February-March catch all

[wrotetheworld]

WHO: Shang Qinghua and you!
WHAT: Catch all!
WHEN: February through March, varies per thread
WHERE: Varies
WARNINGS: his sense of humor None so far, will update

Comments

Horror Errands

[mayoninofukucho]

[After an only slightly rocky initial acquaintanceship (at least Hijikata learned fast to keep his lightning to himself!), it looks like the samurai and the cultivator have leveled up to being quest partners. Granted, it was an easy decision, give that both of them want to kick some snow shark ass - and since most people interested in the quest are probably going for the nearby watchtower location, they decided to set out to the faraway airship station instead, conveniently combining the journey with a delivery to the old lady living there and a scenic introduction to the Winter Segment for Shang Qinghua!

At this point, they're not far from their destination anymore. Over the course of the 2-days journey Hijikata delivered plenty of information about the cold Segments flora, fauna, grotty weather conditions, and his various shitty experiences there. If Shang Qinghua had any positive inclinations towards the area, he probably doesn't anymore now, unless he's really determined to gather his own first impressions (well, this bird's eye view aside).

Right now, Hijikata is once again smoking on deck (by now, he must have gone through at least 3-4 packs of cigarettes... and he's not stressed at all; this is his casual quota). He points at a lone mountain a good distance away to the east.]

That's the Unnamed Mountain. I never made it there, but I vaguely heard that other people went. I should try to find out what the outcome of that was.

[And on his phone he goes, trying to squeeze the network for information as if he didn't always lurk hard enough to barely ever miss a post! But who knows, maybe the winter guild covertly updated their data base with new information? As the airship prepares for docking at the station, the announcement makes him look up from his research again after all.]

Ah... what's that thing we're delivering to the old woman, again?

[wrotetheworld]

[Honestly, Shang Qinghua was just glad that his new friend took 'oh hell no' as an answer and not a challenge like a certain sword happy shidi he had. And even if 'wanted to kick shark ass' was closer to 'wanted to be paid to kick shark ass, help was still appreciated!

And honestly, the narration of the cold Segment's offerings kinda made him homesick for the Northern Desert. Maybe he should see if Mobei would want to go explore later. Maybe take out some of the sharks himself.

Ha. Like he'd actually work.]

Unnamed? Ha. Sounds like someone got lazy drawing the map.

[Not like him. He'd never have- okay, no, he probably had at least a dozen places with 'names lost to time.' Shush.]

Supposedly, food for her cat. But I've never seen a cat that eats bonemeal. Then again, I've never had a pet so who knows.

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata snorts at that first remark, but he really can't blame Shang Qinghua (who was probably similarly impressed with the Frozen-, Unfrozen-, and Half-Frozen Lake he pointed out respectively referenced along the way), and he takes the cat food reminder in stride.]

I had that pair of little dinosaurs on the last word, but those only ate meat... the pokémon I've got now would probably eat bone meal if I mixed it into some other slop.

[Pet Owner of the Year, right here! The docking process makes the airship sway a little, but it's nothing compared to the blizzard they only managed to circumnavigate halfway on the first day of the journey.]

Make sure you've got all your stuff before we disembark. They'll keep anything you forget, but it'd suck if it were something you need in battle.

[wrotetheworld]

Well now I'm jealous. I was mad into dinosaurs as a kid. Raptors were my favorites, probably because I'd just moved out of my wolf everything phase.

[Well, it was good for plants, right? Shang Qinghua didn't know what kind of Pokémon his new friend had, but it probably wouldn't hurt. Calcium if nothing else.

Double checks his sleeves, shiny new bag of holding, and sword. Yep, that's all of it.]

Don't think I left anything. And sword and talismans are definitely accounted for.

[mayoninofukucho]

[Shang Qinghua truly is full of surprises. Somehow, Hijikata never would have expected a cultivator to have had a wolf- and dinosaur phase! He really is different from the other ones he's met. As for the pokémon, it's an Emboar which he raised up from a Tepig in record speed, and Shang Qinghua may just get to meet it if Hijikata decides that they need its help at any point!

The disembarkment goes smoothly, and the old lady living in the station shows up to greet everyone. Predictably, she isn't content with just taking the delivieries off the travellers' hands but rather invites them into her home for tea and biscuits. Despite having come for the snow sharks, Hijikata isn't disinclined to a nice warm cup.]

We can't say no to that, huh? Thank you, ma'am.

[He can be polite!! Little do he and Shang Qinghua know that the combination of what they brought along and what the old lady already has at home will give them a whole other world of trouble...]

[wrotetheworld]

[Well, no other cultivator's done what he's done, so it's not a huge surprise to Shang Qinghua. And ha, better keep that Pokémon away from his king. Really doubts they'd get along.

When they got to the old lady's place, he had to resist the urge to kick Hijikata when he agreed tot he treats. Come on bro, weird little old lady living in the middle of nowhere offering you food? That never turned out well! Doesn't he read?! But no. And now Shang Qinghua has to agree too to keep from being rude. Even if his smile was a little strained.]

That'd be lovely, thank you.

[He accepted the tea they were given but didn't drink it, trying not to be obvious about the way he was eyeballing their host as the new ingredients were added.

And then the demon appeared.]

...I fucking knew it.

[mayoninofukucho]

[What does the king have against fire pigs!! But with that not being an actual topic now, Hijikata actually does feel some mild regret over accepting the old lady's invitation even before things go completely south, and that's because of her spirit cats. He doesn't like ghosts!! Or, well, he doesn't dislike all ghosts, but... it's complicated!

Of course, that concern is swiftly forgotten when a whole-ass demon bursts forth from the combined ingredients.]

You've got to be shitting me!!

[As the old lady flees and hectically waves for her guests to follow her, the ghosts cats hiss and screech at the hellish newcomer, but it ignores them in favour of pursuing the humans. It's on!]

[wrotetheworld]

[Less pigs, more fire.

And the ghosts cats aren't the worst, because he's seen weirder pets, but surely they should have been some kind of red flag?!

And Shang Qinghua feels absolutely no guilt about dropping his tea on the rug in order to grab his sword, giving the demon a smack with the sheath even before as he ducked with a yelp.]

Why didn't anyone tell me there were more demons here?!

[mayoninofukucho]

[Honestly, what should be red flags in most worlds is kind of just normal in many of these worlds that pull people in from across the multiverse, so Hijikata's gotten desensitised to a lot!!

The demon responds to that smack with a nasty growl and a swipe of its large claw - good thing Shang Qinghua is good at ducking and running! Hijikata pulls him along with him, out of the old lady's home (the lady in question, surprisingly fast on her old legs, must already have hidden away somewhere).]

It's not from here, that's why! At least I don't think it is!

[It's goddamn cold back out on the airship station landing deck, but the demon apparently intends to warm the place up, summoning a dozen or so floating fireballs as soon as it exits the cramped indoors (honestly, isn't it considerate that it didn't reduce the old lady's home to ashes?).]

Shit. Are you fireproof?

[The demon doesn't wait for Shang Qinghua's answer before it starts its assault, forcing Hijikata to intercept the fireballs with a firewall of his own. Now it's really hot in the makeshift arena!]

You can exorcise it, right?!

[Or are they going to have to make it kill collaboration?]

[wrotetheworld]

What about silk looks like it should be fireproof?! Half the time I work in a palace made of fucking ice!

[He was the expert when it came to running and ducking! Shang Qinghua scrambled to keep up with the other man and avoid being pulled off his feet. He dug into his sleeves for blank talisman paper, having to forgo ink and biting a finger to quickly draw out a quick spell before throwing it at the demon.

It did the trick, but unfortunately the trick wasn't actually banishing it. Instead, the demon paused and wavered, like it'd gotten dizzy and lost sight of its prey. Also known as them. But it was already sniffing for them in a heartbeat.]

That's not going to last long. Can you keep it distracted while I seal it?

[mayoninofukucho]

[Okay, so that's a "no" on the fireproof front! Honestly, what was he expecting from a winter power holder... but you never know, cultivators are full of surprises! And speaking of which, that talisman paper is something Hijikata hasn't seen before. He observes its effect with interest, then nods sharply in response to the question.]

Yeah! Leave it to me!

[He brandishes his sword, pointing it at the demon as it seems to refocus on them. (He has half a mind to summon some lightning, too, given that fire is unlikely to be effective, but out of consideration for his questmate decides for forego that. He's ready to play on hard mode!)]

Hey, asshole!! No one invited you here, so how about you go back to hell?

[The provocation, blatant as it is, does its job, and the demon roars at him as it spreads its large leathery wings, simultaneously summoning a weapon of its own: A military flail with a heavy-looking spiked metal ball attached to the handle by a likewise metal chain.]

Oh, great.

[Sure enough, it swings at him and, not intending to test just how much his invisible Aura shield can withstand, he deflects the weapon's course using telekinesis. The spiked ball hits the demon in the shoulder, and it hows in pain and fury before stepping forward for a faster and heftier strike.]

[wrotetheworld]

[Really should look into some fireproofing spells for his clothes. Could probably stitch them into Mobei's too. It'd be good to have, especially if Linguang-Jun ever showed up (unlikely, but sometimes his luck was just that shitty). Also good for dealing with fire throwing demons like this guy!

Ducking down to try and keep himself as invisible as possible, Shang Qinghua drew up a batch of talisman papers, reminding himself to start keeping pens on him. And see if they could be used to channel qi. Because he didn't exactly have time to stop and grind ink when a surprise demon popped up to eat them.]

Try to keep it in the same spot, okay? I need to surround it!

[Which was why this kind of seal was usually done with more than one cultivator, but needs are!]

Feb 15th - for Frozenpillar

[wrotetheworld]

There were so many things that Shang Qinghua had missed from modern life that he hardly knew which ones to grab for at any given moment here in this world. Coffee, cell phones, electric lights, modern furniture (he didn't care if it clashed with the decorations he'd been putting together, the squishy couch in the living room had been a must).

And the holidays! Not that he exactly had anyone to celebrate Valentine's with, or had ever had anyone to celebrate it with, but there was one tradition he loved. After-holiday candy sales. In his first life, it'd been the time he could actually afford chocolates. And now? He took advantage to really get his money's worth, stepping into the house he shared with his king (which, weird) carrying two bulging bags of chocolates and humming.

Winter Jaws

[mayoninofukucho]

[After fighting and sealing a whole-ass goddamn demon, Hijikata and Shang Qinghua finally got to take on the main quest they came out here for: Hunting for snow sharks!! However, it seems off to a slow start. Despite having walked the relatively safe rocky "shore" along the "sea" of deep snow for over an hour now, they haven't seen so much as the tip of a backfin.]

Do you think the demon battle scared them off..? But we're far enough away from the station now.

[He stops to let his eyes wander over the white expanse.]

Or do we need to throw out some bait for them?

[wrotetheworld]

You could try walking out there to lure them out.

[Is he joking? He's mostly joking. Maybe. Because the only other option he can think of is himself.]

Hm... don't suppose you know if these things jump very high, do you?

[mayoninofukucho]

Me? If I'm not mistaken, I'm the shark slayer here. Or are you going to seal it, too?

[Keeping the demon in the required radius was already harder than any video game, like hell is he going to try that dance with a big-ass shark! Besides, he's very confident that his fire magic will make shorter work of it than the sealing would.]

Anyway, according to the guy who saw one first, they do jump, but hell if I know how high. Why?

[Why does he feel like Shang Qinghua is cooking up a game plan?]

[wrotetheworld]

Ha. You don't seal beasts unless they turn into demons. Those are firmly in regular ol' killing territory.

[Stabbing, slicing, burning, all the good methods.

He eyeballs the snow field, trying not to psych himself out of the idea.]

Well, you saw I'm a fast flyer...

[Does he want to be bait? No. Does he want the payout? Yes.]

[mayoninofukucho]

Now that's a good idea! If it sees you gliding around, it's almost guaranteed to try and get you, and I'll be ready to take it down.

[Apparently, the plan is a done deal to him, because he immediately summons a fire bazooka. It may seem beyond redundant, given that he could just throw a fireball, but since elemental weapons come with the relevant properties, this will launch the missile with much greater speed and power!]

[wrotetheworld]

You'd better be a good shot. Remember, not fireproof.

[Might just also be eyeballing that bazooka a little jealously because it looks hella awesome.]

Here I go then. Be ready!

[And he stepped up onto his sword and set out, using the sheath to draw a line in the snow to get their attention as he flew.

It didn't take long for a fin to pop up following him.]

[mayoninofukucho]

[If Shang Qinghua wants to, he can probably learn to make a water bazooka! Granted, it'd probably help if he got a feel for a real bazooka beforehand, and Hijikata will be able to help with that. For now, though, they're fighting snow with fire!]

Pull up!!

[Whether the cultivator has nerves of steel and makes it a gradual ascent or prefers to get out of the shark's range fast, it sure enough does jump for him! Its maws are wide open and definitely large enough to bite him in half, but hopefully he's fast enough to avoid that... and even if he wouldn't be, Hijikata's fire rocket impacts in its hind end and explodes right on time, ripping a decently sized hole into the creature's side between its tail- and back fin. It falls back down into the snow, where it trashes around.]

Can you finish it off and take a photo?

[Priorities! It's unclear to him if the shark is already in its death throes, or if this type is more resilient than its ocean-dwelling relatives.]

If not, come pick me up!

[Maybe he should've flown with him right away, but in fairness, it was a lot easier to get a steady aim on solid ground. With the shark incapacitated, he's confident that he'll manage from the flying sword!]

[wrotetheworld]

[Nerves of steel? What nerves of steel? His are made of aluminum foil! Which is why he shoots up as close to vertically as he can at the warning, letting out a loud yelp when those jaws snapped right behind his sword, almost taking out the tassel.

And Hijikata wanted him to finish it? Ha!]

Coming!

[He swooped low, grabbing the other man to pull him up onto the sword. So maybe Shang Qinghua was a little stronger than he looked. And he kept a hand gripped in his friend's clothes to balance him.]

[mayoninofukucho]

[He makes a startled little sounds as he'll pulled up (with strength that is indeed unexpected), but after a brief moment of clinging he finds his balance (see, it is paying off that they tried this before!). In the meantime, the injured shark has been getting away! It's moving under the snow, albeit more laboriously than before, with its back fin just barely bobbing above the surface.]

Damn, it's tenacious!

[Thinking better of summoning an unwieldy fire bazooka on such a tightly packed ride, and realising that simple fireballs wouldn't have much impact through the layer of snow, he surrounds the shark with a generously measured ring of fire, turning up the heat to melt the thick blanket of snow. The fin stops, then turns, but there's unpleasant heat in all directions around it!

Hijikata keeps it up until there's a broad ring of snow-free rock around the shark, then dismisses the flames. With the heat dissipating, it finally swims onwards... only to plop out of the snow, land on the naked stone ground and, flopping and struggling, fall apart into pieces.]

...

Huh.

[Out comes his phone to take photos for the guild! (Yes, he'll use them as proof for Shang Qinghua too.)]

[wrotetheworld]

[Who'd have thought. Growing up being a human pack mule had some benefit after all. An Ding may look like a bunch of delivery runners and paper pushers on the surface, but they do learn how to use qi to enhance their strength.]

Hey, least it's not throwing fireballs?

[He tipped his head as he looked down at the thing.]

Damn that's weird. Kinda reminds me of Tianlang-Jun...

[mayoninofukucho]

What, you know someone who fell apart?

[At this point, very little would actually surprise him about Shang Qinghua's life anymore.]

Anyway, looks like our job here is--

[Another back fin cruises through the snow not too far ahead of them.]

Never mind.

[wrotetheworld]

Er, well, kind of? On both parts. Former demon emperor, spent a good twenty-odd years sealed under a mountain. And I do mean under, not just in a cave. Was a bit of a mess when he got freed. Plant bodies aren't so good at handling demon energy, turns out.

[And really, really didn't stick around to get to know his son's other dad, because he scares the shit out of him.

As for the shark fin, sighs and raises higher.]

We'd better get paid per.