The Grand Battle S2G1! [Round Six: Eddelin City]

Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.

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Jen, as she was inclined to do in the face of surprising developments like a mute chess ghost making sweeping declarations through telepathy, just kinda rolled with it.

"Uh-huh. That's awesome, but we still need a way to buy Kracht some time without this city crashing."

Xadrez made an incoherent, but rather shirty reply asking how she was able to trust an anomalous rogue like Kracht. Jen rolled her eyes and stumbled as another tremor rippled through Sk'Va.

"Thanks, Arkal," mumbled Jen as the smith steadied her. "Anyway, Zac, things have changed, alright?"

How

"You tell me. You're the eminent tactical genius. Actually no, wait, don't," Jen amended, as a sickening crash indicated a spire had snapped off somewhere, "tell me how we're gonna stop this city's descent."

What do I care? They are all fools, sullying my noble sport with their feeble pantomimes

Give me a real war to analyse, I am tactician not a mechanic

"You are full of shit, you know that?"

Xadrez was too affronted to manage a reply.

"Seriously. I set you up for that general job because I knew you'd enjoy it. You could've played with Cyk'nl and Sk'va's armies for years, and don't give me any shit about that being below you, Zed. It would've been perfect if Kracht could've quit with the jerk routine for a round, but we're sorting that out."

"Xadrez, Jen." Arkal interrupted helpfully. Maxwell, not privy to the telepathic portion of this conversation, just looked confused.

"Thanks, Arkal. Actually, could you head down with Maxwell and help Kracht unlock the cities? We've got less than an hour now and unless I can talk some sense into this idiot it's the best plan we've got. You'll have to find an access shaft to get to the-"

-we could escape

The humans turned to the tactician, trying to figure if they'd heard right.

We are not spirited out of this world until one of us dies

The mayoress mentioned terrestrial trade

Thus, there are other nations on this planet we can reach them and leave Kracht to fall with Sk'va

I regrettably estimate that an explosion would not be sufficient to kill him, but in this case it works to our favour

As for the Ovoid, it is truly inexplicable but I doubt a savage descent can do it much harm

Regardless

We flee and go our separate ways, each searching for a way home or to destroy the Observer

I am unsure of the range of my contact with my pieces

This idea... cooperation. Though I have observed the phenomena in great depth I have yet to apply it to my own battles

The ground shook again, this time with a sustained, deep rumble. Then there was a groan, and everything keeled over to one side slightly. Triangulating from the screams, it seemed part of Cyk'nl had snapped off completely. Xadrez, hovering, was the only one not visibly perturbed by this development. Instead, the tactician seemed to listen, then yanked out his knife from his shoulder and started slashing at the cobblestones until he hit (though really, with his improbable blade, it was more sliced through) a stormwater pipe.

Half a second later, the spirit rose back to its usual standing position holding a copper figure of Maxwell. He handed it silently to the boy, slashed a chunk of Arkal's hinge-shield off without comment, then continued as if nothing had happened. Arkal was staring in amazement at the knife; Maxwell looked shaken; and Jen was frowning slightly, thinking.

I suggest moving through the cities in teams to ensure nobody inadvertently expires

This is not a particular issue for me but for you

"Ok, you're great, Xadrez. We get it. Now name the teams so we can do this already."

Very well

Xadrez finished carving a rough, but much more personal image of Arkal from the metal. He swapped it with the smith's current one, and tossed the bishop aside.

Maxwell and Arkal, search Sk'va

The queen and I will cover Cyk'nl

Understand, it is of critical importance you do not die

If you encounter the anomaly do not divulge our plans

throw him off the trail

do the unexpected

If her majesty is correct, and we are beginning to deviate, it is imperative for our victory kracht is kept off our trail


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Several street-jolting, gravitationally tenuous moments later, Jen and Xadrez had left the geometrical elegance of Sk'Va for the waltzing curves and arcs of Cyk'nl's architecture. The streets were littered with glass, hundreds of panes wrenched from their lofty roosts by the shaking.

The duo ducked into the ruined remains of a domestic residence as another platoon of crystal-bedecked reptiloids marched by. Jen hadn't had much to say to the tactician, but getting squashed up against his oversized board afforded her little better view than Xadrez's midriff, which at that point had his dagger jammed in it.

"That thing can cut through solid rock, Kracht is pissing you off something fierce, and you went after Maxwell?" she hissed. A Cyk'nlian soldier barked something outside, followed by the howl of some sort of energy cannon.

A being of his nature is something I have little data on

I deemed my usual tactics ineffectual against his

how to put it

metagaming

"Do your usual tactics entail using your brain?" Xadrez didn't reply; he could concede he'd earnt that one. "Oh, and you've been dishonourably discharged from your position as General of the Armed Forces of the Place."

Jen could care less that Xadrez didn't see the latter as much of a punishment. Still, she was planning to ditch this 'tactician' as soon as possible.