Crossing the Peak

Raid Event: Echoes of Antiquity

Episode 1

Crossing the Peak

Previous Quest

The Journeying Sealer

Next Quest

The Long Journey

Summary

A band of brigands suddenly appears with a Qilin relic. The party has trouble dealing with the relic–known as the Hong Hulu–but thanks to Xuan Zang and her group, the thugs are driven off, and the journey resumed.

Dialogue

...So then I had me a little brainstorm: If I used the chuckleberry, something hilarious was BOUND to happen! Ha ha ha! You are a prank ANIMAL, Luca! So what happened after that? Ha ha! The next thing to happen was...

Well, them two are gettin' thick as thieves. If we continue to let them bounce ideas off each other, we are all likely to awaken with itching powder in our smallclothes. *wheeze* *pant* How do they have... the energy for idle chatter...? You're looking a little rough there, Cleo. Are you feeling okay? I will manage... Er, but do we have much further to go yet? We've a few mountains yet to cross. Also, I fear we're on something of a detour at present. A detour?! Whyever for?! I sensed the presence of a Qilin relic in this vicinity. As a sealer, I cannot turn a blind eye to any such possible activity. Fair enough. *wheeeze* Can we at least take a short rest here? Of course. There is little sense in pushing ourselves to the brink. Still, I AM a little worried to hear there might be a Qilin relic nearby. Remember that while we use "Qilin relic" as a blanket term, it includes average, workaday items as well as terrible ones. You need not be quite so on your guard. Wait, for seriously?! The way you guys were talking, I figured all Qilin relics were giant death doohickeys or whatever. Perhaps I should explain myself further. A Qilin relic is the term for ANY tool used by the ancient Qilin people. The ancient Qilin people? If you cast your gaze back into antiquity, you will find the Qilin bathed in glory. The fantastic technology and magic at their disposal shaped the entire world itself. Some of these devices are far beyond the ken of even the most intelligent modern Qilin. That's quite the claim, given what we know of the modern tribe. Quite so. However, while many of these objects were fantastical, far more were of the basic, day-to-day variety. There were pots that produced water, plates that kept food warm, and so on. Dude, that sounds RAD. Ah, but I have only begun to regale you with tales of Qilin relics! For example... Ugh. I'm too old to be goin' back to school. ...Huh? What's that? I had no idea these relics were so... Hmm? What's wrong, Your Highness? Where did Ranzal go? He's probably out looking for a legendary sandwich tree or some other food-related nonsense. Normally I wouldn't be worried, but now that we have Qilin relics in the mix, I'm a little concerned. Welp, guess we should go find the big lug and track him down, yeah? ...Also, IS there a legendary sandwich tree? Goodness, but he is a handful.

...No dice! The guy up and vanished like a fart in the wind. ...Uh, and why are you two giving me those weird looks? Because you're the only member of the search party who came back. Wait, EVERYONE is gone now? This cannot be mere coincidence. It is likely the doing of someone who has obtained the nearby Qilin relic. Yo, Yulong! That nose of yours broken or something?! Get to sniffing out that relic! I will not have you treat me as some base hound! I guess our only option is to keep looking.

...... Where did everyone go...? Excuse me! Over here! Oh, hello. Who are you? I'm from the nearby village. I was out gathering herbs when I twisted my ankle. Well then, let us help you get home. You're much too kind, thank you. Oh, but I fear I have no way to possibly repay you. There's no payment necessary. Here, can you stand? I think so... Oh, wait! I DO have something to repay you with! Please take this. Er, is this a gourd with water inside? Not water, but a specialized medicine. One sip will wash away all of your fatigue. It's quite the popular item in my village! Please, you must accept it. Well, I suppose a sip won't hurt... Have you uncorked the gourd? ...Huh? Hee hee... AAAH HA HA HA! What the?! You've been deceived, you dolt! Whoever uncorks this gourd will be sucked up into it! Now get into that bottle, just like your friends! AAAAAAH HA HA HA HA HA! ...... BWAAAA HA HA HA... Um, ha? Hey, wait! Why aren't you being swallowed up by the gourd thingie?! Because I weakened the power of this Qilin relic. Okay, who are you, and what did you do to my evil gourd?! We just baited you like a fish hook, fool! WHAAAAT?! We knew someone was up to no good with the Qilin relic around here, but I never expected it to be so petty. You are naught but a mean brigand who has been using the relic to attack travelers and steal their money and possessions. As both a member of the Qilin tribe and a sealer, I cannot abide those who would misuse our relics. I'm not following any of this, and I don't really care if I ever do. ...C'mere, boys! We've got some butts to kick! That's it? We're fighting now? Boooo-ring. Oh, hey, I thought of something good! Lemme see that, Euden! You mean the gourd? Yep! Now it's my time to shine... O power universal, heed my solemn decree! Behold the coffin of eternity! Huh? What? UWAAAAAAH! Easy-peasy, right? Oh, but wait. There's more. Aaaand...POP! GYAAAAR... Huh? Hey, wait a sec. Didn't that gourd thingie just swallow me? Annnnnnnd...back in. And out! In! Out! In! Out! Waaaah ha ha ha ha! Oh man, I SLAY me! Stooooop! No moooooooore! Enough, Wu Kong. Sure thing, master. But you gotta admit, it WAS pretty funny.

Well, THAT was embarrassin'. Can't believe I got hoodwinked by such a lame trick. Urgh... Gotta admit, I didn't expect to spend much time inside a gourd when I woke up today. That "gourd" you refer to is the Hong Hulu—a frightfully powerful Qilin relic in the form of a harmless fruit. You could not have known otherwise. Yeah, well, it's still annoying. In any case, I'm glad everyone is safe. Thank you, Xuan Zang. And you as well, Wu Kong. You have quite the command of those Qilin relics. Damn straight! Please spare him your compliments. They go right to his head. Ugh! You always shut me down right when I'm about to have some fun. Well, now that we have dealt with that unanticipated difficulty, perhaps we can set off for the village? From the sound of it, we're still a ways off, so we'd better get moving.