Lao: "You seem... strange."

  Erio: "I was contacted... I think... by a Spirit."

  Lao: "A Spirit?"

  Erio: "You said I could be a Channeler. You said you thought..."

  Lao: "I know, I said that. But I wasn't expecting..."

  Erio: "Well, I didn't go looking for it. I was just meditating and... well, it didn't exactly reach out to me, but I felt it residing there... in the depths."

  Lao: "In the depths of the temple?"

  Erio: "Indeed."

  Lao: "You think it's the Spirit they used to worship here?"

  Erio: "Not exactly. It's diminished. I mean, it's a Canyon Spirit all right. Earth and Water. Shade, gravity. Flowing down. Carving. Gradual and careful. But it's small. Like a little lizard. It hasn't been worshipped in a long time. Maybe centuries. Maybe millennia."

  Lao: "So it's not a God."

  Erio: "It's not a God. It doesn't have Aspects or Representations or Dimensions. It's barely conscious. It can't use language."

  Lao: "Sounds cute."

  Erio: "I guess..."

  Lao: "So, what are you going to do with it?"

  Erio: "What do you mean, do with it?"

  Lao: "Spirits need to be worshiped. They die if they're not propitiated."

  Erio: "So you think we should go down into the temple and collect it? Put it into a jar?"

  Lao: "If you can convince it to incarnate."

  Erio: "Is that possible?"

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  Lao: "It's supposed to be possible. Although the technique is forbidden..."

  Erio: "It's forbidden?"

  Lao: "The Holy Church doesn't want anybody to create new Gods. You know. There's only one True God, and every other Spirit is a Demon."

  Erio: "That's how you create a god? By convincing a Spirit to incarnate?"

  Lao: "It's one of the ways. Kinda complicated..."

  Erio: "And what's the point?"

  Lao: "If you could show the world a righteous God, you could supplant the Holy Church."

  Erio: "And destroy the Holy Empire?"

  Lao: "Let's not speak too loud."

  Erio: "Well, how do you know this Spirit is righteous?"

  Lao: "You said yourself, it has no personality. So, if you raise it right, it'll turn out righteous."

  Erio: "Okay, okay, but... your plan here is to take a common Spirit from an abandoned temple, and raise it into something that could destroy an Empire?"

  Lao: "Well. It's better than working for a living."

  Erio: "We're barely-competent peasant soldiers, and you want to kill a God?"

  Lao: "You found a Spirit."

  Erio: "Oh. Yeah. Great. I forgot that Spirits are God-killing weapons."

  Lao: "They can inspire people."

  Erio: "I don't want to inspire people. You don't want to inspire people. People don't want to be inspired. They want to sleep and eat and drink and fuck."

  Lao: "Sometimes we don't have a choice."

  Erio: "That doesn't mean it's possible."

  Lao: "Sometimes inspiration happens on its own."

  Erio: "What, you think this Spirit is going to inspire people on its own?"

  Lao: "That's what Spirits do."

  Erio: "I don't think he's in the mood for that."

  Lao: "He? The spirit is male?"

  Erio: "Yeah, he's a little guy."

  Lao: "What's his name?"

  Erio: "He doesn't have a name."

  Lao: "You have to give him a name."

  Erio: "Fine, Frederick. Herbert."

  Lao: "Don't fuck with me."

  Erio: "You're trying to convince me to commit treason..."

  Lao: "I am NOT!"

  Erio: "...using Frederick as a weapon..."

  Lao: "You are NOT calling him Frederick."

  Erio: "...when I'm pretty sure he just wants to sleep at the bottom of a cave."

  Lao: "Are you sure he's male?"

  Erio: "I'm joking."

  Lao: "Great. Joking about treason."

  Erio: "Better than being serious about treason."

  Lao: "Don't worry. I'm not serious."

  Erio: "Great. I was getting worried."