Chapter 843 – I Don’t Mind Being A Jester Sporting A Crown
Inside the Dwarven Shelter…
Eldon and Wade sat opposite each other as they played a game of chess.
“So, are you going to accept Morax’s proposal?” Wade asked as he moved his pawn forward.
“What about you?” Eldon asked back as he moved his knight sideways.
“It’s impolite to ask to answer a question with another question.”
“It’s fine. You’re taller than me, so you should be more generous.”
Wade rolled his eyes at the Dwarf who always used his height to avoid answering important questions.
“The problem with you is that you always play safe,” Wade said as he used his bishop to take one of Eldon’s pawns. “You don’t take the initiative and always wait for others to make their move. Didn’t it cross your mind that they will also do the same? When are you going to grow a pair?”
Eldon brushed off Wade’s taunts like a passing breeze. He didn’t take anything the Human said to heart because he and Wade were born from different races and viewpoints.
Dwarves cared about stability. Although they wouldn’t hesitate to go to war to protect their homelands, their actions would always be a reaction to an external force.
Humans were different. They actively sought to expand their domains and attack their weakest neighbor in order to gain as much advantage as possible. This was why Humans were the most dominant race in the world.
Not only did they reproduce quickly, but they were very greedy as well. For Humans, they would not settle for anything less when they could have the best. They would not settle for an inch, if they could get a mile.
The same thing was happening in the Deadlands.
Wade was the most recognized leader of the Human Faction. For them, Raizel was just a little girl playing house. Although she had the strength to protect the Glory Shelter, she didn’t have any ambition.
Wade, on the other hand, had a surplus of it.
“You met with Morax earlier. What did you ask of him?” Eldon asked in order to shift the topic of conversation.
Wade snorted because he knew what the Dwarf was trying to do, but he didn’t voice his dissatisfaction at the Dwarf’s timid approach to the current structure of power in the Deadlands.
“Nothing much, just things I’d like to have,” Wade replied with a devilish smirk.
“You like a lot of things,” Eldon replied. “Which one are you referring to?”
“Why don’t you make a wild guess?”
“No need to make a guess. You’re just after what is under Avril’s skirt.”
The smirk on Wade’s face stiffened after the Dwarf revealed one of his secret fantasies.
“Close, but no cigar,” Wade replied as he took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
After taking a long drag, he exhaled the smoke towards the Dwarf who immediately glared back at him.
“Both of us know that Avril doesn’t wear skirts,” Wade commented as he pointed his cigarette in Eldon’s direction. “Also, that is not what I asked Morax.”
“Of course she doesn’t,” Eldon answered as he waved his hand away to dispel the smell of cigarette that lingered in the air around him. “You and Swiper would be howling like dogs if she did wear one. So? What did you ask him?”
“Something you will never wish for.”
“Ah… world peace. Wishing for it is just a pipedream.”
Wade shook his head because both of them were now just talking in circles. He had personally gone to visit Eldon because he wanted to know what his stance would be after Morax had gathered all the mirrors.
Every Leader of the various Shelters were not stupid. They knew that once Morax collected the mirrors, their role in the Deadlands would also come to an end.
There were only three outcomes for them.
One was to leave and return to their worlds as per agreement with Morax.
The second was to join his side and start a conquest that they could only see in their wildest dreams.
Or third, get in his way and be crushed like a bug.
There was no fourth option, and everyone was either hoping that they would have a smooth transition back to their homeworlds, or become Morax’s lackeys and follow him for life.
As for the third option, only fools would do that.
Wade was not a fool. He knew that he would not stand a chance if he fought against the Dread Lord, so his only choice was either one of the first two choices.
Naturally, Morax had extended an invitation to the two of them. He wanted them to become his subordinates, and promised them rewards that they would never have back in their respective home worlds.
“So, what is your final answer?” Wade asked as he moved his queen. He only needed two moves in order to end the game as he eyed the Dwarf who still had an indifferent expression on his face.
“My final answer is this,” Eldon moved his own Queen and placed it right next to Wade’s King. “Checkmate.”
The Human leader frowned because he didn’t notice the bishop that was hiding at the corner of the board, which supported Eldon’s Queen to checkmate Wade’s king.
“Thank you for the game, friend,” Eldon said as he stood up from his seat. “I still have matters I need to discuss with my subordinates. I will not see you out. May you have a good day.”
The Dwarven Leader left the room with steady steps.
Although he was shorter than the average Human, Wade noticed how broad Eldon’s back was. It was a back that had seen many hardships in the world, and no longer wanted to participate in the game of intrigue that was now becoming apparent in the Deadlands.
‘What a fool,’ Wade thought. ‘When the time comes, there will be no neutral ground to stand on Morax will not allow people to sit in the fence and watch this show unfold. Only he has the qualifications to do that.’
Wade stood up from his seat and flicked Eldon’s King, making it fly off the chessboard.
He then watched as the chess piece shattered into pieces as it hit the wall of the room.
“There is only one King on this chessboard, and that person is the one sitting on that dragon bone throne in the Black Tower,” Wade muttered. “Everyone else is just a jester sporting a crown on their head. They are there for comedic relief, and once he no longer finds them amusing… they no longer need to exist.”
Wade left the room behind with a sneer. He had discovered the answer to his question, so he no longer needed to visit the Dwarven Shelter in the future.
Eldon watched Wade’s truck disappear in the distance as he stood on the roof of his Shelter.
“This is the problem with you Humans,” Eldon said softly. “You all forget something important. When the King is on his Deathbed, who do you suppose will take his place? Will it be another king? Of course not.”
The Dwarven Leader looked in the direction of the Glory Shelter as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“You always stare at the person wearing the crown, but in the struggle for the throne, it is always the Prince who has the last laugh,” Eldon stated. “I don’t mind being a jester sporting a crown. If that is the only way to survive, I don’t mind dancing the courtship dance that won me the love of my life.”
Eldon closed his eyes as he thought of his significant other who was waiting for him back home. No matter what happened, he would find a way to escape this hell-hole without selling his soul to the devil.
