Alright, I will! [ And this was perfectly acceptable. After all, he was the one who was in training. Why would the master do the work when it could all be on the disciple?
He continues climbing among the dirt and eventually finds what seems like it might be a house. Mo Xuanyu hesitates for a moment, then slowly starts digging.
He's at it for less than a minute when, hidden from his attention by the sound of his work, a walking corpse pulls itself out of the ground and starts to make its way towards him from behind. ]
[Shen Qingqiu was incredibly bored, he didn't expect this to be so... dull. But then, it was the middle of the night, hard to see, and there were just the two of them. He hadn't realized just how much he enjoyed having all of his disciples around during such outings. But, he tried to keep watch, even if he spaced out a few times thinking of other inconsequential things. In fact, he wandered so much he almost missed the corpse approaching.]
[ Mo Xuanyu turns quickly, then yelps and stumbles backwards when he catches sight of the corpse. Luckily it's a low level, so even with his flailing, he manages to pull out his sword and dispose of it without issue. He spends a few seconds standing there, wide-eyed and panting as he recovers from the shock, then... ]
This is it! If there's corpses here, then people definitely died here!
[ With renewed vigor he begins digging into the dirt, and it isn't long before he starts to reach the wood from a collapsed roof. ]
Oh, I suppose you're right. If it was just one person... Mm.
[ His expression goes dark for a moment, then he shakes his head. No, that idea that passed through his head just now is out of the question. ]
I'll try to dig this up enough that I can lift it.
[ And he starts the slow process of shoveling as much dirt as possible off of the remains of the roof. This would probably go better with a proper shovel, but his hands will have to do. ]
[Once Mo Xuanyu was out of range he lifted his hand up forming a sword seal with his fingers to summon Xiu Ya.
The sword flare was bright, but he kept it down to not be overwhelming and sent it flying into the part of the roof uncovered blasting a hole into it. Once it had forced a path in it returned to its sheath.]
[ It makes Mo Xuanyu startle and jump, and he waits for several seconds as if expecting something to happen now that the hole is there.
But nothing happens, and so he makes his way back to the hole...
Only to take one look in, yelp, and stumble backwards enough that he falls straight on his butt. No sooner does he land then there's the sound of movement coming from below the hole. ]
[Shen Qingqiu hurried over to check, he had a sinking suspicion of what might be inside. He had hoped at best nothing, at worse corpses... but, if something was moving and the boy stumbled backward that would mean....
He sent another light out to hover over the whole so he could get a better look, and maybe it would do something? Zombies didn't like light, right?]
Get up, awareness is important.
[Though he said it like a command he was already offering his hand to help as he got close.]
[ The insistence draws him back to himself, and he quickly pulls himself to his feet. Mo Xuanyu hesitates, but draws his sword and holds it forward, his grip shaking very slightly.
What emerges is not a corpse but a swirling shape that's more energy than solid. In the bright light it seems to shimmer and almost become invisible, but it's corporeal enough to affect the area around it. It crawls out slowly, giving a low wailing sound, disturbing dirt as it goes. ]
Master Shen, what...? I don't know what this is...!
Instinctually he put his arm out in front of Mo Xuanyu, herding him back behind. It didn't seem to be a ghost, it was definitely not a dead thing, a spirit? A god? A demon? He had no reference for this world! But, what he had seen so far, this felt out of place!]
[ But before Mo Xuanyu can say any more, the dirt starts shaking in various places around them. More of the earth starts to slide around as it's disturbed, and soon several corpses are starting to pull themselves out from below the ground. This seems to excite or agitate the shape, and it begins to swirl and move quicker, though it seems to be avoiding where the corpses are emerging.
With no better idea of what to do, Mo Xuanyu inches a little more behind Shen Qingqiu. ]
[Where were all these bodies when they were wandering around digging with nothing else? Why were they all climbing forth when there was this bright unknown entity before him!
He backed up more, keeping Mo Xuanyu even closer. He really wasn't sure what to do. Perhaps the strange creature will be distracted by the corpses and they could run.]
--What? But--what if it goes after the people who live here? Or the other disciples? Shouldn't we fight it?
[ Hi I am Mo Xuanyu and I have never before been in truly mortal peril in my life.
Now that more of the corpses are surfacing bit by bit, and even some heads are starting to emerge, it's even more obvious that they are focused on the bright shape. It slowly starts to creep its way across the ground, like rolling fog or a low cloud, shrinking back or wailing when it gets too close to any emerging corpses.
A hand appears from directly beneath it, and as if startled it starts to billow and shudder, partially dispersing and regrouping as if trying to get away from the corpse but having no idea how to. ]
[He did not know what to do, kill the corpses, kill the strange thing? Try and fight? Was it really dangerous? He didn't know anything about this world!]
[ Mo Xuanyu starts to flee, but two things stop him. The first is realizing that he has no idea where the instructors are at this point. The second is that the corpses aren't coming just from the landslide: they're even coming out of the woods and even a couple from the direction of the part of the village still standing. He might waste his energy to cut his way out, only for it to be the wrong way.
So... it's probably safer to stay with Shen Qingqiu at this point, isn't it?
He turns and runs back to beside Shen Qingqiu, pulls a flare from his supplies, and launches it into the sky. Hopefully someone else is able to come help. ]
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He continues climbing among the dirt and eventually finds what seems like it might be a house. Mo Xuanyu hesitates for a moment, then slowly starts digging.
He's at it for less than a minute when, hidden from his attention by the sound of his work, a walking corpse pulls itself out of the ground and starts to make its way towards him from behind. ]
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Watch out!
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This is it! If there's corpses here, then people definitely died here!
[ With renewed vigor he begins digging into the dirt, and it isn't long before he starts to reach the wood from a collapsed roof. ]
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When did the landslide happen?
[Was it night or day....]
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[ Oh, this is supposed to be a question to help him figure out what happened, right? ]
Um... [ He thinks for a moment, then, ] Well, if most of them were in their houses, it was probably at night, right...?
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We do not yet know if most of them were inside or not....
[But, they would no doubt find out soon enough.]
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[ His expression goes dark for a moment, then he shakes his head. No, that idea that passed through his head just now is out of the question. ]
I'll try to dig this up enough that I can lift it.
[ And he starts the slow process of shoveling as much dirt as possible off of the remains of the roof. This would probably go better with a proper shovel, but his hands will have to do. ]
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Still, it was too pitiable to watch him digging up this sad house with his hands.]
Come over here, we'll take a faster way to see in.
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[ Mo Xuanyu carefully, hesitantly makes his way back towards Shen Qingqiu. He doesn't know what the man has in mind, but he's very curious. ]
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The sword flare was bright, but he kept it down to not be overwhelming and sent it flying into the part of the roof uncovered blasting a hole into it. Once it had forced a path in it returned to its sheath.]
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But nothing happens, and so he makes his way back to the hole...
Only to take one look in, yelp, and stumble backwards enough that he falls straight on his butt. No sooner does he land then there's the sound of movement coming from below the hole. ]
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He sent another light out to hover over the whole so he could get a better look, and maybe it would do something? Zombies didn't like light, right?]
Get up, awareness is important.
[Though he said it like a command he was already offering his hand to help as he got close.]
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What emerges is not a corpse but a swirling shape that's more energy than solid. In the bright light it seems to shimmer and almost become invisible, but it's corporeal enough to affect the area around it. It crawls out slowly, giving a low wailing sound, disturbing dirt as it goes. ]
Master Shen, what...? I don't know what this is...!
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Instinctually he put his arm out in front of Mo Xuanyu, herding him back behind. It didn't seem to be a ghost, it was definitely not a dead thing, a spirit? A god? A demon? He had no reference for this world! But, what he had seen so far, this felt out of place!]
This master is unsure....
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[ But before Mo Xuanyu can say any more, the dirt starts shaking in various places around them. More of the earth starts to slide around as it's disturbed, and soon several corpses are starting to pull themselves out from below the ground. This seems to excite or agitate the shape, and it begins to swirl and move quicker, though it seems to be avoiding where the corpses are emerging.
With no better idea of what to do, Mo Xuanyu inches a little more behind Shen Qingqiu. ]
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He backed up more, keeping Mo Xuanyu even closer. He really wasn't sure what to do. Perhaps the strange creature will be distracted by the corpses and they could run.]
Find an opening and run.
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[ Hi I am Mo Xuanyu and I have never before been in truly mortal peril in my life.
Now that more of the corpses are surfacing bit by bit, and even some heads are starting to emerge, it's even more obvious that they are focused on the bright shape. It slowly starts to creep its way across the ground, like rolling fog or a low cloud, shrinking back or wailing when it gets too close to any emerging corpses.
A hand appears from directly beneath it, and as if startled it starts to billow and shudder, partially dispersing and regrouping as if trying to get away from the corpse but having no idea how to. ]
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[He did not know what to do, kill the corpses, kill the strange thing? Try and fight? Was it really dangerous? He didn't know anything about this world!]
Get your elders. I will keep it occupied.
[Somehow.]
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So... it's probably safer to stay with Shen Qingqiu at this point, isn't it?
He turns and runs back to beside Shen Qingqiu, pulls a flare from his supplies, and launches it into the sky. Hopefully someone else is able to come help. ]
I-I don't think I can get past them. Sorry.