locked to zenith

[bakedapple]

[ Link's mental space feels like being outside, so depending on where you are, you might not realize that someone has started Communion with you. Since joining the Zenith, the landscape of Link's mind has gone from idyllic, sunny forests to icy, overcast mountains. A frigid wind blows against your face, carrying the scent of firewood and meat roasting over an open flame. The diminutive Hylian is not sitting by the fire, but standing at the edge of a rocky ledge, his back turned. ]

There's going to be another Oracle soon. I can feel it. The rest of you can feel it too, right? That... pulling feeling.

[ He sighs. ]

If we lose this one, it's over. The Meridian isn't going to go easy on us. I know them... I know how badly they want to win. To them, the stakes couldn't be higher.

So let's talk. About what we're going to be up against, and... well, planning ahead isn't really something we can do, but at least we can warn each other of the dangers that individual Meri pose.

And I... I want to say something, too.

[ He sits down where he stands, his feet hanging off the cliff. There's a sense that he knows this isn't going to go over well, but it's important enough to him to say it anyway. ]

Killing the other guy before they kill you is what war is. That's normal. But Kenos is different. Death doesn't work the way it should here. We don't die permanently. You can neutralize someone threatening you by just dissipating them. There's nothing to gain by destroying their soul after you're no longer in danger.

So, I don't think any of us should shatter anyone ever again.

If you claim someone's Shard, you should protect it. If you feel that you can't do that, give it to someone else.

...I'm not stupid. I know a lot of you aren't gonna agree to this. And the Meris probably won't either. I'm sure they want revenge for what happened to Quetzalcoatl, and those of you who lost the Shards Yima gave you probably aren't feeling very merciful right now either...

But if we don't come to some kinda agreement now, that's going to become normal. Things are gonna get really bad. I don't want that. So... can we talk about it, at least?

Comments

[erbe]

I'm not much of a sharer.

["I don't like speaking about sensitive matters in public,"? Or "suddenly going private might be suspicious"? Perhaps more people ought to know. No, she doesn't feel comfortable speaking about a separate problem when people like Silco or Amos, deep in their loyalty, are able to argue their way back to the faction issue.]

You should come by the shop again sometime.

[erbe]

"Made"? A lot of these are just natural forms of existence.

[eightfoldfiend]

Could you make me a pair of longswords that can retract into their hilts? If not, a single great sword can work. Anything that can sever a limb.

[zauneyete]

[ Don't worry, son, he'll embarrass you anyway. ]

[zauneyete]

Ah yes, a constant in your universe applies to all of them, yes? Your "afterlife" should exist for us all?

[ A roll of his eyes is impressed upon in communion. ] I can assure you it is not an afterlife, for I am not dead. I have, in fact, been in a world prior to this. Perhaps you have no other option but to assign it as one, but I prefer to operate on what is before me. What I can see, hear, and touch. When an afterlife provides those, then perhaps you can make a reluctant believer of me.

[ Silco, unfortunately, is... some kind of nihilistic atheist, borne more from poverty and a violent resistance to anything that represents "hope", though religion in Zaun is approximately 99.9% of the times a scam for money.

He's probably helped one along, in fact. ]

And when the war is over, we will have plenty of souls. Do you think that Yima's vision would have supported a world otherwise? We have us, our loved ones, the cult here in Highstorm. It is not many, but it is certainly sufficient compared to dealing with the... filth and rot that comes with Meridian's paltry offerings.

[ No really grace. why.... love yourself. ]

[zauneyete]

Oh, I think there are some that would be quite upset. As it is, overt dissension in the ranks is likely discouraged. With our dwindling numbers, after all, it would be foolish to put us against one another.

Do not worry, however, I'll be certain to find you plenty of opportunities to fight soon enough if you give me time.

After all, as you said, there are plenty, and our enemies prove quite the challenge. I have taken Quetzalcoatl from them, but there are plenty that will excite you if you wish for battle.

[baltimores]

... Yeah, kinda. [ There'd been that time in the Iconoclast Oracle v1 where they'd actually teamed up to take out his doppelganger, so it wasn't technically him fighting her, but... he did see another technique that'd be effective for dealing with her. ] I can make people turn weightless. She couldn't do shit when she was floating in the air, so I guess any way to take her legs out from under her works.

I had her a different time in the Exalt Oracle, too... used a Fear spell on her. But that went to shit when Liem ambushed me and started drinking my blood, so, [ shrug. ] Guess you should also keep an eye out for any allies she's got around too.

[baltimores]

Might take me a bit, [ re: he can get a start before the Oracle, but he probably won't be able to finish until after, ] but yeah, I can make you a pair of 'em.

[ A beat, and then, almost happily: ] Be nice to work with a retraction mechanism again. It's been a minute for me.

[eightfoldfiend]

I had swords that could extend to their full length, collapse back into daggers or fully retract into their hilts. Useful weapons. I'd be eager to use such weapons again so I look forward to seeing your work!

[A spark of intrigued excitement.]

I'll purchase myself a sword in town for now.

[Not that he is completely sure how money works here or in general but he'll figure it out.]

[erbe]

Just remember there's probably a reason he hasn't had his shard shattered yet.

[alliterating]

Good point.

Well, I'll keep an eye out. I'm not gonna get myself blown up or anything!

[semicharmed]

Deserved better, then.

Though I think the dead can still deserve things.

[ Matt still can't quite wrap his brain around his beliefs vis-a-vis the state of their worlds. Despite how he feels about Yima, he's never doubted her sincerity. Her power. Likewise, he believes the vision he got from poor Cyrus.

(Though as a minor note to self, Matt has to allow that if he's learned things about Yima that have led him to distrust her, he could well have ended up learning something similar about Cyrus.)

There's a bit of a quiet patch in his brain where Yima is concerned, however. Like a veil thrown over an object, obscuring its particulars but not its shape. ]

So yeah. We're teammates.

[diegeticmusic]

But if what they please is war crimes, with no structures in place there's not a lot we can do.

[Ugh, she sounds more like Athena than herself right now, doesn't she? Well, it's not like she's ever been against justice itself - just Athena's brand of it.]

And with Yima gone, this is just going to get worse. [Historically, power vacuums are not great.]

[diegeticmusic]

I guess not. But plenty of humans have defeated monsters and tricked gods. I'm just saying, I wouldn't be so hasty to dismiss 'em.

[She's not biased! Just because she was human until fairly recently...!]

[diegeticmusic]

Influenced by humanity's collective understanding, huh? That's interesting.

[She's also curious how they "form once again"... Like illusions? Or coming back from the dead...]

All I know is in my world, people tended to get things wrong. Gods can take different appearances, so people thought they were actually a different god... that kind of thing.

[diegeticmusic]

...Well, I guess you don't have to believe it. Plenty of mortals don't. [Or they believe in ones that don't exist. ...Do they exist? Look, Grace has only been to the one, maybe the others are all there, too.]

And speaking of "plenty," that depends on what you're trying to do. I'm just saying, more is better. For... like, repopulation, and that kind of thing.

[Her life the past six months has been unending arguments with people who hate her so why not add some more?]

[semicharmed]

[ Matt can't help warming a little as Link turns to face him. It feels like doing something good, however small.

Link seems to regret his question immediately, turning--if not a 180 from it, then at least a sharp 90. Matt laughs. He's a little sheepish, but honestly nothing he feels now can be as embarrassing as swinging Byleth's dagger into empty air when no one was even close to him. He drags a hand absently through his hair, then offers Link a crooked smile. ]

I'll send up a flare, [ he promises. His hand drops, flipping palm-up: in his mind, it's dreamily easy to summon a kaleidoscope of sparking lights, all different colors. ] Like I said, I'm not a total damsel in distress. But I'm definitely better at things like putting up shields while other people do the hitting ... and slashing ... and burning.

[semicharmed]

Yeah, [ Matt agrees. ] A hand on the scale, for sure. Like someone's looking out for you--

Which in this case, I mean, I am looking out for you. Just not in a direct way.

[ There's a slight pause, as Matt wonders if it's awkward to bring up where he's staying. Concludes that it is. Muscles forward anyway. ]

I ended up crashing at Sebastian's, so that's where I am right now. You're more than welcome to come over. [ He adds, both because it's relevant and to keep things moving: ] That's good to know about different magic layering well together. I'll be careful anyway, but that's promising.

I still consider myself to be, ah, getting acquainted with Zenith. So I appreciate the context.

[ The tidbit is reassuring on more levels than one, in fact. Matt may not trust most of the authority figures around here, but he doesn't think there's anything wrong with the Zenith or Meridian energies in and of themselves. ]

[baltimores]

[ There's the impression across communion that Amos is writing this down — two longswords, retraction specifics, all of it — nodding along as he does. ]

Sure thing. [ Order: placed. And they can worry about payment later; Yuber's a Zenite, so he's not too worried about the whole getting paid thing. It'll happen. ] Y'might be able to find something salvaged from the manor if you need to. I fix stuff too, so if it needs fixing up you can bring it on by.

[baltimores]

[ Like Matt's looking out for him — and hesitantly, almost subconsciously, the air around Amos in communion warms a fraction.

Followed by a curious blink. ] Sebastian's close by. I can be there whenever.

[ He isn't bothered by it, at least; no awkwardness on Amos' end. Really, he's just asking when do you want me to come?

Followed by the sense of him pondering, considering Matt's musing on being careful with magic. Not because of what had happened the last time he was in his place, but... ]

And I don't really... know shit about magic. Not in the way you talk about it. I know of it as a tool — [ and there's respect, in that word. He's a mechanic. There's the impression of you take care of your tools, your tools take care of you — ] that comes mostly naturally now, helps me along.

I figure Zenith's compatible with just about anything, though — [ it's a force of nature. The correct one, but that same measure of respect remains in his voice — ] so yeah. Doesn't take much to get acquainted.

[ Zenith'll take care of you, too. ]

[picketship]

Oh, certainly. Entire war was being waged over them, where I was from. Spilled over into the real, even, despite agreements.

[Though it's not the same, exactly. The dead those wars were being fought over weren't obliterated from existence, the way their worlds ostensibly have been.]

That mean you solved your little quandary?

[picketship]

Yes, bit of a pickle, isn't it?

[That annoying little pickle of how to deal with people wantonly committing war crimes. That little thing.]

Especially with the shard-bearers so divided on certain issues. We'd all of us better sort out our shit, if we want to have a say in anything at all.

[semicharmed]

[ At that, there's something like a small chuckle. Shower of chemical sparks, like embers being agitated into orange-red bursts.

In a tone of amused reproach: ]

No.

My quandaries have a lot of sticking power, Demeisen. [ More seriously, he adds, ] But I'll try to keep them to one side. We've got at least a few immediate problems to solve; I don't wanna get mired down.

[erbe]

I suppose either case could be true, but from what I read of the book his personality and abilities aren't too far removed from the legend provided. Though I do have to say I tend to avoid him myself. His insistence on starting trouble isn't worth engaging with. Any information gleaned from him directly could be false by design.

[Just an all-around headache, really. Most of her experience with him is Set trying to instigate a fight, and as a mortal herself she wasn't too keen on stepping into battles she didn't have a hope of winning.]

[bakedapple]

...

[ That sounds like a "yes" to him, but she doesn't want to say why. In that case... ]

Sure. If you're not busy, I can come over right now, if you want. Or maybe sometime later. I have living plants and mushroom spawn to bring you from the Beyond still.