[Action/Written]
[After a long, arduous day spent training in the forest, the stalwart Paladin returns home to his loving-and-yet-makeshift family, greeting them cordially before settling down with his journal the way some patriarchs reach for the daily newspaper. Frowning, he jots out a short note.]
( Filtered to Kefka )
( Filtered to Kefka )
But Golbez doesn't know that. Yet. Or at least he isn't aware of the most recent development on that trail. He does have a message that he sent to your journal recently though, so that might change...]
Cecil, in light of recent developments, I think we should talk, and soon.
Reply
Of course, whenever you'd like.
What troubles you so?
Reply
Reply
Reply
The first is relatively simple to deal with, short-term at least. I've word that a large group of citizens, including several Blue Rogues members, are already on his trail. Once he's captured, he should be disarmed and imprisoned, but at this point I'm quite certain this will happen even without our interference.
The second is far more problematic. Correct me if I'm wrong, but but the only true facts we have about the murder are these: The murderer disguised him or herself as a close friend of the victim in an attempt to implicate him in the murder. The murderer was a master illusionist, a skill he or she used in their disguise. And the victim accused one "Kefka".
Reply
I'm not very fond of the idea of adding a small prison inside our large one, but I understand that such things are rather necessary at times.
I feel the same way about this Kefka. I've spoken with the victim, as she is an acquaintance; she identified him purely by the level of magic he conjured. I wonder if perhaps her naming of Kefka is a leftover remnant of an old grudge rather than an actual eye witness.
Reply
Hmmm... It's true that there are other Magi in Luceti with that sort of power, but the problem then becomes motive. Who else would desire her death and the implication of her friend in it?
Reply
People create vendettas over the smallest slights. It could be any number of people here, though I can't possibly see how anyone would wish to harm an innocent such as her. There simply isn't enough proof to pass blame on anyone. I fear they merely hate him out of custom.
Reply
No conclusive proof, but the fact of the matter is that there simply aren't any other suspects. However, we do know this much. The perpetrator was skilled not only in sorcery in general, but in illusions especially. This is an area of magic where even the likes of Fu-So-Ya and myself are not particularly skilled in. Only Zemus could create illusions that would fool one so completely.
In other words, the list of suspects can be narrowed to those who know the two of them, and who are capable of such feats. How long that list is, however, I cannot say.
Reply
But as you say, we aren't privy to the abilities and relations of many of Luceti's residents. While I understand the necessity of caution, particularly if more people are to be murdered while we remain inactive, the popular scapegoat may not be the correct one. If you recall, we nearly murdered one another on several occasions while chasing false villains.
Reply
But that's beside the point. What we need to do is determine who else might possibly be behind the act, if anyone. But we also need to develop a counter-strategy. It's likely that if they get wind of us trying to interfere, the killer, be they Kefka or anyone else, will turn their skills against us. Which means we need to formulate a method by which we can determine whether the ones speaking to us are the genuine article, or an enemy hidden by illusion.
Reply
Did you have such a method in mind?
I think it is all we can do to approach the involved parties on all sides and try to reconstruct the truth from there. I've made an appointment to meet with Kefka later today.
Reply
I've been thinking about that for some time, in fact, and I do believe I've come up with a reasonable course of action. Each one of us should determine a "password", if you will, a phrase or word that we wouldn't typically use in conversation, that we will speak in order to let those we're referring to know that it's truly us.
For example, if you meet me out in the forest, and there's the chance that it's not truly me, but an enemy in disguise, you assume I'm the latter until I give you my password, "Luna".
[He nods, quietly.] That may be for the best, but be careful. If he is the enemy, you could be playing right into his hands. Keep a Shell spell up, just in case.
Reply
Leave a comment