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

Originally posted on MSPA by Schazer.

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Xadrez was starting to, quite frankly, piss Maxwell off. Other than the occasional query, he was completely engrossed in his work, and it was taking all the boy's patience to not vocalise Sikarius' plethora of insults - at least not loud enough for the tactician to hear. The... unfairness of the fact that the floating spirit could hover blissfully along, absorbed in the dance of rubble and carvings over his chessboard, while Maxwell was grabbing on for grim life at the collapsing city's every provocation. A jagged crack yawned open by the boy's feet, prompting him to take his next comparitively stable moment to yell:

"Xadrez, can you move any slower!?"

The trembling of the figure in Maxwell's pocket was barely perceptible compared to the pervading quakes, but he head the tactician's absent reply nonetheless, despite being muffled by cotton.

"Xadrez!"

The spirit finally glanced up, his connection with the boy humming with mild irritation. It might've been the uncomfortable acknowledgement that this implacable chessmaster wouldn't have any problem killing him if it came down to that, but Maxwell was tired of being everyone's tool. The worm protruding from between his shoulder blades included.

"We're going to the museum, right? Do you even have a plan?"

Xadrez made no response, simply took a glance around and traced several polygons on his board. Maxwell swore and marched up to the tactician, or at least lurched over and tried to make it look like he was angrily slamming his hands on the disc instead of grabbing it for stability.

"I'm sick of this," he hissed. "I don't want to save this town. I don't want to be a hero. I'm sick of all three of you and your stupid schemes and this stupid fight and if it wasn't for Kracht saying I'd die I'd get on with it and kill one of you."

Xadrez pulled out the knife, noted Maxwell didn't flinch, and prodded his forehead with it.

And you think I feel any different

I find this tiresome, not only this battle kracht and this city of fools

However, it is neither the former nor the latter that irks me most

The anomaly twists me if you'll excuse my egotism from the cosummate academic to some despicable researcher obsessed with a quantifiable victory in discovery where somehow I am not only my own experiment but I perversely relish such a position

And it was only to spite him that I thought this town worth saving

He turned me to competition Kracht and the Observer both I loathe them for it and I look forward to besting them and returning to my unhurried studies

It is in the interests of that goal I untangle the riddle that is the ovoid and this network I appear to have entangled myself in

"I... what?"

Xadrez waved a dismissive hand. Honestly have you tried to think while a piece of your mind is jerked about relative time and semispace free of your volition and you know what never mind but answer me Maxwell

When Kracht says you will die this round

To what extent do you believe him

Maxwell wasn't even sure why he was taking it so personally, but he swatted the dagger aside and snapped, "What kind of a question is that?"

A pertinent one

We've wasted enough time here and the museum is relevant, yes

"Apparently...?" Xadrez motioned for Maxwell to remove his own chess piece from his pocket.

Then odds are reasonable Kracht will be there

This network is

it keens a certain way and though I would trust statistics over something unquantifiable as instinct it

I think this is the change

the thing Kracht has never seen

The Ovoid's dimensions make no effort to pander to my senses and it is difficult so difficult to perceive yet


The ovoid simultaneously permeates, and is untouchable from, this domain but the nondiscrete state of its presence shifts imperceptibly around us, the agents foreign to this domain

I am one, and three I may locate on this plane by tracing my pieces

"And the last one is Kracht."

Xadrez nodded, and sheathed his humming knife before starting to move. Maxwell began to follow, then stopped and shook his head.

"Ok, that's great... but this just means I'm going with your stupid plans again."

Of course

I'm always in need of one or another of you to make a situation horrendously complicated for me

I had the impression you lot enjoyed it

SpoilerShow

I'm anticipating squeezing in at least one more post before the round ends, but that's more wishful thinking on my part. If I get time to do it, I will. If not, eh.