Whispers of A Dead Empire

Chapter 105

"What of The Grave Tender?" I reached out to the effigy of a man clad in a sprawling cloak. His hands were wrapped around a gnarled staff that curled down in the shape of a shovel near the bottom. An old man who has been withered by the relentless storm of time yet day after day performed his task with an enduring sense of duty.

"Every day, he deals with death, so its claws are already well embedded. Perhaps he may fall, perhaps he may still be of use." She reached up, took the effigy from my hand, and placed it next to the Angel.

I sighed as I looked over the rest of the pieces. I reached forward and grabbed a man with an inhumanly perfect face, clad in a blood-red cloak. A single necklace sat low and was crafted in the shape of a simple silver pendant. In one hand was an enormous weapon reminiscent of a shotgun but had a few wires that seemed to dangle slightly from the stock and lead into the recesses of his cloak. In the other was a long sword with a wicked serrated edge. "The Fang?"

"Much like the inquisitor, his faith is blinding. But he shields his monstrous nature in his faith. It is doubtful they can sway him from his path, nor his loyalty to you."

I placed his statue next to the effigy of the inquisitor. I quickly glanced at the balance of power, even judging what was left on the side as unused pieces. "Alessia, I think it's safe to assume that the Angel will fall." I picked up the effigy and placed it across from me, next to the specter of death. "What makes you say that?" She leaned forward in her seat and regarded me with her vibrant eyes. Even though the haze of the dream, it still affected me. My heart raced, and my breath hitched in my throat, though my dream self seemed as strong and collected.

"He is an angel scorned. A resentment is a powerful tool for any saboteur." I could feel my dream's self-thoughts as she weighed the severity of what she was saying. A part of me felt it as sadness. Like a dream that was violently ripped away. "Quintus, did you even give my dreams a thought, or were you too wound up in your own glory to care?"

Alessia only sighed as she took the piece. Sadness threatened to trickle from the corner of her eyes, and I felt my heart waver slightly at her sadness. However, I couldn't do anything since I was a prisoner in my mind. "So be it then." Her words were filled with finality as she regarded the piece.

"The Noble?" I asked as I regarded the statue of a large man, who was more round than he was tall. In his hand was a goblet that was filled to the brim with blood-red liquid, and his fat face was twisted in a rictus of perverted joy, and his clothes were clinging by a few buttons.

"Power is but bread and wine to them. The sway of her call will prove too strong for him. He will fall, and we will lose many people with it." She reached out and took the man and placed it on her side.

"Alessia, no matter how we play this game, our chances of winning fall each time." With the fall of such an affluent figure, I felt my feelings fall all the more. I still had more pieces to the side, a countless amount of them, but I knew it wouldn't be enough, especially to counter the fall of the noble.

"We can win. I know we can." Alessia sat up and moved one piece forward to start the game.

"Can we?" I replied as I moved the inquisitor two blocks forward.
"I'm sure of it." She shifted the Angel forward two blocks, sat back, and regarded the board.

"Perhaps I am too caring about the matter. Sacrifices can be made if needed." I moved my inquisitor forward and engaged him with the Angel, so I could move more pawns from my side.

The two quickly engaged in a fight, leaving the noble open, which I didn't hesitate to jump on. The fang cut down the noble without a problem, but sadly at the cost of the inquisitor's life. "Be wary of the sacrifice, Empress. It doesn't always pan out as you would think."