Chapter 69. A Better Understanding.

  Lief glanced up from his writing. He would most certainly not be playing. Specially for Ammarosa. It was but a minor flaw in his plans. Something he could easily write around. Simple problems. It was the stones though.

  Lief had heard about these Primary Minerals. Never reading into the stones though as he would not be representing any of the Siblings.

  However, those minerals are sought after from the Seven. Somehow such stones are tied to their legion. To their faith. Each individual vibration was one in the same with their core. The stones are a key necessity to their tokens who wish to continue playing.

  He was a clever kid. And he would ask just to be sure. “The Minerals. Those are like the crystals guarding the perimeters, right?”

  He walked past one of the blue hounds and opened the small door next to that single window with the single shelf with the single pot.

  This small door led out onto a short balcony. The balcony had five medium size bat houses built along the railing.

  One Embryx followed him to the doorway while she plucked another mint leaf. She continued to inform.

  “The same exact ones. But let me finish it’s more complicated than just having a set of stones. One must be in tune with the vibrations that discharge from each crystal. The crystal must be collected in pattern, and each crystal must interact accordingly with the previous and next stone. If gathered correctly they will emit a soft buzzing hum. You, and you only will know if it was correct, as you will feel the humming sensation in the cores of your chakras. That hum is the Primary Seven Minerals accepting. As the vibration is absorbed, your aura is strengthened. With each collection absorbed the player will be gifted 3 skill points—”

  “Skill points?” he questioned from the balcony.

  “This is really all besides the point Lief, you will be informed of all of this in coming cycles. When you enter Ammarosa’s church. Only then can you start building rank earning your status. Hone your skill Lief. Focus on your talent. In time your role will become more clear.”

  Lief was still out on the balcony. Listening. Memorizing. He multitasked while collecting the guano from the trays he slid in and out from the bat houses. Coming back into the room he set a bucket of collecting’s next to a trough of soil.

  He grabbed the book from his cot and began writing all this new information. He won’t be a token to the game, but that didn’t mean it shouldn’t be recorded. Lief believed in writing history. Studying it and learning. His new vision of the lands would not be a battlefield for faith.

  “Yes, take notes, that’s very intelligible of you Lief. I truly see why Ammarosa cares deeply for you. Write out the rules the Seven had set for you. Practice with the quill, earn glory and faith. Then your status will be known by others through the pressure of aura. Men will cower as you walk past. Creatures and beasts alike will bow, showing respect. Astrologers will chart stars in your honor. And the women will provide you with their warmth.”

  Again, this all excited Lief. He wiped his cheek while the tickle of ink spilled from an eye. Then he reached for a small black book from the bottom shelf of the bigger bookcase.

  This new little black book was detailed with a jade-colored olive leaf pressed into the cover. There was also the matching leaf pressed into the binding. This was by far the nicer book of all his collection.

  “Lief did you happen to retrieve the item Scarlett enchanted.” she asked.

  Lief’s excitement faded, and he closed his book. Speaking to the floor. “I did not. I know who holds it though, the ancient Bear-King has awoken, and he carries the Reaper of Galaxies.” He cleared his throat and stood. Walked to the bucket and trough, and began emptying the bucket of guano. “That’s not a problem though, once I get my hands on my set of stones.” He was sure he knew where to find some, and he would have another assist him in collecting such rocks.

  “Lief it’s not that simple you are still just a child. Your body cannot produce vibrations strong enough to carry a continuous flow of energy with a crystal, let alone seven of them. Lief you will destroy the vessel that makes your body. You must strengthen yourself, not just physically. But mentally as well—"

  Another knock at the door, this one a bit more irritable sounding. The wrapping was very loud in the tower room. And again, Beck could be heard from behind the heavy dark oak door. “Lief my boy you still in there.”

  The black iron hinges creaked softly, and the door began to push open.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Lief dropped his bucket. Spilling the rest over the floor. He took three quick steps. Jumped over the Mystics tail. Spun quickly around one of the Embryx. Both hands out, smashing into the door shutting it with a hard slam.

  “I’m bare Beck just another moment, if you can please.” –smooth Lief, real smooth.

  Lief thought to himself while he looked at the grain of the door. Leaning against it with both hands. Listening for Beck on the other side.

  Beck on the other hand earned a third star in Confusion. Standing on the other side of the door he huffed and continued to pull the crunchies from his beard. Occasionally mixing up his motions with a finger dragging across the crusty buildup around his nose.

  “The item Scarlett enchanted was a sword.” Lief said, after turning around and taking a safe step away from the door.

  “Just like the first game.” The Mystic sighed, rubbing the neck of one of her hounds.

  “First Game?” His question went slightly unnoticed.

  “It looks to be that Briareos is in high hopes someone will mistakenly use the sword again, and that emotional buffoon fueled by wrath will be the one to split the void.”

  “What do you mean by First Game?” He asked more clearly, turning a new page in the thick red leather-bound book.

  The two Embryx looked at Lief as did The Mystic. Before she began a short lecture on history.

  “In the first game Briareos had a large number of Constellerites under his control—”

  “Constellerites?” Lief looked up from his writing.

  “The Constellerites are a lost race from another land. A land forgotten in the sea of stars.”

  Lief wrote down every word she was able to say through her stitching’s. Apparently those Constellerites were incredibly smart beings. Mentally advanced. Telepathic as The Mystic says, however, they are all gone. The Seven eradicated the race from the game long, long ago.

  “Those telepathic tokens played under Briareos for many, many rounds. Each with a Galaxy Reaper of their own. Before long, divided factions united, formulating their own religion against the Seven, and nothing could stop this army, the Constellerites were able to chart the stars, spreading their faith interstellarly causing planetary warfare. Soon began the dropping of followers to the Seven, and the siblings were dying due to lack of faith. Well, the Seven didn’t like that they had no temptation over their playing board anymore. They were growing weaker. The siblings came together and used nearly all their might in a processes.”

  Lief’s quill stopped and he looked at the Embryx while she stroked its ears. The boy was a quick writer there was no need for her to pause.

  “A process of what?” he asked. Also writing his question.

  “The process of generation. The Seven came together formulating the Mystic. The first Mystic was a wise Naga, telling the Seven they need to bond together, and enchant another blade of their own. That is exactly what lord of greed did. Briareos conducted the blades anew for each of him and his siblings. In such, he nearly faded to nothing. But Briareos was a god. A god of Greed, and he had to have more. And the more he thought of conquering those pitiful followers of blasphemy. It fueled the God. It was a long time before he finished these godly swords, each its own personality, each its own touch of might, each its own pommel of recognition to its owner. When the swords came together by tips edge, a super bang of light was released. A new beginning was created.”

  Lief glanced up. The Mystic was helping herself to another mint leaf—they were rather sweet. She rolled it up tight, and slid it past the stitching’s of her lips, before speaking again.

  “It was that swirling vortex of creation and destruction that ended the game. An act that ended what could have been an eternity of chaos in mere moments. The milky ways, the stars, the planets. The entire universe started to shake. Then there was a dark boom. After that everything began to crumble. All of it. It all broke down into dust before being swallowed. All except one drifting rock. A perfect planet to reform. The Seven each took turns passing the rock between one another. Each molding the world that you know today. Who knows what the Seven are truly up to. They keep me hidden from as much as possible. The Seven are tricky like that… And as for you, Lief please just write the rules they had, the game is serious right now every move counts.”

  Lief scratched this bit of history in his book. He didn’t know if any of it was true or not, but it was all very interesting to him. He wrote it down because he was sure it would make for a wonderful legend one day. And as far the Seven’s rules, he wasn’t going to apply them. he was going to write out his own set of laws. He was going to get his Seven crystals, and he was going to form aura better than any have ever seen or felt.

  Lief was going to become a God. A better God then all the Seven combined. And for him to be able to see his plan through, he needed to start a proper foundation of followers. He had to think of a way around the Mystic or completely write her out of the picture. If he did that the siblings would probably just select again. Unless he was able to write the rules for the Seven, with implications that they weren’t allowed a mystic at all. Instead that they needed to play the game according to his set of rules.

  This was genius he thought, this is what Lief was going to work towards.

  “I will Mystic, I will properly write each rule, and I will do everything in my power to fetch the Reaper of Galaxies, or better yet, I will have another fetch it for me.” He said while he wrote something in his book.

  “That’s a clever boy, now you’re understanding it. Practice that quill, feel its potential, and marvel at its possibilities. You are going to make a world of everlasting changes.” She and the two Embryx looked at the small open door to the balcony. “Now is just the matter of that mindless buffoon. He will surely ruin the game unless we confiscate that sword.” She turned her pitted gaze at the boy. “Lief write the rules. I will talk with the ancient King.”

  As she said this Lief’s door swung open, and a draft pulled hundreds of the soft blue dandelion fuzz into the room. Far more swirled than what he had grown, it was beautiful. The lovely blue roared with a swirling vortex. Enshrouding The Mystic and her foxes.

  Both Beck and Lief watched while the sky-blue seed fuzz sucked out the window. Beck had a scrunched face, and he scratched a bushy brow. Lief scribbled the rest of her words before looking over at Beck. The dwarf was perfectly perplexed.