by Reiter
“Shall we begin?” Freund asked. “And please spare me how I knew a game would appeal to you.”
“I would not begin to insult your intelligence,” Neve replied, smiling once more. “It is… unfortunate… yes, that is the word… unfortunate we must be enemies.”
“In my lifetime, I have witnessed much in the way of conflict,” Freund said, taking his seat. He released his staff and it moved through the stone of the floor without leaving a mark. “I have witnessed many seasons of war, and its like, fought between kindred. Surely you and I can progress through our disagreement and maintain not only respect for one another, but perhaps a genuine fondness as well.”
“You will come to regret not striking me when you had the opportunity,” Neve returned.
“Why would I do that? I barely know you. But the harmony of the Stars is all around us, my new-found friend. Your presence does not disrupt it, which means you are a thing of the universe.”
“Considered very ugly by most,” Neve added.
“You look just fine to me!” Freund smiled. He lowered his head to the table before his nostrils flared. A shudder of mental energy produced a large chessboard with nearly all of the pieces on the sides of the board.
“Chess?” Neve inquired.
“You’ll forgive me, but my particular condition does not work well with cards.”
“Most interesting,” Neve said, sitting back in her chair. “… a protector that lies openly! As if you do not know the weight of each card.”
“Oh, but I do… with a normal deck,” Freund stated. “In the particular fashion in which you played with the Maior Nathu cards were always subject to change, and therefore so would their weight also change.”
“Aahhh, indeed!” Neve nodded. “Forgive me, I had not considered that.”
“You see, there is respect already between us. So, in ruling out another card game, I have chosen chess. But I like the approach of making each piece as we go along. What say you?”
“You know a great deal of passing matters for one who was not present when they occurred,” Neve remarked. “Might I presume you know simply because I know? And if so, just how powerful is your mind?”
“Your presumption would be accurate,” Freund replied. “As to your other question, my friend and master would say that my mind was more powerful than his gun, which made him exceedingly glad we were on the same side.”
“The light of this castle is unfiltered, old one,” Neve said. “I know of your friend and master, and the power he managed to assemble. To mortals he would be a god.”
“Is a god,” Freund corrected. “Much to his distaste, I might add.”
“But his power is still dwarfed by mine!” Neve asserted.
“How fortunate for humanity then, that he is not the one who has to contend with you,” Freund said, stroking his beard. “And while you are… reading the light… do not be so hasty to proceed on what you know… until you realize what you do not know.”
“Such as?!”
“Such as while you are informed about him, the marvelous exploits of Zeu Rex, Nexeous and their brethren… you still know nothing of me!” The fact caused Neve’s eyes to flare, which made the second matter for which she cursed herself. While she had lost much of what it was to be Baron Nomed, Neve was not comfortable with a mortal possessing greater knowledge, and potentially more power, than she held. That was made even worse when the mortal revealed he knew of the disadvantage.
“I know that you had a hand in the destruction of Sol,” Freund continued. “You will find that I am nothing like the ones who last faced you… faced you and lost, but perhaps I should not say ‘lost’, as the Human Race survived that conflict.
“And allow me to enlighten you with yet another fact: all that you have read of Zeu Rex and those who dare to traverse fate with him… check the date on that information. You will find that he has been away from this place for centuries and your knowledge, the knowledge which I allowed the light to keep, ends before he took his leave on his first journey. In short, I have edited your files! If memory serves, he is on his fifth departure.”
“And you could just be–”
“I went with him on the first three quests, dark-child,” Freund said in a cold tone. The smile could no longer be found on his face and his demeanor had hardened. “I remained here for two reasons: I have grown too old and too tired of gallivanting and, more importantly, you would be surprised what the blind can see when they really put their minds to it. I was using three of those minds when I came across the instance of your arrival. I cannot destroy you, and in your current state you lack the ability to destroy me. Fighting will yield us nothing.
“So I suggest this for our game,” Freund offered, bouncing three times in his chair and smiling again. “If you win, you can have my place with all of my power and knowledge freely given to you. If I win, you will surrender to me all that is you!”
Neve looked down at the chessboard as the pieces took their places. The white pieces took form in front of Neve, the black in front of Freund. “What if I wanted black?” she asked as one of her Pawns cracked and another faded in color.
“Then you shouldn’t have moved first,” Freund replied. “I believe that is Stewart and the poor, unfortunate slave girl stands beside him. Kaila is her name, I believe.”
“Fair enough,” Neve said with a smile. She nodded at the accuracy of Freund’s statement and it was difficult to argue the logic behind it. His Queen-side Rook took on a symbol that she quickly placed to be the Imperial standard. “You place the Empire as a Rook?! Are you sure you know how to play this game?”
“Everything looks good so far,” Freund replied.
“Well, since I am stuck with Steward,” Neve sighed. “I will place him where I please, if it is all the same to you.”
“I would suggest that the pieces can only be locked in once they are prepared to move on the board,” Freund offered and Neve was quick to accept.
“Let us hope, when you are yielding unto me all that is yours… the smile remains,” Neve said as she caught a glimpse of Freund’s King-side Bishop. “And what do you have there?”
“Something in development,” Freund replied.
Neve sat back in her chair and closed her eyes. She examined the piece, and was confused. So far away from the focus of the game and so questionable in its form, she was truly confused. The respect Freund had mentioned had already been assigned. He had thwarted Neve with ridiculous ease and had seen enough of her arrival to alter the records the stored within the light. She was not completely blind to the events of the region, but what she knew had been, at the very least, abridged. A common human saying was that ‘the devil was in the details’, but no such devil existed… at least not at the moment.
“Freund, you might have scoured the light, but I doubt you have scrubbed every mind,” Neve said, propping her elbows on the table. She rubbed her hands together as she gazed heavily upon Freund. “No, that would not be your way. So, someone must know what became of Zeu Rex. I simply have to find that mind and learn from it.”
“Then we have a pact?” Freund asked, extending his hand across the table.
“Sworn and sealed,” Neve replied, taking his hand and with a firm grip they shook on it. “Let it begin then, old man.”
“Oh, young dark-child, it already has!”
“Call me Neve,” she offered.
“Neve?”
“Certainly not Eve. And I will take my leave, to prepare my pieces,” Neve declared as she stood up. Freund stood up right after her, giving her yet another courtesy.
“Good! And what of our conduct away from one another?” he asked.
“You have given me more respect than I received in all the millennia I grappled with the Maior Nathu,” Neve admitted. “… even after being one of their ranks. And to be honest, I cannot decide if I have been polluted by the child’s humanity or simply charmed by an unexpected opponent, but I feel compelled to demonstrate a like respe
ct to you and those you protect. I shall not visit my power on those who know nothing of me… but I reserve the right to educate.”
“Acceptable,” Freund said, stroking his beard again. “You will find many who will rally behind your power and knowledge. This should prove to be a most interesting contest.” Neve said nothing else and took her leave of the castle in the next instant. Remnants of her power and her awareness were removed from the chamber by Isse as she made her return to the chamber.
“So, I’m a clone now, eh, Father?” she asked, bringing the old man a cup of his favorite blend of tea.
“I’m sorry, did you not make a clone?”
“Yes I did. But you have yet to awaken her.”
“Indeed,” Freund said, mulling over what had happened.
“It is an old game, Father, using misleading truths. Did you not warn me that they can be difficult to maintain?”
“I did, and they are,” Freund admitted. “But we take the risks we must when the moment confronts us. Forgive the transgression, my love,” Freund said as he closed his eyes. “I simply had to know the level of Neve’s awareness.”
“And?”
“It is great,” he replied. “Her limits far exceed mine.”
“I find that hard to believe, old man,” Isse said, kissing him on the forehead. Freund chuckled before taking hold of the cup.
“Were your feelings closer to the truth of the matter,” Freund said, taking a sip of the hot tea. He smiled at the flavor and nodded as he put the cup back on the center of the saucer. “… I would feel much better about this engagement. Besides, the longer this ruse of mine is allowed to play out, the better it will be for us all. Again, you have my gratitude.”
“I am happy to help wherever and whenever I can, Father,” Isse replied. “But… if she is so young, then surely she is vulnerable,” Isse concluded. “Why not face her together? We could combine our power and strike her down? If she is too strong, let me summon Zeu and the others. If he knew the danger of this, he would not delay in answering my call.”
“You are indeed my Isse, but you have missed the sight of this particular circumstance,” Freund said, leaning back in his chair. “For either of us alone could destroy this Neve despite the power she now controls.”
“And you hesitate because of something else you have seen,” Isse added.
“Hmmm. Perhaps you have not missed everything then,” Freund snorted. “When I spoke of the harmony of things, it was not a break in that harmony which alerted me to her arrival. In fact, from the viewpoint of the cosmos, not even the slightest pebble has struck the pond.
“No, she is meant to be here, and that means humanity is meant to be tested… tried, for the lack of a more suitable term. And if that is true, by extension, since it was my power that detected her arrival, we can presume that I too am meant to be tried.”
“Whether or not you would take up the defense of humanity,” Isse concluded. She walked to stand behind the chair and rubbed her father’s shoulders. “Dear, old man,” she sighed. “When will it be enough? First Zeu Rex and his brethren… then the Temples… then the wars, and now this… Neve. How much must my father give this world?”
“You inquire from the heart, my dear,” the old one spoke, patting his daughter’s left hand with his right. “… not the mind. This world, as you call it, saw fit to create me. Therefore, all that I am is due to the efforts of this world. All I did was stir in a few choices here and there. What price, then, is too great to pay back to the source of my being? I have taken all that I knew to take in the building of this thing called Freund. Is the world not allowed then, to take all of me to create something even greater?”
“I agree with my husband,” Isse sighed, kissing the top of Freund’s head. “… you make my head hurt! What could be greater than you?”
“I am only part of this universe,” Freund replied in a softer tone. “And a very small part, by my reckoning. The whole of it will always be greater than me. Whenever I add to myself, I am adding to the whole, but my relation to the whole remains unchanged: I am still only part of it. Surely you and I are greater than me alone.”
“And you and I and the countless masses are even greater than that,” Isse stated, resuming her massage. “Yes, I understand. So… which piece will I be?”
“Hopefully none! You see, while Neve remains as she is, she is limited by her choices as well as mine. I doubt she will have the mindset or the courage to put herself on the board, and therefore I will not need to match her.”
“Or exceed her, causing a trend of escalation,” Isse derived.
“Excellent, my daughter!” Freund said, grasping a proud fist to cheer his daughter’s vision. “This game will affect enough without it having to curve the very definitions of the universe. After all, Neve only wants to kill the Humans.”
“Whose count now exceeds the trillions,” Isse added. “And they are more divided than they ever were. Gracious love, there will be millions willing to do in their own kind! They’ll jump at the chance to assist that… thing in her efforts!”
“I did not say this would not be epic,” Freund added, taking up his cup again. “I just wanted to keep things… relatively simple! The game is afoot!”
When you see a worthy person, endeavor to emulate him. When you see an unworthy person, then examine your inner self.
Confucius
Dungias watched as Gantee paced through his section of the preparation area. The youngest Z’Gunok pondered, his mood bordering on panic as he pressed and rubbed his right thumb into his left palm. The next eldest Z’Gunok child said nothing; he merely waited for the answer to his last inquiry. The heavy drapes that served as the door to their sectioned off area were lifted and Jorl’Lassor entered; his face nearly as blank as Gantee’s. He looked at his youngest Vu-Khan and offered only the most silent of an apology and voiceless pity. For Dungias he had ire.
"How is it I know that somehow… somehow, you had a hand in this?" Jorl’Lassor looked upon Dungias for a moment, his hands clenching into fists before opening and then clenching again. He was coming to a resolve, albeit a very unpleasant one.
"I cannot say, Master of the Kith," Dungias replied without looking at the man. He kept his eyes trained on his Vu-Prin as he was still waiting for an answer. And despite his earlier revelation of self with regards his family, Dungias was in no place to deal with his Vu-Zai’s anger tactfully. “Perhaps it is simply that time of the star-term. I'd like to think that if nothing else, I am at least punctual."
Jorl’Lassor was in no position to tolerate Dungias’ sense of humor; and being so close to expressing his rage, the quip was ill-advised. The man roared in anger as he lunged toward his son. Gantee looked up to see his Vu-Zai lunging at his Vu-Prin, and before he could speak, Jorl’Lassor was thrown over the worktable which held Gantee’s weapons and armor. Only in the schools of the militia had he seen a throw performed with such efficiency. Dungias had only used one arm to sweep his Vu-Zai’s body around his hip and propel him over the table. Gantee did not know what to do, or what to say. He stood there looking at his older sibling in a very new fashion, diverting his gaze momentarily to look at his Vu-Zai who was slowly getting to his feet.
Jorl’Lassor did not know if he was dizzy from the throw or stunned from the fact that he had been thrown. He looked up at Dungias, whose eyes did not appear to be as a Vu-Khan looking at his Vu-Zai; but rather a combatant looking down on his opponent. He stood ready to defend himself again, should the need arise. It also appeared as if the next action would come with even less hesitation.
“I think we have reached the point in our relationship, Vu-Zai,” Dungias said as his hands slowly lowered back down to sides. “… where I must advise you that I will not allow you to place hands upon me in a violent manner. That time, for us, has come and gone.”
“How dare you?!" Jorl’Lassor hissed, phasing his body and stepping through the table. Dungias’ legs bent at the knees. He was ready to move. His hand c
ame away from his sides, and he was ready to engage with his father.
“Vu-Zai, no!” Gantee exclaimed, stepping in between the two of them. He had at last come to the realization of what he needed to do. Witnessing Dungias actually take hold of and throw their Vu-Zai with the ease that he demonstrated, Gantee found reason to believe his Vu-Prin’s plan just might actually work. But he would need Dungias alive and conscious to enact the plan. “That will be enough, both of you!"
“You defend him?"
"I need him," Gantee replied. "I have a plan. One that will assure me victory in these Games." Jorl’Lassor did not know what to think of what he was hearing, but there was no denying his son's performance up to now. If nothing else, he could trust in that. His eyes cut back to Dungias and the meaning of the glare was obvious to everyone. He nodded to the affirmative as he lowered his hands and walked around Dungias to leave their area.
“I cannot speak for the records of these events, Vu-Prin," Dungias said softly. “But you have made a mark in my mine. Thank you.
“And you have a plan?” Dungias pressed, allowing himself a slight smile.
“Do you think he would have withdrawn without argument had I told him it was your plan?" Gantee posed, knowing the question did not need and would not receive a verbal response. "We don't have much more time. So let us go over the details behind your stratagem."
"We will need to go over this but once,” Dungias declared. “The tactic I gave you to face the House Blaxidurn seems much more effective against Kinjass than I ever believe it will be against Vradwynn. Still, you have made inroads to that effect, and we cannot abandon that effort. We must simply… edit your approach.”
** b *** t *** o *** r **
From the moment the second heat had been run, the leaderboard for the Final Round had been established. Gantee was listed at the very top of those five names, and his name was the only one without a fixed score. He had indeed earned a fixed number of points by winning his heat and doing so in the best speed recorded. What remained to be tallied was the number of points he would receive depending upon the next fastest time recorded. Directly under Gantee was Vradwynn, but his point standing was quite fixed.