Plans may go up in flames as soon as they meet the enemy, but that doesn’t mean you should move without one. That, Jaxl reasoned, would make you a Dravidian.

Take a look at the textbooks and see the laughing stocks of history. The suckers who balkanized after losing three world-scale conflicts over two-hundred years, somehow suffering catastrophic defeat despite having overwhelming forces.

You don’t want to be a Dravidian.

They’re the prime example of why you don’t let the plucky group of rebels do as they will. Why you shouldn't be a megalomaniac chauvinist and treat your subordinates so badly that they are willing to defect to the other side for a tuna melt and a glass of whiskey. Why you should always have a plan of some kind, even if the road ahead looks easy.

The lessons of old were ringing in Jaxl’s mind as he tore up Tapio’s long-term plans and started from scratch.

Because really, blowing open an opportunity is better than waiting for one to pop up.

The most efficient way to get something done is to set concrete goals. Ask yourself the uncomfortable questions. Look around if you can't find the answers immediately, do some field research to make sure what you’re dealing with. If you’re really lost, move onto the next step.

From the beginning, the new plan.

Objective: Retrieving Whitelight before the Oracles or the Rings can get it. Easy. Makes sense.

A follow-up question: What the hell is Whitelight?

“It’s a sword from antiquity that can perfectly divide anything it cuts on a conceptual level,” explained Tapio the next morning. “Lost around a thousand years ago during the first Manaquakes. Now it’s back, somewhere. Allegedly, it was the catalyst for the first Qliphoth emergence twenty years ago, but something happened to it after it was used.”

Jaxl nodded, taking notes on the back of a takeout napkin. Made sure to write in mnemonic pictographs rather than words, in case anybody nasty wanted to take a peek.

“And what exactly is that something?” he asked, looking up from his breakfast beer.

“If I knew exactly, I’d tell you by now. All we’ve managed to gather is that it’s somehow fallen into the Empress of Snow’s domain.”

Jaxl grimaced. “That’s a bit of a leap, innit?”

“Rosentear. Then again, troublesome Relics always have a way of finding their way back to the living.” Tapio sighed, sipping at his morning tea. “You remember the fiasco over the Lord Shepherd's Pie? You almost got us all killed because you were stupid enough to take a bite.”

A wide grin spread across Jaxl’s face. “I mean, come on. If it was strong enough to cause an incident, wouldn’t you want to take a bite?”

“See what I mean? You’re the exact type of idiot Relics somehow fall into the hands of. Almost like the Frontier itself is trying to prove something to us mere humans.”

“Don’t even joke about that, man.”

“A joke.” Tapio nodded, looking at his watch. “Right.”

Jaxl shrugged, writing off that conversation. He put away the napkin and asked something else that was on his mind. “Say, this might be a bit random, but have you felt any more impulsive? Lost control of your emotions at any point recently?”

“If you’re asking me if I’ve been on my period, no, I can’t say I have.” He raised an eyebrow, inquisitively. “Where’s this coming from?”

“Just seeing if you’ve hit the midlife crisis point of your life,” Jaxl teased.

Tapio answered with a shrug. “Maybe,” he said, “Maybe.”

Conclusion: Add to the shopping list: anti-dimensional locks, new reconnaissance on the Empress of Snow.

Whitelight wasn’t a new name to Jaxl. He’s heard of its exploits throughout the world thus far, a legendary sword that pops up and wrecks havoc wherever it may. It disappeared twenty years ago after causing an unprecedented tragedy, and if it’s around again, trouble’s bound to follow.

If he can trace the path of that damned blade, it can lead him to those who caused the first Qliphoth to rise. And even if they don’t succeed, wringing some answers from a Ring commander would be just as swell.

His imagination burned with the possibilities. This was an exciting job, a new myth in the making. It’s not often that big fish cross paths like this, but when they do, the results are always spectacular.

If Whitelight really did what Tapio said it does, then it was a safe bet to assume that many would be after it, not just the Rings and the Oracles. And that’s not even counting the Empress of Snow itself — who knows what it’s planning.

He needed intel. Equipment. The partner Tapio scrapped up was decent, but they needed a team. People who could work together to pull this job off. That Relic could be even more valuable than he anticipated, both as an asset and an ally.

This was a six-way furball in the making, Jaxl realized. He would be one of the last people at the table, but Gods be damned if he wasn’t going to make sure he won.

Jaxl stepped out of Kon Atelier and made a beeline towards Union’s bank. Grinding jobs gave him enough cash to put a decent bargain towards any prospective recruits, and there’s nothing a little blue-silver tongue won’t fix.

He made a withdrawal of all his savings, flipped all his assets for raw Electrum. Scraped together enough for three briefcases and one liquid account with just enough dollars to turn heads — and if it was really important to Tapio, then he wouldn’t mind covering a few expenses. He willingly surrendered his card, and Jaxl had a very, very good memory.

Because he had a very, very good memory, he already knew the perfect people to call for such an occasion.