The Legend of Hieda II: Her Mother's Sword (Complete)

[Fightest]

>What's beyond the edge of Creation?

> You do not even begin to have answers for a question like this. Even this town is the furthest you've ever been away from the mountain in your entire life.

>Prepare for a bed that is probably way more opulent than we're used to.

> You do not sleep restfully. The room, the bed, the lack of trickling water and wind blowing through trees, it is all very unfamiliar. The visions of tiger stripes when you finally do manage to fall asleep do not help, either.
> As a result, you are still drowsy even after you have eaten the rich breakfast brought to you by a servant. With the breakfast came a short note, written in beautiful calligraphy, inviting you to the main reception hall of the Saigyouji residence.
> When you get to the hall, you notice that Youmu is already there, sitting at attention in front of the Lady Saigyouji, who appears to be talking to her. You catch the last scraps of what she says.
> "-a year and a day, is that right? How formal! Youki loves tradition, he's very reliable that way."
> Saigyouji looks up at your arrival.
> "Ah, Aichi! You are just on time! Please, join us."

[Kasu]

> Grab a seat by Youmu.

[Fightest]

Fightest's note: OP updated with another image by Stuffs, thank you Stuffs. Shit is about to go down, will be up once time is available.

[Fightest]

> "I am afraid that I have lied to the two of you yesterday. Or, at least, I have not told you the whole truth about events, which amounts to the same thing. The erosion of Creation continues. The map you saw is woefully out-of-date. Since its making, we have lost about one-third of the world."
> Saigyouji's demeanor changes. No, that is not the right word for it - she is a completely different person now. Where before flaws and virtues coursed within her, easily spotted by your keen eye, now she is completely opaque. Her airiness is gone, replaced with a deep sobriety.
> "Aichi, daughter of Are, scion of the Hieda clan. I present to you the Gathering-Clouds-of-Heaven, the sword without equal. May you never use it."
> She turns to a table covered at her side and lifts the velvet cloth covering it. Underneath the cloth you see an achingly familiar hilt. With a practiced motion she draws the sword, bathing the room in the blade's opalescent light. She reverses her grip, rests the flat of the blade on her left forearm and presents the sword to you, hilt-first.

[Kasu]

> Accept the blade and look it over.

[Fightest]

> It is like holding a shard of a world that only exists in dreams.
> A sword, its straight, two-edged blade five-and-a-quarter handspans long, three fingers wide, tapering to the tip. The blade is of a shining, iridescent metal unseen across Creation. Its guard is of polished oristeel, engraved with imagery of a faceless hero fighting a vast serpent. The handle is tightly wrapped with black silk, set with silver pins, each one finely patterned. The tassel at the end is of a beautiful scarlet thread, woven into a complicated charm pattern to repel evil and misfortune.
> It seems to sing silently in your hands. The blade is so impossibly sharp that its edge disappears from sight. The things this sword cannot cut are next to none.
> Saigyouji nods, and addresses the two of you again.
> "Creation has been invaded with story. It strikes out deeply and insidiously, slowly worming its way into everyday life, weakening the fabric of the world for the inevitable erosion. I have resisted for far too long, hoping that salvation would come sooner. I am sorry, Aichi, Youmu. I have given in."
> Saigyouji puts her hand on Youmu's head, stroking it gently.
> Time stops. An incessant buzzing in your head grows louder and louder until it resolves into a woman's voice.
> "It was at first hypothesised that story could only be destroyed outright. But where is the sense in that? Story follows rules just like anything else, it has its own cadences, culminations and gentle flows of narrative. It is known that nothing destroys story faster than loss of focus. The Spell-Card channels pure counterstory at the user's discretion. Targeting the Narrator can destroy the story outright, but she rarely shows herself. Targeting individual elements can let the Chosen reshape the story to her choosing."
> You can feel something appear in your hand, rough, metallic, worming between your fingers - it is one of the Spell-Cards you have left in their box in your room. Something terrible is about to happen, induced by rules cold and alien that play with lives like they were grains of sand. You have the ability to interject.

[Stuffman]

It occurs to me that we're about to do The Neverending Story, except this time instead of helping resolve the story we're going to wreck its shit.

> Let that bit about Creation eroding sink in, and take a moment and realize that we're about to have a lot of work to do.
> We must save the Lady Saigyouji! Use the Spell-Card!

[Fightest]

> Let that bit about Creation eroding sink in, and take a moment and realize that we're about to have a lot of work to do.

> It sounds like a job impossible for just one individual, and you are only mortal. You remember Youki's stories, of the Celestial Chosen empowered by Heaven itself, who could control their own destiny. If only you had such power.

> We must save the Lady Saigyouji! Use the Spell-Card!

> The Spell-Card flashes in your hand. You feel something pulled out of you and with an artificer's expertise rapidly molded into a weapon. You instinctually visualise a sword, and so it appears in your mind's eye: a vast blade, extending out into infinity, ready to cut at your command.
> And it is as if now splits into chapters in a book, and you peek ahead as far as you can, but there is so much to take in at once. You try to focus on as many important events as you can:

> The Lady Saigyouji gives in to the story, and, to challenge Aichi, to draw her into her nefarious scheme, pulls Youmu's soul out through her forehead chakra, separating the girl's body and soul forever. For contracts have hidden power in them, and Saigyouji wields such power expertly.
> She has no choice: Youmu surrenders to the story as well, but not before she attempts her last act of defiance. As her soul is removed from her body, she makes a single strike, severing her upper and lower souls. But it is a strike that lacks precision, and Youmu's upper soul is grievously damaged, for it is a fragile, human thing. It vanishes, never to be seen again.

> You are being watched, you can feel it, the hairs on your skin standing on end. Something distant and very, very curious to see what happens next in the story it spun for itself. A large alteration to the narrative will introduce a plot hole, which will attract the close attention of the observer. A small change is less likely to be noticed.
> What will you do?

[Mr_Bob]

> "The Lady Saigyouji has promised to me to hand over to you an artifact that is rightfully yours by all accounts - your mother's sword. I regret not being able to give you the sword myself, my search for it took far longer than I had expected."
> Youki looks at Youmu. She nods back at him.
> "In exchange, Youmu has been contracted to serve the Lady Saigyouji as a bodyguard for a year and a day. This will be good training for you, Youmu, and I trust you to do both me and the Lady proud."

This would be the contract The Lady Saigyouji has with Youmu. Changing this would result in a plothole.
I'm thinking the best thing to change Youmu's precision so it doesn't so greviously damage her upper soul.

[Kasu]

This would be the contract The Lady Saigyouji has with Youmu. Changing this would result in a plothole.
I'm thinking the best thing to change Youmu's precision so it doesn't so greviously damage her upper soul.

Yeah. That seems like the safest option right now.

[Stuffman]

Concurred.

[Mr_Bob]

> She has no choice: Youmu surrenders to the story as well, but not before she attempts her last act of defiance. As her soul is removed from her body, she makes a single strike, severing her upper and lower souls. It is a strike of fateful precision, and Youmu's upper soul is undamaged, for it is a precious, human thing. It remains apart, suspended in the air.

[Fightest]

> She has no choice: Youmu surrenders to the story as well, but not before she attempts her last act of defiance. As her soul is removed from her body, she makes a single strike, severing her upper and lower souls. It is a strike of fateful precision, and Youmu's upper soul is undamaged, for it is a precious, human thing. It remains apart, suspended in the air.

> You choose, and the eversword plunges deep between the cracks in now.
> You sense a brief moment of confusion from the observing entity, but it seems satisfied with the turn of events. Now reassembles itself...
> "I am sorry, Aichi, Youmu. I have given in."
> Effortlessly, Saigyouji pushes her hand into Youmu's forehead, as if meeting no resistance at all, and Youmu's eyes roll up into her head as Saigyouji withdraws her hand, trailing shining Essence.
> But Youmu is defiant. She regains her senses for a moment and
> Her strike will lack precision, but yours will lack the speed. There is only one thing you can do: you find Youmu's certainty and impale it with your gaze, slowing her down enough for her strike to hit at just the right spot...
>  slices her soul apart, cleanly severing the upper and lower soul. You feel your hands tingle as something seems to enter your sword.
> "According to old customs, the terms for 'servant' and 'soul' were the same, so here we are," says Saigyouji. She does not seem to have noticed Youmi's strike, nor your intervention. "I have heard of your prowess, Aichi of the Hieda, but a mortal, even one so skilled such as yourself, cannot sever a soul from its owner, for that is shaping destiny, and only the Chosen can perform such feats. So here is my challenge: discard your mortality. Take your destiny into your own hands, and learn to take your friend back from me. Your time limit is the same as that imposed on all living things: until your last breath."
> She tucks Youmu's lower soul into her sleeve and strides out of the room, Youmu's body following her with a strange, puppet-like gait.
> The room is empty save for you. A voice rings out in your head. It is Youmu's.
> Leave. Quickly. Before she notices.

[Stuffman]

> GTFO. Don't forget the rest of the spellcards!

[Fightest]

> It is hard to keep calm, but you do just that as you walk a measured pace.
> You pick up the box with the Spell-Cards, along with the rest of your things you have left in your room and, without looking back, leave the Saigyouji residence. You notice that the once-brightly-blooming cherry tree's branches are now barren.
> You only stop once you have left the outskirts of the town behind. It is still the morning, and it looks like it will be yet another beautiful day.
> Grandfather will be so upset.

[Kasu]

> Sigh a little.
> "Don't worry about that. Everything'll turn out."

[Stuffman]

> We need to go see our Master. He wanted to see us again anyway, but unfortunately it doesn't look like this will be a happy sendoff.

[Fightest]

> Sigh a little.
> "Don't worry about that. Everything'll turn out."

> You are right, Aichi. No problem at all.

> We need to go see our Master. He wanted to see us again anyway, but unfortunately it doesn't look like this will be a happy sendoff.

> The two weeks back pass unnoticed. Certainly nothing that happens along the way comes close to measuring up to what you had experienced. Youmu is mostly quiet throughout the journey. Any comments she makes are trivial observations about the weather and other such things.
> And it feels as if you have left only just yesterday when you enter the forest at the foot of the mountain and begin the journey to Youki's cabin.
> And the walk that should perhaps take an hour or, preferably, an eternity, seems to take but moments.
> Youki is there, with a bundle of wood on his back, and he takes off the bundle and he greets you with a smile.
> "You are back so early, Aichi! Did you have help getting to the Lady Saigyouji's residence? How did Youmu settle in?"
> You hear Youmu stifle a sob.

[Stuffman]

> "Youmu is still with me, Master..."
> Tell him we should sit down. Then tell him everything.

[Fightest]

> Youki does not interrupt you as you tell your story. In fact, he does not so much as make a sound. But you can see the fatigue in his eyes, and, by the time you finish, it has taken over his entire body. For the first time, you see him as the old man he truly is.
> "Are you in pain, Youmu?" he asks.
> "No, Grandfather," Youmu says. There is neither life in the question, nor the answer.
> "Good," Youki says, "then you can stay in Creation for a while longer. A soul is not meant to be separate from its body, but perhaps Fate has not yet noticed."
> Youki looks at you. There is no dignity in his expression, no stoicism, but a quiet desperation.
> "Save my granddaughter, Aichi. Please."

[Kasu]

> Nod.
> "I would've done it anyway."

[Fightest]

> Youki smiles faintly.
> "So you want to take hold of your own Fate? Indeed, the Chosen of Heaven are unbound by the Orrery, but they are picked at the whim of Heaven itself. Of course, there are some common properties amongst them all, and I am certain you could be picked, but that could take years."

[Stuffman]

> "Then I'll have to do something that makes me worthy beyond the shadow of a doubt."
> Take a moment to possibly feel conflicted about giving up our mortality.
> Nope, fuck that! Gotta save Youmu.

[Fightest]

> "Then I'll have to do something that makes me worthy beyond the shadow of a doubt."

> Youki's expression darkens. You've never seen him like this. He mutters something to himself, under his breath, and you do not hear it.
> He nods to himself, as if he was merely testing the words against the air, against reason itself, whether they could even be uttered at all.
> He speaks again, loud enough for you to hear.
> "You must take it, Aichi. This power that you need. You have seen beneath the veneer of politics and tradition, that anything can be taken through force. Heaven chooses its champions, so take the choice away from them."
> He looks up at you, his expression hollow, his gaze unsteady.
> "You must challenge the gods themselves."

> Take a moment to possibly feel conflicted about giving up our mortality.
> Nope, fuck that! Gotta save Youmu.

> You would certainly never be the same again, regardless of how you obtained the power, but it does not matter. Youmu must be saved. The ends justify the means. If you make mistakes, you can later correct them, but inaction will ruin you forever.

[Hanzo K.]

>Let's cast our gaze to our sword. "I think that with this, your teachings, and the 'Spell Cards' I got before this mess properly started, I may well be able to accomplish just that."

[Fightest]

> To be able to achieve your goal, you will need to accomplish several tasks, but the first is already beyond the capability of mortals:
> How will you even reach Heaven?

[Fightest]

Gosh you guys are lazy.

> To approach Heaven, you will have to find some way of getting in touch with a god who holds position there. You have a few options:
> Brilliant-Castle-in-the-River referred to Black-Jade-in-the-River as a Divine Messenger, exiled from the Dragon Palace.
> Tiger-Patterned Shou talked of studying with a Chosen monk. If Shou knew your mother, then perhaps so did the monk.
> An enshrined spirit seemed to know you and what would befall you quite intimately. Perhaps you can learn more from it.

[Jq1790]

Gosh you guys are lazy.

It IS Easter weekend, so perhaps people are visiting others or some such?

> To approach Heaven, you will have to find some way of getting in touch with a god who holds position there. You have a few options:
> Brilliant-Castle-in-the-River referred to Black-Jade-in-the-River as a Divine Messenger, exiled from the Dragon Palace.
> Tiger-Patterned Shou talked of studying with a Chosen monk. If Shou knew your mother, then perhaps so did the monk.
> An enshrined spirit seemed to know you and what would befall you quite intimately. Perhaps you can learn more from it.

>Consider returning to the shrine where we had encountered the enshrined spirit after defeating the bandits toward the beginning of our journey.  It seemed to know much of our fate and the trials we would face in the future, so perhaps there is some further guidance to be had.

[Stuffman]

Gosh you guys are lazy.

> To approach Heaven, you will have to find some way of getting in touch with a god who holds position there. You have a few options:
> Brilliant-Castle-in-the-River referred to Black-Jade-in-the-River as a Divine Messenger, exiled from the Dragon Palace.
> Tiger-Patterned Shou talked of studying with a Chosen monk. If Shou knew your mother, then perhaps so did the monk.
> An enshrined spirit seemed to know you and what would befall you quite intimately. Perhaps you can learn more from it.

Black-Jade is probably the best choice but it might be hard to track her down again. And that shrined spirit was acting a little fishy the last time we talked to her, I dunno if we can trust her. Furthermore, I dunno if we should be asking for help from a god on our quest to beat up gods.

> Shou wants to eat us, but at least she's been forthright about the whole business. Let's beat her and try to meet that monk.

[Kasu]

>Consider returning to the shrine where we had encountered the enshrined spirit after defeating the bandits toward the beginning of our journey.  It seemed to know much of our fate and the trials we would face in the future, so perhaps there is some further guidance to be had.

> Seconding this. It seems like the closest option as well.