Part Two: The Kings Gambit
![[Image: 8209550678_d4c4c9cfca_z.jpg]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8198/8209550678_d4c4c9cfca_z.jpg)
Marcus Cole looked out upon the vast sea, upon which the structure he stood upon rested. It was beautiful, in an antiseptic way. Not like his beloved Praetoria. The city he protected and the people he nurtured. The city he destroyed, and the souls he consumed. He took a powerful breath and sighed.
"I will be missed. They will believe I have escaped."
"You will not be missed. When you return, you will return to the moment you left. No one will notice your absence."
Cole continued to look out towards the setting sun, if it was indeed a sun. "I know of you, Eisenstadt. Or should I say "Lord Nemesis." I have read of your exploits on Primal Earth."
"Lord Nemesis is dead. I am Mender Silos."
"Quibbling over names is silly."
"If you insist, 'Tyrant'" Silos replied.
"Touché"
"You are here because I have a proposal for you."
Cole paused, and then his gaze narrowed. "Nemesis or not, I do not trust you."
"I am not asking for your trust. There is a great threat approaching."
"I know of it" Cole replied testily. "Your precious 'Incarnates' have brought down all I struggled to create. I am now powerless against the Coming Storm. What could you possibly want from me?"
"I want to give that power back to you."
"Indeed?" Cole raised his brow. "Are you insane?"
"It appears to be communicable."
"I see. And how do you intend to do this? And to what end?"
"The Incarnates will not have the strength to repel the Coming Storm."
Cole snorted. "Only now do you realize this?"
"Don't be smug. You would not have been able to do so either. No: the problem is that the Battalion have grown too strong to defeat by purely defensive measures. Perhaps in time we can come up with a way to defeat them permanently, but in the meantime our priority must be to protect humanity from the Battalion, and deny them the Well of the Furies."
"And how do you propose to do this? Or rather how do you propose I do this?"
"The power of the Well will not be enough. We will seek to merge it with an even greater power." Cole started to speak, but decided against it, preferring to listen. "Have you heard of the being known as Rularuu?"
"I have heard of it. It is an almost omnipotent being, but it is flawed: its power trapped in a kaleidoscope of fractured shards. It cannot help us."
"On our Earth, there was a man named Darrin Wade. He sought to use the power of the Well of the Furies to merge with and control the essence of Rularuu. He killed our Marcus Cole and absorbed his potential to do it. He almost succeeded."
"You seek to have me succeed where he failed. And why would you trust me to do as you require once I gain omnipotence?"
"Two reasons. One: the merging is unstable. You will not be able to maintain it indefinitely, and if you try to do so the power will splinter you as it did Rularuu. You will be as Rularuu is now. For you, I think that is a fate worse than death."
"And the second reason?"
"I know of you as well, Cole. I knew your counterpart on my Earth, but I also know of you. I understand, as most will never understand, why you did what you did. You are an insane man, as I was once insane." Silos raised his hand as Cole started to speak "I won't argue the point, except to say I know your actions on Praetoria haunt you. I know the souls you tried to use haunt you. I know *she* haunts you. In time, you would realize the folly of your actions. Time we don't have."
Silos now turned to Cole. "You want to know it was all worth it. You want a legacy. You're willing to kill for it. I know you're willing to die for it. I know if I give you a chance to be the savior of humanity, you will take it."
Silos turned back to look out across the landscape. "You really have no choice." Silos did not need to see the look on Cole's face to know he had hit home.
"Tell me your plan."
Silos described his plan, or at least Cole's part in it. "This will not work" Cole said when he was finished.
"Of course it will work. If you do what is required."
Cole stared at Mender Silos and seemed to study his face for a long time. "On my world, Gerhardt Eisenstadt died an unknown maker of clocks and toys. It seems I was fortunate in that regard."
"I will take that as a compliment, Cole."
"You realize that even if your plan works, there's a problem. I will be busy using the power of the Well of the Furies and Rularuu to effect your plan. I will not be able to assist you in your battle with the Battalion. You may yet fail before I can bring this to a close. And even beyond that, you are beset with an enormous problem. The Battalion may yet come for you."
"Oh, I have an idea there."
...
Marcus Cole looked out upon the vast sea, upon which the structure he stood upon rested. It was beautiful, in an antiseptic way. Not like his beloved Praetoria. The city he protected and the people he nurtured. The city he destroyed, and the souls he consumed. He took a powerful breath and sighed.
"I will be missed. They will believe I have escaped."
"You will not be missed. When you return, you will return to the moment you left. No one will notice your absence."
Cole continued to look out towards the setting sun, if it was indeed a sun. "I know of you, Eisenstadt. Or should I say "Lord Nemesis." I have read of your exploits on Primal Earth."
"Lord Nemesis is dead. I am Mender Silos."
"Quibbling over names is silly."
"If you insist, 'Tyrant'" Silos replied.
"Touché"
"You are here because I have a proposal for you."
Cole paused, and then his gaze narrowed. "Nemesis or not, I do not trust you."
"I am not asking for your trust. There is a great threat approaching."
"I know of it" Cole replied testily. "Your precious 'Incarnates' have brought down all I struggled to create. I am now powerless against the Coming Storm. What could you possibly want from me?"
"I want to give that power back to you."
"Indeed?" Cole raised his brow. "Are you insane?"
"It appears to be communicable."
"I see. And how do you intend to do this? And to what end?"
"The Incarnates will not have the strength to repel the Coming Storm."
Cole snorted. "Only now do you realize this?"
"Don't be smug. You would not have been able to do so either. No: the problem is that the Battalion have grown too strong to defeat by purely defensive measures. Perhaps in time we can come up with a way to defeat them permanently, but in the meantime our priority must be to protect humanity from the Battalion, and deny them the Well of the Furies."
"And how do you propose to do this? Or rather how do you propose I do this?"
"The power of the Well will not be enough. We will seek to merge it with an even greater power." Cole started to speak, but decided against it, preferring to listen. "Have you heard of the being known as Rularuu?"
"I have heard of it. It is an almost omnipotent being, but it is flawed: its power trapped in a kaleidoscope of fractured shards. It cannot help us."
"On our Earth, there was a man named Darrin Wade. He sought to use the power of the Well of the Furies to merge with and control the essence of Rularuu. He killed our Marcus Cole and absorbed his potential to do it. He almost succeeded."
"You seek to have me succeed where he failed. And why would you trust me to do as you require once I gain omnipotence?"
"Two reasons. One: the merging is unstable. You will not be able to maintain it indefinitely, and if you try to do so the power will splinter you as it did Rularuu. You will be as Rularuu is now. For you, I think that is a fate worse than death."
"And the second reason?"
"I know of you as well, Cole. I knew your counterpart on my Earth, but I also know of you. I understand, as most will never understand, why you did what you did. You are an insane man, as I was once insane." Silos raised his hand as Cole started to speak "I won't argue the point, except to say I know your actions on Praetoria haunt you. I know the souls you tried to use haunt you. I know *she* haunts you. In time, you would realize the folly of your actions. Time we don't have."
Silos now turned to Cole. "You want to know it was all worth it. You want a legacy. You're willing to kill for it. I know you're willing to die for it. I know if I give you a chance to be the savior of humanity, you will take it."
Silos turned back to look out across the landscape. "You really have no choice." Silos did not need to see the look on Cole's face to know he had hit home.
"Tell me your plan."
Silos described his plan, or at least Cole's part in it. "This will not work" Cole said when he was finished.
"Of course it will work. If you do what is required."
Cole stared at Mender Silos and seemed to study his face for a long time. "On my world, Gerhardt Eisenstadt died an unknown maker of clocks and toys. It seems I was fortunate in that regard."
"I will take that as a compliment, Cole."
"You realize that even if your plan works, there's a problem. I will be busy using the power of the Well of the Furies and Rularuu to effect your plan. I will not be able to assist you in your battle with the Battalion. You may yet fail before I can bring this to a close. And even beyond that, you are beset with an enormous problem. The Battalion may yet come for you."
"Oh, I have an idea there."
...