1.25

“Klbkch.”

“Do I understand you correctly, Klbkch? Do you truly believe sending Workers above is wise? If they become Aberration all together, Liscor’s Council will not remain silent. Have you confidence in this venture?”

“No, my Queen. I merely request that a few of the Workers—perhaps ten or twenty—may be allowed to leave the city in my care. They would visit a local inn for several hours before returning.”

“Interesting. So you have faith this venture may be rewarded?”

“I regret that this is not my initiative, my Queen. She—the innkeeper of which I spoke—she requested it of me. I am merely representing our Hive in a unique opportunity. Not necessarily one I have faith in for the success we hope for.”

“Ah. I see.”

“This Human did? What species would desire the presence of Workers if not to work?”

“She did not ask for the Workers specifically. Rather, she was inclined to sell foodstuffs to our people. Acid Flies. She wishes to earn money by gaining our business.”

“And this Human is genuine? She does not fear the Antinium?”

“To the best of my knowledge and ability, I believe her so. Nor does she fear us, my Queen. It is as if she has no past with nor knowledge of the Black Tide.”

“And you think her worth spending your time and the Hive's effort upon, even risking an Aberration.”

“Her name is Erin Solstice, my Queen. And I believe—yes, I believe the experience may help further our plan in some small way. At the very least, it would help increase her trust of our kind. A rare opportunity.”

“And why should I entertain her request?”

“My Queen, do we no longer seek to improve relations with other species? Is this not why Liscor’s Hive was founded at such great effort? Drakes are one species; Humans would be a rare boon, even if she was but one representative predisposed to look kindly on us.”

“The plan has not changed, Klbkch. But we have. And not in the ways that we desire. I am weary, and you—ten years. No; the change comes from the others. The Grand Queen speaks. The other Queens once again question our lack of success.”

“…Are any of their objections backed by orders? Have Xrn or Wrymvr made any objections of their own known?”

“Not as such. Calm yourself, my Prognugator. My authority is undiminished, such as it is. And yet. The Queens move, Klbkch. They are waiting for an opening, and they would sacrifice us if they saw a chance to strike.”

“Is that the position of the Grand Queen? If I may offer my counsel, that would be…unwise. The Hives are not ready.”

“Yes. But they grow impatient with time. The Grand Queen speaks more than she acts. However, she is correct. We cannot continue this endeavor for nothing to show for it. Ten years. They speak of recalling us, idly for now. But they do speak. That is why I will allow this risk. Take twelve Workers. Let them visit this Solstice child. It may harm, but we have been a decade of failure.”

“Thank you, my Queen. I will not betray your trust in me.”

“Of that, I have no doubt. But I need more than your loyalty. Klbkchhezeim of the Centenium. I must have success. Can you promise me that?”

“I cannot. But I will try.”

“Very well. Try, then.”

“Something must be done in the next few years. Some—tangible success. Or I will accede to the will of the others and pursue another project in the Hivelands.”

“I will ensure that all goes well, my Queen. Erin Solstice is not hostile to our kind. I believe she will be a positive influence for them.”

“Then go. But there is one more thing I ask of you.”

“Yes, my Queen?”

“Ahem. These flies…how do they taste?”

“I shall bring you a sample, my Queen.”

“Good.”

“Okay, do I have everything? Let’s go over it again. Larder? Stocked. Check! Silverware? Lots of it, even if it’s not silver. Check!”

“Blue fruit juice? Check. Four full pitchers and a basket of blue fruits.”

“Acid Flies? Check. Dead? Double check.”

“Great. Bathe upstream from the glass jars from now on.”

“Pasta? Wait, I don’t need any pasta.”

“Okay. That’s about it. I’ve got bread in case Pisces comes by, and I even have cheese. Lovely, smelly cheese. Possibly from cows. And I just bet Klbkch is lactose intolerant too.”

“Hi Klb—oh.”

“It’s—it’s you. Do you, um, want something?”

“Oh. Oh! You want to eat, right?”

“Right then, come in.”

“Hey, Rags. How’s it going?”

“Do you want something in particular?”

“How about I take the money, and I’ll feed you until it runs out, okay?”

“Okay. Right. This isn’t the best time, but why don’t you have a seat over here with your friends?”

“Right, food.”

“Give me five—ten minutes, and I’ll have all you can eat. I just need to put on another pot. And make some soup. But I’ve got bread!”

“You can eat this while I get more food, okay?”

“Oh, er. Sorry about that. I’ll slice it up for you. I have water and soap. Here—”

“Oh no, don’t run! I’m not going to hurt you!”

“I’m just going to cut this food for you. See? And this is to wash your hands. Wash your hands. Because they’re gross.”

“And now I’ll put the knife away. No more pointy thing. You don’t have to worry; you’ll be safe here. Okay? But wash your hands. It’s unhygienic.”

“Don’t worry! Don’t worry. These people aren’t here to hurt you. They’re guests. They’re going to eat too, understand?”

“Go ahead and eat as much as you want.”

“Hi, Klbkch. Sorry about the confusion. I had a few visitors pop by unexpectedly.”

“There is no problem, Miss Solstice. I have brought others of my kind as you requested.”

“Are they—are they your friends? Or other guardsmen?”

“I am afraid you are under a misapprehension. These are Workers, Miss Solstice. They are not fellow guardsmen—rather, they perform tasks within the Antinium section of the city. I took them because you wished for more customers, but I have not interacted with them before.”

“Oh. So they’re not your friends?”

“Ha. Hahahaha. That is a good joke, Miss Erin. No, these are Workers. They will behave themselves under my supervision.”

“You have entered an inn. The polite protocol is to introduce oneself and then take a seat. I will handle your greetings. Move to those tables.”

“Sit!”

“This Worker would not presume to…play.”

“Um, thanks, Klbkch. Did you want me to get the food now? I’ve got the Acid Flies of course, but I also have pasta—”

“Oh no! The pasta!”

“Use forks. Got it? Your friend here knows how to use forks.”

“thank you”

“Good evening, Miss Erin Solstice! I hope you don’t mind me dropping by, but I was wondering if you’d like to play a game of ch—”

“…Is this a bad time?”

“How’re you two boys doing?”

“I’m quite well, Miss Solstice. Or—may I call you Erin?”

“Please. I’m getting sick of being called Miss Solstice. I feel like my mom.”

“My deepest apologies. I was not aware this was an insult to your culture.”

“Are you two enjoying your meal? Anything I can get you?”

“Another glass of the blue juice perhaps?”

“It is quite tasty.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you—do you always serve Goblins in your inn? I saw the sign, but I must admit, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a Goblin not trying to stab someone or running away. They’re monsters, you know.”

“Um, no. They’re new here too.”

“Oh, I see.”

“How about a game of chess? Anyone want to play?”

“Oh, I would love to play—”

“But I wouldn’t want to take you away from your work. Perhaps another time.”

“Oh, don’t worry. We can still make it work. I’ll play you and serve food.”

“I don’t suppose either of you are familiar with chess notation?”

“Okay, so you’ve moved your pawn up two spots. That’s E4, so just tell me you’re moving a pawn to E4, got it? And when I want to move, I’ll let you know by saying, oh, pawn to D5.”

“Got it?”

“I believe so, Erin.”

“Right. Let’s play!”

“Pawn, ah, Pawn to F3, Erin.”

“Got it! Knight to C6!”

“Bishop to D6.”

“Hm. In that case, I’ll move…um, I believe that’s Pawn to D4.”

“Queen to H4! Check!”

“Ah. Then—then Pawn to G3?”

“Bishop takes Pawn at G3!”

“Pawn takes Bishop at G3.”

“And I’ll take your Rook at H1.”

“I concede.”

“It was a good game.”

“You do me too much credit. I made several errors that cost me many pieces. But I believe you had me from the start. Without looking at the board once! Would you do the kindness of showing me where I made mistakes?”

“Of course.”

“You started out with a classic: the King’s Pawn Opening. That was a good move.”

“I just moved my pawn to E4. Was that truly a noteworthy move to have a strategy named after it?”

“Oh, it’s a classic. Did you know almost a quarter of all chess games start with it? It’s great for taking the center spaces, but unfortunately for you, I love playing against that move.”

“Do you mean to say that there are established counters to this opening? And that this move is a chronicled…strategy? I had not heard of that.”

“Oh, there are lots of good strategies. I countered with an old favorite—the Sicilian Defense. It’s great against the King’s Pawn, but you made a mistake when you moved that pawn up to F3. It doesn’t open up your side for many pieces to get out, and you really want a knight to put pressure on my side of the board. Of course, you could try to take my pawn, but that leaves your center open. Most players try to push forwards aggressively, but that’s why the Sicilian Defense works so well since it means you have to lose a pawn if you want to push into the other side.”

“Uh, sorry. I tend to lecture when I get too into chess.”

“No—don’t worry in the slightest, Miss Erin.”

“You have such a deep understanding of this game! How is it that you know so much about chess? I only heard about it when someone told me the Titan was playing it a few years ago, yet you say there are strategies already in place?”

“Yes?”

“I believe there are players of this game on every continent, Olesm. We appear to be in the presence of a master.”

“Indeed, indeed! I suppose it’s arrogance to think that I knew everything. Why, they might be doing this in a Walled City like Pallass…and you’re kind enough to keep me from looking like some back-country rube. Thank you, Miss Solstice.”

“Yeah, I love playing chess. In fact, I’ll play both of you at the same time, if you want. We have two boards, after all.”

“Aren’t you taking us a bit too lightly, Erin?”

“Me? Of course not. But I bet I can play both of you while serving drinks and food and win against at least one. Want to test my theory?”

“Congratulations, Klbkch. And to you, Erin.”

“Indeed. I am quite impressed by your ability.”

“Yeah, it was a good game. Too bad I wasn’t playing either of you.”

“What?”

“Notice anything similar about Klbkch’s board, Olesm?”

“What is this?”

“I played you two against each other. It’s the oldest trick in the book—I once heard of a guy who tried it against two Grandmasters and failed. I always wanted to do it just once.”

“What are you doing, Worker?”

“This one would watch, Prognugator.”

“…Watch?”

“It is impolite to intrude or impede the innkeeper’s path.”

“It doesn’t bother me, Klbkch. Let him watch. An audience for a chess game is great.”

“I would not wish to impose on your hospitality or patience—”

“Impose away, by all means!”

“Come on over if you want to watch, all of you.”

“Okay, now let’s do this so it’ll be fun for me and you. I’ll play you both, but we only get five—okay, ten seconds for each move.”

“Is this another way of playing chess?”

“It’s how some games are played, yeah. This style is called Lightning Chess, but in tournaments, you can have anywhere from an hour’s time in total to think of all your moves to only three minutes. If we had a clock we could—never mind, I’ll explain it as we play, okay?”

“I’ll have to sit down for this. I’m no Grandmaster.”

“Congratulations, Olesm.”

“Yeah, that was a great game!”

“Why, thank you.”

“I must say, it’s quite amazing—I feel relieved to have finally tied a match against you, Erin. I was beginning to think it was impossible.”

“Do you want to play?”

“Why not give it a shot? I’ll teach you how to play, and we can always make more chess boards. All we need is a few pieces of paper and a pen.”

“Okay, so how much did you guys see when I played chess with Klbkch and Olesm? Do you know how to set up the board?”

“Good. Good. And, uh, show me how this piece moves?”

“And can you move it from left to right?”

“This one does not believe so.”

“Address her by her title.”

“Apologies, Innkeeper Solstice. This one does not believe the pawn piece moves left and right.”

“Right, that’s true! Very good. And show me how it takes a piece?”

“Good. But did you know there’s one more move the pawn can do?”

“This one was unaware of this fact. This one apologizes to Innkeeper Solstice for its failure.”

“What? Don’t apologize. Not many players know about that move. How could you? Now, let’s have you play a game with your friend.”

“Anyone else want to play?”

“Oh. How’s the game going? Anyone want more flies? How about pasta? A cup of jui—water?”

“I’ll play you, if you want. You’re white, so go ahead.”

“Oh, the Baltic Opening, huh? Well…”

“You guys could learn a lot from her. Most of these moves are actually established patterns. Okay, moving the rook right away wasn’t a good choice, but you’re better than most beginners.”

“Now then. Anyone else want to play another game?”

“And that’s checkmate.”

“Another fine game, Erin. I wasn’t aware of your trap until you moved your bishop up.”

“You keep giving away too many pawns. They’re more valuable than you think.”

“I shall keep it in mind, Erin.”

“Anyone want to play another game? Klbkch?”

“It is late. I am afraid we must take our leave, Miss—Erin. If I may address you in that way.”

“Oh, of course you can call me that, Klbkch. And wow, it is late!”

“Allow me to thank you and pay you in their place, Erin.”

“Oh. That’s a lot.”

“It is only fair payment for what we have consumed. And, might I trouble you to ask for a container of Acid Flies? I wish to bring some back to Liscor.”

“What? Oh, sure. I’ve actually got a huge glass jar. Do you want it?”

“Please.”

“Come again! I’ll feed you lot another meal if you come by. You don’t need to pay—you paid me enough this time. Okay?”

“Hey.”

“No stealing. Besides, a chess board isn’t complete without all the pieces.”

“That doesn’t mean you can steal them either. If you want to play a game, come back any time. Okay?”

“Have a good night.”

“Um, Senior Guardsman Klbkch? May I have a word?”

“My apologies, Olesm Swifttail. I had forgotten you were with us.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“I just wanted to talk to you—if I may.”

“Certainly. May I ask if you are addressing your comment to the liaison of the Antinium or Senior Guardsmen Klbkch?”

“Both, I believe. Um, how shall I put this?”

“As the [Tactician] who liaisons with the Council and other guilds and the guard, I am privy to some confidential information. I am, uh, aware of the situation with the Workers within the Antinium. R-regarding Aberrations and how they appear.”

“Indeed?”

“Will—will this be a problem, do you think?”

“We shall see. They will be observed as usual, and I will personally supervise them.”

“Ah, good, good. I wouldn’t ask, but I know that these kinds of things have, uh, dire consequences. This isn’t to say that I’m against taking a few Workers out under supervision, but the Watch Captain and Council—”

“I understand your concerns. If it helps, I will address this topic in my monthly report to inform you of any significant changes. I shall note our conversation and these instances most rigorously in my report to Captain Zevara.”

“Thank you. Yes, that’s perfect! Just so we have a written record.”

“I trust you have enjoyed yourself tonight?”

“Oh, yes. Very. Erin—that is, Miss Erin Solstice is quite a remarkable Human, isn’t she?”

“Indeed.”

“Quite remarkable.”

“Her mastery of the game of chess may be unmatched within the continent.”

“Absolutely.”

“…Would you like to play a game after this, by any chance?”

“It would be my pleasure.”