by Reiter
Dungias was impressed with his brother’s performance, though he still disapproved of Gantee’s demeanor. He applauded both contestants; Gantee for his ability and the large one for his sense of futility. Besides, it was more than a competition of one Malgovi against another. All the winners and three of the highest scoring losers of the First Round would advance to the second. Points were given for sportsmanship, and it was mainly a consideration for the losers. As far as Dungias was concerned, it was a good thing the winners were not judged by the same standard. But the crowd cheered and Gantee waved at them, flashing a very bright smile.
The second section contained two large metal spheres that floated above the ground at about chest height. In front of each sphere was a fifty-tram track of single-file magnets powered solely by energy. The feat was to charge the sphere with enough electricity to give it a magnetic field. Once the charge was achieved, the contestant would push the sphere down the track, using iro to activate, amplify and deactivate the magnets in such way that they would produce a magnetic field, keeping the sphere moving forward. The first contestant to push their sphere across the line won the event. Gantee had a slight disadvantage in this section because his opponent was physically stronger. But Dungias had seen his Vu-Prin’s practice sessions and though Dungias himself had a better approach, his brother’s technique was, relatively speaking, superlative. When the signal was given, both of the hopeful Malgovi threw their bodies forward, hurling the sphere with all the might they could muster.
Gantee’s approach was clever; after pushing the sphere, he would extend his left hand to charge the first two magnets and create a field the sphere could just roll over. At the same time, Gantee would focus his right hand on the third, fourth and fifth magnets to create a field that would attract the sphere. He ran the risk of the sphere losing height, but the only stipulation in the rules was that the sphere could not touch the ground. With the drop in height there was a sizeable increase of velocity, leaving Gantee to just make a floating field for the remainder of the path. The large Malgovi possessed hardly any technique and relied mostly on brute force. Though his sphere was not slow, Gantee’s crossed the finishing line with nearly a five tram lead. Again there was cheering, even louder than after the first event, and Dungias was close to managing a smile… until he saw Gantee look over at the one with whom he was directly competing. He knew Gantee was capable of many harsh facial expressions, but he had always believed they were reserved solely for himself and other shay-spawn like him. Gantee looked upon another Malgovi, capable of iro, and beamed the most hateful glare, silently declaring the red-haired Gamesman had no place sharing the arena floor with Z’Gunok Tel Gantee. Nugar saw the reaction and decided not to speak. Instead he started looking around the arena, checking every face and form, looking for the sign he had been told he would see.
“Risky,” he thought. “You tried to tell me, my kommis Traveler. You did indeed. But even if your words had hit closer to your intended mark, would it have changed my course?”
“This is something of a risk, you know,” G’Dalzee had spoken as the two approached the launch deck. The Master Traveler knew G’Dalzee was torn between his sense of duty and his respect for the Vinthur who had trained him to see the Stars. But they were no longer student and teacher, and Nugar would not address him as anything other than a peer – a kommis, or brother, of equal measure. That did not make G’Dalzee’s objective of reminding his mentor of his place any simpler. “Times have changed. In the era of our nurs, the Vinthur and the Malgovi were brothers under the Stars. We shared everything. That is not how things are now.”
“Yes, I remember well the stories our nurs told us, my friend,” Nugar had replied, making it a point not to voice that they were the stories he had told a very young and eager G’Dalzee. “But just think of it, G’Dal, an opportunity to take the Malgovi under our guidance, instead of how it has always been since our courses turned from one another.”
“You mean since they turned from the Stars,” G’Dalzee had argued. “Have you spent time among the Malgovi recently, Nugar? They wield light now, their precious iro, and have, in their minds, become the stars both our peoples used to praise!”
“And the Vinthur have our Casters, don’t we?” Nugar had pressed. “Be it spell or directed energy, we have both gained from out time together!”
“We are not equal in their eyes any longer. They look down on us and we are often too humble and gracious when we should remind them that Vinthur blood was spilled right alongside theirs in the times of the Dark Trek!”
“It was the Malgovi who bestowed a service to our blood when we wandered the darkness of space,” Nugar had pointed out as they reached his fighter. “They brought us to the Stars!”
“Is it some sort of reciprocity you seek?” G’Dalzee had asked of his best friend, watching the elder Traveler climb up into his worn spacecraft as he had witnessed so many times before. But G’Dalzee had noticed the change in stride of the aging Vinthur, and it was not the first time he had seen the sparkle in his right eye.
“It is a debt that has gone too long unpaid, G’Dal.”
“And you are the one to pay it for our people?”
“If I fail, you will know where to take up my path… if that is the course you wish to trek,” Nugar had said softly as the canopy of his fighter closed. He could not hear his friend over the systems of his fighter, so no further words were voiced. But one glance at his face and the lecture had been immediately transferred. Nugar had neither the time nor the inclination to argue perspective and humility. The Stars had called to him and he had to answer. If anything, the greater risk would have been to ignore their call! If his craft was swift and his piloting sure, he would be able to fetch his grandchildren and make it appear as if he was on holiday.
Nugar had been caught unawares by the request! How could that have happened? A Traveler of his passage once again caught by surprise like a Technician with a shaky stick?! It was all the more reason to listen to the Stars and find the Malgovi the Stars had declared to be the one who would revive the ancient ways and save the Mal-Vin.
“And times have definitely changed,” Nugar thought as he continued to watch things unfold before him.
The third event was ready, and from the view in the Z’Gunok box, it was already won. There was only one device, and it called for the contestants to face each other and generate enough electricity to force their opponent to yield from the pain. Of course, there was only pain if the electricity being directed could not be conducted safely around the body. Again, it was helpful to be able to do two things at once, and the red-haired contestant hesitated before he approached the device. Gantee smiled as he waved to the crowd. His smile became a cruel snarl as he turned to face his opponent, and the crowd responded with even more yelling and screaming. This part of the First Round events they loved the most, and they hoped that the size of Gantee’s opponent meant he could withstand a great deal of punishment.
Dungias turned away from the event, knowing his Vu-Prin was already the victor. As he heard the screaming of the red-haired Malgovi, Dungias closed his eyes and his body grew stiff. One of the worst problems with the event was if the power received was too great, there was little opportunity to yield until the victor diminished their delivery. But Gantee enjoyed playing the part of the punisher, and the crowd was calling for pain.
“Gantee’s going to cook him!” Danatra screamed in delight.
“I should hope not,” Dungias said in a voice that was louder than he thought. “Imagine a Games Champion asked to be a Cook!” Saru’s response was the first and the loudest and even Nugar lost his composure as he laughed out loud. Laylaria tried her best to keep her face straight, but she lifted her hand to her mouth as Gantee stepped away from the device and was declared the winner.
“You made me miss the point, you shay-spawn idiot!” Danatra yelled as she threw her cup at her Vu-Prin. He flinched and braced for an impact that never came. Dungias looked at the cup
, so close to his face that his lips would have touched it had he chosen to give the cup a kiss. It slowly tumbled in mid-air, inside a dull white orb of light, but it did not advance.
Dungias looked to his mother, but it was not her talent. She was looking at Nugar, whose pupils had been replaced by a dull white glow which matched the light of the orbs that held the glass and the liquid thereof.
“You dropped something, your young Grace,” Nugar said with a smile. Both orbs slowly approached Danatra, the one containing the liquid moving fast enough to pass over the top of the empty cup. The contents were returned to the cup as the cup was returned to Danatra. Without being told, Danatra took hold of the cup. “There you are, back where it belongs. I hope you enjoy your beverage.”
“Thank you,” Danatra said before taking her seat. Dungias started to speak, but Nugar was already up and out of his chair.
“By the light of the Stars!” he cackled. “He took all three events quite handily! You must be proud, good Lady.”
“Very,” Laylaria said softly before taking another healthy gulp of her beverage, wishing it was of the fermented sort.
To advance to the Second Round of the Games, a participant needed only to claim three victories in as many as five possible first-round matches. Gantee had won his first three matches quite quickly. This seemed to put Danatra at ease, and Dungias could see some relief on his Vi-Zai’s face as well, but Dungias was not impressed… he was concerned!
Still in the First Round, three matches after his brother’s first victory, there was a male Malgovi clad in an Iro-Suit and a mask, an option of costuming which was allowed. The young contestant stood nearly at the same height as Gantee, though noticeably more stout... and he was a powerhouse! He did not even insert his hands into the machine. He simply lifted his hand and iro arched from the palm to the appropriate machinery. His lift exercise nearly shattered the rooftop force-screen and in the second test he did not push the sphere at all, using only the magnets to move it along, but he still was victorious. In the final event of his first-round match, his opponent forfeited. Dungias could not go back to looking at his Vu-Prin, the masked contestant’s every action was his focus, and the more he watched, the more he feared for Gantee.
“He’s going to tire himself out!” Danatra declared as the First Round came to a close.
“There may be a point in that perspective,” Nugar replied as he rose from his chair and walked over to stand closer to Dungias. Surprisingly, Laylaria decided to watch the Games rather than observe the old Traveler.
“You seem greatly troubled,” Nugar spoke softly and with obvious concern. “How can I allow my savior to be in such a position?”
“I assure you, Master, I am not your savior,” Dungias quickly argued, bringing a smile to the aging Vinthur’s face. “… and if I were, I would gladly trade that position to be a savior for Gantee. He isn’t ready for the masked gamesman.”
“Then he will fail to win,” Nugar pointed out. “Would his existence then come to–”
“It is one thing to fail when you have tried your best and fallen short of the mark,” Dungias interrupted, speaking in a loud, angry tone. “It is not the same perspective when all you may lack is the proper focus. The masked one is powerful, but he is not Gantee.”
“The difference being?”
“The masked contestant is a brute,” Dungias judged. “A clod at best! It is only his amplitude that draws my concern! My Vu-Prin can touch the heart of the light and demonstrate its aesthetic.”
“And yet for all of that illumination, he sees so very little,” Nugar thought.
“There isn’t much that pretty can do against power, my young friend.”
That was enough for the eldest son of the Kith Z’Gunok! Old or not, Traveler or not, he did not care and he was inflamed. Dungias started to respond, but caught the image of his Vi-Prin in the corner of his eye. She lifted her brow, as she had when she called him an animal. Dungias’ fiery stare locked on the calm and passive pools that the old one called his eyes. How many storms had they seen and how would Dungias’ measure? A deep breath was the result of his ire.
“Certain questions need not ever be posed,” another precept of Pax’Dulah came to mind. “… for only the short-sighted mind would pose them. To ask what the stars brings us in the absence of darkness and ice is simply a lack of competence. Do not skim the surface when one is looking for depth.
“An outburst here and now gains me nothing,” Dungias concluded. “I lose both my anger and time.”
“Excuse me,” Dungias said softly, walking around Nugar and out of the room. “There are things to which I must attend.” Nugar smiled as he watched the young man quickly and quietly exit the booth. He chuckled to himself as he slowly made his way back to his seat.
“How the old lessons remain with us,” Nugar thought, looking at Danatra. She had kept her eyes on her sibling as he took his leave of the room. She snorted in disgust before slowly turning back to look at the arena. Before her eyes could see the grounds, her eyes met with Nugar’s and she blinked. His copper eyes squinted as her golden-hued gaze locked back on the Games.
“Your saytrah,” Nugar observed. “… your saytrah that you call Vi-Prin… she could have been an Iro-Gell, but she chose the path of music. I can see the notes all about her. They dance like anxious stars, seeking their place in the heavens. There is no question of the mutual appeal she has with music. But the approach she has taken to Dungias is most extreme. Most extreme! I must question what she has in her heart for him. And more important than what… is why!”
Gantee and the masked contestant were in different participant-sections of the Games and would not compete directly against each other until the Third Round. Dungias had until then to devise a means of delivery for his brother.
Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many.
Phaedrus
The star-term was simply too short. There were not enough s’tonki in it to suit the young Malgovi. Dungias was glad there was a brief resting interval between each of the four Rounds as he made his way to the lower corridors, and finally into the storage facility whereupon he started working on Gantee’s slide-sled. The Second Round of the Games was a test of endurance, magnitude, and the necessary hand-eye coordination to pilot the craft through an obstacle course. Dungias could not speak for the coordination of the masked contestant, but he was fairly certain the individual possessed the necessary raw power to finish his heat in a high enough position to advance to the Third Round.
“And while my Vu-Prin might be challenged by the length of the race, he is a capable pilot,” Dungias thought as he prepared the vehicle. “He should have little problem in finishing within the advancing ranks.”
Addled with the task of assembling what he hoped would be a helpful surprise, the very concerned Dungias had wandered too deeply into his thoughts to hear the doors of the chamber opening. There was, however, no mistaking the laughter that startled him. Dungias turned to see a very familiar face, performing a painfully familiar antic.
“Well, these are the lower chambers after all,” Kinjass spoke as he entered the room. “I should expect to see certain forms of pestilence.” Like Dungias, Blaxidurn Gan Kinjass had come into the storage facility to prepare for the next round of competition. His arrival made clear what had been, to that point, a most confusing mystery.
“I am too foolish," Dungias thought as he looked to the floor. “I overlooked the simple in my quest for resolve. I know who the masked contestant is now. He is Kinjass’ Vu-Prin!”
“But it is clear to me now that the standards of this facility are undoubtedly low,” Kinjass declared as he advanced. He stood within striking distance of Dungias, his hands on his hips and a very proud demeanor about him. Then again, he was not alone, but in the company of no less than three assistants who were actually about the business of doing the work intended for Kinjass. There were no hard and fast rules regarding this position, but it was genera
lly accepted that only a member of the contestant's House, Kith, Cadre or Group would engage in the maintenance and preparation of necessary weapons and equipment. In truth, Dungias could not say that he was at all surprised to see Kinjass work his way around what he considered to be less than savory tasks.
“Blaxidurn Gan Kinjass,” Dungias spoke in acknowledgment. “I had forgotten that you and I both have siblings that are of the age for the Games. You also have a younger Vu-Prin, do you not? May the Stars grant you and your family passage through the Games. Please excuse me, my Vu-Prin waits.” With the sled riding on a cushion of antigravity, it was very simple to push it for the sliding doors; but before proceeding through, Dungias stopped and turned to look back at Kinjass.
“Since I did not attend the Games when you and I were of the age, I failed to recall that your family wears a mask at such events… a ceremonial gesture, is it not? You are a descendent of Blauri Lar, one of our more noted military leaders. Was he not noted for wearing the mask during his engagements? It is good that your Vu-Prin, Vradwynn, wears it this star-term.
“But I must say, I had no idea he was capable of such power!” Dungias shared. “You must be proud.” Dungias took his leave, a slight grin finding its way to his face.
“This explains much,” Dungias thought. “Kinjass himself is capable of generating a great deal of energy. It would seem that his younger brother exceeds even his capacities… but I doubt that is the only similarity they share.” Dungias pushed the sled into the corridor, moving at a faster pace; he was going to need a few moments to speak with Gantee.
