melodiesoflife | Hidden Truth [Log]

Hidden Truth [Log]

What: A log for everyone to gain the information in the Hidden Truth video tape.
Where: The Observatory.

There had been a flurry of letters sent out from Jack and Chiaki, first to Zelda to ask to borrow the Observatory, and then to every Hero of Light, alerting them that they had uncovered some intelligence received in the Heran Empire before the Capital had fallen to Crystal, and that everyone needed to see it immediately.

Jack, Chiaki, and a few others brought in a screen connected to a machine that some would recognize as a VCR. "With our peace mission to the Imperial Capital over Christmas, we returned with a recording made on 20th-century Earth technology, the kind that doesn't have an analogue on Crystallis. It took us time to build a machine to be able to play it. This information comes from Kalki, recorded what appears to be years ago. We obtained it from the Imperial Spy, Jenni. As of right now, we still have no reason to believe that Kalki is alive. But this comes from her, and I apologize to everyone who might be upset by seeing her again."

With that, Jack plays the recording. He stands by the screen and repeats the words for everyone to hear, for those who cannot understand English. Since Kalki's first words are to explain why she is recording it this way, it makes sense why he has to do this. He keeps his own emotions in check throughout, until the explanation of the Bard song that everyone gets to hear. That seems to upset Jack.

Once the recording is over, Jack pauses. "We will need some help from any other English speakers to create a written transcript of the recording so that anyone can access this information at any time. The tape and player will remain here for any Heroes to review. We ask that you please be careful with the machine."

Finally, Jack sits down to let the room descend into the inevitable chaos.

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Tazendra sometimes gave the impression that she was a 'dumb brawler'. Anyone who thought that today would have to revise their opinion as she listened to the translation, furiously scribbling notes.

"Bah, I wish we had more information on what causes the reset of this world to happen. This Garland and the remnants of the Ancients presumably." It wasn't a natural cycle, because it seemed like the Heroes of Light had to be fed into it to maintain it. And, yet,it seemed to be the alternative to allowing the Calamity to consume what worlds it pleased. "We have some of the notebooks from the lab decoded, but it is very little to go on."

"If we could reach the Rift, could we not fight the Calamity on grounds where we could destroy it?" Tazendra had no problem with dying in glorious battle, but the fact she was apparently the link to her home world meant she couldn't think of her own desires here. Duty was always above pleasure, or one's own reputation. "If it consumes living worlds as easily as we draw breath, and for such a vital purpose, then we cannot exist together."

"All we really know is that it requires sacrificing a certain number of Heroes and by extension, their worlds. How exactly Garland does this, I can't say."

Jade was mulling over this as well. Finally getting more information was well and good, but they still weren't much closer to finding a strategy.

"If it were that simple, this would all have been settled by now. No doubt past Heroes have already tried it." He turned his white crystal over in his hand. "Supposedly the Calamity is not only devouring the planet, but it's also an inseparable part of us... No, I don't think brute force alone is our answer."

"Well, that is a shame," Tazendra liked brute force -- it promised a quick, exciting battle and then either a glorious death or a celebration afterward. She could do subtlety, though. And knew enough that messing with world-destroying magic required it.

"Perhaps... if we knew how the Heroes who arrived three weeks ago were different from those who came before, even those others who were summoned by Kalki." She removed her own white crystal from that experience. "Though the Calamity was... I do not know what triggered it, but it started growing on our escape, or shortly thereafter."

"Do you know, I almost rather would have Kalki answer these questions than challenge her again." Which indicated Tazendra's level of interest; Kalki's ability to utterly take apart a lone Hero made Tazendra want to fight her as a measure of her own skill. Delaying that indicated how much Tazendra wanted to know what was going on.

Rift. Ancients. Cycles. There were many things Duster still had to learn about this world, but Tazendra's words and Kalki's speech made it easy to understand. If this Calamity was going to come back no matter what, they had to destroy it in order to stop the cycle.

There was one problem.

"Do we even know how to get into the Rift? Is that even a place where humans can go?" If it were anything like Porky's Time Distorter, only the most advanced of machines could reach it. "I'm all for fighting it, really. My world's destroyed, and I'm alright with going down fighting."

He gripped the ocarina in his hand, knowing about the ultimate power he now wielded in his fingertips. "I won't let this world disappear, too."

"Some months back, many of us were sent into a series of dreams based in our memories," Tazendra said. "It is my belief that was accomplished by an interaction with the Rift. Some reported more details of it than I recall." She'd been too busy missing the point of the exercise.

"Memories?" That sounded like the work of someone - or something - powerful. "Then won't it take powerful magic to get there?"

"Oh, no doubt!" Tazendra said. "But this world has powerful magic, though we are not adept in its uses yet."

"Mmm," Duster hummed to himself and leaned back into his seat. His friends from home wielded powerful spells that he never got the grasp of. The islands were protected by a sort of powerful magic he didn't get, and this world...was just the same.

"What about our Crystals? Those are connected to our powers, and we're Heroes meant to save this world, right?"

"That was my thought exactly. But, we do not understand all the uses of such things yet. They are different from the way the natives use the Crystals and the Job system. We, for instance, may equip two Jobs and change our Jobs, with the assistance of our Moogles."

"And with that sort of magic, we can figure out a way..." This was all to confusing. Duster was used to being told the plan and following it through, not leading the charge. "...I need to think this over. There's gotta be a way to get into the Rift."

"There is... a suggestion. In the lab of Palitutu," Tazendra said. "I do not believe it is being pursued, however, due to the danger. "

Which made Tazendra think. While she ran towards danger in most cases, this was not because of any death wish, but because she wanted to test herself against whatever caused it. She'd dealt with dangerous magic before, but it meant showing actual caution. All the more because it wouldn't merely kill her, but risk others. "I wonder..."

"Wonder what?" Palitutu's writings were dangerous and bound to interfere with the order of the world, and Duster would much rather not follow the path of humans in his world and destroy the world. The common people's lives were more important.

"You're not thinking of opening the Rift in the lab, are you...?" Tazendra was brave, but that was just plain reckless.

"Why not at all!" Tazendra said. "At least, not unless I could protect the lab, and the world, from the results. Which is what I wonder. If we can do such a thing without damaging the lab and ourselves to no useful purpose."

Tazendra would rather have a far better death than 'blowing herself up'.

Death by being killed by a mysterious otherworldly force could not be good, and Duster preferred not to die at all.

"Well...you won't be alone. We know it's dangerous, but with all of us, I think we could defend the city against it..." Yet this idea didn't sit right with him. It would just be like waking the Dark Dragon to destroy the world on the chance it will rebuild it. That was humanity's last resort, and Lucas was pushed to it only because the Pigmasks initiated the race. Better to have terrible power under the control of a pure hearted boy than an bored immortal.

"But let's leave that as a last resort. It's too risky to try right away."

"Oh, certainly," Tazendra agreed. "I would far rather face overwhelming peril with good allies by my side." She understood that she had accepted a duty to this world, which meant she had to favor what would defend it from harm, rather than whatever risks she personally would take with herself to find challenges. If things from the Rift was going to overrun thing anyway, she'd be happy to be the first line of defense, but it would be ill-considered to let monsters into the city for her own amusement.

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Hidden Truth [Log]

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