5 Things I learned when playing Minecraft

I'm writing this, because I want to detach myself from the story Of Fire and Water and think of the ending I envisioned, scrutinize it, and make it the best I can think of. Endings are important. They can destroy all that was good in the story and sometimes we even wish we didn't read, see, or play the ending, because it left us empty. I don't want empty endings.

Currently, over 16 Million copies of Minecraft have been sold for the PC / Mac OS. And there's some more to be found for the PS3, Xbox 360, PS4 and Xbox One versions.

To give an idea of how seriously some people take this game, Denmark instructed its ministry to reconstruct the entire state in an online version, and some American hackers attacked it. It's an interesting story, read about it here.

For those unfamiliar with the game, suffice it to say it's basically LEGO in a video-game. You control a single person, born into a world of cubes. There, you have to collect the materials and build stuff. There's another mode of playing, but survival is more adrenaline-packed, because unexpected encounters might happen.

Minecraft is, in a sense, the simulation of a world, made out with computer's logic. Zeroes and ones, a switch opened or closed, and the computer's visual (graphical) representation of the circles can never be what mathematicians consider "perfect".
In other words, pixels forming a screen are square. So instead of doing an incredibly large number of calculations in order to achieve the stunning quality of some of the today's best games, Minecraft opts for a simple cube approximation.
(for those unfamiliar with games, a link to Bioshock Infinite, one of my favorite games story-wise)

If you accept that, then playing the game lets you live a simulation of the reality. And you know, we physicists nowadays learn a whole damn lot on simulations - basically, all the particle physics today would not exist without computer simulations, and when I was doing my PhD, that's exactly what I enjoyed doing most.

Without further ado, here are the 5 things I learned playing Minecraft (you might be surprised)

5. Practical skills

I learned how to orient myself better. The first tries at playing the game were horrible: me and my friends immediately lost the map we began the game with. So I and others had to explore the world and return alive. Many times that was not the case. The journey was of no return, deep down in a god forsaken cave, at the bottom of a lava river.

So it was of uttermost importance to get to know the cubic surroundings better, and be aware at the dangers around (especially some stupid holes). And there's absolutely no difference with the real world, only the graphics are better.

Another thing I learned was planning and forethought. Yes, this is something everyone will probably tell you:"Think before you act." In real world, usually our choices are complex, affecting multiple people and things that surround us. It is, therefore, very hard to predict the outcome of our actions.

Minecraft on the other hand, is simple - it is only a game after all. And investing some hours in actions that could have been avoided if I optimized my work, made me realize how to better organize myself. Both behind the screen, and in my actual plans for the future.

4. On Time

Minecraft was, the final step of a realization that was boiling under my skin for quite some time. No matter how long I'll live, I simply won't have the time needed to play all the games I would like, read all the books I'd most certainly love, watch movies, and the list could go on for ages.

What this particular game made me appreciate was the time you invest in something. It doesen't need to be a new experience each time. I realized I won't ever be happy if I endlessly pursued this path. Sure, there are some stories I'd love to get into, and some I actually will (the continuation of The Longest Journey - I hope it will be worth the 8 years wait), while others will remain unexplored.

What Minecraft says is simple:"Countless possibilities with randomly generated worlds, and the limit is your imagination." If one wanted, this could be a go-to game when some relax is needed.

3. The "Ending"

I put the ending in quotes simply because the game continues after the end. So it's only a symbolic ending of the sorts. Here's a really interesting explanation of some parts of the ending (link). But really, it's something that leaves you thinking and without doubt one of best endings I've seen in videogames.

For me, it was a confirmation of what I thought throuought the game. It explained to me that what I was thinking was not an obsession or addiction to games and I'm not going insane, or trying to understand meaning where there's none. Minecraft is a simulation of reality, giving you elements for introspection.

2. Work is as boring as you make it

This is something really interesting that I understood while playing Minecraft. Because the play itself is quite repetitive, especially when you have to collect the materials needed to build something.

Go to a cave and dig. Cut down the trees. Get some animals. Etc. etc... You have to repeat the same actions again and again, and many consider this to be boring, and the prime reason for not playing Minecraft.

I admit it. It is boring.

But to be honest, I never found that to be a problem. It was always something that was needed to be done in order to build great things. And it's exactly the same with work in real life. Sometimes you just have to be patient and do some work that is excrutiatingly boring and perhaps demanding, but there's no way around it - if, that is, you are working towards a goal.

As they say, practice makes perfect.

1. Friends and Foes

The enemies in Minecraft try to kill you and some destroy what you build. Sometimes it's really annoying when you finish building something, and then a creeper explodes nearby, possibly killing you and destroying parts of the building you just spent hours on building. But you know, life's not fair, so there's no point in arguing with a video game. It simply portrays on a smaller scale the random destructive events that can happen in your everyday life.

As for friends, this is really quite astonishing. As I mentioned briefly before, Minecraft can be used as introspection. I played it with one and up to three friends at my home, and playing the game really made me understand the people that were in the room with me. I'm not going to share any names, because this is personal, but people who were there will know.

There was one friend that could not stay in a group. He didn't care much for building, nor making plans together. All he wanted to do was find a new cave and explore it. And as soon as others wanted to join in, he lost interest. For him the most important part of Minecraft was to explore, and return victorious, with rare minerals, needed for better equipment. What happened more than once is that he died alone, and there was noone nearby to collect the equipement.

It's scary how accurate this is to the real life. He's a person that wants to succeed with his own merit - and will undoubtably do so. But along his path, he's sometimes too stubborn to see that help from others might greatly aid his endevour.

Another friend was overly fond of the animals in game. Whenever he returned to playing, and the sheep or cattle were missing, he was all like "Where are the animals?" and that would be his uttermost focus untill all was in place again. He understood most than all, that if we had a farm ingame, that would supply us with food infinitely, and we wouldn't have to worry about it ever again.

Same as in real life, he wants to obtain a basic living standard and build on that. And he's in a constant struggle because in life it's not that easy, or at least, immediate.

Another friend of mine was hard to convince into doing anything. He usually had his own vision for the world. But when we agreed on something, he was one of the most dedicated people I know. Mostly silent in real life, but we started and finished some pretty crazy stuff together.

This made me realize that despite him being a quiet type and spending most of the time in silence, he's a valuable friend that won't let me down if we start a project he's interested in.

As for myself, I realized I'm a really shitty team player. There were countless occasions when I went exploring completely alone, or started constructing stuff on my own, only later inviting people in. This I knew already. I'm competitive and sometimes want to prove myself.

But the more I played, the more I wanted all of the people that were playing with me to join efforts and build stuff together. That way, we got to know each other better, and build monuments that are great to look at.

Word count: 1500

Behind the keyboard

I'm otherwise a PC gamer (yeah, PC gaming master race and all the jokes around it), so this for me was also an interesting experience, getting to know the ps3 controller better - a different hand coordination is needed for a joy-pad compared to the keyboard & mouse. I think this will help me learn to play the violin easier.

As a final note, some will object that playing games is a waste of time and that it's just for kids. Those people have an antiquated vision of the world, as the games are gradually becoming more complex in terms of structure, narrative and message, and are effectively becoming a new form of art and education.

Like it or not, the games are here to stay. The question is: are you prepared to learn something from them?

Of Fire and Water - PART 5

Freyja and Aias were now sitting in a cave at the border of the middle ground with the scorched lands on the South. From the outside, the cave could not be seen, as its entrance was covered by lava stones. Aias melted them and commanded the lava to flow away before entering and sealing the entrance once again. There was a single hole at the side of the cavern through which an exchange of the smoke of a newly lit fire and the fresh air, from the outside world, was taking place.

They both changed into new clothes, fire mage's robes and the only words they exchanged up to this point were of Aias complimenting her looks in the new outfit. Freyja was not used to much courting and was blushing harder than ever.

Still, she was the first to break the silence by blurting out:"Aren't you angry with me that I killed your..." the words got stuck in her throat. She was visibly annoyed, because she was not used to having speech problems. Freyja tried it a second time:"Don't you want to kill me, to avenge your, well, now ex-girlfriend?"

Aias, who was watching Freyja with fascination, changed his position from a relaxed one into an authoritative pose. His face was serious and his voice made Freyja knew he was not to be taken lightly:"I loved her with all my heart. But she was a fire mage and her emotions blinded her." While he was talking, his expression changed to mimic the disgust he proved towards reckless behavior:"I realized this today, and bear no grudge towards you. She was the one to kill herself in an attempt to destroy you as well - you merely prevented the damage."

Freyja was watching him intently, studying him and getting lost in his facial features. But when Aias mentioned Elektra's undoing, Freyja suddenly raised her voice to the point of almost yelling:"How is it possible that you're still alive?" Soon after, she lowered the tone and a nervous smile escaped her when she added:"Not that I'm complaining. Quite the contrary."

This made Aias completely change his serious attitude, he was relaxed again, and smiling like a kid:"I don't know." The look that Freyja cast him told him that she doesn't believe it, and more explanation is needed. So Aias continued:"Well, I do have a theory, which is in all likeness probable. We have a legend in our lands. One that tells of how our volcano was made. It tells of a legendary bird, the Phoenix, that was born from the ashes again and again, until it could not bear it any more. Can you imagine how it would be like to be completely alone? To be the only one of your species?"

He let the words hang in midair, before continuing:"The legend tells that the Phoenix, torn from eternal anguish and sorrow, gave up on life. He flew to this land and went straight down. Instead of being reborn, its ashes found new life in the form of rocks and lava, and a volcano was created at the Phoenixes death bed. The legend goes on to say that the ashes of the phoenix are still lying around in the volcano, occasionally bringing incredible powers to the newborns. There. I think I'm like the Phoenix and I was reborn from the ashes."

Freyja listened to Aias in silence, completely invested in his words. And when he was done talking, she wanted to know more:"Ok, what you're saying makes sense. You're here after all. But how did you feel it? Could you do it again? Will you live eternally?"

Aias started laughing in response:"Seriously? I was just reborn, and you expect me to know all the details? I don't know, but I'll be sure to tell you first when I find out." he winked jokingly at Freyja, who was shocked to find out that Aias is taking these matters so lightly. Before she could have any other questions in store, Aias jumped in:"What about you? Freyja, right? You are by far the strongest water mage that has crossed my path. And what worries me even more is that I'm sure you didn't even begin to show us your full powers during our little encounter."

Now it was Freyja who changed her attitude completely. From being a curious and lost girl, she transformed herself into a lady that has everything under control, and woe to whoever got before her determination. She used a calm voice that was almost chilling:"Yes, my name's Freyja and I'm the heir to the water mages. As to my power, your guess is correct, so don't even think that you took a defenseless girl with yourself."

Aias was still in a happy mood, responding with:"A fighter, huh? I like that. So what are your powers? What can you actually do?" His mood caught on to Freyja, who was startled at first - this was her first time speaking to someone that wasn't scared of her. She even thought if she should start fearing his powers, but his pervasive good mood was too hard to miss.

She thought for a moment, before replying, with a smile of her own:"Well, I play with water and that's about it."

The fire mage smiled dangerously:"Not trusting me enough, huh? Wise decision." Without giving it a second notice, he continued in a completely casual tone:"So, Freyja, what do you think is the biggest weakness of a fire mage?"

Freyja uncontrollably exclaimed:"WHAT?"

Aias didn't seem to take notice of her reaction. He patiently repeated his question, as if it were a common question to ask:"I asked you, Freyja, if you are aware of our biggest weakness?" pointing to himself while doing so.

The young girl thought for some time: "Is Aias playing with me? Is he analyzing my reactions? Or am I just being too paranoid? Fine. I'll play." She took a deep breath to calm herself, and responded with an equally casual tone: "Well, water of course. Including all of our water mages powers."

To that Aias responded with a thoughtful face:"Well, if you would have said beautiful young water mage of the opposite gender, perhaps." He waited for her face to turn red, before continuing: "But in all seriousness. No. Water is not our biggest weakness. It's the fire that makes us weak."

When he didn't continue, Freyja impatiently asked:"Go on. Explain. I'm not going to be shocked by everything you say, so don't wait for my reactions."

Realizing she was right, Aias started talking and waving his hands as he was getting to the heat of the argument:"It's the fire that makes us so passionate, reckless, fast, impulsive, and the list goes on. Just think about why Elektra died. She didn't have to and it was stupid. Wait, even better - think of my sacrifice which thankfully turned all right. Even though we adore the fire, it ultimately consumes us!"

Freyja remained silent for a minute and then continued talking:"Interesting point of view, I like it. And I can guarantee you that it's the water that makes us slow, realizing too late and crying rivers of tears, yet surviving and fighting. I wanted to strike you back even though I thought I felt something for you. My whole life I feel like being dragged in a current, not having the possibility to choose."

"Wow. Fre-" Aias didn't have the time to finish his words, because Freyja interrupted him with a wave of her hand. She spoke with an excitation in her voice:"Ok, so you dragged me here, to the edge of the volcanic lands, and blasted me unconscious. I'd say that was about enough fire for today. How would you like to go for a swim?"

"You can do that? Can you protect me and I could actually swim, without being harmed by the water?"

"Yes."

"Can we talk?"

"Yes."

Aias grinned:"I'm impressed. Well then, what are we waiting for! I am dying to know how it's like!"

TO BE CONTINUED

Word Count: 1334

Of Fire and Water - PART 4

Freyja was lying on her back once again, with the sea surrounding her. When she finally regained her consciousness, she tried realizing what happened:"I'm in the sea again? Have I ever moved in the first place?" Her spinning head confirmed that something extraordinary happened. She remembered an explosion, but the rest was blurry:"The fire mage! It all happened so fast! My powers were not enough to hold him down! Perhaps I was underestimating them. Him, not her."

Freyja tried hard to remember all the details she could manage and in doing so, she realized:"He could have killed me! Instead, he attacked the creature. And his actions were not as impulsive as were the girl's. He made a decision to let me go. And where's he now? Where's my creature? I cannot feel it anymore. What have I done? I'm at the starting point again, floating in the sea. The only difference is that now two lives were lost because of me!"

A tear escaped her eyes, and slid down her face only to be lost in the infinite sea: "Perhaps he saw something in me too?" she felt oddly excited by the thought, but only momentarily. She soon remembered she helped to bring the destruction of the fire mage, and her mind was racing full of doubts: "Is this how our people have been living for centuries? Bringing pain and misery to each other? But apart from weilding a different kind of magic, how exactly are the fire mages different from us?"

The water all around was motionless untill Freyja suddenly rotated around, to her chest, and started swimming towards the shore. She remembered that perhaps, the girl was still alive and they could talk. She wanted some answers desperately, and was prepared to even force them out if need be.

On the bay, which was now a weirdly-shaped crater almost as low as the water level, there lay Elektra. Her already dark skin was of an even darker shade as a result of the pain she endured. She was barely conscious, shifting between dreams and reality:"Is it over? Aias, what have you done? I was acting reckless, so why did you join in the madness? Did you willingly sacrifice yourself to save me? What happened to the water mage? Is she dead?" At that, she heard the sound of steps. "Aias?" she cried weakly, hoping against all odds that it was him.

Instead, she heard a womanly voice saying: "He's dead, and he took my creature with him into oblivion." Both remained in silence for a second, before Freyja asked:"Why did you attack me?"

Elektra bursted out laughing, which only made her more aware of the aching in her skin. She answered with:"Why? Both my parents were killed at the hands of the water mages! I won't suffer the same fate!"

Freya responded with a calm voice:"But that were my ancestor's fault, not mine. This is the first time I've ever visited the middle lands. You struck me first, and I responded. Is your hatred really so blinded by the past events? Are you prepared to die for what others have told you, without even understanding yourself?"

"Yes. And I'll take you with me. For Aias, that was killed because of you!!" was the answer that surprised Freyja. Elektra thought she was done for, and resorted to the last technique that a fire mage in a desperate situation uses. As Aias had done before her, she offered herself to the destructive power of fire.

But Freyja was no fool. She had already seen this technique, even if only momentarily. She knelt down to the fire mage, and positioned both her hands on Elektra's chest. She felt as if she put her hands into fire, but managed to hold still. Soon the pain subsided, and the blue glow started to spread from her hands and cover Elektra until there was not a single part of her body left free. Freyja took a step back, watching Elektra being consumed in a flash. Afterwards, the glow disappeared and it was all over.

Freyja wondered out loud:"So, Aias was the guy. And who was she?"

"Elektra." a familiar voice told her. She was surprised and immediately searched for the owner of the voice. When she saw him, her first thoughts were:"That's it, I'm dreaming!" But it all felt so very real that she did not believe her inner voice. She scanned him from head to foot and turned away as soon as she realized she was staring at a naked man. A second later she realized she was in no different state herself and this made her blush and cover her breasts with one hand and cross her legs in an attempt to hide her intimate parts.

Aias laughed and asked her:"So you're shy? Incredible, for such an extraordinary gifted mage!" Freyja felt her pride injured, but couldn't do anything against blushing some more, with red cheeks clearly visible against her pale skin. Aias took the initiative and told her:"I want to talk. A battle took place here and others are sure to come due to all the noise we produced. You seem kind of lost, so let me guide you."

"What if I turn you down?" Freyja asked, even though she didn't really consider this possibility. Her mind was too full of unanswered questions. Aias smiled and winked at her, saying: "Do you really think you can resist me in any way?"

With that, they started walking towards the end of the crater. Aias was looking at the desolation around and couldn't decide if he was proud of his destructive powers, or disgusted by the destruction he produced. He led her on a narrow path, and they both looked around for potential trouble. Freyja was still fighting her confused head:"Why am I trusting this man that should be dead? Why do I feel completely safe with him? Aias. What a strange name."

She stopped in her tracks, waiting for Aias to notice. When he did, he simply said:"Don't worry, I'm not leading you into a trap of some sorts. I have a hideout nearby, where we will be able to talk undisturbed." Freyja could not believe what she was hearing and couldn't hide it in her voice:"It's not that! I mean. Thanks for telling me. But. I'm Freya. It's a pleasure to meet you." Aias fell silent, not knowing how to respond. He took some time to look at the interesting girl and told her back:"The pleasure's all mine. Come, there's no time to waste."

The rest of the road they traveled in silence, each thinking of all the questions they had for the other.

TO BE CONTINUED

Word count: 1113

Of Fire and Water - PART 3

The creature was used to much higher pressures and more resistance from the body of water that surrounded it. But with the aid of Freyja, it was quickly handling the firm ground as well. And due to the conditions in which it was living, her movements were, despite its size, incredibly fast. Two tentacles were flying towards Aias and Elektra before they could act first.

Elektra was ablaze again, barely evading the first strike that shook the ground and created a hole. The impact made the earth trenbke slightly, which was enough for a person to have trouble retaining its equilibrium. And in fact, Aias, who remained on the same spot almost fell. Still, he readjusted himself, and just in time for the arrival of the second tentacle, created a fiery bubble around him. He listened in to the horrid scream of pain that the creature emitted when a part of its body sustained heavy injuries. Its whole tentacle would have been incinerated if it was not for Freya's healing abilities that managed to conserve it more or less whole. The sound of its cries was a sound that could be heard for kilometers around, and Aias started wondering if anyone will arrive at their position, joining the fight:"How may people are currently in the middle ground of our land? More fire mages or water ones?" He decided it was best not to risk it, and end the fight as soon as possible in order to have an escape route if needed.

Freyja could feel the pain of the creature as if it were hers. But she did not give in, as she herself had already sustained strong burns on the same day. She closed her eyes and imagined the cooling and welcoming embrace of the sea, thinking of her next move:
"They're both cornered, but I underestimated them. The creature even with her abilities boosted by my powers won't be able to do them harm. I have to wait for the right moment to wake the sea."

While in a state of semi-trance, she could visualize what the creature was seeing. It decided that the fire mage was best left alone, and three of its tentacles were now carefully circling around him. Ready to retreat them if he made a move, or strike if let the guard down. If the sea creature could feel the power of magic, it would have realized that Aias was, in fact, increasing the intensity of the fire that was surrounding him. He didn't bother attacking too soon only because the creature was protected by Freya's watery magic, and striking with with equal or lesser power was just a waste of energy.

Elektra was jumping left and right, fighting with the other three tentacles of the monster. She did not have the time to focus as she'd have liked to, and the element of surprise was on the opponent's side. She merely evaded a strike, jumping on one of the monster's tentacles. She seized the opportunity to run along the tentacle's length, and launch a fireball through her extended hand. As a result, the flames around her weakened a bit, sacrificing speed for an offensive strike aimed at Freyja. As she did, her thoughts were "She's not looking! Ha! That will teach you dozing off in the middle of a fight."

But to Elektra's astonishment, the fireball struck Freya in the head, disappearing in an instant in a cloud of steam. Freya opened her eyes and was smiling - her trap worked. She let her hands fall free, and in a similar motion the water started falling from the creature's shell. It wasn't physically possible that the shell held all that water, but such was the power of the water mage. Freyja then positioned herself in an aggressive stance, feeling her whole body pulsating in the rhythm of the water she released. And then she jumped toward Elektra, and all of the water that continued to pour from the shell, followed her, forming a tide extending high in the sky.

"ELEKTRA! RUN OR YOU'LL DIE!" they both heard Aias yell, over the sound of the coming waters. Elektra blinked, exchanging her bewildered expression with determination. She looked around and saw a wall of tentacles forming behind her back, preventing her an escape:"I'm sorry Aias," she thought: "but this is a fight to the end. You think I'm weak, but I'll prove you otherwise." She cleared her thoughts and focused on Freya, and her will to kill returned. Elektra readied herself on the monster's tentacle, and smelt the sensation of burning flesh as the creature caught flames. A moment later, she jumped towards Freyja.

At that, Aias moved. In contrast to his calm and reserved behavior from before, he was a raging beast now. The flames around him were glowing a bright light, almost white from the intensity. He made out a plan of attack in his head and wanted to follow it through, but now his priorities changed: "Damn it Elektra! I don't know if I'll reach you in time!!" Aided by his powers, he was almost flying over the ground, having to touch it only slightly, before being airborne again. Light and fast, but not enough. The pair of girls were already at each other, colliding with full force, and being absorbed by the tide that followed an instant later. "ELEKTRA!" cried Aias, hoping that she's strong enough to survive the powerful enemy.

When he reached the wall of tentacles, he jumped right through them, burning a hole that made the creature scream even more agonizing sounds. And suddenly, he found himself in the wave. He felt his powers weakening, something he did not feel for the past two years of scouting, interrogating, killing and looting. He always outmatched his opponents on the dry land. Now the playing field has been changed.

Aias looked around and through his weakening protective bubble saw Freyja who was relaxing in the water. The sight of her naked body aroused him, and the sensation intensified even more with the unfamiliar feeling of weakness. He concentrated hard to search for - "Elektra!"

The sight was terrible to behold. Elektra was trying to swim, but all her movements only spun her around. She was holding her breath, but the air in her lungs desperately wanted to burst out. Her skin was burning, but not with the flames she commanded. Her fire mage's skin was in direct contact with the water and as a result started boiling. Aias was terrified to see Elektra in such anguish and this put him in the present moment, ready to act.

What happened next could be described both as explosively fast, or excruciatingly slow, depending on who you asked.

Freyja ultimately remembered only the explosion that threw her unconscious.

Elektra mostly remembered the pain.

Aias had the most complete picture of them all. He ran towards Elektra in the water, but couldn't reach her. Freyja's spell made the water glow an unnaturally vivid blue color and opposed his movement. At the moment, he realized: "Damn it! There's too much water flowing from the creature. I have to destroy it. Or, perhaps, her." His thoughts guided his eyes towards the watery beauty. And that sight provoked a split-second decision, mixed with actual reasoning:
"We were the ones to attack her, not the other way round! Even though I'll never have the chance to get to know her, at least she should not be the one to pay the price for our actions."

Aias started running towards the creature's shell. The fiery bubble retreated into his body and started to consume his cells, feeding on him, building up to an explosive release of energy.

The explosion that followed left no trace of the creature, nor the cliff they were standing on. If there was a body of Aias left somewhere, he would have been smiling a victorious smile.

TO BE CONTINUED

Word Count: 1322

Of Fire and Water - PART 2

Standing atop a cliff in the middle ground of the land were a pair of two young fire mages of similar height and dark skin. Aias was nearing his 26th year of life, while Elektra Only recently passed her 21 years mark. Both wore similar red robes, suitable for sustaining the fire magic they were wielding. They were fiery both in their temper, and their skills. For her, it was the first time to be allowed to travel North from her scorched homeland. The excitement in her veins made her particularly needy, and she was not in the least restraining herself, when held in an embrace with her lover.

They were kissing wildly, and with their hands, they were feeling each other's bodies, getting aroused more and more. Elektra particularly enjoyed Aias's short strikingly light blonde hair,  to which her hands returned frequently, while his hands mostly traveled to her backside, not letting her go anywhere. Sparks were circling around them, occasionally burning some grass at their feet.

But suddenly something distracted them. They had the feeling of being watched. And in fact, when they simultaneously shifted their heads, they saw a young brunette that was silently standing there, staring at them intently. An unknown face, with a strong watery presence around her. Aias did not even have the time to think:"Why didn't she attack us when we were distracted?", before Elektra was already burning in flames, which greatly boosted her speed and strength. She immediately disentangled from the embrace and launched herself towards the lone figure.

Aias wanted to order her, thinking "Wait!!" and yet all he did was raise an arm, as if it could extend enough to reach Elektra and hold her back. He felt really stupid. He, the heir of the fire mages in the south, soon to be married to Elektra, in order to secure a strong legacy, was being hesitant! Against all the teachings of old, against everything he has been ever told. "To wait is to show weakness. Strike first and reason later," were the words of his mother time and time again, when she was trying to teach her stubborn son.

Elektra arrived at her target, striking with a strong right blow that made her enemy ablaze, and threw Freyja flying backwards. Before Aias could reason any further, he was yelling to his companion:
"STOP!! She was harmless! Perhaps she wanted to tell us something. What if she was an envoy? What are you doing Elektra? STOP NOW!!"

But in her anger-filled eyes, she would calm only when her opponent was not able to move anymore. She ignored his direct orders, and jumped forwards in a fireball of hatred. The water mage did a backflip in midair, landing softly on her feet. She had a bewildered expression on her face, trying to supress the cries of agony, as her skin was burning, and instantly turned, running towards the end of the cliff, not looking back for even a second.

Elektra pursued her with boosted speed, closing the distance, preparing to give another blow, perhaps lethal. But as she already clenched her fist, collecting the fire in it, suddenly Aias was before her, with his legs and arms apart, obstructing her path:"CALM DOWN!! ARE YOU CRAZY?? Don't you see she's not using her powers? Something strange is happening!" But to his amazement, the fury of his companion did not subside. She stopped merely centimeters from his face, resembling more a fire elemental than a human being.

"STEP ASIDE YOU MORON!" she was screaming back:"She's an enemy! Either we kill her or she kills us!" The flames around her made her words that more threatening.

Aias was completely taken aback by the person he was facing, thinking:"What happened to the sweet and passionate Elektra that I know? I've never seen this side of hers." Still, he put a hand into her flames, and onto her shoulder. He tried to redirect her feelings:"Let her be. She's no threat to us. Why don't we instead continue where we left off before being so rudely interrupted?" He managed to produce a faint and completely not convincing smile, only to be taken aback by her next move. Elektra was yelling crazily:"Why do you take sides with the enemy? Do you know her?? If you won't move, than I WILL MAKE YOU!" and with that, she plunged her fist into his stomach.

But nothing happened. Elektra blinked a few times in surprise, before realizing Aias gripped her shoulder harder. When she looked at him, all her anger and confusion let room for fear. All calmness has evaporated from him, he had a furrowed brow and an angry expression on his face. He then spoke, emphasizing the words clearly and loudly, with a tone that was reverberating from anger and disappointment:"Let this be my one and only warning for you Elektra. You are nothing compared to my powers. And for that reason alone, when I command you in battle, you obey. I won't hold back against a girl that's trying to hurt me." He paused, letting the words sink in, before adding a final thought, that was not to be contested:"I want to talk to her. If not anything else, I want to know my enemy. Is. That. Clear?"

Elektra was paralyzed by his response, and managed only to nod slightly. Aias then nodded in return, and left her shoulder, using his hand to gently take her clenched fist and put it away from his body:
"Good. You have some reason left after all. Now, let's look for the mage you provoked." As he spoke, his tone relaxed only slightly, and he turned towards the end of the cliff which was now only a few steps away from where they were standing.

His companion started trembling all over, and all of her powers did nothing to help her. She felt completely useless. When Aias was already standing at the precipice, looking down at the still water's surface below, Elektra found the courage to speak again. Her voice was trembling even more than her body, and was hardly heard. She had to repeat her request twice: "H..how? I.. you.. I thought... how's that possible?"

Aias decided that he was too late, and even if he vaporized some water, the mage was somewhere safe. He then turned his head towards her, saying:"Only idiots show off their full power. If you know someone in and out, he's bound to be defeated." Successively adding:"Or she."

At the provocation Elektra raised her voice some more:"But we are going to get married! And to me now it seems you are a complete stranger! I don't know you at all! What else have you been hiding from me??" His response chilled her to the bone in a way she did not know it could happen:"The feeling's mutual Elektra. You're insane."

The words seemed to freeze in midair, as something strange started happening. The patch of grass they were standing on was suddenly in the shade, obscured by something huge. Elektra saw the monstrosity first, as she was facing the sea. A cry of surprise escaped her mouth, as she was trying to understand what suddenly flew over the cliff. She could see enormous tentacles coming out of a shell not unlike those seen on snails. The creature was leaving a trail salty water flowing down from its body, while it was flying over them. Elektra was watching the creature with horror. Aias took some time to realize that hers was not a reaction of what happened. He looked upwards, to see the creature flowing over them, but still falling towards the ground - it wanted to block them off from the mainland! And on its back, there was someone familiar. He lost all interest in the monster from deep down below, and instead watched with amusement the water mage's pale skin. What remained of her blue robe were only some ragged remains, covering only her private parts. "Interesting. So che can use her powers after all. She shows no sign of burns on her body."

The creature landed, shaking the earth violently, before turning to face them. And on its shell, Freyja was standing, with her generous breasts - Aias noted - in plain view. She was ready for revenge, casting a quick glance towards Aias, before looking at the terrified Elektra, and commanding her creature to attack.

Word Count: 1401


TO BE CONTINUED

p.s. To those wondering what happened to "behind the keyboard", I simply decided I'll leave my comments at the end of the last part. It will make more sense that way.

Of Fire and Water - PART 1

The sea was calm. Not a slight indication of the wind was to be found anywhere. And in all this calmness, there was something strange there. Something resembling a dead body, at the complete mercy of the currents.

But in fact, the body was quite alive. It went by the name Freyja, named after the goddess associated with love and sexuality, as well as war and death. Full of conflicts, so was the young 21 years old, now lying silently, caressed by the sea. In her green eyes one could see the reflection of the sun, shining weakly in the sky. She was completely motionless, but in her head, a vortex of thoughts was wreaking havoc:
"I.. I couldn't strike them with my power. Why? What's happening to me?"

Her body was glowing with a bright blue light, visible to the darker shades of the water. She had light brown curly hair, falling to her back. In the water, the hair were flowing aimlessly around, and the bright blue glow around them somehow resembled a swarm of floating jellyfish, closely knotted together. It made for quite a surreal appearance. Her clothes were torn and burned down, a reminder of the flames that engulfed her not that long ago. Her pale skin was also burned and bruised, but with the aid of her healing abilities, was returning back to normal.

"I wasn't able to use my powers!! Something like that didn't happen to me since I was four years old and instructed by the confraternity of water mages in the glaciers in the North, on  how to control the magic, seidr. I remember it clearly as if it happened yesterday. I was standing before the death pit. On its bottom, icy spikes awaited those sentenced to death. I was standing there, looking over the precipice and trembling from fear and cold. I looked at my father, who back then seemed a giant, but his face was expressionless. Heh, still today he manages to mask his feelings behind that thick brown beard of his."

Returning her thoughts to the past, she resumed her analytical reasoning:"He told me then, that I was his daughter, and therefore posses the immense power of the water, and have nothing to fear from it. He used his deep and stern voice, that was full of affection I managed to appreciate only in time, to tell me that my eyes will deceive me. That I have to feel the power that's inside me, and believe. And Suddenly, the spikes gave way to the water that welcomed my fall. So did my eyes deceive me? What did I see that blocked my abilities?"

Indeed, she was the daughter of the leader of the water mages in the North, the most powerful family that still survived the endless battle against their sworn enemies in the South. She was stunningly beautiful, and many boys and men alike were prepared to kill for her. Trouble was, that she was the most skilled and talented magician to be seen around, surpassing her father at the mere age of 11 years.

So no one actually had the courage to court her, and there was no one to envy and battle in order to win her hand. If she would eventually fall in love with someone, it was to be of her own choosing. And yet, on this particular day, all of her powers seemed to disappear from her, and she was an easy prey to the couple of fire mages that were ready to kill. She was lucky enough that the encounter was taking place atop a cliff, and she managed to fight the flames long enough in order to jump from the cliff overlooking the sea, and disappearing into its depth. Even without the active use of her abilities, she was sturdy enough to survive it all.

"They were a pathetic couple of fire mages. So eager to provoke and attack, without knowing who they were facing. Usually I could disperse with both them, and the bond their shared. My water powers would wash away the smile from her face. Together with their display of affection. Why am I thinking of them?" Her heart started pounding once again.

The calmness of the surrounding water did little to calm it. It was quite a shock to her, because her body healed completely, and the glow disappeared with it. She was being caressed by the sea, and, by use of her magical powers, her internal organs were rejuvenated again and were tranquil. She spent her whole life in the freezing North, trained in the arts of water, before being allowed to travel South. To the paradise that was in the middle of the land, separating the ice-covered lands from the volcano and scorched earth in the South. The ideal land in between was in a constant struggle between the two sides, that couldn't possibly work together. The water extinguishes the fire, and the fire vaporizes the water. So she could not understand what was that immobilized her from hurting them.

"When I saw them, they were in a passionate embrace, kissing wildly and being at each other. I'm not used to such display of emotions. The people in our lands are far more reserved. Is this the fiery passion that our elders condemn? To me it didn't seem that wrong. And in that instant, they suddenly realized my presence. She jumped at me, with her burning red hair, and an intention to kill. I could tell from her eyes, that were glowing circles of fire. He extended his hand, in an attempt - no doubt - to launch a spell against me. But I could not strike nor defend myself. His pose, his looks, something around him that rendered me completely useless. Is this love?"

When she realized her thoughts, she immediately kicked with her legs, and bended her back, to swim to the depths, where colder currents laid. She was kicking, and her whole body synced with her legs, swimming in a similar motion to the fish. She used her spells to be able to see better and breathe underwater, as well as protecting her body with a thin magic field, and she swam down below.

Farther and farther she went, feeling the welcoming cold currents, and admiring the underwater life. Her heart was slowing down, and she was regaining control. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, thinking: "Perfect!"

Before her was what she searched for. In almost complete darkness, as she reached the bottom of the sea and lured the attention of the immense underwater monstrosities, able to withstand the immense pressure of all the water above. She raised her hands, which started glowing an almost white-bright blue, and one of the creatures neared her. The creature extended its tentacles and she repaid with extending her arm in a mutual greeting.

As soon as they touched, the creature started glowing with the same color. It was bound by her will, and her thoughts would be its orders until one or the other dies. "Come, my friend. It's time for the second round of the match. The fire may be the first to strike, but water persists!" Away went here feelings of love, replaced by the knowledge that what she felt was impossible, and doomed to destroy her. And she would not have that. She swam to the creature and locked on to its shell. A moment later, the creature was racing towards the surface, and what awaited above.

Word count: 1255

Behind the keyboard

This is a story that originated from a struggle of mine: water or fire? Which is more interesting? Which is more powerful? I turned it into a short story in a fantastic world. I'm planning this to be 3 parts long, though I might change my mind depending on how the story goes.

Thoughts? Comments? Thanks for reading.

Core Crisis - PART 3

LINK to part 1.
LINK to part 2.

Word count: 2525

Nikolai and Yevgeny followed the standard decontamination procedure, but their mind was already racing to the other side of a second metallic door, the last object in their path towards the core. The core was built as a source of neutrons, for the research in Nuclear Physics. Still, it implemented a 93% enriched Uranium 235, usable for the construction of a bomb. As the massive door before them started slowly opening, their Geiger counters started cracking more violently, signaling the presence of radiation. As soon as Nikolai saw this, he nodded to his colleague: "Good, the reactor is still functioning. Now we have to check all the different readings if everything is ok. You take the top floor, I'll go down to check the core from up close." Yevgeny was annoyed by this request, as he liked to admire the metallic construction, full of wires, that inside hosted something small, yet powerful - the destructive force of nuclear fission. But orders were orders, and when the doors were fully opened, he addressed his superior by saying: "Ok. If you need my help, give me a shout." And so they stepped inside the reactor room, the biggest open space inside the facility. It was around 30 meters tall, and extending for 40 meters in other two directions, it resembled a huge cavern rather than a man-made room. The air was hot and moist, filled with steam from leaks and cracks in the existing equipment that was showing its age.

Soon after, Yevgeny was walking the iron-grate floor, through which lower levels could be seen. He turned his head to see Nikolai resting his hands on the railing and looking at the core, which, at its almost 20 meters height ended only barely higher than their feet.  He wanted to reach the monitor positioned at the far left side of the room - if that was still intact, it would be a great place to start figuring out the situation that ensued. And it was easily accessible from the top platform. He continued walking and scouting the terrain forward, thinking: "Never too soon will the whole damn place fall apart!" Little did he suspect that people would give in sooner. While he was watching the road ahead, Nikolai sneaked on to him, with a rusty and pointed iron bar, that fell of the fence just a few hours ago. "One move, and I stab you. Whose side are you on?" As soon as these words reached Yevgeny's ears, he replied with a calm "Yours." And "Prove it" was an almost as immediate reply.

Yevgeny took a deep breath, and started talking: "I materialized in the locker 4 at 6:03 earlier this morning, finding my weaker self dressing for the scouting mission. There was no place and we were squashed together. Being in contact for too much time, the weakling has been annihilated." Nikolai didn't lose a second to add: "Materialized at 6:04 in the locker 1." and with that, lowered the iron stick. The two then faced each other and stood in silence, only to start laughing uncontrollably soon after. Nikolai was crying from laughter when trying to say:"A-aand we .." and Yevgeny jumped in:"Yep, we were putting up with this act all the way from the locker. The stern leader and the youthful almost-rebel." And he made sure to try and impressionate them again, while holding out the laughing. Nikolai recomposed first and concluded the chat:"Indeed, it feels strange to live like a single entity. Let's proceed." And they both descended the stairs to the core.

Anatoli exited the office with blood smeared over his face and clothes. He was tired, and breathing heavilly. And while his body pulsated with energy, what he was thinking produced him a bloodthirsty smile: "Oh shit! I've ruined my hair! Oh well, it was time to cut them anyway. More importantly, I won't allow Nikolai to treat Rozaliya like that anymore. That emotional deprivation that she's suffering is inhumane." He then calmed a bit, and realized Rozaliya was, in fact, the one he should be caring about. "And people say only men age like fine wine," thinking of her made him realize that perhaps, the servers room might not be a bad place to check:"Ah you idiot. She's a scientist, she'll worry about her babies." He was mocking her in his mind, but deep down knew and respected wholly her peculiar care for the electronics that enabled all the place to be up and running.

Rozaliya was on her knees, speechless. Cold, meditating, thinking "That bitch. She killed my babies." And while this was in part true, she neglected to acknowledge that she too did figt. In fact, much blood was spilled, yet few of it hers. The devastation they produced was visible all around. Most notably, the floor was covered with electronic devices that fell, and the wires were forming a web around the place. She just stood there in silence, and thought of all the work and time she put into this place.

"Why? Was this all worth it? So much time put into electronics that ultimately were destroyed? Should I be happy for the fun I had with them? Or was this just an escape from having to confront with my husband, but never finding the strength to?" she smiled a creepy blood-covered grimace while ending her chain of thoughts:"If that is so, if my escaping from the reality is now dead, so shall be my husband." She looked down at the floor and was surprised: "I'm sure that there was another woman here, looking like me, and I was kneeling on her dead body. Am I going insane?" And as if to confirm her madness, she thought that there was Anatoli screaming out her name! "Oh that sweet boy, does he really find me so desirable?" Still, while thinking it, she waved a hand blindly amidst the cables, and yelled as hard as she could:"If you're real and I'm not dead, here I am, come and get me boy!" And in that moment, something happened and Rozaliya hardly believed what she was saying, as it was coming back to her mind from a long lost memory:

"And from war came love," Anatoli heard her oh, so deep yet womanly voice, and he stopped thinking. He tore his shirt apart and started moving towards her. Faster and faster. She looked at him with growing interest in her eyes, following the thoughts:"Oh those young beautifull muscles! When was the last time Nikolai even remotely looked like that? And still, despite I accepted him as he was, he still didn't want me! I was wasting my time with him. Mmm I can already feel my body reawakening."

She continued: "but love went back again." and at that, Anatoli had her in his arms, taking her gently from the floor, picking her up in his grip, and holding her closely. "I'm lucky my name's not love, so that I don't have to go." he let her down, putting her on her feet, and simply smiled. At that, Rozaliya threw herself at him, pressing her lips on to his. The taste of blood only served to awaken their animal sides as they joined in a wild fury. She suddenly pushed herself away:"Oh, I'm impressed and flattered by your show boy, but I've learned some tricks as well. Let me give you something to think about!" and with that, she descended downwards and started unbuttoning his pants. And soon, the amazement on Anatoli's face changed into a big grin.

Grigory was sitting on the toilet floor, his back to a cold wall. The other Grigory was standing, arms crossed. One looked exhausted from the vomiting, the other fresh. And yet they both had one thing in common: they were smiling. They were passively in silence, and smiled to each other. Untill Grigory on the floor asked:"Woah, where did you say you got thiss stuff from?" The standing Grigory laughed:"Ah, it's too obvious that it was your first time smoking weed. You're completely!" and as of saying it, a thought crossed his mind and interrupted him. After realizing that he's left the weaker guy waiting, he added:"You're completely spaced off!" Grigory on the floor started to feel his back slide down the wall behind, slowly falling to his side, but still pointed a finger to his newly found friend and said "Haaa! And you're lecturing me about spacing off!".

The Grigory that was still in control of his body lost his smile for a second, but then decided to explain once again:"Yeah, so you see. Only by drugging you I could have made you listen. What do you think happened to your other colleagues? We're stronger, better versions of you! To fight us is a losing battle." To this, the Grigory lying on the floor was excited to say:"Yees! Yes, I remember! By experimenting with neutrons, oh yes, those fascinating building blocks of nature! Yes, the neutrons. And yes. We created a field! How is that possible?" His mind was working overtime, trying to fight the effect of the THC in his blood.

The other Grigory laughed, but less cheerfully than before. And he told him:"Would you look at yourself? Anyway, I don't know exactly how it's possible and that scares me! I'm supposed to be a perfect copy of you. So, take a genious and remove his inability to act, because he's a scared little chicken, and that's the difference between us. But right now I'm scared, and in what aspect am I better than you?" "Wooah, duude. Heavy and deep." Grigory let the words lying on the floor with him, hoping to receive a response. As his other self didn't, he continued talking:"Well, you know, you told me about a field being generated, that spread thruought the whole complex. And that if we were to be present on certain locations in a specific window of time, we, the five of us, would interact with the field, producing a new state of matter, that would, in its decay, produce you."

"The five of us, yes, the better versions if you want. And we were created with the knowledge that we can't coexist both. So your colleagues are probably dead by now."

"Well, I am not. Perhaps they managed as well. So tell me again, why didn't you kill me, and start to live?"

"Eh, why? So that I can live on by knowing I killed ... myself, essentially? What a great way to start a life." He accentuated what he was saying, to point out the sarcasm in his words.

"But why did you come to me offering me to smoke? Where did you get that from? Oh, actually, yeah, that's what I wanted to ask you before when I asked you where you got this stuff from."

"Ahahahahahahah. So that's what you wanted to know? What difference does it make? Why not? But if you want my honest opinion, I think it's because you wanted to try it before you die, and so I was materialized here together with the stash that we smoked."

"That's crazy talk. How come you seem to know this much?"

"What if the anti-matter could be organized so well that it could shape humanoid objects, able to withstand everything, all the matter, except their counter-part? What if, before appearing in this world, it had an infinite shared memory with all the other beings?"

"Clearly, you're insane to suggest that you're made of anti-matter. Following the laws of Physics, you would disappear instantly when in contact with matter!" He waved his hands around, showing that in fact all that surrounded them could disintegrate him.

"Well, that's true for subatomic particles. But the two of us are composed by an enormous number of them. And I cannot give myself a reasonable explanation on how I and the other four organized to form thoughts and shapes, before being brought to existance in this world. Something strange happened as well. Having a human body, I cannot communicate with the rest of the anti-matter that's not even present in this world. I'm alone." He then changed his tone in a more serious one and said:"You know, I was really curious to meet you, and you didn't disappoint."

"So then why are you saying it like you regret it?"

"I don't regret it. It's just that I know we both will soon cease to exist."

"What?"

"As I told you already, we can't both exist at the same time. As soon as I became part of this world, me and you started decaying and if I wasn't to kill you, or viceversa, we would both be gone. But at least, I could have granted you a last wish, and talked with you."

"Oh. In that case, it was a pleasure knowing you." the Grigory on the floor put up a hand, which the other Grigory looked at in disbelief. "See? Why are you not attacking me, knowing we'll both die? We are then ineed more similar than I thought." He approached his weaker self, an expression he grew to dislike, took his hand and said:"Good bye my friend" and they vanished, with all trace of neither of them to be found.

Yevgeny and Nikolai were standing near the core. From the bottom most layer of the room, it seemed infinitely high. Yevgeny was the first to break the silence:"But where are the others? They should have disposed with their weaker versions sonner and met us here." Nikolai looked around, as if to make sure they were indeed alone:"For the plan to work, we don't need them." Yevgeny laughed: "You sound incredibly like your weaker self!" And that was the last thing that they said between them. They knew what they had to do, and started opening their protective suits. The geiger counters they used before were on the floor, ticking manically. The longer they were exposed unprotected to the radiation, the sooner their anti-matter bodies would react, sending out a wave that would eat up the core's protective garment and ignite the insides. Once the cooling system was destroyed, this would start a chain reaction, that was sure to blow the whole complex up, pushing the field that created them throughout the world.

And while all this was happening, they watched. All the anti-particles that would like to be free in a matter-dominated universe were collecting informations throuought the world, plotting and planning. A single hieve mind, restlessly chatting, with infinite thoughts scatterd all over: "All has gone according to plan." "Yes, but only because Yevgeny and Nikolai were in a closed space, unable to avoid physical contact for a prolonged time." "And Grigory?" "Grigory, that traitor!" "He had the easiest job, and failed!" "We should be more preoccupied with people like Rozaliya and Anatoli!" "They killed us!" "They were supposed to be weaker!" "This doesn't make any sense." "We know too little of the transition from our collective perfect mind to single human's brains!" "Do we still proceed with the plan?" "Take back the universe from the matter that won over us so many years ago!"

Oblivious to all of this, Rozaliya and Anatoli were lying naked on the floor, covered in parts only by the clothes - or what remained of them. She was stroking the hair on his chest, with her head on his broad shoulder. They had no idea that by killing their doubles composed of anti-matter, they started something. Something that could perhaps yet save the humanity from what was coming in the form of a blast wave that engulfed them, and transformed the whole facility into an enormous crater.

Their last thoughts were of happiness and belonging.

Behind the keyboard

DONE. I promised multiple times to finish this earlier, and failed (though I still tried, I was awake all night, writing). I don't think I'll ever make such promisses again. I much prefer to look up to Valve, that takes its f*cking time, and leaves us hanging for years to come. But once what they do is ready and released, it's totally worth it. I'd rather not live up to deadlines, but deliver quality stories. And that's what I tried doing here. Did this part live up to the build-up in the previous two?

Also, now that it's finally written, I wanted to say something. This story is my first chance to say an enormous THANK YOU to all the incredible people I've met during my physics career and made my life more interesting.

I especially wanted to say thanks those amongst the physicists that helped me most with what was probably the hardest decision I made in my life and as a result of which I'm writing these lines. Massimo, Petra, Alessandra and Chiara, you were, and still are, of an incredible support to me.

I hope you enjoyed reading this short story. I was completely invested in it. So much that I sacrificed a night's sleep and closed my eyes only when it was already morning, not minding the open laptop still on my side. Comments welcome! :D

Also, PART 3 -> Half-Life 3 CONFIRMED!! *sigh* Even The Longest Journey will get a resolution to the incredible cliffhanger before Half-Life does.

Core Crisis - PART 2

Warning: this story will have another part. So if you hate cliffhangers...
LINK to the first part.

Word Count: 1436

Anatoli was running along the main corridor, exiting the control room  to his left. He did not mind the electrical cables and wires lying all around the place. He was used to all this mess, and even the the decaying surrounding walls could not distract him from his goal:"Where has Rozaliya gone to? Usually when she's sad, she departs to the offices and closes herself in."  On his way to the office spaces, he passed a door labelled "servers room - unauthorized entry strictly forbidden"  this always made him laugh - if somebody has gotten this far, to discover a secret facility in Siberia, bypassed the security and came down the tunnels below, than that person has long gotten beyond a forbidden entrance. Today it only made him giggle. He listened in, hearing the roaring of the antiquated hardware, the noise of a thousand fans, working to keep the air flowing, was hard to miss. "Should I check the insides? Fuck this, Rozaliya first,"  and he ran ahead.

Meanwhile, Gregory barely managed to exit the control room, and, taking the first door to his right, entered the toilets. They were in no better shape than the rest of the complex, giving Gregory an additional incentive to empty his bowels. He found a surge of energy and ran past the washbin to the hole in the ground that was the toilet. He didn't even position himself straight, before vomit started pouring out of his mouth. On this particular day Gregory didn't eat much, as he was nervous and excited about the upcoming data they'd collect. For the past two weeks, the core was brought back to life after almost a year of maintenance. It was time to do science again, and the excitement was too much for him. Therefore, he soon started vomiting his own flouids, feeling sick and trembling all over the body. He felt each muscle contort and expand and was breathing heavily. "At least the worst has passed. I don't have anything more to throw up," were his thoughts inciting his body to cooperate. "Is everything all right?" he heard a familiar voice. Too familiar. He turned his head around and saw a smiling self, watching him with amusement.

Yevgeny and Nikolai were both in the locker room, kicking the locker compartments open. They were in too bad a shape to be opened gently. In response, they heard a screeching sound, one of the rusty metal being forced to cooperate. The insides of the lockers were large enough for a person to fit in, with all the needed equipment stored on the shelves around. With the exception of the toilets, these were the only places down here that left room for some privacy. To cut the costs, the showers inside the locker room were common to all the personnel. As Nikolai was changing into his suit, his mind was racing forward:"What the hell is happening? We must remain calm above else, and figure out the cause of the blackout. Or should we simply escape?" Even as he was thinking this he knew that his military pride would never allow for a retreat.

Rozaliya was completely devastated. She ran out of the controll room, along the main corridor and wanted desperately to cry in peace. If Nikolai doesn't want to listen and comfort her, than she much preferred to cry herself to sleep over a working table. She really liked it there, because she could release her anger by throwing office appliances around, pretending they hit the person that brought her so much misery. But something distracted her. "I don't hear anytghing. Anything at all!" Without questioning her actions, she brushed the tears away and with a newly found determination opened the door. All the machines present in the room were staying completely lifeless. This was the first time that the servers were all down since the beginning of the experiment itself. As soon as she stepped towards a crate extending three meters in height up to the ceiling, all the machines sprung to life. Flashing lights, together with the sound of booting hardware and fans that occupied the room. Rozaliya jumped back in surprise, but didn't emit a single voice. She was drained out of emotions, and gradually aware that there was something exceptionally strange happening: "Even though the servers were down, this didn't explain why the computers in the control room stopped functioning. "Nikolai was right in giving orders to check the core. As always." A bitter smile found its way on her lips, but only briefly. She was the best qualified person in this team for the problems concerning servers. So instead of running away, she started slowly moving around and watching for any sign of anomalies.

Anatoli finally arrived to the office spaces. He knocked first, but upon receiving no response, tried the door handle. "It's open! So she's not here?" Nevertheless, he entered the room and let the doors open thinking "If anything happens, the others will know someone's here. But actually, why should anything happen? Bah, my nerves are weakening." When he entered the room, he was greeted by the familiar open office space, where they all worked most of the time. Usually a single person was inside the control room and the rest gathered here. It held only the bare essentials: five tables, desktop pcs, monitors and chairs. Looking around he saw the usual mess that was on the tables, because nobody on the team cared particularly for being well organized. "Rozaliya?" he addressed the empty room. As he wanted to leave the place and search for her elsewhere, he heard an all too familiar voice say:"Aah, and here I was hoping you have come here for me." He looked around for the bearer of the voice, and didn't manage to say a single word more, as he saw a man looking exactly like his reflection in the mirror, standing with his shoulders pressed to the corner wall and arms crossed.

Yevgeny was first to reemerge from the locker, wearing a whole-body suit in bright yellow color that covered his head as well, with the front of his face protected by a transparent plastic material, enabling him to see through. Soon after, Nikolai exited as well, his suit of a red color, and a symbol of the Union still visible on his shoulder. They looked at each other and Nikolai remarked:"I didn't hear anyone entering. Gregory is probably still having a close encounter with the toilet." He sighed and continued:"I know him too well. Such a brilliant boy, too bad he's not a man yet. Leave him be, the two of us are enough." Yevgeny twitched a little at the mention of his colleague, but decided this was not the best time to argue, and left the room in silence, together with Nikolai. They turned first right, towards the office spaces, but soon after took the left turn, towards a heavy metallic door. And behind the door they knew there was the contamination room, followed by the most important part of the underground facility: the core of the reactor.

In the servers room the air was getting hotter by the minute, with all the fans doing their work, still functioning restlessly. Rozaliya was advancing carefully, and looked for every sign of movement or sound or smell that could give her a clue to solving the mystery and calming her mind: "Everything has a logical explanation. I only need to find the cause of this incident." Nothing could prepare her for what was to come, as she suddenly heard her own voice coming from somewhere nearby. It was hard to distinguish in the noise, but she was used to it. This froze her in her tracks, moving only the head around to check the surroundings. And then she heard her voice properly, almost whispering in her ear: "Peek-a-boo" As Rozaliya turned her head, she saw a familiar face centimeters away. She quickly stepped away, and turned towards facing the new person in the room. And it was none other than a copy of herself. "Are you a clone?" Rozaliya asked. To her amazement, her identical copy started laughing almost manically and then responded: "To be a mere clone would be to have all the weaknesses you posses. I have none." "I'm not weak. And I'm not scared of you if that's what you want to accomplish. Who are you?" Rozaliya demanded back, with her most commanding voice. The expression on her double's face remained unchanged, she was still smiling confidently:"No, I don't want you scared. I want you dead."

TO BE CONTINUED

Behind the keyboard

.... Yeah, I said this is going to be a two-part story. But if I may borrow George R.R. Martin's words, I'm a gardener in terms of writing. I plant the seeds and see where the story takes me. And it just so happens that Tuesday I was drinking beer in good company, a friend and two nice girls he just introduced me to. The topic of discussion got to writing diaries and thoughts, and I remember Vita talking about having conversations with your ego (it makes sense when writing). This was an idea I liked and immediately realized how to use in my story - don't worry, no spoilers here. I like giving credit where credit is due, and so, thank you Vita! ;)

On the other hand, the ideas I toyed with beforehand would have been shorter to write, while this got me to part three. I hope you enjoyed the reading, and I'll try to finish the third (and last?) part today.

Core Crisis - PART 1

Word count: 1041

Deep underground, below the Sibirian wasteland, there is a research facility few know about. The list of people aware of its existence is limited to the group of 5 physicists working there, a few maintenance guys and a cleaning lady for good measure. The project was commissioned when the Soviet Union was nearing its end, and amidst all chaos, it gradually disappeared, with no records left to point to its existence. The money they received was passed on as a "Classified Military Intelligence", and nobody raised any questions.

But the team itself did not vanish, nor even lose interest in what they were doing. As long as they got paid and could do their research, noone even thought about complaining. The insides of the facility - more aptly described as a bunker, were made with concrete, respecting the socialist rigid building style, cutting costs and making end's due.

Inside the control room the time stopped. Nikolai Rurik, a man in his fifties and a war veteran receiving multiple awards of honor was shaking his head in disbelief, eyes wide open, and staring blankly at the screen. He was a towering figure almost two meters tall and muscular, albeit gaining some weight since he quit the military service. He had a black bushy beard to compensate for the abscence of hair on his head.

Grigory Arkady, his exceptionally gifted student, that finished his PhD at the age of 16 and joined the experiment soon after, was a timid guy with big black glasses, just barely passing the 40 years mark. He was sitting on a chair that seemed eager to collapse on the first opportunity and had his body to his knees in an attempt to supress the urge to vomit. He was so thin that when he bended in two, his legs and upper body together could not match the size of Nikolai.

Rozaliya Rurik, born Miloslava, was married to the war general Nikolai. For her 40 years she was a stunning blonde with long curly hair, and a body a lot of her younger colleagues envied her for. She had her hand to her mouth, sobbing silently and fighting against the tears. She badly wanted a hug, but due to all time spent in physics, did not dare to approach her estranged husband.

The remaining two scientists, Yevgeny Oleg and Anatoli Demyan were playing a game of cards, and were sitting at a table on which the monitors were positioned. They still held the cards in their hands. Half-brothers, one from Russia, the other Ukraine, the life paths started them apart, and reunited them in the common love for physics. They both had the same eyes, and a similar light-brown hair. Yevgeny wore the hair in a long tail, while Anatoli prefered to leave his hair fall on his shoulders. They joined the team later, as the two physicists preceding them had misteriously disappeared. With their 32 years they were the youngest members of the team, and the most energetic ones at that. Both crazy for sports, they were always quarreling and joking, breaking the oppressing feeling of the facility.

But not today. There was an air of terror to be found in the control room, with the only sounds of Rozaliya's weeping and the bleeping of the machinery that surrounded them. To an outsider, it would take some time to understand what was going on, as there were no alarms ringing, or security breaches happening. The monitors were simply blank. No warnings of any sort. The whole team had a single question on their minds:"What's happening?"

Even though the technology used in the lab was outdated even at the time of its construction, they all knew that it was not possible for all the computers to go out at once. They were made to last even in an event of a nuclear outbreak and continue functioning long after the world has been reduced to a wasteland, with power sources and all. There was a higher chance of a meteorite striking the well-hid lab and destroying it, than for all the computers to stop functioning at once. And that's exactly what scared the group.

Nikolai started to stroke his beard in an attempt to think better. In his mind there was room for a single thought "What is the best course of action now?". After a few seconds of thinking he declared:"If anyone wants to leave the facility, do it now. I need only brave man", turning his head towards his wife he added:"and women." As a response to his coldly delivered request, Rozaliya bursted out crying, and ran out of the room. "WAIT!" she heard him yell, but she was already running towards her office, leaving no time to reply.

Anatoli dropped the playing cards and stood up, casting to Nicolai an angry glance as if saying:"Yeah, that obviously worked.", and ran outside, hoping to catch Rozaliya and comfort her. Yevgeny dropped the cards as well, remaining silently seated at the table and facing his superior, with hands crossed. Gregory tried to recompose himself, and while he was visibly discomforted, he managed to at least temporarily supress his stomach's weakness.

Nikolai smiled. This, for him, was the way a subordinate should behave: "We have no idea what's going on, but this is surely an outstanding situation. Since our experiment is off the grid, we need to take the matters in our own hands." He paused for the words to take effect, and then continued, with the same stern tone he used for lecturing his students: "Yevgeny and Gregory, take on your hazard suits and the geigar counter, we meet in 10 minutes here and check the core." Yevgeny immediately responded to his command, standing up from his chair and bolting through the open door. Gregory tried to follow suit. But as soon as he got up, the cramps in his stomach made him bend over again, with his hands on his mouth. Nikolai made a sighing sound and told his ex-student:"Behave yourself! Use the toilet if you must, and be here in ten minutes." Gregory nodded and still retaining his skewn position, somehow managed to exit the room. Nikolai sighed again to the empty room and departed as well.

TO BE CONTINUED

Behind the keyboard

Eeh, I hate to do this, but really didn't have the time today to finish this properly, sooo it's another story in two parts. I'll write more comments at the end of the second part tomorrow. Hope you like the beginning! :)

A Land Beyond

Word count: 1599

If the current of a river is too strong, there's no contending it. Some people manage to oppose it more, others less, but there is always a river too strong for a person to swim against. I don't know how or why, but I managed to conquer them all. But being the best in the world didn't bring me the gratification I craved. I know I can do better.

There is a valley up in the mountains that is the most natural environment to be found in today's desolated world. The river there flows abundantly throughout the whole year, and the neighboring mountains prevent the wind from finding a way into this resort. As a consequence, the trees grow strong, and a forest has naturally developed over the years. All kinds of animals live there, making it a complete and closed auto-sustaining ecosystem.

I couldn't care less for any of it, if it wasn't for the river that forms an enormous waterfall upon reaching the end of the resort. Even when the rain is scarce, the waterfall measures some twenty meters in width and a whopping thousand meters in height. It wasn't always so. This used to be a regular river flowing smoothly down the mountainside, before a whole mountain was blown away during the last war, that was supposed end all wars. Indeed, in the desolation it ensued, what was there left to fight for?

The resort was considered a jewel of nature, a symbol of hope for what once was, before the bombs started falling. It was therefore heavily guarded and I needed to plan my move carefully. I am in quite a funny situation, where both my goal and the road to it can easily get me killed. Still, I will either swim in that waterfall and survive it, or die doing something I love. I don't really see a downside to it.

With these thoughts, my goal was clear and my strength returned. I stood up, stretching my hands, legs and back. I stepped outside the cavern behind the waterfall and enjoyed the sound of falling water. It was so loud it drowned all other sounds, and I felt exhilarated thinking:"Oh yes, soon I will be falling with you!" Indeed, only 100 meters of altitude remained before I reached the above-standing resort. I decided the best and safest way to approach it was using the most dangerous road: climbing the almost vertical wall behind the waterfall. No guard in the resort will expect anyone to be so reckless to do it.

I packed what remained of the sandwich I've eaten only partially, because all the adrenaline cleared my sense for hunger and without hesitation, started the climb once again. I had to be extremely careful, because drops and jets of water were constantly flying away from the main waterfall, spraying the wall and myself, rending us completely wet and slippery. But concentration and patience paid off, and soon enough I was nearing the end of the wall, and the beginning of the falls. Looking up I rested with my hands and legs safely secured in the holes and crevasses of the rock.

Only a few meters separated me from the water. I thought for a second about quitting. Or trying a different route perhaps. But deep down I knew there were none. There was an electrical fence positioned all around the perimeter of the resort, and guards actively patrolling the place. The only part where the fence was omitted was the waterfall itself. I had to breath in and exhale to calm myself. In the critical moments it's either all or nothing, so I tried reassuring myself: "I have to do this. I want to. Come on, just a few more solid grips, and then through the water. I'll have to be really careful when grabbing for the rocks up there, because they're slippery, but that's about it!"

And I went upwards, extending my hands on the wall for positioning, legs following after. There was not really much to grab on to, but I was prepared. I could almost smell the water as I neared it from below. I extended my right hand onto the ledge above, and the current almost tore my arm off and flung me off balance. Anticipating this strength, I positioned myself solidly and grabbed a crevasse with my left hand, not wanting to let go. So when the water threw me off balance, I remained dangling there, with only my left hand still holding onto, not giving up. "Wow, that was stupid." I thought, as I repositioned my hands and legs into the highest standing crevasses and rocks I could find. I was standing on my hands and knees, like a predator waiting to jump on its prey. The only difference was I was on a vertical surface.

"Now or never", and I extended my legs, and pulled with my hands, launching myself into the air for a brief second. I reached with my hands for the ledge where the river was falling down. As I grabbed a solid rock, the strength of the current slid my hands and the whole body with me nearer to the fall. I didn't have any time to lose, so I called upon all my forces, hoping I trained enough. Little by little, my hands flexed and I was pulling myself towards the ledge. Now the water was violently flowing over my body, I've become a new rock on the edge of the paradise, shaping the course of the water. But as the water adapts, so did I steadily pulling myself onto the ledge. Once my upper body was at the river level, I quickly pulled up the legs and immediately grabbed for some solid ground.

I looked around and my eyes got bigger in disbelief. The whole paradise was a goddamn hologram! It was impossible to see it from afar, but being only meters away from trees that extended their leaves above the water, it was painfully obvious. It also made complete and utter sense! There were no paradises left on Earth. The only thing that remained was an illusion of hope - because without that the people would revolt and take up arms. I strengthened my grip on the stone, thinking "Yes, yes, I'm going with you soon water, but not just yet!" With my left hand, I took out my impermeable mobile, raised it up and took a picture of what I was seeing: "Perhaps I do have a new goal to look forward to if  I make it out of this alive."

But while I was relishing in the prospect of having a new goal in life, I completely forgot that there were guards all around. And while I was still with my left hand raised, I felt an incredible force of impact and pain coming from my right shoulder. The sniper was waiting for the right moment to strike, and I was thrown back, into the water. "No no no NO NO!" With my left hand I was still holding the mobile phone, with the priceless picture on it and my right hand was completely useless. I tried to get a hold onto something with my legs, but before I knew it, the current had dragged me back, towards the end of the world.

And so I flew down, head first into the thousand meters deep precipice. Trying to keep calm in an impossible moment, I knew I had to get to the center of the fall, where there was more water in it. I started agitating and skewing my body, to fall in the direction I wanted. When I saw the surroundings flashing by, and the ground getting visible, nearer and nearer, I couldn't contain the panic. Still, I moved towards the center and at the same time did some kind of a flip, so that I was falling with my legs down. As soon as I did this, I started kicking like a crazy person, and agitating my left hand. My right hand was still numb, especially combined with the feel of the water bringing me down "Come on bastard hand! I know you're ok too! A bullet can't stop you after all me and you went through!" I felt incredible pain, but my right hand was alive again. Having regained my senses, I started pushing the water down, and myself up, against the natural flow.

It hurt like hell, but my body did its job, and soon I could see the ground coming closely, but at a slower speed than before. This gave me even more confidence and a final stretch of strength that I needed to keep up the swimming. And then I was already on the surface of the water underneath, hitting it hard with my legs and the whole body after. I felt an incredible surge of shock and pain, before submerging and finally feeling that I was done moving. I tried moving my limbs, but nothing worked. "Ah well, fuck it, I did what I originally wanted to. I tamed the waterfall, and with a bullet wound at that!" I closed my eyes and smiled.

Through either luck or some unimaginable force of destiny, the water floated me ashore, unconscious. When I opened my eyes again, my left fist was still clenching the mobile phone. I checked, it still worked and the photo I took was still there. I obtained an information, a secret, which is a powerful weapon to be used at my discretion. I smiled. How should I use it?

Behind the keyboard

I wanted to write one story yesterday as well. But weekends are always scarce on time, always something to do, someone to see. So this story is actually a blend of 2 ideas, one from yesterday and one from today.

I was jokingly told by Luisa that I should write some stories without the war in them. I agreed, since these short stories are exactly my way of experimenting with different themes and ideas. Thanks for pointing it out though! Today I only marginally hint at war. Next time perhaps I'll avoid the theme entirely.

And that's a reason why I always encourage anybody to give me feedback. Critiques will help me get better at writing, while hearing good things is always nice, and gives additional motivation. Thanks for reading!

One Deadly Night

Word count: 718

My name is Amy, and these are either the last worlds I'll ever write, or the first one in a new world.

Today is the 1st of July, 1813, and I will lead the revolution to destroy the steam-filled and magically powered core of the city.

The events I'm about to recount took place on the same night 20 years ago, a night when I was reborn.

The night was clear, no wind or clouds to be seen. On the rooftops of the ever-burning city it was hard to find anything - or anyone at all. Dense clouds of steam filled the air, too hot for an untrained person to travel. Perfect spot for thieves and assassins alike. But it was nice. I remember feeling happy. My heart was pounding violently, but I was free. I have been running for so long, longing for some closure.

When I finally recomposed myself, I moved closer towards an exhaust tube, where I could reassure my self I was still in one piece. I jumped back in surprise as I saw a hooded figure, with wild untamable red hair flowing out of the robe, and red-tained glasses for protection. I didn't recognize myself. The face that I still remember staring back at me was one of a burning phoenix. But I was trained not to panic, and I thought "Heh, my hair are in a mess again".

It was only a thought to keep my mind busy. What mattered is that I finished a promise made to myself when I was 5. The guild of assassins doesn't ask for permissions, nor favors. They stripped me of my home, I learned and stripped them of their leader. I thought vengeance would give me peace. And yet that night unknown feelings sprang to life. My vision started to blur, and soon enough the glasses were filling with tears.

That was the last time I felt weak and useless in my life. I wanted to curl into a ball and disappear. I have even become effectively blind with my tears filled glasses and almost couldn't tell the difference between the hissing of steam-powered machines and my own voice. Then my training kicked in. The three steps of an assassination as they are:

Mark the target.
Observe.
Strike.

The target were my feelings, and I immediately remembered the day and the man who taught me. The Bear we called him. A mostly silent leader that carried out some legendary assassinations. He personally trained the promising novices. And he looked at me with those piercing green eyes that held me captive as he explained it all.

I realized my feelings were linked with the man I've slain. Thinking about observing, I remembered that he did plenty. As I matured and my body with me, his eyes got a different glow to them. When I looked at him, especially after an exhausting exercise, when my vest was sticking to my skin emphasizing my feminine parts, I could see something animistic and primal in those eyes. I did not realize it until that very miserable moment that I was drawn by those very same eyes. I could only see or care for his weaknesses, laying down my plan piece by piece.

And blindly following the instructions, to strike is what I did. I did it when he was standing with right hand on my shoulder, congratulating me for the successful mission. I pierced his heart with my dagger, while watching his eyes turn into horror. What he did afterwards is what changed me forever. I was prepared to die with him, knowing that with his dying breath he could have killed me. Instead, I felt his hand caressing my face, and smiling. And the last time I saw those two beautiful emeralds, they were empty of anger, only pride remained.

I understand now, 20 years later, that I've become the perfect assassin. I also realize this was a man that occupied both my heart and mind. And while his heart is gone by my doing, his mind continues to haunt me. I write this now, my love, as I carry out the revolution you dreamed of. I only wish I had you by my side and fight for a chance to live, than fight over your dead body.

Behind the keyboard

My friend Andrea told me "Quit the bullshit and start with the stories." That's what I did now, leaving a few comments after the story, for anyone interested.

Ok, so this was my first tackling with a female protagonist. Comments are very welcome.

I was busy all day (that's why the story is late), but I had time to think. And so I wrote a story about my muse Amy, that my thoughts keep coming back to. But I'm a writer, so I tried mastering my emotions and wrote how our story could have been in a different universe.

Checkmate (part 2)

I was really excited to write this part, as we enter the main stages of a chess play. This is where thinking intensifies, each move having consequences that have to be taken into account. Is this a good move? Is it not? So for ALL chess-loving people out there, I salute you! ;)

Also big thanks to my friend Matej who basically kicked my ass today into concentrating on writing and not slacking off. Without his help I'd have written a story I'd be less happy with.

While writing today's post, I have The Art of War from my favorite band Sabaton on my mind.

If you know the enemy and know yourself,
you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
If you know yourself, but not the enemy,
for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
If you know neither the enemy nor yourself,
you will succumb in every battle.
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

LINK to part 1.

Checkmate - a short story in two acts - PART 2

UNDEAD = black figures (yeah, unrealistic, but judge after reading)
HUMANS = white figures
Word count: 1839

Following the general's orders, the soldiers marched promptly forward, to strike the undead ranks first. Battle-cries echoed all around the field where the battle was taking place. Though nobody questioned if the creatures could hear them at all. It was not for the enemy, it was for them. Rush of blood and thirst for battle overwhelming reason. The battling grounds are not the time and place for reasoned thinking. Fight or die. Or not. This was no ordinary enemy, who would greet them in battle on equal footing, in the middle of the field. The soldiers started to slow their stride and watch attentively.

"Proceed with the plan." were the Necromancer's orders which were felt by each of his servants. Almost immediately, the serpents flew high over the palisade and after landing, proceeded to slither towards the approaching human battalion. Had it not been for the controlling power of the Necromancer, their animal instinct would have taken over, and they would have jumped heedlessly into battle, did some damage but eventually perished. And the Necromancer knew all too well the price of reckless actions.

The outposts were in complete terror. The glaring eyes of the creatures could be seen for hundreds of meters: "The enemy has started to move! Flying beasts are coming to meet us!" The King briefly considered and ordered:"Then we shall meet them on equal footing! Dispatch the cavalry at once, at the ready! Wherever those creatures are, I want them taken down! Soldiers, join the others, we will be able to capture the middle ground, and from there we press on!" And the orders spread, knights in heavy armors and war-ready horses started to advance before the palisade. From above their horses, once those magnificent beasts gained momentum, there was no creature, big or small, that could withstand the impact.

And then hell broke lose and the well organized two sides face-off descended into the madness of battle.

The common soldiers met the armored skeletons in the field and started massacring each other. Where one man fell, another one succeeded in an endless exchange of casualties on both sides. But the soldiers were outnumbered, and in response to the events, the King decided to call forth the cavalry that descended swiftly and cleared away the battleground. Now side by side to the comrades in the soldier ranks that were still standing, they observed in terror shades in the sky that descended upon them. The snakes were watching closely it would seem, and used their chance well. Screams of terror and pain filled the air.

The King was already dreading the casualties, but decided that it was all or nothing. Waiting could really not pay off in a situation like this. He needed only look the Queen in her eyes to know they were thinking alike. She nodded and put her hand on the King's cheek, and kissed him on the other: "Farewell my love, may our souls meet again in a time of peace." She disappeared before he could respond, so he numbly raised the hand to where her head has been a mere seconds ago. "Do not say it. Do not say it like that! We will win, no matter the cost!" His eyes cleared and a new determination was to be found there.

As soon as the Queen appeared on the middle ground, the tide of battle changed. She looked the snakes in the eyes and dismissed them with a sickened hiss. She threw her hands before her, and, following her movements, the swords from the fallen soldiers were released from their grip, and flew towards the creatures, slicing them without mercy. "And such is the nature of humans. They condemn me for manipulating human life into servitude even after death, and yet they want to manipulate all the rest. Time to show them a glimpse of our power as well." the Lich wished to smile as she listened to the Necromancer's sign to attack. Of the human nature there was not much in her left. But oh, there was envy, envy for a beauty that she could not have anymore.

Suddenly a battalion of soldiers exhilarated by their Queen's debut started shaking violently. While trying to maintain control, they felt their energy weakening, and a horrible sensation of the body trying to release itself from the metallic container. And in a flash, a great oval blackness appeared in their midst and drained their bodily juices, as if drinking a mere glass of water. Only armor and weapons remained, and there, standing in between, was an ominous figure, grotesque in her skeletal grimace, assuming an unnatural standing position. "Come on and face an equal enemy you coward!" the Queen screamed towards the Lich. To her surprise, the creature formed thoughts accompanied by hateful emotion:"All in due time my love." And with that, the two mages were locked in a deadly pursuit and outmatching.

Arrows flew from both sides, cutting down common soldiers, knights, snakes and archers alike. Everyone is equal in death. Snakes were spreading terror amongst the humans ranks, while their cavalry incited courage and countered the snakes wherever possible. For the two mages the only concern was each other, and killing some soldiers was merely a point of showing off the power, as blades and armor was flying around, and life being drained out of the participants. An endless lock, until the King ordered:"Bring in the heavy artillery!"

Everybody on the battlefield stopped what they were doing when the ground started shaking violently. Tremors all over the place, the power of the colossal machines was to be felt. Even the two mages suddenly realized that these towering figures were a key element in the resolving of the battle. The Queen was aptly at their side, reinforcing their structure with magic, keeping them moving forward faster. The field has been opened wide, so an opportunity for the march forward was set. On the other side, the Necromancer ordered the towers to be used as a defensive measure. The screaming pile of bones and dirt reluctantly moved and waited, with front lines weakened, it was their time to take a stand soon.

The Queen lead the march into the enemy territory. On the other side, the Lich was trying to do the same, but here destructive powers were at a far better use in a direct confrontation. The human's army was, little by little, gaining ground. The serpents were not a problem anymore, for they could be easily taken down by the projectiles inside the tower, so they were merely flying around, avoiding enemy fire. In that moment, the Lich appeared on the top of the tower, with Queen right beside her. With bloodshot eyes the Queen asked the Lich: "You are going to die too, you know. Why? Why are you doing this?" and the Lich responded: "And why are you humans pursuing us? Our memory is collective. One dies, hundreds follow. I'm a mere casualty, you are an asset." Having said that, the Lich pierced the queen's stomach with her extended skeletal fingers. The Queen's reaction to pain was a mere "ooomph", with no air left in the lungs from the surprise. She will not fall alone. Hugging the lich in a deathly embrace, she flew herself from the Tower: "Like sisters in death, though God awaits me, while hell calls for you creature!"

After their fall the morale of the humans army was at it lowest point, the King hardly keeping the mixture of anger and tears at bay. But he didn't let go. The towers pushed on, destroying the palisade walls and nearing the den of the Necromancer. The archers followed in suit, destroying anyone who wanted to obstruct their march.


Meanwhile the snakes found their place in the wandering. They found an unprotected part of the walls, and sailed smoothly over. The Necromancer thought to them "At long last, the choice of the battleground will prove itself useful. In the time so far ago these mortals have forgotten, in this exact place a great battle took place. Through this creature's mouth, I commend you to obey my will. Rise." And the earth started opening and long slain heroes, lovers and friends full of sorrow due to their untimely death, began to crawl from the ground. Without armor they blindly jumped at their feet and all ran towards the King's residence. The humans have fought bravely, but for every skeleton slain, there were hordes of new ones in their wake. The archers trying to keep them at bay, only to be cut down by the pervasive snakes.

The King took up the sword, and fought valiantly:"You will not take me alive! I will join my beloved one in the afterlife in the God's embrace, and there will be others who will clear the earth of your filth!" He managed to kill several lines of the skeletons. What he failed to realize in the heat of the moment, was that he was forced in a corner, ironically the same position that he thought he'd put the undead army into. And there came the flying serpents, like angels of death, cutting down the air on the King who observed them with terror. In mid-flight their eyes glowed with a craziness and a moment later, the king's head was torn smoothly off the rest of the body.

The news started spreading quickly and people started to riot in panic. Some flew, others cried on the ground, some surrendered straight away. A banner man deep in grief stood tall as he took the white banner and marched from the camp to the field. Waving the flag, telling the people it was over.
The towers almost breached the Necromancer's refuge, were halted and stopped. Nobody had the energy left to fight nor a reason why to. Morale destroyed, they had to pay the price of war.

High above the ground, almost touching the clouds, unseen from the surface, there were some bat-shaped wings flapping. A flock of serpents was holding the King's head by biting their teeth into his flesh. And the King was terrified to see the spoils of war, his soldiers, many of which friends, killed with a clean cut to the heart, and then reanimated. These skeletons had all the skin on it, fresh new human recruits for the army! It was not only a battle that was lost today, but indeed, the whole of mankind! "So you see," the King began to hear a voice echoing in his head "this is what you humans do. Destroy hoping to conquer more and more. But war always has its price, and no matter how long you can run or laugh, or erect strongholds to protect you, the more you move and stir the lives of others, the more you coin eternal enemies against you. Sleep now, as you're to be one of them." And the King felt the sensation of closing eyes, as the snakes sharply turned downwards, towards the Necromancer's encampment.

Vae Victis.
(woe to the vanquished/conquered one)
- attributed to the Gaul chieftan Brennus

Hostile armies may face each other for years, striving for the victory which is decided in a single day.
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War