There were more light in the eyes of guests that had made it to the table for discussion, Then all the chandeliers in the banquet venue.

  The chandeliers’s enlightened everyone with charisma evoking discussions, yet the eyes of guests were as naive as the conversations.

  The Banquet Venue was too large to accommodate enough chandeliers and guests. This didn’t sit well with those who had worked for years and had received emblems of prestige. Still, they all had the same questions as they discussed ranks; who owned such a huge tent?

  Landon Gellhorn felt he was in a precarious situation; it had been ten hours since leaving Gerda at the bank. Though his main concern was that -he was the oldest greenhorn

  In the queue during registration as the event coordinator wanted to confirm his age.

  “twenty -three” He replied.

  Yet Landon couldn’t answer any of the questions the newbies were asking in the queue.

  “Twenty-eight” The jeweler he acquainted replied out loud without being asked.

  “It’s the new Kou’s tent,” The jeweler whispered to the newbies who were in fascination.

  Everyone oohed and ahhed as they looked at Landon and his well dressed partner.

  “Let’s take those seats over there,” The jeweler whispered.

  The greenhorns mostly wore armor and faction clothes unlike Landon in his suit.

  “The Chandeliers give a Charisma attribute,” Landon stated

  “That’s not always a good thing, remember your daughter in my store” The jeweler said.

  “She’s just a child,” Landon said while they observed the interior while standing in the queue.

  “Granted, I've never seen war…” The jewelers quibbled whispers enunciated, “...but negotiations…”

  Landon gulped, his face sternly withdrew his candor on the subject.

  “Excuse me?” a greenhorn asked the couple, “Where is Kou situated on the map?”

  The tent was a marquee tent - Marquee was one rank below the highest in the land. Everyone stared at the jeweler including event coordinators who were unaware of their own commander.

  “H6 A ruined castle called pioneer,” The jeweler stated,

  “...and a foreign castle on D4 named the Wolven castle,” she continued,

  even those with emblems of prestige were in awe.

  “That’s beyond enemy lines,” Landon's statement seemed profound within all the shock.

  The Event Coordinators were so shook they were trembling with stark eyes, but this was exclusive information yet the jeweler seemed calm and collected.

  Instead holding onto Landon as if they were romantically involved.

  “Do I have to…” the nearest event coordinator stumbled her words, “... go that far?”

  “Your battlefield is here!” the jeweler shouted, “do you think that you will be carried, spies on the field and amongst us! do you see any sentries! You are the sentries,

  This is where you take the brunt! All this must be done on these tables! gather yourselves for the War is endless!” The jeweler echoed across the Marquee tent, jolting their eyes.

  “Here! Here! The veterans are Conglomerating their industries and relenting their forces, the parade is over, posing will not do you any good here! if you want talent to see you,

  It can come at any moment” a man with a prestige emblem shouted.

  Despite his voice, everyone's eyes were on the jeweler.

  “You!” The jeweller said looking at an event coordinator.

  “Yes, lady…”

  “...Joselyn,” The jeweller said,

  “Let’s fix the array of these chandeliers on the guardrail” Joselyn said.

  Joselyn and the man with the prestige emblem, looked at each other, giving a single nod. Landon felt frazzled by the audacity of his acquaintance. The event coordinators split themselves between re-arranging and proceeding guests. The jeweller double downed and stumped everyone, the event coordinator actually listened.

  The chandeliers moved on the guardrails on the ceiling and the entire arrangement was set despite this, many people had already taken their seats, it became intuitive with people with emblems were mostly strength attributes dispersing thoroughly and the greenhorn finding humble spaces yet not even half of the marquee tent was taken.

  He followed Joselyn clutching her arm to control her but the clarinet of voices looking at the ceiling ignored him and trumpets of voices that felt like abrasive trumpeted behind him.

  “They’re not much different from you, can you control yourself, you’ll know when strength enters,” Joselyn said.

  Landon felt pinched for choice rubbing shoulders but he remembered Joselyn stated that they should take a specific seat that felt alienated and stop trying to pull Joselyn and pulled an event coordinator who blushed by the sudden grasp but complied.

  “Would you like to book this table?” An event coordinator asked.

  “Yes, my acquaintance is busy… I don’t know what she’s doing”

  “Is this your table investment?” the event coordinator asked.

  She looked at the briefcase he carried unlike the satchels and swords others carried.

  He unlocked it and gave it to her - her eyes shined looking in the bag.

  “We’ll set you up with a small quantity of V.I.P banquet food, my compliments”

  She winked at him.

  “Maybe, we can meet up after this?” Landon asked.

  She glanced at Lady Joselyn who had a domineering command far away. The event coordinator nodded, took his registration card and ran away with his suitcase.

  Landon felt pent up and overwhelmed but puffed himself at the small victory. There were three card slots on the table, there was discussion on the far tables about this.

  Landon had two victories; despite the loose cannon jeweller, she had gained influence, He secured a bed partner for when all of this is done which should be ten hours,

  But finally, not being to the banquet for six years he took out 83 metallic cards, 72 of them were negotiation cards, twelve of them were co-operation card and one of them was an expulsion card. The chaos of people, the pandemonium and tactical strategies ensuing, There was a stratum of shrewd eyes that glinted on Landon’s negotiation cards.

  Joselyn’s heart palpitated but she didn’t give herself away. She had seen stocks of card in bulk inventories but at least now, she knew her competitors,

  And took note of all the intellect attribute guests among the greenhorns. “You’re an intellect,” an event coordinator whispered, “how are you so good with charismatic objects?”

  “How do you figure that?” Joselyn blankly stated at the young woman as they carried a table.

  “The chandelier,” she replied, “it glinted strongly above your head. it was just a second!”

  Jocelyn counted herself lucky, this small phenomenon was a big deal in the chaos of war.

  “I won't tell anyone lady joselyn, if…you don't mind me meeting that good sir after everyone” the event coordinator said.

  Joselyn kept operating the arrays, an old battle diagram that had the ghosts of her old party in mind.

  “He's taken," she replied, “it won't happen”.

  Landon, she thought: He's flirting, he whined to me a few hours ago that he felt he was at the kiddies table but…

  “My talent will work against him, if you're not in the way,” the event coordinator said.

  …Landon Gellhorn was a huge Anomaly and a disruptive force - he set the first calculations before the banquet had even started when he took out the cards.

  The cards were basically bearer bonds to the intellect attribute personnels and she's never thought of them this way, who could think this way - Joselyn only had these intuitions at death's door. her family had considered her broken from her outpost experience.

  “Gellhorn,” she whispered.

  The event coordinator thought lady Joselyn held him in rue.

  Lady Joselyn gave an understanding smile

  Landon sat alone dozens of rows away from everyone, the timer had not started yet

  The Chandeliers on his side finally tweaked to his side and the chandelier gave him tranquility from the amethyst crystals. The mental complexes he had melted away the grief and he considered his gratitude to his new found ally, something he once had before, but the ‘feeling’ vanished as an intensity encapsulated him.

  Landon felt a charm, two heartbeats and the scent of a woman’s pores in nostalgia.

  He looked behind and saw the ‘feeling’ he once had, had a face - one enamored by Intimate expressions that were as miscellaneous as duck feathers in the air after getting bonked by a pillow that made her shy away with a serene smile.

  He had despondency as he noticed there was a separate entrance and leading was that enamoring face, yet that ‘feeling’ was lost in the imposing air she walked and the majestic assembly behind her.

  The charisma attribute was sucked right out of him, the chandeliers sparkled limelighting the powerhouses as they remarked on the arrays giving nods to the event coordinators who stood by the side not even bothering registering them only the leader looked at the guests in shock as he saw a man sitting by himself, The enamoring woman gave a bashful wave but it was jocelyn who waved back as she sat down.

  Jocelyn was electrified!

  Bice noticed her!

  Though those that truly noticed Bice’s subtle wave glared at her, but lost their mind by the gesture they saw, in fact, they were coming over.

  “Jocelyn! Oh, how the mighty have fallen! What is this a common lord”.

  Two women hassled, Landon tried to stand up to the impropriety but he was glued to the seat per the rules of the ancient décor and by being by these wolves of women, joselyn marked another lucky event Landon had for not being able to reciprocate.

  The women leaned over him suppressing his shoulder until he winced in pain.

  “Look at the timer! 9 hours!” one of the women said.

  Joselyn's silky dress glided on the peripherals of Landon's scowl as she sat down.

  Pandemonium ensued as shouting and heckling happened over most of the tables as people found their seat and friendly embraces caused impacts of armor.

  “It's quite a shame,” joselyn said, “Your first assignment after ousting me is a banquet. I didn't think you could still smirk at others”.

  “Look at the good time everyone is having, all we need are beers and stories of victories!”

  They lauded joselyn pretending they were having a good time with old friends.

  “She doesn’t have any! All she knows is how to steal! She took so much of our inventory but her hypocrisy states that we’re failing the banquet, seems everything is fine despite so much jewellery missing,” the other raucous woman replied.

  Landon was taken back by this, since she identified her as the jeweller,

  That was bound to be frowned upon, even a court martial.

  “They were my jewelry, asking for me to battle is up to your commander, asking for my fortune…commanders know that is arbitrary, but you two aren’t even close to that,” Joselyn replied

  “Oh! you can sits in your cabinet all day while we moving the lines of the outpost everyday

  Yet you’re saying asking for a charisma contribution is too much?”

  “Consequences of pushing me out, I guess,” Joselyn replied.

  “She doesn’t know the hearts of the people, she’s just the worst” one of them gossiped.

  They spoke to each other back and forth like umbrellas; no one could tell if it was rain or sun;

  Landon on the other hand finally understood why he was chosen by joselyn at the jeweller store,

  She was in mortal danger and an risky gambler, even going as far as using his child as a safety net.

  They couldn’t hold spite and laugh with a child nor hold him down by the shoulder while his child cry.

  Landon decided to do something he hadn’t done for a long time… he decided to be brave.

  There was nothing more he had to do but accept the warrant of future crisis.

  The chandeliers had not captured this moment, jocelyn had ensured no silver on their table to suppress landon from talking but the glimmer from the chandelier array double-helixed and matrixed subtly.

  Landon and jocelyn looked at each other tenacity meeting a noose, coiled and no lifeline.

  Landon simply heard one phrase, “Fortune favors the brave”.

  It was a woman’s voice who should be in the interstellar's of the cosmos, Gerda’s mother.

  Landon simply gave a smile that indented a dimple on his cheek.

  Before Joselyn could calculate.

  A woman entered the fray, she wore Red armor of strength that vigored the radius area’s spine to straighten. She sat down on the chair not caring to look at the timer and information untethered to any ideal: a lifeline.

  “What the… Kou! ” Both the wolvish women said.

  Landon eyes twitched towards Kou? She looked 18, did she really advance through the map

  To the 5th line in a single year?

  The buoyancy of her attribute suspended her shoulders from the pain of the women’s crushing hands.

  “Oy!” Kou said

  putting two fingers up acknowledging Joselyn.

  The corner of the wolvish women’s lips extended in bitterness, half of their negotiations were lost since they expected Kou to join them and they wouldn’t dare battle each other for the last seat.

  “You’re not going to get a good rate under this ‘Gellhorn’ you know that Kou” they gave a last retort.

  “Leave her, she’s retreating in the map anyways, will go make a mark of own, let’s go”

  They left and saw V.I.P food coming to that table but they just scoffed.

  “Things aren’t going great?” Joselyn asked.

  Kou nodded as she was sullen.

  Landon looked at the visible area of skin that was lashed with raw skin from broken blisters, bruises and lacerations, he had never seen someone so battleworn and that was just her hands and neck.

  “I should’ve listened to you,” she said.

  Joselyn and kou both felt enough was said as they looked to the direction of the rest of the powerhouses. The table turned on their displays to the center of the table.

  Bice stood on the stage platform looking away from everyone as she stared at the wall.

  Everyone whispered as there seemed to be a problem that Bice was deliberating.

  She finally nodded to herself and went to the podium and took out a special card and inserted a red card.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  “Eject table 12B” Bice said.

  The suction from the seats of Joselyn, Kou and Landon released as the negotiations cards were terminated to their astonishment.

  “Kou” - Bice gestured towards the canvas wall, the entrance where the powerhouses entered.

  All the common tables were acquired so it must’ve been someone important for her to use an expulsion card on an entire table.

  The Room got a good look at Lady Kou as she walked through the room.

  “She’s just a young girl,” they exclaimed in whispers.

  Etched with cinnabar scars on her wounded acne, a self-mutilation of burden among brown freckles. Her focus was tunnel-visioned in pure disdain as she ignored the stalked eyes that seemed to beam for her attention.

  “Lady Kou welcomes you to her Negotiations, the grandest one we’ve ever seen,”

  Bice exclaimed her arms in salutation as they cheered at Kou!

  “There is no denying her might and resolution to our faction…”

  Kou walked out of the carpeted floor and only took a few steps on the marshes

  and saw an unusual speech being given.

  Two event coordinators in question stood behind a podium lecturing a desolate little girl.

  The girl was ragged, dirty but a look equal to Kou herself,

  a look that was abstruse that can be confounded as innocence.

  It was stillness… observed as if looking at their attributes but the coordinators came from the same unit, there shouldn’t be a difference but the calculations might as well be etched on the child’s eyes in the lunar glow.

  The edge of Kou’s eyebrows sunk to her nose as she noticed that they were out of their depth.

  Her interface was literally in her eyes… flair.

  “Listen, young girl - this is serious business, I don't know why you walked here…”

  “Maybe she followed the light, something must’ve happened”.

  “...I’ve informed the chain of command”.

  Kou calculated in this crisp air and billowing Marquee Tent that this little child stood in the line.

  She waited in this cold, she walked through these stygian plains,

  while the event coordinators were taking turns warming up inside.

  The city conducted everything, the heat, safety, comfort;

  The people? Not so much.

  They would have never taken it up the chain of command - such pettiness with so little authority.

  I felt a bit kooky, the feeling of being so cold that I stopped shivering.

  The grass felt cold, tough like the metal striking in those tunnels when I sloshed them.

  These women were much like blades of grass, they weren't stepping on me - just like Letty explained to her team - they were treating me like fresh mud, which i guess, right now is better than gold.

  I shook in shivers of terror as I heard a clanging of metal.

  My eyes frigid in twitches as I only saw red for a moment.

  my heart drummed in flushes that blotched all my skin and got me to my tippy toes.

  “Oh, you know this jersey?” Kou said.

  This senior had taken off her armor pad on her chest, I didn't even notice her until now

  but that jersey…It’s my school’s jersey!

  Kou dropped more armor in relief, her eyes went from droopy to an impressed upturn.

  she took off all her armor and her jersey as she slivered it over the little one’s head.

  “Peekaboo!” Kou pressed her cheeks as I came out.

  She saw the child’s head pop out the jersey that covered her whole body.

  They mirrored each other with verses of gushing blushes verses furrowings;

  Porcelain ruby-hued tenderness meeting strawberries flecked contours.

  “You’re strong”.

  Kou was taken back as she took the compliment in a wizened state.

  “You go to the school in brashtilia?” Lady Kou asked.

  She knows it!

  I started trembling from feeling heat but I still nodded.

  “What’s a school?” The event coordinator asked.

  “It’s a small citadel for the mages we captured four years ago.” Kou replied.

  “We’re treating enemies to their own lodging!?” The event coordinator shrieked.

  “They’ve earned our respect,” Lady Kou said.

  “Kou!” The second event coordinator said.

  Big sister didn’t even look at them but I had something I was holding back.

  “The enemy is hesitation,” I said, “Are you willing to kill?”

  The woman named Kou frowned but her eyes smiled as she looked at their frozen faces.

  “What the fuck are they doing in that school?” Kou asked astonished.

  “Answer her!” The event coordinator berated.

  “I just sit on the grass under the tree…” I responded before switching,“...you’re like grass to me”.

  I don’t know why i said it, it was mean but, it was a good seat, i now know that silver sharpens.

  Kou felt stark as she saw the event coordinator finally realize what they were dealing with.

  Kou trembled, these idiots only realized now that they were in a battlefield with this child.

  Kou felt pumped and invigorated even though she wasn’t an intellect based.

  It was impossible to ask the child the depth and those ladies won’t confess anything,

  No warmth will remove the bucket of cold water that poured on them.

  Kou put on her armor, her abdomen were bare and her brassiere straps were showing.

  Kou took the child’s hand, she lost Joselyn as an intellect since her conscription was done.

  She could’ve stayed but was forced out. There’s no rule of being too young.

  Kou joined the army at thirteen.

  “What’s your name?” Lady Kou asked.

  “Gerda - Gerda Strashur Gellhorn,” I said.

  Kou stopped as she reminisced to her droopy eyes that lazed at the man who drooled at bice.

  She looked at his screen in her memory, in the battlefield, it was important to read backwards.

  Bice had always insisted to her that the negotiations is a battlefield, she could see it now.

  What she had noticed was Landon’s unconscious gaze and the interface.

  “Can we go to school together?” I said hugging her hip.

  “I’ve never been there, that jersey belongs to a departed friend of mine…” The senior answered.

  But i’ll go - after tonight, there’s going to be a trailblaze heading to your school”.

  The Banquet was now in full swing with an ambient glows of lime, Cinnabar and mercury

  You're like grass to me - Kou remembered her words.

  “What attribute are you born with,” Kou asked.

  “Leadership,” I answered.

  Kou was perplexed but intellectually sifting things though wasn’t her strong suit.

  Kou really wanted to get this child a seat, luckily her father was leading a table.

  At least kou thought he was, as she saw Bice sitting on her spot. A single empty seat remained.

  “She’s got quite a possy,” Landon said.

  I saw the lady called ‘jeweler’, her eyes inspected me like she was capturing moments in time.

  Papa was speaking and he was at it, it was best to wait.

  “How far have your adventures gone?” papa asked.

  “As far as i need to create a home. Has home created pleasantries for you”.

  that had to be Bice, it just had to be. Her T’s sounded like diamonds.

  “As if you’re there” my papa coughed.

  “I wouldn’t mind facing the calamity with you, all you need is to ask,” Bice said.

  My father coughed with coughing, snapping his head sideways, our eyes connected.

  My father eyes may had been looking at mine, but Bice connected.

  “Happiness bends,” i said.

  Letty or even Tepes didn’t feel like this, I finally understood

  How to estimate everyone i’ve met until now.

  This was not supposed to happen.

  I couldn’t take my eyes off her waiting for my papa to do something, anything.

  It wasn’t purple, it was nostalgia - i knew this woman, i knew bice - this was the person who had always met our principal at school, there was no one who had not adored her but no one knew what a bice is, it was even more shaky since i owned the bank, the bank that was part of her.

  “Oy!” Lady Kou said pulling attention, “Give her three negotiation cards”.

  Her eyes directly to my father as he was in calculations, he paused wasting time, but he seemed to have given up before he gestured towards me and gave three metal blue cards.

  “Why do you sound like those scoundrels,” The jeweler asked.

  The jeweller immediately snapped straight as she looked at the table.

  What was papa worried about?

  “I’ve got a few, let me lend you some,” papa said?

  “Business must be good to be giving cards like ice cream to children,” Bice giggled.

  “Wealth doesn’t suit me, if only it were ice cream” papa responded.

  Then i’d be standing eating ice cream while cold, did this person raise me?

  I wasn’t the only one who felt stupid but Bice gathered herself fast.

  “Happiness indeed does bend”.

  Kou nodded me forward walking me to my seat, everyone looked at her skin and strap,

  But luckily her jersey wasn’t too big in the first place,i had to take more jogged steps.

  “Very charitable, Lady Kou,” the jeweler said.

  “Get a seat for yourself also big sister,” I said.

  I climbed the seat before i sat and felt stuck.

  “I can’t,” Kou said.

  || Gellhorn registered; ascension required ||

  “- what does that mean?” The jeweler asked.

  I looked behind me to see what Bice was looking at but there was no one.

  She clicked her finger and before i could snap my head straight in thoughts,

  Someone stood next to her, and our table was surrounded by people..

  There was a screech as the table started moving. Our chairs were pulled back.

  Kou quickly grabbed a seat as that was the last thing I saw.

  There was darkness in the room as interfaces switched off and people swarmed us.

  There was a natural glimmer of lights from the hanging jewels.

  It reminded me of the cave as the splendour sprites happened… wait that means…

  I was in these seats with Count Tepes, this was the meaning of the sprites.

  “The real negotiations have started!” Bice

  “This table was common lord level 2, now it’s unranked…”

  “The prestige is incredible! I always thought that it was connected with rank”.

  “It’s the emblem of King, clap! - Bice has ascended”.

  Clapping started happening as Bice raised her hand.

  “Please everyone, please go to your seat,” Bice said.

  Everyone looked at each other.

  “We don’t have any more Negotiation cards,” someone said.

  “Ascension can eject everyone - i’ve never seen it before” The jeweler whispered in horror.

  “I’ve got a few, let me lend you one each, we’ll discuss matters later” papa said.

  Papa passed the big metal to everyone that reached out, looking at faces.

  “The Gellhorns Leadership was a lineage of envy; to resurface at this time,” Bice said.

  The people who had a new card didn’t go to sit as they watched carefully.

  Bice took out her interface and so did Kou, followed by Joselyn - I remembered her name.

  Everyone mostly looking at me - Violette was silent.

  Papa put his interface in the middle also.

  “Violette” I said.

  “Gerda,” She said as my interface met the others in a middle creating a circle.

  “I’m not authorized to participate in negotiations,” she said.

  She spoke when we were with the Count but maybe she didn’t realize that was also a negotiation.

  There was gasps as glints of light shined through the dark in murmurs.

  Everyone was looking at my interface including Bice.

  “Lady Kou who is this?” Bice asked.

  “This old man’s child,” Kou responded, pointing at my father.

  …

  “Red interface from Kou, two silvers, a brown - leadership from Bice… and black?”

  “It’s glowing purple” Joselyn said.

  “Lady Bice?” a stranger asked, “what does black mean?”

  “Did anyone here say Gerda?” Bice asked knitting her brows.

  “I am Gerda’s Interface, it’s nice to meet you” Violette said.

  …

  I put up my hand, “I’m Gerda, is your name really Bice?”

  Bice looked at me in ponder,

  “No, it’s a title.”

  “What’s your name then?”

  “Brumhilde,” Bice said.

  “Brum?” I shrieked.

  …

  “Since everyone is here, I'd like to announce something. Our world is facing a calamity” Lady Kou said, “We need a new order and venture. I propose Gellhorn for leadership”.

  Landon’s surname was on the table registry and was already giving cards to people. The question was exclusively for those at the table and Kou, the highest ranking proposed.

  “There are three more seats since the table is titled King, under Gellhorn,” Bice said.

  “I’ll be expelling people that don’t fit the requirement,” Landon said.

  Bice held Landon’s hand that was on the table. i didn't know yet what he was speaking about though but Bice had not realized that she also proposed the same by joining hands.

  her movement seemed like words to me.

  The table had Bice sitting in the middle facing the crowd. Landon on the right, Gerda on the left. Joselyn and Kou could be seen by the side of their silhouette.

  There was one free seat with the entire crowd behind it.

  The disparity was huge, what threw them for a loop was the little girl’s interface self-calculating.

  Violette couldn’t take part because she was calculating the bends of sprites.

  I had a war with the bank without knowing. A small war practice underneath it that i didn’t partake.

  Both of those i had learned and i now knew this was a war about the future.