Chapter 143: The Board That Thinks for Itself
Chapter 143: The Board That Thinks for Itself
Elyn’s POV
The stone demon nodded once, slow and solid, like the movement itself weighed more than most people.
"What would you need?" I asked him. "Materials? Space? Time? Zorathys?"
He blinked, clearly surprised by the question, then shook his head. "I already possess everything I require, my queen. I especially do not need the king."
I chuckled at his words.
"Good," I said, rubbing my palms together. "Then we’ll add something else to the list. The board is one thing, but we also need... directions. Something that tells the gargoyles where the board is so they wouldn’t stop to ask every demon they see and send them into an early retirement."
"Just seeing them every day feels like I’m being sent into early retirement," Rin grumbled out.
"At least you are not the one they always ask questions. You can escape, but not me," Marrok said with a sigh.
"Me too," Versha said with a sigh as well.
The stone demon nodded again. "That can be done."
I tilted my head. "Before you begin—what’s your name?"
He hesitated for half a breath, then answered, "Khaedros, my queen. Pardon me for not introducing myself earlier," he said with a deep bow.
I didn’t actually care; I only asked him his name because I couldn’t keep referring to him as the stone demon after all.
"Khaedros," I repeated, smiling. "Alright. Let’s see what you can do."
He bowed his head once more, then turned toward an empty stretch of wall near the grand staircase—the exact place where gargoyles tended to hover, panic, ask questions, forget answers, and then ask again.
Khaedros lifted his hands.
I expected chanting, or maybe he’d swirl his hands like they usually did in Alethryn. Or maybe even tools dancing and glowing in the air—yes, I had witnessed this in Alethryn as well—but this was different.
The stone beneath our feet responded to him like an old friend.
The floor rippled, not melting but remembering a different shape. Veins of gold threaded upward from the black stone, pulling themselves free in delicate lines. Dust lifted into the air, not falling but hovering, waiting for instruction.
Khaedros moved his fingers as if kneading invisible clay.
The wall groaned softly as it moved in cooperation, working with him.
Stone pushed outward, flattening, smoothing, shaping itself into a broad slab framed with raised edges. The surface lightened from dark granite to a pale bone-white, etched through with faint runes that pulsed like a slow heartbeat.
I stared in shock.
"That’s not how it’s done in Aelthryn Divoryssalindria," Vaelory said, snapping the words right out of my mouth.
I nodded.
Rin scoffed. "That’s because you guys are humans who call people like Khaedros carpenters."
"Says the demon who didn’t even know a word like that existed," Vaelory muttered under her breath.
Rin was about to reply, but I gave them both a stern look, and she pretended she was adjusting her dress instead.
Khaedros didn’t pause, though. He didn’t mind the attempt at distraction by Rin and Vaelory. He swept his hand through the hovering dust, and it fused seamlessly into the slab, sealing it, polishing it, erasing every flaw. Symbols emerged across the surface like they were embedded in it.
Within minutes, the board was finished.
And Khaedros stepped back.
Then he turned and flicked two fingers upward.
The gold veins he’d drawn from the floor didn’t retreat. They stretched, splitting into multiple thin strands that shot off down the hallways like curious snakes. Wherever they touched a wall, they embedded themselves, reshaping into simple, unmistakable arrow markers.
Some pointed left. Some right. Some up.
All of them pulsed faintly with the same energy as the board.
"Oh," I breathed. "That’s... that’s really good."
Khaedros inclined his head. "The pointers are attuned to the board. Any creature seeking it will feel a directional pull."
"So the gargoyles won’t ask questions anymore?"
"They may still ask," he said honestly. "But the board will call to them even as they do so."
That was the best-case scenario.
I walked closer to the board, my fingers hovering just above its surface. "This is so smooth, and the surface doesn’t look like one we can pin a parchment on."
Khaedros’s eyes widened in shock. "Oh no, my queen. You don’t have to do that. All you have to do is speak to the board and it will listen. There’s no need to pin a parchment on it."
Oh wow. Magic really was convenient after all.
"Will it talk back?" I asked him curiously.
"No, my queen," Khaedros said before Marrok could answer. "It will only display what I want it to display—what you tell it to display, rather."
"This is incredible," I said, turning back to him. "You finished this in—what—five minutes?"
"Efficiency is courtesy," he replied.
I smiled so hard my face hurt. "You are officially my favorite person today."
"She’s lying to you. I’m her only favorite person," Azerion told Khaedros with a glare.
Khaedros looked like he had no idea what to say in reply.
"Azerion, behave."
He huffed. "I only speak the truth."
I rolled my eyes and turned back to Khaedros. "You did good, and I appreciate it. You did an excellent job," I told him, and he blushed.
Azerion scoffed loudly, rolling his eyes too. "Blushing isn’t going to make you her favorite. She only belongs with me," he told Khaedros, then muttered, "A big piece of rock blushing because he was told he did good, hah!"
Khaedros froze.
Rin immediately smacked Azerion on the back of the head. "Shut up, you thief."
Azerion glared at her, and she glared right back.
"I’m not a thief."
"You steal snacks. So that makes you a thief," she told him.
"And you steal anything shiny—"
I cleared my throat loudly, and they went quiet. Then I turned to Khaedros.
"Ignore them. They are... like that most times."
Khaedros recovered quickly, straightening. "I am honored, my queen."
"You should be," I said lightly. "Now—your compensation will be arranged shortly."
He shook his head immediately. "That won’t be necessary."