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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 27, 2014 15:54:17 GMT -7
Oops, sorry about that! $720 in my out-of-bank account now!
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 27, 2014 12:11:10 GMT -7
Currently in bank: $784
Buying: Mochi x3 (@$40)
Buying: Item Name: Advanced Rapier Materials: Iron, Steel Stats: +3 Dex +2 Str Description: A stronger, more durable form of the Beginner's Rapier. The steel makes it less likely to break while the iron lets it pack a punch! Power: N/A
Total: $720
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 27, 2014 11:58:15 GMT -7
Jina had heard from the men at the pirates cove that there was a haunted castle located deep in the swamplands of this country. They told her that none had ever come back alive, but that there was probably a big treasure to be found inside. Jina decided she was going to take her chances, she was tired of this small blade and eating only rice. She wanted a real treasure.
"Whaa--"
The bodies littered the ground in the swamp, so she was shocked when she saw that there were two people actually standing outside the battle. They didn't appear to know each other, but she figured if she was going to plunder the castle (especially with all of these corpses laying here), that if she could team up, that would be best for all.
"Are you two here for the treasure?"
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 27, 2014 11:51:36 GMT -7
"Call me Jina. My family name is Zhuo, you may be able to tell but I'm not from around here."
She continued resting with her eyes closed. Her chest moved up and down inside of her armor. She was truly very happy to have found another woman who was able to fight. The ladies around here were often like her mother and the other women of the village, submissive. They were ladies of the home, and not of the sword.
"I'm from the country across the sea, China. I was captured and brought here by pirates..."
"Lucky enough for me, they found me pretty charming."
After a while, Jina raised up and began stripping. She was hot from her day practicing riding her horse, Huī and pretty dusty, as she had fallen quite a few times. When she was just down to her under clothes, she entered the water. The coolness chilled her skin. She sank neck-deep into the river, kneeling so that it would encompass her whole body.
Bathing felt good and she was glad that she didn't have to be alone or without someone to watch her back. She was often paranoid about the men in this area peeping on her. She knew this woman could defend herself, and would likely not tolerate a spying man.
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 27, 2014 11:44:57 GMT -7
Jina put her elbow down hard on the counter beside her and began tapping her fingers on the wood. She raised an eyebrow. "Secret Mission? Well I suppose I won't ask about it then, but it sure does sound interesting." She smiled again, glad she had already finished her drink. She didn't want to be any less sober than this, especially around such a good looking guy.
His cockiness was apparent, but it reminded her of her father in some ways. He was often off swooning the women of her town, never truly "cheating" on her mother, but certainly not treating her respectfully. Even so, Jina found it appealing.
"Well, secret man, I can tell you are a warrior. Are you a mercenary like myself?"
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 27, 2014 11:37:13 GMT -7
"Shiiiiiiit..."
Jina had been training with her horse for the past couple of months. At her home near the pirate's "cove", she had a small stable set up for her new steed along with a fenced pasture. She had grown up with livestock, at least chickens and pigs. She knew how to take care of animals, and her father had kept a horse after one of his battles had offered the steed as a reward. She knew about the animals, but it wasn't until after she had arrived here in Japan that she had ever actually ridden one.
Her horse had already gotten used to her. His name was Huī, meaning Brilliance in her native language. She had begun getting to know the local riders, them often seeing her ride up and down the beach. In the last couple of weeks, she had begun to ride through the forest, learning how to get her horse to jump. She finally got him to quit stalling, even at the logs that were almost as tall as she was.
"You really expect me to be able to do that?" Jina had been talking to one of the men who lived near the cove. He actually was a stable owner and a horse breeder. He was the one who had sold her Huī. Jina didn't have much money, but they had reached an agreement. Other than her food, Jina was required to give the stable owner all of her pay until she was able to complete his task.
When she finally felt confident, she had informed him that the next morning she was ready for his task. Well the morning had come and in she had rode on Huī. She approached the stable and what she found was an obstacle course. There were five small jumps, two mediums jump, and off to the side there was a large jump. Her eyes were wide when he told her that he expected her to do three laps on the course, with six turns per lap and then complete the large jump twice.
She huffed, not totally sure of her own ability. Jina clicked her tongue and began riding, she got up some speed before she began the first lap. The jumps were made of forked sticks stuck in the ground holding a horizontal height bar. She came up to the first one. Huī stalled, so she backed up. Jina rubbed his neck to calm him.
My face must be bright red, she thought to herself. She rode towards the jump again, this time clearing it. She continued onto the next small jump, clearing that as well. She rode him harder, one of the medium jumps was coming up.
"C'mon baby!" The horse soared over the jump, Jina was almost just riding it now without too much command. The horse knew what to do, it was just a matter of Jina putting it at the right speed and distance before the jump command. There was another two small jumps, easily done now and a medium jump again. The pattern was easy, keeping the horse, and Jina, calm.
After the last small jump, she cleared the first lap. She decided not to slow down, but to go for the big jump now and get at least one of them over with. As she approached, she could feel Huī getting anxious. She pushed him on, and as he jumped over the bar, his hoof knocked it, rumbling the bar but not causing it to fall.
"Yes!" She patted his neck lovingly and moved on to the next lap. She was able to get through it easily, but the second medium jump shook again when she cleared it. She decided against the large jump this lap and decided to take the time to get Huī used to the smaller ones again. She wanted him to be comfortable before the last big one.
"Alright, one more!" Jina called out to the stable owner. She was smirking, but so was he. The man was kind, he appeared to be proud of how well she was riding.
She proceeded on to the final lap, knocking the first bar down. "Shit shit shit" She rode on though, getting through without a problem and successfully completed the last lap. She had done everything right so far except for that one bar. Instead of going straight for the big one, she turned and completed an extra small jump before she hustled Huī toward the big one.
"Here we go!" She felt light, like the wind. They flew over the final jump and Jina cheered excitedly when they landed. She trotted over to the stable owner, smiling wide. "Well." "Indeed, you did very well," the man responded.
"You are free of your debt. Come back to me if you have any more issues or if Huī needs any medical attention. Okay?"
Jina jumped off of the horse and held the reins. She bowed respectfully and thanked him before riding off happily, glad that she could finally buy herself something other than rice to eat.
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 27, 2014 10:57:36 GMT -7
[[Jina's words. Prose. Conscious thoughts.]]
Jina was laughing with the men who had been betting on the fight. With each successive move, the men who knew Nao were putting all of their money on her, knowing that while the new recruit was distracted, she would make a deadly strike. I wouldn't strike that loud mouth down so quickly. He seems to have some moves. Jina wasn't willing to speak her words out loud, but laughed along with the men anyway.
The man with the sword she had met before in a local bar. He was cocky and appeared unmotivated. In the bar, he had called her gorgeous and even bought her a drink. He must think she was weak.
Jina devised a plan to impress him, not really wanting to side with the loud mouth, but she figured 3 on 1 would be too much of an unfair fight. She adjusted her armor slightly, making sure it was on right before she unsheathed her sword and began walking towards the fight. Her plan was to be the big man's side kick, defending him in his blind spot but not making any offensive moves. More than anything, she just wanted to show off.
"Hey Noel, remember me?!"
Jina ran at the big man, jumping lightly with one foot on his shoulder. Her weight was light enough that it wouldn't hinder his plan in any way, even though she was just there for a second. She pushed off, straight into the path of the Noel. If her plan worked, he would be surprised enough not to continue at Maki, but he wouldn't attack her mid-flight. She knew her weapon would snap the second it came into contact with the big sword, so instead she held it low, ready to strike at an open spot.
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Horses
Feb 27, 2014 7:39:54 GMT -7
Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 27, 2014 7:39:54 GMT -7
Sounds like a really awesome addition to the field. It's important to remember that there are mercs and we need a way to get around too
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 27, 2014 7:33:20 GMT -7
Jina saw five figures sitting near the fire. One of them called out to her, something about flavor sticks? They seemed friendly enough, so Jina continued to approach. If anything, she wanted to make sure these people weren't going to harm her which was just out of sight.
When she got within a reasonable distance, she could smell the fish being cooked and the warmth of the fire radiated, mixing with the cool ocean breeze.
There were five men seated there, two pairs that looked...well, the same? She was confused but decided it wasn't her place to question. Another man in black clothes laid on the ground, motioning with his hands.
"Flavor sticks?" This was a concept unknown to her. In China, many spices were kept in jars and pouches, needing to be ground before use. Maybe he was referring to cinnamon, something she had only ever heard about but had never actually seen. They said that cinnamon was shaped like hollow twigs.
She approached the group, the strong aroma of the food penetrating her senses. Her mouth watered slightly, it certainly smelled better than what she could cook - rice. Jina ate lots of rice. It was cheap, and seeing that she couldn't find many jobs, cheap was what she needed.
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 26, 2014 17:48:32 GMT -7
I see where you are coming from.
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 26, 2014 17:39:12 GMT -7
"Instead of fighting about it, how about you just be reasonable!" Jina was shouting at the pirates who had landed at a small pirate town that was almost carved out of the coast. The men were fighting about the gold that they had taken from a ship that they had boarded out at sea. Jina knew these men weren't keen on being fair, but they usually were able to own up to what they truly earned.
"You see?" The men quieted around her. "Who killed the captain?" A few hands rose into the air, but most went down once they saw that others were also fake-claiming the gold.
Jina sighed and sorted out the problems amongst the men, harvesting a few gold for herself as a reward for dealing with the pirates.
She left the bar and walked to the place that she had made her home. It was a small, one room shack that sat near the ocean. She was just a few hundred yards from the sea and she often took barefoot walks in the sand. She smiled, knowing that she would be able to relax now.
She did decide to take a walk tonight, and in the distance, saw a fire with a few people sitting around it. Curious, she approached.
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 26, 2014 17:30:32 GMT -7
That's true. I guess I was trying to find a way to more integrate the ally aspect of the war along with making it easier for mercs. I guess what I didn't understand is that the rules could be bent more than I had anticipated. As long as the quests are allowed to be shifted to accommodate for mercs and other non-faction chars, it would be fine. I'm a pretty organization oriented person, so it made sense to my brain to organize by faction.
Maybe then, instead of organizing it by faction, have it split between factioned and not? I can see that 36 SPQs would be a lot, but 12 is more within reason. Or even just have 3 non-faction SPQs if we are going to be flexible with the threads.
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 26, 2014 17:02:19 GMT -7
I see in the SPQ area that there are many quests for people who are associated with factions. A few of us don't have a faction and so it's hard to make the quests work.
Maybe, each faction leader could come up with quests (approved by admin) for their specific faction and have a set of side quests that could be completed by anyone.
Each leader would get to determine how their warriors could stat up (kind of guiding their army to be specially equipped in Dex or whatever) but so that Non-faction Chars could also have a chance to ally in different factions.
Example:
Date Faction Fitness Quest
Endurance Quest
Side Quests (Missions given by Dates but for Allied/No Faction Chars)
Rebuilding
Disaster Aid
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 26, 2014 16:53:11 GMT -7
"I haven't always been treated right by men. Thank you for being respectful."
Jina bowed, she was truly thankful to this man. Because of him, she had more than she expected, and also earned some respect for herself and for the male sex.
Her next task was to get out of this town. She knew that the men would come looking for her. Plus, her job here was done. Truthfully, this town wasn't where she wanted to be even if there wasn't trouble. The few here, well, it sucked.
"I'm leaving this town now that my job is done. Is there anything else you need from me?"
She was asking just to be polite, not that she really had any plans to stick around.
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 26, 2014 16:46:31 GMT -7
[[OOC: I spent last semester in a Buda Khi class, and we did that many pushups&situps easily by the third week of class, so I'm basing Jina's ability to complete the task from my own personal experience]]
Jina had recently befriended an Oda man, he was a small time officer and would probably never rank any higher than his current rank. The man likely just wanted to get in her pants, she thought, but he certainly was willing to help her out in any way in the mean time.
The night before over some beer, the man had been talking to Jina about Lord Oda’s command to toughen up the soldiers. The next day, he was going to instruct the men to run ten laps around the camp even though the weather was going to be bad. When the soldiers were done, they were going to do 150 push-ups and 200 sit ups. When the officer had told her this, Jina laughed at him.
What an easy task, she thought! When he questioned her about her laughter, she told him. She trained more than that every day. She could easily do the push-ups and sit ups in just 15 minutes.
“Why the hell are you giving them 12 hours to do it?! How big is your camp?"
The officer wasn't laughing. "If you think it's so easy, I'd like to see a woman try to do it."
"No problem. I'll be there." Jina rose from the table where they sat and left, the door banging behind her. _______
The next morning, Jina was at the Oda camp at sunrise. The officer was waiting for her at the camp entrance. All of the soldiers were exiting their tents, shuffling to the training area. They were laughing, joking around. Apparently, they hadn't been told about the task ahead.
The men lined up in rows, standing next to their friends, talking until the officer showed up. Their voices quieted at his que and he told them of the task ahead. Jina smiled when she heard the whispers and gasps around her. Had these men never trained in their life? Jina thought to herself.
The task started with the laps around the camp. Each lap was probably 2 miles, meaning that there would be 20 miles total. Jina could run a consistent 8 miles/hr for probably 5 miles before she needed to rest. Jina decided she would run for a two laps at a time, then rest at the starting point for half an hour before resuming. This meant that she would be done running after 5 hours.
She started her run, the weather wasn't bad yet. By the time her fourth lap came, about an hour and a half into the task, it started to drizzle. The tracks that the soldiers were leaving in the grass quickly became muddy, making her boots stick and her clothes heavy.
At her next rest, the took off her boots and put them next to the training area where the men stood. It wouldn't be hard to know which were hers, since her feet were so small. Nobody would think about stealing them, either.
She continued to run, the wind picking up but her feet much lighter and not sticking in the mud now. She passed many of the men, who lagged behind, their breath labored. Only a few stopped to rest, and sometimes they fell in the mud and just laid there in defeat.
By the time her predicted five hours were up, she still had two laps to go. Jina's body was sore, her lungs hurt and her breath was just as labored as those around her. She hadn't predicted the running to be this tough but she knew she had to keep pushing.
It was almost 6.5 hours into the training by the time she finished running. She rested for maybe an hour, catching her breath. The rain was actually welcome, as it was keeping her cool. She drank the rainwater, welcoming the cool feeling in her throat.
Jina was the first to complete the running exercise, but she wasn't the first to begin the next two. She knew that if she was to prove something to the Oda officer, she had to be the best.
The easiest task was saved for last. She regularly did push-ups, having watched her father train for many hours at a time back in China. She cranked out 80 of them in just 7 minutes. Her heart was beating fast and yes, her arms hurt. More than anything, though, her core that she had just spent running with was aching, begging her to stop. She was able to do another 40, she was almost done with the push-ups.
Jina's heart was racing faster now. She took a five minute break, seeing that one of the other soldiers had just finished his push-ups. He wasn't looking so good either, though. As soon as she was physically able, she did two sets of fifteen push-ups, finishing her requirement.
The last task would be cake. She did sit ups for two minutes straight, pumping out 50 of them. She rested for a minute, then did 50 more. She was half way done.
At this point, it was harder to repeat the same motion for another 100 reps, so she changed her style. She took her hands out from behind her head and instead, raised her body with just her core. At the top of the rep, she sent out two punches and went back to the ground. In the next five minutes, she was done. She laid, hair in the mud for a while. Her eyes were closed, the drizzling cooling her shaking arms and legs.
The Oda man that she had been with the night before walked up to her after a few minutes. More than anything, he was shocked. His eyes were wide, and he was skeptical. "How?" was the only word that escaped his lips.
Jina smiled without opening her eyes. After a few seconds, she raised her body and stood up. She looked the man in the eye and said "I think your soldiers are weak."
Jina walked off, she grabbed her mud soaked shoes and left the camp. Many of the men stared as she left, the Oda officer quickly regained himself and began ordering the men to do more and more tasks.
Their voices grew distant as Jina approached the road away from the camp. She walked on, the rain washing away her sweat, and her tears. That may have been the hardest thing she had ever done.
She just hoped the Oda man wouldn't come looking for her again.
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 26, 2014 16:12:12 GMT -7
Jina smiled at the question. She didn't really understand the war, nor did she care about the outcome of it. She was happy to be in this new land, free from the men around her and free from the fake persona that she held as a servant to the male sex.
"I'm a mercenary. I fight for money, couldn't care less about the damn war to tell you the truth."
Jina paused, the woman had no understanding of her background, but she was the first person she felt comfortable around, even if she was just a stranger.
Jina took a few steps forward and sat on the bank of the river, her boots sinking in the soil at the water's edge. Her hands were crossed over her knees, which were bent. She laid back, her armor against the grass below her. She looked to the sky, happy to finally found someone like her.
"Your secret is safe with me."
Jina continued to watch the sky, the fluffy looking clouds floating past the trees around them.
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 26, 2014 15:47:47 GMT -7
Jina stopped what she was doing, her arms drooping to her sides. She was scared, not because she had done anything wrong, but that this man was in fact a stranger. She knew that he was an officer, but her mother had always warned her about the dangers of strange men who so willingly help out.
"I-I...." her voice trailed off. She sighed, it was better to be honest, "I don't want you to hurt me." This was a man of the law, she figured if anyone understood that she was fearful, it would be him.
She placed the coinpurse down her armor again, this time it bulged out slightly near her sternum. Jina wasn't really afraid anymore, she just knew that she couldn't fight the man if it came down to it. She relaxed some, seeing that the man was showing some compassion and care for her.
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Sorry
Feb 25, 2014 7:33:49 GMT -7
Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 25, 2014 7:33:49 GMT -7
I didn't ever get the chance to RP with you, or even interact with you. I don't know what all went down but I know that it doesn't really matter compared to the obstacles you face ahead of you. I won't be able to understand the pain you're going through, but if you need someone to listen, I'll try and be there. I do know what it's like to be alone.
I don't personally believe in god, so when I say pray, it's more of a spiritual prayer. I will be praying for you, holding you in my thoughts.
Be strong <3
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 25, 2014 7:27:56 GMT -7
The Hero: Yukimura The Sidekick: N/A The Villain: Maki The Sidevillain: N/A The Nice One: Haji The Meanie: Maki The Comedian: N/A The Smart One: N/A The Just Plain Clueless One: Katsumi (her poor poor dungeon rolls!) The Pretty Boy: Noel The Hot Babe: Jina The Shake n’ Bake: HajixKatsumi (Freya is my bff after all!)
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 24, 2014 17:46:06 GMT -7
He was asking about me? This was a very unusual situation for her, but she decided to relax. Maybe she just needed to be one of the guys and she would get more jobs. Women are rarely hired for her kind of work, so she was hoping that maybe if she assimilated into "their" world, she'd have more work.
"I'm here on a job," Jina shrugged her shoulders to relax them, "wasn't really sure where to go, so I thought I would get a drink. How about you, handsome man?"
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 21, 2014 14:07:00 GMT -7
Gorgeous? Well, that was definitely a new one. Jina wasn't even sure how to react. She had never been courted before, her marriage had been arranged. This man seemed interested in her, but she wasn't really sure what it meant. Maybe the alcohol was going to her head.
"Etincelle..." Only one word came out of her mouth and it was his name? Got she must sound like the village idiot. "M-my name's Jina!" She quickly corrected herself, hoping that he hadn't noticed her disfunctionality.
Without realizing it, she smiled. The smile was wide, showing her teeth. The alcohol was definitely going to her head.
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 19, 2014 18:35:14 GMT -7
Jina's eyes widened. She hadn't expected this woman to be a mercenary. It appeared that she was quite good, too. If she had accumulated that much blood from somewhere other than her own body without any wounds, she had to be good.
Jina smiled, something she rarely did anymore. She was pleased to see that a woman, usually held in such a low regard when it came to strength, was succeeding so well. She began to approach the woman slowly, still able to tell that she was nervous.
"I'm impressed. I've never met a woman so fatal as you appear to be. What's your name?"
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 19, 2014 18:25:43 GMT -7
"Nice to meet you, Noel. I've never heard that family name before, where are you from?"
Instead of taking his hand, Jina bowed respectfully. She barely remembered in time that it was improper to touch a man unless he intended on courting her. She lifted her head and smiled slightly, almost snatching the money (for her drink) off of the counter. She could use all the money she could get, and her mind seemed fuzzy.
Jina still didn't know who the man was, but she really appreciated the kind gesture to pay for her drink. Times were tough and with the army being so prominent around, it was hard to find jobs.
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 19, 2014 11:16:54 GMT -7
Jina was sitting at the shrine she had set up inside the empty room in her home. Even though she was now living in Japan, she had not given up her traditions from China. The shrine was set up to honor her family name, and even though she had no trinkets from her homeland, she had scripts with the name posted upon an alter. A few small gold pieces were placed in a jade bowl in the center. Incense was lit while she prayed, the sweet aroma filling her nose.
After her daily prayer, she raised her head, blinking rapidly, confused. There was a new piece of parchment laying on top of the jade bowl. She lifted it, revealing that the golden pieces were gone! Her father had often spoke of her ancestors helping him in times of need but she had never experienced this before.
She read the parchment: "We have answered your prayers, but we cannot give you something that you do not earn. In order to obtain your reward, you must first prove yourself worthy. Go due north to the highest mountain in your visibility. Along the way, you must cross a river. Follow the river that rushes south to the base of the mountain. Here, you will find a waterfall. Sit under the waterfall, motionless for two hours. If this task is not completed, you must begin the time again. Once the two hours are finished, climb the mountain to find a temple at the top. Along the way, there will be many dangers, but once at the top, meditate at the temple and reflect upon your pain. You have three full days to complete your tasks."
Jina wasn't sure who exactly had answered her, but she knew that she had to prove herself. She decided to rest for the night, pack and get ready for her journey. She gathered supplies, food, water and a wineskin which she filled with clean water. Once the sun was set, she went to bed, knowing that she would need to get up before dawn.
When she arose, she prepared herself for her journey and set out just as the sky had begun to get light. Within the hour, she had reached the river that had been mentioned on the parchment. She dipped her hand into the water. The iciness sent shivers up her spine. She sighed, this would be no easy task.
She removed her boots and crossed the river, the water rising to just above her knee at the lowest point. She continued on, the air growing colder with each step forward. She followed the peak of the mountain and eventually arrived at the waterfall. She could see the snow weighing over the crest of the waterfall. She was sure the water would be almost unbearable. She removed her clothing, knowing that she would want to warm up as soon as possible once the hours were over. The sun was past the crest, indicating that it was already the afternoon.
Jina quickly prepared herself for the task, then got beneath the water. Immediately, the water put goosebumps on her skin. She quickly got comfortable, then remained motionless. For almost an hour she sat there, eyes closed with the water rushing over her skin. Pain had spawned from the cold temperatures and the heavy droplets of water running down her. Her breathing was labored.
A few minutes later, she heard snorting. Some kind of animal had approached where she was sitting. She heard the leathers of her knapsack being torn as the animal rummaged for food in it. She contemplated shooing it off, but she had already made it this far. In truth, she wasn't really even thinking about the emptiness of her stomach. The pain of the water was consuming her thoughts. She knew that only the food would be gone and she would just have to find another way to sustain herself.
Once the two hours were up, Jina was numb. Her skin was cold, clammy and she was shivering. Once the sun set, she knew that her time was up and she released her legs from their locked position. Her joints seemed to creak, having not been used in a while. Her nerves were so numb that she could not even feel herself moving. She half stumbled, half crawled over to the remains of her knapsack.
Once she was back into her warm clothes, she decided that she would build a fire and sleep, getting up at dawn once again to continue her journey. She slept deeply, not waking when the sun had risen. When she had finally woken, the sun had already been up. Jina began to rush, knowing that she only had a day left to get to the top of the mountain. She began climbing; the elevation was shallow at first but began to grow steep the higher she got. Eventually, her muscles ached, she was still cold from yesterday and this intense climbing was putting pressure on her weakened muscles. As she climbed higher, her footholds got smaller and her fingers ached from pulling all of her weight up on them.
Thankfully, she reached a cliff. It was covered in snow and the wind was blowing hard. She was shivering again, her body hardly able to heat itself without any food. She pressed on, her feet falling half way to her knee in snow. She continued climbing the mountain, walking in a zigzag pattern in order to keep her footing on the slippery snow-covered rocks. Up this high, the wind was blowing loose snow into the air, making it very difficult to see. The cold was freezing the tears in her eyes and snowflakes landed on her lashes.
Jina heard a growling, and with the sun about to set, she had no idea what she faced. Her frozen fingers struggled to grasp at her rapier, hoping she wouldn't die trying to defend herself in such conditions. Without any warning, she was tackled from behind! A large claw gashed across her arm, shredding her flesh in three spots.
She cried out, falling to her knees in the snow. She looked up at the creature she faced. It was a red fox, grown larger than she had typically seen one. Her blood was falling from her wounds into the snow. She took a brief second to inspect them, they weren't deep but they were certainly bleeding a lot.
Jina took her rapier in her off hand, knowing that her bloodied arm would likely not have the strength to fight. She was weak from the cold and this added wound was enough to do some serious and possibly fatal damage if she was unable to defend herself.
The fox looked at her, baring his teeth. Jina waited for it to strike, knowing that she would react better to an attack then if she was on the offensive. It was only a few short seconds before the fox lept at her, covering a greater distance than she expected. She raised her thin sword in front of her to block the animals attack. The sword pushed against the fox's shoulder, making a small and useless wound. The force of the jump was enough to knock her over and the fox was on top of her, snapping at her face.
Jina knew that the fox was light and she was strong enough to hold it. Her left arm swung across her body taking the fox with it. It padded lightly in the snow and Jina hastened to her feet. The fox, barely injured barked at her. It was time, she thought. She spun the rapier so that she was holding it upside down and ran towards the fox. Before it had time to react, she impaled it in the back of it's neck. The blade was thin and sharp, easily inflicting a fatal wound with one blow. It appeared that she had severed the spinal cord, for the fox went limp instantly.
She jerked the sword out of it's neck and sheathed it. It was now fully dark with only the moon's faded light bouncing from the snow to guide her. She tore one of the two straps from her knapsack and tied it above the bleeding skin. It was drying quickly, the wind aiding the clotting. She knew that she needed to reach the temple soon.
Within the hour, she came to a stone path. She was unable to see the temple, but knew that she was close. Her pace picked up, the snow was still deep but the distinguishable stone markers peaked out from the snow. It wasn't long before she fell to the stairs at the base of the temple.
There was maybe fifteen stairs, which under normal conditions wasn't a problem. Unfortunately, the strong wind, cold temperatures and piling snow made for a very difficult climb. Jina resigned to crawling up the stairs on hands and knees, moving slowly. She slid back once, falling three or four steps, but was able to make it to the top. Once there, she saw the bright red walls of the temple and hurried inside.
She found that the temple was warm, warmer than any fire she could have lit herself. The walls were insulated, keeping out any of the wind. She found a small cushin sitting in the middle of the temple with a plate with a rice cake and water sitting on it. She ate it quickly, famished from her journey. Her wind burned throat accepted the water gratefully. She found a clean cloth under the plate and used this to tend to her wound. Only then, did she sit to meditate.
It was morning when she opened her eyes. Sometime during the night, she was unable to stay conscious and slipped into a deep slumber in her seated meditation position. She smiled, feeling unbelievably proud of herself for having completed such a difficult set of tasks on her own. Her body was once again warm, though her fingers still tingled from the excessive exposure to the cold.
Knowing she had pleased her ancestors, Jina decided it was time to return home.
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Offline
May 1, 2014 20:17:53 GMT -7
Tag me @jina
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Post by Zhuo Jina on Feb 19, 2014 8:20:23 GMT -7
Jina noticed the chest wrap and blinked, quieting down, her hand waving more slowly. She was confused, not understanding what she was looking at. A woman dressed in black, dressing to be a man, drenched in blood? This was certainly not something she had encountered before.
"A w-woman?" Her voice was soft.
Walking forward, she approached the woman carefully. She could tell that the woman was on edge and Jina certainly wasn't ready to fight.
"You're the first woman warrior I've seen since I've been here."
She took the sword off her belt and tossed it near the woman's own weapons, but still within reach if absolutely necessary. She wanted to establish trust with the woman, but wasn't going to be careless about it.
"Are you hurt?"
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