Land Games Act 2 Chapter 3

Serge

    “Alright, is everyone synched up?” Reckes voice floated in from somewhere off to Serge’s left.  Serge was seated in darkness, the light grey outlines of his interface barely visible against the empty backdrop.   He ordered his computer to activate, and the interface blazed up around him in transparent blue.  He’d redesigned it since the last battle, and the interface now was arranged only at chest height, allowing him to see the room around him, which was currently a blaze of random shapes and colors.  As his computer connected to those of his allies, the view transformed to show a simple octagonal room.  Sitting across the room, arranged like a triangle, were his two allies, Reckes to his left, surrounded in golden screens that flowed around him like water, and Jayle to his right, sitting up straight within a ring of green.  To the left hand of each of them sat their Companions at their own station.  Ergo was entrenched in a cube of violet light, standing on bare feet, eyes trained on him in anticipation of orders.  Little Sola appeared to float in midair, her body held up by luminescent wings, a flurry of orange screens and pads hovering alongside.  Only Jayle, sitting much too stiffly, was without a Companion.  Yet another weakness they’d have too compensate for. 
    The room where they all sat did not exist in reality.  It was a digital space created to give them the illusion that they were all together, which would make it much easier to cooperate in the coming battle.  Though he’d agreed to it, Serge wasn’t sure he was completely comfortable with the arrangements.  He wasn’t used to having an audience for this sort of thing.  Hanging in midair before each of their stations was a ring of dull gray, a common interface that each of them could link their own screens too, to share information amongst the whole group.  And floating in the very middle of the space was a huge holographic globe, showing the current known positions of all fortresses, armies, and production facilities that existed on the planet.  Reckes had set the whole thing up. 
    “I’m ready,” Serge said. 
    “Same here,” Jayle said.  Outwardly, Jayle exuded confidence and serenity.  But Serge had known her long enough to know that she was being too blatant about it.  If she was really prepared, she’d seem more relaxed, more an unconcerned player than a grim soldier.  But when he thought to say something, he hesitated.  The truth was, he didn’t really know her that well anymore.  Since coming to this planet she’d more or less done her own thing, and he’d been so caught up in playing the game that they hadn’t had much time to stay in touch.  Maybe she’d changed.  The old Jayle would never have defied her sister, and he never would have guessed she would be too anxious to speak with Seol herself.  He let it go.  She was right to be nervous after all.  Aside from half-hearted self-defense, this was the first time she’d involved herself in an operation for two years. 
    “Alright, me and Serge know the drill, seeing as we’ve been doing something other than sitting on our pretty asses for the past two and a half years, but I figure I may as well go over it real quick for our new partner here,” Reckes said, tossing a pair of dice into the air over and over again.  Serge stiffened at the insults, but he decided not to say anything yet.  Seol could launch her attack at any moment, and they needed to get ready.  He’d have time to reprimand Reckes later. 
    “For the past six months we’ve been making considerable headway into Team Apollo’s territory.”  As he spoke, he highlighted areas of the map, showing their progress over the past.  Serge looked on with pride, remembering the thrill of battle and the satisfaction of victory.  “But now Seol means business, and she’s been pushing back as hard as she can, going at it nonstop, and we’ve begun to lose territory.  Even that twerp Brand is doing better, since she’s personally overseeing his strategy just as I do for Serge.” 
    “Just as?  I think you are overstating your importance to this partnership,” Serge said.  “Your tactics have been invaluable, but it has been my army that has won the majority of our battles.” 
    “With a considerable amount of help from his stalwart Companion,” Ergo said. 
    “Yeah, I’m sure you peeping over his shoulder was great for morale, can we get too business here?  Anyway, my point is, things are coming to a head now.  We’ve got less than six months until the end of the game, and it’s about time we made this planet a little less crowded.  So we need to focus on the weakest link, take them out first.  And that’s Brand, obviously.  Once his army is neutralized, no amount of awesome micro will allow Seol to compete with the…three of us.  But to beat him, we need to get through a lot of territory, and we’re gonna need to move a lot faster than before. 
    I’ve always favored the slow and steady approach, because it gives our enemies that many more chances to fuck up.  But we’ve made enough headway that our territory is too big for us to effectively defend.  We gotta throw caution to the wind and finish this with one strike.  But we’re never going to be able to do it in time, not if we’re flipping out over every mile lost.  We’re gonna have to risk some losses.  So, I have a new plan.” 
    Serge had the feeling he wasn’t going to like this.  Reckes was smirking, and had finally stopped playing with those dice of his. 
    “We give Seol what she wants.  We give her Jayle.”
    “Absolutely not!”  Serge was on his feet at once, and slammed his fist down on his interface.  Since it was currently in soft-light mode, the only affect this had was to make a pitiful sound as if he had punched a pillow.  “Jayle is our leader, and we must devote all of our efforts to protect her!”
    Reckes sighed and gave him that same old insolent look.  Ok, maybe Jayle wasn’t really involved in their fight, but she was still technically the leader of Team Aqua, by virtue of her birth.  House Jade was the most powerful House in the Quadrant, and House Azure was significantly elevated due to he and Jayle’s coming marriage.  Reckes’s House was little more than a vassal to his own, and Serge didn’t think he really appreciated the vast difference in status.  It was not as if he personally believed that House Jade was superior, or that Reckes was beneath him.  It was simply a fact of life that needed to be confronted, not ignored. 
    “Hold on, Ser, I think we should hear him out.  Reckes is just being dramatic, I’m sure he doesn’t really planning on sacrificing Jayle,” Ergo said.  She lightly trailed a finger across one of her pads, and a text message appeared on his miscellaneous screen, reading >you know he says things like that to rile you up.  Relax a little.
    “Master Reckes, it is contradictory to our goals to allow one of our allies to be defeated.  Perhaps you should rethink your strategy,” Sola spoke from across the room, her voice high and musical.  Reckes eyed her with annoyance.  Serge knew he was somewhat embarrassed by the state of his Companion, being far below Ergo in terms of artificial intelligence.  But Serge had a suspicion he was fond of her in his own way. 
    “Well if your plan involves me, I think we should hear it,” Jayle said.  “I don’t plan to lose to Seol, but if you think I can be of use I’d be willing to help.” 
    “Well yeah, obviously we don’t want to actually lose you.  I think I’d want to be in a whole different Quadrant if your sis found out we let you get offed.  The plan is simple.  We fake a route, sacrifice enough units to make Seol think she’s really kicking our ass, let her overextend herself into Jayle’s domain.  While she’s in psycho mode trying to take Jayle down, I will play defense and hold her off.  That should give Serge time to launch an assault deep into Brand’s territory.  If Seol’s as pissed off as Serge say’s she is, she’ll be too distracted to help him out.  Serge captures Brand’s castle and disables his army, then loops back to help us defend Jayle.  With Brand out of the picture, we’ll have Seol’s castle in a matter of days no matter how much damage she manages to do.” 
    “It sounds risky,” Serge said. 
    “Of course.  Skill, tactics, they’ll only get you so far.”  Reckes placed one of his dice on his interface and spun it on its end.  “Sooner or later, it all comes down to luck.”  The die clattered to a halt. 
    “The strategy sound’s good, Serge,” Jayle said, catching his eye.  “Honestly, as rusty as I am, I’m more suited to being bait than anything else.  And I know Seol well.  If she still plays like she did in training., and we don’t take her out the first time, we’ll never get a second chance.”
    “I think I should be the one in charge of defending Jayle.  It’s my duty as her fiancé,” he answered. 
    “You said it yourself, Ser: you’re the one who won all that land,” Ergo said. 
    “Look, I’m the idea guy,” Reckes said.  “I’ll draw out an invasion plan for you ahead of time, and see if I can figure out any holes in his defenses.  But we both know I’m no match for you in actual combat.  It has to be you Serge.  You’d just better hope you beat him fast enough, or I might not be able to hold Seol off.” 
    “I don’t know.  If we can’t stop her in time-”
    “It’s alright Serge,” Jayle said.  “I’ll do it.  I want to do it.” 
    And just like that, it’s decided, he thought.  And my House is finished if we let you lose. 

Land Games Act 2 Chapter 2

Mei

    “You did make sure to paint them, right?  Grey is such a boring color, I don’t know how you can even stay awake during battles,” Mei said.  She was lounging on a couch with a bowl of candied fruit, opposite the holo-image of the player of House Shade, sixteen year old Kurai.  Floating in the air all around him were the various screens of her interface, flapping aimlessly around the room on various oversized wings.  She didn’t like to have them all pushed up around her.  She liked to have room to spread out and relax. 
    “Of course.  I always make my deliveries precisely as ordered.  But I wouldn’t be so critical of other’s appearances.  Grey is a very fitting color for me.  Very inconspicuous.”  He sat on a black throne, one leg drawn up, hands folded on his knee.  Despite his claim that grey suited him, his hair and eyes were a plain dark brown.  He was short as well, and his face was round and ordinary.  Kurai hadn’t been genetically engineered like all the others, she knew, and the difference was striking.  He looked so plain and inconsequential.  Not attractive, but not ugly.  But in a room with the other boys of the great Houses, she wouldn’t have looked twice at him (especially not if Reckes were around).  It was no wonder most of the players barely paid him any attention at all. 
    She waved at one of her distant holo-screens and it quickly flapped over on pink feathery wings.  She knew her interface design wasn’t very professional, but hey, they were playing a game, even if it was a very important game.  She didn’t see any reason not to have some fun with it.  She stretched out the screen and carefully inspected it.  It was the combined image from a trio of oracles she had floating over her southeastern border.  On a tiny island only a dozen miles wide, Kurai had arranged his “offer.”  4000 spider tanks, 6000 dragoons, and a pair of shield walkers, all painted the precise shade of peach that symbolized House Tao.  All of them looked to be in good shape, and her oracle’s scans detected no anomalies.  She wasn’t too worried.  Kurai knew better than to double cross her.  With his depleted forces spread out over thousands of miles worth of ocean, defending hundreds of islands, he’d incur heavy losses if she turned her full attention on him. 
    “Looks good!” she told him.  “You transfer the control code to me, I’ll switch it, and you’re free to claim your islands.  I’ve already pulled back my forces.” 
    “Another satisfying transaction.  But I’m a tad surprised.  I never would have guessed you’d need them now.  With Team Aqua and Team Apollo are at all out war, I figured you’d have it easy.”
    “They’re not the only contestants in this game, ya’know,” Mei said.  She wasn’t about to tell him of Three’s activities, or the secret she and Reckes had discovered beneath the surface of Silence.  The revelation changed everything.  No matter how much territory anyone gained, the House that controlled the alien spacecraft would be the true winner of the Land Games.  And she had the advantage.  Team Aqua had no chance of conquering Silence until they dealt with Seol and Brand. 
    “Well I do hope they get put to good use.  I’d hate to have used up all that paint for nothing.  So now that business is over, I’d like to hear your opinion on current events.  Team Aqua or Team Apollo, who do you favor?  Serge has been winning ground for half a year now, with Reckes’s support.  And I hear they’ve got Jayle throwing in too, so that could make all the difference.  I hear she was quite the player, back in training.” 
    “Yeah, she was amazing!  Between her and Seol, they had it all covered, no one even stood a chance when they teamed up.  But it was okay, one of them always broke down and betrayed the other when they started to show weakness, so all you had to do was sit back and defend until they destroyed each other.  Seol’s control is amazing, no one could beat her in fair fight.  But Jayle was good at everything.  She used to make me real jealous.  I wasn’t nearly as good back then, and everyone kind of ignored cause I was so little,” Mei said. 
    “It sounds like a lot of fun…”
    “Yeah, I wish you could have been there.  Then I’d have some idea what you were capable of.”
    “Ha, yeah right.  I’d have never showed my full strength in a mere training exercise.  Play your moves close to the vest and all the dumb players will underestimate you.”
    “And the smart ones?” Mei asked. 
    “They’ll overestimate you, cause they don’t want to be one of the dumb ones,” Kurai said. 
    “One of these days you’ll have to fight for real, and then I’ll get to see if I’ve been overestimating you.”
    “I have no doubt.  But I notice you haven’t answered my question.  Team Aqua, or Team Apollo?” he asked. 
    “It’s a gamble either way.  Serge is a pretty solid player, even if he does get too overconfident sometimes.  He’s no Seol though, she’d beat him if it weren’t for Reckes.  With him calling the shots, Seol can’t win with skill alone.” 
    “So you don’t even consider Brand worth mentioning?  That’s pretty cold.” 
    “Well, if he’d bother to even try I think he could make a difference, but there’s pretty much no way that’s going to happen.  He’s been useless since the games started.  I dunno why, he wasn’t great back in training but he wasn’t horrible either.  It really sucks he’s getting all those nice toys from his House and he doesn’t even know how to use them.” 
    “I think there’s more to Brand than meets the eye.  I may not have been around for you guys training, but I’ve talked with him a lot these past years.  The kid’s got issues.  He’s just got to work through them.”
    “Careful who you’re calling kid.  He’s older than me you know!” 
    “I suppose you’re right.  None of us are really kids, not anymore.”  He said it without inflection, with a smile on his face, but something in his words made her skin crawl.  “Anyway, I’m going to half to cut this short.  It seems Rasu has picked up something quite interesting, and I’m going to need to inspect this personally.  Say high to Iras for me, and keep out of trouble.”
    “Yeah right.  We’re supposed to be in trouble.”  She waved, and Kurai faded out of her view, dispersing like mist. 

    When Mei had been told that she, out of all ten of the Head of House Tao’s children, had been chosen to represent their House in the Land Games she’d been ecstatic.  She enjoyed nothing more than the intricate balance of strategy and skill that made up the games, and since she was old enough to learn she’d spent nearly all her free time training.  So it was hardly a difficult choice to make, especially considering more than half her siblings had suffered from genetic rejection of their designs and were now forced to live with a number of mental and physical deformities.  So while her older brothers and sisters dedicated themselves to the study of politics and intrigue, and the practice of warfare (very different from the staged battles of the Land Games, even if the execution was more or less the same) she focused on what she loved best. 
    After all these years, she still loved the game, but the total enthusiasm she used to have was starting to fade.  For thirty months she’d done nothing but battle, and after such a long time the war never seemed quite so important.  Some days, she just wanted to crawl into bed, wrap herself in blankets, and sleep in blissful peace.  It had been years since she’d slept for more than four hours at a time, and she was starting to forget what it was like to wake up feeling truly rested. 
    Reminding herself to return to combat in a half hour, she hopped off her couch and stretched, feeling her joints and muscles cracking and popping with relish.  Finished eating, she tilted the bowl of fruit down to the floor and whistled, and a pair of the cute sea-monkey creatures came rushing over from across the room.  She had dozens of the little guys all over her castle, she loved to watch them frolic and curiously explore.  Her Companion thought they were vermin, but she’d long since forbidden him to throw them out.  She suspected he still tried to trick them into jumping off of the balconies though, but that was alright cause they could get back up quite easily. 
    She found her Companion on the roof of the castle, crouched over his interface in a predatory manner, face twisted into an expression of manic glee.  The wind was blowing hard this high up, and her hair (short as it was) whipped wildly around her face.  Iras long, silky hair, jet black and shiny, was writhing around like an octopus, she wondered how he could even see.  Older than her (in appearance, anyway), he was tall and thin, with a sharp grin and narrow, flinty eyes that shone a brilliant gold.  He was wearing a pair of dark shorts, but he hadn’t bothered with either shirt or shoes.  For whatever reason, he never seemed to care much for clothes.  His skin was deeply tanned, and intricate gold tattoos covered his arms and back, showing everything from calligraphy to flowering vines to vicious beasts.  She’d let her sisters help her design him, resulting in a somewhat haphazard mixture of personal tastes.  She’d been responsible for his eyes.  Even though he was kind of a huge jerk, she loved his golden eyes. 
    Engrossed in his game, he hadn’t noticed her appearance.  She crept forward on bare feet, and managed to get a peek over his shoulder.  Seeing what he was up to, she gritted her teeth and drew back her hand. 
    “Ow!  What the hell did you slap me for you little psycho!?” 
    “I told you to monitor troop movement between the eastern and northern bases!” she yelled. 
    “I did!  And now I’m in the middle of launching an attack on Silence’s southern shore.”
    “We have been over this!  My troops are ready, and I am waiting for the right moment to strike.  Now is not the right-”
    “Oh, yeah, the right moment.  Why don’t you stop waiting around and get to fighting!  You don’t win wars by lying around and day dreaming, girly, you got to go out and kick some ass!  So that’s what I’m doing!” 
    “Nope.  You’re my Companion, and that means you take orders from me.  You’ll just have to learn to relax.” 
    She left him yelling and threatening and walked across the roof, to the railing that looked to the north.  Ahead was a vast plain dotted with yellow shrubs, and beyond lay the white emptiness of the open desert.  Storm clouds were brewing over it, a very rare event indeed.  She wondered if the natives that had fled into the sand would consider it a miracle.  Beyond those dark clouds, a thousand miles away, her territory ended, and silent lands of Three lay in wait.  For days now, he’d made no move at all.  Maybe Iras was right.  He was acting strange.  Maybe now was the time to attack.  But she’d gotten this far through caution and careful action.  She had no idea what Three was going to do.  So she would wait. 
    Reaching out into the space before her, she moved her fingers as though typing on a keyboard.  Her castle’s computer recognized her wish and created a small interface around her, just a screen a few feet wide and a holographic pad.  She’d been planning to return to her battle station soon, maybe move some troops along the border and see if Three reacted, but first she wanted to check on something.  A trio of garudas were currently flying at high altitude over Brand’s territory.  She felt a momentary sense of gratitude to him; his carelessness provided her with an easy method to acquire information.  A quick scan over their recorded video revealed that the battles between the five Aqua continent contestants had come to a momentary lull.  It brought a grin to her face.   If her hunch was right, she’d be receiving a message very soon.  She shooed out Iras (he’d only make things more complicated), and waited.  She didn’t have to wait long. 
    After accepting the invitation for a holo-chat, her guest appeared behind her, next to a table containing a basket of fresh fruit.  Tall, wide hipped, curvaceous, the difference in their ages was striking.  Her long spiral ribbon of silver hair was lifted by the breeze, flowing a good four feet to the side like a banner.  Her mirror-esque silver eyes were framed by a pair of white-rimmed glasses that stood out against her deep brown skin.  Mei was always interested to see the strange ensembles she chose to wear, and she was not disappointed.  This time it was a jet black dress, fit for a high-class party, the skirt shredded almost to ribbons from thigh to calf, revealing white stockings beneath.  Her arms were bare, except for a long silver manacle clamped tight around her left wrist, dangling down to a shattered link, giving off the implication that she was some kind of escaped prisoner, albeit an extremely well dressed one.  A scarf of scarlet silk completed the look.  Mei didn’t know enough to guess if the outfit was in style, but it was certainly memorable.  Seol Mercury was like the opposite of Kurai, her appearance would draw every eye in the room.  Mei didn’t give her a chance to speak. 
    “Seol, I’m so glad you finally called me back!  I’ve really been wanting to talk to you!”  Seol blinked in confusion. 
    “You… messaged me?  Oh, that’s right-” 
    “It’s totally fine, you must have been really busy lately.  I’m so sorry to hear about what happened.  If you turn on tactile mode I’ll give you a big hug,” Mei said. 
    “Um, no, there’s no need for that…  You said you knew-” 
    “About your mother and brother?  Yes, of course.  It’s very sad, I hope your father can discover who did it.  I’m sure my own family is looking into the matter too, since it happened on one of our shipping lanes.  My parents have instructed me to tell you that House Tao is prepared to turn over the culprit to you if they manage to find him.”
    “You mean, you believe?”  Seol sat (collapsed, really) into the nearest chair and put a palm to her face, hiding her eyes.  “I’m glad.  Every single person I’ve spoken with, they’ve been talking like it was just some kind of accident.  Which is completely ridiculous.  You’re smarter than I gave you credit for.”  She dropped the hand and her eyes went wide as she realized what she’d said.  “Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t mean I thought you were stupid!  Just… you’re so young.  It was surprising enough to have Reckes join the games, but of course his family don’t have much of a choice…  you have a lot of older siblings, right?” 
    “No offense taken.  And yeah, I do have siblings who could have taken my place, but I begged my parents to let me go.  They didn’t like the idea at first, but when I got the instructors to talk with them, they saw how it was.  I’m the best player House Tao has to offer!  Well, back then anyway.  Maybe some of the others have gotten better by now,” Mei explained.  She left out the part about half her siblings being incapable of participating.  Genetic mutations were extremely common with custom children, but most Houses had them aborted before they grew old enough to risk a miscarriage. 
    “Well, I thank you for your concern, but I didn’t really call to talk about my family, and I’m going to have to get back soon.  Reckes and Serge have really stepped up their game,” Seol said. 
    “It must be rough.  I’ve got all sorts of free time over here, since Three has backed down,” Mei said.  She plopped down in the chair across the table and snatched up a fruit, some kind of light pink fruit that pealed open like a banana.  She hadn’t gotten around to naming them yet. 
    “Well, about that-” 
    “It’s too bad we don’t talk more, Seol.  Back in training, I was so young you guys never wanted to talk to me.  It’d be nice to be friends now.” 
    “I’m not here to make friends,” Seol said, eyes flashing.  She paused, then rubbed her temples, clearly dealing with a headache.  Mei watched her awkward attempts to steer the conversation and grinned through a mouthful of pink-fruit.  Seol, for all the handful of times she’d spoken with her, always reminded Mei of her older sister Yeas.  She was one of the ones who’d mutated in the womb, and despite medical treatments had turned out abnormal.  She never spoke except when necessary, and spent most of her time staring idly into space, her eyes tracking the movements of something only she could see.  But whenever Mei sat down with her to play a game (she liked chess in particular), her eyes would focus sharp and she’d devote all attention to the game.  She was good, too, always remembered the rules and never got bored, no matter how long she played.  Seol had that same kind of focus.  Playing the Land Games, she was sharp as a knife and brilliant, her units reacting so fast you’d swear you were playing against four opponents at once.  Outside of the game, she was far less self-assured. 
    “No, that’s not right.  I’m sorry.  Maybe I am trying to make friends.  You see, me and, um, my fiancé, are trying to finish things with Serge’s team.  We’ve focused on Jayle as the weakest link, and I’m trying to take her down.  But we have less than six months until the games are concluded, and if she’s still in the game by then, if I don’t beat her-”  She shook her head, took a deep breath.  “I can’t let that happen.  House Jade needs to suffer for what they’ve done, and stuck here, this is the only thing I can do to fight back.  I need your help.  Together, our three armies could crush them, I’m sure of it.  Neither of us has the authority to broker an alliance between our Houses, but we can make a temporary pact, just for the games.  If you help us, I’ll withdraw all of our forces, both mine and Brand’s, from your continent and leave it all to you.  Even if you want to end the alliance when Jayle is captured, I promise we won’t ever invade your territory for the rest of the Games.  I know I’m asking a lot, very suddenly but if you think about it-”
    “Sure!  I’ll join you!”  Mei reached out her hand to shake on it.  Seol sat frozen, stunned in silence.  She reached out and the air crackled and sizzled as her hologram turned solid, and their fingers intertwined.  Mei leapt across and wrapped her arms around her, causing Seol to gasp in surprise.  Mei smiled as she hugged her, but inside her thoughts were dark.
    I’m so sorry Seol, but you make yourself too easy, she thought.  It hadn’t been hard to guess that Seol would come to her for help, and she’d spent a long time thinking about her response.  The spacecraft on Silence was the only thing that mattered.  Currently, only she and Reckes knew about it, although it was possible he had revealed it to his team mates.  As long as Seol and Brand’s alliance stood in their way, there was no chance Reckes would be able to get it before her.  But neither did she want them defeated.  The loss of any player, this late in the game, would upset the balance of power so much that she wouldn’t be able to guess what would happen.  If she was going to get what she wanted, Team Aqua and Team Apollo were going to have keep each other occupied.  But from the outside, there was only so much she could do to keep them balanced.  By pretending to join with Seol, she could affect both sides, tip the scales so that neither side would be able to defeat the other, and while they were distracted, she’d recover the ancient spacecraft, securing House Tao as the ultimate victor of the Land Games.  It was too bad she’d have to give Seol the false hope of striking back against her families murderers.  But if she was careful, maybe she could keep Seol from ever knowing that she deceived her. 
    “Our team is going to be the best team of all time!  I can’t wait to get started!” Mei said. 

Land Games Act 2 Chapter 1

Brand

    Please don’t try to compete with me.  I’d like us to remain friends.  He ran his thoughts over the memory again, as if it were a sore he couldn’t stop picking at.  The often remembered line came back to him at the most irritating moments, and made him pause and think too hard about things that should have been forgotten long ago.  He tapped a screen to turn up his music, hoping to drown out his thoughts, and focused on the view ahead.  Under strict orders from Seol, he was controlling his army from high overhead, watched over through the many eyes of his oracle swarm.  Still, he kept his main screen showing the view of his dreadnought, leading from the midst of his tank and dragoon horde.  His entire force, more than 100,000 strong, was bunched up in a tight formation, a massive fist ready to smash through his enemies defenses.  He took in the view of his forward oracles, showing the frantic battle already going on far ahead.  Seol’s silver dragoons and light tanks waged a complex skirmish against gold and blue machines.  Seol was striking a dozen places at once, attacking, retreating, then attacking again whenever the enemy tried to move their forces.  She had advised him, well, ordered actually, to create his present formation and move up slowly and carefully.  So far Serge and Reckes, units in disarray from Seol’s expert attacks, had been pulling their armies back whenever his forces approached.  He’d already regained a hundred miles of the territory he’d lost in the past weeks, but Brand hadn’t gotten to do much at all, other than fend off the attacks of far distant airships.  They always seemed to come from the direction he hadn’t scouted yet.  He wondered how they always got so lucky, and why never seemed to be able to get such a break.  Volca was always ready to intercept them though.  Fortunately, he guessed. 
    “Brand, charge forward at battle speed 4,” Seol spoke to him from of his many smaller screens.  As always when she was busy commanding, she sounded completely toneless and eerily exact.  It was an odd contrast to her blazing fast hand motions and the sight of her eyes whipping wildly from screen to screen, following the action in numerous simultaneous battles.  Finally, something to do, he thought.  He swept his hand over his command screen, activating all units, and pushed forward at increased speed.  The battle line came rushing forward now.  Seol must have spotted an opening that they could exploit.  Or, maybe she was in trouble and needed backup?  He paused, about to ask her, but thought of how pissed off she’d be if he distracted her and made her attack the wrong target or something.  Seol and Volca were practically the same, always so tense when it came to the games.  Like it was some kind of life or death thing.  He sighed, and put his palm to his forehead, rubbing out the tension.  He’d been at this for six hours now, doing practically nothing the whole time, and a headache was steadily building.  He turned up the music again.
    “Another air-strike coming in from the north-east,” Volca called, opposite of Seol’s screen.  He shook his head and scanned his screen hopelessly, trying to remember which oracles to select, only to see that Volca had already indicated it for him.  Flying from the northeast was another huge swarm of missiles, hundreds of miles away but bearing down on him fast.  Unlike the last four air-strikes he’d had to deal with, these ones were green.  Ha, so even Jayle’s getting into it now, he thought.  That was more like it.  Back in training, he’d always liked going up against her the best.  She was damn good, and used to trounce him pretty badly most of the time, but somehow he always felt less ashamed when she beat him.  A girl of her status was expected to be a winner after all.  You are of House Amarant!  You will not lose to trash of this sort!  More memories, more words he’d rather forget.  He shook his head and started tapping at his screen, selecting his anti-air units and preparing them to fire in volleys.  He slipped up a few times, but noticed and was able to recover by the moment the missiles arrived. 
    Explosions filled the yellow sky, leaving the north-east obscured with dark clouds.  Nine missiles made it through, but five of them exploded harmlessly against his shields, so he only lost a couple thousand tanks.  He heard nothing from either Volca or Seol, which was as close to praise as he was likely to get.  He scanned the field again and saw that ahead of him, a blue army was in disarray, three groups of tanks scattered around a string of lakes and hills, a swarm of dragoons speeding up but much too far away.  The remnants of Seol’s forces lay shattered around them, ruined, but they’d done their job.  She’d sacrificed a much smaller force to weaken the enemy, so that his force could scatter it with ease.  He froze.  She was relying on him for this.  If he screwed it up, she’d be angry again. 
    He broke formation, sending his army forward at top speed, his dragoons pulling out far ahead of the others, his spider tanks leaving the slow moving dreadnoughts behind.  A bright beam lit up the sky and nearly blinded him before his screen darkened.  When he rubbed the light out of his eyes he saw his vanguard had been destroyed, and Serge’s tanks were pulling into a proper formation, presenting a curved crescent he was forced to funnel his army into bit by bit, being fired on all the time.  Atop the nearest hill, more of a mountain really, he saw a stationary beam cannon charging up again, built into the rock so that only the ten feet of its barrel was exposed.  How the hell was I supposed to know that was there?  Although, now that he thought about it, he remembered Seol’s advance units being hit by something like that earlier.  He scanned the battle again, saw that his army was taking heavy losses, while Serge’s crescent slowly withdrew so that he could maintain his advantageous formation.  But despite his losses, he vastly outnumbered the blue forces, and his machines were stronger and more powerful as well.  The battle was as good as won, so long as he didn’t have any more surprises.  The beam cannon on the mountain was a good three hundred miles away, out of the range of spider tanks.  His dreadnoughts had a much longer firing range, but it would take several minutes still before they could reach it.  If it fired before then…
    “Volca, take over for me.  I’m gonna go fuck up that cannon,” Brand commanded. 
    “Good luck, sir,” she answered.  He gritted his teeth.  Companions weren’t supposed to wish you luck, they were supposed to have faith in your abilities.  And her tone made it pretty clear she thought he was about to do something stupid.  Well, he knew what he was doing, and he’d show them he wasn’t some moron still learning the game.  All he had to do was take down that cannon before it could fire again, and he’d turn a victory into an impressive victory.  Unless something unlucky happens again.  It probably would.  He had the worst luck of anyone he ever knew. 
    Fingers moving at a blur, he separated out a force from the middle of his army, not yet engaged, four hundred dragoons and a fourth as many tanks.  He ordered them together and made his spiders jump, leaping onto the dragoons which shuddered under their weight and lowered until they were barely floating over the ground.  He had his tanks spread out, two of each leg on a different dragoon, distributing their weight, and the dragoons could float almost at their regular height.  They’d be fast too.  He’d just have to be careful not to make them go too fast, or his tanks would fly off and be scattered all over the fields.  The crescent shaped line of blue was directly to the north, the mountain to the northeast, a wide lake spreading to its south.  He send the dragoons shooting forward, skimming over the lake.  Its water shot high into the air as they past, slamming down as a geyser on the craft following behind.  Dozens of tanks fell back under the force of the water and sunk into the lake.  Shit.  He lowered their speed and the tanks were able to hold, though they swayed drunkenly back and forth.  In less than two minutes, they’d be in firing range…
    More geysers of water exploded out of the lake, hundreds of them, and dragoons and tanks were thrown off course or blasted into shrapnel.  Serge’s other group, the small force to the east of the lake, was firing on his units.  He sent a fifth of his dragoons speeding towards them, trying to draw their fire, but they ignored them and kept focusing on his main force.  Their numbers were dwindling fast, and nearly all the tanks had fallen off to sink into the lake. 
    He flinched again as a huge blast of light erupted from the south, setting the lake shore on fire and engulfing many enemy tanks.  One of his distant dreadnoughts had fired its main cannon.  At this distance, it couldn’t harm the heavily fortified cannon up on the mountain, but it could certainly hit the tanks along the lake shore.  He glanced at his screens and saw that Volca was moving it northeast, getting it into a better position to cover his forces.  Damn it, I told her I could handle this.  Of course she wouldn’t think he could do it on his own.  Too late he realized he should have had his dreadnoughts covering his force from the beginning. 
    Fire was coming from the western shore now too, Serge’s main force getting in on the action.  He sped his dragoons down the middle of the lake, being rocked with fire from all sides, and he spotted more blue tanks hidden on the mountain ahead, firing down in rapid bursts.  He was down to a dozen tanks, no, nine, but his dragoons hit the shore and he had them jump, flying a hundred feet up to slam against the side of the mountain.  Twelve tanks were surrounding him, covered by spiky red bushes and boulders.  He split his spiders aim, firing manually, and wiped all of them out in huge blasts that sent chunks of mountainside careening down to the lake below.  Another four of his tanks were lost, he had five left.  He began to jump them from one ledge to another, clearing dozens of feet with each leap.  The mountain was providing cover for him now, and there was barely any opposition left.  I’m going to do it, he thought.  Three more of his spiders went down, one destroyed, the others simply blasted off the mountain to sink in the mud of the lakeshore below.  His last two leapt up, landing on a natural ledge before the cave that held the beam cannon.  A pair of blue tanks surrounded it, but he fired at one from below and simply charged into the other at full speed, losing three legs but sending it tumbling down the mountain.  Inside the cave, the cannon was glowing hot, ready to fire.  He didn’t have the time to stop it, so he ordered both tanks to leap up and grab hold of the barrel, shoving their legs into it just as the beam fired.  His screen fizzled out as the tanks fried, and he switched to an aerial oracle just in time to see the mountaintop explode like a volcano, raining chunks down boulders over a hundred mile radius.  No beam fired.  He grinned wildly and punched his fist into the air, shouting triumphantly. 
    “Brand.  New orders.  Retreat.”  Seol’s voice rose up from his right, very quietly.  He blinked and turned to see her image, big wide eyes unblinking, still whipping wildly back from one screen to another. 
    “Did you say retreat?  No, I did it, I stopped the cannon, so we’re good, let’s take these guys-”
    “Retreat.  Right now.  I don’t have time to explain my orders to you,” she said, teeth gritting, hands still flying over the controls.  “Volca has prepared a route.  Go.” 
    He slumped back in his chair and pulled up the map Volca had sent him.  It showed a gold arrow streaming in from the south, and green from the west.  Reinforcements.  Just as Seol said, Volca had drawn a red arrow showing him the best route for retreat, with occasional notations written here or there.  She had already begun pulling back his main force, since he’d left her in control.  He sighed.  No one seemed as though they were in any hurry to commend his awesome victory over the hidden beam cannon.  He was sure if this had been a training simulation, the teacher would have mentioned it for sure… although probably to point out how reckless it was.  His music faded out, reaching the end of the list, and he didn’t bother to start another one.  He took back control from Volca and settled down for a boring retreat. 

    Please don’t try to compete with me.  The words rung again in his head as he idly tapped points on the map, sending oracles and dragoons to scout his retreat.  He’d been at it for forty-five long, dull, minutes.  I’d like us to remain friends. 
    I didn’t compete with you, he thought.  I sat back and took it easy, just like you wanted.  So does that make us friends, now?  He sighed, then turned it into a loud groan aimed across the room, where Volca stood in the midst of her own interface, turned transparent from his perspective.  Her maroon braids were arranged in four loops, two hanging down her back and the other across her ample chest.  She was wearing one of her typical wide, elegant gowns, red and orange and yellow silk made in layers on layers.  He supposed it was kinda pretty, but he’d have preferred to see more than a few inches of skin here and then.  After he held his stare at her for more than a minute, she paused and turned. 
    “Can I do something for you, master?”  The sweetness of her words was undercut by sneering sarcasm.  A.I.s as advanced as hers were programmed to be loyal to their masters… but they didn’t have to like it.  Volca had been cold towards him ever since that one little incident, shortly after he’d received her.  I have the absolute worst luck.  
    “Yeah, I’m getting bored… I mean, I need to be rested for the next battle.  You can handle all this retreating stuff right?”
    “Retreating isn’t a simple affair.  If it is not handled with care, we could end up losing more units.  But the Aureus forces are keeping their distance, and Seol is holding off Azure’s advance.  If you feel like you need to rest, now would be as good a time as any,” she said.
    “Alright, I’m outta here,” he turned off his interface, stood, and stretched.  The muscles in his back popped and cracked reassuringly.  The room they used for combat was luxurious, designed similar to his parent’s solar room back on Hephaes, used to discuss important matters with guests.  It had deep and comfortable couches filled with soft pillows, intricate rugs large as houses, and tall windows that opened onto a balcony overlooking the rugged mountains surrounding his castle.  It was an exquisite display of wealth and comfort, but he’d never liked it.  Growing up in his parents castle, he’d always been terrified that he was going to break something really expensive.  The balcony he’d always liked though.  On Hephaes, it had overlooked the fields where huge fungi were farmed.  They produced a pinkish gas that smelled sweet and fragrant, so that when he looked out he saw only a vast carpet of pink mist, with dark shapes moving through like ghosts as the harvesting robots went about their work.  He used to like to climb over the railing and hang over the edge, so that he could see the thousands of feet of empty air below him, crossed occasionally by long serpentine birds with a dozen wings.
    He passed the balcony with only a glance though.  He was hungry, and by now his machines would have his lunch prepared.  As he reached the entrance to the spiral hall that would lead him down to the dining room, Volca called out to him once more.
    “Master Brand?”
    “Huh?  You want something?” he asked.
    “I just wanted to mention one thing.  Seol’s orders to retreat was as a result of the overall battle situation.  We’d gained a lot of ground, and we couldn’t possibly hold onto it all until we have time to build reinforcements.  Not to mention, she was taken unawares at Jayle’s participation in the battle.  It was the right moment to retreat to maximize our advantage.  It wasn’t a result of any failure of yours.”
    “Well, yeah, of course I knew that.  We kicked ass, right?  See ya later Vol.”

    His lunch was ready, delicious food produced by cold mechanical hands.  He sat at the head of a ridiculously long table marked with the Amarant crest and laughed again at the thought of it.  Who did his parents think he was going to eat with?  There were exactly nine humans on the whole planet, and seven of them were his enemies.  Maybe they thought it would make me feel at home.  He’d grown up in six or seven castles scattered throughout the galaxy, each of them nearly identical.  His parents lived in them too, though rarely in the same place as each other.  But countless times they’d eaten together at a table like this one, only the occasional flicker or blur to show that his parents were actually a dozen planets away. 
    As he ate, he pulled up the table interface and considered how to pass the time.  Dozens of educational programs and social lessons were on the top of his itinerary, long overdue, but he wasn’t in the mood for that.  He scanned through a number of holographic-films he’d been planning to watch, but there was pretty much no chance he’d be able to get through a whole one before it was time to return to battle.  Seol was dead serious about beating Jayle, and he had no choice but to support her.  He was aimlessly checking the interplanetary network when an alert message chimed up beside his elbow.  It informed him that a message had been sent.  The sender was Ryam Amarant.
    I’d like us to remain friends.  He stared at it, all appetite lost.  His brother Ryam had sent him a message or two every week, for as long as this game had gone on.  His correspondence was not in the least deterred by Brand’s lack of a response.  Of course not.  He wants us to remain friends.  
    His brother Ryam was born of the second wife of Marius Amarant, the ruler of House Amarant.  Though he was three years older than Brand, he should have been second in line due to his mother’s status.  Yet when time came for the Land Games to commence, they had chosen Brand to play.  He remembered being completely blindsided by their choice.  Everyone knew who the better player was; Ryam had been one of the top students in his training class, while Brand was one of the worst.  The Land Games were important, but they had more important plans for Ryam.  Since that day, he’d known that his parents had given up on him, and had chosen Ryam as heir to House Amarant.
    But really, he’d known that for a lot longer, even if he had refused to think about it.  Four years ago, they’d gone on a family vacation, one of the few times in his life all five of them had physically been in the same location.  He remembered it vividly, still.  He and Ryam had gone off together, while their father spoke with some other Lord.  They’d taken a small aircraft from the resort they’d been visiting and flown out to local jungle, where trees tens of thousands of feet tall reached almost to the upper atmosphere, vines strung between them like giant spider webs.  Above the trees, a number of sky dragons floated, their serpentine bodies held up by bladders full of gas bigger than houses.  Ryam had let him take the controls, and he was flying wildly around one of the dragon’s faces, easily avoiding its snapping jaws.  After he managed to get close enough to fly through its three rows of teeth, he flew down to the top of the trees and set the aircraft to hover, taking in the view of the jungle and the creatures that lived atop its canopy. 
    “It was good we got the chance to go together, this time,” Ryam said. 
    “Yeah, this place is pretty sweet,” Brand said.  “I guess after this we’ll be back to training full time.  But that’ll be fun too.  One of these days I’m going to beat you.” 
    “You enjoy training?” 
    “Of course!  Its an awesome game, and it’ll be even cooler if I get to do it for real!  Not like that’ll ever happen.  If we ever get to compete, dad will pick you for sure.” 
    “You never know.  You might get your chance.” 
    “As if.  The competitors all have to be under seventeen years old.  If there was a game coming up, dad would know about it.  By the time one happens, I’m sure I’ll be busy learning how to run the family and everything.  They’ll have to pick one of our cousins to play.” 
    “Brand…”  He trailed off, then reached out and tapped at the aircraft’s controls, taking over.  It shot forward at gut-wrenching speed, and Brand let out a yelp of surprise.  They shot forward faster and faster, heading straight towards the trees.  Brand felt his exhilaration rising as they sped towards impact, and then had a brief moment of terror as he realized they weren’t going to pull up.  At the last moment, Ryam dove between the vines and began to loop in and out of the trees, their ship flying so fast Brand couldn’t even see the obstacles coming.  The ships impact sensors were going haywire, flashing and beeping warnings constantly, but Ryam ignored them, until they burst through one last tangle of vines and appeared beneath the canopy.  Below, it was as dark as a cave, with only the faint luminescence of glowing bark fungus to draw the eye.  Brand panted, heart pounding in his chest, so when Ryam began to speak it took him a moment to even notice what he was talking about. 
    “…so, after this vacation, I won’t be going back to training.  Dad’s taking me to court with him next year, to introduce me to some of the other Lords.  You’ll have to finish your training by yourself.”
    “You’re going to court?  No, you’re lying.  I’m the heir, you don’t have any reason to go to court.  You must have misheard him, he was talking about me-”
    “You’re going to have to focus harder on your training Brand.  I’ve been looking out for you during the competitions, but I’m not going to be around any more.  But you’ll be happy there, right?  You like the games.  I never did.  Seemed like a waste of time,” Ryam said.  Neither of them were looking at each other. 
    “But you’re so good at them, how could you not like them?” 
    “We’re nobility Brand.  We can’t limit ourselves to things we like.  We have duties.  Its your duty to get as good as you can at the Land Games.  Because if one comes up, you’re going to be playing, not me.  I’m going to be working with dad.”
    “Yeah, we’ll see about that.  Maybe I’ll get better than you, and then-”
    “Quit joking around.  This is father’s decision.  He made it for the sake of our House.  It’s not something we can change because we like or dislike it.  This is my duty.  Please don’t try and compete with me.  I’d like us to remain friends.” 
    The conversation trailed off soon after.  On the way back, they flew in silence.  Brand let Ryam pilot the whole way. 

    “Incoming message.”  His dinner table interface had a message silently flashing on its screen, indicating that someone wanted to speak to him in real time.  He groaned, expecting it would be Seol.  He didn’t dislike her, but she could be a lot to handle at the best of times, and since the accident he never knew what to say to her.  But when he clicked the screen he was surprised to see it wasn’t Seol.  It was Serge.
    Serge appeared standing in the middle of the table, looking as though his top half had been chopped off and served up for supper.  He looked around, annoyed at the undignified way he’d appeared, and then walked through the table to one of the many pointless chairs and pulled him up a seat.  Brand resisted the urge to stand up.  Though Serge was only a year older than him, he was nearly a foot taller, and the way he carried himself always made him seem like an adult in comparison. 
    “Yo.  What’s with the transmission?  You always blow me off when I call you,” Brand said. 
    “I don’t mean to.  You just usually have the bad timing to contact me when I’m in the middle of battle,” Serge said. 
    “Yeah, that sounds about right.  I have some seriously shitty luck.  Aren’t you kinda trying to run me down right now?” 
    “I left Ergo in charge of it.  I thought it would be a good time for a break.  And I haven’t talked to you in weeks, so I thought…” he shook his head, as if he weren’t entirely sure what he’d been thinking. 
    “Kind of a weird time to hang out.  After all, me and Seol just kicked your ass.  Oh, I get it, you’re talking to me so you can get out of Jayle bitching you out!  Ha, I’m onto you.” 
    “Jayle?  Bitch me out?”  He gave an incredulous look.  “No, she wouldn’t do that.  Jayle is very supportive.” 
    “Oh.  Well, uh, of course Seol doesn’t do anything like that either.  She’s totally supportive.  I cant go five minutes without her calling me up to support my ass,” Brand said. 
    “I suppose we were very lucky to go into this game with our fiancés on our side.” 
    “Lucky, yeah.  I noticed yours was out fighting today.  What’s up with that?  I thought she went all Gandhi on us,” Brand asked. 
    “Who’s Gandhi?”
    “Nevermind.”
    “She’s become more serious lately.  I… don’t really understand why.” 
    “Yeah, well, I think you’re better off not even trying to figure her out.  I thought I had Seol figured out, and then she went gritty-revenge mode and started acting all hardcore.  More than usual.” 
    “Well I have the advantage there.  Me and Jayle have known each other our whole lives.  So Seol is still serious about this?”
    “Uh, not sure I should really be talking to you about our strategy.  Seol would be pissed.”
    “Of course.  Anyway, its pretty obvious from the way she’s fighting.  I haven’t had this big of a challenge since the games started.  You were doing better too.  That attack on my cannon was pretty interesting.  I wouldn’t have risked so many units like that, but it all worked out.  I think maybe you just have to find the right play style for you.  Keep it up, and you’ll be a serious contender.”  Serge smiled, obviously trying to compliment him, but his words made Brand feel even more apathetic.  He couldn’t imagine dredging up the energy to go back and fight anymore tonight.  Does he really think I'm getting better?  He realized he had been playing much better tonight than he had for months now.  Every time he’d fought Serge before, he’d felt increasingly unmotivated.  Back in training, it had been simple.  Back then, he’d always wanted to win.  But now, he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to win or lose. 
    Don’t try and compete.  Remain friends. 

Land Games Act 1 Finale

Farseer

    Soon, a voice called to him in the darkness, a delicate vibration caressing his carapace. 
    “Soon?” he asked, bleary and confused.  Everything was dark, his far-sense was muffled, and though he was aware of his body, he could not seem to move it. 
    You must come, soon.  Your deliverance awaits.  The truth lies with the sea. 
    “The sea,” he spoke, his far-sense rumbling up clear at last.  It extended, bouncing off the surface of the room he lay in, suspended in a hempen hammock.  The walls and floors were built of wood, not the sun-hardened mud that was commonly used, and to the east, only a canvas tarp covered the open wall.  Beyond it, he could feel the constant flow of the coastal breeze.  Birds sang, half a dozen of them roosting on the roof of the strange building he rested in.  Below, waves crashed against jagged rocks, throwing up spray that occasionally splashed against the underside of the wooden floor.  Across from the open wall, a good solid stone cliff stood, this odd wooden box seemingly held to it with strong cables.  An opening in the cliff led to a labyrinth of twisting tunnels in the stone.  His far-sense echoed down their chambers and bounced off several of his people, who shouted back reverent greetings.  So, he was somewhere safe. 
    He opened his eyes.  A glorious splash color of met his sight.  The ceiling was painted with an alluring mosaic of every imaginable hue.  It seemed to represent nothing in particular, only soothing swirls and sprays of bright colors, the sort of calming tableau presented on the walls of hospitals.  But this was no ordinary resting place, that was certain.  He turned his head as best he could, suspended in a net-like hammock, and looked out through a gap in the canvas covering.  The sea spread out as far as he could see, it’s deep green waters deep and opaque.  The truth lies with the sea.  Was it the spirit again, guiding him towards some new destination.  One thing he now knew: he would never again doubt the spirit that had led him to that battlefield.  The thought was nearly overwhelming in its triumphant memory.  He had defeated a golem, long thought to be invincible.  But one was not enough.  There were many thousands of them belonging to each demon.  More power would be necessary. 
    Moving gingerly, he disentangled his legs from the hammock, wincing as his broken leg sent out sharp jolts of pain everything time it touched something.  He stood, feeling shaky but capable.  With only three good legs, he had to stagger and limp, but he could balance well enough.  He took a few slow steps and reached out for the tarp, meaning to sweep it aside so he could view the ocean.  But he paused.  The tarp was held by a pair of simple ropes looped loosely around a pole.  He could move them easily with his hand.  Could he do so with his far-sense?  Surely he could, now that it had proven capable of destroying a golem. 
    He tried.  His far-sense pulsed out, and he felt it strike the ropes, sending back tactile feedback of the ropes rough texture and fine weaving.  But the ropes did not even quiver.  He focused on one, again pulsed out his far-sense, then narrowed it into a single tight beam.  He could feel the ropes as though he had slapped against them with his hand, but still there was no response.  A flash of anger rose up in him, and he reached out and tore the tarp away in a single fluid motion.  The ocean rolled towards him continuously, distant islands of greenery, wave-melons growing atop them, dotted the horizon.  But he saw no pillar of light, no sign.  The spirit was silent, for now. 
    “Farseer?” a voice called to him.  It did not come from the room, but from one of the tunnels a dozen paces back.  A small contingent of Woken waited reverently, awaiting his permission to enter.  His far-sense crawled over them, and he recognized the stalwart shapes of Defender and White Flowers, his loyal followers, among them.  The others were unknown to him, but all three were very old, two male, one female.  Their far-senses fluttered against his weakly, like insects flying against the breeze.  He remained where he was, eyes turned to the sea.  It would present a striking image to his audience. 
    “Yes, I am awake,” he spoke.  “Please come, join me.  I have slept too much.  I need to know what has happened.”  Now that he was awake, he could remember bits and pieces of the last few days.  First the delirious journey out of the battlefield.  He’d come down with a fever in the aftermath of the battle, and with his broken leg they could move only slowly.  He remembered being taken to a small grotto, a hole burrowed in a nearby cliff by some huge creature, and lying there drifting in and out of consciousness as his followers tried to keep him alive.  After a couple days, young Scarlet, had returned with a drawn wagon, and he had been taken…somewhere. 
    “Greetings Farseer.  We apologize for your rough conditions.  After our doctor saw to you, we thought this would be the best place for you to rest and recover.  This sight-box was built on the orders of another of your kind, long ago, as a place of mediation and reflection.  We thought what worked for one Farseer might work for another.” 
    “Ah, I thank you.  It is indeed a wonderful place,” Farseer answered. 
    “My name is First of Many.  I am the head monk of this monastery.  It is an ancient place of thought and meditation, where we who live here dedicate ourselves to the study of the gods and their Farseers.  The monastery was built around this cave, by the son of the Farseer who dwelled here.  In three hundred years, you are the first of your kind we have had the honor of serving.”  First of Many knelt before him, moving slowly on old and tired knees.  Farseer touched him lightly with his far-sense, indicating that he should rise.  Then he extended his far-sense to its full limit, reaching out and upward, searching for this monastery the old one spoke of.  He saw his followers quiver as his far-sense brushed them, as though buffeted by a powerful wind.  I will have to be careful now.  If my powers can destroy golems, then surely it can harm my fellow Woken.  The thought troubled him, and he wondered if ever before another of his kind had used his gods-given powers in such a manner.  Surely they would have been destroyed, for daring to pervert such a divine gift. 
    Another revelation amazed him.  His far-sense extended to its full length, usually about a mile, and then blossomed out even farther.  Much farther.  A cluster of thirteen buildings stood on the cliff above and north of him, a large eating and meeting hall, a pair of dormitories, one for each sex, and a number of storehouses and buildings used for the raising of livestock and greenery.  His far-sense was not only stronger, but could now reach even farther.  It seemed that the Spirit had led him truly to the next step in his journey.  Feeling through the monastery, he touched dozens of Woken, then hundreds.  They filled every building, and dozens of tents had been placed around the monastery to hold the rest. 
    “Where did they all come from?” he asked.  The others stared at him in wonder, realizing how far he could now reach.  One of the females, with a lovely deep green shell, answered him. 
    “Word of your battle with the Demon’s golem has spread quickly, Farseer.  Not a day after you arrived, the first pilgrims followed.  We have nearly a thousand now, with many more on the way.”  Her tone seemed a mixture of pride and anxiety.  No doubt she wondered how they would possibly be able to feed so many.  Farseer shared her worries.  The gods might provide guidance, but earthly matters must still be attended to. 
    “I will need to see them, and speak with them.  And then, I will need a boat,” he told them. 
    “A boat?  Do you plan to travel already?” First of Many asked. 
    “I do not know.  I have been called to the sea.  I cannot keep the Spirit waiting,” he answered.  They began to object, citing his wounds as good reason to rest, and heal, but overrode them quickly.  “The Spirit has been silent since my battle with the golem.  Now, it has called to me.  Who am I to deny such a being?” 
    “At least let us come with you,” Defender said.  “We will protect you, even if it means our lives.” 
    “No.  This is something I must do alone.  The Spirit speaks to me, no one else.”  He was not at all certain of this, but felt uneasy at the thought of others seeing him humbled before such a more powerful entity.  His people needed to see him as strong.  He would be better on his own.  “I can walk well enough on three legs, though I will have to go slowly.  Of course, I wouldn’t turn down a staff…” 
    They quickly fetched him a long staff, which helped increase his speed somewhat, but he still had to move slowly, and felt a twinge of pain with every step.  His broken leg was not his only injury, merely the worst.  Beneath his shell, his clammy skin was covered in small cuts and bruises.  It made him sharp with his far-sense, cutting swiftly and carelessly, until he remembered again to be careful.  He had spent his whole life watched over, protected because of the colors of his shell.  He was not accustomed to pain. 

    Standing atop the highest point of the monastery, he bellowed his far-sense strong enough for even those back at the tents to hear him, trying to reach them all and convey his own feelings of determination and optimism.   When he finished his speech, he couldn’t help feeling he had completely failed.  He stammered and paused too long, he lost track of his thoughts, and the great event that had occurred, back on the battlefield, seemed mundane when told in his own words.  Yet still, the entire crowd erupted with applause, shaking the air with their far-senses, when he finished, and he was able to breath a sigh of relief.  Speaking, though necessary, was not his function.  A Farseer was remembered for his actions.  The thought made him feel yet another quiver of doubt.  Since the golem, he had not again been able to manipulate physical matter with his far-sense.  If it had been a one time occurrence, than those cheers would quickly die away.  He tried to put it out of his mind.  He would simply need to ask the Spirit about it. 
    He sailed out the very next day, alone, in simple sailboat, allowing the wind to take him where it may.  Though given a vast bounty of food, he barely touched it, preferring to pilfer melons from the floating islands, fending off the small monkeys that harvested them with his walking staff.  He slept and ate, thought and slept, in silence and in peace, listening only to the wind.  He practiced pushing his Far-sense to its limit, reaching deep beneath his boat to catalogue the swarms of aquatic creatures swimming beneath him.  A few times, he was able to nudge a fish so that it darted quickly in an evasive direction, apparently thinking it was under attack.  But they were light touches, no more, nothing like the shattering power he’d felt when he’d taken down the golem.
    Time seemed to pass both slowly and quickly.  Always he was surprised when by how soon the sky began to darken, but the days felt endless, unbroken in their simplicity.  He had almost forgotten how peaceful it was, not to constantly be pressed on from all sides by private conversations, trying to put them all out of his mind.  Ever since his far-sense had began to grow past normal range, about a decade ago, he had come to prefer the wilderness to crowded cities.  Even his disciples could be a source of irritation.  They meant well, and they were all loyal, and good people, but they still did their share of petty complaining and whining. 
    On the third day, a storm broke on the horizon, dark storm clouds blotting out the sun.  For the first time, Farseer found himself trying to turn his boat against the wind, to outrun the storm.  All day, the thunder rumbled louder and more ominously in the distance, as the waves grew higher and higher.  About midday, they had begun slamming against the side of the boat hard enough to send a buckets worth of water spraying over his shell.  He turned towards the nearby blood-red water of the coast, and saw a crescent shaped stretch of sandy beach, a perfect, safe harbor from the storm.  He turned towards it, then paused.  The thunder continued to roar periodically, rumbling through the air like the far-sense of an enormous creature.  The truth lies with the sea, the Spirit had said.  Would he still be able to find the truth if he fled to safety from a mere storm? 
    I hope this Spirit isn’t overestimating me, he thought as he turned the ship once again towards the storm.  The sails stretched, buffeted by the wind that was blowing him almost directly towards it.  Now sailing into the waves, the boat rose and fell, sending water spraying up all around him, leaving rainbows in their wake.  Farseer had grown up on this very coast, about a hundred miles south, so he was not ignorant to the intricacies of sailing.  Still, it had been many years since he had had to do so, and his legs kept slipping on the water soaked wood, without his fourth to balance.  He tried to calm himself, telling him that it was all up to the gods now, but that did nothing to diffuse his fear. 
    By the time he hit the storm the skies had gone black, and lightning shattered the sky in all directions.  He pulled down the sail and folded it away, lest it be torn apart by the shrieking wind.  The waves now lifted the boat off the surface of the ocean, letting it flop down each time with a feeling of nauseating weightlessness.  He was flung from side to side, nearly spilling over into the water, and his eyes became useless, unable to distinguish from the rain and waves on all sides.  But his far-sense could still pick out the coastline, and for the first hour he stayed near it, but soon the storm threw him further into the sea.  The ocean floor receded further and further away, until he could no longer sense it at all, only a vast, gaping emptiness held back only by the fragile bit of wood and rope he rode on. 
    When day broke, he was far out at sea, the ocean one wide surface in every direction.  He could tell from the sun which direction the coast was, but he had been pushed so far out he could not tell how long it would take him to return.  As he was wrestling up the sail, his far-sense picked up a disturbingly large presence beneath, a creature so large it could have swallowed his boat whole.  He moved quickly to set up the sail, but by the time it was ready, the wind was blowing to the east, opposite the direction he needed to go.  He resolved himself to floating aimlessly for the time being, and dipped carefully into his stores, rationing now that he was no longer amongst easily attainable food.  At least the rain had provided plenty of clean water for the time being. 
    All day, the current pushed him further northeast, and his anxiety grew.  That way lay the dark continent, ruled over by the Black Demon.  It had been a grim place already, filled with infidels who had led numerous raids against his people, and it had surely not improved since the invasion.  His own land might be ruled by demons, but at least it was familiar. 
    Night fell.  Where there had been calm, relaxing silence before, now it seemed the silence of a stalking beast, creeping forward before the strike.  He did not try to sleep, instead he stood at the bow and flung his far-sense out as far as he could.  The Spirit wanted him to come, to find something in the vastness of the ocean.  He wanted to find it, and return home. 
    He soon got his wish. 
    At first he thought it was another of the huge fish he’d felt before, a large object floating beneath his boat, slowly rising.  But as he felt around its surface, he could find no end to it.  It extended all the way to the end of his far-sense, in every direction, a sleek, polished surface covered in clinging barnacles and parasites.  It pulsed, the water vibrating around it, a deep and continuous drumming sound rising up from its depths.  He swayed, feeling as though he were standing on the edge of a tall cliff.  How can something so big be moving!  He had to sit, nauseous.  He briefly considered throwing up the sail, running, but he knew it was futile.  Something so large could not be avoided.  It stretched from horizon to horizon.  It was like trying to flee from the sky.
    As it got closer, he felt something pushing softly against him, spreading around him and up into the air.  A far-sense!  Now he was certain.  He’d only hoped to follow the Spirit, to be guided on the next step of its plan.  It would seem he was now considered worthy to meet with a god itself.  He was overwhelmed by awe.  To his knowledge, no other Farseer had ever had this honor before.  No other Farseer has lived through such perilous times, he thought. 
    As it rose, now only a few yards beneath his boat, the water around him began to move as though boiling.  Fish leapt out in the hundreds, as though they might escape from above.  He thought that it would rise like an island onto the surface of the ocean itself, but it stopped, settling with a hiss, its far-sense questing out around it.  He could now feel empty spaces inside it, vast chambers filled with oddly shaped devices.  The sea went calm again, all sea-life having fled as far as possible away from this vast being.  Silence. 
    Light erupted from below, filling the sky.  Beneath the green waters he could make out the shining white surface of the god, and a disturbing thought began to form in his head.  The feel of its surface under his far-sense, and the shape of that smooth, unbroken plane… it had much the same feeling as the demons golems.  He refused to consider it, tried to put it out of his mind, but then there was a great hissing sound, and something began to rise from below, a single cylindrical segment extending from the vessel, directly ahead of his tiny boat.  It rose above the water, a white pillar, shining in the darkness, and a pair of metal doors slid apart smoothly, revealing an inner chamber, lit by an inexplicable glow.  Its emptiness was an obvious invite, and he found himself struggling not cower before it.  The far-sense pressed harder against him, clenching like a giant fist, and the same familiar voice spoke.  But this time it was no mere vibration.  Strange sounds, like words without far-sense, echoed out from the machine in an alien voice.     
    “Welcome, Farseer.  I have been waiting a long time to finally meet you.  Enter.  We have much to do.” 

  

Land Games Act 1 Chapter 8

Reckes 

    Turquoise colored water stretched to the horizon before him, rocked by gentle waves.  The surface was dotted with hundreds of floating green islands, matted plants with long vines that dangled hundred of feet under water for some unknown purpose.   Their tops were covered in bright orange and pink flowers, with stalks that rose high above the waves, and small, six-limbed monkey creatures clung to their tops, surfing from place to place.  Blood red fruits stood at the top of each stalk, dotted with pink spots.  A hundred miles to the west, his sensors could make out the coast on the Aqua continent, the water along it’s shore stained a deep purple from the vast collection of red algae that grew beneath the surface.  A hundred or so of Brand’s scarlet dragoons rushed by heading south, but his craft passed them by undetected.  Another hundred or so miles to the east revealed another shoreline, this one composed of rocky cliffs studded with gold-leafed trees.  Four-winged birds swooped from tree to tree, diving into the waters below to hunt.  The cliffs were the western most point of the Teardrop continent, being fought over by Houses Mercury, Void, and Tao, with most of its surface firmly controlled by Tao.
    Reckes was doing his best to stay focused and concentrate on guiding his garuda, a specialized aerial stealth and reconnaissance unit, capable of making a circuit of the entire planet, twice, using a single tank of fuel.  But he’d rarely seen the sea this close before, and with his interface collecting not only visual but aromatic and aural data, he really felt as though he were cruising above the water, the smell of salt-water and alien plants wafting up from below.  His home planet, Algos, was almost ninety percent water, and he’d spent his early years on boats and hovercraft, skimming the surface of the water, following the bits of clear surf between the massive hurricanes that ravaged the planet.  This sea was much calmer, and colorful.  He couldn’t help but think it was an improvement. 
    Shaking himself out of his nostalgic stupor, he pulled up half a dozen screens and checked again on his oracles, which he’d flung out far ahead to scout his way.  They were just now reaching the southern shore of the frigid Silence continent, ruled absolutely by House Void alone.  Spread out a hundred miles apart from each other, he hoped that one of them would spot a hole in Three’s defenses, just enough for him to get his garuda in.  Three’s attack on his castle’s computer had been an eye opening experience.  The black armies had until now kept to the northeast of Aqua’s shores, far away from Reckes’ lands, and he’d felt he could safely ignore it until Seol and Brand were dealt with.  Now he wanted to know what House Void was up to. 
    Two of his screens vanished as his oracles were shot down.  He fully expected to lose all of them; no player slacked off when if came to protecting their borders.  From his vantage point, he could see a long line of anti-aircraft stretched across the rocky beach.  Floating more than a hundred miles behind the border was a jet black airship, already launching missiles to swarm over the border and search for enemy aircraft.  This wasn’t going to be easy.  He would probably have to get some aircraft of his own up here, make a diversionary attack so that he could let his garuda slip by.  That was going to take time, and there was no guarantee they wouldn’t be shot down by another player on the way here.  For now, he decided to pull back the garuda and hide it down near the water.  He picked an extra large floating island and settled the garuda in between its tall stalks.  The little monkey creatures dove into the water at once.
    “Incoming message,” his interface chimed.  A small image popped up to show the peach-colored crest of House Tao.  He suppressed a grin, and responded with a tap.  The image enlarged and filled most of his front view.  There was a brief flash of color as it calibrated itself, and then Mei, the young contestant of House Tao appeared before him. 
    “Nice hiding spot,” she said, speaking with her usual enthusiasm.  “Those fruits are delicious.  I call them sea-melons.  Although they’re not really melons. Citrus maybe?  They’re green inside, and they taste kinda salty and tart.  You should really try some.”  She smiled brightly, lying back on a steep chair, surrounded by her own interface.  Unsurprisingly, she was eating from a bowl of some kind of small yellow fruits. 
    Twelve years old, Mei was the only contestant younger than him.  Very small and highly animated, she gave the impression of a clever bird, perched and watching.  Her hair was arranged in a simple bob cut, and tinted a light pink, the same as her wide eyes.  What was her family thinking? he thought.  Pink and peach aren’t even the same colors.  Though he supposed it would have been rather creepy if her hair and eyes were the same color as her skin. 
    “Sure,” he said.  “I’ll just pop the hood and pick a few.” 
    “That would be so awesome.  But hey, I got a ton of them growin’ in my orchard.  I’ll send you some as a consolation next time I send your army home in pieces,” she said. 
    “Yeah, we should totally have a clash soon.  I’m sure you’re getting bored just lying around eating all day.”
    “There’s a difference in lying around, and lying in wait.  Didn’t you pay attention in training?” 
    “Why bother?  One of the teachers tried to fail me once, so I challenged her to a game.  After I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone how bad she got stomped by an eleven year old she passed me for the rest of the year,” he said.  Just behind his view screen, one of the little monkey creatures had climbed onto the garuda’s top and was staring straight at him with huge, luminous eyes. 
    “Well if you’re so good, how come you didn’t make a better effort of stayin’ out of sight?  I noticed you about two hundred miles back,” she said. 
    “I didn’t want to deny you the joy of my company.”  
    “Ha, yeah right.  You never want to just talk.  What do you want this time?” she asked. 
    “I want to talk fruit exchange, what else?  How about I trade you an airship for a barrel of sea-melons?” 
    “Please, who’d want one of your airships?  That gold color sparkles so bright they get shot down as soon as they leave the ground.”
    “Ok, you drive a hard bargain.  How about an exchange of info then?” he asked.  Mei finished her eating, tossed the bowl aside, and hopped to her feet.  She was tiny, probably shorter than him by a foot, though of course they’d never met face to face. 
    “You want to exchange info with me?  What’s wrong with Kurai?  You guys are always makin’ deals, right?” 
    “He wouldn’t know about this,” Reckes answered.  Kurai was the player of House Shade.  His tiny territory was almost directly west of Jayle’s, clustered in the islands when made up the Crescent continent.  He was too far away to have any dealings with Three. 
    “Well, ok, I’m game.  I’ll answer your question and you answer one of mine.  Obviously, I’m not gonna tell you about my own troops though.” 
    “Obviously.” 
    “So ask away,” she said. 
    “I want to know about House Void.  You’re….its most common opponent.  Have you noticed anything unusual recently?  Has it improved its tactics, maybe?”  He knew better than to ask if she’d been hacked like he had.  No player would willingly reveal such a sad blunder. 
    “Improved?  I wouldn’t say that.  Actually, its been kinda screwing up.  Just yesterday I did a little raid, just checking for weak spots ya’know, and I managed to punch through its border guards without even trying!  I’m not even bragging, it was like I was up against Brand or something.  It’s really weird, too, cause Threes always been really tough to crack before.  And its stopped advancing, just sitting back, building forces.  It’d make me kinda nervous if I didn’t think I could handle it,” she said.  “Other than that, I don’t really know.  It’s not like we talk ya’know?  I don’t even know if it can talk.  That thing gives me the creeps.”
    “I know what you mean.  Hmm, thanks.  Its not much to go on but it gives me an idea,” he said.     
    “Why do you want to know anyway?  Last I checked, Three barely had any territory on Aqua.  It’s not nearly as big a threat to you guys as Seol and Brand.  Ooh, do you think they’ve formed an alliance?  This late in the game!?  That would be seriously bad news…ya’know, for you.” 
    “Nah, nothing like that.  I’m just trying to get to know it.  You know, be a good neighbor and all,” he said. 
    “Yeah, good luck with that.  Well, it just so happens I do have something I’ve been wanting to know about.  What can you tell me-” she paused dramatically, and leaned forward towards him.  “About Blanc.” 
    “House Blanc?  You mean the player, right?  Why would you even want to know about him, he’s not even a competition.  Or her, I guess,” he said. 
    “Well, the other day she, or he, or whatever, messaged me out of the blue!  Boy or girl, they didn’t project an image so I couldn’t find out.  It was weird, they didn’t seem to really have anything important to say, they just wanted to talk.  They asked me about my family, and what I was planning to do when I finished the game, stuff like that.  Small talk.  You know, I think they must be getting lonely.” 
    “Lonely.  Crazy is more like it.  If they weren’t already.  What the hell kinda strategy involves blowing up your own castle?” he said.  Reckes was talking to cover his thoughts.  The player from House Blanc was talking now?  After two and a half years of complete inactivity?  And Three is acting weird too.  Maybe it’s connected.  “Well, I hate to let you down, but I really don’t know anything about White.  They were the second ship to land and get started, but by the time I’d arrived they’d already slipped away.  As far as I’ve been able to tell, there is no territory held by House Blanc, except maybe out in the farthest islands, which aren’t really worth fighting over.  I mean I‘ve seen some white oracles every now and then.  I shoot them down of course.”
    “The weirdest thing is that, before this game, I’d never even heard of House Blanc,” Mei said.  “It’s got to be a really small, weak House, probably brand new.  But then, why would it have been chosen to join the games?  And how would they even have the money needed to get their castle set up?  Sounds like a mystery too me…” 
    “All that work to get a castle and they just blew it up.  Probably some moron who hit the wrong button,” Reckes said.  “Well, if you really think about it, it’s possible that House Blanc is getting some secret funding from another House.  But if they did, they picked the wrong contestant.  White has been completely useless.  Maybe somebody paid them off to sit the game out.  Make it easier for someone else to win.”
    “Uh, that would be stupid.  They could have just allied with whoever they wanted to win,” Mei said. 
    “Yeah, you got me there,” Reckes said.  It was really kinda sad how easy it was to distract her.  She hadn’t even realized that she’d gotten nothing for all the info she was giving him.  He’d only wanted to learn about Three, and now he knew that white was up and moving again, and that Mei was winning back black territory.  She was so easy to manipulate, yet somehow she still had enough territory to rival his and Serge’s alliance.  It was probably just cause no one ever wanted to attack her.  Defense was her specialty. 
    “So, you’re trying to do a fly-by on Three?  I’d love to see what he’s doing inland myself.  How about I make an opening for you, and you supply me the video feed from your garuda?  Sounds fair to me,” Mei said, grinning.  And so she’d found a way to get something she wanted out of him after all.  Well, he certainly wasn’t going to turn her down.  No way he was getting in without a distraction.  This way he wouldn’t have to waste any of his own troops in the process.
    “Alright.  I can wait for you to get your troops into position-” 
    “Nah, I took care of that already.  The moment I spotted your garuda I figured I’d better get ready.  If you were planning something, no way I wasn’t gonna take advantage of it.” 
    “Alright then.  Should we do this?” he asked. 
    “Let’s make it happen!” 

    Watching Mei work was a pleasure.  She started up with half a dozen dragoon raids, hitting each and every House Void stronghold on her continent.  Three’s units responded like an army of ants swarming out of a stomped mound.  Black spider tanks chased after the peach colored hovercraft to no avail, they pulled back too quick to be caught.  Then dozens of missiles shot down from overhead, Mei’s airships having launched fifteen minutes ago from several hundred miles back.  Anti-air ordnance filled the sky, but it wasn’t enough.  Several missiles were about to hit, when suddenly a geyser of water shut up out of the sea, and a pair of huge crafts rose out of their depths.  Jet black craft with wide, sweeping wings like manta rays, they floated on the water’s surface, releasing a swarm of their own smaller missiles.  Every one of Mei’s missiles went down.  Reckes hadn’t expected that.  Having grown used to battle on the planet’s largest continent, he wasn’t used to the idea of underwater units. 
    However poorly it may have been playing lately, Three did not react slowly now.  In mere minutes, it had formed up a respectable force and was moving out, striking southeast towards one of Mei’s strongholds.  Her attack had come from the west and south, and so Three must be thinking that her army was weaker in that direction.  He wondered if that was what she wanted it to think, having made that blunder a few times himself.  It didn’t move carelessly though.  He could still see the large sea crafts waiting underwater, and a number of airships were moving south from the Silence continent.  She sent yet another strike from the west, but it was ready this time, and nearly half her dragoons were obliterated before she called the rest back, having done no damage worth mentioning.  He felt a slight satisfaction at the sight of it.  Mei was good, but she wasn’t perfect.     
    There was a beep as he received a message from Mei.  Too busy to talk, she’d simply sent him a map of the eastern hemisphere, with an aerial route drawn on it in garishly bright pink.  A little circle was drawn around a specific point, with the words go here written in messy handwriting.  He didn’t hesitate, but fired up his garuda and sent it blasting northwest at top stealth speed.  His swarm of oracles, floating almost out of the atmosphere over the eastern sea, revealed a swarm of movement up ahead.  Black and silver aircraft were exchanging fire from their respective landmasses, with a few island borne artillery strikes thrown in for good measure.  How Mei knew that Mercury and Void would be clashing at this moment, he didn’t know, but it made the perfect cover.  He slipped his garuda into a swarm of silver missiles heading for Silence, then burst northward at the last moment, threading his garuda over the smoking remains of a ruined defense post.  From the wreckage, Seol had no doubt taken it down only minutes ago. 
    From that point on it was an easy flight.  Three was focused on the battles going on at its borders, with no time to search for an intruder in its own domain.  Still, he circled wide around the strongholds he saw.  Silence was very different from Aqua.  The ground rose and fell like ocean waves, covered in snow, and long rivers flooded the land between them, their tops frozen, forming huge fractal patterns hundreds of miles long.  High mountain peaks rose above the clouds, and black forests grew in the valleys between them.  Everywhere he flew, he saw no movement, heard nothing but the endless moaning wind.  It was stark, quiet, and beautiful.  Silence was well named. 
    He checked his map as he approached his destination.  Orbital and spacecraft were not permitted in the Land Games, which meant that all maps were partially guesswork, formed from quick imaging taken in the midst of battle or low quality pictures from high altitude spy craft.  But he had a rough copy of the layout of Silence, repeatedly updated over the years, and both Three’s castle and the landing spot of House Blanc were marked.  He was rapidly approaching Three’s castle, but the other position was even closer.  His main screen, still showing the view from his garuda as if he were actually riding in it, lit up as its computers noticed some distant unusual activity.  It was coming from the spot where White’s castle had landed, before exploding so pointlessly.  He hesitated.  What reason could there be for anything to be happening there now?  Surely Three would have long ago picked over the site for anything useful.  But his images showed a number of low flying aircraft over the site, and they weren’t anything his computers recognized.  Furthermore, they weren’t black, but orange.  He couldn’t ignore it.  He tilted his garuda and angled straight for the site, rising high above the clouds for cover.  It didn’t take long to reach it.  He took a deep breath, then dove beneath the clouds to take a look. 
    A bizarre sight met his eyes.  White’s castle had landed in the middle of a wide open tundra, dotted with a few trees and huge boulders deposited by ancient glaciers.  The frigid earth had been peeled away, layer by layer, revealing a huge crater that burrowed down in narrower and narrower steps.  Tiny colorful forms swept over the whole area, and a number of rough buildings had been thrown up on its periphery.  The aircraft he’d spotted were so ridiculous he took a moment to even realize what they were.  Balloons of orange canvas, with a basket suspended below by hempen rope.  Some kind of furnace burned in the basket, filling the balloon with hot air, allowing it to float.  A pair of natives with bright shells were huddled in the hot air balloon, overseeing the work below.  Were these natives excavating the ruined castle?  Did they honestly think they’d be able to capture the technology and turn it against their rulers?  What a waste of time, Reckes thought.  They would find nothing that would allow them to threaten the Houses.  Land Games technology was carefully designed so that it was impossible for alien natives to comprehend. 
    He was about to turn his garuda away when he realized he had been wrong.  The few pieces of the castle had been dragged aside, lying randomly around the crater in heaps, and not a single native was paying them attention.  But in the middle of the crater, a single spire rose up, three hundred feet high, made of a shiny metal that seemed to refract in the sunlight, throwing up dozens of rainbows around it in every direction.  It was caked in dirt, scratched.  Clearly very, very old.  He activated his garuda’s sensors, and it scanned the ground below.  Taking an image of the return vibrations revealed that a massive device lay beneath the tundra, filled with many chambers.  Reckes felt his breath fall away as he realized the significance of the device.  It was clearly some kind of spacecraft, hundreds if not thousands of years old. 
    This device was the first evidence of a space faring extraterrestrial race in known history.  And House Blanc had landed right on top of it.