The Book of Gambi [Main Game] page 5

Charles ‘I kill because some people deserve death. I do it in service of my cause. If a man kills someone’s friend, I am payed to act revenge. I kill because they deserve it. In my entire career, I have never killed someone I did not think deserved it.’ my thoughts trail off momentarily. except once… I snap back into focus. ‘I do what I do because it pays well and earns me respect. I am a hero in my home world because of my deeds. You may think if someone pays me to kill someone, I do. I have declined many a bounty after meeting said bounty.’ I sigh. ‘I know how hard it is to create or preserve… I mainly target those who kill. Dictators. Maniacs. Tyrants.’ A flash in the beings eyes tells me he didn’t like the word “Tyrant” ‘I was… misled about your friend, or whoever is it. I was given false information.’ My voice flares with anger. ‘I was sent to die!’ I lower my voice. ‘I do not want enemies. I ask for forgiveness.’

The Evanescent One

“Words… They mean nothing to me,” I say. I’ve been lied to far too many times… Without warning, I stab my mind into his, causing him to violently recoil. His mental defense is quite strong… but I need not to probe deep. Charles Meer, I speak through telepathy, having learned his name during the mental contact. Do you truly kill only those you deem unjust? You cannot lie to a telepath. And do you truly no longer wish Vexillis any harm?

Charles … yes. I never kill unless my employer convinces me they deserve death… through their actions… their crimes. I take the lives of those who commit crimes of evil… murder and the like. I’ve only killed someone without a just cause once… and it is because of that I’ve never done it again. Please… do not pry into there. It is a place I have locked away many painful memories…

The Evanescent One

I can feel the truthfulness of Charles’s thoughts, as well as some of his pain and regret. It seems that he is at least a man bound by honor, if not justice. Such people can be quite rare. “Very well,” I speak out loud; the rainbow elemental energy and balls of dark fire around me disappear, absorbed back into my magical reserves. “You have my forgiveness. For now at least, I will not persecute you for your chosen profession. Now, Vexillis,” I turn to the energy being. “Pardon me for attempting to intrude on the affairs of your people, but I really do wish to stop your warfare and prevent the loss of life. Do you think there is anything I can do to help?”

[Vexilis, not Vexillis.]

Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef
‘Unless you can travel through the immense void between here and my home faster than myself – and my top speed is well above what humans believe is possible for anything to move, don’t ask how – probably not. It’s certainly going to take me at least two Earth years to return on an optimal course, which I currently do not have access to regardless. In any case, one being can’t make much of a difference in a war such as this, even one of your obvious power.’

[Oops. My apologies.]

The Evanescent One

Two years? That is a somewhat annoyingly long time. However… “I may be able to nigh instantaneously teleport you to your home planet, Vexilis,” provided that I can pull him into the magic stream along with me… though if that fails then a standard teleportation spell will suffice, “if you can transfer into my mind the memories of the destination you wish to teleport to.”

Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef
‘Before we go any further, that’s something I don’t understand about you. You speak of “magic” as though it exists… or rather, as though it exists in this universe. What are you talking about when you refer to it?’

The Evanescent One

“Of course I am talking about magic.” Hmm, how to explain magic to one who is not even aware that it exists? “It is simply… another form of energy, I suppose, one that primarily responds to consciousness, human or otherwise. It can be manipulated to achieve a variety of tasks, some not possible at all without the aid of magic. And I, Vexilis, am made entirely of magic, hence my near total mastery of its every facet. Even the humans below have begun to learn magic, so I’ve assumed that your race would have at least some knowledge of the subject…”

[]

Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef
‘It would seem that we have never had a need to do so. I, for one, had never heard of it before you came along; I can’t say whether any others of my species will have. But… how potentially powerful is this “magic”? As in, say, how powerful could the humans get it, given time?’

The Evanescent One

“Potentially? If the humans of my reality were of any indication… Given enough energy, there are no limitations to what magic can accomplish. But looking at the humans of this planet, I estimate that it will be centuries, or at least decades, before they can use magic to establish an interplanetary civilization.”

[]

Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef
…anything, eh…?
‘Interesting. Well, all things considered, it may well be beneficial that I allow you to make the journey to my home. Allow me to show you the spatial coordinates…’
I close my eyes and transmit thoughts to the Evanescent One regarding the location of my home star, as well as the galaxy it resides in, etcetera.

The Evanescent One

“Do you want him to come too?” I glance at Charles Meer. “If your enemies are creatures similar to yourself, then his armor would be able to help, no?”

[]

Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef
‘In case you hadn’t noticed, the suit is not something we can wear. That being said, I’ll need to ask you to switch to an energy-based form before we shift ourselves across the space-time continuum – your current form isn’t going to be desirable in such a location.’

The Evanescent One

“I cannot care less about what others think, but for your sake…” My body shifts to that of a Cosmic Elemental, rare as they were back in my home world; I am now a humanoid creature composed of rainbow energy, with blazing violet eyes. It is best to not mimic the form of Vexilis’s species, for such an act could be seen as hostile by his peers. A magic ring materializes, identical to the ones I’ve given to the two human girls. “Take this, Charles Meer. Should you wish to contact me, simply tap the ring three times; I will then teleport to you if possible.”

I then touch Vexilis’s shoulders, my now energy-based form making the physical contact possible. Rings of glowing purple runes encircle us. For an instant, we are pulled through the magic stream, and arrive at Vexilis’s home star.

[You should describe the environment, BC.]

Zev’Hel-Ziar-ra’Nekx

About the same time as before

…and over here, we find this guy, who’s just finishing off another Chiriksin. This is Ai’lr-re- uh-
…oh? Vexilis is back, all of a sudden. Knew he’d make it. And with some form of flashing rainbow being in tow, it seems… hmm.
…I’ll be right back.

Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef
‘Well, here we are. My home star.’
Quite the place, really. Near the middle of its transformation from white dwarf to black dwarf, the backdrop is an endless sea of fire and plasma, albeit only to the extent of relatively small amounts of light and heat being given off. Still enough to incinerate most baryonic beings, but most energy beings such as my own species are used to such temperatures, or at least unaffected by them.
Such a unique setting is obscured by the fact that streaks of black and orange are painting themselves across a large amount of the available space in the location. Not just from the firing of energy weapons, either – the soldiers on both sides of the war are moving fast enough to blur themselves significantly. I’m fairly sure most of those present are moving faster than light, to boot, resulting in a strange effect where they strike incoming photons, as opposed to the other way around.
And, of course, we’ve managed to find an area of relatively little combat. Or rather, a location where just one Chiriksin bastard has noticed the two of us. It growls, and rushes us with incredible speed. In the moment before it reaches me, I pick out its general features – a flaming, orange, humanoid frame, similar to that of myself, but bulkier in appearance, and hunched over. Just two eyes, wide and cruel, more yellow than the rest of itself. And a mouth, similar to its eyes, with a somewhat jagged outline giving the impression of heavily serrated teeth being bared in a permanent snarl.
All this in about a microsecond.
And at the end of that microsecond, my would-be opponent is paralysed at the end of a spear of black energy not belonging to myself. Not one to waste an opportunity, I promptly fire a sustained, concentrated energy blast into its face, decapitating it in the space of about half a minute, its body only dissipating into the background energy of the universe when the blast finally ends. And through all of that, myself and my companion have remained unmolested by further combatants. A quick observation reveals a field of dark energy surrounding us.
There aren’t many who can do that. The only one who comes to mind from the offset is…
‘Welcome home, Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef. And welcome, guest.’
Tr-j’Oor-Gh’Za’nh-yf’Dl. Basically the leader of our army, directly below our monarchs, and very formal about it to boot. I immediately snap a salute to thin air, only to have my hand pushed back to position at my side by a previously unseen hand. The owner moves himself into my viewfield – more muscular than myself in a lean fashion, as far as the terms chosen for such an inadequate description can be applied to our species, but otherwise rather similar in appearance.
‘Might I suggest we take this conversation to a bunker? There’s one just nearby.’
I nod – at my level in society, speaking directly to such an authority figure without explicit permission would be unfathomably rude, as I desperately think to the Evanescent One, hoping that he has the intelligence to keep scanning my surface thoughts. Regardless, a moment later, we are all within such a bunker, walls of energy sustaining themselves from the ambient energy surrounding us.
‘Now. Guest. I presume you are a guest, anyway, seeing as you have not immediately attempted to murder Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef, and have even succeeded in having him bring you to our home in record time. Who are you?’

The Evanescent One

Ah, the surface of a star. Quite a spectacular sight, as always. To think that races of intelligent creatures live in such an environment, so heavily dominated by Fire and Air… Their dislike of solid matter, of Water and Earth, are understandable. But still quite unnecessary. Matter and energy are one and the same; these energy beings would learn much from such a fact.

I frown as Vexilis obliterates the head of an orange-colored, slightly more feral-looking, but otherwise similar energy being, without so much as a single word of negotiation. I think about stopping him, but decide otherwise; it is not exactly my place to interfere with the warfare of his species. Besides, he is simply taking the life of another to ensure his own survival… I have done the same too many times to criticize Vexilis for his action. Such is the endless cycle of death and destruction, sacrificing one life to preserve another…

As scanned from Vexilis’s surface thoughts, the one to greet us, a black-colored energy being similar to Vexilis, is Tr-j’Oor-Gh’Za’nh-yf’Dl, the leader of his army. He also wishes me to not speak to the commander unless given explicit permission. I respect the customs of his race, but I have no desire to lower myself to such a level. After all, I was the supreme ruler of an entire reality, a position far surpassing any other possible authority figure in any universe; I should be giving a mere army leader like Tr-j’Oor-Gh’Za’nh-yf’Dl permission to speak, not the other way around.

And from Tr-j’Oor-Gh’Za’nh-yf’Dl, I learn that Vexilis’s full name is Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef. Quite long and verbose, yes, but not as long as my own. That is a name I have given myself, of course; my biological father never bothered to name a lowly slave and lab rat such as I.

“I was once called Kardius Drakoxiphos Arkhanthropia, the Gray Tyrant, Magus Emperor of All Cosmos. Remember it well, Tr-j’Oor-Gh’Za’nh-yf’Dl, for I will not repeat myself; this name of mine is one I would rather forget. I now address myself as the Evanescent One. Yes, I indeed am a guest, to your civilization as well as this entire universe as a whole; I am from another reality altogether, as Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef here can confirm. We became acquainted after a chance encounter, and I have decided to use one of my abilities to transport Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef back to his home world and save him an inconveniently long period of interstellar travel. I mean no harm to you or your species, but I would like to learn of the circumstances leading to the war currently raging around us; it is within my interest to prevent warfare and the loss of life whenever possible.”

[]

Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef
That’s… quite a long name.
‘Well, Evanescent One,’ begins Tr-j’Oor, ’it’s certainly a pleasure to meet you, especially if the last of your previous titles is indeed a true statement about yourself. As for the war… well, I believe it started as a simple land grab by the Chiriksin, our opponents, and then escalated from there. Quite a pointless thing for a war to begin over, I understand; however, what else can one do when one’s celestial body of origin is threatened, as ours has been for a fair while now? But… another reality, you say? Is this true, Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef?’
My time to speak. And, perhaps…
‘Ah, yes, as far as I have been told. I wouldn’t put it below his prowess, given that he essentially teleported me across as huge a distance as the ‘riks managed, and without any extra equipment. He… mentioned something else, too, if you’ll both allow me to bring it up. Supposedly, the energy the Evanescent One commands is something called magic.’
‘Magic? I’ve heard something about that… isn’t that an ability that the dominant species in the Sol System of the Milky Way made up?’
‘Apparently, it isn’t made up. It exists on their planet, and within the body of my companion.’
‘Would an elaboration on the subject hurt, Evanescent One?’

The Evanescent One

Here we go again… But since Tr-j’Oor-Gh’Za’nh-yf’Dl is an individual of rather great importance, I should explain magic to him in more detail.

“As I have explained to Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef, magic is simply another form of energy, one that responds readily to the consciousness of sentient creatures. It originates from a parallel plane of existence we call the magic stream, and can be, in most locations, extracted easily through the fabric of spacetime.” I demonstrate by scooping a hand through what seems nothing but empty space; the hand is nigh instantly filled with raw magical energy, appearing as colorless transparent distortions in space. “It can be aligned to one of the six elements that we call Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Light, and Darkness, corresponding to and affecting various objects and concepts in existence.” I once again demonstrate, causing the clump of non-elemental mana to split into six spheres of red, blue, green, yellow, white, and black. “Different magic users have different affinities toward these elements; I am one of the few who are well-attuned to all six. In my reality, magic was much more prevalent, and in no way limited to only the human species and its planet of origin. However, for this reality of yours… the presence of magic is surprisingly sparse, from what I’ve seen so far. Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef hypothesized that your race may have never had the need to utilize magic, which may very well be the case, but… The ability to use magic seems mostly absent, from your species as well as the humans whose planet I arrived at…”

It occurs to me that they may inquire further regarding my home reality. I… do not wish to explain in detail.

“Before you ask… My home reality has been destroyed. Yes, that is the reason why I am in this reality of yours. No, your reality is not threatened in a similar manner, as far as I know and foresee. I’d rather not discuss this subject, if you do not mind, but I am willing to answer, to the best of my knowledge, mostly any other questions you may have regarding magic. Provided, of course, that you answer some of my questions regarding your race, the race of your enemies, and the details of your war. I rather dislike warfare, again for reasons I’d rather not discuss.”

[]

[Quick perspective change. Just for a short while.]

Tr-j’Oor-Gh’Za’nh-yf’Dl
‘I suppose such a deal can’t hurt. What makes magic different from any other form of energy control, then? What can it do, so to speak?’

The Evanescent One

“I cannot exactly answer your first question, as I do not know the exact principles of how the ‘other’ forms of energy control function… But given enough energy, and knowledge, there is little that magic cannot do. Resurrecting the dead, travelling to another reality, summoning a god, turning yourself into a god, killing a god… I’ve personally seen such events happening at least once. The only rule of thumb, so to speak, is that nothing is absolute. For example, you cannot create a magical attack capable of breaking through any barrier, regardless of how strong the barrier is; such an attack would require an infinite amount of energy.”

[]

Tr-j’Oor-Gh’Za’nh-yf’Dl
‘…intriguing. Sounds powerful, then… you mentioned how you wanted to know the details of the war. We don’t know much about the Chiriksin’s reasoning for starting the war, unfortunately, as they’ve not been willing to negotiate – the most we can decipher is that it was apparently an attempt to consolidate extra living space within this galaxy. They intruded upon our own space owned within the galaxy, we retaliated appropriately, and we both just kept sending more and more troops at one another, until it had escalated into outright galactic warfare. As for how they reached our home star, it seems like our defenses simply failed in a certain area, and a large number of Chiriksin poured through and reached the star, and now our monarchs and thus a fair part of our way of life are in danger. Any more questions about that?’

The Evanescent One

“What do you think are your chances of victory in this war? How much life do you think will be lost, and how much destruction wrought?”

[]

Tr-j’Oor-Gh’Za’nh-yf’Dl
‘Too much, I know, far too much, but what can be done about it? In any case, there’s not really any way for us to tell which side will succeed… both sides have huge numbers. Given that we are technically the more advanced species, however, I have the feeling that we may just clinch it.’

[I should have posted. Also, don’t ask about the French, I used Google Translator. Sounds horrid.]

Amanda Duker

Evelyn was kidnapped by some people I have no idea who they are, I read the mailman’s mind and I’m starving. I walk to the kitchen and make myself quickly a bread and pour a glass of milk. I take the food along with me to the work room where we keep mom’s items. She died in a car accident five years ago and before she left us and went on the car trip, she told me that if anything bad ever happens, I should take her notebook and call to the number inside the notebook. It’s like she had guessed something would happen…

I try to dig the mountain of boxes in the corner of the small room. I have placed my glass and plate on the desk and every now and then drink and eat a little. The room is dusty and I sneeze every three minutes. After 45 minutes of intense digging, I manage to find the notebook. With my plate and glass in one hand and the notebook in other, I walk back to the kitchen. After placing the dishes into the dishwasher, I blow off some dust from the cover of the notebook, I read off it: ‘To Amanda’

Curious, I open the notebook and read the text on the first page. ‘Dear Amanda, this whole diary is for you. When you grow up, you might face some trouble and this diary will help you through them. Below is the number of a friend of mine who I deeply trust and if you call her, she will help you. Good luck, my daughter, you know I’ll love you always.’

I pick up my phone, dial in the number and press ‘Call’. A woman answers: ‘Bonjour! Qui suis-je parler pour?’ Thank god mom forced me to learn French when I was younger. ‘Je suis Amanda Duker. Qui êtes-vous?’ The woman at the other end of the line becomes silent for a moment. I ask her: ‘Ai-je dit quelque chose de mal?’ Did I say something wrong? She answers me in clear English: ‘Amanda, I’m Marie Dumais and your mother was one of my best friends. I remember she told me that she would give you this number only in case of emergency. Do you have an emergency at the moment?’

I answer her: ‘My sister Evelyn was kidnapped… three hours ago. A black car sped out of our yard and I have no idea who kidnapped her.’ I can almost hear how Marie feels shocked at the end of the line when she answers me: ‘Travel to the nearest airport and fly to Paris. I’ll be waiting you.’ Fly to Paris? Now? I’m not sure how to feel, but I say: ‘Okay. Thanks for the help.’ and close the phone. Next, I open it again and get a taxi to pick me up. Thank god we live quite near Helsinki, so I just travel to the airport and buy the tickets to the next flight to Paris. During my digging, I found fifty thousand euros and a fake id showing me as 18-years-old, and now they come to good use.

I jump on the plane and fly to Paris. I meet up with Marie — she’s a 35-year-old woman who lives in the suburbian area of Paris. ‘Amanda Duker… I’m so sorry for her. Because of her mother, she’s in this.’ I don’t know if I were supposed to hear that, but now I definately want to know more. We’ll see what I’ve gotten myself into.

The Evanescent One

“Have you thought of repairing the area of defense that has been breached? If you are able to do so, and trap the currently invading Chiriksin troop inside… would it not be possible then for lower their morals enough for them to surrender? I can give you my help on securing your defenses. Remember the aforementioned acts of turning oneself into and killing a god? You do not have to believe me, but I will tell you now that it was I who accomplished these tasks. Powerful and numerous as your species are, I believe I should be able to make a difference.”

[]