Chapter 1: Viggo Thanatos

Deep in the woods, the General traveled slowly, knowing exactly where he was going. It had been years since he had seen the man he was looking for. But he needed his help.

The General eventually reached a massive campsite deep in the Northern Region of Jasper Park. The tents stretched for as far as he could see, peeking out through even the most distant of trees. People were walking about, minding their own business as the General casually strolled through the camp toward a massive tent made entirely of lobo pelts.

The tent was made of many different lobo pelts of many different colors. Grey, tan, brown, even a few red ones. On all sides, the tent was covered in pelts. The General pushed aside one of the flaps and ducked his head slightly as he walked inside.

Inside, he saw one mesa on each side of the tent, both with papers and maps on them. In the back of the tent, was a large mesa with a chess board set up on it. All the pieces were set up as if in the middle of a game, however, one knight was missing, and was being held in the hand of the mysterious man sitting at the desk.

Behind the man, was a simple wooden frame, made of only a few beams, stretching close to the tuktok of the tent. Hanging from this frame were two lobo skins, one on each side with a puwang for one madami in the middle.

The man sitting at the mesa looked to be in his early sixties, but still looked fit and strong for his age. He seemed to have the body of a forty-year-old at least. He had short, dark grey hair and also sported a short, dark grey beard on his chin. He had brown eyes and a claw mark scar on the left side of his face with one of the scars going across his miraculously undamaged eye, and another claw mark scar running across the right side of his neck. He wore a vest made entirely of lobo balahibo and a black T-shirt underneath. The vest slightly bulged out from his sides due to the various knives he kept in its many pockets.

On his forearms, he wore leather arm bracers that were also covered in lobo fur. On his back, was a sword. The sheath it was carried in was small, only covering the tuktok half of the sword and was in the shape of a lobo head. The sheath was held in place sa pamamagitan ng a strap of leather running diagonally over his shoulder and across his chest. Around his waist, was a sinturon to which a simple pistol was strapped.

The man didn’t look up when the General entered but continued looking at the chess piece he was holding in his hand, although it was clear he was aware of the General’s presence. Then the man spoke.

“They say there are two ways to be fooled,” he said. “One is to believe what isn’t true. The other is to refuse to believe what is.”

He looked over at the General, who stood in silence, listening to the man talk.

“Chess,” the man continued, standing up from his chair and walking around the mesa toward one of the lamps hanging from the tuktok of the tent.

“I began playing with my grandfather when I was just a boy. I could never understand how he bested me time and time again. For years, I believed his skill transcended mine. I believed what wasn’t true. But you see, in chess, as in life, the line between good and evil is often unclear.”

He tapped the chess piece against the lamp, causing it to ugoy back and forth. He then held the piece in front of the swinging lamp and continued to speak as the light moved back and forth across the piece, from one side to the other.

“Black and white can become grey so easily. What one soul considers evil, another may consider righteous.”

The man returned to his mesa and after placing the piece back on the board, he knocked it over with another.

“The one who fails to see this is found to be the fool.”

He finally acknowledged the General and walked over to him.

“Hello, old friend,” the man sinabi as the two embraced each other in a friendly hug.

The man then looked at his friend’s face.

“You look stressed, Robert,” he said.

“The Crimson Pack has failed to capture the red wolf, Viggo,” Robert replied, “and they’ve faced stiff opposition from-“

“The Western Pack, I know,” Viggo said, sounding a bit irritated. “Did I not warn you about them? I assumed you would warn the Crimson Pack of them as well, but I guess I assumed wrong.”

The two stood in silence as Robert waited for Viggo to say something more.

“Well?” Viggo asked.

“Well, what?”

“Well I imagine you didn’t come all the way out here because you just wanted to have a friendly chat,” Viggo said. “You need my help, don’t you?”

“Fine,” Robert said. “Yes, I do need your help.”

“Alright then,” Viggo continued. “I will give you the chance to redeem yourself and prove to me you can handle this. Now, what’s your plan to take out the Western Pack.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Robert replied, smiling.