EPISODE 58: PLAYING CHESS 1
— Edryan Queendom, Year 7291. Season: Central.
“ The Gods are playing a game of chess…
…and we, the mortals , were the chess pieces.”
Amaya and Madria stared at me as I revealed hidden history. Amaya’s expression quickly cooled, but Madria remained shocked for several more moments.
“You speak true?”
When Madria Gamal finally spoke, a question was the first thing she asked me. It seems this history hadn’t been decimated to her just yet.
“If you don’t believe me, ask your mother. Actually, it is time we set off for NARC, you can see her then.”
“My actions, me pressuring the great families to submit… a united Edryan must be established to face against this world, for our Goddess has tasked me… So, I Will Deliver. ”
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“Your Majesty, His Highness…” Mariam began.
“I know, he is still in the range of my aura, how could I not know,” Queen Titiana stated.
She seemed to be brooding as she sat in her near-empty throne room. The court session was just dismissed, and she quickly shooed out all the personnel within. Only her closest advisors were left.
Her child was far smarter than she gave him credit for. He was resourceful, smart, and a leader, but more importantly, he understood how to use people properly. He was everything Edryan needed him to be. Especially once he began walking the Path.
“Twice our Goddess has tasked an Edryani with unification. Twice they have failed. None were my son. If I was not at such a crucial point… then this task of unification should have fallen to me,” the Queen said softly.
“Your Majesty!” her closest circle began to call out, but she opened her mouth to continue.
“ I am not a good mother .”
A single tear rolled down Queen Titiana’s face. “You’re Majesty, that is untrue,” Liana spoke up. Concern and love radiated in her eyes as she gazed at her Queen.
“Perhaps I should reveal it to him.”
“My Queen,” Mariam said in a pleading tone. “The walls have ears, and the sky holds eyes!”
“No matter what, we must help him, help them all the best we can. No matter what! ” Titiana declared to her followers. Those who were here bowed as they received the order.
The underground train pushed quickly toward its destination. Its passengers were all left with their thoughts. I silently brooded, wondering if I’d make the right decision in decimating the information I did to both young women.
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“ You had to say it sooner or later, ” Minerva chirped. “ Plus, I’m tired of you yapping my ear off! ”
‘ Oh? I yap your ear off? What ears do you have? ’
I grabbed Minerva and checked the sides of her head. ‘ Two horns, check. A single beak, check! Two eyes…, check! Nope, don’t see two ears here! ’
Minerva squawked in outrage and pecked at my hand, forcing me to release her. The antics brought me from my brooding. Whatever happens, happens.
I was more than ready to start taking a more proactive step in everything I needed to be done. To create a united Edryan that could knowingly face the world. Everything I’ve done for my people. I’ve done this to prepare us for what is to come. Their way of life, their culture, it was something I found myself holding dear. I would not allow the Edryans to fade into obscurity. Not like other races who’ve long since disappeared from the continent. Only the ruins of their civilizations are left behind. Danger zones in most countries, yet opportunities for the foolhardy, such as [Adventurers].
Several hours later, the train began to slow until coming to a complete stop. I stood and motioned to the girls to follow me. We emerged through the sliding doors under a small escort of guards. Tobi walked at the forefront; the guard captain of my protection force, and two others, accompanied us today.
We found ourselves in startling white hallways. They looked similar to the large hospital or research facilities you’d see on Earth. Polished white marble covered the floors and bright (Mage Lights) eradicated all shadows.
The moment we stepped off the train, I was immediately bombarded with updates as Bucca came up to give me her reports. Amaya perked up as she saw the old man next to her.
“You’re the Kain who invited me.”
“That I am, good evening Your Highness Lawruthian and Lady Amaya and Lady Madria. I am Celcus Kain, a head researcher of NARC,” the man said and bowed.
At least someone has manners! I glared at Bucca, yet she only rolled her eyes and continued to report and update me on LSG's current ongoings.
“Good evening Celcus,” I said with a nod to the head researcher.
“Bucca, report,” I said, gesturing toward Amaya and Madria to follow me.
“As if I wasn’t already doing so,” she stated with a roll of her eyes.
My gaze indifferently flicked to her, and she nodded with seriousness before continuing. “The Hero Golems have returned and are receiving small maintenance. Huego is receiving a legendary-grade sword and shield set commissioned by House Ca’Ronna. A gift for the swift quelling of the dungeon break in their lands. A new staff that will amplify Hela’s attacks to a devastating level has been created by the masters of House Coal. Hector has received two legendary-grade batteries to further support his buildings. These can be installed as cores to power the rune wards and defenses.”
I nodded and Bucca continued. Alerting me on updates for everything related to LSG. Officially, my Hero Golems were under the control of the company. Since their creation, I’d rent them out as mercenaries for hire. Houses like Ca’Ronna, Carter, and Zeno specialized in the artisan classes. Although they were high noble houses, they did not have the same military traditions a number of the other high noble houses held. That did not mean they were weak or undervalued in Edryan society.
Together, we made our way through twisting hallways and passed guards whose levels ranged in the 100s-150s. We made our way toward the outside. Bucca continuously updated me on the current events of my company.
“LSG has met and exceeded our goal of eighteen large Edri. As Central ends, we are getting ready to host the annual sale of Edryani Honey. We estimate this year to bring in a total of 50 large Edri. The official sale will occur once you’ve returned from your… excursion. The Oni, Romus, Consus, Lorde, and Dioni have made significant moves to purchase 50 bottles for each family at a minimum. Alongside them, several magical organizations have made significant moves to purchase a high amount of the honey as well.”
I thoughtfully rubbed my chin and Bucca continued. Those families alone were purchasing a fourth of the available supply this year. That was the minimum they wanted this year. The value of Edryani Honey was beginning to exceed what it normally sold for. The demand was growing, but the supply was not. There was only one queen and one colony that produced the honey. Not only that, but the process to make the honey extended far beyond the valuable bee colony.
“We have discovered consuming ten or more of the Edryani Honey in a single session creates a limiter upon the user. They grow used to the psychedelic effects from such rapid consumption of it,” Celcus piped up.
“That brings us to the next topic. [The Alchemist] Prirro Nepos has created several new and improved tinctures using Edryani Honey; however, each has some startling… side effects. Our test subjects-”
“Let’s discuss this later,” I raised my hand to pause Bucca. My eyes flicked to Madria and Amaya, who walked with us. They weren’t in NARC just yet.
Amaya’s eyes sparkled with wonder and curiosity as she listened to everything going on. Her best friend was quiet, but Madria was still attentive. She seemed to be heavily thinking, she’d been this way ever since our conversation at the royal palace.
“Edryani Honey tinctures? I’m interested!”
“Perhaps you can meet with Prirro later today, I’m certain the young man would love to introduce a fellow scholar to his creations,” Celcus responded good-naturedly.
Before Amaya could respond, we stepped through two large doors. Each door was made from heavy black steel that seemed to hold the weight of the world behind them. Each held an intimidating presence and phrase carved in runes upon them. The doors opened, and a bright light shined from the entrance, which made it hard to see without entering.
“ Now I Become Death, Destroyer Of Worlds, ” Madria whispered as she read the runes aloud.
The rune work was simple, yet the startling grim words left the few newcomers with their thoughts on the meaning and reasoning. The runic script acted not as a spell but as a warning. The runes carved as language and not spell. Both girls glanced at me, and I stepped through the doors. An expression of indifference shined on my face.
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Madria watched Law step forward and through the doors. She was far from scared and knew Law wouldn’t hurt her. Yet with grim words like that, she couldn’t help but make the symbol of Goddess Madris before she followed.
“Huuuh!”
A startling gasp erupted from Madria, while Amaya swallowed loudly. Thousands of golems shiny with fancy rune work stood beneath them. The tallest stood at a height of 4 meters and held a presence like no other.
“That’s a three-star, gold rank for certain,” Amaya stated more to herself than anyone else. The silver grey of adamantium told Amaya a lot, and she’d yet to examine them.
The rest of the golems stood at 2 meters and vastly outnumbered the taller golems. To Amaya, it was clear the taller ones were a commander of some sort.
“(Inspect).”
[Golem Corps: Adamantium Vanguard – ★★★ ]
Base Atk: 300
Base Def: 195
HP: 1500/1500
MP: 2550/2550
Stolen novel; please report.
HP Regen: 28/Hour
MP Regen: 47/Hour
Core Charge: 100/100
Core Integrity: 100/100
Power: 1000
Mind: 850
Vitality: 500
Self: 650
Description:
Part of the Golem Corps, the Adamantium Vanguard is the elite commander unit in charge of ten of its lessor Steel Vanguard counterparts. They suffer from the same deficiencies of their counterparts.
“(Inspect).”
[Golem Corps: Steel Vanguard – ★★ ]
Base Atk: 150
Base Def: 120
HP: 600/600
MP: 1200/1200
HP Regen: 18/Hour
MP Regen: 36/Hour
Core Charge: 100/100
Core Integrity: 100/10
Power: 500
Mind: 400
Vitality: 200
Self: 400
Description:
Part of the Golem Corps, the Steel Vanguard is the highly dangerous attack unit of the corps. They possess high attack and defense but suffer from a lack of health.
Amaya squealed. Her princess curls twirled this way and that as she gazed around. Her fingers wiggled seductively, and Madria could tell her best friend was dying to take one of the golems apart.
“Welcome to the New America Research Center. Where all your dreams come true,” Celcus said with a wave. He then continued to explain the golems below.
“The taller ones are Total Golems, as His Highness Lawruthian has classified. They can fire a range of spells, fight head-on battles, and more. The smaller ones are the Standard Knight Golems. They come as you see and primarily focus on boosting their physical prowess.”
“Amazing,” she whispered. Everything here was just so interesting . She understood why her sister hadn’t come home properly in years.
It wasn’t just humanoid golems, Amaya soon realized as they walked upon a steel bridge that extended from one side of the facilities to the other. While they did so, Amaya saw spider-shaped golems, horses, and even Birds of Prey. There weren’t just tens of them or even hundreds. There were thousands, showing that the production of such golems had been ongoing for years. Maybe even tens of thousands as the vast interior of a mountain was emptied to make room for the machines of war. Amaya couldn’t begin to calculate the amount of wealth put into the construction of the facility and its components.
“This, this is…,” Amaya began.
“This is the Golem Corps and the reason I choose to have an army of quality rather than quantity,” Lawruthian finished.
The flickering light of steelworks reflected on his eyes. Beneath them, in similar factory lines Amaya participated in when inscribing runes for the RAIL system, were hundreds of workers. An [Artisan] would craft an arm or leg, shaping it with their mana before passing it along. Amaya watched in fascination as a golem was built right in front of her. The young woman easily spotted the telltale signs of several craftsmen's houses.
House Zeno held brown, earth-colored hair that was usually kept short, even on the female members of the House. They were famous for specialized mining golems and a vast amount of steel works. In recent years, they released numerous production models in cooperation with LSG. Many of their people were working on the components of the golems. House Carter was in a similar field, but they specialized more in the tinker field with runic devices that catered to the noble and well-off. They were more of an artificer house than anything else. The Carters held spiky steel-colored hair; a trademark look because of their… zappy inventions. From the hands of the Zenos, the Carters would begin to inscribe runes upon the various golem parts. Lastly, was the clear leader when it came to tinkering with devices and more. House Ca’Ronna held three reputable masters. Leading figures in their craft and more, and one of the biggest employers of the [Worker] class in the capital. House Ca’Ronna was under the directions of Masters Lou, Devin, and Boron. They led the high noble house in several fields, construction, especially the golems for it, was the first of many of those fields. The rest included rune works, tinker tech, and more. The members of House Ca’Ronna were blonde-haired with highlights of many different colors, all depending on the house member. They did the final stages of the work, joining the golems together after an inspection and slotting in the golem's heart. They were the ones who built and developed the torso and golem mana battery/heart.
What surprised Amaya was the little number of members of her house and of House Kain, she saw. Over the years, many members of her House were assigned to the capital or other places by her sister. Amaya was expecting to join them and was suspecting they’d be here at NARC, unfortunately, it seems her conjectures were false.
“This organization… NARC is expansive, but I thought there be… more,” Amaya stated aloud. The excitement from earlier began to die down.
The prince gestured to Celcus, and the old man stepped forward. He began to lead the way across the bridge and as he did so, he started to discuss who and exactly what NARC is.
“New America Research Center or NARC is far more expansive than this… This is only the first division of the multiple. Right now, we are located in the 1st Division, also known as the Foundry. The Foundry is meant to construct the complete visions of any advanced technology that requires a massive scale. It is led by Master Lou, the oldest of the Ca’Ronnas.
The 2nd division which we are headed to now is known as the Jungle , where both monsters and plants can be found. It is where [Alchemist] Prirro Nepos, the division head, spends the majority of his time creating new concoctions and tinctures. Some are of his accord; others are at the request of His Highness.
The 3rd division is the TechShop , it is led by yours truly,” Celcus grinned. “It is the best division; we are the ones who helped His Highness invent the solution that powers his creations. Home of the battery and more! It is in the TechShop that imagination becomes reality!
There are two more divisions, but for now, you’ve received a proper explanation of NARC.”
Amaya listened closely, taking everything to memory. She was curious about the last two divisions, but she was more curious about which division her older sister found herself in the majority of the time. She and perhaps her missing housemen.
Seemingly sensing her concern, Celcus Kain spoke up. “You have questions, I have answers.”
With his go-ahead, Amaya began to ask away. “This is where His Highness, my sister, and you invented the batteries? Where does my sister mainly work? What does she do? How come there aren’t more Kain and Musa members here? Where were the Hero Golems made? What-”
More and more questions spilled from Amaya’s mouth, causing Celcus to widen his eyes in surprise as she began asking.
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I gestured to Madria to follow me, leaving Celcus to continue with Amaya. Madria held questions and as Celcus stated earlier… I have answers. We made our way outside the Foundry. Splitting the group up as Celcus and Amaya went one way. I knew she’d be in good hands and did not need to worry. Celcus would probably take her to meet with her sister.
We found ourselves in an MGB-powered golf cart. It was the fastest way to get from one end of the base to another. NARC covered the entire Caden Mountain Range, and getting the batteries to power something outside of golems became relatively easy. It was either the carts or the tram that ran between areas.
I hopped behind the wheel and pointed to the seat on my right. Madria hesitated but eventually followed. The rest of my entourage got in carts of their own. While Minerva took to the air. She’d told me she wanted to stretch her wings, leaving me completely alone with Madria.
For several moments, we drove forward in silence. The wind blew in our faces as the cart scooted through the large tunnel between divisions. The Caden mountain range, named after the minor Baron House I bought it from, held seven mountains, and five of them were occupied by NARC. The facility was a grand project. Requiring a thousand [Earth Mages] to carve through the ground and set up the supporting pillars. After them, [Ward-Masters] came and began to carve wards on nearly every surface available. The entire facility was then powered through many means, but much of the power came from a magical leyline that ran deep underground. Madria maintained her silence as we drove, so I began our conversation.
“I have questions and you have questions. We both possess answers. Ask away,” I smiled gently at her before returning my eyes to the road.
“How- I- You-… ugh,” she said as tried to formulate her questions. With each attempt, she seemed to hesitate or be stumped.
“By Her Three Faces… you truly embody the words of Her Majesty. Since when have you done…” she gestured around. “All of this?”
“Nearly since I was six/seven and I- no we, Margret Musa, Celcus Kain, and others invented the batteries. I provided the concept and guidance, but it was through the work of great mages that all of this came to life,” I paused here as I gathered my thoughts. My story was short but long. Short in the number of years I’d been alive on the Elrunian Continent, but long is the complexity and lives I affected since.
“Mana batteries are a culmination of Celcus Kain's research and Margret Musa's help. They aren’t what’s even important, but what is located inside. Tell me what physical state does mana have?”
Madria curiously tilted her head. “Isn’t this a better question for Amaya? She is the one interested in your work.”
“Perhaps yes, but I’m interested in you ,” I said simply. My eyes met Madria’s divinity golds. It was only after several seconds of silence that I realized my words could have been received another way.
Before I could speak, Madria answered. “Mana, as the mages of Elrunian know… comes in two different forms. Air or crystal.”
“Yes, they come as a solid or gas. What if they came in a third form? A liquid form?”
“It wouldn’t be possible… the magic would dissipate into the air,” Madria said. She began to expel mana. Keeping control of it and gathering it in her hands. I could see the bright white gold of life attributed mana working to fill her clasped palms.
As she expelled her mana, it gathered into her hands and seemed to take on a liquid-like form. If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost think it was a drinkable liquid.
“Watch,” Madria stated simply as she released the control she held.
Sparks of white gold drifted down the roadway as we drove deeper into NARC. The moment the mana’s control was released was the moment it began to return to the air. The mana wouldn’t last long without Madria’s Intent to control it. It would be absorbed by the unattributed mana and return to the world.
“What if you isolated the mana from the world? Completely cutting off its connection for a period of time. What would happen then?”
Madria frowned, but I knew she’d have taken one Theoretical Magicks course at the academy. “It still wouldn’t work unless you kept it in a container that somehow kept it isolated from the world. Even still, the moment it would need to be used, it would come into contact with the world and disperse like grass in the wind.
It's clear you’ve found a way, however.”
I smiled, “That I have, that I have.”
Sensing a lull in our conversation, Madria spoke up, choosing to ask another question rather than have the conversation dull.
“Tell me of this history… of the Gods playing chess,” Madria spoke softly… like every word she was saying was blasphemy.
I pursed my lips as we drove pass guard stations that confirmed our identity before allowing us to move on.
“Where do I even begin?”
“How about the beginning,” Madria responded. She looked at me with trust and guidance in her eyes. To her, I was an extension of the divine and my reputation and friendship with her had led to a stable bond of trust built between us. It's most likely the reason she didn’t immediately call me a blasphemer or more.
She trusted me to not lead her astray. So, I would not fail that trust.
“Five thousand years ago and some change… The Great War Began… ”