Dear Master Gouken,
We have arrived in Absalom! It is as big as they say, and honestly, even bigger than that. There are more people than I ever imagined packed into one space, and so many different kinds!
A few days into our arrival, we found the missing piece to the puzzle of the journal. It was…
I don’t even really know honestly how to describe the events that followed. There was a corrupted wish turned into a curse, a pocket dimension, a woman as beautiful as she is strong and proud with equally poor life choices in her past, and and what may have been the avatar of the remnants of an angry god- but surely not, because we beat it, broke the curse and saved… quite a lot of people actually. Including the author of the journal, and her two friends that we may have brought back to life. They are from another world although they can’t go back, they are stuck in ours now, which is honestly for the best I think. Their world sounded crappy. I saw the consequence of war as well, which was… sobering. (I’ll elaborate if you want but I am short on parchment at the moment and it is a VERY long story, and I still have to write to Grand Master Shao. We met someone I think she would like to know about. Naturally I can’t send I through normal channels since I don’t know where the school is. Can you forward it to her?)
We survived, and we were given an obscene amount of coin for our troubles. Frankly it makes me uncomfortable. I’m sending some to Mum. I guess I’ll find something to do with the rest. Maybe I’ll just bank it.
The woman we rescued… she’s really something. Wow. I’ve never seen anything like her, good or bad. And she’s the most beautiful being, male or female, I’ve ever seen. She looked just as good in person, even though she isn’t perfect and has done some things she shouldn’t have. But she chose to do better, even at cost to herself, and in the end she broke her own curse, though we helped of course.
I also invented, perfected, and used a technique to manifest my ki as physical bolts of burning energy, so I can hit people out of range! I got the idea from Veleus and Master Syzoth. He had these flying boots that made him really hard to hit, you know? And Master Syzoth said all I was doing was copying the people I admired, not pursuing my own path or strength or whatever, which was harsh but… not all wrong either. I have included my preliminary notes and how-to sketches and a basic kata for it. Tell me what you think!
And while Master Syzoth did have a point… I’m working on mastering the abundant step technique anyways. It’s slow going; I have to be careful when I practice. There’s a difference between miscalculating and say, punching the wall instead of the target, and then miscalculating and ending up INSIDE the wall instead of BESIDE the target. I’m making slow but steady progress!
Master Syzoth also said something in passing about your health? Is everything ok, Master Gouken? I meant to ask last time but forgot.
I hope you are doing well. I have included some artist sketches of the city- there was a man busking by the center fountain and drawing things, and drew this for a few coin. I’ll get you something nicer at the market if I see anything I think you’d like!
(Enclosed is a very accurate colored sketch of Chiro, grinning brightly, looking well if a bit battered and a little older, and the cityscape of Absalom behind her, lit up with a setting sun; a scene of the market bustling at midday; the view from the docks with masts of ships like a forest of timber and rigging; the mansions of the Petals, and the hovels of the Puddles; Emi, pounding away at a forge; Agatha, grimacing as she tries on a different hat; Lini and Squiggles, with the snake doffing his cap to a merchant.)
We are going to stay here for a while yet. Not sure where to next, but that’s ok, too. Sometimes just following what life tosses your way is it’s own adventure!
Pursuing my own perfection,
-Chiro
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