1.31

“And…I think I remember this. Skills define classes, right? But doesn’t everyone get the same Skills when they level up?”

“I don’t know much about chess, but I’ve seen Olesm play. You’re way better than he is, Erin. And you…um…Pawn.”

“Why don’t I level, then? I don’t have any levels in [Tactician], but Pawn tells me the other Workers have leveled up in it. Probably the Goblins as well.”

“Apologies. But the Innkeeper Solstice makes a mistake. This one—I am sorry. You misunderstand, Erin. At this moment, you are not simply playing me, but all the Antinium gathered here.”

“He was the designated Worker who won 54.6% of all games he played. He had no name. If you wish it, I will remember him, Miss Solstice.”

“I’m just an [Innkeeper]. I don’t want to be anything else. I don’t even want to be that, but I am. That’s all.”

“I still don’t get it. Where do levels come from? Why do people have them? Why do people only level up when they sleep?”

“I will—I will never see—I cannot explain what it is.”

“But that does mean you could get a class for eating, right?”

“You mean a [Gourmet]? I’ve heard some rich merchants and nobility have that class. Lifestyle, Erin. I hear there are some fat slobs who live all their lives just partying and living life up. [Hedonists].”

“People run for a living, Erin. I’ve never met anyone who walks. That kind of class would be a [Traveller] or a [Journeywoman]. You see? No wait, [Journeywoman] is an apprentice class. See? Now you’re getting me confused.”

“I do not know, Erin Solstice. These are mysteries of the world. They are what they are, yes?”

“Walking is something we do, not something we live for, yes? Only things that we make our goals and dreams form classes. However, there is a [Runner] class.”

“Everyone gets different Skills when they level. Often, they’re the same, but some people get them at different times or get different variations on Skills…it’s about need. Need and want determine what Skills we get.”

“Neither did I. But it is not unexpected, yes? Leveling comes from learning and trials. Without such things there is no experience gained. For one who does the same thing without change, they will not level.”

“They don’t need levels, Erin. They’re deadly enough as it is. If you gave them high levels and churned them out the way the Antinium can, they’d be an unstoppable army.”

“But doesn’t that mean they’re weak, then? If most Drakes around my age are Level 10 or higher, why aren’t they way stronger than all the Antinium?”

“It is curious you do not know of levels, but perhaps your people do not level in the same way we do, yes? Rare classes, perhaps? I understand not all classes are earned equally. Especially in places like the Kingdom of Keys. Samal. Peaceful places.”

“A lot longer. And lots of people love to play it where I come from. There’s strategy books, lessons online, tutors…I learned it all. Fun fact? I learned how to play chess blindfolded before I learned how to ride a bike.”

“It happens. And it’s not surprising. Even a genius kid can’t beat an adult who’s played thousands—tens of thousands more games. But every time I lost, it crushed me. So I quit.”

“If that is the case, Miss Erin, I shudder to imagine what kind of geniuses live in your home nation.”

“I’m sure you don’t think of it this way, but I cannot imagine a player better than you, Erin. I have Skills that allow me to play the game better than most, but I cannot beat you no matter how hard I try.”

“We felt their loss, Erin. But only when we knew it. The Queen remembers. She knows us all. But we—we are Antinium. This is new.”

“Do not be sad, Miss Solstice. We are the Antinium. So long as the Hive exists, all will be well. So long as the Queen lives—nothing else matters.”

“At least, Klbkch will not be gone forever. So long as the Queen lives, she will remember him.”

“But he can’t speak to us, Pawn. He’s gone for us.”

“I—see. I feel there is much misunderstood, but I respect your grief.”

“We have very few levels, Erin. I myself am a Level 2 [Butcher] and Level 1 [Carpenter].”

“I guess I’m just a normal girl who’s better than 99% of the world at chess. But that last 1%. That’s a heck of a large gap.”

“But he was brave. He—he died for me. Both of them should be remembered.”

“But what about the other Worker? What about him?”

“Why would she remember him? He was no Prognugator. He had no name.”

“Not so long as the Queens live. He will be remembered. It is more than any other Antinium has.”

“But chess? Chess isn’t scary. Not compared to other things.”

“I was always afraid of losing as a kid. Always. I studied so hard so I wouldn’t lose. Maybe that’s why I never improved. I thought losing was a terrible thing.”

“Just so. We think as one. That is the nature of the Antinium. Even if—that nature has been compromised by the experiment. Though I am individual, that is still true of me. I do not know why, but I feel…”

“Would it do any good? I can’t win. You—you’re better than I am.”

“I think I get it. Thanks for explaining.”

“No way. Really? Okay, I think I get it. But people can have multiple classes, right?”

“Why? I’ve gained ten…yeah, ten levels this month.”

“Okay. I think I get it. So people level up, but not that high. And you can have more than one class, but you have to level that one up from the start, right?”

“Do the Workers have lots of levels? You guys work all the time, so you’ve got to have lots, right?”

“And what we do, right? That determines our classes, which determines how our level ups affect us and whether or not our classes change.”

“And that’s probably why you’ve leveled so quickly, Erin. Starting an inn by yourself—that’s got to be a lot harder than just working in one or taking over a business.”

“Erin, have you seen those giant soldier-types the Antinium keep in their tunnels? I caught a glimpse of one walking through the streets this morning.”

“Some believe, Erin. And who is to say what is true?”

“And that’s another thing. How are you so good at that, Erin? Olesm says you’re the best player he’ve ever seen or heard of. Are you a high-level [Tactician], then?”

“There is much we learn from each game, Erin Solstice. Please do not stop teaching.”

“I don’t think I know of one living, in any class. I’ve heard legends about warriors that reached that level, but those are ancient stories. You know, the kind where a single hero defeats armies by himself or slays Hydras and Krakens single-handedly. People just don’t level that high.”

“Somewhere…sometime I guess I lost interest in playing chess. Or maybe I stopped having fun. I don’t know how to explain it. I was just a kid, but I spent every waking moment playing the stupid game, going to tournaments, studying, winning, losing—I never really lived. I never played with my friends.”

“Really? Only Level 14? That just seems so…low.”

“Are you sure no one’s ever talked to you about this?”

“I have lived more than half of the average Worker’s lifespan. The Workers do not level up frequently. Some do not level at all.”

“I merely learn from Erin Solstice. She is an expert in this game.”

“The hundred play as one mind. We see a hundred moves and play them all in turn. We think together and play as one body.”

“How are you doing it? No one gets this good overnight. Not even a genius can play like that on his first go.”

“And Klbkch? And the Worker? Did you feel…?”

“He was humble. It was why many liked him. And now he is gone.”

“It was—that was a display beyond anything I’ve seen. It was pure! I couldn’t see how it would end! I couldn’t predict the next move! How are you not a [General] or—or a [Strategist] of the highest level?”

“It’s just a game. I’m no tactician or even a warrior.”

“…I could not say. It does not make sense.”

“Fine. But if that’s the case, why don’t we get levels for everything? Like…walking. Is there a [Walker] class?”

“Um, did…no one ever tell you this when you were growing up, Erin? I mean, everyone knows this stuff. It’s basic.”

“Yes, Erin Solstice. We are taught such things as we are formed in Birther Sacs. All Workers know of leveling, but we seldom do.”

“Well, Level 100 is the highest, right? Doesn’t that mean most people would get to…I dunno, Level 60 or higher before they die?”

“But wasn’t chess invented only a few years ago by the Titan of B—”

“Well, I guess maybe here it’s new. But chess has been around a lot longer where I come from.”

“In theory, you could have as many classes as you want. But in practice, even most Adventurers only have three or four classes, tops. It’s because you don’t just get a class even if you qualify for it. It has to become part of your life.”

“I have known many elderly people. They all have levels in their twenties or sometimes thirties, yes? Few are above Level 40. A great Tribe might have more than one; some tribes have none at all. Few even reach their thirtieth level. If I had to name those above Level 50, there would only be…a dozen in each continent, yes?”

“I just don’t understand why you don’t know all th—”

“No, it’s just skill. Not the kind you get from leveling up. Just skill in the game. I don’t have any levels besides [Innkeeper].”

“When I realized that, I quit. I just stopped playing, threw away my chess set…I did normal things. It took me years before I even looked at a chess board, and then it was fun to play. But I never wanted to be a Grandmaster again. The pressure, living just for that one game—it’s too much.”

“I just played since I was a kid, that’s all. Every day. At first it was just a hobby, y’know? Something I saw an adult do, but then I found I liked it. When I won my first tournament, I was over the moon. And after that, I just kept playing.”

“What? Is it—is it because you’re young or something?”

“A big one. He was the Slayer, a Prognugator—”

“—He was famous among his people, Erin. One of the few Antinium with a name. He—”

“King’s Gambit Accepted to open with, and then the Bishop’s Gambit…see here, he tries the Byran-Counter Gambit with the pawn? And then the white side attacks the queen with a knight here…”

“But that makes no sense!”

“But then how are you so good?”

“I got to just over 2000 when I was a kid. That’s insane but—it’s still a huge difference between that and being a Grandmaster. If I kept playing, maybe I’d be around 2400 right now. But either way, I’m one of the best in the place where I lived. In this world—I probably am the best. So why don’t I level?”

“I never knew he was so important.”

“A game? But it’s obviously a game.”

“Yeah, that’s true. I guess levels can’t replace numbers or muscle, can it?”

“I don’t level. Makes sense.”

“Well, it can, but only if there’s a big difference in levels. Relc, for instance…he’s strong. He could probably take on a lot of those soldiers. Not that he would—don’t get me wrong! But he’s Level 32, I think. That’s incredibly different than a Level 13 [Warrior]. Does this all make sense, Erin?”

“It was a good game, Erin.”

“Will you play another game, Erin?”

“What? I’m only Level 10. Isn’t that low?”

“It is—but—I mean, it is, but no one levels up that fast! Erin, normally someone has to apprentice to someone else for years before they hit Level 10. Most kids—well, most people our age are barely Level 14 in their chosen profession around now. Maybe they have other classes—my friend, Drassi, switches jobs every other week, so she’s barely got levels in anything but [Gossip]. Still! Ten levels in a month?”

“So the Antinium don’t level up much? I guess Klbkch was an exception.”

“Some would call it…belief. Some yes, some think levels rule everything. No one w…hm, what’s the word? Worships? The gods are dead, Erin. They are dead. In some places, leveling is preached and those with the highest level are worshiped. I have heard it said that to each one of us is a maximum level given, and when we reach that level, we have reached the end of our life.”

“Yeah. Something like that. Is leveling a big part of people’s lives here?”

“What about some other class? Or is it a rare Skill?”

“I was never the best. But I was good. Really good. For my age? I was incredible. I played in tournaments, I stayed up late playing chess—my parents let me. They knew I had a gift. So I would study chess every moment I had free time, play adults, go to chess clubs and tournaments after school, and I kept winning. But then once you get to a high enough level, you start losing.”

“We’ve got a ranking system in my world. People who play chess in tournaments get a score, which goes up and down when they win or lose. A Grandmaster’s got about 2600 or more points, and the really amazing chess players all have over 2200 points. If you have that many, you’re pretty much one of the best in the nation.”

“Classes are based on what we pursue. Yet—by that same notion, what we consider unimportant or trivial fails to trigger the same classes in other people. It is a known phenomenon I studied during my time in Wistram Academy. I wrote a paper that—well, suffice it to say, if you do not consider chess to be anything other than a game, you would not level.”

“In the history of chess, there are a lot of famous games that we study because of how brilliant they are. Some people call other games Immortal Games as well. And there are a few famous ones. But this. This is the Immortal Game. Some of the moves aren’t considered as good nowadays, but this is still considered one of the pinnacle moments of chess in my world.”

“Even the Antinium? Even the Workers?”

“Klbkch explained some of it to me.”

“I forfeit again. Good match.”

“Seriously? Some people believe that?”

“It was a great game!”

“You q—ow! Stop hitting me!”

“Allow me to rephrase my statement.”

“I wish that were true.”

“Stop that. Let me show you something.”

“Good. Now play me. One last time.”

“We can see the ending.”

“Oh. Um. Oh, I—well, yes, classes change. It’s just usually in name to represent you’re more specialized or—or you’ve hit a higher level. For instance, [Tacticians] usually become [Strategists], but they can become [Leaders] or [Generals]. It depends on the Skills you have. And what you do with your life.”

“Right. If you were a [Spearmaster] like Relc, say, and then you picked up a sword and started using that, you’d probably get the [Warrior] class until you were high enough level and had enough skills for a [Swordslayer] class or a [Duelist] class or something like that.”

“So will I. And you won’t forget?”

“As much as it pains me to say it, Erin, I have to disagree with you. Klbkch was truly unique. He was the first—and only—Antinium ever to be accepted as a member of the Watch. Even among the Antinium’s Prognugators, and there are few, he was the only trusted Antinium to ever exist. Ever since the Antinium entered the city ten years ago, he’s been the one who acted as a liaison between their Queen and our city. He is—was the representative of their race. I, um, feel like I should say that about him now. I quite respected him, despite him being an—an Antinium.”

“So someone over Level 70 for example…?”

“I…didn’t know that.”

“I lose. Again.”

“This—is an Immortal Game.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Are you serious?”

“You’re joking. Right?”

“Am I wrong?”

“What I mean to say is that if Mistress Solstice does not consider any of the tactical applications of learning to play chess—how moving pawns is similar to organizing warriors, for instance—she would not level in the [Tactician] class. To begin with, the amount of experience gained from playing chess is far lower than actual work as a strategist, so if she cared not at all about games of war as opposed to games of pieces…”

“Oh, I get it.”

“Exactly.”

“…I guess.”

“That’s stupid.”

“I can.”

“Hive mind.”

“Show me.”

“So classes change names?”

“No. They do not.”

“Teaching?”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Yes.”

“No.”