16. [Video]
[When the video comes on, Tseng appears to be standing by a window in a house. His gaze is somewhat distant, focusing on something else as he narrates. He looks dusty, tired, but otherwise unhurt.]
As you are probably aware by now, the Fire Magister has posted something... incredibly cryptic over here.
Reno - you've dealt with Dai before. Do you have any idea of what favours these might entail?
[There's a slight pause, and when he starts speaking again, it sounds like he's narrating a mission report.]
Succintly, my assessment of the situation is this -
The magisters, although their motives are uncertain, are not directly hostile. They claim to be here to assist us, although I suspect that any assistance will come at a price to forward their own ends.
The real threat, therefore, is unlikely to be this fire plane - which does not appear to have come about as a result of Dai's doing. ...
[His gaze sharpens a bit.]
The sudden appearance of such a hostile environment could be written off as coincidence or a trait of this place - but the appearance of an accompanying monster is suspicious.
...I have a hunch that this is a deliberate act. At the same time, the relatively... non-lethal nature of it, compared to some of the threats we had faced previously - suggests that it is, if anything, a diversion.
The key questions are - whom by, and what for.
The first is fairly obvious. There is a native whose location on the network is identified by the user name viliorate. Her last voice post suggests that she was responsible for this in the first place. Her motive is not our deaths - when I communicated with her previously, it appears that she gains something from terror and insanity.
I have no information on the second. I can only hypothesize that this is part of some ongoing struggle for power.
However, with respect to the fire plane itself... --
I suspect that it is merely a distraction. It is a relatively non-lethal development compared to what has been thrown at us before. Although uncomfortable, it does not particularly instill the levels of mind-destroying terror that this native seemed to be interested in. It is likely, therefore, that this is not the actual threat at all, but something to turn our eyes elsewhere while she tries to move in secret.
As such - with respect to Dai's call for volunteers - I am considering the situation. I am reluctant to through all of us into attempting to resolve this fire plane issue, particularly since Dai has no lack of volunteers, and since this favour he grants comes at some ambiguous price. However, it may serve as an opportunity to gather information on the inner workings of this place - it is clear that we cannot rely on that which is familiar in order to fight this battle.
If we do take up Dai's offer, I would prefer to dispatch two Turks to do so, while leaving two here to keep tabs on the situation. However, I am not convinced of the efficacy of simply going where the natives tell us to go. Your input on this would be appreciated.
In any case - any move we make should be made as a team. Do not enter into any unilateral decisions.
[OOC: At the risk of sounding OOC, I didn't want to rain on anyone's party by issuing clear orders, so if anyone is still interested in volunteering for Dai's little excursion, just let Tseng know? Also, if you guys are around on AIM, feel free to hit me up on shinra said - or you can usually find me in the chatroom when I am online (which tends to be mornings, US time, assuming I don't get home from work too late). Would love to hear from you guys, and it would be awesome if we could plot/plan something :D]
[Angeal]
We need to talk.
[Aeris]
My apologies - some matters prevented me from going to the ball. I hope that you are well - this turn of events notwithstanding?