CLOSED TO ZENITH | PHANTOM THIEF OF ORACLES

[corvidant]

[ Though the familiar red of his presence shines bright as ever, the heat of anger that usually follows is down to a low simmer, almost pleasant if one has an inclination for a continuous undercurrent of chaos. Fellow Iconoclasts might be able to feel it like a fever, just barely high enough to keep you restless through the night, a heartbeat too impatient and eager for relief, but on the outside, this is perhaps as close to calm as Akechi ever gets. ]

Something has been on my mind since our communion with Florence-san. Something of a high stakes gambit.

[ And it goes without saying that it should be high risk, as well, but he's fine with that. His entire past life was all about playing a rigged game with the odds stacked against him; whatever new world they create going forward would be meaningless without a fair fighting chance. ]

So, I'll be blunt: I'm not willing to sit pretty and simply wait for the enemy to make a move on us. Zenith continues to bleed, and since so many of you-- [ are so SPINELESS as to refuse to KILL ENEMIES IN A WAR-- okay, deep breaths, Iconoclasts please disregard these careless whispers ] --have qualms about trimming Meridian's numbers, I should hope that taking direct action to bolster our forces would be more... palatable.

As it stands, our best alternative would be focusing on the Oracles, though I don't intend to wait for trials, either.

[ Should he mention his experience with big heists and forcibly changing cognition? Maybe, when the moment is opportune. For now: ]

Whether it is creating a new world from scratch or [ scoff, big eye roll ] a deluded promise of restoration, the fact remains that neither side will accomplish their goals with only a portion of the Oracles in their hands. We have barely managed to scrape a win and even our numbers last time, and assuming we can claim the remaining two, at the end of the day it would all be futile effort without the six of them. If I work on the premise that Oracles are persuaded to joining a side just like Shardbearers, then it becomes logical that, like Shardbearers, so too can they shift allegiances. 

Well, that's only my working hypothesis, anyway. It would be easier to figure out a potential pattern had I been present for past successes and failures, so this is why I reach out to you today: for details regarding past trials. With few leads to follow, even hearsay and rumors about the nature of Oracles would be appreciated.

[ A beat, and as he hesitates, his constant simmering rises to a near boil: ]  Unless anyone else would be interested in coming along to investigate?

[ What is this? Teamwork?! UGH. The things he does for Zenith...!! ]

Comments

[settingup]

Might be able to, I guess... Some of them kinda got their own wily ways about 'em.

[ He isn't about to soon forget the Harbinger Oracle making demands that he forget something entirely different instead. ]

You just gotta know how to impress them in the right way, which might mean figurin' out how the Meris did it in the first place.

[corvidant]

[ Yes, he keeps hearing about how the Harbinger was, to quote Amos, kind of a dick. Maybe that's the one they should target first. ]

That is what I believe, as well. From what I hear, they were faster in retrieving whatever items the Exalt asked of them, so it was a matter of superior skill. I can accept that.

[ Begrudgingly. ]

Personally, I feel like the Harbinger was our biggest failure. Not only did Zenith not sacrifice enough, but some of us were offered as sacrifice, on top of it. It's no wonder Meridian made the better impression-- and that kind of obstinate commitment is precisely what many Zenites seem to lack.

[settingup]

[ Amos isn't wrong about that one.

There is the immediately feel of something defensive, almost aggressive at the suggestion there. Atsumu had given up a lot there, and given how much of his memories were sacrificed to that particular Oracle, it's hard for him to even know the full scope of how much he did. He knows the holes that exist in his past now though. ]

We offered it plenty. It ain't like we could know it wanted us to go chuckin' Meris right into the middle of it.

[corvidant]

[ Why so personally offended, Atsumu... It's not like you messed up as badly as Gen! ]

Isn't it, though? There's a certain ruthlessness about the Harbinger as an Aspect. The Oracle would probably be pleased to witness a live demonstration.

Besides. On the most basic of levels, dying in battle tends to be a one-way ticket to defeat, and our side suffered heavy losses. Am I really to believe we are so weak compared to Meridian?

[settingup]

[ Look that's another can of worm altogether... ]

The hell're you tryin' to say about Harbingers, huh?

[ Says a member of the Harbinger Aspect who did not, in fact, want to explode people into meat chunks. ]

Dunno how we stack up in terms of sheer firepower at this point. They've got some powerhouses on their side regardless.

[corvidant]

That's just what's written in the stars, as the locals say. I have no close ties to Harbingers [ or anyone, for that matter ] but they are said to be quite obstinate in their efforts to reach a goal, people who stop at nothing until their vision has been achieved.

[ That's just another word for ruthless, in all practicality. Come to think of it, Maruki might have been a Harbinger... ]

In any case, since you're all against the idea of cutting their numbers down [ STILL MAD KILLING YOUR ENEMIES IS AN UNPOPULAR OPINION BTW ] then it's on us to find ways to match their level, powerhouses or not. Even if you had no special abilities in your home world, you're granted new power the higher you climb the ranks of Zenith, correct?

[settingup]

I ain't sayin' that's not true, but you're really stressin' that nothing and thinkin' about it the wrong way.

[ Maybe not entirely. At least some Harbingers are happy to go for the kill, even if not all are. ]

Yeah, but so are people who get power, so you're constantly playin' a game of catchup. Not sayin' we shouldn't still go for it, just givin' a warnin' that it's a real uphill climb.