The Game of Kings

NOW AVAILABLE AS AN eBOOK

That's right folks the who project compiled together and ready to download for FREE

GET IT FOR YOUR iPad, iPhone, Kindle, whatever....

JUST DO IT NOW

Game of Kings THE BOOK

At last available in book form.
The whole Game of Kings saga.
This beautifully produced art book contains all the characters and storyline compiled together for the first time.
VIEW IT HERE

Game Of Kings | Make Your Own Book

Game of Kings artist highlight and update

With the the real hope  of a release of the Game of Kings Part One and Two in the more tactile book form in the not too distant future, exciting things have been happening to other members of the team with Steven Austin recently producing cover art for the role playing game Project DarkLight
This will be followed by sleeve work for the German Metal Band Zombie Circus. Not the first to do this however as Matthew Dunn has been artist in residence  for English Super group The Crippled Black Phoenix 
for some time.

From the people who bought you Game of Kings...

From the people who bought you Game of Kings a new exciting fantasy serial.
Starting Easter 2012.
The Chronicles of Jack The Axe.
Every week HERE

CLICK TO SEE WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT

INTERVIEWS
T SHIRTS
STORYLINE
INFORMATION and PROMOS
BOARD SET UP
ANIMATION

PHASE TWO STORY

The Game of Kings

 STILL AVAILABLE, STILL CREATING A STORM

Steve Austin gives some Christmas cheer

Steve Austin the hard working illustrator has had quite a year.
Firstly by contributing far and away more art work than humanly possible for the Game of Kings project, he also managed to win the Red Bubble Comic Con Challenge , latest news is he has teamed up with Jonathan Jacobs at Nevermet Press and is releasing a Krampus Christmas beginning 19th December and as an added bonus is putting up all the artwork  free downloadable content under a Creative Commons License

Read this for more info

An Update 18/12/2011

GAME OF KINGS at New York Comic Con 2011

Thanks to Red Bubble, the platform on which Game of Kings was launched. Game of Kings has a presence at this years New York Comic Con.

Seth Green with art by Ausven and Simon Sherry

The New York Comic Con

The Red Bubble Stand

Game of Kings artwork

Special T Shirts by Ausven. Selected for the Show

WE HAVE SOME WINNERS

The Game of Kings group  proudly announce the winners of our SHOW US YOUR TALENT Competition.
The standard was high but we came up with TWO winners.
One for artistic rendering of an existing creature.
This was won by Lloyd Harvey for his beautiful work based around the Rock Titan.

The other winner was the IWML whose album worth of songs by the band The Kings won the award for most imaginative entry.
Congratulations guys and prizes are heading your way very soon.

Game of Kings Artist Win big Time

Game of Kings artists clean up in the Red Bubble / New York Comic Con Challenge.

Just after the final pieces were revealed in the Game of Kings Phase Two roll out, the forum in which it was released the Red Bubble art site announced that it was hosting a stall at the New York Comic Convention (NYCC) the brief was simple:
“To create your very own, highly original, comic book character. Superhero or villain. Splendidly powerful, embarrassingly weak, or just quite good at chess. Give them skills you’ve always wanted or defects you’ve always dreaded. Give them a snappy name and stick them on a t-shirt.”

All up 85 artists entered (which was culled back from 126 after entrants that didn’t meet the stringent conditions were omitted – such as copyright infringement)
Seven GoK artists competed with six finishing in the top 10.
The to top it off all four prizes (Main and three runners up) were won by the GoK team- a clean sweep.
Major prize was won by Steven Austin (ausven) and the three minors by Simon Sherry, Shanamation (Damian Shanhan) & Mat Dunn.
Steven won a $200 RB voucher and will have 300 of his design printed on Tshirts and given away at the CominCon.
Congratulation Guys.

THE THREE ANCIENTS

In this post we relive the final scene but with some never before seen and very rare Simon Sherry   Drafts and Works In Progress


High above obscured by the white mist the three ancient Elders looked down in disbelief.
“Didn’t see this coming” said one as he quickly leafed through the large tome resting on his lap.
“Never seen such a battle fought like this one brother, it defied all the rules of common sense” said the other scratching his head with the hourglass he held.
“What happens now brothers?” said the other his staff tapping against his sandal impatiently.
There was silence as each thought about this last enquiry.
“We can’t clear the board, the battle’s not won”
“But there is always a winner brother it is how it should be, it is our rules and our rules by nature of who we are, are infallible”
“But brother, there is your proof that our laws are infallible, look they cannot strike each other, thus no one can fall to be declared beaten. They must remain until someone does. That by my reckoning, should take eternity”
”But that is impossible, infallible is exactly that. There is no contradiction to our laws”
“Well judging by those two warriors standing nose to nose down there, I think you may be mistaken”
The Elder holding the staff suddenly struck by a sudden awareness, dropped it, and as it fell its stone shone brightly.
“I think we have a serious concern brothers”
The Elder holding the hourglass realized that all of a sudden it felt bottom heavy, he held it high to discover all the sand had rested in the bottom chamber and it was now too heavy to turn.
“This is not looking good brothers” he said.
The Elder holding the book started to flick the pages of the book faster and faster, searching for anything to contradict or clause that may negate the situation on the field. Then he slammed the book shut realising, as his brothers had already surmised that the laws off the game were flawed.
“You know what this means don’t you brothers “ he said.
This simple sentence had completed a path.
All three Ancients had admitted that their laws were not absolute.
This realisation by all of the three ancient and almighty Elders meant that their existence though thought to be absolute for eons, had shown that they were indeed fallible thus denying the very essence of their power and might. By being proven wrong they could no longer absolute, which was the sole purpose of their existence, they would become nothingness and thus their world was unmade.
There was light no more.
From below, the two Kings momentarily looked skyward to see the mist swirl into a vortex and quickly spin at dizzyingly speed.
In the centre were three figures who appeared to be screaming, the White King recognised thousands of choirs of angels being thrown about around them being ripped apart in the maelstrom.
This was accompanied by a cacophony of sound like a million horns and souls screaming in tandem.
Then it just stopped.
The silence was a shock.
The two Kings still faced each other, still unable to touch one another, their weapons still in their hands.
They were suspended in nothingness, as far the eye could see in every direction.
Two Kings, unable to touch unable to move locked in stalemate for eternity.

Game of Kings First Phase revisited

The General Knight looked at his ribs again and flicked the third one down with his bony finger.
It made a high “pingy” noise.
“Oh how I wish I could tune these things, it could make a fine musical instrument”
he thought out loud to himself .
“Oh, who am I kidding – I am so bored”
The General Knight was sitting on his trusty steed Watebuscuit watching his charges practice their battle formations. Which they did each and everyday over and over and over again.
The Men under his command were just like him, a Risen Hero, an army of soldiers and leaders reanimated by the University of the Gears to help in the leadership of the White King’s army.
They were a very controversial bunch to start with and would have been sent back to the mausoleums and Necropolis that held them if it hadn’t been for the Queen and the King coming to an accord and making a strict set of protocols.
No reanimated member of the Risen Army could have memories other than that of the battlefield. No personal recollections of their lives prior to military service, of loved ones or their histories, not even their own deaths. These skeletons with armour and fighting styles from several centuries only lived for battle, and that was all they did.
Over and over again ad infinitum.

The General wished he’d had that privilege.
He was different, he remembered everything.
He remembered falling off his horse in the middle of a battle and before he could right himself, looking up at a massive barbarian holding a somewhat bigger axe, next thing he knew he was standing in front of the Queen and her Bishop in ceremonial armour and with see through hands.

He was a skeleton.

The Bishop did something that took away the shock and utter disbelief and briefed him on what his new role would be.

They then revealed him to the King and boy did that cause some problems.

It looked liked the King had found one of his own and it didn’t like him one bit.
Being a good servant the General stood his place and listened and observed.
It was obvious things had changed in the Kingdom since his death, the University staff were a great source of information and he gleaned as much as he could from them.
Then he was summoned back before his Queen and her Bishop.

But then they started asking questions.

“Did he remember the King and where he came from?”
and stuff about his past.
He remembered the King all right, but he was different now.
Though he looked the same age, he didn’t have his wings anymore – either that or he hid them pretty damn well.

He wasn’t the old King he remembered. The King he had served under was a happy King and rid the land of Warlords and greedy landlords who took advantage of and neglected their charges.
His King united his world.
The King still had the whole place under his control but these days seemed obsessed with building. Armies
He even saw that the King with the help of the University, had recruited a Mountain Titan into the army.
The General remembered losing a whole infantry of good men to rid these lands of that. Now it was a comrade.
Go figure.
The Queen and the Bishop tried to look like they weren’t surprised when he revealed what he knew about the King, but he could tell something was amiss.
Probably the worst part was he and all his Risen Heroes weren’t allowed to mix with anyone and were kept separate from the other army members except for special exercises or when the King or Queen wanted strategy information.
It was weird the Queen had sworn him on his professional oath not to reveal to his King that he had these memories and that he was privileged amongst all the Risen Heroes and then stick him under the King and his Bishop Angel’s noses on his flank.
Most times he just wished they had left him buried in the cold hard ground.



All things considered though he was comfortable in his own skin- No wrong term – bones- these days, everyone he knew was either dead or talked about battle strategy, but he still knew how to have a bit of fun as long as no one was watching.
He separated his skeleton army into equal teams and made them do berserker attack formations.
He nearly literally laughed his head off as the two sides smashed into each other and virtually exploded into a pile of bones and armour.
He loved watching them try and put themselves back together again.
He had to find fun where he could get it these days.

Game of Kings First Phase revisited

For the better part of the last three years, I, along with a great team of fellow bubblers have been working on a chess-themed collaborative project called the Game of Kings. Featuring a board populated by creatures as varied as the backgrounds and skills of the artists involved, the second phase (the battle/chess game itself) wrapped up recently (you can explore the whole story starting from here)

However, as anyone who has explored the various pieces of the board, read their bios, or the additional prelude pieces contained within the GoK profile would discover, there is a wealth of untapped material concerning the two opposing armies and the worlds they inhabited before their climactic struggle began.

So, proving yet again that they are two of the mightiest contributors (or most foolhardy ;o)), messrs Sturstein and Ausven took it upon themselves to start adapting some of the early prequel material. Starting today, you can read the fruit of their labours, beginning right HERE
Click on image for larger view.

THIS IS THE ORIGINAL STORY PIECE
The White Queen, Her Bishop and the University of the Gears.

The steps to leading up to the University doors were imposing, they’d even have an air of respect it weren’t for the dog turds everywhere.
The Queen’s Bishop was witnessing first hand one of his greatest triumphs and failures in one hit.
Having pioneered gene slicing and genetic engineering, as Dean of the University his most brilliant achievement had been to create his Lone Wolf battalion.
A genetic combination of human and wolf, years of trials had created the most fierce and loyal fighters outside of the King’s own personal guard.
The only problem was that no matter how he tried , even after giving the Werehounds the power of free will, speech, the ability to educate themselves and breed, the Bishop still couldn’t stop them from going to the toilet wherever it suited them.

The Bishop who was the military chief of the Werehounds was also responsible for their mess and the King’s Bishop was always there to remind him of the consequences of playing with God’s tools.
Angel’s were just so damn self-righteous.

The Queen’s Bishop never really trusted his companion Bishop but these things usually swung both ways.
Having the Queen’s ear and control of the university gave him huge influence and his work at the university had been responsible for the ultimate strengthening of the armed forces, something the King had prioritized many years ago. which had resulted in the Kingdom being the most powerful nation in the dimension.
The Bishop, along with the University of the Gears staff had created marvels and oddities using science and ancient crafts and majik that had his peers could only dream of achieving in several lifetimes.
The Steam City and the control of the Rock Titan ,
but it was the re-animation of the past heroes and Generals that had been the turning point of his career.
When the Bishop had rediscovered the secret of re-animation with the Necromancer tribes of the Western Plains, the King’s reaction had not been favourable. In fact it was so severe it had threatened the end of the university, especially after his companion Bishop decreed that laws of the known God had been broken and that abominations had been created. If it hadn’t been for his Queen’s intervention and her quick wits all would have been lost, and together they would never have found out the truth behind the King’s distress.
With the Queen’s persuasion the King had let the living dead remain in the service of the army on several conditions.
Firstly, that they remain under his flank, secondly that only their military memory be reanimated with their bones, and the final condition – that only those the King chose were to be raised from their tombs.
The Queen’s argument was that these past warriors would be invaluable in combat. Their experience and knowledge would be unsurpassed, which they went on to prove time and again. The King’s concern was that such figures of history would reveal what had taken him centuries to hide.
Of course, the ever insightful Queen with the help of her Bishop strayed beyond these commands and discovered from one of the ancient soldiers the truth of the King’s origins and filed it away for future use.
The Queen and her Bishop’s ultimate aim: to find out why their King was so determined to built such a vast unbeatable army, when he had already conquered everything that was defeatable in and beyond his known realm.

The story and chess moves

THE TALE AS TOLD…. The story with all the moves
White on the left Black on the right
refer to the spreadsheet for your corresponding move.
I have made the move notations at the start of the paragraph and then written the description and consequences of those moves.

- indicates move to nominated square
X indicates piece taken on that move
+ indicates check

Now the thing to remember that this is an actual game of Chess. It is what dictates the battle.
Albeit a game played by two twelve year olds who want to win at any cost but also as quick as possible so they can go outside and ride their bikes.

1. e2-e4 ……………….. 1. d7-d6
2. Q-g4 ………………………. 2. QBxg4Q

The White King in a show of good faith to his Generals and Bishops ordered his personal guard to lead the charge onto the field of battle, which they did with their usual enthusiasm. They honestly believed the enemy would fall into instant submission because their King said it was to be so.
The Black King still at odds with the skills and fighting ability of the opposition played his moves more casually and asked his Queen to send out her guard to make a closer inspection.
The White King could feel the eyes of his entire army boring into his very soul as he considered his next move and the consequences thereof. What he had planned already would have his whole army re-thinking their situation.
The King ordered his Queen forward on a diagonal to the Berserkers, which would leave her unprotected but the King’s answer to those who questioned his reasoning was “that it was too early in the battle to worry of such trifles and that the Queen’s forces were more than capable of taking most attacks.” The King just needed a better view of the enemy. In past battles the King had proven himself a brilliant tactician and military leader, but usually against a known opponent.
Here, in the opinion of many, he was flirting with disaster.
And disaster he got.
The Queen’s movement up the field exposed her people to the full brunt of the attack of the Black Army’s Shaman, She attacked without hesitation and the Queen and her charges disappeared in bursts of flame and dark smoke.
The White Army looked on in horror as the Shaman incinerated the unprepared Queen’s forces and their screams could be heard all the way back to the King’s battle tents.

They all now knew the capabilities of the Black army.

3. f2-f3………………. 3.QBg4-h5

The White King stood emotionless as gasps of horror rose up from the lines of battle hardened soldiers.
His reaction was swift. He ordered the Dead Army Knight to attack the Fire Shaman head on. The Skeleton General assessing such a move knew it was suicide and refused to move. The experienced General recognised pointless retaliation when he saw it.

He knew of his life was forfeit – so what?

The King he used to know was beyond this.

The King’s Bishop stopped the General’s refusal from reaching the King, sensing that a mutiny minutes into a battle would do no one any good. Though it considered the General an abomination, the Angel knew the risen soldier had the knowledge to help well into the fight.
So the Angel knowing the rewards of sacrifice ordered its own priests forward with instant if not unexpected results.
Unbeknownst to the opposing army the Shaman had attacked with a trifle too much enthusiasm and had nearly exhausted her stocks when the White Army Priests charged out. She retreated to the safety of the flanks to recoup her strength.
The White King was furious and the General would be a small stain on the ground if he could justify it. The Angel’s move had undermined his authority as much as the Bone soldier’s had, but also proved to the rest of the army he had made the right decision ignoring his King’s orders.
All through the ranks the King’s fears were being realised. The University Bishop and the Equilord seriously doubted the King’s ability to lead. The Equilord had his people’s welfare to protect and really didn’t give a damn about the King’s ambitions.
The Equilord decided he would go it alone against an unknown enemy that seemed to have been dragged from the pits of Hell itself.

4. B2 –B3 ………………… 4. QNb8-c6
5. QNb1-c3 ……………………5. g7-g5
6. h2-h4 ……………………..6. g5xh4
7 g2-g3 ……………………….7. h4xg3

The White King hadn’t expected mutiny so early in the piece, though he had known it was inevitable in the scheme of things. He knew he was vulnerable on the battlefield but none of his army was aware of this.
He just prayed that the Angel would stay loyal just a little while longer
The King made some rudimentary moves to counter the Black King but
after sacrificing two more pawn armies to minor battalions the King was abandoned by his Generals.
The Black King knew armies were intimidated by the celestial battlefield and were slow to reach their full potential, usually and thankfully too late for their own survival.
But never had he’d seen such inept moves so early in battle. It almost seemed this White Wing Commander was trying to lose the battle rather than win.

The King felt a little pang sensing this battle would offer no challenge. They were no better, maybe marginally worse than those he had fought before and he prepared to wipe them out.
He watched with disdain as his minor army of Leapers laid sections of the White Army to waste down the field

8. KRh1xQBh5 ……………….. 8. KBf8-h6
9. KRh5xKBh6 ………………….9. KNg8x KRh6

The Titan was concerned when the Skeleton soldier refused the King’s orders but came to full realisation after the King ordered the Titan’s people to advance from a bad position and watched them being slaughtered, the Skeleton General sent his own men to assist only to suffer the same fate. Their victor had bunkered down and now taunted them from the safety of their fortifications.
The Titan had never seen such viciousness as that inflicted on the Queen and his own people. But the Risen army pawns had drawn away the spear wielding maniacs that had destroyed its people and exposed the Black fire beast. The Titan on seeing the Fire Shaman directly in his path and seemingly resting, it knew it had an opportunity for revenge, with or without the King’s permission.
Due to the Titan’s size its strongest attacks were head on which when it needed (and to the surprise of everyone on the field) incredibly swift. The resting Shaman had no idea what had hit her and was crushed under the tons of living mountain.
The Black King watched in awe as the massive Titan slammed into the Shaman’s female-fire half and within seconds knew something was seriously amiss. His Shaman, the male-earth being let out an ear piecing scream as if it too was bearing the weight of the mountain monster that had killed his sister.

Before the King could raise an arm to stop him, the Shaman attacked the Titan and in one mighty sweep the shaman suffered the same fate as his sister.

The impact forced the Titan to a sudden halt and caused it to collapse in total exhaustion.

The King ordered his Centaur knights to attack unless they wanted to be next on the Titan hit list.
The Centaur Knights taking advantage of the rock giants weakened state and since it no longer had it’s people to help protect it, the Centaurs swarmed all over the Titan. Eventually finding the tunnels and shafts that led to its brain and using their fiery swords made sure it never rose again.
Its last thoughts were that after all it’s time as a solitary figure, it enjoyed its short time with its people the most.

10. a2-a4 ………………………. 10. 0-0
11. a4-a5 ………………………. 11. a7-a6
12. KNg1-e2 ……………………….12. QNc6xa5
13. QRa1xQRa5………………………13. b7-b6
14. QRa5-QRh5 ……………………..14. KNh6-f5
15. e4xKNf5 ……………………. 15. a6-a5

The Black King was mortified by the events he had just witnessed, not only had the remaining Shaman ignored his orders, it had been destroyed in the process. The King knew without the Shaman he was exposed to his own people who now had no real reason to fear him, minus the mad Bishop and it’s insane counter personalities. The Black King left his quarters and moved to the Bullrock pen.
The White Queen’s Bishop had decided to take things in his own hands as the death of his Queen had taken the fear of the King from him.
After watching the wholesale slaughter of both the Angel and General’s primary regiments and then the Titan sacrifice itself, he knew that the University could help swing this battle around and he had just the machines to do it.
He ordered the massive Steam monolith to fire its engines while the smaller blasters moved out to set up his plan.
The White King watched in impotent anger as his subordinates made decisions around him. The wrong decisions, he decided, because they were turning the course of the battle.
The Black queen saw the small iron and wood vehicles steam down the field and laughed. She told her Amazonian Knights to prepare to take on these little carts with shields as soon as they were within striking distance.
As the Blasters reached their initial burst limits they slowed considerably and were easy pickings for the Black Queen’s Knights, who when they pulled them apart realized they were empty of fighting men. This frustration built into fear when they realized the White Bishop’s ultimate plan.
As the Blasters were being attacked by the Knights the larger steam monolith was building it’s attack capabilities and as the Black Queen’s Amazonian Knights lay exposed on the flank with the remains of the Blasters it hit full potential and much like the Titan steam rolled straight into the unsuspecting Knights.
The attack was fast and furious the Black Queen ordering the Little Sisters to help their Mistresses immediately.
The University Bishop, aware that the Monoliths attack must be kept up for fear of losing momentum screamed across the field towards the fallen Titan.
The Black Army Centaurs, seeing the Moving City approaching, abandoned the Body of the Titan just in time to avoid catastrophe but in their haste had failed to see the King’s Berserkers waiting in hiding and were ambushed and torn to pieces.

16. QNc3-b5 …………………….. 16. d6-d5
17. QNb5-d6 ……………………….17. Qxd6
18. QRh5-g5 +………………………18. Kg8-h8
19. QRg5-g8 +……………………..19. KRf8xKRg8

As the White King watched his most loyal subjects acting of their own accord, it became painfully aware to him that the Battlefield wouldn’t let him deliberately lose. As for his previous actions it now looked certain that his army were abandoning his command.
Only moments before the Skeleton General had passed before him without a hint of recognition.
The celestial umpires, the Ancients had obviously foreseen this and the King’s entire plan had been in vain.
He had to rethink his whole strategy.
Meanwhile the Equilord had guided his people up the field under the protection of the rampaging Steam Engine. The massive flat field soon disorientated the Horse Lord and he soon found that he had been surrounded by smaller sections of the Black army. Just as he decided to return to the relative safety of the home lines he came face to face with the army of the Black Queen.
The Equilord’s wayward movement up the field had drawn the enemy’s most powerful element into the fray and the Equilord’s army was crushed deep in enemy territory without any chance of escape.
The Black King was at a loss. He had never encountered such an undisciplined force before.
Even the most primitive savages have leadership; the members of this White army seemed to do whatever they pleased which in turn made the forces highly unpredictable.
The generations of forefathers locked in his head all spoke out at once causing him to roll at the Bullrock’s large frame in pain. Half of the voices were screaming instructions, half hurling abuse about opportunities missed. Together they made the sound of a rioting mob.
The pilots of the Monolith were closer enough to witness the Black King under what they assumed was some kind of internal attack and with limited power motored towards his position.
The ever faithful Bullrock moved the King out of position with seconds to spare and as the Monolith sat motionless and exhausted of power the Bullrock took the huge machine apart with its massive hammer till everyone inside was destroyed.

20. KNe2-f4 ……………………. 20. g3-g2
21. KBf1xg2 ………………………21. KRg8xKBg2
22. KNf4xKRg2 ……………………22. d5-d4

The Skeleton General, impressed by the University Bishop, decided that he too should take an active role and almost to flaunt his independence rode in front of the King’s battle headquarters.
Seeing the Bone army move out was the moment the patient but blood hungry Black Army Leapers had been waiting for and they moved closer to the White Army’s fortifications and the prize that all those who served a master craved.
Promotion.

The King’s Bishop; the Angel had been in conflict since the very start of the battle. Everything about the field had a familiar air about it, even the King all of a sudden seemed closer in spirit than before. If only it could remember and lose this confusion that had almost made it useless so far.
The Angel had visions before reaching this place of leading the army beside the King to an early and easy victory but nothing had been so far from the truth. Its King seemed confused and conflicted. Then as if these thoughts were an omen the King ordered the Angel to defend an attack from the Leapers that had taken both its priests and the Bone Generals men. This time he felt his King was right. His King was right and the Angel sought vengeance for all those the Leapers had killed with a deadly hand.

The King had finally made a decision based on his knowledge of winning not losing and the Angel had stopped the deadly Leapers from reaching home soil but the many separate battles had obscured his vision and the true state of the battlefield.
The Bullrock having battered and smashed the steam engine kept an eye on proceedings from its new lofty perch and witnessed the Angel attack on the Leapers. The Angel was undefended from a forward attack and the Bullrock knowing his King was safe plowed into the unsuspecting Bishop.
Usually an Angel fears nothing because it and it alones knows how it can die.
The Bullrock knew nothing of this, but speed, an unprepared foe and the sole purpose of removing the Angel’s head from its shoulders ticked all the boxes in the right order for dispatching this Angel.

And it was so.

The entire field came to a stand still at the moment the Bullrock struck the Angel’s head and it separated from its body. Streams of blue light burst from the open neck wound and lit the entire field with a radiance that could only be described as magical.
The Bullrock stood stunned, as its enemy fell, feeling as if all the happiness it had ever known had been drained from its very being.
Those who weren’t stunned by the blue light looked skyward and for the briefest of moments thought they saw three bearded, age weary faces peering down at them.
The Skeleton General who had caught the Bullrock attack at the last moment had no idea his movement away earlier had caused so much mayhem, and seeing the Angel killed filled him with dread – the irony of a reanimated skeleton General wondering how one kills the un-killable was lost on him.
He turned his men around and attacked the Bullrock as it had attacked the Angel with full force as it stood unprepared.
The Bullrock offered no resistance and almost seem to give itself to death as the General’s skeletal men chopped it down.

23. d2-d3 …………………….. 23. QRa8-g8
24. KNg2-f4 ……………………. 24. Qd6xKNf4

The Black King had managed to drive his collective ancestors from inside his head with the simple action of crying for his beloved Bullrock. Emotional weakness was the most effective way to drive the voices from his mind, the King had discovered this in the early days when the voices left as soon as he played with his mighty Bullrock. It was an attribute despised by those who had come before him and he was the first to bring affection to the collective consciousness. They had not yet accepted it and hoped he would grow out of it.
While grieving his beast he also took the chance to assess the situation. The Black King may be saddened but he was first and foremost a great leader. He called his Queen and she had already proved herself a capable and good wife by taking her charges and causing enemy casualties on her flank.
The Queen aware of the King’s situation and the hindrance rather than help the ancestors could cause sent her Basilisk to guard her husband and King.

This battle was not lost yet.

The Black Queen had kept her presence well hidden and had already destroyed the Horse army with a fair degree of stealth, and as she surveyed the far flank of the battlefield where the Bullrock had fallen she saw some openings.
The Skeleton General and his men were surprised at the ease with which the Elephant monster was dispatched, but felt the need to leave the area quickly as the area in which an Angel passes is home to great sorrow, an infliction that can cause depression in those that stay too long and they headed up the field. – straight into the waiting army of the Black Queen who had followed them after the attack on the Bullrock, and the General Skeleton fell.

25. QBc1xQf4 ………………. 25. h7-h6

The Black queen’s confidence had grown quite high and seeing the state of her King with the added bonus of the Shaman no longer being alive, her ambition of leading the people was a strong possibility.
This White army was losing out to strategy and it would seem its most powerful weapons, the Mountain and the steam city were now no longer a threat. She set her eyes on the White Army leader.
Having not had to move from his position overlooking the board because of his dealings with the Steam Engine, the Bishop wished he still had it running now.
He always knew its effectiveness was a short term proposition but when used to its full capacity – as he had – it was a formidable weapon. The Bishop had been viewing the Black Queen’s movements and had deemed her a willing opponent, but as the battle wore on she had become over confident and had left her flank exposed to an attack, and this would be his glory moment.
The Black Queen, concentrating on a way to penetrate the White King’s defenses was attacked by the fresh forces of the queen’s Bishop and was ill prepared for such an offensive. She died never knowing the ultimate power she craved so much.

26. QBf4xh6 ………………… 26. Kh8-h7

The Bishop’s victory had inspired the White King who had decided that winning at any cost was the only option now. The death of the Angel had shown that this battlefield was a gateway to the heavens by the powerful rays of it’s life force bursting through the cloud cover above them. The King was sure he had caught a glimpse of the three ancients as they watched from high above when the clouds momentarily parted.
The Black King could be seen near the remains of the Titan and steam engine, maybe this was the chance to end this for good.
The Bishop took his King’s advice and struck at one the smaller Black army forces who blocked its way but the crab like fire shooters had taken their toll on an already depleted group and the Bishop fell back.

27. QBh6-d2 …………………. 27. QRg8-g1+
28. Ke1-e2 ………………….. 28. QRg1-g2+
29. Ke2-e3 …………………….29. QRg2xQBd2
30. Ke3xRd2…………………….30. b6-b5

The Black King watched as his wife fell to the Bishop but had no time to think about it as the forces moved directly at him. The Bullrock’s parasites had done a fitting job of repelling the attack but fell in the process, though not before causing serious damage to the enemy.
He had never suffered such losses and if he came out of this battle victorious, there would be many a rebuilding and replacing to do. There had been many glorious deaths today and all of them would be rewarded with trips to the afterworld and glory forever.
The King however was immortal and would never know that glory – he would just be another screaming voice in his successor’s head, so losing was not an option.

He called to his dead Queen’s Basilisk.
It was now apparent that both armies had lost their sub leaders and the field was awash with minor armies drifting directionless. The Black King also noted that the White King had left himself exposed due to the Bullrock’s attack earlier and planned appropriate action.
The Basilisk snaked its way all the way down the battlefield flank, it was on this side that most of the carnage had taken place, it thought nothing of it, it had a task to perform and that was all it had in its mind.
The White King watched the serpent approach unchecked, realised too late that the majority of his army were on the opposite flank and as he positioned himself out of harms way, the Basilisk countered, placing the King in continued danger. The King then sought protection amongst the smaller primary armies, knowing all too well that in doing so he had left the subordinate but weakened Bishop exposed and the Basilisk struck, wiping out the Head of the University and his charges.
This left the White King without any regiment leaders, the White King was now a commander of small leaderless groups of men, pawns usually best used as cannon fodder.
The White King pulled himself up from his battle throne and facing the Basilisk threw off his royal robes and burst his wings from their restraints. The King faced the Black monster snake with full wingspan and smote down the beast.

Now things were even both armies were left with a King a leaderless rabble.

The Best King will win through.

The END GAME-THE WAR OF THE PAWNS

31. c2-c3 31. d4xc3+

The Black King witnessed the White King transformation and saw his defeat of the Basilisk, he too realized the situation and that the battle would be fought between the two ultimate leaders without their lieutenants. He was confident of his charges that were either brought up or created to obey his every word. He would see how good this crazy winged King would do without his subordinates to help him make his decisions.

The Black King proceeded to order his remaining armies up the board.

The White King knew now from experience of earlier failures that he must win and this would be his proof that his return to heaven would be assured. Didn’t the Angel’s unselfish death in battle prove this?
The King’s first move was to sacrifice the University Bishop’s hounds, his game plan to get the Queen’s daughters to the other end and create a new Queen like the ancient’s promised.

32. Kd2xc3 32. c7-c6

The White King’s strategy was simple keep drawing the enemy in to fight and then finish off the weakened enemy.

33. b3-b4 33. a5xb4

The Equilord wouldn’t need his wave attack anymore because there was no more Equilord race full stop. They had been made extinct fighting here. The King if he had an ounce of compassion left in his body would have realized he had no compassion left. The ex Angel was fast becoming the poster boy for Demon spawn.

34. Kc3xb4 34. c6-c5
35. Kb4xc5 35. b5-b4

The Black King stood his ground and noting he had the greater number on the field watched to see if the White King’s suicidal strategy would play out. He thought not.
But he had grossly underestimated his rival.

36. Kc5xb4 36. f7-f6

The White King’s plan of sacrifice and attack had proved so successful at taking out the Black King’s outer flank and opening up a gateway for Queen promotion that the Black King was forced to action albeit several moves too late, he had called the actions foolish and was made a fool by them.
Without the King to instruct them directly the Black army was failing.

37. Kb4-c5 37. Kh7-h6
38. f3-f4 38. Kh6-h5
39. d3-d4 39. Kh5-g4
40. d4-d5 40. Kg4xf4

The Black King made his move up the board to take matters in his own hand , the only one capable of taking out this winged opposition was the Black ruler himself.
The usually reliable Little sisters, Basilisk spawn and the leaderless Steam Golums had been eliminated along with Queen’s personal guard and only his own protective army and the Shaman’s Muck Golums remained.
He needed more time.

41. Kc5-c6 41. Kf4xf5

The White King had no regrets throwing the minor armies at the Black army, they were all a means to an end. The University hounds wouldn’t be missed, if anything there would be rejoice in the streets that they were gone, such was the mess they made.

He had the Skeleton army backing his own Berserkers who looked on slavishly for the Masters orders. All he could tell them was block all who came near him.

Pawns on both side were under the impression that Kings could not attack only lead but between them the two Kings were ripping holes in each others armies.
This was correct in one sense. The Kings could only attack only when not putting themselves in direct position of attack from a pawn.

Of all pieces to work this out were the Berserkers who called for the skeletal army to protect it’s flank causing the Black King to detour.

The Black King was forced to take a better position to attack due to the Berserkers and the Skeletal armies blocking tactics but they fell one after each other as the Black King made his way towards the Queen’s pawn.

42. Kc6-d7 42. Kf5-e5

As the Black King chased down the Queen pawn, the White King was busy clearing a path for her, but he was also forced to detour due to the actions of the Black King’s guard who also new a little about delaying a King..

These were the lads that had a chance to be a future Black King once but that all was blown to bits when the White King smashed through their ranks.

43. Kd7xe7 43. Ke5xd5

As the White King cleared the final obstacle for the Queen pawn she was caught by the Black King who had as much joy destroying her as the White King did to his heirs.
Amongst the screams of the Queen’s pawn the White King ran down and slaughtered the Muck Golum who had only just had the clearance to make for the other end of the board.

44. Ke7xf6 STALE MATE

Amongst the screams of the Queen’s pawn the White King ran down and slaughtered the Muck Golum who had only just had the clearance to make for the other end of the board.

Amid all the carnage and destruction the two Kings faced each other. Covered in the dirt and blood of battle ready to fight each other to the death and as they leaped at each other………
Nothing happened.

Neither King could approach the other without putting itself at risk, the rules of the battlefield made this clear.
The battle could have no clear victor.
The battlefield could not be cleared.

AND THIS IS HOW IT ALL ENDS

Both the White and Black army’s Kings faced each other, weapons raised, veins protruding from forearms, necks and foreheads.
Nothing either could do, no matter how much force they applied, neither could get a millimeter closer to each other to strike.
The were almost nose to nose each staring directly into the other’s eyes, neither though could feel the other’s breath, all types of physical contact was blocked.
The White King wings were at their most extended, they blazed blue white and silver. It was a light of such intensity that it would have blinded his subjects back in his own Kingdom.
The Black King had the madness of countless past Kings screaming in his head driving him to an anger and frustration that bordered on insanity.

High above obscured by the white mist the three ancient Elders looked down in disbelief.

“Didn’t see this coming” said one as he quickly leafed through the large tome resting on his lap.

“Never seen such a battle fought like this one brother, it defied all the rules of common sense” said the other scratching his head with the hourglass he held.

“What happens now brothers?” said the other his staff tapping against his sandal impatiently.
There was silence as each thought about this last enquiry.

“We can’t clear the board, the battle’s not won”

“But there is always a winner brother it is how it should be, it is our rules and our rules by nature of who we are, are infallible”

“But brother, there is your proof that our laws are fallible, look they cannot strike each other, thus no one can fall to be declared beaten. They must remain until someone does. That by my reckoning, should take eternity”

”But that is impossible, infallible is exactly that. There is no contradiction to our laws”

“Well judging by those two warriors standing nose to nose down there, I think you may be mistaken”

The Elder holding the staff suddenly struck by a sudden awareness, dropped it, and as it fell its stone shone brightly.

“I think we have a serious concern brothers”

The Elder holding the hourglass realized that all of a sudden it felt bottom heavy, he held it high to discover all the sand had rested in the bottom chamber and it was now too heavy to turn.

“This is not looking good brothers” he said.
The Elder holding the book started to flick the pages of the book faster and faster, searching for anything to contradict or clause that may negate the situation on the field. Then he slammed the book shut realising, as his brothers had already surmised that the laws off the game were flawed.

“You know what this means don’t you brothers “ he said.

This simple sentence had completed a path.
All three Ancients had admitted that their laws were not absolute.

This realisation by all of the three ancient and almighty Elders meant that their existence though thought to be absolute for eons, had shown that they were indeed fallible thus denying the very essence of their power and might. By being proven wrong they could no longer absolute, which was the sole purpose of their existence, they would become nothingness and thus their world was unmade.
There was light no more.

From below, the two Kings momentarily looked skyward to see the mist swirl into a vortex and quickly spin at dizzyingly speed.
In the centre were three figures who appeared to be screaming, the White King recognised thousands of choirs of angels being thrown about around them being ripped apart in the maelstrom.

This was accompanied by a cacophony of sound like a million horns and souls screaming at once.
Then it just stopped.
The silence was a shock.
The two Kings still faced each other, still unable to touch one another, their weapons still in their hands.
They were suspended in nothingness, as far the eye could see in every direction.
Two Kings, unable to touch unable to move locked in stalemate for eternity.