Foust found himself smiling as he turned the Fire Tile over in his fingers. There was a warmth to it, his fingers ran over the smooth surface and he admired the craftsmanship. This tile was made from Ember Stone, not poorly made either, this was done with care! He’d seen oh so many knockoffs since he’d begun to ingratiate himself into the Empire Capital.

  He tapped the tile against the table in front of him and made a few ‘thinking’ noises. For show, of course.

  “Think that ‘ard and you might strain yourself,” the merchant opposite said as Foust saw him glance over the Cosmos Board before them.

  He didn’t answer the merchant right away, instead he took in the arrangement of tiles on the board. Four positions were filled, eight empty. The Merchant had gone and placed Earth and Stone tiles in adjacent positions in an attempt to create a defensive foundation—it was a novice move that many kids opened with, and the fool thought he was being clever.

  Foust tried him hardest not to sigh at the display, keeping his intense and strained demeanour. The tavern around them was buzzing with patrons, and the lasses weren’t too shabby either. Now, The Gilded Tankard wasn’t the finest establishment in The Aeas, but it was just fine for him. Merchants, craftsmen, adventurers, they all frequented this place, all seeking a little respite from their busy day-to-day.

  Finally, he replied: “Some of us wanted to think before we placed our tiles,” he said as he winked and placed his Fire tile adjacent to the merchants Earth tile. “Fire, Resonance two, creates Harmony with your Stone. That gives me a—plus four to my effective strength.”

  The merchant grunted in response, “Lucky placement.”

  Foust laughed, “Lucky? In Nexus?”

  “That’s like saying it’s lucky the sun rises…” He thought.

  Foust loved the power dynamics of Nexus—the game wasn’t just about placing tiles. It was about reading your opponent, anticipating their next move and planting seeds of doubt; just like life.

  One of the ‘finer’ serving girls approached, balancing a tray expertly on one palm. She approached, set two fresh tankards on the table and collected the empties without even asking.

  “The same as yesterday? Hmm?” She asked with a smile as her eyes locked onto his.

  “Wouldn’t have it any other way, would you?” He replied with a wink, “Though, this gent might end up washing the dirty plates, just to pay up.”

  The merchant retorted immediately, his face growing slightly red, “Bah! Place your bet on actions, not words.”

  He grinned and kept his gaze locked on the serving girl, “I always do.”

  The girl rolled her eyes at him, though not unkindly, before moving to the next table. He watched as she walked—appreciating the sway of her hips just the right amount—before returning to the game.

  The merchant placed a Water tile, that was going to create discord with his own Fire tile—reducing his Fire’s effective strength by four, effectively cancelling out his previous advantage.

  “Not feeling so smug now, eh?” the merchant said as he leaned back in his chair.

  Foust removed the smile from his face—trying to come across as neutral. Although, it was quite difficult for him to do so as he felt like laughing out loud. He examined his remaining tiles, the man had done exactly as he’d expected him to, going for the immediate and entirely obvious counter—rather than trying for something more nuanced or unique.

  And, that was why merchants rarely made a good Nexus player, it was always instant gratification; quick profit.

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  It was time to play, “Tell me,” he said, “Have you ever played the Northern variant? They play with ‘Frost Rules’, gives Waters tiles an extra power point through the whole game.”

  The merchant shifted uncomfortably as he looked to be blind-sided by the random interjection, “Can’t say I ‘ave?”

  “Fascinating, really. The Eastern Reaches have their own version too—the ‘Dawn Variant’, where Stars gain extra resonance.” He continued as he casually placed a Wind tile, creating harmony with his Fire. “That’s six more effective strength, by the way.”

  The merchant looked over the board, obviously confused.

  “That’s the beauty of this game,” he said as he found a rhythm in the oh-so-familiar subject, “It adapts and evolves—you could say, just like the Empire itself. You ever heard the story about Yursk and the Mountain Match?”

  “I don’t much care fer’ stories,” the merchant replied dismissively as he continued to calculate the arrangement on the Nexus board.

  "Oh, it's hardly a children's tale. Grandmaster Yursk Voss against the great Lord Commander Savin in the Imperial Championship." Foust took a long swig of ale. "Yursk had Savin convinced she was pursuing a Creation Sequence when she was actually setting up a Cosmic Rebirth. Won in just eight turns."

  The merchant grunted noncommittally and placed his Void tile with seeming reluctance.

  “Another defensive move, typical.” He thought, the man was once again thinking one step ahead, rather than five. Trying to cut his losses rather than pull out a victory.

  "You’re missing something," he said, feeling his natural beaming smile return to his face, and he tapped his finger against his temple. "Nexus isn't just about the pieces you place—it's about the ones you don’t."

  Across the tavern, a rather loud group of adventurers erupted in laughter. Among them, he spotted a familiar face—a guild member he'd relieved of a small fortune in a game three nights prior. The man hadn't recognized him yet. Probably for the best, too.

  "Though I suppose that's true of most things in life," Foust added, knowing full well that his momentum to victory was only building. He placed his Spirit tile carefully, creating a subtle pattern that wouldn't be obvious for several more moves. "Spirit tile, Resonance three, creating Harmony with your Waters. That's another six to my Effective Strength."

  "Where’d you learn to play?" the merchant said, placing a Fire tile to create Harmony with his Stone.

  His smile dimmed, "Here and there. Picked it up in a mining camp, if I’m honest. Not much else to do when you're labouring all day but plan your moves for the evening games."

  That was only half true, he’d first been introduced to it in the mines, yes, but his real education had come later, in the fine establishments such as this, but unlike the Aeas, the stakes never used to be crystal.

  "Mining camp?” The merchant responded, “You don't strike me as that type.”

  "I’ve lived many lives," he replied, trying to shift the conversation away from his past, "Speaking of which, did you know the Imperial Court has their own Nexus variant?—”

  The game continued for a while until he placed a final tile, Stone, completing a Life Cycle finisher, “That’s victory.”

  The merchant took a while to contemplate just how he’d lost to him. But, it didn’t matter, in the end the Merchant coughed up the crystal—albeit desperate for a rematch to win it back.

  Foust pocketed the crystals and ended their interactions for the night. It was always best to end with both parties able to eat the following day.

  Could he have cleaned the Merchant of crystals entirely? Sure. It was like playing against a child, but, he wasn’t about that life anymore. No, things had changed.

  His thoughts moved to his new companions, Haestin had disappeared to whatever beast-kin did when not fighting or cursing everything that moved. Which meant his fighting was probably targeted at some underground pit-fighting ring, just so that he could revel in the broken bones of weaker men.

  Rose had vanished into the city's nobles' quarter, ostensibly to "gather intelligence" but more likely to bask in the company of her own kind after weeks on the road.

  And Elara... Elara would be in the cathedral. Praying, or doing whatever else one touched by the divine did when faced with a few days of freedom. The thought made him uncomfortable, for all of her power and purpose, there was something so undeniably lonely about their leader. Something that reminded him too much of the hollow-eyed children he'd seen so often on his travels.

  "Another game?" asked a voice, pulling him away from his thoughts.

  A new challenger?—A woman, no, an adventurer, Foust guessed, probably mid-Tier one.

  "Always," he replied, his smile returning as he reset the board. "Though, you should know that I'm on something of a winning streak tonight."

  The woman just smiled back at him, "What a coincidence. So am I."

  As they distributed the tiles between them, Foust felt that familiar thrill—the subtle employment of strategies and counters, the reading of an opponent beyond their moves on the board. In games, just as in life, victory came to those who saw the patterns others missed.

  And he’d never missed a pattern—not since… then.

  "Your move," he said, as they finished the distribution.

  In the heart of The Aeas, he found momentary peace. The next chapter of his life promised only danger and loss—he’d enjoy it while he could.