IN THE BEGINNING

Day broke and as they trekked to the moat for water, they found it becoming more uncomfortable to pass by the motleb statue staring into the forest beyond. It had grown to at least twelve feet in height and looked more hideous the larger it got. The men managed to find other routes to the moat, but the access was still in the vicinity of the front of the castle, which is where the motleb was. The latest journey there was a quick one, and once the water was acquired, they immediately scampered back into the castle. Soon they were again on the top of the structure.

Bob stood in front of Human and Mike near the edge of the castle, looking down over the forests below. He had his arms crossed and was deep in thought. Mike yawned, Human stood and scratched his buttocks, then finally Bob spoke.

"You know, as used to this place as I am, the sight of that castle in the sky over there still bugs the hell out of me. I mean, what's it like over there? Does it have statues that come to life as well? Does anyone live there?" He squinted, trying to make out any of the structure's details, but it was no use. The castle in the sky, to the left of their own castle, sat atop a huge dark column and sometimes swayed like a bud on an immense stem. It was too far away to distinguish anything other than it was a castle.

"And something else," Mike said, standing up and walking to the edge as well. He pointed to an even thicker and nearer column which rose into the sky, it's top so high it disappeared from sight. "What the hell is that thing that goes way up into the atmosphere between this castle and the other one?"

"It's a tree trunk," said a voice behind them. Their three heads turned simultaneously towards the sound and saw, standing just twenty feet away from them on the lower floor by the steps leading up, an old man.

"Holy shit!" Human said, backing away from the top of the steps and running to Bob and Mike, nearly toppling over the edge. The three men stood and stared, their mouths agape. Here was a man they had never seen before. He stared back at them and was also silent for the time being. He was six foot four, had a long gray mat of hair sprouting from his round head, and a silver beard stemming from his jutted chin to match. He wore a long white robe which accented his overwhelming presence. The air around him seemed to quiver, as if the atoms surrounding his body were in a different physical state. He stood calmly, an amused smile on his face, as the men cowered near the edge of the floor above him. Finally, Mike found the strength to speak, a task which seemed incredibly hard.

"Who...who are you?"

"I am Laus-Jamas," the old man said.

"Who?"

"Laus-Jamas."

The men thought hard. They knew no one by that name, but once identified he seemed less threatening. They walked slowly to the edge of the staircase leading to the floor where he stood, and stared down at Laus-Jamas. He was a powerful individual, that they could feel. There was another moment of silence but it was Bob's turn to break it this time. He almost asked Who are you again but instead:

"Where did you come from?"

Laus-Jamas smiled. "I come from mortal parents, long, long before any of your races were even considered."

What's that supposed to mean? thought Human, but then something occurred to him, an idea that came from out of nowhere.

"Why do you say mortal? Why is that relevant?"

"Because I am not."

Another pause, this one for the men to soak up the new information. Mike shifted uneasily from foot to foot, Bob crossed and uncrossed his arms, Human opened his mouth to speak, but shut it when no words came. They felt uneasy, and the way this immortal was staring at them didn't help matters.

"You're a wizard!" Bob suddenly exclaimed.

"Close, Bob Peagreen. I am half man, half wizard. That unique combination is one to which only two beings have come to feel - myself and...but wait, I am getting ahead of myself."

"How do you know my name?" asked Bob but before Laus-Jamas could answer, Mike spoke.

"Half man and half wizard?" he asked, "Does that mean you're not as powerful as a wizard?"

"On the contrary. The combination of mortal and immortal proves to be the most powerful mesh of genes any living thing can possibly experience."

"Just wait a minute here," said Mike, "I'm finding all this a bit hard to swallow. If you're so powerful then..."

Suddenly Laus-Jamas lifted his right arm to a column of wood ten feet to the right of the men. In a flash, a thunderous clap of lightning exploded from his index finger and swarmed upon the column. The post exploded, burning pieces of wood spewing in all directions.

"Oh man!" Mike shouted, jumping back to avoid the array of flying cinders. The men looked back to Laus-Jamas but he was no longer there.

"Where did he go?"

For an answer, Laus-Jamas appeared out of thin air before their eyes just five feet away. Mike was going to ask how he did that, but the wizard beat him to it.

"How did I do that?" he said, "I can do anything."

The men were speechless. Within ten seconds, Mike found the nerve to talk.

"How..." said Mike.

"How did I know what you were going to ask?" Laus-Jamas said to Mike's flush face, "Because I can read your mind, too. Any more questions? If so, I'll only answer the ones you speak out loud. Otherwise I'll be here all day, and I haven't got that much time."

Laus-Jamas walked towards them and they parted to let him pass. He paused to smile then walked to the edge of the castle which overlooked the forest below.

"I know exactly what you men are thinking. You're thinking; Just who is this guy and what does he have to do with us, if anything at all? Right?"

He turned to face them but none of the men replied, for that was just what they were thinking. Laus-Jamas, amused by their surprise, turned back to face the scenery beyond the castle.

"I'm going to tell you a few things. By the time I'm done you may or may not believe them, but what have you got to lose? You will here me out so let's get it over with, shall we? You may ask questions if you like but I'll wait until you've spoken them aloud so you're friends will benefit from the information." He didn't turn back to appreciate their expressions this time, but he knew them just the same.

They stood motionless, staring at the back of his head and waiting upon his every word. This man, they all thought, was the key to their existence here. They put all doubt aside and let Laus-Jamas continue.

"I know your names." He turned this time and pointed to them one at a time. "You are Mike Cheney, you are Human Being and you are Bob Peagreen. I know everything about you, where you come from, when you were born, your parent's names, everything about their lives, and so on and so on. Now, first thing's first. Mike, you inquired about the column towering miles into the sky, and Bob you inquired as to the castle in the distance. Let me explain them both. This castle, as well as that one, are flowers on a plant, nothing more. That immense wooden column towering into the sky so high with its top out of sight is the trunk of the tree upon which these flowers sprout. That castle so far away is simply another part of this same plant, another bud that has blossomed and bared it's fruit. The column on which that castle is supported is merely a branch which is attached to the trunk of the tree. This castle we are now standing on is also seated on a branch similar to that one, it's just that you can't see it, being on the flower itself, you see."

He paused, holding back any answers to the many questions which stormed the men's heads. There were some like How do you know this? and Do you expect me to believe that bullshit? To these he only smiled, keeping his promise to answer only those questions spoken aloud. But then, Mike did speak.

"Wait, just wait a minute. This castle is actually just part of a tree?"

"That is correct."

Instead of further doubting what he heard, Mike found himself marveling at the wonders which never ceased to amaze him. Why not? he thought, It makes as much sense as anything else I've been going through in the last few months.

"That's a good way to look at it," Laus-Jamas told him, reading the thought. He smiled and Mike found the nerve to smile back. He suddenly realized that there was no reason to be frightened of this wizard.

"How do I know this?" Laus-Jamas continued, "Because I created this planet on which this tree sits...well actually it isn't really a tree. I know you must feel extremely small, looking up into the sky and not seeing a top to the tree on which you are living, but this plant is just a weed, as small as a blade of grass. It may seem big to you but really, you're practically microscopic."

"What?" said Bob, "Just what kind of life is there on this planet anyway and for that matter, just where the hell are we?"

"The life here would seem strange to you. They are sexless, huge barrels of fat that roll around in forests of sludge. This weed you're on is concealed in a small mound of grass between areas of swamp muck."

"Huge sexless mounds of fat that roll around?" Human screeched, "And you made them?"

"Yes."

"Now just where the hell did you get that idea?"

"I don't know, really. I've created so many different forms of life that I guess I just ran out of ideas."

"Well holy shit!" said Human, who suddenly began pacing around the wooden floor. He stared around him, up at the sky, then back to Laus-Jamas. "What happens if one of those mounds of fat decides to roll right over this weed we're living on?"

"Then I guess you'd get squished."

"I'd get squished? Oh great. Excuse me for sounding so obnoxious mister Lost-Anus..."

"That's Laus-Jamas."

"Laus-Jamas. All right, excuse me but this all a little hard to believe."

"Human just shut-up would you?" said Mike, "It's not any harder to accept than the fact that statues grow and come to life from the floors of this castle, or that you have blue skin for crying out loud."

Human realized Mike had a point, gathered himself, then cleared his throat.

"Sorry sir. Please continue."

"Thank you," said Laus-Jamas, "Now let me explain something else that has been bothering you. The woods that surround this place - you've noticed that they grow thick and are impenetrable when you get about a half mile away from the moat..."

"Yeah!" said Bob, "Why is that?"

"Because this castle is a flower, that's why. Most flowers are enclosed by an outer envelope formed by petals and sepals. When a flower is in full bloom, these are not as rigid, but they do eventually spread. This castle is still in the early stages of blossoming so the sepals and petals, which to this flower are the forests that surround the castle, are still dense and thick. In a few months they will eventually spread out and you will be able to walk among to the outer edge of the woods."

"But what's beyond the edge?" This from Human.

"What is beyond the edge of any flower - open space. Venture too far out into the woods and you will fall off this flower and into the world beyond the flower, in this case, the bottom of this weed."

Another amazing fact, but the more they listened, the less they were surprised by what they heard.

"Well how the hell do we got off this thing?" asked Human. To reply, Laus-Jamas turned to face Bob and Mike.

"You two remember the time when you searched the cavern below the castle?"

"Yeah," Bob and Mike both said, thinking back.

"You came across a path leading from there up to the courtyard out front. Along the way you came across several holes in the floor that seemed bottomless."

"Yes that's right," said Bob, "Are those holes a way out of here?"

"Not all, just one or two. Find the right hole, venture into it, and you will find it is actually a tunnel in the center of the branch on which this castle rests. If you follow the path of the hole, you will find it leads to the trunk of this tree. From there you can choose other paths, either up or down along the trunk, and those passages will in turn take you to alternate routes that lead to the other branches. Those branches, as I have told you, support other castles. There's many more on this tree than just this one and the other you see in the sky. Follow the tunnel inside the branches and you can travel from castle to castle."

This, of course, led to other questions.

"But what's on the other castles?" Bob asked.

"They are the same as this one. They grow and have statues that come to life just like the ones here. It was an idea I had a long time ago and it seemed to work out very well. You know, come to think of it, I haven't even named this planet yet. Anyway, when a castle is ripe, it is fully built. This one still has a few months to go. After it reaches its peak of ripeness, the petals, which are the forests surrounding this structure, will wilt and fall to the ground and the flower will die. It is just like any other flower, my friends, and follows the rules of nature that all other flowers follow."

"That statue in the courtyard," Bob said suddenly, "That's a motleb, isn't it?"

"Yes. That is how motleb are born, grown from the floors of these castles on this weed in this bizarre world. I discovered that all the statues, once they ripen and break free of the floor, use the passages to travel from castle to castle. If one castle didn't have any food in bloom, the monsters would simply travel to another castle to feed. In fact, some of the statues, after coming to life, choose to live in the darkness of the tunnels rather than out here in the light. Now, the motleb weren't always from here. They used to reproduce and grow as we or any other animal, but their race was wiped out long ago. Because I was so fascinated with them, I recreated them on this world. The ones from your own world, Traes One, came from here...well, most of them."

"You mean they're not from Traes One originally?" Human said, "Then why did you put them on a planet with people? I mean, they ruled and dominated us completely."

"They were there a long time before the Traesian race was even conceived," said Laus-Jamas, "It was actually their planet first, not yours."

Human was shocked at this, but then chose to disregard it as bullshit, feeling sure that Laus-Jamas hadn't the slightest idea what he was talking about.

"Bob," Laus-Jamas said, "There's something else I want to tell you, not that it has any significance, but you'll think of it later and you’ll wish you would have asked me now. Remember when you first awoke in this castle? You found yourself in a dark room. You had complete amnesia. You walked into the hallway outside the room and started towards a staircase on your left. Then you heard footsteps above you and when they reached the stairs, you saw the foot of a motleb stepping down."

Bob nodded, remembering. He stared at the wizard, now convinced more than ever that the guy was legitimate. Nobody could know that unless they were there or unless they were a wizard as this guy claims to be and have the power to see and know all at any time, anywhere.

"I remember the feeling I had at the time," said Bob, "I felt I knew what kind of beast it was, coming down those steps, but I couldn't remember where I've seen it before. When I saw the motleb statue, then I knew."

"That's right, then you knew."

"But wait a minute. I managed to make it back to my room before it came down the steps. I heard it walking down the hallway towards my room before I passed out. Motleb can smell a meal a mile away. Why wasn't I killed? Why didn't it enter my room and eat me?"

"Remember, I have control in this world. I wanted you to live so I made sure the beast passed by your room without sensing your presence."

"But where did it come from?"

"It wasn't from this castle. Remember those holes in the floor I told you about? After passing by your room, the motleb walked down to the cavern and stepped into one of those holes to venture back to the castle it had come from." The wizard stared back to the castle in the sky five miles away, then pointed to it. "That's the castle that motleb came from. It came here looking for food, naturally. It found a scarce source and journeyed to other castles via the passages in the branches and trunk. Now if you gentlemen can meet me in the courtyard in ten minutes, I'll answer more of your questions."

Then Laus-Jamas disappeared. All three of them saw it. He simply vanished from sight.

"Whoa!" Mike said, stepping back. He stared around him, glancing at the burnt column of wood, then to the shocked stares of Human Being and Bob Peagreen. "Did you guys see that?"

"Was he even here?" Human questioned in reply. All of them knew that he had been. "What was it he said before he disappeared? I didn't get that. Something about the courtyard."

"He said for us to meet him in the courtyard in ten minutes," said Mike.

"Yeah," Bob nodded. They stared at each other for a few seconds, confused, tense.

"Well then dammit, let's go!" screamed Mike and he instantly bounded down the steps, into the castle, and to the nearest staircase. Human and Bob were right behind him, each of them running as fast as they could without stumbling over their feet and falling to their faces. To get to the courtyard in ten minutes meant running down through the castle, which typically took them a good twenty minutes. But this time, running as fast as they could, they made it in fifteen. When they stepped from the castle and onto the courtyard, Laus-Jamas was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is he?" Bob asked, putting his hands on his knees and bending over to catch his breath, "He said he'd be here in ten minutes and he's not here! What if he showed up, saw we weren't here, then left?"

"Relax," said Mike, studying the area, "I'm sure he'll show up." After another five minutes, however, they all began to get edgy.

"Where the hell is he?" screeched Human. He contemplated searching for the old guy. Laus-Jamas had said a lot of amazing things, and Human wanted to hear more. The idea of the statues and how they roamed from castle to castle by way of the tunnels in the branches in this weed was fantastic. Thinking of this, Human looked to where the motleb statue stood at the front of the courtyard.

"Holy shit!" He jumped, seeing Laus-Jamas instead, standing in front of them all just ten feet away. He stood quietly, then slowly walked towards them, the same amused smile on his face.

"Now, where were we?"

Seeing him again brought forth the many questions the men still wanted answered.

"You were explaining stuff to us," said Human, "A lot of incredible stuff. Can you tell us more?"

"Of course."

"OK, so just what are we doing here? I mean, you do know what we're doing here don't you?"

Again, the amused smile. "Yes."

No more. The men were expecting the mysteries of life to spill from the wizard's mouth, but he just stared.

"Well tell us dammit!" Human screamed, not caring if he appeared rude.

"Yes, it is I who is responsible for your being here," Laus-Jamas continued, "Now, as I have said before, there are only two beings like myself - half man and half wizard. We are presently at war with each other. We want the other dead. Why? Because we have grown to detest the other's egotistical, selfish ways. As I have said before, we are the most powerful beings alive in the universe. But there is no room for two of us. Each of us wants to be the only one, the sole master of all."

"Who is this other guy you're talking about?" Human asked.

"His name is Phet."

"Phet?"

"Yes. He is on the verge of death. He is half man, half wizard and the man part in him is taking its toll. His body ages at a faster rate than the average wizard. That is the trade-off for power, I guess. More power but shorter life."

"But aren't you like that too?"

"Yes, yes I am, but let's not get into that now. We are talking about Phet. Knowing he is dying, he wants to choose an heir to succeed him, a man that will become part wizard and thus take his place when he dies. That, my friends is why all of you died. You were put through tests by Phet, to see if you were worthy. Those tests killed you."

"What?" the men said simultaneously.

"Bob, your test was to fight Tramp, the man from Traes Two, to the death. Yes, you won, but Phet is a strange bastard. He still wasn't satisfied so he had Tienna, the moat monster, eat you. Mike, you were eaten by a motleb. The test was to hunt a boar and kill it with your bare hands, which you did, but the motleb was sent out to kill you anyway. Human, your test was to defeat the army from Traes Two, the army which had arrived mysteriously and began slaughtering your entire race. Well, you didn't do too well in battle and were killed, not to say that if you weren't that Phet wouldn't have done you in anyway."

There was immediate outrage. The men believed Laus-Jamas. They shouted obscenities, damning Phet, and screamed the injustice that had been brought to their lives. Laus-Jamas anticipated this, but he could not hide what they needed to know. He allowed a few minutes for the men to stop yelling and cursing, to gather their composure so he could continue on with his tale.

"Got any other great news to tell us?" Human said, a quiet rage imminent in his dark, piercing eyes, "What other good fucking news have you got to tell us?" Human remembered looking up into his wife's eyes as his head laid on her lap, seconds before he died. It was the last thing he can remember of Traes One. It tore him up to know he missed out on a life with Beth because he was being toyed with by some maniac wizard.

"Please, I know this is hard for you men to take in all at once but I must tell you everything." Laus-Jamas' voice was suddenly overpowering, forcing the men to heed his words and to worry about Phet later. "I have something to tell you that will make you even more furious and I hesitate in saying it, because it is I who you will want to kill next."

"And just what the hell is this thing you have to tell us?" Bob asked, crossing his arms and expecting the worst. However, he wasn't ready for this.

"Phet is determined to choose his heir from Traes One. He would rather die than choose someone from anywhere else. That is certain. Since I want him dead, and I can't kill him, I asked myself the following question: What if there wasn't anyone left on Traes One? Then he would die alone, without choosing an heir, and I would be left to rule the universe on my own."

He let that sink in. The men looked at him as if saying Yes? What else? But then it hit them.

"That army!" said Human, "You're responsible for them aren't you?"

The wizard nodded his head. "Traes One is Phet's world. Traes Two belongs to me. I grew that army for the sole purpose of destroying those on Traes One. Remember Lisa, Bob?"

Bob stared at Laus-Jamas but did not reply. He thought of Lisa, the wife of the man he killed on Traes Two. Thinking of the strong relationship he had shared with her, Bob listened as Laus-Jamas continued.

"She gave birth to a child - your child. All the women in the village gave birth and instantly a new race was born, and led by your son, named after you. The children grew fast and soon they were men, ready for battle. That's when I sent them to Traes One to wipe out the population."

"WHAT?" The shout came from all three men at the same time. They were stunned. The shock of the news caused their heads to sway as reality coursed through their brains.

"You...you brought that army to Traes One?" said Human, slowly walking towards Laus-Jamas, "You're responsible for all those deaths? King Brenn, Boyce, the Messenger? Why? I know you're in an ego contest with Phet but those people are innocent beings! They didn't do anything wrong! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

As was expected, Human ran at Laus-Jamas as fast as he could, determined on wringing the bastard's neck, but he never made it. The wizard held up his right hand and Human was stopped just feet away, an invisible, padded wall stopping his progress.

"Please," said the wizard, "Let me continue. I wish I could have spared you these facts but believe me, it is absolutely necessary."

Human, heedless of the words, clawed frantically at the air as his feet scraped along the floor. Finally Mike approached his friend and put his arms around him. Within a few seconds, Human stopped struggling. He looked up to Mike and suddenly began sobbing.

"Mike...his army, they've killed a lot of people! Your friends! Oh man what am I doing here? Just what the hell am I doing here?" Human fell to the floor and held his head in his hands, unable to think. He managed to stand, accepted the fact he couldn't touch Laus-Jamas, then walked away. He walked passed Bob, but Bob didn't see him. Bob was thinking his own chaotic thoughts, such as: I have a son who is leading an army and killing off the people I love most.

He knew the idea would eventually drive him mad, but he didn't care in the least.

Mike, still feet away from Laus-Jamas, turned to face the wizard. "Are you having fun, playing these little games with our lives? You're damned lucky you have this force field or whatever it is surrounding you because I'd beat the shit out of you if it wasn't there. Whatever you have to say, we'll listen but believe me, you can't expect us to appreciate our people being killed by your army. And also..."

In a flash, Mike swung his right fist at Laus-Jamas as hard as he could. He did make contact but the wizard had expected it all along.

"Ouch!" It was like hitting a brick wall. Mike shook his fist, blew on it then studied the damage. His knuckles were scraped, the white of torn tissue not yet bleeding but he knew it would be soon. He looked at the wizard, who hadn't even flinched. There was no sign he had even been hit, which he most certainly had.

"I knew you would react this way," Laus-Jamas said to them, "Believe me, I saw it coming all along."

"Is that so?" said Mike.

"Yes that's so. When you hear the whole story then you can do what you want, but you must hear the whole story." The men stared at him, still seething with rage, but they listened anyway. "I want Phet dead. And you people are going to do it for me."

"Oh yeah? Why the hell would we do something like that for you? And if you can't do it then how are we going to?"

"First of all," Laus-Jamas continued, "If you help me kill Phet, then there will no longer be a need for my army to continue their mission. Once Phet is dead I will stop the war. Their purpose will be no more."

The men were instantly sobered by this. They waited for Laus-Jamas to continue. He slowly paced the area, taking his time, deciding on how to word his next sentences.

"Long ago, there were no wizards. Not one. I was a young man on a planet far away. I had a family and lived the normal existence of a man, gathering food and water, building shelter, caring for those important to me. The motleb, nobody knew where they came from, but they wreaked havoc on our world. They went on 'marches', they were called. No one knew what provoked these marches but when the motleb marched, they destroyed everything in their path; women, children, men, everything. My wife, family and entire village was killed but I survived the destruction. I was on a hunting trip with a friend and when we returned, we found our village destroyed, ripped to shreds. In a panic I ran to what was left of my hut. Among the destruction I found my wife's body. Her head had been bitten off by a motleb. From that point on I vowed to spend the rest of my life killing these beasts which dominated our world. It seemed impossible but with careful planning, slowly I managed to kill one motleb at a time. It started to become an art. Oh, it wasn't easy - it wasn't even hard. It was beyond that. It was damned near impossible. Each kill was a terrifying cheat of death. But every time I faced one of those ruthless creatures I remembered the sight of my wife's body, my beautiful wife Emma. I still think of her every day although it's been a trillion years or so. And I still love her."

Laus-Jamas again paced the wooden floor, now not caring in the least for what these men thought of him.

"You think you've got problems?" he shouted at them. They stared, confused, but slowly the three men began to get an understanding of what this wizard was going through. "With each painstakingly planned out kill, I found that doing away with motleb became easier and easier. A strange, never-before-felt sensation began forming inside of me. It was like nothing I've ever felt. Something was happening to me and it scared me, but at the same time it was exciting, overwhelming. It occurred to me when I killed a motleb one day by merely facing it with a sword and cutting it to shreds that I had gained something special, but I wasn't sure how. I wasn't the same person. I could do things I never could do before. I could read other people's minds. I could tell a motleb was coming when it was miles away. I could destroy things simply by pointing my fingers at them and wishing them dead. It took me a while to realize that it was the motleb that made me stronger, gave me powers. With each kill I became more powerful. Before I knew it, motleb were no match for me. I could do anything. I could zip to other planets by just thinking about it. I could create and destroy whole galaxies in the blink of an eye. It scared me to death at first but I got used to it, believe me. That was easy. I could find no one else that had discovered this path to power. In fact, I have told nobody else. Not until now."

"Wow that's incredible," said Human, forgetting he was supposed to be mad. The story was overwhelming and it took the men by surprise. "Does that still apply? I mean, if we go out and kill a motleb will we become what you have become?"

"If you kill enough of them, yes."

"Hold on," said Mike, "I've killed a motleb before and I don't feel shit."

"It takes a few before you start feeling the power. One or even two won't do a thing for you. By the time you've killed three, you will feel it, which leads me to the next point. As I've said before, I am the reason for you being here. I needed help in defeating Phet but I didn't know who to choose. Then it came to me. When he picked you guys, kings of Traes One, for his tests, it became obvious that you were the ones I should choose to help me. Who better than royalty, men of true power? I knew I needed to choose someone who Phet would not suspect. Well, he still thinks you guys are dead. He has no idea what I'm up to, although he knows I have something going on. Nevertheless, he doesn't know what. When you guys died I instantly took advantage of the situation and brought you back to life here. I needed a few of you so now here we are. You have been brought here to acquire power the same way I have."

There was an odd moment of silence. Mike, Bob and Human's minds were numb with reality so it took them a while before they caught on. When they did however, it scared the hell out of them.

"You want us to kill motleb so we can gain power?" screeched Human.

"That's right," said Phet, "Now you fully understand. When you men have killed enough motleb, together we will overpower Phet and destroy him. Then I will halt my army of children and all will be well." He smiled when he finished, as if this was a significant enough reason for these men to succumb to his wants and needs. As a matter of fact it was, but it wasn't something they could accept immediately.

"Well, let's say we do," said Bob, "Then what? Will we be wizards as well? I mean, if we gain powers by killing motleb, then does that mean we'll be as powerful as you and Phet?"

"Yes." It was a one word answer and although it was enough, the men found it hard to accept, as was the case with most everything else Laus-Jamas had been saying. They stared around themselves. They wanted it to be true, oh how they wanted it to be true. They would become wizards. Traes One would be saved from absolute destruction. They would be able to compete, and be feared by, Phet and Laus-Jamas.

What a concept, they thought.

"So that's why we're here," said Mike, nodding his head slowly and looking at the floor in front of him, "We were brought here, where motleb grow out of the floor, so we could kill them and gain powers, eventually transforming us into beings powerful enough to kill Phet. Our forces combined together will be too much for this Phet guy, that's the idea, right? It's clear we need to travel to other castles then because I've only seen one motleb here - that one over there."

He pointed past Laus-Jamas and to the edge of the courtyard where the statue of the motleb had been standing earlier. But it wasn't there.

"What?" said Mike, "Where...where did it go?" He looked back to Laus-Jamas and saw that the wizard was staring at him with fascination, as if in awe of Mike as much as Mike was of him.

"That," the powerful being said, "Will be your first kill."

"What?" said Mike, "What are you talking about?" His heart raced as he walked closer to the edge of the castle. There were two rigid, torn areas in the floor where the motleb statue had once stood. It hit him instantly, as well as Human and Bob.

"It came to life when we were on the upper floor," said Laus-Jamas.

"Oh man," said Bob, "I can't believe this. You mean we have to kill that thing?"

He turned to face Laus-Jamas, but the wizard had disappeared. That, in itself, was answer enough.

THE END

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