Gods' Games We Play (神は遊戯に飢えている。)

Huh. You see that, right?

Impossible!

That glacier formed in the Ice Age!

Go contact the Arcane Court!

-Hurry! -Yes, sir!

Well, this is embarrassing.

Gotta be like, what, a thousand years?

No way.

Can't really call that a nap.

- -

What in the... Who are you?

Little old me.

I'm a well rested former God.

But hey, who cares about that, am I right?

Let's play a game.

But first, I'm gonna need you to bring me

this era's very best player.

Welcome to another

sweltering competition, folks!

This is the gods' games!

And which god is challenging humanity, you ask?

Well, today it's three!

That's two more than ever before!

So, drop everything and join the rest of the world

as we sit back and watch this live stream of humanity's

first three way challenge!

Hey, you wanna come watch the stream with us?

Sure, that sounds awesome.

Yeah, I'm so excited!

Huh.

Six months and nothing's changed.

Huh.

Three games at once?

Who thought that was a good idea?

The apostles are dodging every attack!

Some excellent moves are on display,

but will they be enough to close the gap?

- - Uh-oh!

Looks like Team C stumbled their way into a trap!

And it seems like fancy footwork

won't be enough to trip up a salamander.

And that's game!

Hang on, guys. I'll be back out there soon.

Promise.

Hey, isn't that Fay?

-Are you sure that's him? -Huh.

Fay's here? Where?

Wait, Fay? The Fay?

Huh. Hey, look!

What? Oh, it's Fay.

In the flesh.

Well, look who it is, Mr. Gone Six Months.

Say, have you lost some weight?

Yeah, a little.

Because someone gave me a bogus tip.

Hey, it isn't my fault

you spent all this time looking for the wrong girl.

You chose to do that all on your own.

Really?

You said that you'd found someone who looked like her.

Exactly like her.

So, why would you think that?

I told you I'm looking for a redhead.

Yes, the woman who taught you

to play games as a child, right?

Well, I never said I found her, just that I'd heard rumors.

But that's in the past.

Right now, I need to speak with you.

Up on seventeen.

What's this all about?

Well, what do you think?

We're gonna have a little chat

about the game between humanity and the Gods'.

There's also somebody here I'd like you to meet.

She'd asked to have the very best player

from this era brought to her.

And you'd be the one who fits that description.

So, who is she?

She's a god.

A year ago, a young girl

claiming to be a god was dug out of some permafrost

in the Great Northern Coldwave Zone.

Oh, yeah, I remember hearing she was being brought here.

And we're the closest court to the dig site, right?

You left right before her arrival.

She's a bit odd.

Said she got trapped there

because of a game of hide and seek.

Apparently, she was hiding on the sea floor.

But then, she fell asleep, and the Ice Age happened.

So, a little shut eye turned into a 3000 year cold nap.

Yeah, that sounds more like a frozen coma.

Oh, and she's a god with two avatars.

Apparently she has an avatar of dragon and flame.

And while she describes herself

as a former god whose powers have declined,

she's still a force to be reckoned with.

What's that mean?

It means don't make her angry.

If she wanted, she could wipe this city off the map.

Burn it all to ash.

If she's so dangerous, then why is she here?

Why take her in the first place?

Well, we didn't think she'd be

that potentially deadly at first.

But she's here now, and we want you

to watch over her for the foreseeable future.

Say what?

Are you seriously asking me to spy on a god for you?

The superior beings known as gods

descended to earth ages ago,

and we lowly humans still don't know why.

At the very least, I'd like to know why this one's here.

Problem is, we can't let her catch on to what we're doing.

Yeah, that wouldn't end well.

Mm-hmm.

You are the only one who can do this job.

Just you. You know why that is?

It's because I can't die, right?

Yes. The power of the gods is just too great

for a normal person to survive.

But since your Arise grants you immortality,

you won't have to worry about that.

- -

Plus she asked for you, so you can't say no.

Hm.

Lastly, you're going to have to put on

a little bit of a show for her.

But don't worry, you won't be going in alone.

Wow, with so many games, this god must be a fanatic.

Four and six.

Whoa, how did you do that?

It's super easy.

First, have the numbers you want face down.

Then, you simply throw the dice,

but gently enough to where they can only do a half turn.

Oh, Miranda, what's up?

Huh.

Is that him?

The human I've been inquiring about?

One and the same.

Allow me to present to you this era's very best player.

He debuted last year,

but he already has an impressive

three gods' games victories under his belt.

His name is Fay,

and he'll be your supervisor as of now.

Fay, say hello to Lady Leoleshea,

the former god.

Is that... No way?

Hey, Fay. Hello?

-Sorry. -Human?

Something wrong?

Hm.

Well, I do have work to get back to.

Why don't you take this time to get to know each other?

And Fay, don't mess this up.

I'm counting on you.

Sure, no pressure.

- -It's nice to meet you.

Huh.

- -

Let's just get to it, shall we?

You and I are going to play a game right now.

Huh?

Don't you think we should introduce ourselves first?

I mean, I'll be your supervisor.

We should get to know each other.

Well, that's the whole point of the game we're about to play.

Okay, this isn't a gods' game.

Or maybe it is.

Nah, it can't be. We're not in Elements.

Hm. You good?

Yeah, I'm fine.

Hm. Name? Age? Hometown?

Hobbies? And dreams?

I whip this up out of boredom.

It's a little game I call Self-intro Memory.

Well, that's a bit on the nose, don't you think?

The rules are the same as they are in regular memory.

But instead of numbers,

we'll be matching the subject or theme

for the other player's introduction.

Hm.

Like this. If I match the cards that say hometown,

that means you need to tell me about your hometown.

But if I don't get a match, you don't need to say anything.

Simple enough.

And we both have to be honest with all of our answers, okay?