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

[bakedapple]

[ At this, Link frowns, but it isn't defensive like before. It's a thoughtful, pondering, curious frown. ]

You already have a plan to try to talk to an Oracle?

How?

[corvidant]

As I said, I have a number of hypotheticals in mind. It could be something as simple as an ancient, secret ritualistic prayer passed down to a select few, or as intricate as triggering a shift in their cognition, however limited. After all, knowing that each Oracle stands for an aspect of the soul, it shouldn't be too far-fetched to conclude they may have a heart.

[ And forcing a Change of Heart is a skill he's got some experience with. If Zenith powers his Personas now, it's possible these forces are connected to the Metaverse. ]

Of course, I don't intend to blindly test them all out. Our time with the effigy would be limited, so ideally I would narrow our options down before taking solid action. Accounting for contingency plans would be wise, as well, just in case the other side took... drastic measures.

[ He hears Link fell to some idiot or another. That's a bad look, but see, he's willing to provide back-up! ]

[bakedapple]

Hm.

It won't work. The area around the Effigies is swarming with guards. Assuming they'd let a traitor like me into the room with the Effigies to begin with, it'll be over the moment they think I'm trying to do something. And then, I'm dead.

[ While Akechi gets to watch from afar in relative safety. ]

Drastic measures isn't a contingency. It's a guarantee. Whatever plan we'd have, we'd either need to know exactly how to convince the Oracle without wasting any time, or give ourselves more time, somehow, to try out your... hypotheticals. Without getting killed.

[corvidant]

Fair enough. This is all preliminary planning, in any event; at the current stage, I'm more invested in a thorough investigation.

But, make no mistake. No matter how well we plan and prepare, there's no guarantee anyone would be entirely safe. It is too great a heist, after all.

[ ... why is he calling this a heist, that's so. Ugh. So Phantom Thief of him! ]

Buying extra time with the effigy would surely be a necessity, though. Ideally, we should do away with the guards without a confrontation. Are there any Meridian Shardbearers who would be willing to vouch for and keep an eye out on you in their stead?

[bakedapple]

...

[ The answer is yes. Link knows it is. If he'd ask one of his remaining Meri friends, gave them a good enough excuse... There's enough trust remaining that someone probably would help him get there.

That's not the issue. ]

You're asking me to burn the few bridges I have left. If this works, no Meri will ever trust me or listen to me ever again.

[corvidant]

[ And that actually gives Akechi pause, though not so much for Link's sake. ]

Full dedication to one's goals often comes at a steep price. I've known no success without sacrifice.

[ Despite his usual cold, his tone is an octave softer, not quite empathetic yet still relatable. Like he's been there before. Like he knows what it feels like to waver, to betray the closest thing to a friend he's ever had-- and worse, to have that man's forgiveness despite Akechi's open willingness to kill him for the sake of his revenge.

Maybe that's why his follow-up is about as gentle as he can be in earnest. ]

In any case, I'm not asking anything of you. Just remember that letting go of the past is one the main tenets of Zenith, and I'm willing to follow through to the end no matter the cost. Should your lingering attachment to your friends stop you from committing to the cause, then you're free to keep to yourself.

[ Just don't get in his way, either. He's a man with nothing to lose. ]

[bakedapple]

[ Ah, of course. And there's the rub. Because Link does have lingering attachments. Not only to a handful of Meris, but to his world. It's why he isn't a committed Zenite, even now. His switch to Zenith was a series of bad decisions, made during a deep, invincible depression that continues to plague him to this day.

He won't say that, of course. ]

I'm not going to sacrifice something that valuable just so you can test some theories.

If you can find a way to confirm that it's actually possible, and how to do it... That'll be different.

[corvidant]

[ Sigh. Please read the following in a AS PER MY LAST EMAIL voice: ]

Like I've said, even if I can narrow it down to a single option, there will be no guarantee that it will work until we put it to the test. It is unprecedented as far as I know, and even if it has happened in the past, we can't be sure it would work a second time. Too much in this world is unstable.

So, our only certainty is that there will always be a risk. Whether it's only to your [ ew ] bonds or your life, I can't say, but if the latter is so direly nonnegotiable to you, I won't force your hand. It would be a shame, though.

[ Because using his Meridian connections to get closer to their Oracles would very likely come in handy. But he's wise enough not to say as much out loud. ]

I would like to have the same faith in you as Florence-san does. Was that unwarranted?

[bakedapple]

I'm not asking you to remove all risk. I'm asking you to come up with a plan a little more reliable than a "hypothesis" where I'm the one assuming all the risk.

[ At the mention of Florence, Link sighs. If Florence has faith in him, it'd come as a surprise. He doesn't know why she would. For all the time Link has spent in Kenos, he's only ever been a completely useless waste of oxygen. Just like I was in Hyrule, he thinks bitterly to himself. ]

Florence asked me to find out which Meris might be swayed to our side, which will be compliant when we win, and which will continue to cause trouble when we win.

I can't do that if none of the Meris trust me or want to talk to me anymore.

[corvidant]

I wasn't planning on taking any action without severely narrowing down my options, so we are in agreement there. Though it is quite bold of you to assume you would be the only one handling all the risk.

[ Risky investigation process aside, there's no way Akechi would sit back and let someone else take the spotlight when the time for the actual heist came around. But he can conveniently leave that aside. ]

In any case, aren't you assuming the worst of your former Meridian allies? With how often they spew their self-righteous bullshit, I wouldn't be surprised if they found it in them to forgive even a traitor.

[ He does happen to know one idiot who did forgive his betrayal, after all. An absolute Meridian, if the guy ever dropped in Kenos. ]