Since Char'lis meeting with the gods the burrows of the Med'ja-Hom tribe had been filled with a nervous energy unseen
since the time of the first Chieftains. The Gods had brought forth tidings of great peril not just for their tribe, but
for the world of Gaea itself.
A rift had grown between Tymoro, God of luck and Chance and Yuna, Goddess of life. Their quarrel had birthed a terrible
horde which now roamed untamed throughout the land. Tymoro was pleased with this creation and sought to control it,
through the forging of a coin which had fallen to the hands of the most unlikely of creatures.
To think that the fate of the world had fallen to a simple Med'ja child, there were times where Char'li believed it merely
a dream; a fantasy created from too much drink and too little air. Yet in the pouch at his side the coin sat, the meeting
with the Gods proof of its divine nature and the choice yet to be made.
The Gods had given the Med'ja a choice; March forth against the tree of life and gain power beyond power or stand against
the Horde and risk their own destruction.
Char'li, son of Dae'el, pawn of the Gods paced alone through the tunnels of his home, the encounter with the Gods had
changed the young Med'ja; he who was once a boy filled with the promise and joy of youth had now become a man burdened by
the weight of destiny.
A wind began to blow throughout the tunnel in which the young Med'ja walked, cold but unlike any seen before. A tall man
in a bronze mask strode through the tunnel as the ground trembled and shook beneath him. The man spoke with a voice older
than time itself, a voice of men and women layered upon each other in a cacophony of sound. "COME TO ME, CHAR'LI"
The young Med'ja was forced forward Char'li by thousands of invisible hands towards the shadowy figure. The man, in long
strides, walked up to Char'li and waved his hand. Around the two, space seemed to flux and warp, then they were gone from
reality itself.
Outside space and time, beyond the limits of knowledge, the man and Char'li stood. The man turned and walked wordlessely,
and Char'li followed, knowing he was in the presence of power beyond imagining. They walked for what felt like eternity
yet was no time at all, and came to a table bordered by two chairs which appeared to be made from wood, metal, rock,
water, fire and energy itself shifting back and forth in an endless flux. “YOU KNOW ME,” the voice spoke, “AS AN
ABOMINATION, A MONSTER OF FLESH AND MOUTHS AND EYES. THAT IS BUT ONE FACET OF MY EXISTENCE.” Char’li had no words, the presence of the god pressing all around him. “WE SHALL PLAY A GAME, ONE FROM ANOTHER WORLD, ONE THAT I LIKE VERY MUCH. SIT.” The young man sat as the man he knew to be Tymoro, god of chance and luck, explained the game known as “backgammon” to him, and they began to play.
They played in silence for a time, until Char’li finally worked up the courage to speak. “What is this place?” he asked.
Tymoro moved his pieces, and over the clack and clatter of the gamepieces and the dice Tymoro spoke, “WE ARE IN MY
DIMENSION. YOU CANNOT SEE THE TRUE NATURE OF IT, DUE TO YOUR THREE-DIMENSIONAL MIND, BUT IT IS A PLACE OF PURE LUCK AND CHANCE, WHERE ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING CAN AND WILL HAPPEN. IT IS A PLACE KNOWN ONLY TO MYSELF, A PLACE BEYOND THE GAZE OF OTHER GODS. REJOICE, FOR YOU ARE THE FIRST MORTAL TO EVER LAY EYES ON IT, HOWEVER LITTLE YOU MAY SEE.”
“I HAVE A CHOICE FOR YOU TO MAKE, YOUNG ONE,” said Tymoro, “YOU ARE AT A CROSSROADS IN YOUR LIFE. THE COIN YOU HOLD IN YOUR POSSESSION, THOUGH IT IS AN INCREDIBLY POWERFUL ARTIFACT, COMES WITH GREAT CURSE. YOUR CHOICES ARE THUS: GIVE THE COIN TO ME SO THAT REMOVE IT FROM YOUR POSSESSION, AND RETURN YOU WHENCE YOU CAME. MAKE THIS CHOICE AND YOU SHALL BE AS YOU WERE, A MORTAL OF NO CONSEQUENCE ,A BEING WITHOUT DESTINY .”
“OR" The god continued "KEEP THE COIN, AND BECOME MY CHAMPION. I WILL TAKE THE POWER THAT BECKONS MY CHILDREN UNTO YOUR HOME, AND REPLACE IT WITH ONE OF CONTROL.THE GIBBERING SHALL BECOME YOUR PET, AND IN RETURN YOU SHALL DO MY WILL.” Char’li was intrigued by the God's word but remained silent as he continued.
“LET ME PREFACE THIS WITH A BIT OF AN EXPLANATION. DO YOU KNOW YUNA, GODDESS OF LIFE? OF COURSE YOU DO, FOR ALL MORTALS KNOW OF HER LIGHT. IN THE TREE OF LIFE, THERE IS A DESTRUCTIVE FORCE CALLED THE DJINN, THERE ARE TWO OF THEM. EACH OF THEM BEINGS OF UNIMAGINABLE POWER. YUNA'S HEART HAS BEGUN TO DARKEN. SHE PLANS TO UNLEASH THEM UPON THE WORLD TO DESTROY ALL LIFE TO FEED THE TREE.” The scene changed and warped around them, settling until they were on top of the Gaea icosahedron. “LOOK UP CHAR’LI. THE LIGHTS IN THE SKY ARE STARS. AROUND EACH IS COUNTLESS WORLDS LIKE YOUR OWN. YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS UNIVERSE. YUNA PLANS TO UNLEASH THE DJINN ON EACH OF THESE WORLDS STARTING WITH YOURS, GROWING THE TREE TO UNIMAGINABLE SIZE. I WANT YOU TO TAKE THE GIBBERING TO THE TREE AND DESTROY IT, THE DJINN, AND ALL INSIDE.”
The pieces clacked around for a minute longer, until they finally came to a rest. Tymoro had borne off 14 pieces, while
Char’li had borne off 15. Tymoro picked up the last piece, and spun it on a fingertip, and as Char’li gazed upon it, the
piece phased slowly into the Coin. Tymoro flipped it into the air, then snatched it out of the air. “I KNOW I DO NOT NEED
TO BRIBE YOU WITH PRESENTS, CHAR’LI. THE THREAT OF DESTRUCTION BY YUNA IS ENOUGH. I HAVE DONE ALL I CAN, YOU MUST CHOOSE TO SAVE THE WORLD OR TO DESTROY IT. I AM PERFECTLY HAPPY WITH EITHER, BUT I KNOW THAT THERE ARE MANY THAT WOULD NOT BE PLEASED WITH ME IF I LET THIS HAPPEN. TAKE THE COIN OR DO NOT, IT IS YOUR CHOICE. DO KEEP IN MIND, THOUGH, THAT IF YOU ACCEPT, YOU WILL BE SHOWERED WITH GIFTS BY NOT ONLY ME BUT ALSO THE OTHER GODS. I CAN EVEN GUARANTEE YOU IMMORTALITY AND PROTECTION FOR YOUR PEOPLE. IT IS TIME, CHAR’LI, TO DECIDE.”
Char'li, son of Dae'el, rose from the table and his legs quaked, his heart was filled with resolve. "Mighty Tymoro, though
your power is great and the gifts you offer vast I am but a simple Med'ja, I cannot be your champion. Though it may mean
my death I ask that you take the coin from me and seek your champion elsewhere."
His decision made, his fate decided, Char'li walked away from the table as Tymoro waved him off. For a time the god sat
atop the Icosahedron, gazing from at the Tree of Life before finally flickering and vanishing himself.
As the tunnels of his home began to take form around him, Char'li, son of Dae'el breathed a sigh of relief, once again he
had faced the Gods and lived to tell the tale. For his bravery he had earned his freedom, his fate unbound and though his
heart was light with joy, he was sure that one day he and the Gods would meet again.
END
view the rest of the comments →
[–] Arotaes_Forgehammer 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
[M] Fair enough