Chapter 25
Raid in Atlus Part 5: The Death Game
“Miss Lara here is the contract.” Mazasius handed me the contract he had just written up. At first glancing over it, everything seemed fine except for one problem. Sly bastard tried to trick me.
“This wont do you misspelled Stratim on your end of the contract as Startim. This contract would only effect me written as is. I am sure an honest mistake, I hope you have the materials to write up a new one.” I said as I ripped up the contract that he had given me.
“Indeed I am sorry, as you said yourself an honest mistake. I am glad you caught it for me.” Mazasius said with an obviously forced smile. Mazasius begrudgingly wrote up a new contract, and handed it to me. I looked this one over and approved of it. I poked my finger with my dagger and signed I wrote my name in Japanese to conceal my identity. The contract lit up confirming a legitimate signature. Mazasius did the same right after.
“That is a peculiar signature, I don't recognize the symbols. The contract accepted it as legit though. Even on a blood contract you are able to conceal your identity.” Mazasius stated.
“Well let's begin I will let you guys have the first move.” Mazasius said.
“Ok Oliver lets do this.” I began ordering pieces around. It seems that the beginning mainly consists of setting up pieces in good positions and distributing the buffs to your front line pieces, however the neutral area once empty between our piece was now occupied. It was time to start attacking we both had lancers who could attack. I had two soldiers that were within striking distance of his lancer one had a +1 defense bonus for engaging fellow soldiers. Amazingly Mazasius decided to attack that soldier over the one that was in the middle of the board. Similar to chess control of the middle of the board was paramount to most strategies.
“Weird you would attack the soldier that held less strategic value.” I said as my piece destroyed. My suspicions were confirmed early when I did a analyze on him one of his abilities was a passive effect. Perfect detect enchantment; this ability allows him to detect every enchantment. And now I know that includes these game pieces that have extremely powerful wards to prevent such a thing. I of course have a similar ability so I won't complain.
“Well everyone has a different strategy, what value a piece or position holds is speculative to each individual.” He rebutted but I knew better. I took out one his soldiers with my lancer.
“Pay back for your soldier? I will attack your lancer back.” He then attacked my lancer that had a +2 defense bonus on him with his caster. The piece was not destroyed but now only had one health.
“Lucky I had that buff on him. I will pull him back for now.” I moved the piece back.
“I am going to heal my lancer instead of attacking” I told Mazasius.
“A wise decision, lancers are one the most important pieces in this game. It is smart to keep them healthy” Mazasius said
The game continued one by one I started losing pieces at a quicker rate then Mazasius. From an outsider the game must have looked lopsided. The pieces I lost were substantial 4 soldiers, a lancer, an archer, and also my healer. It appeared as though I was totally outclassed. Oliver and the others seemed extremely concerned for me and I could tell that weren't totally sold on this game. They were all tense ready to spring into action. Everyone in fact had hands on there weapons, and were in battle postures.
chess1 [http://www.jinchess.com/chessboard/?p=r--bkq-r---pppbnp---p-p--------------B---P------B-PPNK------R--P]
“Guys just relax, this game is protected by a blood contract of both commanders. Attack them and you violate the contract and we all forfeit our lives.” I say mainly looking at Rictor who had he sword ready to unsheathe at any given moment.
“Sorry it is just you seem to be outclassed here. Perhaps you overestimated your abilities” Rictor explained the feelings of the whole party.
“Listen to your companions. The ending to this game is guaranteed, if you want you can concede now and save us all the time. If you do so I will even let you leave with your companions as long as you promise to never return. I have already taken 7 of your pieces and 6 of your buffs. You have only taken 4 pieces and 5 buffs of mine.” Mazasius interjected after Rictor's words.
“Hahahahahahaha. You think I am foolish enough to fall to that ploy. You know what is written on the contract is absolute? No matter what you promise me it doesn't matter. In fact even if you did win and you forced me to leave you yourself would violate the contract. Hilarious you take me for a fool.” I couldn't help myself, my laughter wouldn't stop.
“It seems your cleverness only extends to understanding contracts. You have been thoroughly outclassed in this game however. It just a matter of time. What's so funny? Have you become maniac from realizing you are doomed?” Mazasius said with a large grin. I was still laughing my heart out. I immediately stopped laughing and looked at Mazasius with a look that was as serious as death itself.
“Anyways why would I concede now when I am only 4 turns from winning? This game has proceeded exactly how I wanted it to.” I looked at Mazasius square in the eyes in way that said I was not bluffing in the least.
“Pfffft impossible you are just speaking nonesense. That is absurd I have the ability to play this game and see my opponents moves 5 turns ahead. There is no possible way you can win in 5 turns let alone 4.” Mazasius said this mainly to reassure himself.
“Very well I move my caster and attack your soldier.” I move the caster that was on the right side of the board to take out a seemingly meaningless piece by Mazasius's enchanter. He quickly moved his lancer with movement and +2 attack buff forward and took out my caster.
“You sacrifice your caster to take a meaningless soldier and now have doomed yourself to lose in 4 turns. I don't know why I was so concerned earlier, it was after all just a bluff.”
“Now I move my second caster and attack with him targeting your soldier.” I said taking out another seemingly pointless soldier. I have a movement speed buff on one of my soldiers in the right corner. He can kill Mazasius's Lancer next turn if he doesn't move it.
“Well you have just 3 turns now before you lose. Say goodbye to your soldier.” Mazasius moved his lancer forward taking out my soldier that I had just buffed, and positioning it to begin assaulting my unguarded enchanter.
“Perfect you fell for my trap just how I designed it. You say you can see 5 turns ahead? Well I just happen to be able to see 8 turns ahead. You last possible escape from my trap I laid at the beginning of the game has just vanished as well as any chance for your victory.” I said with a huge smile.
“I don't understand you keep saying this has all gone the way you wanted it to but you are the one whose about to lose?” Mazasius still thought I was bluffing.
“To say I planted the trap at the beginning of the game is untrue to be honest I planted the trap when you proposed the game. When Oliver told me you had never lost, and you being a master enchanter. I concluded that you must have an innate ability to detect enchantments. Giving you an unprecedented advantage” I continued.
“You made it obvious that you possessed such an ability based on your movements and attacks. Just now you even confirmed it for me by telling me the exact number buffs that have been lost, knowledge that you shouldn't be able to possess. Your ability lets you detect all enchants. Even ones that are buffs on Stratim pieces. This ability has distracted you during our game since you have been unable to detect what enchantment I had to conceal my status. You eyes have been searching to no avail, it boggles your mind how this is possible. How can someone conceal there status with no enchantment you must have thought?” I explained to him what I had figured out.
“I do have said ability, it is called Perfect Detect Magic. It was a gift from none other Sanite himself. None of that matters now once I have control of you I will know what secrets you keep. Since using my ability was not stipulated on the contract there is nothing you can do about it. Hahahahahaha” Mazasius thought he was so clever.
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“You used your ability as a crutch guiding your strategy and moves. Your ability has blinded you from my trap. While you can see what pieces are buffed, there is something that it cant detect and it has now doomed you” I said still holding that smile even when Mazasius started laughing at me.
“Oh yeah and what is that? I can see where the pieces are and where the buffs are what else do I need to know? The fact that you know my ability is pointless at this point” Mazasius was still confident of his situation, it was time to pull the rug out from under him.
“Well with your ability you certainly have an advantage, it may tell you what buffs each pieces posses but it doesn't tell you how much health each piece has. I move my caster up one space and attack your soldier. ” I did my move killing a soldier, with the soldier defeated his enchanter was now within my caster's attack line. And my caster had a +2 attack.
“So in Stratim what happens if you try to heal a piece that is full health?” I ask a rhetorical question.
“A piece can only be healed up to the threshold of its max defense. Anything more is wasted why do you ask this?” Mazasius was still confused.
“Well what if I told you the lancer I healed earlier wasn't the one with a +2 defense you had damaged with your caster, what if I had healed my other lancer that was full health already? If now I move the +2 defense buff from him what would happen?” As I asked the question I moved my buffs the +2 defense buff from my lancer to my enchanter. Immediately the lancer disappeared having its buff removed and being brought below 0 health threshold. The second buff I moved was the other +2 attack buff to my archer that was nestled behind my lancer who had disappeared from moving the buff. The archer was directly in a line with his enchanter as well now creating check mate.
“Like you I too can see the enchants on the board, you think I sacrificed my healer among other pieces for nothing other then meaningless positioning, soldiers, and buffs? You only have one defensive buff left and its a +1. I have two pieces that do 4 damage in a direct line with your enchanter next turn and the highest possible defense you could muster on your enchanter is 4. In one turn you can not block, kill or move your pieces in any manner in which to prevent both pieces from being able to one-shot your enchanter on my next turn. Also your Lancer could only do a maximum of 4 damage to my enchanter who has 5 defense. You have been utterly defeated.” I say as I end my turn. Waiting for his reaction. I bring back that smile from earlier.
chess2 [http://www.jinchess.com/chessboard/?p=r--bkq-r-----pb-p-----p---------B--------P-----n--PP-K------R---]
Mazasius's face had turned from a smile to a look of disbelief. He was probably wondering how this was possible. How I had used his own ability against him. No matter how he looked the board I was going to win next turn. My promise of winning in 4 turns was no bluff after all. He regained his compsosure and started clapping to me as if he had some sense of gamesmanship.
“You sacrificed one of your best pieces just to conceal a trap. Incredible indeed there is no manner in which I can set my pieces to prevent such an attack next turn. Who would have thought that you possess such an ability too. I shouldn't be surprised though you do draw in the power of the aspect of wrath. You are truly remarkable but I still have one card left to play.” Mazasius drew his lunar staff.
“The contract only takes effect after the game has concluded and since we put no limit to the maximum duration of one turn, I can freely attack your raid team and as long as I do not take my turn!” Mazasius started casting a large spell of some sort at us.
“Everyone don't retaliate trust me just stay still. Please trust me!” Everyone obeyed me without question thankfully. Mazasius spell flew towards us and was quickly dispelled by a barrier I had Oliver set up during the game Mazasius was too concentrated on me and the game to notice such a specifically built barrier.
Right after his attack the contract paper lit up and beams spread to all the members of Mazasius team including himself. Mazasius and all of his follower's collapsed to the ground as if all there strength had been sapped from them.
“Impossible how did I violate the contract? I don't understand.” Mazasius asked. He knew he was dying but he didn't know why.
“Silly Mazasius. You think I would overlook such a simple loop hole in the contract? You think my signature was only thing I wrote in that strange writing you didn't understand?” I said to him feeling no guilt about what I had done.
“You tricked me! What did you add to the contract?” Mazasius was barely clinging on.
“I added in a simple clause. Any attempt by either party to cause harm to the other party while the game was in progress would violate the contract. You arrogantly accepted my signature not thinking I was bold enough to change the contract itself in my foreign writing. I don't feel bad though the clause I created wasn't one sided, if we had attacked you out of desperation the same thing would have happened to us. But I would never lose to the likes of you. Goodbye Mazasius, I go now to crush your master as I have done to you. You people who would sacrifice innocent people to feed your own power out of greed, this fate is too kind for the likes of you” I haunted Mazasius as he finally died.
“Oliver I must apologize I knew you wanted to personally have vengeance on this man for what he did to your friend, but I did this to protect our party. If you want to hate me I wont blame you.” I looked at Oliver who was in tears at the whole ordeal.
“I don't hate you, in fact I want to thank you bringing justice to this man. I don't have the nerve to kill like a lot of you do so maybe this was for the best. Its just I thought after Elise had been avenged that this pain inside of my heart would lessen but hole inside my heart still exists. Retribution has not filled it in the slightest. Remembering all the times going to classes with her, and then working together with her in the research department afterward. She was taken away from me before I had a chance to confess my feeling's to her. I wanted to tell her I loved her.” Oliver hugged me and let out his emotion's that he had buried so deep inside himself out. I will only give him a short time to collect himself, as harsh as that sounds that all I can afford to give him. The final showdown with Kormon would soon take place.
After a few minutes we continued through the Emerald Gateway. To my surprise it opened for us without issue. As the gate opened the beauty of the inner palace truly showed it was truly majestic the floor was made of pure marble like the stairway. There walls were also made of marble too but there was very detailed engravings drawn into them. There were various paintings and artwork scattered everywhere. Diana would probably freak if she saw all this. All the woodwork glistened from the light casting through the crystal clear windows. There was decorative carpet leading up to a stairway where it split in two directions. Standing on the first landing of the stairs stood Kormon or perhaps this was another illusion. That question was quickly answered as one of Melinus's arrows whizzed through the Kormon illusion's head deflecting harmlessly off the marble wall behind it.
“Now is that any way to treat your humble host?....Anyways I welcome you guys to the emerald palace! Amazing right? This place is still in spectacular shape after having being uninhabited for centuries. While the city crumbles around it this inner palace stays eternal.” Kormon continued.
“I must thank you little girl your name is Lara right? You have thoroughly tested my subordinates and they have revealed themselves as inept. To show my gratitude I will let you gain audience with me in the throne room. However I am afraid that I am unable to send you an escort, so you will have to find your way here by yourself. Please be careful this is a very dangerous place after all wouldnt want you getting hurt now would we.” With that the illusion dispelled itself.
“Careful there are traps here” Mason stopped us from advancing. He threw an expensive pot that was sitting on a pedestal towards the stair way as soon as it hit the stairs spikes shot up from the ground all on the stairway. He then threw some dust in the air in front of us. The dust all settled on spot of marble that with further inspection looked slightly different then the other marble.
“We must proceed carefully, I doubt this was the only one.” Mason walked up to the spot where the dust had settled and stepped on the ground there causing some clicking noise causing all the spikes recede and lock so they wouldnt reactivate.
“The stairs should be fine now.” I am sure glad I have such a skilled rogue with me. We carefully went up the stairs. The stairs split into two directions we can either split up or choose one direction to go together.
“What do you guys think splitting up would save us some time but we are weaker separated. Also we only have one rogue to spot traps so one group would be traveling blind.” I ask the group what they want to do both strategies have there own merit.
“I can detect traps too so splitting up wont leave us vulnerable to traps.” It was Landon our beastmaster he kept an Eagle on his shoulder.
“I can vouch for Landon I have been on adventures with him before he can spot traps as well as I can.” Mason gave him the vote of confidence.
“So you guys want to split up?” Everyone seemed to agree on this.
“Ok Reid, Leon, Landon, Melinus, Joel, and Rictor I want you to go to the right. I leave Rictor in charge, if you have trouble meet back here to regroup. The rest of us are going left.” I split us up as evenly as possible.
“My lady are you sure it is wise to split me up from you?” Reid started his 'My Lady' bullcrap again.
“Yes other then you I am the only one here capable of healing someone who has a major injury.” I grin and show my high potions I crafted on the way to this god forsaken city a few days earlier.
“Be safe you guys if you find the throne room don't engage Kormon until we regroup. April and Joel can communicate with each other through their familiars.” I said as we seperated.
As soon as we got to the top of the stairs Mason immediately stopped us.
“Something is not right about this hallway. Illusion magic perhaps.” When Mason suggested illusion magic I cast a dispell down the middle of the hallway revealing the true hallway we were walking in.
There were swinging blades every few feet, what looked to be pressure plates that released posion darts, and last but not least spears that came up from the ground in a regular pattern.
“Wow this place is a death trap. Unbelievable” April said at the scene in front of us.
“This is going to take some time to disarm” Mason said as he started looking around for all the pressure plates.
“Let me do the honors” I said to Mason and started before he had a chance to respond.
Both the swinging blades and spears that came out of the ground had a non metal material at the pivot. I run in cut down two swinging blades at the pivot with Tachi. At the same time I activated 3 different pressure plates. The first set of poison darts thankfully lined up with my follow through swing of Tachi. The second set of darts I was able to defect with my staff in my offhand. The final set I used gust of wind blowing them back into the wall bouncing off harmlessly. I finish off the last swinging blade and pressure plate with some more skillful sword play. When the set of spears in the middle rises up I freeze them with sleet of ice a level 2 water spell. Then I cut down the spears like a farmer harvesting his crop as they are frozen at full extension.
“Come on we must hurry.” I yell at my group to pick it up. They shouldn't get amazed by skillful displays like this, in a place like this lowering your guard can be deadly.
“Impressive Lara you are so cool!” April exclaimed.
“So scary is more like it” Lux said.
The party followed in my path through the now disarmed traps. I went ahead a bit, then something grabbed my attention. Throughout the palace there were countless painting but one finally caught my eye eerily. It was of a man I had seen in Grena's memories... Magnus. I went up to the painting and looked at it in his right hand he had the chalice. I was going to take this painting and keep it in my spacial ring I am sure there useful clues in here about Magnus, I just dont have the time to sit down and figure it out.
When I pushed up on the painting to slide it off it resting place something unexpected happened. The wall and the ground around my feet were suddenly twisted about 180 degrees, so I was now behind the wall I was just in front of. It was completely dark and before I could gain my bearings I heard a few clicks and the platform I was standing on started rising up rapidly. Getting ready to destroy what ever was at the end of this platform ride I soon found that it wouldn't be needed. Within seconds the ceiling opened up and spat me out into an enormous library. It looks like I have unfortunately been separated from my group. I will have to find a way back to them. Everyone please stay safe!