Back to Business (B)

Things hadn’t gone as they should have during the trip to the core. The tournament was interrupted and the alliance of men had been shattered for that moment. In the aftermath of those happenings, Battousai returned to Jun’Jo. The trip hadn’t been a total loss, however. The alliance and meeting other leaders from other villages got Battousai to thinking about grander plans. He would have to share these ideas with Kautuka to get his input on things and see what they could come up with. As such, on a sunny day in the wake of the trip to the core, Battousai would be standing in the back yard of the house he and Kautuka stayed. He would be dressed in flowing white clothes with a white haori covering his shoulders, the words Commander written on the back in symbol text. He would be admiring the view of the lake from his backward standing to the side of the garden.

176

While it is customary for me to accompany my lord, news of this tournament arrived while I had traveled to the western forests. I had returned to Sunnveil in order to complete the transformation. I was sure that I was ready. My body felt stronger than ever before and with flight, there was nothing that I could not withstand... or so I thought. It is only now that I return that I learn the true nature of things. Even having removed the weakness that was the "Dravec Aspect", my body still had not repaired itself enough to contain and control my powers once awakened. In fact, I am forced to deal with the harshest of realities. Having come to witness a mere fraction of what I am capable of only to have it forcefully sealed away from my reach in order to save my life. I would rather have died powerful than be forced to remain in this weakened state. Returning to Jun'Jo, I must not only face this annoyance internally, but I must return to my lord, Battousai, weaker than I ever should have been. Given the time I was gone training, at least some improvement should have been clearly apparent. As I arrive on the rooftop perch at the rear of the house, I look down at my lord. Speaking telepathically, I make my presence known, "I have returned, Lord Battousai."

EXP: 256
TEXP: +2

At first Battousai would look to the right and then to the left. He would then continue to calmly look forwards at the lake before him. He had heard Kautuka speak to him, but since his companion was outside of his sensing range, he would not know exactly where the mental words were coming from, or if Kautuka was talking to him from somewhere else in the world. Of course, the ‘I have returned’ would suggest that he was close by, so Battousai would merely speak back, “welcome back.” Though Kautuka was at Acura, Battousai hadn’t seen him since speaking to him in the hallway. He was probably vaguely aware that Kautuka had to go somewhere, so the return wouldn’t come as a surprise. Battousai would simply ask, “did all go well?”

148 / 324

Leaping from the perch, I decide to move closer to Battousai's position. My flight is slow in order to ensure that no cause for alarm is given. Warlords tend to have vicious reflexes after all. Once I come within close range, I pause for a moment at the sound of the question. The most difficult thing for an operative to do is to inform their lord that their mission was unsuccessful. While this mission was not ordered by Battousai, it took me away from my lord and thus affected my lord. I should have been present during the entirety of the events in Acura, but instead I found it necessary to leave. Jay'de would have been left to aid our lord, but she is still an apprentice and thus, her strategic acumen would not be directly comparable. Sound escapes my lips as I answer, "No, my lord. I was not strong enough for what I attempted and much of what I gained in that process was lost to me. My body is still recovering, but my mind is still able to aid you should you still require it. How did things play out in Acura?"

EXP: 208

Battousai wouldn’t find fault in Kautuka’s words. He knew that his long time friend had a way of pushing his limits, but he felt that with every experience, there was a learning opportunity for growth imbedded. Though Kautuka was brash in wanting to obtain power quickly, Battousai knew that in time, it would come and Kautuka’s might would outshine many, if not even his own. Turning to face Kautuka, Battousai would speak, “it ended in folly. I did not get my chance at the tournament. In the middle of things, there was an attack by the demons of the core and fire was set to the village; as it would seem, the demons were able to infiltrate and attack from the inside. Acura was caught off guard and as such suffered for it. The hope of performing an attack on the core was dashed in the chaos and afterwards I decided for those in our party to return back here.”

175 / 499

This was troubling news indeed. The threat of demons had become quite the bane. Thinking on demons and the Core brought forth a most foreseeable train of thought. It fell to... Him! Anger swells within as I think about him and the fact that my desire to destroy him and completely rid him from all realms and planes of existence save for the most unbearable and torturous of hells had caused me to push myself too hard and too fast to the point of failure. Even from his place of hiding, he is able to cause me setback and pain. I would certainly not allow that to stand for long. The time will come soon enough when I am poised to venture into the Core and extract my revenge. This incident has not stunted my quest to restore and advance my powers, but rather it has shown me that I MUST figure out how to repair my body enough to sustain my powers. For when I do, I will grow in power and I will annihilate him and all who stand in the way of that objective.

The Spirit Aspect manages to suppress the growing anger as I muster a response for my lord. "I see. I would have figured that a village that close to the Core would use some form of magical warding to keep demons and their ilk from entering their village and enough time has passed since the Mass Weakening that any wards that might have been there should have regained their power or another should have been able to do such a thing. That is most peculiar." I would have to send operatives to investigate this whole ordeal. I definitely wanted to know more about what had happened and about the Core demons. Still I am pleased to hear that everyone seems to be fine. "In hindsight, my lord, it is probably for the best that you did not fight in that tournament or that the raid was compromised. If we had gone to battle with demons infiltrating our ranks we could have suffered greatly. I will certainly have to work on honing my senses." Pausing for a moment, I look out at the lake and just fall silent for a moment before remarking, "Quite the serene sight to behold."

EXP: 411
TEXP: 1 (250 words)

The samurai would be in agreement with Kautuka’s words. The purpose of the tournament was to gain an army to rush into battle with. From what he saw in Acura, members of the army which he would have been given, turned into shadow demons and combated others. If such a thing were to happen in the midst of battle where an entire army would have turned on a few, then Kautuka was correct and things would have gotten ugly. Battousai wondered if perhaps he was too gullible to believe that such a thing as a Core Raid among unaffiliated groups would be successful.

The conversation transitions as Battouasi nods and comments, “yes, it is…” This was a wonderful place they had, and now that Battousai had secured a place for him and his people in this crazy world, he would strive to continue to protect it from things like what happened to the core. Moving from there, Battousai would speak, “I’ve been getting internal suggestions lately… I’m unsure if these thoughts are my own, but I feel compelled to begin an affiliation of villages in this area. Theden and Jun’Jo are now prosperous villages with a good amount of influence in this area… we are starting to build upon our own army with thirty trained troops and armed militia at our disposal. Yuki and Lightning both have units as well, aside from those numbers. If we campaign other villages, I think we can create a region of prosperity and balance in southern medius.”

288 / 787

My eyes do not shift from the lake, even as my lord first begins to speak. It does amaze me somewhat at how his vision has continued to flourish. Each time I leave for Sunnveil, plans are set in motion. When I return, the plans take greater and greater shape. It astounds me truth be told. He is certainly the leader that I have searched for all this time. When he informs me of the internal "suggestions" as he calls them, I find myself feeling a sense of deja vu. I know of what he speaks for some reason. Or at least I seriously think I do. When he talks of uniting the region under a common goal and path towards prosperity, my eyes would begin to illuminate slightly as I find myself transported for a moment before I am back in the present. I remain silent and void of true visible expression as I ponder a very confusing question... where was I just then and who exactly was that figure?

Shaking off the distraction, I nod to Battousai and respond, "That is the most natural course of action, my lord. I can dispatch operatives within the hour to act as envoys to begin setting up meetings and visits to the neighboring villages. In order to bring certain village leaders under control without conquering them, you will need to have offers prepared to make them feel important or a promise of aid in some way without actually giving them any significant power or authority of course. You will want to gain the sworn fealty of those already loyal to you and Jun'Jo first, so that it adds more pressure on villages who are deciding." Manipulation of a situation like this is crucial, but it must be carefully executed to see the greatest result.

EXP: 333
TEXP: +1 (250 words)

With a nod, Battousai would agree, “I believe that starting with the smaller villages that are not structured or fully organized yet will be the best. These would include farming settlements that do not have their own militia. Word of the failure of the core raid should have traveled this far by now. If there is any chance that a threat may come, then those without power should at least seek some type of protection. I am not in this for a profit for myself, so we will be clear to the families in the areas we are attempting to unify, that we will offer free protection to these regions. This will allow our influence while expelling the chance for outside or dark influences to seep in. What occurs in our neighbor’s yards easily affects us. As we grow, the amount of territory we hold influence over should sway those larger villages that may need time to make their minds. As you say, they will have a need to feel important and not belittled. My goal is to work with those around us, not conquer them. If there is a village that will not come to us, then we shall merely monitor their borders and continue to grow without them. In time, they will see our intentions are good and come to us…” Though Battousai held lofty ideals, the unknown entity inside him would have a slightly different view on just how ‘optional’ the overall goal would be. Aside from that, Battousai knew that even if he didn’t want to ‘conquer’ an area, Kautuka had ways of convincing people in a manner where things would simply ‘fall into place’ and Battousai would be none the wiser of why they did.

320 / 1107

Nodding my head as I listen intently, his plan seemed quite soft. I do not openly question it, but it does raise concern that a more militant neighbor might cause unnecessary conflict by thinking that Battousai's desire to be benevolent is some form of weakness. Of course, it would definitely behoove me to prepare for a shadow campaign. While he may not wish to conquer, there are some who simply need to be conquered in order to have the most efficient and least resistant assimilation into his grand plans. That is where I will come into play. The light within the shadows. This causes me to make a mental note to have Mirage prepare a full report on our neighbors. The scale of said reports would be addressed now with the simple question of, "Lord Battousai, how far would you like your influence to spread? If we are to proceed with the highest utilization of our time and resources, then it would be best to know where you desire your new borders to end. Also, what are your plans for Latito? Should we send emissaries to offer an alliance?" Since the island polis was self-reliant, but non-militaristic as far as my reports have shown, bringing them into the fold early would lend necessary clout to Battousai's conquest thru friendship campaign and lessen the need for my planned shadow campaign. While I might find more enjoyment in the latter, I would prefer to move in accordance with his plans. At least to start.

EXP: 288
TEXP +1 (250 words)

Battousai takes a moment to think over the question that was posed to him. He hadn’t worried about the size of his land, but there were common boundaries that he wanted to be set in place as to not tread upon the land of others or grow outside of what he would be able to control. With his answer, he speaks, “to where the grasslands meet with the desert to the south will provide a natural border. If you were to make a line straight south from The Cove, I would not want to surpass it to the east. As far as north goes, Latito would be the boundary there and to the west, the western edges of the mountain ranges would be the limit. As far as Latito goes, from what I understand, they are isolated and to themselves. So long as they pose no threat, I see no reason to bother with them since their land is naturally protected against invasion… they would not require our influence. Still, we can offer the alliance to them so that they are not insulted by being left out of it.”

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"Understood, my lord." With a visual map in my head of his designs, I would set actions in motion to prepare for such. Mirage would be given orders to prepare reports for all villages within that perimeter. I would need to know their relations with us as well as their relations with the other villages within the perimeter. If there is one thing that I know from my own strategies as well as my past as an operative it is that leaving pockets of potential discord within one's borders is never a good idea. As I have learned from the spirits in Sunnveil, one cannot enjoy a feast without shedding at least a little blood. With that matter resolved, I concoct another idea that might help lure in would-be allies. Looking over at Battousai, I speak, "Lord Battousai, I have an idea. With your permission, I would instruct the Builders Guild to begin construction on a Grand Treasury here in Jun'Jo and then move on to build a mercantile exchange at Fort Do. The Treasury will create a system that will create a standard form of currency for Jun'Jo. Once the currency is created, we will trade barter items for the currency. The system will not take long to integrate. All items will be appraised by the Treasury and the equivalent currency given in exchange. Your Authority will maintain all traded barter items to be used in trade with other cities outside of your domain. The Exchange at Do will serve as a reserve for barter items and a place where resource merchants can sell their goods. As they do more and more business in your territory, they will be introduced to the currency as well, thus keeping more and more wealth within your territory. All villages will prosper as pricing will standardize among all villages."

That is more the nice way of stating what this strategy is truly meant to do, which is strip away mercantile power from those not under my lord's control. Whoever controls the flow of currency controls commerce, so if everyone is brought into the custom of utilizing currency, they are distracted by the lack of pricing conflicts now that a red lantern is worth the same as a blue lantern. They will accept the system and as they come to enjoy the ease of the currency system, word will spread and stronger control will fall to my lord. It will serve as an alternative method of bringing holdout villages under his control, one way or another.

EXP: 478
TEXP: #1 (250)

The idea of a treasury would not be a new thing for Battousai. To this point, it was known that Yuki had performed such a thing in his village and beyond that, Jyn had brought up the idea once before as well. With a nod, Battousai would share, “Yuki has created his own coinage within the borders of Theden; perhaps that is something that we can build upon?” Battousai knew that Yuki and Kautuka didn’t always see eye to eye, but his world included the both of them, so they needed to, or die trying. The samurai does admit, “you have a good idea, though, and the reasoning behind it is sound. You have my permissions in such a venture.” Bringing up a possible visit, Battousai would ask, “perhaps we should include Yuki in our talks of this so that he will be aware of what is going on. I anticipate his participation, but still he is a man, worthy of the respect of a village leader.” With that said, Battousai didn’t want to openly undermine Yuki by forcing this onto him without at least giving him a warning.

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The mention of bringing Yuki into the discussion does not bother me. In fact, it had been some time since I had seen the young wolf lord, so that would be a pleasant visit. With a nod, I agree, "I believe it would be beneficial to get his input since he has served you so faithfully all this time. Plus, it will be good to see the Wolf again. Since the last time he visited Jun'Jo I was away." With permission granted, things would begin to progress forward on the matter. I see no reason in delaying. "I will be ready to make the trek to Theden whenever you wish, tho if you were suggesting today, I will require an hour or two delay so that I may continue to set plans in motion." I would need to oversee the selection process for a specialized militia unit that I was putting together. Once I had them up and running and assured of their ability to fulfill their duties, I would present them officially to Battousai. My primary objective is the safe, prosperous rise of Jun'Jo and Battousai's Empire. Nothing less will suffice and this militia unit would certainly focus on the whole safe aspect. The fact that they are all spirits is mere circumstance I swear.

EXP: 235

“Of course you have this permission,” Battousai would speak in reference to Kautuka’s words. With that, it seemed that all that needed to be said had been said for the time being. Battousai felt motivated to continue work on the city and to move forwards with their plans. He knew for this, he would be the figure head, thus he would have to be a strong figure for others to look up to. Thus, he would need to continue his training and perhaps amp it up to the next level. He knew that Kautuka would be eager to begin his rounds as well, so he would hold him here no longer. Before allowing Kautuka’s dismissal, the masked samurai would shift his gaze toward the mystic and comment in reference to Yuki, “…and one thing… try not to call him a dog in your next meeting. That seems to be a large insult to him.” If Battousai had a jovial tone, those words would have been spoken in it. With that, Kautuka was free to move as necessary in order to begin work on their goals.

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Maintaining a stoic facial expression, my "internal eyebrow" would arch as I wonder why he would advise against such an insult. As if scrolling thru an index of files, I close my eyes to scan thru the vanquished Human Aspect's memories that survived the meld and find only hazy memories of conflict between Yuki and the weakness. Dismissing it, I would respond, "Worry not, my lord. I visited Yuki after the Second Dawn before I made my way back to Jun'Jo. We had a very pleasant meeting and found common ground between us. I have actually come to enjoy his company. I shall make preparations at once. Forgive me for not being able to move us thru the Void to our destination as I once could." While reporting in and receiving orders had distracted me a bit from the underlying disappointment, it could not be ignored forever and the disdain for my current weakness is ever apparent. Bowing to Battousai in respect, my body would lift off of the ground and take flight for the Network Hub.

-EXIT RP-

EXP: 200
TEXP: #2 (2nd Thread)