I spy a loophole. “Remain as you are, and do nothing.” What about breathing? Breathing is something. Same with entropy and growing older. Can’t fight entropy.
Magnificent, behold a demiurge that truly understands the psyche of mortal kind. So few among the number of bold fools left within that arena will have the sense, or cowardliness, to accept the 10 being offered to them by the Tyrant. No, they’ll try for the 20 even knowing that any other result brings death. Many will try their hand at the dice, but the path to royalty revolves around learning to shape the result before the throw is done.
At the same time, this change of rules would allow Allison, Ciao, and my brother Vigilant Gaze to attempt to strike at Solomon as contestants who survived the final round. It would be ill-advised, but Allison has learned over the last few chapters how to nudge the dice. Will she be as Ys Pree Aesma, do the impossible, and teach a god to bleed?
The timelines all diverge here, at this moment. How many times has Zoss spun the wheel to get to this moment only to be disappointed? Will this be the time? The excitement has expelled some minor essence and melted one of my best pens, so I shall simply set it down and wait to see the numbers my darlings land on.
Interesting thought about Zoss and Solomon. I think the answer is none, as a cycle of Zoss is probably much longer than Solomon’s lifetime. Old though he is, I don’t think Solly has lived through the end of a cycle.
Bearer of the Word Diamond. Hard, unyielding, immovable. Seemingly Unbreakable. But if struck in just the right way, unfathomably brittle, as its refusal to bend requires it to shatter.
Take care, Demiurge, that you have not misjudged. For while many will only break themselves upon you, there is always one, however rare, who might break you.
The ultimate gamble. The Doom-driven RNG. When, against all odds, a single errant strike finds the shatterpoint. Unlikely… but always there, lurking in the cosmic source-code.
Beware? But that is exactly what he wants! He holds these contests in order to find a worthy successor with strength enough to hold the throne, obviously, but it is less clear what wisdom he is looking for.
I can feel it when my namesake shines bright over a man, foretelling his doom. I haven’t felt it burn this bright outside of wars. And it does not shine over Solomon on this night.
In the book of kings, that slim, august volume, more dangerous and terrible than any other, there are a mere two commandants. One is a quote, or perhaps is merely famously quoted.
1. The only true path to kingship lies through regicide.
2. When one comes at the king, they had best not miss.
Gog-Magog is not interested in coin, prestige, or a title in the empire. She is interested in a show.
And I’d bet a box of thin mint cookies that at least one of the contestants here is a revenant of Gog-Magog, and that those that are revenants will strike even if they strongly suspect that they will fail.
The Agog one(s) did enter the first few contests, but an agreement had to be reached with Solomon, as she kept devouring most of the contestants – and he set about purging her from Rayuba (tho never ever quite succeeding).
One suspects she will have lots fun watching a show where everyone is attacking him, not just the one winner.
The cookies shall go well with one’s afternoon cup of Earl Grey, most appreciated.
Actually, he attempted to purge her from Rayuba before coming to the current agreement, but yeah, Gog Agog infiltrated the first bunch (it wasn’t said how many, but I imagine that he would have acted after it happening maybe three times) because they felt left out and wanted in on the fun.
That will likely be why that is what one wrote, but yeah, what one found most interesting of all that is that almighty Solomon was unable to purge the insidious worm even but from his own realm.
It’s possible that he did successfully purge, but couldn’t permanently purge, as in Gog Agog stubbornly kept coming back. Given the shaky peace that they had established, they’d have to talk to each other and it had to have reached a point where he asks “okay, what do you want?”.
It says “an accord” was reached. Let us posit that Gog-Magog swore the most solemn promise (“cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye”), and meant it. I am basing my bet on the thesis that even if Gog-Magog agreed, and so did Gog-Magog, Gog-Magog, Gog-Magog, Gog-Magog, Gog-Magog, Gog-Magog, Gog-Magog, { . . . more goes here . . . } and Gog-Magog, nevertheless, Gog-Magog had fingers crossed, thus rendering any sincerity moot.
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)
— Walt Whitman (Probably not an avatar of Gog-Magog, but who can be certain? I am sure, though, that Gog-Magog would agree with the sentiment.)
Hmm, and one has already coveted the cookies! But now one is unsure, and is in two minds. The Great Devourer is indeed most unreliable and seems of many minds, as rightly you do state.
One wonders whether Our Pal functions with something of a swarm intelligence, and how that manifests for her/it/them in practice.
Are all Gogs independent and equal? Or is the totally-of-worms ‘original’ (if such a term is valid) operating as a hive mind – and in turn is a queen for her acolytes who maybe only have one worm in them, controlling them? Or maybe the worms do take over so every Gog is all worm. One does not know.
One feels the whole Gog system to be chaotic and anarchic.
Does the ‘original’ Gog still posess the whole Key? – demiurges do bestow partial keys on their emissaries, and Yabalchoath stole a partial key. Or is it mainly split amongst some, or does she divvy it up yet further, ad infinitum to each Gog and all? Too many questions, one’s mind is goggling.
Step forth all of you who never had to urge to strike a god and see what it does.
Truly it is a cruel offer he is making. Bend the knee and stay your hand, abandoning what you had come to this arena for in the first place for guaranteed rewards or take up your arms and wager it all on your faint hope that throwing yourself into the heart of a tornado will not tear you to pieces and splatter you over the general area.
Royalty has always been wise to stroke the ego of fools, one observes.
He so suggests that they were unfairly defeated, and upon looking at 82 White Chain’s broken body many would think so too. But in truth, one doubts many of them would have survived against the likes of her, Alison of 10 Vigilant Gaze.
Thus it is, as with every other establishment of this sort…how is that saying? ‘The house always wins.”
They’re not allowed to fight each other, but…. I predict a bunch of collateral friendly fire (as it were) as contestants with ranged attacks attempt to hit Solomon and miss.
Anyway, we’re about to find out whether he is a black belt dodgemaster supreme or however he makes himself practically unhittable.
Perhaps, but comparisons were made to Incubus being scarred as heck and Solomon being immaculately scar free, which is where the black belt dodgemaster supreme theory comes from.
Though to be fair, Mammon didn’t appear to have many, if any, scars (other than the effects of very advanced age), Mottoms method of immortality obviously removes wounds, and Maya, a former demiurge, is pretty scar free herself. So, we don’t know why Incubus is covered with scars as he is.
In certain arts it is said there is no first strike. Some, however, teach that when an opponent forms an intention to strike, that intent is the equivalent of action; one’s own strike preempting the enemy’s intention, or reactive defense as it is sometimes called, therefore is not the first blow, though it may land first. This is more than the art of not being there when attacked.
Some, however, dismiss this argument as mere casuistry and ask who hit whom first.
By striking first, they will inevitably strike themselves.
I see you and I are caught in a dance of call and reply, as it is now I who respond to you after noticing another of similar mind.
Greetings – Your first message did not go unnoticed or unappreciated.
After seeing the bunch of mentions about seeing Ki Rata being used, I had a thought, what about the ‘you will not be harmed part’? As far as we know, Ki Rata doesn’t have any defensive components (though I guess some parts could be used creatively in a defensive manner), does that mean he won’t harm the attackers and will display completely defensive techniques?
I suppose the generous interpretation would be ‘don’t attack me, or others, and you won’t be harmed’, but there’s still that ambiguity.
They will not be harmed if they remain as they are and do absolutely nothing. However, they may choose to attack the emperor. The ambiguity is only that he doesn’t promise to either spare or annihilate them if they do.
It seems to this observer that Solomon’s words contain a warning. Rich rewards “may” be yours. Perhaps they may. Or, perhaps they may not. Who puts their trust in royalty must be desparate or foolish indeed.
There is a leader of men, known for his wisdom, who inhabits a minor planet in the realm of Mottom. He spoke much of this scenario, especially with his famous koan:
If one wishes to approach royalty with violence in their heart, they had best strike true.
IT’S A TRAP
I spy a loophole. “Remain as you are, and do nothing.” What about breathing? Breathing is something. Same with entropy and growing older. Can’t fight entropy.
You may not fight it, but can you see through it as one of YISUN’s lies or lie your way around it?
A public display of Ki Rata shall surely be…illuminating. I say, friends, we shall learn from the Master himself.
Magnificent, behold a demiurge that truly understands the psyche of mortal kind. So few among the number of bold fools left within that arena will have the sense, or cowardliness, to accept the 10 being offered to them by the Tyrant. No, they’ll try for the 20 even knowing that any other result brings death. Many will try their hand at the dice, but the path to royalty revolves around learning to shape the result before the throw is done.
At the same time, this change of rules would allow Allison, Ciao, and my brother Vigilant Gaze to attempt to strike at Solomon as contestants who survived the final round. It would be ill-advised, but Allison has learned over the last few chapters how to nudge the dice. Will she be as Ys Pree Aesma, do the impossible, and teach a god to bleed?
The timelines all diverge here, at this moment. How many times has Zoss spun the wheel to get to this moment only to be disappointed? Will this be the time? The excitement has expelled some minor essence and melted one of my best pens, so I shall simply set it down and wait to see the numbers my darlings land on.
Interesting thought about Zoss and Solomon. I think the answer is none, as a cycle of Zoss is probably much longer than Solomon’s lifetime. Old though he is, I don’t think Solly has lived through the end of a cycle.
……why do I feel the sensation that we will be seeing certain….deicidal proclivities in the next few pages?
KI RA-TA! KI RA-TA! KI RA-TA!
-The Audience
Bearer of the Word Diamond. Hard, unyielding, immovable. Seemingly Unbreakable. But if struck in just the right way, unfathomably brittle, as its refusal to bend requires it to shatter.
Take care, Demiurge, that you have not misjudged. For while many will only break themselves upon you, there is always one, however rare, who might break you.
The ultimate gamble. The Doom-driven RNG. When, against all odds, a single errant strike finds the shatterpoint. Unlikely… but always there, lurking in the cosmic source-code.
Beware? But that is exactly what he wants! He holds these contests in order to find a worthy successor with strength enough to hold the throne, obviously, but it is less clear what wisdom he is looking for.
When he says that something must
be honoured, he’s displaying trust.
Since when were the royals just?
Behold the world that David made
decorous. Royal games are played, but
Justice has one name: the blade
I can feel it when my namesake shines bright over a man, foretelling his doom. I haven’t felt it burn this bright outside of wars. And it does not shine over Solomon on this night.
In the book of kings, that slim, august volume, more dangerous and terrible than any other, there are a mere two commandants. One is a quote, or perhaps is merely famously quoted.
1. The only true path to kingship lies through regicide.
2. When one comes at the king, they had best not miss.
I think everyone here has forgotten Gog-Magog.
Gog-Magog is not interested in coin, prestige, or a title in the empire. She is interested in a show.
And I’d bet a box of thin mint cookies that at least one of the contestants here is a revenant of Gog-Magog, and that those that are revenants will strike even if they strongly suspect that they will fail.
The Agog one(s) did enter the first few contests, but an agreement had to be reached with Solomon, as she kept devouring most of the contestants – and he set about purging her from Rayuba (tho never ever quite succeeding).
One suspects she will have lots fun watching a show where everyone is attacking him, not just the one winner.
The cookies shall go well with one’s afternoon cup of Earl Grey, most appreciated.
Actually, he attempted to purge her from Rayuba before coming to the current agreement, but yeah, Gog Agog infiltrated the first bunch (it wasn’t said how many, but I imagine that he would have acted after it happening maybe three times) because they felt left out and wanted in on the fun.
That will likely be why that is what one wrote, but yeah, what one found most interesting of all that is that almighty Solomon was unable to purge the insidious worm even but from his own realm.
It’s possible that he did successfully purge, but couldn’t permanently purge, as in Gog Agog stubbornly kept coming back. Given the shaky peace that they had established, they’d have to talk to each other and it had to have reached a point where he asks “okay, what do you want?”.
You haven’t won those cookies yet.
It says “an accord” was reached. Let us posit that Gog-Magog swore the most solemn promise (“cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye”), and meant it. I am basing my bet on the thesis that even if Gog-Magog agreed, and so did Gog-Magog, Gog-Magog, Gog-Magog, Gog-Magog, Gog-Magog, Gog-Magog, Gog-Magog, { . . . more goes here . . . } and Gog-Magog, nevertheless, Gog-Magog had fingers crossed, thus rendering any sincerity moot.
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)
— Walt Whitman (Probably not an avatar of Gog-Magog, but who can be certain? I am sure, though, that Gog-Magog would agree with the sentiment.)
I was not expecting a Dune reference.
Tha hasnae won thae cookies yet Harkonnen!
Nae the finemost talk o the Dib; oft cuttinroom floorsome.
Hmm, and one has already coveted the cookies! But now one is unsure, and is in two minds. The Great Devourer is indeed most unreliable and seems of many minds, as rightly you do state.
One wonders whether Our Pal functions with something of a swarm intelligence, and how that manifests for her/it/them in practice.
Are all Gogs independent and equal? Or is the totally-of-worms ‘original’ (if such a term is valid) operating as a hive mind – and in turn is a queen for her acolytes who maybe only have one worm in them, controlling them? Or maybe the worms do take over so every Gog is all worm. One does not know.
One feels the whole Gog system to be chaotic and anarchic.
Does the ‘original’ Gog still posess the whole Key? – demiurges do bestow partial keys on their emissaries, and Yabalchoath stole a partial key. Or is it mainly split amongst some, or does she divvy it up yet further, ad infinitum to each Gog and all? Too many questions, one’s mind is goggling.
I totally expect at least one other demiurge to make a move.
I look forward to be delighted by the gorefest.
Solomon to the world:
“Come at me, bro”
Step forth all of you who never had to urge to strike a god and see what it does.
Truly it is a cruel offer he is making. Bend the knee and stay your hand, abandoning what you had come to this arena for in the first place for guaranteed rewards or take up your arms and wager it all on your faint hope that throwing yourself into the heart of a tornado will not tear you to pieces and splatter you over the general area.
I was not aware the school of Ki Rata also included the infamous “Come at me Bro!” technique. Truly a style without weaknesses.
Allison’s gonna strike at him isn’t she
Royalty has always been wise to stroke the ego of fools, one observes.
He so suggests that they were unfairly defeated, and upon looking at 82 White Chain’s broken body many would think so too. But in truth, one doubts many of them would have survived against the likes of her, Alison of 10 Vigilant Gaze.
Thus it is, as with every other establishment of this sort…how is that saying? ‘The house always wins.”
You are all stars, but when the sun shines, you can’t see the stars. I am the Sun.
They’re not allowed to fight each other, but…. I predict a bunch of collateral friendly fire (as it were) as contestants with ranged attacks attempt to hit Solomon and miss.
Anyway, we’re about to find out whether he is a black belt dodgemaster supreme or however he makes himself practically unhittable.
One suspects Solomon generally contrives to strike first and strike hard, without mercy.
Perhaps, but comparisons were made to Incubus being scarred as heck and Solomon being immaculately scar free, which is where the black belt dodgemaster supreme theory comes from.
Though to be fair, Mammon didn’t appear to have many, if any, scars (other than the effects of very advanced age), Mottoms method of immortality obviously removes wounds, and Maya, a former demiurge, is pretty scar free herself. So, we don’t know why Incubus is covered with scars as he is.
It may be that he still shaves with a rusty blade. Just like Meti taught him.
Cuts hisself that un.
I do not believe that the rules as they are currently laid out allow Solomon to strike first.
In certain arts it is said there is no first strike. Some, however, teach that when an opponent forms an intention to strike, that intent is the equivalent of action; one’s own strike preempting the enemy’s intention, or reactive defense as it is sometimes called, therefore is not the first blow, though it may land first. This is more than the art of not being there when attacked.
Some, however, dismiss this argument as mere casuistry and ask who hit whom first.
By striking first, they will inevitably strike themselves.
I see you and I are caught in a dance of call and reply, as it is now I who respond to you after noticing another of similar mind.
Greetings – Your first message did not go unnoticed or unappreciated.
Is he going to use his mighty Nanto Ho’ohken ?!
the “next chapter” directs to the previous page.
feel free to delete this comment once read.
No mater how many times the comment is deleted the time loop will not be broken.
I’m gonna have to wait weeks to watch him fight White Chain, I guess.
After seeing the bunch of mentions about seeing Ki Rata being used, I had a thought, what about the ‘you will not be harmed part’? As far as we know, Ki Rata doesn’t have any defensive components (though I guess some parts could be used creatively in a defensive manner), does that mean he won’t harm the attackers and will display completely defensive techniques?
I suppose the generous interpretation would be ‘don’t attack me, or others, and you won’t be harmed’, but there’s still that ambiguity.
They will not be harmed if they remain as they are and do absolutely nothing. However, they may choose to attack the emperor. The ambiguity is only that he doesn’t promise to either spare or annihilate them if they do.
It seems to this observer that Solomon’s words contain a warning. Rich rewards “may” be yours. Perhaps they may. Or, perhaps they may not. Who puts their trust in royalty must be desparate or foolish indeed.
There is a leader of men, known for his wisdom, who inhabits a minor planet in the realm of Mottom. He spoke much of this scenario, especially with his famous koan:
If one wishes to approach royalty with violence in their heart, they had best strike true.
Emperor of the everbright worlds.
Demiurge of pride.
Bearer of the word Diamond.