The Spark Lit the Candle

Urgent news of Kou's escalating civil war spread throughout the world. The news traveled across nearly all lands including Imuchakk, Balbadd, Magnostadt, and of course Reim. With Zadi located within the Reim's capitol city, Remano, his ears would obviously catch whisper or two. The whispers struck a spark within Zadi's thought process, forcing him to research more into the news.

"Kou is in the early stages of a civil war, hm? Kinda about time considering the war between Reim and Kou had former Emperor evicted of his position by his son. I can only imagine the confusion Kou's citizens had to deal with; the leading royal family usurping itself and dragging two countries along with it."

Zadi thought long and hard about whether or not the group of four members should step into the fray. If the group did step in, whom would they support? The thought-to-be-dead Guan Yu or the struggling heir Yoshiro? Zadi really wanted to know more about these two men, but the circulating news only detailed the sparks that started the conflict, not the leading men involved. In order to get the juicy information that Zadi wished he currently possessed, he'd have to gain the favor of both Yoshiro and Guan Yu all while treading an almost non-existent line. Obviously playing both sides isn't something Zadi knew how to do nor did Zadi actually want to risk the safety of the group members so carelessly.

"Tread the line to gain all the information necessary to make a proper decision or get lucky with whomever the group chooses to throne? Maybe a third party will make an appearance? There seems to be no reasonable way to discern which party to aid."

After some thoughtful lamenting, the blonde warrior chose to forgo the decision and simply make his way to Kou. There will likely be more information within the heart of the civil war rather than the depths of Reim. Zadi got out his three Journey Books and started tediously scribbling the same message within all of them, one at a time;

Let us gather within the country plagued by strife and civil unrest, Kou, within three month's time of this message's creation. Our primary objective will be to decide between all available parties vying for Kou's throne, pick one as a collective group, and aid in said party's goal.

Replay back for confirmation or decline if you have previously arranged engagements or are otherwise unable to assist.

-Zadi

The message was sent to all member of the group. Their collective diversity will likely make the decision that much more difficult, but the end result will be work the debating. That is to say, if the group is as thoughtfully diverse as Zadi believes. Well, regardless of any sort of diversity, Zadi hoped all members of the group would show up. All members needed to be in the same area with the same goal in mind in order to be at their strongest.

495/1000

Job and Trently responded to the message sent through the Journey Books. However, Farid did not respond yet. Oddly enough, Zadi thought the large man capable of diplomacy would respond quicker than Job and Trently, but all expectations can be dashed. Granted, simply expecting an instantaneous response is a little too much. Therefore, Zadi decided to wait and just review Job and Trently's messages. If Farid didn't respond within a reasonable time, Zadi would have to assume the lion wouldn't be able to make the arrangement.

Anyway, Trently's message confirmed the arrangement. However, things may change regardless, but Zadi was glad Trently at least somewhat confirmed. Trently was very interesting from Zadi's perspective. The kimono wearing young man was able to convince the blonde warrior that his skills were at least 'good enough' to belong within the network that is the group. Aside form that, Trently's other skills have yet to be revealed which both excited and worried Zadi. As mentioned once before, Trently reminded Zadi of himself to some degree. The young man's directionless motivation was definetly something Zadi was once 'afflicted' with. Now Zadi felt he was moving in some direction of sorts.

Job's message also confirmed his eventual arrival within Kou, to a degree. Again, anything could happen between now and three months later. Zadi just had to keep his faith alive and hope Job's training was going somewhere positive. Zadi never trained anybody before and the blonde warrior felt rather anxious for that reason; if Job suffered a grave fate, Zadi would feel very responsible and probably become ridden with great guilt. The only solace that Zadi could think about in regards to Job's training was the speed at which Job was succeeding thus far. Perhaps Job is not as frail as a normal magician? Only time will tell.

Zadi then waited for Farid's response while preparing for his travels to Kou, a large country in which a civil war is taking place. Zadi still agonized over which side to aid and how to go about doing so. The blonde warrior thought about the general situation and believed convincing the citizens to switch sides would be the best option. After all, a country is only as strong as its citizens. If the citizens give up on a country, anybody could swoop in and take over with almost no trouble. Still though, these citizens seemed adamant about joining one side or another. Kou is known for its tradition. With Yoshiro having been enthroned in such a strange manner, the citizens would likely not feel warmth towards him as they do Guan Yu. Zadi figured those that knew of Yoshiro's good deeds would follow him, but how many know about his deeds? Guan Yu seems to have the upper hand in this civil war from what Zadi can decipher, but the blonde could always be wrong. Zadi would attempt to make an informed decision while hoping Trently and Job would do the same. Farid would be very beneficial with his knowledge of trading and diplomacy, but his non-responsiveness continued to worry Zadi.

1,000+/1,000 words

[exit]