As the burning embers of our table blew into the wind, I arose from my chair in righteous fury. Then I remembered that god hates me, so I fell to my hands and knees and cried a lot.

Goddammit...that sea monster fillet looked really tasty... and now I will never enjoy it...*sob sob*

When I felt the heat of another fireball, I looked up.

Well, looks like it's the end for me. Honestly, I think it's a blessing. No, god wouldn't be so kind...he just wants to see me burn in hell...

A grey-haired man who stood at six-seven stepped in front of me. Raising his left hand, he spoke one word.

"Void"

A screaming vacuum appeared, and the fireball vanished like it had never existed. Turning around, he went to one knee and offered his hand.

"U-um, are you looking at me...?"

He had the signs of age. Wrinkles on his forehead and gray hairs, but even then-

Under his shirt, I could see the bulging muscles of a champion. Even though he was old, he evidently worked out. He smiled kindly, and said "Of course. What is your name?"

"U-um-" Realizing that "Lich" isn't really a normal name, I decided to go with the name that swirled around in my memories. "My name is Jeff Shess."

Nodding, he turned around and intercepted several other fireballs. After a couple seconds, the rain of fire ceased, and the body-building geezer turned back to me. "You are in trouble. There is an army outside those walls, and unless you evacuate, everything I have done will have been in vain."

He said this in a carrying voice, and all the other patrons of the restaurant quickly picked up their things and ran away. As they left, I simply took a seat at a table and started tapping my chin. When all the other people had gotten out, the old man turned to me and saw the three men sitting with me. He came over and politely asked if he could take a seat, to which I promptly gestured affirmatively. As he took a seat, I finally realized what I had wanted to do. Rummiging around the back counter of the restaurant, I found what I was looking for.

Returning to the table, I took out the playing board and pebbles, and laid them out. "Would you care to play, old man? If you can spare the time."

Curiously looking at me, he hesitantly picked up one stone and moved it two spaces to start the game.

...

...

several moves later, he was closely concentrating on the game. Then, he stopped looking at the board. Locking our eyes, we looked deep into each others' heads while we moved without looking. Strategy and counter strategy, traps and feints. Through it all, we moved as if our hands were tied together, moving in rhythm without pausing.

Then my hand twitched, and the old man took my final stone.

Stones was a game where the goal was to capture all of the opponents stones. One could do this in a plethora of ways, ranging from jumping to surrounding. The rules were overly complicated and often contradicting. Some stated that some moves were impossible, while others blatantly suggested that they were good. A scholar had once tried to write up all the rules and make sense of them. Due to the complicity of the rules, he was now feeble-minded and heard voices, telling him to do things. I heard he spends hours just staring at rocks, before switching to a different one.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

However, the point was that nearly anything was possible. The only rule that governed it was: If you can get away with it, it counts. Because it was so complicated, and so well known, games often had betters. If a player could cheat, then the spectators would count it as a success, and from then on it was legal, and added to the rules. Really, it was a game for those with too much time on their hands.

As I stood up and thanked the old man for the game, I had found myself a good picture of his character. You could often see what kind of a person someone was by playing a game of stones. Do they follow the rules strictly? Do they cheat honestly, or dishonestly? How do they respond when they are losing?

How do they act when they have lost?

As I looked into that mans' eyes, I had made my decision.

"Jo, go to the north gate. Do whatever you can. Jo, go to the south gate. Try not to screw up."

The old man looked at me in confusion for a second, then asked me a question he knew the answer to. "What are you doing?"

What he was really asking, was "What can you do?"

I turned my head to Plain, and gave him his orders. "Plain, go to the east gate."

When the three men had gone, I turned to the king and said "I have looked into your soul. Having found you worthy, I have decided to deliver you from your enemies."

He looked shocked. "Real-"

"Naw, I just felt like seeing more of the town. Bye ya old geezer!"

Saying so, I walked off toward the west gate. It was where I felt the largest pack of mana, after all.

---

Renards' POV

Watching the young girl saunter off, I looked back at the board of stones.

In reality, I had lost the game. All the little girl had to do was take all of my stones at the same time.

And for the first time in my memory, I saw something. Had she taken that move, she would have broken no rule. In reality, every move you made in stones was breaking one rule or another. But, there was one move that was not against the rules. That little girl manipulated me into the exact position, and then with the next move-

Violated every rule ever made, in order to lose.

I guess what my wife once said was true.

If you study for a thousand years, you can understand a woman for one second. The next she is a completely new person, and you may as well throw away the knowledge you learned as it is useless.

Still, I had enjoyed our game. Playing with an undead was interesting.

Now I just had to pray for my city. I do not think I can survive this one.

Sighing, I leaned against the table.

"I'm too old for this shit..."