*label random_events *if event_number = 1 *set happened_event_1 true As you walk around the sect, you see two Outer Disciples, tasked with cleaning up the debris of destroyed dummies and other trash. They pick up the rubbish by hand and throw it into a cart they carry. You walk quite close to them, yet remain behind and unnoticed by the duo. "They said that everything would be different in the sect." — you overhear one of them, the woman, say. She stares at the wooden splinter in her hand, before she furiously throws it back to the ground — "Fucking bullshit. Why were we assigned this job? Why do we have to work every god-damned day, while the nobles barely get a single task in a month?" The man beside her sighs and squats, fetching the fragment of wood the woman has dropped. "You know full well why. The Inner Disciple supervising us is not to keen on people without a surname. Just be glad we aren't cleaning the baths and toilets this time around." "Why are you so okay with it?" — the woman asks, her tone accusatory — "Don't you find it unfair?" "Fairness is a lie. We were allowed into the sect, that's already more than enough." — the man replies. "You such a coward. Do you not even dare to dream about justice and a better for us world? You should come with me and listen to Senior Sister Ai, she talks-" "Stop it!" — the man interrupts her in a hurry, placing a hand onto her mouth — "Stop speaking such things in public! What if some noble hears it and takes offense?" The man then looks around, his eyes soon finding yours. He freezes up in an instant and gulps as he sees your Sect Badge. "Good morning, Senior ${polite_address}. We were just joking around, don't take it seriously." *choice #"She's right, you know. The world might be cruel, but it's not hopeless." *gosub_scene subroutines change_personality 2 "elitist" "-" The man's expression lits up, a smile even appearing on his previously apathetic face. "Thank you." — he says, bowing down — "I needed to hear that." You nod at him. "Go on now. Just be careful, not everyone is understanding as me." The pair clasps their hands and leaves. You continue on your way. #"Tell me more about this Senior Sister Ai." The man hesitates, unsure whether or not he should reveal what he knows: his companion, however, holds no such concerns as she, proud like a peacock, spits our information. "Senior Sister Ai is great! How many commoners manage to become Inner Disciples? And how many of them do it right after entering the sect? Sister Ai is the only one in history!" — admiration burns in the woman's eyes, lightning up her whole countenance — "She's very talented and, even more importantly, very kind too. She hasn't become snobbish, like many expected Instead, despite not being here long, she already has helped many of us to stay afloat. She regularly gathers the commoners and talks with us." "I see." — you nod — "Be on your way now." They clasp their hands and leave. #"A bunch of low-born trash like you should keep their mouths shut." *gosub_scene subroutines change_personality 2 "elitist" "+" The man lowers his head in an instant, more than prepared for such a response. The woman, however, stares at you in defiance. Something gives her courage, gives her strength: perhaps it is ignorance of the calamities that befall against those that go against the established order, perhaps it is the motivational words of that Sister Ai, but the woman refuses to bow down against your gaze. The man tugs at her sleeve, wordlessly begging her to reconsider. And she does, especially after you take a threatening step forward in her direction. But you understand with ease, this is not a true submission: given the chance, this woman and, perhaps, the other commoners would cause the nobles trouble. This is not the time nor the place to deal with them, however. So, you just snort and wave them away. #Teach them a lesson. *gosub_scene subroutines change_personality 2 "elitist" "+" *gosub_scene subroutines change_personality 2 "violent" "+" "Ungrateful brats." — you sneer as you step forward. The man attempts to speak, perhaps to do his best to avoid conflict, but your mind is far too firm on its decision to listen. Before he manages to get a single sentence out, you backhand him across the face. He falls down in an instant and spits out blood. "Cousin!" — the woman yells as she rushes towards him. You don't let her, however, as you yank her by the hair and drag her to the ground. Once she's there, you kick her in the stomach, most likely breaking a rib or two. *choice #Let them go. "Don't let me catch you spouting non-sense again." — you say. "Thank you, thank you for showing mercy, senior!" — the man exclaims as he helps his cousin stand — "Forgive us, we wouldn't make the same mistake again." You snort and wave them away. #Cripple them. *gosub_scene subroutines reputation_change 10 "kindness" "-" *gosub_scene subroutines change_personality 2 "violent" "+" Since these two already regard nobles — and, by extension, you — as their enemies, why shouldn't you treat them same? And every Martial Artist knows, you don't show mercy to your enemies. You [i]stomp[/i] on the woman's knee, crushing it with your weight. She lets out and agonized wail and holds onto her leg, tears coming from her eyes. "No!" — the man shouts as he gets up and runs to you, wildly swinging his arms — "Why? Why? For what? What did we do?!" You let his fists hit your chest: they don't do any damage, the strength of a mortal fails to become a threat. When you grow tired of it, you just catch his wrists with your hands. "We can't let her suffer alone, can we?" — you grin and kick similarly, achieving almost the same destructive effect that you had earlier. The man topples down, unable to stand. None of them would walk normally again, not to mention fight or run, without some expensive medicine, which they, of course, will never be able to afford. You leave them lying in the dirt and return back to the sect. *page_break Return To Sect *elseif event_number = 2 *set happened_event_2 true You walk past the Sect Library, when you happen to notice a particular scene: a library clerk, not the one you usually interact with, carries a youth, one so short and young-looking he couldn't have gone through the period of puberty yet, by the collar. The clerk tosses the youth to the ground, causing the latter to high-pitched grunt. "Don't come back without Points, little thief. Or I'll do worse than just throw you out." — the clerk scoffs and rubs his hands together. The boy nods, his gaze lowered and his expression full of sadness. The clerk returns to the library. *choice #Approach the boy. "What happened?" — you ask as you come near the boy. Startled, the boy looks at you, his countenance morphing into distant coldness. "Got kicked out." — the boy replies — "Wasn't that obvious?" *choice #"What for?" "Love reading too much." — answers the boy. "No one gets thrown out for liking books." "They do if they steal them." You chuckle. *label steal_from_library "Why did you try to steal from the library?" "Don't have enough Points to rent them." *choice *selectable_if (mc_sect_points >= 20) #"I can give you some." *gosub_scene subroutines change_personality 2 "egoistical" "-" *set mc_sect_points -20 "Really?" — the boy questions, clearly not believing you. You shake your head and transfer twenty points to his sect badge. And, for the first time since the start of your conversation, you see the boy smile, showing off his youthful dimples. "Thank you." — he says, bowing down, his smile once again hidden away. The boy then goes into the library once again. #"Then go and work for them." The boy snorts. "Sure thing. As if someone can get rich from Outer Disciple's missions." He then turns away and leaves, not bothering to even say a farewell. #"How poor can you be?" "Lazy bum, aren't you ashamed of yourself? You can't even afford a book." The boy clenches his fists, trying to contain his anger. "I'll become so rich one day, you'll be begging me for Points!" — he exclaims, causing you to laugh out loud. "Get out of my sight, useless trash." He snorts, turns away and leaves, not bothering to even say a farewell. #"Kid, you better be polite to your seniors." The boy looks you dead in the eyes. "Sorry." *goto steal_from_library #Smack him across the face for his disrespect. *gosub_scene subroutines change_personality 1 "violent" "+" *gosub_scene subroutines change_personality 1 "arrogant" "+" Your palm leaves a giant palm print of red on his cheek. The boy caress it, tears dwelling up in his eyes — tears that he desperately tries to contain. He gets up and runs away, not bothering to even say his farewells. #Continue on your way. This boy doesn't concern you. You continue walking past him. *elseif event_number = 3 *label random_event_3 *set happened_event_3 true Early in the morning, you find two disciples, drunk out of their mind, lying near your house. When you come near to investigate — it's not often you see such a sight at a sect that focuses on martial arts, after all — you catch some of their slurred speech, intermixed with occasional hiccups. Best wine… Best wine ever! *line_break That fatso sure knows his alcohol. Shame that the shop won't be opened for long… *line_break That goddamn Propriety Legion! Fucking monks! Let them burn in hell! Just when you get close, one of the drunks suddenly turns to the side — which happens to be the same way you're coming from — and pukes, part of his vomit landing on your shoes. His eyes go wide when he notices you. "So sorry, so sorry, don't take offense, kind ${polite_address}! I just had one cup too much to drink, that's all." *choice #"It's fine. Mind telling me what were you talking about?" "Thanks for being understanding, ${polite_address}." — the puking drunk says — "We were talking about Jing Guo's restaurant. Have you heard of it before?" You shake your head in response. "A damn good place. You should visit it." — the other one continues — "Especially since there is nowhere else to get wasted around here, thanks to those fuckers from the Propriety Legion." "What is this Legion?" *label drunks_sectnew "Ah, ${polite_address} must be new in the sect, correct?" "I am." "Well, they are a bunch of assholes who refuse to have fun and don't let others enjoy themselves as well." — explains the drunk — "They aim to make other martial artists into 'decent' people, by beating up everyone who has sex, drinks alcohol or does any activity at all that isn't training." *choice #"Sounds... extreme." "They are fanatics!" — the drunks spits — "And worst thing is, no one could do anything against them. Well, until recently at least." "Why?" *label drunks_why "If you've been to the arena, then you've surely know the Spear Twins, Su Da and Su De. Those two bitches are the leaders of the Legion, which is why no one could put the gang in their place. But they made a terrible mistake!" The drunk chortles, holding onto his belly. "The Legion only targets Outer Disciples and sometimes Inner ones, not wishing to cause the ire of powerful people. However, back when he was still insignificant and unknown, they bullied Long Chen for his vices." "And now, as the strongest disciple of the sect, he has sent them an ultimatum in revenge: either they join his harem or he'll uproot their little faction." "They obviously refused and the trio has been at war ever since." "Is Long Chen that strong?" "Not yet." — the drunk sighs — "He can defeat them one on one with ease, but the Spear Twins are the most dangerous when they fight together. Not to mention, they have an entire faction to lean on, while Long Chen insists on doing everything alone." "He's causing them a lot of trouble, that's for sure though." "Alright. Thanks for the information." "No problem, no problem. Let us sleep a bit and we'll be out of your sight." You roll your eyes. "Be gone after I return from training." #"Anyone that tries to touch my bottle, I'll beat up myself." "I like your spirit, but that may be impossible for you to do. Well, at least it would've been impossible until recently." "And why is that?" *goto drunks_why #"They are doing the right thing." "You…" — the drunk's eyes narrow and he shakes his friend — "Hey, idiot, wake up. I don't want to sleep near this fanatic." The both of them get back on their feet, pat their clothes to get rid of the dirt and leave, looking at you in contempt. #"And instead of retaliating, you mope and whine? Pathetic." "Hey!" — the drunk exclaims — "We can fight, but we for sure can't retaliate against the Propriety Legion. Neither can you." You snort. "And why is that?" *goto drunks_why #"Well, I don't really care about them." The drunk sneers. "You don't care about them until they come for you." — he shakes his friend to wake him up — "I just hope that Long Chen will destroy them soon." The both of them get back on their feet, pat their clothes to get rid of the dirt and leave. #"Must've been a damn good cup." "It sure was. That Jing Guo's restaurant is something else. I just hope I will be able enjoy it again in a week." "Why wouldn't you?" "Have you heard of the Propriety Legion?" You shake your head in response. *goto drunks_sectnew #"Bastards, get the hell out from my sight!" Your shout startles them and they grasp their heads in pain. "Don't shout, don't shout!" — the puking drunk says. "Just give us a few minutes more to rest…" — the other continues. *choice #Let them rest. You shake your head, somewhat sympathetic to their plight. "Alright. But if I return from training and you're still here, don't blame me." "Of course! Thanks a bunch, generous $!{polite_address}." "At least tell me, where did you manage to get wasted so hard? I thought there were no decent establishments at the disciple's level." "There weren't and it's all that Legion fault!" — the drunk curses — "Well, recently, one of the new disciples, Guo something, has opened up a restaurant with divine-tasting wine. Wonder for how long it manages to stay open." After that, the drunk flips over onto his stomach and, almost in an instant, starts snoring. You turn to his friend — but that disciple is in a similar state. Chuckling, you leave them to their slumber. *gosub_scene cslib_string find history "jingguo_knows_restaurant|" *if cslib_ret > 0 It appears Jing Guo has launched his business after all and it's going well — except some Propriety Legion threatens to close him down? Perhaps you should visit him, to ensure that everything remains smooth. *else It appears Jing Guo has launched a restaurant. Perhaps you could visit it, drown out any stress you have in a good bottle of wine? #Yell at them again. "I said GET OUT!" — you yell — "Or was I unclear?" "Alright, alright. Heavens, no need to be so bitchy." — the drunks mutter, get up and, although begrudgingly, leave. You question where have they managed to get wasted so hard — perhaps you should look around the sect for any new establishments? #"I'll have you rest in the infirmary!" *label throw_away_drunks You don't have any patience to waste on these idiots: you pick one of them and kick him right on the butt, sending the drunk flying far away. Then you lift the other one, give him a good slap and throw him in the same direction. "Don't let me see you again!" — you yell as they begrudgingly leave. Still, you question where have they managed to get wasted so hard — perhaps you should look around the sect for any new establishments? #Beat them up. *goto throw_away_drunks [b]Do you want to look for Jing Guo's restaurant?[/b] *choice #Yes. *goto_scene fr_restaurant #No. *goto_scene free_roam free_time *elseif event_number = 4 *label random_event_4 *set happened_event_4 true When you return home, you find five disciples, in masks, throwing eggs, tomatoes and other things at the houses in your neighborhood. Your own windows are also not unharmed, stained with the mix of squashed food paste. "What the fuck are you doing?!" — an Inner Disciple like you yells as she, flabbergasted and in rage, leaves her lodgings. "Eat shit, noble bitch." The masked disciples answer. They switch their targets, all aiming at the new arrival. In seconds, the Inner Disciple's clothes become fully drenched. In shock, she stares at her robe, before she screams. "ALL OF YOU ARE DEAD!" The tomato-throwers scatter, but you understand that they can hardly get away from a Houtian-practitioner. [i]Someone is going to get hurt.[/i] *choice #Help the woman beat them up. Who do these bastards think they are? While the woman apprehends two, you catch the other three, tackling them to the ground one by one. Then, you give each a good kick to the stomach, causing them to groan. "Still… eat shit…" You grab one disciple by the hair, raise his head and stare into his eyes. "Why did you do this?" — you ask. The disciple doesn't answer. *choice #Break his arms. "Think you can throw whatever you want at my home?" — you sneer — "[i]Think again.[/i]" You grab the disciple by the wrist with your left hand, and grip his elbow with your right. Then, you press your right hand forward. His arm [i]snaps[/i] and he wails in agony. *gosub_scene subroutines reputation_change 1 "kindness" "-" "Why did you do this?" — you ask again — "Answer, before I break the other one." "Because… Sister Ai said… said that we need to raise up from the tyranny." Snorting, you roll your eyes. "And you decided to do it by throwing eggs?" "What else can we do?" — the disciple indignantly says. Shaking your head, you continue your questioning. "When did Ai tell you this?" The disciple hesitates: but the threat of having another arm ruined forces him to give in. "We… meet once a week in the Bountiful Forest, in the evenings." *choice #Break his other arm. With a cruel grin, you grab his other arm and, in one swift motion, break it as well. "Why?…" — the disciple mutters — "Cruel bastard…" With a laugh, you kick him to the side and, after threatening the rest of the masked sect members into cleaning up, go on your way. *gosub_scene subroutines reputation_change 2 "kindness" "-" *label evenings_in_forest [i]Evenings in the Bountiful Forest? Perhaps you should pay those gatherings a visit…[/i] *goto attend_now #Free him. You let go of your grasp and stand up, giving a glance to the rest of the disciples. "Clean this up." — you threaten — "Or you'll be sorry." You continue on your way, wondering, whether or not you should pay a visit to those evening gatherings in the Bountiful Forest. *goto attend_now #Let him go. Sighing, you let the disciple go. There's no reason to cripple the guy for such a minor offense. You stand up and give the rest of the disciples a glance.. "Clean this up." — you threaten — "Or you'll be sorry." You then turn to the Inner Disciple, who had more success in gathering information than you did. "It seems like a disciple named Ai organizes evening meetings once a week in the Bountiful Forest. They discuss such absurd concepts there, I couldn't help but laugh when those pieces of trash explained it to me." You clasp your hands at her. "Alright. Thanks for the information, Sister." She waves you off. "No problem, no problem. Farewell, Martial ${polite_address}." *goto evenings_in_forest #Stop the woman. When the woman dashes towards the masked disciples, you put yourself in her way — she collides with your chest and steps back. "What's the meaning of this?" — she asks — "Why would you stop me from administering proper punishment?" "There is no need to get so riled up due to a harmless prank." "Harmless prank?!" — the woman refutes — "Look at what they did to my home!" "And they will clean it up." — you say, turning to the disciples — "Won't they?" The disciples want to argue — but facing two Houtian is much more difficult than throwing eggs at a building — and nod reluctantly in the end. "Good. Now, tell me, who put you up for this." The disciples hesitate, but, seeing no other choice and respecting your action of protecting them from the woman, eventually talk. "Sister Ai tells us that we should rise up from the tyranny." "Pretty sure doing [i]this[/i]," — you chuckle, pointing at the houses — "Won't help you. When did she speak to you?" "We meet once a week in the Bountiful Forest, on the evenings." "Alright." — you once again remind them to clean up, before going on your way. *goto evenings_in_forest #Just watch. You don't move an inch as the woman dashes towards the disciples. She can't catch all of them — but the two unfortunate ones whom she does are helpless to resist. She tackles them to the ground and leashes out a ruthless beating, kick after kick. Eventually, the wailing disciples confess — they were inspired by Sister Ai's talk, after one of their weekly evening meetings in the Bountiful Forest. Perhaps you should attend one of those gatherings. Shaking your head, you continue on your way — after making sure the woman forces the masked offenders to clean up the houses. *label attend_now Do you want to attend the forest meeting? *set ai_forest_event true *fake_choice #Yes. *goto_scene sect_ai_gathering #No. *goto_scene free_roam free_time *page_break *goto_scene free_roam *label no_event *page_break *goto_scene free_roam