relies on outside forces staying the same so that our benefactors remain powerful enough no-one would dare challenge them or the thing they use to bluff with. It relies on luck that nothing powerful and uncontrollable wanders through. The world is not so predictable that not causing trouble guarantees safety. And if trouble ever does come calling, than it means you get to watch what you care for die because you decided ignorance and weakness for temporary bliss was a fair trade.

Also, calling it now, Mu Caow is not The Idiot's real name. Clearly he is Mu Zen. Either that or he made up Mu Zen and made people say he did everything in an attempt to avoid responsibility which only resulted in The Idiot having to lead a double life.
 
[]Arkeus

Stagnation leads to death
 
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[X] Peace Weakness Safety
[X] I don't wish or have need of your help. Even if I did the price you ask is too high. Becoming a monster for sake of being a monster is no life at all. I'll recover using my own power.
 
Darkened said:
Those feels...

Hard to think of a good way to reward this.

Oh! I can make it canon!

Err, I mean, will give you reward options tomorrow.
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After thinking on it a bit you can technically do that- after being given the choice you have Little Bee falling asleep, it isn't unreasonable to think she would dream about what her options are after that. So if you don't mind saying it was all just a dream you can easily call it canon.
 
I'm a bit surprised by all those votes saying that being weak is no guarantee of safety, when the point is that being strong is a guarantee of loss- yes, being weaker doesn't mean we are certain to be safe, but it also means we are not flat out knowing we'll lose something important.

The 'weakness' option is the option where we have the possibility of a good end for ourself and our dependent at the price of possibly temporary weakness, while the 'strength' option is the one where we decide that having adventure and immediate strength is worth sacrifices.
 
liked wayne 8244's reasoning enough to try and write my own, no clue how it turned out though, also i'm not sure I understand the vote right is this just growing stronger or will we turn into a cat girl or something.
[X] Strength Loss Adventure
[X] life is made of choices and I have already made mine. long ago I was a forgotten child and though I was with others, I was forever alone. I watched others then and I learned something, strength has no effect on who you are. Those that you say would hate and fear me for being a monster are the same that would have kicked me aside before without thought. But there were others who despite being stronger acted differently giving food and shelter to stay together as family.
strength can make one into a monster, and in that sense all adventures are monsters. but it does not have to, choices matter as well, I am sure you will be generous if I take the other path but I will be unable to choose. The reason why I denied the nobles first offer of adoption was because I wanted time to understand the choices that I will make and now I think I am just beginning to.
I am an adventurer I understand that perceptions will change as I grow, but growth is part of life. If I chose to runaway at the first defeat I don't think I would like the type of person that I would become. Not when I can find people who can understand and accept me for who I am even if others consider me a monster.
 
[X] Peace Weakness Safety
[X] I can see my sheet, and recovery on my own is not only possible, but within reach. I do value strength, and I will fight for it, but I will not sacrifice my friends and allies on the altar of my desire for it.

This is not a choice between "game end" and "keep going". We *can* recover from this on our own. This is a choice between grabbing an instant power-up right now and bouncing back into the fight at the cost of the lives of our allies versus taking the slower route, recovering properly, and building ourselves back up again.

Actually, pertinent QM question: is this accurate? I mean, if he can heal us with his abilities, presumably we could learn to heal ourselves with our own, given plant-based regeneration and the heal tree. Is it at all plausible to gain enough exp to do that while this badly injured?
 
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Regrowth would probably cure Crippled and Mute. Because those are both because of physical damage. I'm not so sure it would effect Weakened at all given that Weakened came from us going into XP debt because we reached into reserves we didn't have. And since even our Charisma and Perception was hit its a huge blow to our abilities to affect an ongoing battle. I mean we'd are shit at Analyze now since that is Perception based which is our best move and there is no guarantee leveling up will raise our weakened stats after all. It might just raise the stats hidden behind the Weakened status effect.
 
We'd need to get 5 levels to get out of XP debt and buy out regrowth. Basically, while Regrowth might be enough to cure our status effects, it will probably only be available well after we are back to adventuring.

In that case, the best way to gain XP would be by depending on our beasts and constantly teaching them things so that they get the maximum possible benefit from their XP. I don't think it's impossible- I doubt Darkened would give us a a "Quest Over" choice there. However, I do think it will be much, much harder, and will necessitate us pretty constantly finding level-accurate quests to get XP.

As for weakened... Growth possibly might not cure it, but Moutain Peak Blossom not only has the Plant and Stone tree, but also the Life tree. I am thinking there should be something under this that will cure us. Again, though, this a goddam long project.

I am voting for Strength/etc because I feel it's more in LB's character to want to be strong fast, and that she strongly believes Autumn Shade and Moutain Peak also wants that. Also, I think she is aware that a good leader needs help from time to time. The price- to become a monster and put her team in danger- is hefty, but something not only something is willing to pay, but something she knows her team would be ready to pay too.
 
[X] Strength Loss Adventure
[X] You know loss and fear. There are old companions but you went here for change. And your pride wouldn't allow you to back off now in the beginning. So old man show off what you can do. Bring it on ! We both now it can't be enough to face all the challenge.
 
Arkeus said:
I am voting for Strength/etc because I feel it's more in LB's character to want to be strong fast, and that she strongly believes Autumn Shade and Moutain Peak also wants that. Also, I think she is aware that a good leader needs help from time to time. The price- to become a monster and put her team in danger- is hefty, but something not only something is willing to pay, but something she knows her team would be ready to pay too.
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I'm voting against it because she just had a horribly traumatic experience where she put her own ambition over the lives of her friends and allies and they nearly all died and she felt *horrible* about it. Going with the "monster" plan is essentially a matter of signing up to do that again. That sounds like a *terrible* idea. Choosing Monster means deciding that your strength is more important than the lives of your friends... making their deaths not just a possibility that goes along with being an adventurer, but a near-certainty... where it becomes not a question of "if" but "how many"... and given that she does have a way to recover from this, that seems like a *horrible* price to pay. It's essentially a matter of deciding that these creatures are our minions, instead of our friends. It's a matter of saying that yes, it will probably be worthwhile to figure out the hunting range and habits of the shadow leopard, so that when Autumn Shade's third replacement dies, we can more efficiently find and subdue the fourth. That's not who we've been, and it's honestly not who I want us to be. I don't want our life to become the vortex of violence where animal companions go to die.

also, kibitz: 121 exp is not 5 levels worth - we'll get it long before our level increases by 5. Even if we're going from *current* per-level cost it's a lot closer to 4 times than 5.
 
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[X] Peace Weakness Safety
[X] I am hurt, unsure, and lack confidence. My body is a ruin and it's my fault, even if I don't regret my decisions. I want to rest, to relax, to live life without worrying I will die tomorrow, for the first time in my life. When I return to strength, and I will, it will be on my own terms and as a result of my own efforts- so I can feel confident in it. The quick power of an A- did not help me immature as it was. I want security more than power. I want to be a person for at least a little while after being trash my whole life, and before being a monster.

Personal reasoning is i think this will be more interesting than the other option.
 
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[X] Peace Weakness Safety
[X] I can see my sheet, and recovery on my own is not only possible, but within reach. I do value strength, and I will fight for it, but I will not sacrifice my friends and allies on the altar of my desire for it.
Obvious trap is obvious.
 
I'm not seeing the trap? Its a choice between getting a stat upgrade at the cost of being monstrous in some manner vs recovering naturally and doing a time skip.
 
I actually nearly voted for peace since we can recover ourselves. What changed my mind was actually the thought of how the idiot and Peach Blossom would react to what could be seen as Little Bee giving up. The fact that I read redaeth's omake right after only made me decide to go with strength even more.

The main problem I have with peace is I can all to easily see the servants in the place we get sent to acting as guards to stop us from doing anything dangerous. Anything dangerous like the kind of stuff that would get us XP, which we will need badly. And I don't mean that maliciously, just that they would stop us from risking ourselves since the Mu clan wouldn't think we could handle it, not in an attempt to keep Little Bee weak. Add in the amount of XP we need to get to regrowth alone, with no idea how much we will need to get rid of weakness and it gets even worse.

The biggest thing about strength that nearly had me vote against it was the statement that we would likely have our companions die. The thing there is I can't see that not being just as likely if we chose peace. If we go with peace we are still going to heal Little Bee then go right back out adventuring, so how would their chance of dieing be any less?

The thing is we aren't planning to take the peace option we were offered at all- those voting for peace are actually voting to reject the offer, but continue adventuring on our own terms anyways. The peace option as written seems to be basically retiring from fighting and taking up a different role. Presumably this would be something that fits in with us being a leader class rather than a warrior class, like becoming a general. That is why I can't see it being any less dangerous, because it is based on us not getting into fights ourselves.

Then again maybe half of what was said was fluff that I'm overthinking. Could be we are just choosing to progress by learning a bunch of techniques over time or by getting stat boosts now. It wouldn't be the first time I thought about an option to much.
 
Arkeus said:
I'm a bit surprised by all those votes saying that being weak is no guarantee of safety, when the point is that being strong is a guarantee of loss- yes, being weaker doesn't mean we are certain to be safe, but it also means we are not flat out knowing we'll lose something important.

The 'weakness' option is the option where we have the possibility of a good end for ourself and our dependent at the price of possibly temporary weakness, while the 'strength' option is the one where we decide that having adventure and immediate strength is worth sacrifices.
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"Weakness is no guarantee of safety" could sum up the entirety of Little Bee's childhood. As an orphaned street rat in the lower city she was basically the weakest thing there, and not only was it no guarantee of safety, if was actively hostile.

Then ahe got ranked A- and it all changed. Being strong brought her safety, not being weak. With that in mind I can't see her taking "weakness is safety" seriously at all.

So what if she knows she'll lose something? She's lost people and pets before, and this way at least her only option won't be to beg and scrape hoping that she stays inconsequential enough to survive.

At least, this is how I think she would look at it.
 
Glasbowl14 said:
"
Then ahe got ranked A- and it all changed. Being strong brought her safety, not being weak. With that in mind I can't see her taking "weakness is safety" seriously at all.
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While I agree with most of the rest, she didn't experience being A- as having safety, in fact she experienced equal danger that way- she experienced it as having luxury, as being someone. This is why I think she would vote strength, too. Because she doesn't want to be back to be a nobody, or at best a inconsequential bluff.

She's just too proud for that, and she knows that Autumn Shade and Moutain Peak are likewise.
 
Arkeus said:
While I agree with most of the rest, she didn't experience being A- as having safety, in fact she experienced equal danger that way- she experienced it as having luxury, as being someone. This is why I think she would vote strength, too. Because she doesn't want to be back to be a nobody, or at best a inconsequential bluff.

She's just too proud for that, and she knows that Autumn Shade and Moutain Peak are likewise.
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Yeah, that's kinda what I was going for. When she was a street rat, they could whatever they wanted to her because she was so weak, a nobody who doesn't matter; then she became somebody (and while this did create new dangers, the ones that plagued her whole life before hand vanished entirely), but only because of her rank, because of the strength she would have, and like you said the weakness choice is rejecting all of that, and becoming a nobody all over again.

....now that I think about she would probably rather die than go back to that.
 
[ ] Peace Weakness Safety
[ ] I can see my sheet, and recovery on my own is not only possible, but within reach. I do value strength, and I will fight for it, but I will not sacrifice my friends and allies on the altar of my desire for it.
 
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[] Arkeus

Adventuring is always going to be dangerous, and we aren't going to stop adventuring. If we aren't going to take the opportunity to live a simple, pleasant life, we should become as strong as possible so we can actually accomplish our goals.
 
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[X] Peace Weakness Safety
[X] I am hurt, unsure, and lack confidence. My body is a ruin and it's my fault, even if I don't regret my decisions. I want to rest, to relax, to live life without worrying I will die tomorrow, for the first time in my life. When I return to strength, and I will, it will be on my own terms and as a result of my own efforts- so I can feel confident in it. The quick power of an A- did not help me immature as it was. I want security more than power. I want to be a person for at least a little while after being trash my whole life, and before being a monster.

Kind of annoyed by the other peace voters. Totally missing the point. Also annoyed by all the people who want to skip out on being crippled. Playing a crippled half head of household half prisoner half patient sounds fun. Sneaking out to have fun when we're a bit further along in our recovery. Maybe put a few years under our belt. Learn to read better. Flesh out our soft skills. Maybe learn to cook a little bit? Try our hand at poetry. Taking it easy as a severe cripple seems like a more interesting story path than jumping right back in with a power boost.

That's the other thing. I'm getting a really strong feeling that this isn't just what path we're choosing for ourselves, but the path we're choosing for Mu to use us for. Choosing power means choosing the deep end. No more training wheels; we're headed for combat missions on that route. I don't think we're ready, and I'm not interested in the implicit debt/usery of that path, compared to the path we were on before being injured. Difference between being an asset and being just a weapon.
 
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Okay, redaeth choose one of the following

  • learn the method to acquire an event skill falling under a broad theme of your choice. (Eg: healing, related to fire, buff, etc)
  • Describe whatever characteristics you wish. Little Bee will chance upon information regarding he closest known species to those traits next time she reads.
  • While Peach Blossom recovers she'll meet another talented youth and add that girl to her party.
  • The next time Little Bee does any research, LB will uncover some information regarding her current pets' potential and unlock the event skill Talent Scout.
 
Reader mode
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