Start of the Dream

[Brian]

"Those weapons are not common in Japan," Tetsuo warns.  "You should be certain to conceal them."

[Carthrat]

"Planning to," replies Tom, nodding. "Hoping I don't have to use it, really, but better I have it and not need it than need it and be without."

[Dracos]

"Admittingly, I've never been there...anything else we should keep in mind, Tetsuo, to try to avoid standing out well, more than this many foreigners already will?"

Dracos

[Brian]

"Use your gaijin invisibility powers," he says dismissively.  "No one pays attention to tourists.  Only people who think they can blend in."

[Carthrat]

"Duly noted," replies Tom. "You can wear the hawaiian shirt, Drac. I'll wear a cowboy hat."

[Dracos]

"I thought you were the token black guy.  Anyhow, let's get moving...hmm, before we start.  Have you heard of a man named Prometheus?  I know Ezmereth was over there, and we have to find his brother before the next trial can be opened."

Dracos

[Brian]

"I do not know anyone with that name," Tetsuo says, shaking his head.

"Mythical Greek god of pottery or something?" Mark hazards.

"Titan," Jim says from his terminal.  "Titan who had the gift of foresight.  He gave fire to men ... stole it from the gods.  In punishment, he was supposedly staked to a boulder and an eagle ripped out his intestines every day."

"Lucky guy," Mark notes.

"Some stories say Heracles rescued him during one of his golden-apple hunts," Jim offers with a shrug.  "But really, Greek mythology places him in Europe, not Japan.  Victor?"

"Relm has been working on this," the vampire says after a moment, frowning.  "But she has had little luck.  She advises going to 'a blue room marked with the passions beneath the grand temple'."

Tetsuo makes a face at this.  "I know that place.  But I've never been, I only know where it is."

[Carthrat]

"Is it a brothel under a temple?" asks Tom, his mind instantly going down the path of least resistence.

[Brian]

"Among other things," Tetsuo says, shaking his head.  "Anything that can be bought can be found there for the right price.  Including information."

[Dracos]

"The odds are good then that they'll have ears there.  We likely won't have much time between managing to get to him and getting into the dream.  Hmm...  Hey Relm, they aren't working with Ezmereth...were they?  If we need a guardian to get in, what do they need?"

Dracos types that in.

Dracos

[Brian]

Victor blinks.  "That's a good question."  He glances at Jim, who shrugs.

After a moment, Relm's reply scrolls across Jim's terminal:

Code Select Expand

I hadn't even thought about that, since it was already done.  But you may have something.  If I can figure out how they got into dreams without the guides-

Hmm.  The Brotherhood of Morpheus could find the Dreams but not touch them, and they wouldn't work with Pax or the Cabal.  Pandora's been lost to them, so even if they wanted to, it wouldn't be much of an option for them.

I'm going to guess that someone in the Dream, either the Wanderer or Charrel helped them.  Manos wasn't just for hunting other oracles, he was for moving through the Dream better.  I don't think he was as good as Pandora should be, but now it's hard to tell.  I don't know where he is, but Ayame and Manos 'died' at the same time, so if I'm back, it stands to reason that he is too.

[Dracos]

"Concept, Manos manages to travel through dreams, touch base with troublemakers inside who in turn provide the link to yank themselves into dreams without the trouble of having to get the guide.  Work?"

Dracos

[Brian]

The screen refreshes.

Code Select Expand

That sounds quite likely.  This means that if they play their cards correctly ... they may not need any assistance from the Brotherhood of Morpheus to find the final ward.

[Dracos]

"Since we're aware of it...is there anything we could do to distort, disrupt, delay such things?"

Dracos

[Brian]

Code Select Expand

Not that I'm aware of.  But as long as you can keep in contact, I will try to let you know if anything changes.  Anything I do learn, I'll let you know.  Another branch of the tree....