Mikey nodded. "Jenso has spoken of the times he's died... Twice apparently. Nexus, of the order, the one who I've not mentioned, is an apparent ally of ours. We actually... Don't have any information on him at all. He does actually have the ability to create dimensions, and bring people back from... The dead. That's how Jenso was saved. But it can be assumed he will be our enemy if he is under Yzeira's control," Mikey explained briefly.

Jenso turned to Alvios for a moment and frowned. "I apologise...I don't think I've actually told you about that yet. I want Nexus to survive, but...we can't afford to hold back against these people. If we're not willing to kill them, it may be the very thing that will end up being our downfall. If he cannot be subdued, we'll have no choice but to kill him.." Jenso stated, pausing for a moment.

"It does seem that Yzeira tends to appear when one of his comrades is in serious danger." Jenso stated, adding on to what Alvios had said about Shadra. "In the Feraldia Arena, he appeared after I ripped off one of Rajaka's arms, and Lark cut off his other arm. This means that Yzeira, and most likely all of them, possess a very strong ability to sense each other's Ki presences over very long distances. Even if they were corrupted by void. Regardless, it seems that Yzeira cares a lot about the other members. Which means that he does feel compassion. Which is strange, since Prisma told me that Yzeira doesn't have feelings...or something among those lines. That, or he simply wants to destroy any threat to the Order immediately. Or both." Jenso stated.

"At any rate, he's invited me to his tower at the shore in case I had a change of heart and wanted to join the Order, which seems to be the reason why our planet hasn't been destroyed yet. If need be, I can try to be a distraction while the others advance by meeting with him. It's a very risky move, but still an option nonetheless. And it may be a good way to get close to him." He added. "I am not the best at defensive techniques, so learning from either Oz or Alvios could be useful. My techniques are very offense-based, but I can probably help people to learn some strong-hitting techniques. I also know my way around hand-to-hand combat."

"No. We can't risk losing you on your own. Doing so would be completely foolish. If we face them, we face them with everything we've got. Trying to trick them will end badly for everyone involved," Mikey butted in. "When it comes to psychology, we're completely outmatched. These beings are likely hundreds, if not thousands of years old. With Ada around, trying to ambush them while Jenso's in the tower will end poorly. Jenso, you would be killed immediately, and the rest of us would be out of reach to help you." Mikey clenched his fist. "I know you want to do this, but if you face him on your own, you won't win. I hate to admit it, but it's a fact."

"He's right you know," Geode grunted. Mikey sighed and shook his head.

"The last thing we want to do is split up, unless we can assure a series of 1-on-1 encounters. In that case, it could be feasible. Jeff, order some of your robots to attack the tower. They'll likely know that it's a scouting method, and not show us anything they haven't already, but it's worth a shot. We'll get a live feed tomorrow afternoon."

"If what Jenso and Alvios say is true, we should focus on eliminating Yzeira's allies first. If we can somehow upset his focus, we might stand a better chance at defeating him."

"As far as training goes, I've actually made up a plan for this myself!" Mikey announced proudly. "Jenso, as much as I respect you and your fighting style... You kind of, uh..." Mikey paused and scratched his head. "How do I put this delicately.. You uh.. You aren't very.."

"You suck at combat," Geode spat. Mikey looked his way and narrowed his eyes. Geode looked back, rose his hands and shook his head quizzically. "What? It's true!"

"As far as I know, you've won all your battles thus far with a combination of brute force, and the assistance of your allies. If you do end up in any 1-on-1 situations, and there isn't anyone around to point your energy in the right direction- Well, the point is, I'm going to be scheduling a strict training regimen for you over the next week. The same goes for all of you!" Mikey announced, looking across the room. He scratched his head and smiled. "I've spoken with Geode, and convinced him to help as well. He's surprisingly reasonable, once you get to know him," Mikey said, looking to Geode with high expectations. Geode grunted and glared in Oz's direction.

"For the sake of the universe, and only for this battle," Geode insisted, "I will be giving each and every one of you new ways to use your magic, if you are willing to learn."

"I'll be handling Arki control," Mikey announced, "Specifically Arki, it's strengths, and its weaknesses. Anyone who cannot use Arki, or prefers not to, will not be meeting with me. To my knowledge, Bruce, Alvios, and Oswald prefer to use different means in combat. Jenso, Jeff, you'll be with me."

"Oi, Bruce!" Ross shouted, "I hear yer an earth sage or whatever, yeh?" Rose waved towards him and smiled wide. "I'm the best earth Gaian around! I may not have access to my OWN form, but when it comes to earth magic, I may be able to teach you a thing or two!"

"I uh.." Luke started, pausing for a bit. He didn't really have much to offer, but he was experienced. "I... Er.. Fuck."

"Luke will be handling team building exercises," Mikey intruded, "with his experience running Diver's paradise, I think he's more qualified to organise us. After all, as much as we've fought together, we've never truly fought as a team."

"Oh, yeah.. Yeah..! Yeah!" Luke shouted, excitedly, "I'll make sure you guys work together the right way!"

"Right. I'll also be helping you access your Ki, Luke," Mikey said.

"That sounds fairly reasonable. I was able to visit the chief choofa again and he helped me awaken my sage arts a tad like he did back with my original wind abilities and now my hair turns blue when I use them." Jeff said as he held out his hand for a moment to form a sphere of wind with his wind sage mode and his eyes started to glow blue along with his hair which shifted to become a darker blue color with a bright blue glow. "It's rather weird to be frank, but my energy reserves seem to have expanded vastly. Plus the chief mentioned I should try to use arki more so yeah, I'm all for that training."
"As for the robot attack force. I think a medium wave of troops would work best, I'm still interest to see how they would react to something just attacking them and if they can find any entrances into the tower that perhaps we can use later or if perhaps creating our own is possible." Jeff then brought up to the screen schematics to the latest troops he and the techmo scientist had designed along with showing off a couple types for the General tier robots. "I'll get onto sending that force once this meeting is over."

"Good. How is the chief, anyways?" Mikey asked, "Based on the stories you've told me, it might be a good idea to pay him a visit. If he can unlock everyone's inner potential.." Mikey thought, nodding to himself. He turned back to Jeff. "Oh, Jeff. When you're speaking with Geode, be sure to look for opportunities to develop countermeasures to the void."

Jenso turned to Mikey and Geode and smirked. "If all I relied on was brute force, I never would've made it this far. But it's true, I couldn't have done it all without my allies by my side. I'm confident in my ability to fight at close range, but I really am not exactly much of a strategist. And I'm not the best at defense, so...I'll gladly do your training, Mikey!" Jenso stated.

"We also don't know much about any defensive systems that the tower may have, so hopefully the drones will help us to learn some of it. Yzeira is no fool, and will surely have some very deadly traps in place. Letting the drones attack from different angles may increase the odds of exposing traps at the tower and it's immediate area." He replied to Jeff.

"Yeah, meeting the Choofa Chief may be really useful...and a countermeasure to the Void would be amazing. It eats away at Arcane, Ki and Arki, so that's a real pain to deal with.." He replied to Mikey. "I'd definitely want to learn a good countermeasure."

"He's been well, at least from what I made. He lives kinda out in the middle of nowhere though and still kinda prefers to keep his place that way. Though given the circumstances of the giant gaping hole in the sky, a few visitors would most likely be okay." Jeff responded as he took a second to reflect back on the chief and the few times he's been out there to see him. "If anyone wishes to take the trip there, let me know so I can accompany them to the place."

Bruce let the rest of those gathered do most of the talking, subtly sipping a drink while he considered the gravity of all that was culminating in his head. He regarded Ross' offer, twitching on corner of his lip upward and nodding at him to show he appreciated the offer. He'd probably take him up on it.
'The playing field will be complicated in many ways,' Bruce thought, scanning the room again. He knew several of his allies had fairly specific vendettas against the Order of Chaos, and now that the stakes were forcing direct confrontation, that tension would erupt dangerously. He counted it fortunate that he considered the people gathered trustworthy and expected little conflict in their efforts to cooperate. He took a longer shot of his drink, his gaze settling on Jeff, though he wasn't looking at him. 'Jenso and I have fought together, but there's no practical prior experience to indicate that the others' abilities can instinctively mesh with mine.'
"Jeff," Bruce said, perhaps out of turn- he'd lost track of the conversation in the midst of his thoughts. "Remind me of what's been found regarding Vale's blade, if you could."
Bruce focused his gaze again on Jeff. He had more questions for the wind user, specifically regarding the arsenal of technological weaponry he no doubt had access to. Bruce allowed the ideas for complementing his own connection to the planet with the potential destructive force Jeff might be able to provide. Feeling the perspiration on his glass run down onto the skin of his finger, he also split his concentration to tap into that connection- momentarily, the sensation of temperature faded from his hand as it turned to stone, changing back after a modest psychic effort.
'If I am to be truly useful,' Bruce thought, 'I must be able to change at will. And expand my capabilities further.'

Jenso perked up suddenly, and looked at everyone as his eyes widened. "Oh, that's right! Nexus mentioned another power to me when I was dead. I can't use it, but it may still be useful to someone!" He shouted. He began to state what Nexus had told him a long time ago when he died the second time and was stuck within the Void. He stated it in his own way of speech however, unlike how Nexus spoke. But in essence, he said the same things.

"That's not it. It's a little more applicable than that, literally. Hah, I didn't learn about it for the longest time, but Ki is actually quite simple. It should be obvious that Ki is influenced by our emotions quite drastically."

"Which is why you are the way you are, and why Yzeira is the way he is, now."

"Anger overclocks the soul to the point of absolute fatigue, damaging it and leaving it in tatters. Much of the time, it can kill a person who harnesses their Ki this way. Occasionally, it will give them a permanent boost. Likewise, hope can expand the limitations of the soul, but it cannot exceed natural limitations in quick bursts the same way anger can. Determination, drive, the ability to never give up, the power which you hold far more sternly than anyone I've ever seen... Well, that's one of the most influential factors in determining strength. It naturally gives Ki limitless growth, on top of its already limitless potential. You hold that power, as does my master, Yzeira. It's a matter of pride, really."

"The passionate emotions all work the same way, changing how Ki flows, in both dangerous and harmless integers. The less passionate however, the gloomy and depressing feelings we get, do something else. While it is impossible to reduce the overall might of a soul without access to the void, it can be dampened, disoriented, and shaken by things like sadness, hopelessness, and heartbreak. But, there is a center to all of this- Erm, a point where emotions lose their chaotic effect on our Ki. Peace. It's no so much a state of mind, it's the lack thereof. Normally, our Ki expands and contracts randomly within our bodies, changing in size and power based on how we think. But with proper training, a person can mold Ki to their bodies, sealing it in a stasis, where energy can be output without any fatigue. In this state of perfect concentration, it's possible to make more informed decisions, react faster, and be without worry. A literal peace, you see,"

"Peace is almost like a fourth state of energy, outside of the arcane, Ki, and void that encompass all of reality. It can shape the other energies perfectly, but it is limited, and can only be created by our conscious decision to do so, through meditation, and way of life. The way we speak, the way we act, and the way we live. Peace is an energy we create, and expend, for tranquility..."

"This dream realm is not a simple task. I can only hold it for a year at a time, by expending the peaceful energies inside of me in order to break the normal laws of magical physics that bind realities together. It is a literal production of my peace. No analogies or metaphors at play here, heh."

After Jenso's long statement, he took a deep breath in and out. He drank some water that stood nearby him. "Man, that sure was a lot to say.."

"Ah yes the blade" Jeff responded back to Bruce as he did his best to recap what he told Jenso earlier on the ship. "Not much sadly other then the fact that machine we hooked the sword up to showed over half the possible outcomes having our planet sucked into the void by the hole in the sky.. and the other potion with us somehow pulling a miracle and stopping it with a bright light? Given at the very least it shows that our success is possible. I've tried to have it focus on other points like people's futures like Jenso and mine, but it's broken our super computer twice with the attempt." He then stopped talking for another moment to try and contemplate the sword once more and perhaps some options it could be used for.
"Perhaps we could try to have the sword focus on the attack of the tower however and see which ways of attack work better, but I feel like it would merely overload the computer once more. I wonder if it would still be possible to get Vale to listen to reason and join our cause. Then at least we'd have somebody who know hows to properly use the blade and is already corrupted by it... so you know.. at least that part isn't a problem for him."

"If you keep mucking around with that sword you're going to kill us all," Geode spat angrily, "Not only was Vale the only being capable of using the sword, but seeing one of perhaps an infinite number of outcomes is absolutely useless. Vale's ability to see fewer than 100 outcomes with the highest likelihood had already driven him to madness. You silly little computer couldn't even begin to fathom specifics. But there is no way he will join your cause, even if he does escape the grasp of the infinite ocean before this week is up."

"I agree with Geode here. Seeing the future will do us no good unless we have a very specific and helpful threshold to work with. If the sword drove Vale mad then we should have nothing to do with it. It is clearly not an artifact that will help us at present." Oz resolved. Vale's sword had done nothing but harm in the past, even if it had been part of Geode's initial downfall it was that very downfall that seemed to drive him from the thought of trusting people to begin with.

What Jenso said of Nexus was very interesting and one of the most attractive ideas that Oz had heard of in a long time. A state of mind effecting the capacity, output and flow of ki. That was something he wouldn't mind spending some time trying to capture. Other than that he felt his time would best be served helping Luke and the others devise combat strategies involving teams and cooperative attacks. "I like that idea Jenso, you'll have to describe more to me after the meeting. Otherwise, Luke was it? You can count me in on the cooperative training exercises. I feel I have a great deal to offer and gain from in group-based tactics."

Luke looked in Oz's direction and nodded. "We'll see how things go, chumbo!" He said cheerfully.

"At this point, I kinda agree, kinda figured it still would be worth bringing up nonetheless." Jeff said giving a calm sigh. "Still, can't help but feel annoying nothing goods come out of the blasted thing, but I suppose that's more then reason itself to finally just bring that thing to rest and perhaps just have the blasted trinket sealed away once and for all."

"That might be best," Geode sighed, "Fate was not meant to be unravelled by magic. Time is a delicate obstacle. That sword itself threatens to shatter the universe if misused. Consider yourself fortunate that it lies in our possession, and not in the order's."

"On that matter," Mikey stepped in, "Jenso has told me of a prophecy that he and Bruce came across in the temples of the old sages-"

"Pay that no mind," Geode grunted, "Vale was rather fatalistic in his earlier years, even more-so than now. He created that prophecy to maintain his position as ruler of the first mages. It also gained him the favour of my golems, who assumed the man in red to be a future incarnation of me. It is merely one of the likely fates."

"I see... Never-the-less, I think we should avoid having Jenso face off against Yzeira. Remember, we will have plenty of time to prepare for this fight, and won't need to rush for that red bastard right away. He'll be busy channelling that rip in the sky, I reckon. Geode has mentioned it may take quite a long time for him to finish, as well..." Mikey looked over the group. It seemed that everyone had a chance to speak. "I think that just about does it for this meeting."

"I will now announce tonight's schedule, and give a brief overview of today's meeting..."

"For training, I must first discern each and every one of your strengths and weaknesses. Meet me in the training arena, one after the other, starting from 4 PM. Jeff, you'll be first. I will call the rest of you in sequence. This will allow me to plan a proper training regimen for the rest of the week. Once I'm finished with you, Jeff, begin the first test assault on the tower. Then relay the data to me, we will review the result at tomorrow's meeting. Luke, I would like you to come with me while I observe our Trumps. I will also help you train, later in the night. Geode.. You'll be giving lectures, starting tomorrow, in 1-on-1 sessions with each trump. Ross, as much as I appreciate your participation, you can do as you please as long as it doesn't interfere with my schedule. For now, please, focus on yourself."

"Gotchya kiddo," Ross grunted.

"Today, we've gone over possible strategies. Tomorrow we will be reviewing the results of our first wave of robots, and the capabilities of our fighters in depth. I will also release Monday's schedule. From here, Sunday, our meeting is finished." Mikey smiled and pumped his fist into the air. "Good luck everyone! I look forward to working with you!"

Mikey welcomed Jeff into the training area with a confident smile. "Hey, Jeff," He said, making his way into the fighting stage, "I've set the terrain to basic, if that's alright with you. This is more about pure observation, gauging, all that technical stuff.." Mikey paused and chuckled. "Man, I really have changed since you gave me this title.."

"Yeah, you and me both.. kinda crazy when you think back on it hahaha" Jeff said doing one of his signature confident laughs once more. He then proceed to take a moment to some basic warm up stretches before calling upon some his energy to pump himself up for what ever the test inclined. "Righto, a basic stage is fine for now. I guess the real question is what you want me to do for this test exactly. I know it's meant to be an examination, but you didn't really give me much details otherwise."

Mikey's eyes widened for a second and he chuckled. "Aha, yeah, of course! Basically, I need to gauge your abilities. Arcane, Ki, and Arki, everything basically," Mikey explained, "First up, I'd prefer if you removed your gear. This is strictly based on your abilities. We already have data on your enhancements in the uplink, and I'm sure you know what your secret projects can do. If you would.."

"Fair enough.. suppose I could use a break from using those anyhow." Jeff stated as he walked over to the edge of the room. He the held his hand out as a bunch of small particles seemed to fly out of Jeff's sleeves and backpack forming into a large metal chest in which he then proceeded to place both of his gauntlets, some explosives, and the side attachments for his boots into. "ah there we go, that should be everything.", the inventor stated as he then went back into the middle of the room and stood in front of Mikey once more.
"Ready when you are."

"Right.. First step, I need to check your arcane system," Mike said, stepping in front of Jeff and pushing his thumbs into his collarbones. "You don't really gotta do much for this part.. Ah, just as I thought. Your energy flow is uh.. It's fast," Mikey stated, releasing Jeff. "Can you manifest a spherical mass of magic? Wind, sheer arcane energy, fire, whatever.." He instructed.