Part 34: In which we finally reach the fortress

Episode 32: In which we finally reach the fortress

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Last time, we did some more sidequests in and around the Necropolis and wrote an ending to the story of Aishi the Mournful Blade.



The last path in the Necropolis we haven't explored yet is this one, past the tomb of Ji Xin. It leads to another one of the circular arenas, and we know what that means!



Hello boys, nice to see you again. There are three of these jerks this time.



This path loops around to where the ghosts of Miss Chan and Merchant Bai were, so the path to the fortress has to be nearby.



Just making sure it does indeed loop around. Yep, we've been there, that's the big unfinished tomb Fading Moon was hiding in.



Oh, you have got to be shitting me. I didn't even leave the arena this time, I was just standing at the exit. I hope the person at BioWare who decided to put these constantly respawning encounters in the game is forced to play Mass Effect: Andromeda for the rest of time or something.



Anyway, let's check the Tomb of the Forgotten Scholar here.







Err... are we interrupting something? We can always come back later, I suppose.





You... you're not dead! I'm sorry, I just... I just panicked. I thought you were some spirit, here for revenge.

Revenge for what?

Ah, well... my work, you see, while very important--*very important*--may upset some of those spirits not fully at peace.

Who are you?

My name is Wen Zhi, but the few who come here call me mad. Mad Wen, they say. But I am not mad!

Obviously not. That's why he's down here, talking to corpses.



What are you doing here?

I... I am conducting my research. I am a doctor by trade, studying the internals of the body and the energies that drive it. But lately, I have come on hard, hard times. My daughter, Wen Si Wei, has fallen ill, and nothing in my previous training could help me with what ails her. Her liver has been rotted from within, corrupted by some energy I have never encountered before.





I... I could not stand the possibility of her loss, so I took matters into my own hands. I researched the workings of the body and the spirit, as well as the lore of the creatures that live beyond death. I believe I have found a way to save my daughter... but I have not been successful in my efforts.



Speaking of lore, the one scroll I thought I might have missed in the Necropolis is in fact that one right behind Wen, so I did not miss it after all and that means I never have to come back here.



I have found a way to strengthen--no, to replace--the corrupt flesh of one living creature with that of another. Through the energies of the earth and by the divine will of Heaven, her body can be made to accept the organ as if it were a part of her. She can be given a new life! But these cursed, wretched corpses do nothing for me! They are too old. too... dead! Their organs are rotted beyond repair. Even the ones recently buried. I need something else... something more. Either one that is perfectly preserved, or one that is fresh. Her time is drawing near. If I cannot get a new organ for her soon, I fear it may be too late.



Well, he's not getting ours because we kind of need that. Murdering someone for their liver would also be a bit... unethical, so what else is there?



I have tried all the organs I could find, but none work. A nobleman here, Ji Xin, had his body preserved well enough and buried in this graveyard, but his corpse has... moved.

Oh. That's probably not good.



"Preserved Nobleman" is a great name for a band.



The nobleman was buried in one of the larger tower-tombs closer to the entrance. I tried to enter, but... His corpse has risen, covered in the protective wrappings he was buried in. I... I would not have survived. Please, get the liver from him quickly!

Certainly, let's just read that scroll first.



Lovely. I don't think we ever actually see moss spirits in Jade Empire, though.



Ji Xin's tomb is back the way we came, a little bit to the northwest from here.



Hey guys, you seen Ji Xin anywhere?



Here we are, and the door's open this time around.







Some tomb robbers are obviously trying to take Ji Xin's treasure, but he's not letting that happen.



The man himself, we presume.





Um, hold on. I thought Ji Xin was supposed to be perfectly preserved. If this is indeed our man, he doesn't look very fresh at all.





Now, I feed on the flesh and souls of the living in payment for my vanity. My perfect body is a testament to my crimes. My very touch spreads my corruption.

Actually, the mummy we see in front of us is not Ji Xin's real body and is just a form his spirit appears in. Otherwise, nothing we do here would make much sense.





What is this "chance" you speak of, mortal? What is this false hope you dangle before me?



And by your liver, we mean the one that is in his actual body and not in... that.





Redemption... for one such as me? I think not. My life was spent in greed and vanity and corruption. Even in death I sought to preserve my perfect form. For one whose madness and evil progress even into death? No, there is no hope for me. None at all. And you stand here, mocking me for it.



Ah, the temptation! Yes... so much logic... so much philosophy, but who knows what the heavens will truly decide in the end? But... for the chance... And it is a girl... so young... I can taste her pain and suffering lingering about you. So like my own. The blood is thick in my veins. A solid mass where fluid used to flow. Now dried and brittle. But the heart still stirs, and it can be moved, though tears no longer flow.

Great, but what about your liver? That's what we're here for.



If my end means this girl lives, then may the heavens look kindly upon me, even though I know they won't. If damnation is my fate, then let it be worth something in the end. Take what you need, mortal.





Here's hoping this works. Let's head back to Wen.



Medical emergency. Coming through, excuse me.



Have... have you managed to find some way to help me?

I have a preserved liver.

You... you do? Thank you! Thank you! Yes... yes! It looks like it has been preserved well enough! I am amazed that you managed to get this intact.



[fade to black, unpleasant noises]



It will be some time before she can stand on her own again, but I am certain she will make it. Not here, though... not in this place of death.

This isn't exactly the most sanitary place to perform an organ transplant at, but hopefully she'll make it.



I must take her to a place where she can heal. You have my eternal gratitude for what you have done.







If we hadn't managed to convince Ji Xin to become an organ donor, we would've been forced to fight him to get his liver. However, in that case the liver would still have Ji Xin's corruption on it, causing complications. Wen will ask you to sacrifice whatever you can to ensure the operation is successful, and if you choose to do so you'll take a permanent -10 chi penalty. Apparently, the girl lives regardless, but you get Open Palm points and a technique (Theories of Medicine: Focus +7, Intuition +1) if you sacrifice your chi. If both of them live, you can visit them in the market district later (I'll try to remember to do so at some point). You can also speak to Dr. An at the Arena and ask her to perform the transplant, with Wen Zhi sacrificing himself to save his daughter.

That's it for the Necropolis, so now let's finally go to that fortress.



Eh, one more for the road, I guess. This is the last time we need to fight these assholes, at least until we backtrack to the city.



The path to the fortress lies next to the unfinished tomb.



To our right is an unfinished bridge, and there is nothing of interest over there so we'll continue on.





Looks like Zu just barely managed to beat us to the fortress, even though we spent a lot of time dicking around after he left.



Before we can follow him inside, Silk Fox shows up.



This is the sanctum of the Lotus Assassins, the most feared group in the Empire, and I've asked you to simply walk in.





If you've been hitting on your party members enough to get locked on a romance path, some variation of this conversation happens with your love interest at this point. Or if you've been hitting on multiple people, your love interests show up and demand you choose between them. Well, you don't actually have to choose between Silk Fox and Dawn Star here, you can just refuse to make a decision if you feel like it.



I... I know. And I regret the necessity of it, but there is no other way. My father will not listen without evidence. We have to go in, find what we need to expose Death's Hand, and get out before we are discovered. Once that is done, you can deal with Death's Hand as you wish. My father will see to it.





Well, it is the Lotus Assassin fortress. They're not a pleasant bunch.



Here's the last Nature of the Spirit scroll. The first one was way back in the Spirit Cave, and we've found all four in the Necropolis.







Well, here goes nothing.





The Watcher is voiced by Mark Meer and sounds kinda like Commander Shepard pretending to be a creepy weirdo.





The Watcher leads us to the main hall of the Lotus Assassin Fortress, which is quite a sight. The kryptonite fog is a nice touch.





Master Gang is one of our trainers. He will be your master as you seek to become an Assassin. He is harsh, but his knowledge will be invaluable to you. You will find him at the opposite end of the Hall of Induction, near the entrance to the central chambers. Do not keep him waiting.

Farewell, Watcher.

Go to your teacher, acolyte. Do not keep him waiting. The far end of the hall, at the entrance to the Central Chambers.

Yes, got it, thanks.



Well, that's what we're here to find out.



Oops, how clumsy of me, bumping into this jar next to the door here. The Aura of Malice Gem is of course the Closed Fist counterpart of the Aura of Calm Gem.



Those colors on the Lotus Assassin banner seem kind of familiar... Oh, and there is also a focus shrine nearby, should we need it.



While Dawn Star's support skill is a lot more useful than Silk Fox's, we'll bring Silk Fox along for this part of the game. It just seems appropriate, since infiltrating the Lotus Assassins to find evidence on Death's Hand was her idea in the first place.



Oh, good. We've only just arrived, and some idiot is already picking a fight.







Maybe we can get through without killing anyone. Probably too much to hope for.







Well, Silk Fox yelling at these guys probably won't help us get past them without violence.



Of course, that was never the idea anyway.



*sigh* Suits me. What'll it be? All at once or simultaneously?







Just this one guy? Come on, that is simply insulting.





Acolyte Jin Tao gets a couple of hits in but doesn't last very long. As expected, really.



The other acolytes run off, trying to hold on to whatever dignity they have left. They'll probably try to gank us later, but we'll handle them when that time comes.



Oh, and Zu's skulking around here too. I hope he liked that fight just now.





We have discussed much in our time together, but not everything. I left some things buried, but now you have descended to their level.



Are you? Are you sure you know what kind of person I am? Is anyone so transparent? Are you? Go, your new master is waiting. Secure a place near the heart of the Assassins, and you will be near your goal. Grand lnquisitor Jia is key.



I just wish he'd stop with the passive-aggressive schtick, it's getting kind of old.



On this side of the hall, we can find a merchant with a somewhat familiar name.





Well, you still have a bit of personality about you, hmm? It won‘t last. They strip their recruits down to the essentials. Eventually, you'll be just another mask. My name, if you are still of a mind to care about names, is Merchant Kia Jong. What can I do for you?



Did you? I have a niece by that name. Is she well?



The last we saw of Kia Min, she was escaping from the burning ruins of Two Rivers and fighting mercenaries while trying to evacuate survivors. We have no clue what became of her after that, but she definitely was all right when we last saw her.



Oh! Uh...



Kia Min has a unique head model that sets her apart from the rest of the Two Rivers students who just had generic NPC faces, but it may be a bit difficult to remember so many hours later which one of the students she was.



You can enjoy it until the Lotus Assassins strip your will, anyway.

What do you have for sale?

This and that. I don't stock much for the individual Assassins. I mostly bring in large parts or supplies for their machines. Have a look.



Kia Jong's inventory consists of generic crap and a Closed Fist gem we can't use. At least he's giving us a discount!



Mold master? Maybe they can tell us something about the construction of the golem army.





Obligatory reminder that we are all EVIL here.



What is your purpose here?

We keep the golem press functioning. Without us, the machines could not keep up the ambitious pace that Grand Inquisitor Jia has set.

It takes two minds, two pairs of hands to control the inner structures of the press. You fools just see the controls. Inside the machines, it is impossibly complex.

Tell me about the golem press.

You would not understand the complex balance of gears and sorcery that makes it function. Even flyers are simpler creations.

Who built the press?

There we go, maybe we'll get some information here.



So Death's Hand did in fact commission the golem army, claiming to be doing it on the Emperor's behalf. That's good to know, but we still need more solid evidence than the word of these two chuckleheads.



That's nonsense. Not everything our craftsmen create is stolen or gifted from somewhere eIse. We have the capability on our own.

But why use that capability when you can steal everything instead? That's everything we're getting out of those two, so let's go find this Master Gang who is supposed to teach us the ways of the Lotus Assassins.



That'll probably be him over there, judging from the quest marker over his head.



The latest battalion of golems stand idle because of you. If the production of the Jade Golem is delayed again, perhaps your soul will fuel our next attempt. I trust I have made myself clear?





Yes, an absolute shame.



A man who wears a hat like that would know all about shame.



Wait, no, you are the one I was told to expect. A new recruit. Hmph, as if I don‘t have enough trouble watching over the other fools in my care.





We didn't say we were an Assassin yet, though. Just that he'd find us a competent one at some point.



Follow me down to the central chambers when you are ready to begin your indoctrination. Do *not* keep me waiting. A battalion of golems stand idle.

Speaking of golems, Master Shin in his silly hat mentioned something about a Jade Golem. From the context, we can assume that is some sort of a special war machine that is supposed to be much stronger than regular golems. We probably don't want them to get that thing operational.



Next time, we'll learn all about what it's like to be a Lotus Assassin.

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