I understand how you feel. Some time ago a mysterious fourth party appeared on the network and asked us to choose between CERES, the Flamines, and the gods. I'd rather we choose ourselves. I think there has to be another way. Still ... choosing to destroy them just isn't something I can do. There are people who want to be able to stay here.
[ That's hardly his only or even his biggest objection to destroying everyone who can toy with them, but it is the most practical. ]
... I don't know. But that shouldn't stop us. We'll figure out what they've been doing and replicate it ourselves, if we have to. No one will get left behind.
For now. We'll get them back too, Togo-san. CERES has always promised us they'd restore our worlds if we helped them. It's seeming more and more like we'll just have to do it ourselves.
I haven't spoken to anyone outside of my immediate friend circle about this, but I can't bring myself to believe that my world is still capable of being saved.
I already told you about the disaster that destroyed most nations in my world - the exact nature of it was an invading, malevolent force dedicated to humanity's destruction. What allowed the Shikoku region to survive was a great wall, created by the gods, keeping the greater part of the enemy out. Shortly before I was transported here, that wall was breached.
In other words, my world was already doomed before the Flamines found it.
[ That's right. She'd described an apocalyptic situation destroying most of her version of Earth... but this additional information is new. That even what little had been left, Shikoku, was in danger...
Two scenarios immediately pop into his mind, and his next impulse after that is to discard them out of hand. It's true that either way might constitute a possibility for saving her Shikoku should they recover their worlds, but ... they're absurdly dangerous.
Yu spends a long moment staring at his CereVice. ]
There's no way of turning the enemy back, or repair the wall?
The last thing I saw before disappearing from that world as an army of millions pouring through the breach, flooding directly towards the Shinju-sama, the divine source of power sustaining what little was left of the world. I can't possibly imagine that it could be saved.
[ His next pause is so long she might well think he's gotten pulled away to do something else, or even abandoned the conversation outright. It's about ten minutes before his next reply. ]
It's possible there might be a way to do something. But I have to warn you that it's very dangerous, and it might not be worth the price. Do you still want to know?
[ Given enough time, information, and digging around, it's possible she could find out about this avenue anyway. Best to let her know up front what it is she'd be walking into. ]
[ He figured she might. He texts her that he'll meet her there and then simply goes, his stomach in knots.
How likely would she have been to find this out on her own? But... the vast majority of people in the colony is still composed of those were were there for the Labyrinth. And most of them, if not all, know about what was found there. It's fairly common knowledge amongst those who have been here for a while by now... if this girl even so much as read Athena's timeline--
Dread rides him hard. He keeps telling himself it's better if she learns this in the proper context. Fully aware of how poorly it could turn out should she try it.
She'll find that he's there first once again; he lives a little closer to it than she does. His CereVice is at the door, and he's on a couch near the back, his hands clasped between his knees as he stares pensively at nothing much. When Togo comes in, he'll wave her over. ]
Sorry for calling you out here again. This isn't something that can be discussed on the network.
"The Labyrinth" is what we call a dark, abandoned part of the city that up until that time had been inaccessible. In the middle of the night a few months ago we were all abruptly teleported there.
[ It's hard to believe it's been so long. ]
It was harrowing. It's possible to return to the Labyrinth now, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they went with a well-equipped team.
[ Yu pauses for a moment, thinking over his words. ]
If you go far enough into that place, you can find a lone computer console. When each of us accessed it, we were able to talk to a creature. One of the Flamines.
[ Now he's grim, his expression settling into something hard-edged. ]
We learned a lot from that encounter. That's how we first found out that CERES had been employing the Flamines. There were other things we discovered, too.
[ Yu pauses again, but this time his hesitance is for a different reason. ]
The Flamines will work for anyone that pays them, as long as the price is right.
[ He doesn't elaborate beyond that. She seems pretty intelligent; he trusts she'll put together the implications of what he's saying.
After all, the Flamines have the power to destroy dozens of worlds. If they can do that, then...
... of course, something like this would come at a price she might not want to pay. Yu stays quiet and simply watches her closely for her reaction. ]
[ ... he doesn't know her well enough to know how to place that, as a reaction. He breathes out slow. ]
They accept payment in the form of credits, which we can earn here. They're even willing to work for us once they're done with CERES.
[ Yu lowers his chin, his expression very grim. ]
But the Flamine told some of us about a price of blood. They don't always want money, and no one was really able to figure out which they would want and when.
[ A beat. ]
So the real answer is "maybe." It's hard to say for sure. And if you cross them, or upset them in some way, your life is forfeit as far as they're concerned.
[ This is why he said it was dangerous. He is one of the handful of people whose lives are forfeit to the Flamines. ]
What is a 'price of blood'? Does that imply that we'd have to sacrifice someone?
[ If it was a way to stop the Vertex, if one person's life could be traded for saving her world... the only question would be how to convince Yuna and Karin to let her do it. ]
[ Yu is silent for a long moment, thinking back to what they'd all discussed at the Sanctuary. ]
The Flamines don't seem to care about much except compensation. Mostly they seemed to be referring to money. The price of blood might just be that: money.
[ His voice is quiet, but retains hard edges. ]
But some of us theorized that they might want blood for blood. We just don't know for sure. And there's one more thing to consider.
[ A sigh settles his shoulders into a line. ]
To speak with the Flamines, you have to be wearing a mask. A few of us had broken masks... and anyone who did is someone they threatened to put to death.
Togo-san... I told you about this because I think you'd find out anyway, and I wanted you to hear it from me. You might be able to hire the Flamines, but doing so is incredibly dangerous. I have to urge you to consider this very seriously.
[ It's not that he thinks she won't. It's more that he's been in the position of desperately wanting to save something and being willing to give everything to do it. He knows from that feeling. And he doesn't want her to fall into those same traps he only narrowly avoided. ]
I understand that you're trying to remind me to consider my own safety, but if this is a way to spare my world, then I can't possibly hold back because of something like that.
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I understand how you feel. Some time ago a mysterious fourth party appeared on the network and asked us to choose between CERES, the Flamines, and the gods. I'd rather we choose ourselves. I think there has to be another way. Still ... choosing to destroy them just isn't something I can do. There are people who want to be able to stay here.
[ That's hardly his only or even his biggest objection to destroying everyone who can toy with them, but it is the most practical. ]
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I haven't spoken to anyone outside of my immediate friend circle about this, but I can't bring myself to believe that my world is still capable of being saved.
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Why's that?
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In other words, my world was already doomed before the Flamines found it.
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Two scenarios immediately pop into his mind, and his next impulse after that is to discard them out of hand. It's true that either way might constitute a possibility for saving her Shikoku should they recover their worlds, but ... they're absurdly dangerous.
Yu spends a long moment staring at his CereVice. ]
There's no way of turning the enemy back, or repair the wall?
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It's possible there might be a way to do something. But I have to warn you that it's very dangerous, and it might not be worth the price. Do you still want to know?
[ Given enough time, information, and digging around, it's possible she could find out about this avenue anyway. Best to let her know up front what it is she'd be walking into. ]
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Do you know something that I don't?
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But his reply is: ]
Have time to meet up?
[ Implicitly he's inviting her to the place they met before: the Sanctuary. ]
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[ Time for the long trek back over to the Sanctuary, then. ]
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How likely would she have been to find this out on her own? But... the vast majority of people in the colony is still composed of those were were there for the Labyrinth. And most of them, if not all, know about what was found there. It's fairly common knowledge amongst those who have been here for a while by now... if this girl even so much as read Athena's timeline--
Dread rides him hard. He keeps telling himself it's better if she learns this in the proper context. Fully aware of how poorly it could turn out should she try it.
She'll find that he's there first once again; he lives a little closer to it than she does. His CereVice is at the door, and he's on a couch near the back, his hands clasped between his knees as he stares pensively at nothing much. When Togo comes in, he'll wave her over. ]
Sorry for calling you out here again. This isn't something that can be discussed on the network.
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That's fine. I'd rather cut directly to the chase, though, so can you tell me what it is you've been hinting at?
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Have you heard from anyone yet about the time the entire colony was transported into the Labyrinth?
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I haven't.
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"The Labyrinth" is what we call a dark, abandoned part of the city that up until that time had been inaccessible. In the middle of the night a few months ago we were all abruptly teleported there.
[ It's hard to believe it's been so long. ]
It was harrowing. It's possible to return to the Labyrinth now, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they went with a well-equipped team.
[ Yu pauses for a moment, thinking over his words. ]
If you go far enough into that place, you can find a lone computer console. When each of us accessed it, we were able to talk to a creature. One of the Flamines.
[ Now he's grim, his expression settling into something hard-edged. ]
We learned a lot from that encounter. That's how we first found out that CERES had been employing the Flamines. There were other things we discovered, too.
[ Yu pauses again, but this time his hesitance is for a different reason. ]
The Flamines will work for anyone that pays them, as long as the price is right.
[ He doesn't elaborate beyond that. She seems pretty intelligent; he trusts she'll put together the implications of what he's saying.
After all, the Flamines have the power to destroy dozens of worlds. If they can do that, then...
... of course, something like this would come at a price she might not want to pay. Yu stays quiet and simply watches her closely for her reaction. ]
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Could such a thing be possible? ]
Is the 'right price' something within our reach?
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They accept payment in the form of credits, which we can earn here. They're even willing to work for us once they're done with CERES.
[ Yu lowers his chin, his expression very grim. ]
But the Flamine told some of us about a price of blood. They don't always want money, and no one was really able to figure out which they would want and when.
[ A beat. ]
So the real answer is "maybe." It's hard to say for sure. And if you cross them, or upset them in some way, your life is forfeit as far as they're concerned.
[ This is why he said it was dangerous. He is one of the handful of people whose lives are forfeit to the Flamines. ]
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[ If it was a way to stop the Vertex, if one person's life could be traded for saving her world... the only question would be how to convince Yuna and Karin to let her do it. ]
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The Flamines don't seem to care about much except compensation. Mostly they seemed to be referring to money. The price of blood might just be that: money.
[ His voice is quiet, but retains hard edges. ]
But some of us theorized that they might want blood for blood. We just don't know for sure. And there's one more thing to consider.
[ A sigh settles his shoulders into a line. ]
To speak with the Flamines, you have to be wearing a mask. A few of us had broken masks... and anyone who did is someone they threatened to put to death.
Togo-san... I told you about this because I think you'd find out anyway, and I wanted you to hear it from me. You might be able to hire the Flamines, but doing so is incredibly dangerous. I have to urge you to consider this very seriously.
[ It's not that he thinks she won't. It's more that he's been in the position of desperately wanting to save something and being willing to give everything to do it. He knows from that feeling. And he doesn't want her to fall into those same traps he only narrowly avoided. ]
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I understand that you're trying to remind me to consider my own safety, but if this is a way to spare my world, then I can't possibly hold back because of something like that.
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I know you won't. Just be cautious. I'll be here to help in any way I can.