LOCKED TO MERIDIAN

[leicesters]

[Claude's communion prescence has always been like a summer breeze; warm, easygoing, albeit difficult to read before it moves on. Now it has more of a brittle, bitter quality, like a looming dust-cloud he has to hold at a distance. There's no going back from this point when he knows things will only escalate from here, and so now seems like an important time to address his fellow Meri.]

The fight for the next Oracle will be on us soon. The Tribune may have been slain, but he entrusted the future of the worlds to us. Though he won't be able to help us see this through, we can still fight for him, and all the others we've lost along the way. We can fight for Springstar... and we can fight for Quetzalcoatl.

[There's a brief pause on this point. Her death deserves respect and acknowledgement, and she may not be the last to meet such a fate before the fighting is over.]

...We'll fight for your homes, too. After all, our worlds aren't that different, right? They might be flawed in their own ways, and there might even be some of you who would rather stay here when this is done. But every world and the life on it is precious, and it beats whatever phony world Yima and her followers come up with.

Speaking of Yima: I've discussed this with a few people already, but I suspect she's still alive. When the Blight almost destroyed Kenos, somehow she was still around. When I asked her about it, she said she wasn't bound by time like a normal person is. She can exist in different times and different places simultaneously; I don't know how it works, but maybe she even foresaw this attempt on her life before it even happened.

That said, it's just speculation, so we might as well play dumb and behave towards Zenith as if we're convinced she's dead for now. It'll be easier for us that way.

[Others have probably arrived at a similar conclusion, perhaps people among Zenith's ranks too, but it bears saying, particularly for those newly arrived to the conflict.]

Anyway, enough about her -- how about we use this opportunity for a little strategy get-together? We have a few new faces around, so feel free to introduce yourself and your capabilities.

For those of us who have been around longer, feel free to toss in an introduction too. More importantly, share what you know about Zenith and its current capabilities, in combat or otherwise. Any insight into their current thinking would be useful right now, too. What's their morale like? We know by now that some of them really hate our guts, and I wonder how much their desire for revenge is going to play into the next battle...

[He sounds casual, almost flippant, but there's a serious point in there he's sure he doesn't need to overstate: the more loyal Zenites are going to have some serious motivation in the next battle to get back at them, whether they believe Yima is gone or not.]

Let's not let our own judgement be clouded by revenge, even if we've sustained losses. We need to go into this with a clear head, looking toward the future.

Oh-- on that note, Hayame wants to speak with some of you about some further strategising either before or after the Oracle. Sorry that's a little vague, but I'm sure she'll talk to you about it properly when the time comes. For now, let's just focus on one thing at a time.

Comments

AMOS BURTON

[warmare]

It has been said a hundred times, but- Amos Burton cannot be reasoned with, he will not leave Zenith, and he will never not follow the orders of that sacred bitch on high, Yima. Even if she is actually dead, he will continue to hold her tenants. I have no doubt she was behind the order to assassinate the Tribune.

And you saw what resulted from that. What resulted from allowing Zenites free reign of Springstar to let them map our our streets and vulnerabilities.

Amos is a human man, but he has embraced the powers of this world quite smoothly. I have heard tale of his strength when he rampages, and that is cause enough to be cautious with him in battle, but my personal experience is more with his ability to manipulate "gravity".

[... She says that word like it's made-up. Just medieval Japanese things.]

He can make rob you of the ability to stay upon the ground, and just as quickly make the air around you so heavy that you can barely lift a leg to stand, let alone fight. Beyond countering his spells as he casts them, I do not know how they can be fought. Mages, what say you?

And those who know more of his abilities... I would ask you share them here. It is likely Amos will charge at the forefront of Zenith's offensive in this next Oracle, as long as the trial's nature permits.

[escardos]

Gravity is the force that keeps our feet in the world.

[ just putting that out there.

between that and flat speaking up again, there is a long pause as he processes what she’s saying. when he talks, there’s no emotion behind it other than an overwhelming curiosity. ]

Gravitational manipulation is a pretty neat trick! I’d have to watch him do it, but the way I’d do it is by cancelling his abilities entirely… or by trying to reverse what he’s doing in real time.

[ which is not easy, no matter how simple flat makes it sound… ]

Other than that, you’d probably have to sneak up on him or send something with enough force that it breaks through his gravitational field without losing force!

[ so, a rocket? ]

[warmare]

He claims to be from a world where humans live amongst the stars. He called it “space”. Perhaps that is why his affinity for the ability is so expert.

[but ugh, she doesn’t want a science lesson!!!!]

Since not all of us can just “reverse what he’s doing”-

[Hmm, is it weird she doesn’t say the “cancel” part?]

What is that amount of force?

[escardos]

So they do manage to escape...

[ that's good. he never had a doubt that humanity would reach the stars one day, but it's comforting to know that the effort bears fruit in the future. there's an overwhelming sense of pride— for humanity as a whole and all of their achievements, past, present, and future.

his love for humanity aside, however, is the question of how much force would it take to kill amos. flat does note the lack of comment, but he doesn't push it. instead, he answers: ]

I can't give you a number right now. It all depends on how much heavier he's making it and what limits he has. Hmm... think about... bags full of sand? [ he hopes that's something she understands. otherwise he's fucked. ] Usually, you'd have no bags of sand between yourself and your target, and your weapon's probably gonna cut through it with no problem, right? But if there's a bunch of bags of sand in front of the target, then your weapon's gonna get stuck on one of the bags.

[ mentally, he shrugs. ]

Gravity can be so light that you float into the sky and out of the planet or so heavy that it pulls you in until your body and everything around you is turned into a spaghetti noodle. It can become even more powerful than light itself. [ ... ] So he's gotta have a limit. Or some sort of weak spot. Even the most OP person has some sort of weakness, it just has to be found.

[warmare]

[Escape? Escape wha-

You know what. Not focusing on that right now. If Amos hadn't literally showed her in Communion she wouldn't even believe it in the first place. The sky was... it was the plains of Takamagahara, where the heavenly gods resided. Not that she neccesarily belived that literally, but... it certainly wasn't where people could or should go... and anyway-]

So you are saying he is making the air... essentially solid.

[Saying that... She actually makes it make more sense in her mind by thinking of it like firing an arrow into water, rather than a solid, but- Whatever gets her there.]

Well his limit must be in fully crushing a person, because if he was capable of it... He surely would have done it already. In my case, I was unable to move, and the weight made it difficult to breathe, but I was not... a noodle.

[escardos]

Something like that.

[ it's nothing like that. but because she seems to get it, flat's not going to wrack his brain further in trying to work out the minutiae of it all.

with her answer, the mage falls back deep into thought, trying to form some sort of a strategy that he can give her. ]

How far away from him were you? Maybe if you do something like a sneak attack or have someone act as a decoy, you could probably land a hit from farther away. And I wonder if he's impervious to his own spell or if there's a small area around him where it doesn't take effect... but that sounds too risky, doesn't it? Maybe jumping from above...

[ there's so many variables! flat could come up with scenarios all day long and probably not run out of possibilities.

and, most importantly, there's the fact that flat has failed self-defense for 10 years in a row. ]

But again, I haven't seen him use these [ really cool sounding ] moves, so these are nothing but tips and suggestions!

[warmare]

About twenty feet, between ground and air.

[Stupid... Exalt oracle trial wings.]

And now Set claims he has an even strong ability available. One that can crush.

[First "gravity", now a "black hole"?]

1/2

[escardos]

[ cheerfully ]

A black hole was exactly what I was talking about when I was talking about noodles and crushing, yup!

2/2

[escardos]

[ wait hold up— ]

Wait, he can do what?! That's not fair, that's super overpowered! You definitely don't want to get caught in that!

1/2

[warmare]

Wh-

I know that! If it killed Set, of course I do not wish to be caught up in it?

[This sudden tension is not what she expected?!]

[warmare]

[Breathe, he's probably not calling you stupid. Maybe.]

The issue is avoiding it. If he can just will it into existence at any time, with little warning...

Then there is only long-range to deal with him. The longest possible, perhaps.

[ex_fend346]

[ It's concern which precedes his response, open and pronounced, because— ]

That does sound troublesome...

[ He turns the dilemma about in his mind. Typically, he and Kamui would simply run. An obstacle too troublesome to be worth their time was best avoided. ]

Does his power require concentration?

[warmare]

As any does, I imagine.

[She answers curt and simple.]

I cannot say it seemed to take him particularly more than any other spell user I have seen.

[ex_fend346]

In my experience, mages don't have an endless reserve of magic. The more powerful a spell is, the more taxing it should be.

[ Although how helpful that is? Questionable. ]

If one could endure exhausting that energy, that could be one option, but not knowing his limits... Catching him off guard before he can react seems to be the safest option.

[warmare]

I have seen him use that ability only in brief bursts, so I could not guess how many times he must use it before beginning to tire.

Perhaps, if someone also of magic could use their own from a distance to harry him into using it repeatedly...

[ex_fend346]

[ Subaru weighs that proposition. It's a familiar strategy, so he adds a suggestion to it. ]

It may be safest to have two or more then. If they're quick and can attack at a range, that could either keep him too occupied to notice someone else closing distance or wear down whatever reserve of power he has.

[ He and Kamui have had to use similar tactics, just without the use of magic. Being quick and evasive could effectively exhaust a threat. ]

[warmare]

It may be wise to take him on in groups, yes.

If need be though... I will deal with him. I refuse to let myself be killed by that man.

[ex_fend346]

Do you mean you'd face someone like that alone?

[ He suspects he knows the answer, but he asks just the same. ]

[redsoil]

He has another ability — a dark sphere of great strength that draws in everything trapped in its vicinity. And annihilates it. It is a powerful ability, as it tore even me down to the grain with no escape.

[ he tries for lazy reporting, but he's actually a little enamored with the ability ]

Also, his mentality is different now. He is still a zealot devoted to Yima, but... he has grown.

[warmare]

[... Well, that sounds terrifying, even to someone who has no earthly clue what a black hole is. Something that could "annihilate" someone like Set? But she refuses to seem weak in front of the rest of Meridian, not now, and so-]

How big is this sphere?

... and what do you mean, "growth"?

[That strange sense of him she had felt, was that- ?]

[redsoil]

Small. It was a concentrated mote of weight and pull — the likes of which I have no dominion over, even with all my physical strength.

[ As for the rest, how the FUCK does he explain it?? ]

Like he matured. That is not to say he will spurn Yima, but... we spoke, he and I. We genuinely spoke to one another for the first time.

[warmare]

Small... as in we need not worry if we are at long-range, or small but capable of pulling even from a distance?

[One of these sounds worse than the other...]

...

You spoke.

[Unsaid, but implied, "about?" Just the smallest bit of wriggle room not to say, if it was... Something. After all. She had spoken with Amos about things they swore then not to share with others unless the other broke the pact.

... Not that she knows if he's bothering to honor that vow. Not anymore.]

[redsoil]

Small, and capable of pulling from a distance. I was close to it when he deployed the ability, so I cannot speak to range.

[ It was fast, though. Amos wasted no time, and Set knows to hit him hard from now on ( he always knew it, but fucking with Amos was a passion of his because he HATED him ); now, it's respect that leads him to want to hit him fast, hard, and without wasting time.

But, uh. ]

We spoke about ourselves. We had come to decide long ago that we knew all we cared to about one another, and it put us on a collision course that would lead to mutually assured destruction. [ which is not good, in set's book; he likes one-sided destruction ]

It does not change anything about either of our desires, notably. I am more faithful to Meridian's path than ever, actually.

[warmare]

... I will be wary, then.

[She thinks she can feel it coming. A confrontation that she and Amos Burton will enter... and one of them will not leave. They have clashed time and again throughout the Oracles... But Amos had taken it outside of the trials. Now, she would have to do what she should have done when Set demanded it during the Iconoclast.]

...

What did he say? That made you hold him in esteem rather than disgust?

[redsoil]

That there was one thing he would always hold higher than his love for Yima.

[ Set knows better than to bank anything ( let alone everything ) on someone else ever again; he'd believed in Quetzalcoatl's promise to go home with him, and now all that was left of her was memory, and for Set to carry his grief to her people one day.

He's also uncomfortable, discussing... the way he could be viewed for such a decision, by Hayame. So, he locks down the conversation into a PRIVATE corner and tells her. ]

He knows about Anubis. He read of him.