The Needy agreed to keep an eye on Wesley and his daughter while they dealt with Sasabo in the forest of the Appalachian Mountains in Asheville.
“Where is he!” Sasabo yelled loudly at the black form of the Needy that stood to face him until Zacchaeus returned from Mississippi. “You are not complete without him!”
“I am the Needy!” the black form yelled. “I am more than you bargained for, little bat.”
An oily tendril of the Needy shot out like a whip and sliced through the skin of Sasabo’s right wing, then wrapped his arm and slammed him to the ground. Sasabo let out a yelp of pain.
“What are you?” Sasabo said with wonder and fear in his voice. “How are you doing this to me.”
“I am restraining myself,” the black form said with annoyance. “Zacchaeus wants to be here to question you. But you are an Fonlander and I have never consumed one of you before. I want nothing more than to cover every inch of you and feel you melt into me, but Zacchaeus has questions. And I am curious about your answers. Maybe you will live to see the Fonlands again.”
Sasabo struggled to stand against the oily tendrils of the Needy before giving up completely.
“You should not be capable of this,” Sasabo said to himself as Zacchaeus returned to the backyard of the cabin.
“So what the fuck is going on here?” Zacchaeus asked as he stepped into the black form of the Needy that restrained Sasabo.
“He has drastically underestimated our strength,” The Needy said aloud, and though the voice did not come from Zacchaeus’s mouth, it still seemed that he had produced the sound that was very different from the voice he spoke with.
“The two of you were assessed together,” Sasabo, “and even combined, my might should trump yours. This error could only mean one thing, that the Vodun himself has made an error.”
“Is he talking about Xêvioso?” The Needy asked Zacchaeus.
“Yes,” Sasabo said. “The Meta is based on the Decks of Xêvioso, Gû, Jo, and in the past, Lêgba. Since the addition of Zacchaeus and the Needy, you two together are a highly sought after addition, but I didn’t believe you could be stronger than me, than Goldie even! But it seems that even the Vodun who added you has underestimated you.”
“What he talking about?” Zacchaeus asked with annoyance.
“I believe that we have made an impact on the Fonlands and that Xêvioso has spread word of us through this Meta. But his assessment of our power is based on our encounter with Xêvioso in the Fonlands, and cut off from the majority of me.”
“So Xêvioso has never encountered your true form?” Sasabo asked with clear astonishment.
“Not even close,” The Needy said.
“Then you must come with me to the disc of Sakpata,” Sasabo said. “This mistake must be corrected. Goldie must see what you truly are.”
“And who is this Goldie?” Zacchaeus asked.
“The strongest of the Meta before me, before she took her current position,” Sasabo explained. “She oversees the process by which Vodun Smiting cards are converted to the ones Fonlanders use that are made on the disc of Sakpata. You have to meet her.”
“I don’t know what the hell he talking about, but ain’t nobody got time for that,” Zacchaeus said dismissively. “I know it’s been a little while, but the only reason we here now is cause we was looking for Jordan and I needed a haircut before we started looking. We gotta go find that land of the dead, then we can go to the Fonlands. Wesley a medium, remember? We was gone see if he could help us.”
Zacchaeus, the Needy said to Zacchaeus inside of his mind, we should go with him to learn what they’re talking about. Why is our power level even relevant to Fonlanders?
“What if something happen to Jordan while we distracted in another universe?”
“If it is the dead you seek,” Sasabo said, “then you should come to the Fonlands. There are experts there who could help you locate the dead of any realm. The great Owuo is the master of the dead, and the only thing that interests him more than death is the game of Smiting. Come with me to see Goldie, and I promise you an audience with Owuo.”
Seems like a win-win to go, the Needy said.
“Aiight,” Zacchaeus said. “But I better be back to this universe before the sun sets today.”
The Needy releases Sasabo and he leads them through the black rectangle in the ground that he had emerged from.
“I was glad to be free from these tunnels. I hate to be underground,” he said, his words echoing in the darkness. “It won’t be long, though, the portal to the Fonlands is just ahead.”
Zacchaeus walked the darkness in silence and soon they approached a disturbance in spacetime that was not visible, but Zacchaeus and the Needy could feel it. The other side of the portal reminded them of the feeling they experienced in the Fonlands, and despite the darkness, Zaccheus knew they were inside of a dark cavern that was not a drastic change from their previous surroundings, but definitely impacted his senses differently. The smell of the darkness changed from the smell of moist earth, to a smell of hot stone or rock. There were few sounds in the earthen tunnel, but in the stone tunnel, there seemed to be a distant clanging sound of metal on metal or some other hard surface.
After walking for a while, Zacchaeus noticed a faint light in the distance beyond Sasabo that intensified as they continued.
“That light ahead is the Smiting Chamber and Goldie’s quarters are connected. It won’t be long.”
Both Zacchaeus and the Needy had questions, but they only discussed among themselves as they followed Sasabo, assuming they would arrive to Goldie soon. And sure enough, they exited the stone tunnel and into a large stone chamber with a high rocky ceiling and torches on the walls that illuminated a large heptagon where two beings of obvious magic; one with a dazzling aspect and the other with a sparkling aspect; were attacking one another. The heptagon did not have walls and Sasabo warned Zacchaeus to be on alert for any projectiles that may fly from the fight. The heptagon was in a haze of what seemed to be a light blue mist. There was only one spectator to this fight and they stood above the heptagon in a tunnel that opened on one of the cavern walls.
“Can you fly?” Sasabo asked and pointed up at the spectator.
Zacchaeus began to levitate as he stared at the figure that was like a female version of Sasabo but taller and more lithe, generally more attactive. Her hair was light brown where Sasabo’s was dark brown, and when she smiled at Zacchaeus as he flew to the ledge where she stood, she showed her teeth that were golden where Sasabo’s were silver.
“I didn’t think you could actually do it,” Goldie said to Sasabo. Her teeth shined as she talked and reminded Zacchaeus of the grills that rappers wear. “You found Zacchaeus and the Needy and you brought them back here alive. I guess you’ll be using the heptagon to record your battle?”
“There is no need for that,” Sasabo said as he landed next to Goldie. He was sure to stand so that Goldie stood between him and Zacchaeus. “He will only stand for evaluation in the heptagon if Owuo will help him locate a deceased soul from his realm.”
“You promised him a favor from Owuo?” Goldie said and looked at Sasabo curiously. “How strong is this thing? You seem petrified.” She turned to Zaccaeus. “Owuo will be glad to meet you both, but to find a soul that is not from the Fonlands, or the other realm that the Fonlands overlap, is very difficult and you will have to do more than stand for evaluation in the heptagon. Owuo will want to see you fight. You are his favorite, afterall.”
“I don’t really understand what all this is,” Zacchaeus said. “How do y’all even know who I am?”
“You’re the best Smiting card is years,” Goldie said with a look on her face that conveyed her confusion at Zacchaeus’ ignorance. “How do you not know that you are in Xêvioso’s deck of Smiting? Did he not explain it to you?”
“The fuck is a deck of smiting?” Zacchaeus asked.
“You don’t even know what Smiting is?” Goldie asked. “Ok, then I guess he wouldn’t have explained. Well, Smiting is a card game based on the same game the Vodun play. They make cards based on beings they encounter, usually by engaging them in combat, and they use them to dominate a Smiting Grid. The game is popular among all Fonlanders, even beings of the other realm, though we play a modified version based on the Voduns’ cards that they make public. Xêvioso added you to his deck years ago and nothing that came before you, including Fonlanders, or since you, has been as strong as you are. And the best players who used your card have only recently challenged the most rare cards like Sasabo here, and that has caused an uproar. Sasabo’s card was the strongest, but since your introduction, there have been arguments about which would prevail in a standard Smiting tournament. It turns out, having Zacchaeus and the Needy has made players unstoppable in tournaments. Sasabo went looking for you to see if you could possibly be as strong as Xêvioso’s meta, and apparently you are because Sasabo is cowering quietly behind me instead of pumping his chest like he was when he left here. The heptagon there in the Smiting Chamber is designed to evaluate the actual being a card is based on to fine tune the stats that appear on Smiting cards, like attacks and strength score. If you stand for evaluation, I will bring Owuo here and you can speak with him about finding that dead soul you are looking for. But be prepared to do something for him in return. I think that about covers it.”
“Give me a minute,” Zacchaeus said and turned to face the Smiting Chamber as he and the Needy geeked out over their celebrity status in the Fonlands.
“We the shit!” Zacchaeus muttered to himself.
It seems that we are, the Needy said and Zacchaeus could feel the delight warm his body. And you worried that Xêvioso wouldn’t remember us the last time we were here. He admired us so much that now every Fonlander knows us. We belong here, Zacchaeus. And you will find Jordan. I wonder what you will do once you do find his soul.
“We bring him back, right?” Zacchaeus muttered sincerely. “We have to bring him back. Because we can, right? And Jordan was a good man. He didn’t deserve to die.”
I told you that I cannot resurrect the dead. Even if Owuo can find him, and I am certain that he can for reasons that I cannot articulate, we don’t know how to return him to life. Then there is the possibility that he will not want the life he had. Maybe death is better than life, even for someone such as him who died accidentally.
“Then if nothing else, I just want to dap him up one last time. Maybe ask him if he know somebody else can plug like him. Speaking of, we should talk to Goldie, see if they got something we can smoke when we run out of blunts. I ain’t have that much on me before we came here.”
How many do we have left?
“Maybe five…”
Just five?
“I know! I wonder how long we gone be here. We should just get started.” Zaccheus turned back to Goldie who smirked at him. Her taloned arms were crossed at her chest and they looked sharp and dangerous.
“I heard everything,” she said. “Owuo is on his way. You want to head down to the heptagon? We can do the evaluation now.”
“I’ll wait until Owuo get here,” Zacchaeus said, “see exactly what he can do for me. Tell me more about this card game. I’m pretty good with a card.”
“Black card generation, targeting and explosion,” Goldie said excitedly, “yes! I know! The card master, and you can turn anything into a deadly projectile. It’s the main reason you’re such a coveted card.”
You hear that? Zacchaeus thought to the Needy. You got impressive magic, but you gotta appreciate the skills.
Alright, the Needy said dismissively.
“Do you have a card?” Zacchaeus asked Goldie.
“I do,” Goldie nodded. “I’m proud of it. But it is a different version of me, the me I’ve been since I’ve been here overseeing the Smiting Chamber. You wouldn’t recognize me. I am resplendent under the sun, in the treetops, but my obsession with the game brought me here.”
“Why do you do it?”
“Someone has to witness or the Meta will be thrown off completely. Smiting is a fun pastime, it brings joy, but it means much more than that to some of us. Smiting is a shared experience across many worlds and I am proud to be part of it. You are the first card from your world, and I hope that you are the first of many, and that beings of your world will join us in this game.”
Zacchaeus could feel Goldie’s sincerity and he really liked her teeth.
“How much longer until Owuo?” Zacchaeus asked. “If the evaluation doesn’t take too long, I’ll fly down while we waiting.”
Goldie smiled and after they waited a few more minutes, Zacchaues flew down to the heptagon while Goldie and Sasabo stood on the ledge. The fighters had finished and left the chamber and the heptagon was clear of the blue mist. Goldie instructed Zacchaeus to stand in the middle and then she lifted her hands and began to chant words that Zacchaeus didn’t understand. The light blue mist that was made of orbs of light blue, like bubbles, returned and rose from the stone floor. Zacchaeus noticed that each bubble contained a dark blue point of light in the center. The orbs surrounded him and he could feel something off of them, like static electricity, as they moved all around his body, over and under his clothes and underwear. After a few minutes, the orbs began to subside.
“The evaluation is done!” Goldie shouted down to him. “Before you leave the heptagon, though, Owuo is here. He says that if you will allow us to use you to scan for other powerful beings from your realm, he can assure you that he will take you to the soul you seek. Owuo is powerful, Zacchaeus, I will not cast doubt on that, but I can’t assure you that he can accomplish this feat, and I have never used the heptagon to do what he is asking. I will do my best to make it work so that you can do what you came here to do, but I’m worried for you to be frank.”
“Thank you for your frankness, Goldie,” a voice that Zacchaeus rightly assumed was Owuo yelled down at him. “Hello Zacchaeus and the Needy! We will meet properly once Goldie does what she has been asked.”
“Zacchaeus,” Goldie said, seemingly ignoring Owuo, “this is your call. I don’t know any other way to find your friend, but again, I have never done something like this before and if it goes south, I don’t want you mad at me.”
I think we will be fine, the Needy said. They have consistently underestimated us. I’m sure there is nothing to worry about.
“Go ahead, Goldie,” Zaccheaus shouted. “Owuo, know that I am a friend of Goldie. I am just using you to find someone, I won’t care about you at all once that is done.”
“Feisty boy,” Owuo said with a laugh. “You heard him, Goldie. Do it.”
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