Object 853: The Holder of Monarchy

This was Object #853. You will not find this Object in its entirety, for Legion has already claimed the part He wanted, but neglected the part He needed. Do not go after this part of the Object unless you are highly skilled in the game of chess.

However insignificant it feels in the hands of the Seeker, Legion has made a grave mistake and the remaining part of this Object may hold the key to complete and utter destruction of the remaining 2000 Objects.

Go to any park in any suburban area just on the outskirts of its metropolitan neighbor at about 2:00 AM. Make sure this park has chessboards in the open.

If you have found the right park, you will find a withering old lady stationary at one of the chessboards. Should you see a young boy within any vicinity of the park, you are not the one meant to hold this Object and you must keep your head down and briskly slip from the park before he notices you; keep walking until you find a statue of any kind of person sitting in a throne in a different park and shelter there until 1:52 PM later that day. He is not what he appears, he is the old lady's grandson and he will not appreciate strangers harassing her. Hope you like kids literally biting at your ankles for all eternity.

If there is no young boy, you may sit across from the old lady. You will notice that the air within her presence will grow denser and colder than any foggy London morning.

Do not speak a single word, do not ruffle your clothes in the cold, do not even breathe loudly; you will not want to disturb her concentration.

After what seems like hours, she will speak. Typical elderly conversation; "back in the days" type of topics. You must remain silent and only nod in acknowledgment. No matter how positively tempting it is to respond to any of her questions, YOU MUST NOT SPEAK. She may look old, but don't be fooled, she's faster than any bullet and stronger than any ox. She won't hesitate to crush your windpipe in less than a second if she thinks you are rude.

Gradually, through her non-sensical jabbering, she will take on a more deathly appearance. She will become more emaciated, her hair will fall out, her eyes will slowly shrink back into their sockets until there is nothing there, her face will take on a more snake-like appearance, with slits for nostrils and needle-thin lips, her enunciation will become more snake-like. You will now be staring at the Holder. It is of utmost importance not to draw attention to her transformation, not to recoil, not to dart your eyes around her form, and to definitely not gasp or scream.

Finally, she will finish speaking and she will ask "Do you play?" referring to the chessboard in front of you. You may smile and nod politely but continue to remain silent. When you look down at the chessboard, you will notice that the board is not what you would expect to find in a public park; it's a beautiful black-and-white checked board, so highly polished that you can see the reflection of the soul of anyone with it. As well as obsidian pieces so black that light cannot escape them and diamond pieces so white that all darkness is obscured from its light, all chiseled in extremely high detail that you would swear as if they were made from actual people; because they are.

There will be one piece missing already; the obsidian chiseled queen, already claimed by Him.

Neither player may gain an additional queen and you will be on the black side, so the Holder will begin. When she makes her first move, politely ask her, "Will the One who brings them together have an heir?" Before you make your first move, she will tell a tale of death pacts, blood contracts, and many acts of fratricide, so gut-wrenching and heartbreaking that you may not be able to hold your composure and sanity during the game.

You must attempt to defeat her. She is a highly skilled player, so she will not fall for simple ploys as the "four-move checkmate"; to use such strategies is an insult to her infinite intelligence and she will make you suffer the madness and intensity of every single thought of every single living organism in this realm.

Beating the Holder will be no easy task. You are already missing your black queen, so you are already at a disadvantage. You have no time limit, so take as much time as you need to make each move, but make sure you stay awake and save your blinks for her turn; your opponent cheats. As each piece is removed from the board, you will feel the deep sorrow of every remaining piece on the board and the pain of the removed piece as their fellow crystalized brethren shatters into dust.

If she defeats you, depending on the challenge you gave your adversary, you will become any one of the chess pieces that were removed from the board; only finding release when the next Seeker loses you in this Holder's twisted game.

If you are able to achieve the impossible task of overcoming her, she will crack and fall into herself in complete and utter despair of defeat.

All the pieces will change from black and white precious stones to a gritty, uniformed clay and the board will evaporate beneath. The only remaining piece will be the captured diamond chiseled king. Though the king is never supposed to leave the board, you may take this piece.

Make your way out of the park and keep walking until you are able to feel the warmth of the sun on your face; this is the indication that the Holder of this Object, form and soul, has been wiped from existence.

The diamond-chiseled king is the second half of Object #853, united with the obsidian queen, it may bring destruction to all Objects, but at what cost?

Object 871: The Holder of the Hive

In any city, in any country, go to any abandoned warehouse after dark. Approach the first groundskeeper or night watchman you meet and ask to see someone who calls herself "The Holder of the Hive". The groundskeeper or guard should crack a very wide smile at your request. A small buzzing insect will crawl out from between his teeth as he turns to slowly lead toward a side door of the warehouse. If the groundskeeper or guard does not smile or leads you to any door besides the door on the closest side facing you, immediately turn tail and run. Do not stop and do not go home. Keep moving until sunrise. When the sun has fully risen, you will know if you are safe.

If you were led to the correct door, open it and go inside. You will find yourself inside the empty warehouse. The air will be stale and oppressive and almost unbearably hot. One by one, the hanging lamps that illuminate the building will begin to go out. Close your eyes. Do not open them again until the buzzing sound you hear rises to a near-deafening level. When you open them, you will find yourself in a giant hive. An unnatural bluish light will pulse from the strange growths that surround you. The heat will have risen further and the air will be so thick it will be difficult to breathe. Stay perfectly still and do not panic. You will need to remain calm for the next step.

One by one, swarming insects of all types will begin to approach you. Slowly at first, their numbers will grow until they appear as a vast writhing, living carpet on the ground. The insects will surround you and then begin to cover your body. You must allow them to do this. If you harm a single insect, even to brush it off, all of them will begin to bite and sting you. And they will not stop until you are nothing but a pile of brittle bones that will shatter into dust at the lightest touch. Remain still until you feel the carpet of insects begin to cover your face. You must close your eyes once more and let yourself be completely enveloped with the swarm.

Eventually, if you have remained perfectly still, you will feel the bugs begin to crawl off your body. Keep your eyes closed until you feel the last one crawl away safely. You no longer need fear her little ones. She is here now and her anger is unfathomable if she catches you harming any of her children. Open your eyes and before you should appear a strange creature. It will appear to be an amalgam of various insects and a human woman of frightening and strange beauty. You must cast your eyes downward, for the Queen demands deference. She will approach you slowly and you must kneel, for the Queen also demands submission. If you fail to show her the proper respect, her snapping mandibles will make short work of you. If you have paid your respects properly, you may now rise and ask a single question of her.

The only question you may safely ask is, "What is the joy and horror of Their unity?"

The Queen will begin to tell you, in agonizing detail every beautiful joy and every terrible horror in Their original unity. You will know the glory and the terror of Their unified state. Many go mad with this revelation. Do not become one of these poor souls, doomed to feed the countless generation of her spawn.

If you endure her answer, she will then ask you, "Will you allow Their unity?"

You must answer with the following: "We will be one."

The Queen will then approach you, mandibles dripping with a strange yellow liquid. Kneel before her and extend your hand, palm open and upturned, toward her. You will feel your hand fill with the strange and sticky fluid. Close your hand tightly and shut your eyes for a final time. You will feel the insects once again cover your form. Open your eyes only when you feel them retreat completely from your body. You may then rise. You will be back in the empty warehouse. You may now open your hand. Inside will be a palm-sized chunk of amber.

The amber is Object 871 of 2538. No swarming insect will harm you. Only you can decide now if there will be joy, or horror, in Their unity.