“I would like that also,” I lied. “What will be our strategy tomorrow?”
“They will arrange us in the Coliseum in a random placement. If you are by my side, it will be a lucky boon. We should attack Sir Rodin first, but only if he is closest to us. If he is on the opposite side of the arena, then we shall attack whoever is closest to you.”
“Makes sense. We should try to take out two as quickly as possible,” I said.
“Yes. Now, let us speak of Castles. What do you know of the game?”
“I know nothing.” I laughed. “You’ll have to start at the beginning.”
“Perfect! That is my favorite place. Let us begin.” The pretty blonde woman stood from her chair, and I followed her to the hexagon checkered field.
Chapter 14
“You are a quick study,” Cesnie said after our second hour of instruction. “I would guess that you could compete well at an amateur level. You said you have never played Castles before?”
“Nope, but I’ve played other games. This seems similar. I’ll move my support golem to this position so I can manage the front line here. Do you think that is a wise move?” I asked her as I gestured over to the hexagons on the field.
“Yes. However, it will leave your missile golems at the back without support. I could then move my melee golems around your flank here.” The blonde woman gestured to her row of six-foot-tall stone clay sculptures.
“Oh yeah. I didn’t see that.” I lied.
Castles was like a combination of chess combined with an elaborate turn-based strategy game. The objective was to capture all of the “castles” that appeared on the board. A six-sided die was rolled to determine the number of castles on the map, and then each player traded turns placing them. The game actually started here, since each player could only place a castle at particular spots on their side of the board. Then the players took turns either placing their golem pieces on the board or moving them.
There were three types of pieces: Melees were like queens in chess. They could move in any direction, but only up to three hexagon spaces. If they moved only one space, they could attack and take an enemy piece, but if they moved more, they could not attack until the next turn.
Missile golems moved one space at a time, but they could attack a piece four spaces away.
Each piece required two hits to eliminate. That was where the support golems came into play. They could move two spaces, or they could heal anything within a space buffer around them. They could also attack anything next to them. However, a castle was considered “captured” if a support golem occupied the same spot as the castle. It made the pieces extra valuable, but it also meant they had to be left with castles already captured, and a player’s offense would weaken in correlation with the castles they captured.
Each player was allowed a maximum of twenty pieces on the board. If a piece was lost, they could bring a new one into play on their next turn, but that would mean they couldn’t move any other pieces. To keep the game from running too long, each player only had thirty seconds to make their turn. If they didn’t choose quickly enough, the other player would take their turn, and the first player would miss a turn. Cesnie explained to me that this was almost always what won her victories. Most of her opponents would lose track of the pieces or need too much time to plan. They would get what Garf, Jax, and I would call “the newb choke” and they would be worrying about things that happened in the past.
“I will move my melee then.” She smiled at me and then pointed to the spot on the field “Piece eight. Move here.”
The clay golem followed her orders and came to stand at the spot that she indicated. I asked her about the logistics around the game field since this seemed like the kind of game only rich nobles could play and not the average citizen, but Cesnie told me that plenty of people played the game with small wood or stone boards. They just set the golem piece on its side when it received one point of damage and then removed it when it was supposed to be “destroyed.”
Cesnie’s last movement opened one of her castles to my own melee group. It was what I intended to happen, and it was a bit puzzling that she’d taken my bait. Part of me wanted to move ahead and take the location, but then another part of me knew that my ego didn’t need any stroking. I needed to sandbag as much as possible. There was also the high possibility that I still wasn’t seeing the many layers of the game, and this was a feint wrapped in a feint.
I moved my piece to block her melee advance.
“Ahh. That was smart, but your defense needs to be met with ways to slowly climb into an offensive position. If you continue to defend, I’ll just push you all over the field.” She moved one of her missile golems, and I saw that two of my pieces were now at risk. I had expected her to make the move, but I still made a sighing sound.
“Ahh. You’ve got me. Your reputation is well deserved.” I made a move she would probably expect me to make and saved my support piece. Then she took my melee, and I counter-attacked with one of my missile golems.
“You did better this time. As I said before, you are a quick study,” the blonde woman said after she beat me ten minutes later.
“Thanks. I do believe I have a feel for the game now. It helps to learn from the master. Perhaps I will be able to give my first opponent a hard time if I make it to the third challenge,” I said to her with a smile.
“I think you will unless you go up against me during the first pairing.” She laughed and then gestured to the sun. “As much as I would love to play with you all day, I must take my leave. I will arrange for the money to be promptly delivered to you, and then I must prepare for tomorrow. Do you have any questions about the first challenge, or our agreement?” she asked.
“Nope. We take Sir Rodin out first if he is standing next to either of us. If he isn’t then, we take whoever is on my right.”
“Yes, but if I am on your right, let us attack the person on your left.”
“I agree with your plan. I’ll await your first payment.”
“It will be delivered promptly. It was a pleasurable morning, Leo. I look forward to tomorrow.”
“Thanks again,” I said as I bowed to the woman. Then we parted, and each walked towards different sides of the palace.
I made my way back through one of the gardens and thought about what I needed to do next. I needed to get some non-magical equipment from Sharles, and I had to figure out what to do with all the money that Cesnie was going to give me. The obvious choice was to buy back Chrysa’s jewelry, but what would I do with the rest of it? Should I go back to Taran and try to buy more ability books? The thought was appealing, but I also wondered if Cornalic could use the money to buy an ability book for himself. It probably made sense to upgrade my party members. I also thought about the second challenge. I hadn’t even asked Bolverk if he would be in my party. I doubted the crazy gnome would say no, but I would probably need to buy him some armor and new weapons.
“Sir Leo Lennox.” A voice called out to me from the side of a decorative building as I walked by. I turned to see who it was, and my hand fell onto the grip of my broadsword.
“You have no need of that,” Moryana said. The woman was leaning against the wall of the marble structure. She was eating a piece of fruit that looked like an orange skinned pear.
“Sorry. You startled me a bit,” I said as I took my hand from my sword.
“I should apologize then. Will you speak with me?” She beckoned with a finger for me to come toward her, and then she turned to walk behind the building. The woman was wearing the same kind of skirt she wore yesterday, and the leather bands spun to trail behind her. Dang, she had really nice legs.
“Sure,” I said as I moved around the corner of the building. I stepped a bit wide so that I could see around it, but there was no one else standing on the grass there besides the beautiful obsidian-haired sword dancer.
“How was your morning with Lady Cesnie Kayleic?” Moryana leaned against the wall again and took a bite out of h
er pear.
“It went well. I doubt I will be embarrassed during the third challenge,” I said.
“Hmmm.” Her green eyes turned from her pear to study my face. “If you make it that far.”
“That is the plan.” I crossed my arms and took a slow breath. Moryana was the kind of woman I was into: dark and dangerous.
“That was your plan, yet you made a deal with Lady Cesnie Kayleic.” The sword dancer shook her head and make a tsk sound three times.
“I’m guessing she tried to make a deal with you as well?” I asked.
“Of course.” Her green eyes bore into mine.
“And?” I asked.
“I may be a mercenary, but once I commit to a job, I see it through. If I didn’t, it would tarnish my reputation. Men like Sir Rodin Worred don’t understand that kind of honor, they just lump all of us into one stinking pot.”
“Must be frustrating,” I said.
“He is a gnat. I have more important things to worry about. Like you.” Her full lips formed a small smile that reminded me a bit of Zarra.
“I doubt I am much of a worry for you. I’ve heard of your reputation.”
“Yes, but I can assure you my reputation is only a fraction of the reality.”
“Hey, if you’ve got the talent, go ahead and brag. I’m looking forward to seeing you in action tomorrow.” I returned her smile.
“Ha! Sir Leo Lennox, that may be the first time anyone has ever told me they are looking forward to engaging with me.”
“I doubt that. You are beautiful. I’m sure many men have wanted to engage with you.”
Her smile grew, and I saw a small dimple on each cheek. Her green eyes flowed over my body again and then she shook her head. Maybe my Charisma attribute increase actually worked?
“You are bold. I like that,” she said at last.
“Does that mean you won’t attack me first tomorrow?” I gave her a smirk.
“Perhaps. That is why I wanted to speak with you. I would like an alliance, amongst other things,” she said.
“What other things?” I asked.
“You immediately jump to that? Ha! Men. I should have figured.” Her intense green eyes twinkled.
“You did mention it.” I laughed. “Let’s speak of the alliance. I don’t know what I can offer you.”
“What I ask is simple: If the opportunity presents itself, attack Tia’tor Barta instead of me.”
“That’s it? You don’t want me to attack anyone else?”
“Sir Leo Lennox. I’m sure you have deals already made with Cesnie, maybe you have a deal with Sir Rodin Worred. I doubt you have a deal with Tia’tor, though. I also doubt that any of them have asked you to target me specifically. Their strategies will both be concerned with not losing the first challenge. I am only concerned with winning the first challenge.”
“So, you don’t care who I attack, as long as I attack Tia’tor instead of you?” I asked the obsidian-haired woman.
“Exactly.”
“What do I get out of this deal?” I asked.
“I won’t attack you until Tia’tor is defeated,” she said.
“I’m not sure if I’m getting a fair--”
“You are. Believe me, Sir Leo Lennox. If I wanted to end you first in the challenge, I would. If you deal with me, and can make it past the first few minutes, you might even place second tomorrow.” Moryana spoke with complete confidence, as if she was explaining to me that the sky was blue. “I doubt my offer conflicts with any other deal you have made.”
“No. It isn’t a conflict.” I guessed Moryana had probably figured that Cesnie, Rodin, and I would fight each other, and identified Tia’tor as her only threat during the first challenge. Her deal was really good for her. She probably figured I would get eliminated first, but just in case I did survive, I’d help her be victorious over the minotaur.
“What else can you offer me?” I asked.
“What else?” she raised an eyebrow. “I have already said you are getting a very fair deal from me. I can attack you first if you’d like.”
“When things get going tomorrow, I think the numbers will drop quickly. If you try to attack me first, Tia’tor will take the opportunity to attack you. Sure, you might be able to take me out quickly, but what if you can’t? Are you going to waste time on me when you’ve got Tia’tor at your back? No, you need me to agree to help you more than I need your assurance that you won’t attack me.”
We stared at each other for a few moments, and then the sword dancer nodded. “What else would you like?” she asked.
“What else are you offering?” I asked to buy myself some time to think. I considered asking her to ensure I was the last person standing beside her at the end, but that would betray Sir Rodin, and I kind of wanted to take Moryana out of the first or second spots. I didn’t think it would be worth betraying the knight and then screwing up with a vote in the fifth round just so I wouldn’t have to fight him at the end of the first round.
I also considered asking Moryana to attack Cesnie first, but the sword dancer made it clear that she guessed I had already made an alliance with the blonde tactician. The request might make me seem untrustworthy, and Moryana could decide not to bother with me at all.
“My employer is prepared to offer her vote,” the sword dancer said.
“In the last round?” I asked.
“Yes. We have been courted by Queen Yrisi already, but no commitment has been made. If you agree to attack Tia’tor, I will not attack you, and my employers will pick your Lady in the fifth round. If you make it that far.”
“I agree,” I said after I appeared to ponder the decision for a few moments.
“You’ve made a smart decision.” The smile dropped from her lips, and she took another bite out of her pear. The fruit was just a core now, and she let it fall from her fingers.
“Now that we have an alliance, what are those ‘other things’ you wanted from me?” I raised one of my eyebrows and shot the beautiful woman my trademarked smirk.
“Perhaps you’ll find out tomorrow night. If you aren’t dead, that is,” she said.
“I thought this was a non-lethal battle?” I asked.
“It is supposed to be. We will wear amulets that will keep us from extreme injury, but I still wouldn’t want to feel Tia’tor’s weapon smash into me, and I pity whoever my edge finds first. Of course, that won’t be you, Sir Leo Lennox.”
“Yeah, Tia’tor is rather intimidating.”
“Maybe he isn’t the one you should be afraid of?” Moryana raised an eyebrow and then gestured to the central area of the palace. “I must go prepare for the battle tomorrow. Thank you for agreeing to my terms. Have a good rest of your morning, Sir Leo Lennox.”
“You too, Moryana,” I said to the woman. We both nodded to each other, and she spun to walk away. The movement made the bands on her skirt part, and I found my eyes drawn to the red colored bikini bottom that was wrapped around her tight athletic ass.
Yeah. She was definitely one to be afraid of.
I watched the woman walk away from me for a few moments, then I moved to the other corner of the building and left going the opposite direction. I meandered through the garden so that I could spend some time arranging my thoughts, and then I made my way back to the palace. Five minutes later I was back at our wing, and I was running through the agenda for the rest of the day.
“Sir Lennox, you have a guest,” one of the guards said when I approached the double doors to our wing. “She is waiting inside the lobby.”
“Great. Thank you,” I said as I stepped through the doors.
Sitting inside was a young woman with a dark black uniform. The style looked somewhat similar to Cesnie’s.
“Sir Lennox?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I have brought you a gift.” She gestured to the coffee table by the couch where she stood. On top was a pouch that looked large enough to hold only a pair of tennis balls.
“What is it?�
� I asked.
“I was told that you would know. The contents are yours, the bag is ours, and we’ll expect it back in the future.” The woman stood and made a short bow to me. “Good day.”
“Good day,” I said, and then the woman exited the room.
I stepped to the coffee table and reached for the bag. It was heavier than I expected, maybe ten pounds, and I opened it up to see what was inside. It looked empty, which was odd since the bag weighed so much. Then I twisted it in my hands to see if I was missing something.
Medium Bag of Holding- Carry up to 1,000 pounds of equipment. Food or drink will perish at half the normal rate. If sharp items are placed into the bag, interior will be cut and items will spill out. Bag can be emptied by holding upside down and saying “Empty.”
“Fuck yeah!” I said as I reached my hand inside. As soon as I knew it was a bag of holding, I realized what my fingers just confirmed: It was filled with coins. I pulled some out and then stared at the sparkly platinum goodness. Ahhh I loved loot.
I put the coins back and went to look for Cornalic and Chrysa. I found them both, along with Allurie, Bolverk, and the three handmaidens in the young noble woman’s extravagant room.
“What did you do to his hair?” I asked when I saw the giggling girls. They were kneeling around the tattooed gnome and rubbing his mohawk.
“Oh, Leo! We dyed his hair! Isn’t it adorable?” Allurie cried with glee.
“Uhhh…” I struggled to find the correct words.
Bolverk’s spiky mane was now a blend of green and purple colors. The gnome sat cross-legged on the marble floor, and his eyes were closed. His face looked completely calm, so I guessed he hadn’t minded the treatment.
“Did he say you could--”
“When the gods smash against each other for the glory of war.” The gnome’s voice was an intense whisper. “There rains an endless stream of lava from the sky. The lava forms the spirits of the dragons that lurk under the surface of Ohlavar like maggots under the skin of a diseased rat. You have seen them, Leo Lennox. You will rise to ascension with me, then I shall gift you of the harems that you seek. The women will be of magnificent warrior blood, and they will pleasure you beyond what--”
Lion's Quest: Trinity: A LitRPG Saga Page 19