The Crafting of Chess

by Kit Falbo

  “Do you have a photo of this boy? Any real information? You’re from a game company, and all you are doing is asking about games. You can’t do this to me!” She slams her ice tea onto the table, splashing it a little because of the way her hand is shaking.

  Guilt and dread well up in me. I shouldn’t have come here. I don’t have a plan, and I’m obviously upsetting her. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean…. Is there a towel I can grab you?”

  I can see her focusing on her breathing and slowly counting silently. “There’s one in the bathroom you can use. Down the hall and to your left,” she says between breaths.

  Excusing myself, I stand up slowly calming myself down as well. The hallway is decorated with pictures, and I can’t help but look as I make my way down it, expecting to see the boy from the missing picture. Mostly it’s more recent pictures of Annie. There is a girl, I watch her progress to growing up to maybe eight years old. I see a picture of the boy, smiling, with a cast on his arm and to do my best to match it with the shy awkward looking young man from the pictures in the gaming shop. Similar but not quite the same shade hair. Same eye color though, and the skin tone is close. I just don’t know.

  I grab a hand towel from the bathroom. Maybe I should just apologize and leave. Then a flash of color catches my eye from the wall of photos. It’s a group photo, and there is an older man next to Annie, uncomfortably pulled into the photo. Truthfully there is nothing much memorable about his face. I pull the photo from the wall. It’s the jacket I recognize, distinctly Maroon, the same shade I saw outside the immersion center not long ago.

  I make it back with the towel and the framed photo. Quickly dabbing up the mess, I turn the photo to her putting my finger on the man. “Who’s this man? What kind of relationship did he have with Nate?”

  Finally calm, Annie takes the photo from me. “That’s my father. He doted on the boy. He’s kind of a wanderer. For a while, we thought he was going to settle down. He was away when Nate went missing and took it kind of hard. Only visits every couple of years now.”

  “I’m pretty sure I saw him outside the immersion center with the kid playing as Nate. “

  Annie shook her head, “What, no.” She sits there, holding very still, then starts shaking again. “Why…” When she speaks again, there is an edge to her voice. “Are you sure this is who you saw?”

  What if I’m wrong? I wonder and look at the photo. “I’m pretty sure,” I slowly say.

  With white knuckles and her nostril flaring, she stares at the photo. “So where are they now?”

  “I don’t know where they’re living. The boy registered for the game with a PO Box.“ I paused thinking. “I do know where the boy will be a week from now.” I do my best to sound confident, though I wonder if I’m wrong. I hope I’m right.

  Chapter Thirty-Two - Chess

  The omelette is actually not half bad. Sure, it has Gramps’ leftovers inside it, but the process improved upon what had been overly spiced sausage. “This is one of your best meals yet.” I’m able to tell him honestly.

  The food is improving, and Gramps is actually clearing out the hidden gems he has bought, even if he says he is only breaking even doing the hundred percent honest route. Something has motivated him. For me, it’s the day that the High Council is going to decide if I won the contest. Maybe I am a little giddy and worried. I spilled the secret to Gramps after Jasper had managed to win the city council vote.

  To celebrate, I took a few days off from the immersion center to visit the park and spend time at Mel’s to keep an eye on the top guilds, checking out who might pay me for my services if this final vote falls through.

  “Glad you like it,” Gramps says, digging into his own plate. “Even if you don’t win, I think you should know I’ve always been proud of you. I know it hasn’t been easy staying with me. I just want you to know I don’t regret making my choice and doing my best.”

  I both like the compliment and groan inwardly a little. He knows he messed up with the charges and me needing to put up the bail money. As a new way of apologizing, he spent the last couple of days complimenting me on how much I’ve grown and how proud of me he is. He has only mentioned his itchy feet once. That just earned him a glare, knowing his court case is soon. “I love you too. But if this works, we can be comfortable for a while. I’ll even be set up for starting college in a few years, like you’ve wanted.”

  Quickly finishing the meal, I grab my jacket to head out to the immersion center. “Don’t go rush out on me. Come on give me a hug before you go.” Gramps says.

  “Fine.” I go to him. He squeezes me tight and muffs my hair like he likes to do.

  “I’m going to miss you boy, and best of luck with everything.” I have to detach myself from him and head to the door.

  The immersion center is crowded. With school having just let out, everyone seemed to want to get in there instead of being limited to the three hour spurts the headset allowed. That or calibrating their characters. I’ve already got a bunch of messages asking if I’m going to be putting up any new auctions soon. If I have my way, there is going to be a lot of disappointed players today.

  The vote with the High Council won’t be for a couple of hours, but I might as well wander around in-game until it’s time to meet. They require that Jasper and I, me being his Touched, be there for the vote. Like much of my recent login’s I pop into the game in Alerin King’s office. He’s doing paperwork at his desk and doesn’t even look up until he’s finished. “So, today’s the day,” he says, his deep voice rumbling as he strokes his white beard.

  “Any quests or advice to help me get a little more edge for winning?”

  Alerin eases himself up out from behind his desk and walks over to me, his large frame dwarfing me. He puts one arm around my shoulders giving me a little squeeze. “At this point, nothing. Just be yourself. As cheesy as that sounds, you’ve worked hard for this, and yes, I have done a lion share of the groundwork. It is still better that you be there than me or any other Touched. You work hard and don’t complain much; you’re about as good as a Touched get these days. I would offer to go with you, but I have so much baggage. I would way down your chances like an anchor. Just remember who was there when you needed help.” His tone is friendly and positive, but he does squeeze just a little hard with that last statement. He lets me go and nudges me towards the door. “Now shoo, I have work to do.”

  I grab a pastry on the way out, breathing in the taste of the zero calorie, zero substance treat. Byron’s smithy isn’t far. Even if it’s only a game, I feel bad for having not stopped by since the player incident caused me to flee from there weeks ago.

  I make sure to check if there are any obvious groups of players waiting to see If I would return here. It has been long enough that even the most diehard players should have given up by now. With the coast looking clear, I carefully approach the cluster of forges and anvils. I can see Byron’s broad shoulders as he’s working on some project. “I was wondering if I could work as an apprentice some!” I yell from behind him, my voice muffled by sounds of work.

  He slowly starts to turn around to point at a set of tools. “Can you lift that Hamm…” He stops mid-word upon seeing me. He comes over and gives me a big hug, hammer still in his hand. “Don’t you go running out on me again. I had to draft half a dozen or so Touched to clean up the mess they made after they trampled through here to get to you, even then I had to fend off questions. Chess this, Chess that.”

  Today is certainly a day of hugs. Glad I hadn’t made any plans to run off and see Gar from the mines. “I figured I had finally waited them out. And I had a quest I was focusing on. Thought I would stop by before finishing it up. The truth is, I don’t know how much I will be back here in the future.”

  Byron does look a little sad when I say that. “I kind of figured when you hadn’t been back a while. People still show up looking for you every few days. If you have time, how about we work on a piece together? I still have some of your spec
ial metal stored for you here.”

  I check the in-game clock, plenty of time left. “Sure, why not.” Byron goes to get the forges hot, and I pull out one of the few eltrim Ingots I have left. It looks more like a rich dark emerald than a piece of metal. I picked it for no reason other than it being my favorite color. It would also give me a chance to cast my newest spell. Unlocked potential. When cast on an ally it boosts their stats and makes all their skills and abilities have greater effects for the next five minutes. It does the same type of effect when cast on an item as well. It uses up a lot of mana to cast. I wonder how it’ll work in crafting.

  Byron speaks to me. “I’m ready when you are.” Then we get to work. It is easier as a team. If it looks like I’m doing something not quite right, Byron gives me a little suggestion. “Pound it a little harder than that. In about five seconds we’ll want to put it back in the forge to get the heat up.” Before now, he pretty much had me figure it out on my own.

  It is a sword, the same basic form I started with on my first day using only poor iron and shoving them into barrels even if the blade didn’t make it out quite straight. Unlike those poor things, this one looks almost perfect. Byron holds it out in the sunlight, and the light shines through the blade like it is green glass. “Don’t be selling this one. I want you to keep this to help remember me by.”

  “Sure,” I say only half thinking about it, and he hands it back to me, and my palm tingles a little as I take it. I inspect it.

  Farewell. Legendary sword. Legendarily crafted enchanted weapon. Durability: Indestructible. Damage 80-100. Damages insubstantial foes. Stats lower than your highest character stat get a bonus equal to one half the difference between them. Bound, Item can’t be stolen, traded, sold or disarmed.

  A new notification saying I completed a secret quest pops up as well. At first, my heart stutters because if I’m able to sell this, I may be able to get over a thousand dollars for it. Well maybe. My brain does catch up to me though. I had heard about this quest online, though it is a secret quest, It’s not like it is really a secret. Once you decide to graduate from your trainer, they’ll work with you to create a much better quality item than you can normally make, a bound item. If you’re crafting consumables, you usually just get a bound gift like a cauldron or harvesting scissors.

  I had kind of forgotten about it because I had leveled to master status a while back, even then I hadn’t gone out of my way to set up my own separate workplace. “Thank you Byron, it has been a pleasure working with you.”

  I play with the bound status as I make my way deeper into the center of the capital. I can let go of the blade, and it stays stuck to my hand. My options are to have it equipped or stick it in my bag. If it’s in my bag, I can’t drop my bag while it is in it. This certainly would have helped back when Axel scammed me out of my starting bag and the gear I had packed into it.

  Jasper plans to meet up at the appointed time and location. I summon Cook for some company “So shiny.” He squeals into my mind upon seeing my new sword. It’s so screechy that I immediately regret summoning him

  “It was a gift from Byron,” I think back at him.

  “Scary man.” Cook finds everyone scary, but he also can’t resist anything that might sparkle a little. Like a certain mastersmith’s personal tools. Which earned Cook a threat and me a chastisement and had made me decide not to summon him at the forge. So, he pretty much has been staying wherever the lore says familiars stay while un-summoned.

  Even now he is getting unfriendly looks for his rodent-like form. “You deserve better than the glares. I’m sorry, but I think I’m going to have to dismiss you.”

  He pouts as much as his little rat-like face can. “I know, I’m not shiny and pretty.”

  That just makes me feel bad as I activate the dismissal and watch him fade away.

  The High Council is not in a secret underground complex. They meet in a small but comfortable meeting room inside the House of Justice. I’m early. I always like to get to places early. Often because Gramps tended to be late and I always find it embarrassing. It also shows that you respect other people’s time over your own.

  One guard in a duelists uniform with a sword stands outside the barred entrance holding a clipboard in her hands. I recognize the gaudy and sparkling green handle before I recognize the person wearing it. “Allynance, you’re on the council?” I ask the head of the duelists, seeing as she is standing outside the council chambers thick wooden door.

  She looks up at me and snorts at that, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “What? No. I’m not enough of a sucker to take that position. By tradition, the head of the duelists guards the council chambers. It also gets me out of my office and away from all the paperwork once a week. I must say, I was a little surprised to see Jasper and your name on the list for a meeting.”

  That grabs my interest a little. “Why’s that?”

  “You mostly seem to stick to yourself, and your political associate Alerin King isn’t looked upon favorably by many of his peers. They dislike his methods and ambition. Feared and respected to a degree, sure. Just not well liked.”

  Before I can invest too much effort and anxiety into how much associating with King might hurt me, footsteps interrupt my thoughts. Jasper walks briskly towards us. He has a drink in each hand and a cheerful grin on his face. “I thought it would be wise not to go in on an empty stomach.”

  Not that it would do much for me. I take the one he offers to me. Jasper having a happy, active demeanor just before a major event is off putting, “Who are you and what have you done to my companion, Jasper?”

  This creates a brief perplexed look on his face.

  “The cheerfulness,” I explain. “I was pretty sure you didn’t want to be king or are at least reluctant. “

  “The vote to be recommend to the High Council was the first one that I’ve won. I’ve got other council members already apologizing for this burden and saying they’ll work with me once this attempt is rejected. Most don’t think this will succeed, and it’s a symbolic gesture to stand against the more violent actions of the Touched. So, there is nothing to worry about.”

  Does no one think I’m going to win this? The cup in Jasper’s hand is shaking a little. I stare my companion in the eye, “You’re totally lying to yourself, and are actually freaking out.”

  Jasper lets out a short sigh, breaking his facade just a little, then downs his drink in one big motion. “Yep, and I’m totally staying this way.”

  Allynance chuckles at all this. “Come on boys, nothing to worry about. Worst they can do to Chess here is reject him and kill him. Might as well be a slap on the wrist to a Touched. And I’m pretty sure they’ll forgive you for whatever trouble you’re getting into Jasper.” She puts her hand on the door, and there is a hard, loud thud as the door unlocks for her. “You both should get in there. It’s best not to keep them waiting.”

  The door swings open and Jasper and I step inside. The six people who represent the High Council sit at a large round table, watching us. Behind us, the door shuts with a heavy sound and the very audible locking of the door.

  I recognize Loro, head of the rangers. His hairless head and dominant chin make him hard to miss. The rest I don’t really recognize. A woman in cleric robes, her hair done up like a tower on her head. A man with a bored look and a frilly shirt, who lounges in his chair rather than sits in it, the picture of a bored aristocrat. There is a short woman with piercing blue eyes in gray leather, rolling a gold coin across her fingers. An older man in blue robes with a tall staff. Last is a man who looks completely out of place, as though you just grabbed him off the street. He’s wearing common clothes and lacking anything distinguishing other than the company he keeps. The plain man gives us a slight smile before speaking. “Let’s get this started. This Kingmaker proposal came up through the city council, and I have convinced my fellows to do their due diligence rather than reject it out of hand. Because this affects us all, we want to talk to you privately.” />
  He nods to the old man in blue who stands up and, staff grasped in his hand, floats toward us a few inches off the ground. Stopping before Jasper, he lifts his staff slightly. There is a sound like a thunder clap, and then Jasper falls straight down into a blue void that opens beneath his feet. Next is my turn, so I brace myself expecting it to come.

  “I know you.” The blue robed, white beared mage says slowly. I look at him, and my mind draws a blank. “The precepts state one must always remember someone who you owe or owes you a favor.” Something clicks in my mind, some quest. “When you left the training grounds, this was not where I expected to next see you.”

  I have to force my mouth shut to keep from saying, Oh Anus! because I know that’s not his name, but that is all I really remember from then. “Ah, yes the training grounds.”

  I get a notification. You have been inspected. The master magicians’ eyes narrow. “That you managing to succeed without proper training won’t matter for this meeting though. I figured you would show up at some point and I would teach you a spell.”

  The plain looking man calls out, “Can we move on Arnus. No one wants to be at this all day.”

  That’s his name, I suddenly remember. At that, there is a loud booming, and suddenly I’m falling.

  I don’t so much as land as cease having the falling sensation. An endless purple void stretches in all directions and though my feet feel solidly on the ground, looking down only opens into more purple expanse and starts to cause some vertigo. “Where am I?” I ask loudly, expecting to hear some echo. Instead, the sound is swallowed up.

  “It’s called the meeting place. I don’t know if Arnus creates it or simply takes us there. The magic is far outside my experience or understanding. I’m Trey Bags by the way.” It is the same plain and pleasant voice that started the meeting. Turning around to see the utterly ordinary looking council member did not surprise me.

  “Trey, was all this really needed? I was ready to answer any questions in the meeting chamber.”