[forward-dated to after the Jaunt] Fire and Metal

[capital_asset]

I know we've only just gotten back and all, but during the Jaunt I had two more prophetic nightmares. Neither of them had anything to do with the Jaunt - in fact, one of them was very explicitly not about it - so I opted to hold back on reporting them until it was over and we were all back to ourselves.

The first nightmare featured a shattered masonry wall in mountainous terrain, engulfed in incredible flames. It looked familiar, but it took me a bit to place it once I woke up: it looked like the wall separating the Bando Peninsula from the rest of En Zhenming.

The second nightmare was an extreme close-up of a black reptilian scale with an etched line on it slowly being filled with molten metal, which eventually revealed the shape of a clawed hand grasping an egg.

Whether those have to do with the final Jaunt or not I couldn't say, but having them during this past Jaunt would seem to imply that it's not that simple.

Comments

[capital_asset]

Perish the thought.

[comebewe]

[there's a dark, bitter chuckle, followed by another moment of silence]

I don't want to go back to the Bando.

[capital_asset]

I can't say as I'm looking forward to it, either.

Were you told about what happened the last time we were in that world?

[comebewe]

We don't think so?

What happened?

[capital_asset]

They sent us to Paramo, where a group of Crownbreaker pirates and mermaids were supposed to be using the cover of the Paramoese Festa Di Riconquista, which involves battle reenactments and sinking multiple ships, to smuggle weapons to dissident Thalassian mermaids fighting the Empress... one of those weapons being the Water Dragon Scroll, if they could find summoners to convince the dragon to actually help the Thalassian rebels, which I really hope isn't going to backfire horribly on everyone involved.

[He can guess how Matthew will react to that, but for now he's just going to continue.]

I say supposed to because the shipment of salt-blessed weapons they were supposed to be getting in Paramo to pass along to the Thalassians was "accidentally" switched with a shipment of mines and other explosives that were supposed to be going to a group of Xunhou Guwei spies, who were planning to carry out an attack on the Festa and frame the Bando rebels for it in hopes that the Paramoese would attack the Bando, thereby doing the bulk of the Emperor's work for him. The shipments were mostly sorted out, the Thalassian Empress's spy among the Xunhuo Guwei was... neutralized, and the planned attack was mostly thwarted. However, the Xunhuo Guwei were still able to destroy one Paramoese ship and sailed away flying Bando colors.

[Precisely none of that is going to make Matthew feel any better about a return to the Bando, but Raidou doesn't remember Matthew particularly appreciating having things sugar-coated, so he's not going to.]

[comebewe]

So now the Paramoese will also have a beef with the Bando.

Wonderful. And who who decided that sending them a Water Dragon scroll without getting the dragon's agreement first was a good idea?

[capital_asset]

Or think they do, anyway.

They did get the dragon's agreement first - they were able to find summoners who could do the necessary negotiations before sending it down to the mermaids.

[Just don't ask him what the price may have been because the mun doesn't know.]

[comebewe]

Thinking they do is enough.

Well at least they're not completely stupid, then.

[capital_asset]

I know.

I just hope it doesn't end up backfiring. The dragon versus the Empress could be... messy.

[comebewe]

I don't actually know much about the Empress. We have never been particularly involved with the mermaids.

[capital_asset]

The Empress is a powerful mage in her own right, and one who isn't above using it to weaponize diseases or co-opt powerful creatures to use as her 'pets.' The Deepsinger is probably the best illustration of that, but during the first Jaunt she also set a kraken after the escaping mermaids, and if I remember correctly the kraken had an aura of fear around it that I'm not sure was entirely natural to it.

She's also a ruthless tyrant who is not above infecting her own people with the Stricken disease to better use them as shock troops, with Sirens to control and direct them. I don't remember if she's responsible for the creation of the disease itself, but even if she's not, she's perfectly willing to take advantage of its existence. Per network discussion, she is also capable of imbuing her agents with magic of their own, although the form that magic takes is at least partially shaped by the nature of the one she's imbuing.

[comebewe]

Okay, now we are glad we did not have much to do with her. Is there any place in that world who isn't led by terrible people?

[capital_asset]

I'm inclined to doubt it.

[comebewe]

And now we get to go back.

Whoop-de-do.

[capital_asset]

I can't say as I'm looking forward to it either.

[Although admittedly he doesn't have the same mental baggage (as Thorne or Gil would probably put it) that Matthew does.]

[Private | Protection 2]

Is there anything you need us to do or not do if you end up as Masshuu again?

[Besides trying to keep Jules as far away from him as possible?]

Protection 2 forever

[comebewe]

We...don't know?

I'm not sure that bringing me back would be a good idea. My head is already crowded Being us and Masshuu and the Dragons of Blue Fire and Thunder would be...tricky.

Protection 2 forever

[capital_asset]

And I don't remember Masshuu being all that inclined to trust us even without knowing about half-Infiltrators as a concept, much less finding himself sharing with you and the Angels. And that's without taking the Dragons into account.

[For one thing, he's doubtful that they'd take well to having to having someone else using their Horse.]

[comebewe]

No. He wouldn't trust you. He'd regard you all of agents of the Arcana, and since they regarded them as interlopers taking over what rightfully belonged to the dragons...well. He's not exactly going to be charitable.

[capital_asset]

No, definitely not.

[Raidou can't say as he blames him, honestly.]

So we leave you Infiltrated if you end up as him and... honestly, we're collectively so bad at subtlety that they'd know we were back more or less immediately.

[comebewe]

Honestly, with Masshuu? Best way to get him on side is to work the other Sun Guard. The only reason he isn't worse is that the organisation he's loyal to happens to have good people in it.