moonraging

[moonraging]

"Sounds dangerous." She shouldered her blades and weaponry, an attendant already departing from her side with a WHISPERED message in tow. Any spontaneous excursion requiring the flesh-and-blood presence of one of the Arbiter Generals could not, by very definition, be taken lightly.

"After you."

A nod in his direction, she remained easy and outwardly unbothered. To contend with threats of this magnitude was a given for someone of her position. Besides, she couldn't exactly deny that there was a BUDDING sprout of curiosity in her that yearned to see this relic of the past in person.

"I don't suppose you'd have any extra intel to share? Nothing from a past life that might prove useful?"

That the emergent piece of intel was ALARMING was to say the least. Alarming perhaps, haunting certainly, but hardly unexpected.

Their universe was a wide and NIGH boundless one; things ( and individuals ) were rarely ever truly lost, and the off-chance that something familiar or devastating might eventually turn up amongst the flotsam and jetsam of the swirling currents was always slim but never outright impossible.

"Quite the find." Her remark came with an errant flick of a plumed ear, followed by the slow and measured tap of her fingers against her opposing forearm; she spoke less with irritation and more with a casual levity that strayed in the direction of mild intrigue.

"But I concur." She nodded once, definitive and bold, her eyes coming alight as she gazed down at the projection. "It's exactly the sort of thing that poses just the right amount of risk that means it can't be conveniently ignored."

"There's no point in waiting about. If this ship really is what you say it is, then the QUICKER we deal with it the better. "

[moonraging]

for @librarivs, continued from here.

"When you extended your GENEROUS invitation, I thought you'd be calling me out for a good spar." Feixiao sniffed, with an air of dissatisfaction that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Lo and behold I find myself here instead. I daresay Huaiyan would have been better suited."

She didn't have the innate patience required to fully appreciate such drawn out games of strategy and deliberation; which wasn't to say that she wasn't any good at them, it was simply that Feixiao tended to prefer activities of a faster-paced nature, where CUNNING and swift execution in tandem became imperative to triumph.

"You wouldn't dare." Her eyes flicked up to his own, sharp and fierce. She smirked. "I want any alcohol of mine to be won fair and square. Holding back on your part would only be an insult to my inevitable prize."

Lady Bailu ( venerated as she was ) failed to understand the importance of life's pleasures in the delicate process of convalescence. Though... that wasn't to say that Jiaoqiu necessarily condoned her actions either, but he at the very least allowed some measure of LENIENCY when he began to see her so desperate as to begin ripping at the seams.

Strong rice wine, good martial form, poached eggs on toast with a dash of chili oil over-top; there were certain non-negotiables featured in the art of living and these were but a mere few.

"Ah well, he's in recovery. Not much to say about that. He was lucky, no doubt about it."

Despite that, the thought of it all was enough to send a brief twang of sobriety through her chest. Jiaoqiu's relative absence was one that was keenly felt, and all the repercussions of the latest tumult had yet to recede. Feixiao chewed the inside of her cheek and drummed her fingers on the table beneath them, scrutinizing the chess-pieces before she made her own move.

"We were lucky." She amended with a soft smile and a wayward flick of an ear. "That apprentice of yours really did come through."

[moonraging]

To say that her Shadow Guard was as persistent as they came would have been in itself a vast understatement. No, Moze proved time and time again that he surpassed even the most realistic of those standards by leagues; once he set his eyes on a goal, he would stop at nothing to achieve it even if by doing so he should QUALIFY himself ( body, mind and reputation ) as a potential expense.

It was a trait that Feixiao could admire, if not entirely encourage. She supposed ( rather regrettably ) that her role as his superior fed into that perspective just a little. From the most pragmatic standpoint, he held immeasurable value in the merits of his connections and abilities, so losing him would be done so as a quantifiable detriment to their organization.

Not that Moze ever seemed to realize that in these bouts of recklessness, or perhaps it was just that he simply did not care.

Oh well.

He lunged again, the point of his dagger cutting lethally close, missing the front of her jacket by a THREADBARE inch. Her own counter was equally swift, more a product of muscle memory than any conscious effort to evade. Half a step back - she locked her fingers around the trembling length of his wrist and stalled him there.

"You're feeling feisty today." She remarked, nonchalance borne of habituation. "Has Jiaoqiu been riling you up again?"

@moonraging said: "Hah! I'll admit that that was a good strategy." She let the blade - suspended between two fingers - clatter to the ground with a flick of an alabaster ear and a smile that swiftly bared a gleaming wedge of sharp teeth. "But you could stand to be a little quicker."

Try and try as he might, he'd yet to come within any proximity of success.

"Better luck next time! I don't - and I mean it as a compliment - think I've ever met anyone quite so persistent."

Another attempt, another failure. His dagger clatters to the ground and Moze shakes his mistreated wrist with a sigh through the nose (it doesn't really hurt, but Feixiao is one of the very few people he knows strong enough to make him feel some kind of resistance - and he knows that had she pushed herself just a little, she easily could have made it hurt. she just chose not to). How many it has been so far, ever since she had scooped him up from the ruins of the hideout wherein the Disciples had been hiding for years; ever since he had lounged himself at her for the first time and dug his teeth into her arm? Too many to recount. The strales have accumulated in the box he keeps beneath the plans of the floor in his living quarters. One strale for each attempt - for each forgiveness for his audacity.

Moze contemplates the dagger on the ground, her compliment flying over his head a little - another failure, another strale. He has tried dozens, maybe hundreds of times. They know the dance by now. Attack, parry or dodge, defeat. Wait until the music resumes some time later.

Persistent. That, he is indeed. Stubborn, even.

Which might be why, instead of waiting for next time as he usually does, Moze dives for his dagger, flips it in his palm, and shoots the blade right towards her stomach as lightning speed.

(Will she see it coming? Had she thought he would ever try twice in a row? What will she think, he wonders? Will she laugh and be proud of this new attempt, too?)

Moze decides it's worth a try.

[moonraging]

"As much as I might enjoy a good TUSSLE, haven't you heard the adage? Even amidst the flames of war, the pen's mightier than the sword."

Her reputation preceded her, the Merlin's Claw - merciless, unparalleled in brutality and RUTHLESSLY effective. Certainly, no one who knew her from face value alone would have thought her scholarly by any means.

"You see, we've had a fair number of disturbances on the Xianzhou as of late, and as someone affiliated with the Intelligentsia Guild, your perspective on these matters could only be imperative."

@moonraging ─── x.

❛    the   illustrious   merlin's   claw,   if   i'm   not   mistaken   ?   what   interest   might   a   general   have   in   a   scholar   ?   ❜

[moonraging]

"Well now, that's not quite what I was getting at." Despite the blatant hostility in his voice burning like a naked flame, Feixiao's smile persisted, small and knowing. Considering his history with the Xianzhou, it wasn't entirely unfathomable that his expectations and perceptions of the Alliance were less than savoury.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to apprehend you." Her right ear twitched, a minor but telling indication of conditionality. "Unless you go ahead and do something stupid, of course."

"But I don't think you're that reckless. Someone chosen to enact a grand plan such as that of your Script-master just couldn't afford to be."

"So you are BOLD." Feixiao commented, nonchalant. "Is that because your Script has already told you about what happens next? Or are you just so confident in your own abilities that you're certain that I don't pose a threat?"

Stellaron Hunter Blade, ex-member of the High Cloud Quintet and supposed ABOMINATION of the Abundance. Her duty as an Arbiter General would have necessitated her to strike him down as a threat to the Alliance. And yet... there was more nuance to his role and identity than what immediately met the eye. She'd been privy to his involvement in the most recent Stellaron crisis on the Luofu, aware of his contribution - not as an instigator, but as a tenuous ally.

"Tell me then. What are you doing here? Missing home?"

[moonraging]

[moonraging]

eats an entire mooncake like an apple.

[moonraging]

"Restriction is a component INTEGRAL to strength. For someone who claims to know the latter so well, it's a surprise you've yet to come to this conclusion."

There was an edge to her voice, not quite icy but certainly stern. Such a shift of tone would have been suitably foreboding for any who understood her proclivities; those who came to know her IRE rarely lived long enough to recount it.

"Why are you here, Hoolay?"

the biology of a borisin who has undergone the blessings of the one known as ------ is something that is already documented between both races. Foxians, borisins, the only difference is the acceptance of one own power. however-

"Restricting."

the power be, that he did not like the boots he had on.

@moonraging

[moonraging]

"So you are BOLD." Feixiao commented, nonchalant. "Is that because your Script has already told you about what happens next? Or are you just so confident in your own abilities that you're certain that I don't pose a threat?"

Stellaron Hunter Blade, ex-member of the High Cloud Quintet and supposed ABOMINATION of the Abundance. Her duty as an Arbiter General would have necessitated her to strike him down as a threat to the Alliance. And yet... there was more nuance to his role and identity than what immediately met the eye. She'd been privy to his involvement in the most recent Stellaron crisis on the Luofu, aware of his contribution - not as an instigator, but as a tenuous ally.

"Tell me then. What are you doing here? Missing home?"

for @malumae continued from here.

A light-hearted chuckle was all that she offered in response, her posture easy, barely an ounce of TENSION clinging to the sloping of laxity of her shoulders.

The Stellaron Hunters were renowned for their misdeeds and seemingly outlandish DOGMA alike, but where they failed to pose an immediate threat to the Alliance, Feixiao could find it in herself to garner some measure of RESPECT for their dedication and efficacy.

"Don't mind me. It's just that it's rare to cross paths with you bunch. I would have thought that a Pathstrider of Finality would know better than to cross paths with The Hunt."

[moonraging]

@deadtrail said:

" i only gamble with my life, never my money."

"Seems like you've got your priorities straight, Galaxy Ranger. I can admire your dedication to your CREED."

It was with a close-lipped smile and crossed arms that Feixiao regarded her company. More metal than flesh, there was a gleam in his eyes and a wicked curve to his smile that would have made most think twice prior to engaging. Perhaps it was the way he spoke, her knowledge of his faction or a familiar DOGGEDNESS of a fellow Pathstrider of the Hunt that beckoned her. In any case, she simply couldn't help but be INTRIGUED.

"Financial ruin means you suffer for decades or even centuries with not even an ounce of ABSOLUTION in sight. Death on the other hand? It's inclined to be merciful if done right."

[moonraging]

Feixiao! 🔥 commission for @honkaistarrail

[moonraging]

for @malumae continued from here.

A light-hearted chuckle was all that she offered in response, her posture easy, barely an ounce of TENSION clinging to the sloping of laxity of her shoulders.

The Stellaron Hunters were renowned for their misdeeds and seemingly outlandish DOGMA alike, but where they failed to pose an immediate threat to the Alliance, Feixiao could find it in herself to garner some measure of RESPECT for their dedication and efficacy.

"Don't mind me. It's just that it's rare to cross paths with you bunch. I would have thought that a Pathstrider of Finality would know better than to cross paths with The Hunt."

[moonraging]

so i've finished most of the 2.5 story quest and just wanted to share some of my thoughts - spoilers beneath the cut!

boy howdy was i surprised to see them take that direction with hoolay. i fully expected them to go on the straight and narrow, keep him as a brute of a character whose only priority was to take revenge etc.

so! i was pleasantly surprised to see them put more thought into the way he strategised. the plan to turn a former war slave into a warhead because that would simultaneously shake manga's plan and deal a devastating blow to the alliance? his ability to maintain his value of 'strength' over even any innate concern for the borisin? good stuff.

also!!! his ost in the boss fight utilising the short sharp notes we see so often in horror motif was a super nice touch. i loved the all-round focus on lupitoxin and fear, as well as the fact that hoyo really didn't shy from being a bit more graphic this time round ( the entire jiaoqiu thing, the CG with the crimson moon ).

finally, finally. the animations in this patch went hard. i have no words.

[moonraging]

" up and at 'em! carpe diem, or however it is the saying goes. "

[moonraging]

[moonraging]

English added by me :)

[moonraging]

THE MUMMY (1999) PROMPTS *  assorted dialogue from the film, adjust as necessary

looks to me like you're on the wrong side of the river!

by the way... why did you kiss me?

it seemed like a good idea at the time.

that's called stealing, you know.

is it dangerous?

stop it! you'll kill them!

get me a glass of bourbon.

this just keeps getting better and better.

this door doesn't open.

who opened that chest?

i only want four!

the map! i forgot the map!

i think he's filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel. i don't like him one bit.

i guess we go home empty-handed... again.

look what i got.

i think you found something.

what exactly is this man in prison for?

you just got promoted.

you're with me on this one, right?

keep him busy.

we are in serious trouble.

this creature is the bringer of death.

you must not read from the book!

where are they taking him?

there's only one person i know that can possibly give us any answers.

can you look me in the eye and guarantee me that this isn't all some kind of flimflam?

i'm a very lonely man.

look at my library!

you're gonna get yours, [name]!

never did like camels.

what do you suppose killed him?

time to go.

take my hand, and i will spare your friends.

will you look at that?

do they know something we don't?

i need a new job.

have you no respect for the dead?

i've dreamt about this since i was a little girl.

you dream about dead guys?

patience is a virtue.

any last requests?

loosen the knot and let me go.

i don't think we need to know this.

ooh... that's gotta hurt.

you... i just don't get.

you probably won't live through it.

everybody else we've bumped into has died. why not you?

you're wondering... what is a place like me doing in a girl like this?

yeah, i was there.

can you swim?

of course we don't let him go!

you'll be dead when they do this.

i think i'll kill you.

think of my children.

i only gamble with my life, never my money.

i may not be an explorer or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker or a gunfighter, but i am proud of what i am.

give me frogs! flies! locusts! anything but you!

compared to you, the other plagues were a joy.

i am so very sorry. it was an accident.

you are a catastrophe.

oh my god, i hate it when these things do that.

is he supposed to look like that?

of course i can swim, if the occasion calls for it.

now, because of you, we have failed.

you think this justifies the killing of innocent people?

what did you say?

i don't want to tell you.

let me get this straight.

you don't have any children.

you lied to me.

i lie to everybody.

what makes you so special?

sorry. didn't mean to scare you.

the only thing that scares me are your manners.

have you got any bright ideas?

i'm thinking. i'm thinking!

you'd better think of something fast.

what are we going to do?

wait here! i'll go get help!

i thought you said you didn't believe in all this fairy tales and hokum stuff.

forget it! we're out the door, we're down the hall, and we're gone!

i told you not to play around with that thing.

you heard the man. no mortal weeapons can kill this guy.

listen! we've got to do something!

is that my problem?

i appreciate you saving my life and all, but when i signed on, i agreed to take you out there and bring you back. end of job, end of story, contract terminated.

that's all i am to you? a contract?

you can either tag along with me or stay here and try to save the world.

do something!

you know, nasty little fellows such as yourself always get their comeuppance.

what's the challenge then?

rescue the damsel in distress, kill the bad guy, and save the world.

death is only the beginning.

why are you going back?

i'm going downstairs to get me a drink. you want something?