The Master of Games pressed himself up against the wall. Did that blasted elf see me? He looked up and down the hall, and when he was sure the coast was clear, he darted to the unmarked door at the end of the hallway. He whipped it open, swept himself inside, and eased it shut. He waited, and the deep darkness surrounding him spoke.

"IT MUST HAVE TAKEN QUITE A BIT OF NERVE TO BRING ME HERE, BROTHER."

"Nice to see you, too."

"DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN KEEP THIS RUSE UP?"

The yellow-robed man cursed and shouted back at the nothing that surrounded him.

"Of course I can! I am infinitely more powerful than you!"

"AND YOU ARE INFINITELY MORE OF AN IDIOT. YOUR POWER DID NOT STOP ME FROM SLAYING YOU. WHY DO YOU THINK IT WILL SAVE YOU NOW?"

"These…warriors… are mindless insects! I could keep them here for eons!"

"YOU HAVE SPENT TOO LONG DRIFTING HALF-DEAD IN THE COSMOS, HASTUR. I SPENT MY EXILE LIVING ON A PLANET INFESTED WITH THESE CREATURES. INSECTS? YES. MINDLESS? NOT QUITE."

"What do you mean?"

"THEY CANNOT COME CLOSE TO UNDERSTANDING US. BUT THEY HAVE MORALS," the voice paused. "AND THAT IS SOMETHING NO AMOUNT OF POWER CAN FULLY REMOVE."

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"I have them under my thumb! They are animals, ready for the slaughter!"

"NO. YOU CAN BREAK THEM. YOU CAN BEAT THEM. BUT THEY CLING TO THINGS LIKE LOVE AND HOPE. NO POWER CAN SMITE THESE IDEALS."

"You're starting to sound like one of them, Cthulhu. Do you forget who we are? We are Great Old Ones! Masters of the cosmos!"

"YOU CAN CLING TO YOUR TITLE, HASTUR. YOU ARE TOO BLIND TO SEE ANYTHING ELSE. WE ARE NOT SO DIFFERENT THAN THOSE YOU SEEK TO CRUSH."

"I've had enough of you," the Master said, turning for the door.

"VERY WELL THEN. YOU CAN THINK THAT THIS TIME, YOU WILL WIN. AND YOU WILL BE SORELY MISTAKEN."

The Master of Games opened the door and slammed it behind him. He thinks he can get inside my head.Thinks he's the smart one. Well, I'll prove him wrong. This is my domain, and I will show him yet! Now, I have some challenges to plan.