The League of Nine. Well, Actually Only Eight

“When you don’t have a plan, you’re frozen, and when you’re frozen, you’re useless,” Bob said.

“Well, I don’t have a plan, does that make me useless?” There are times when Bob’s words of wisdom are plum annoying.

“If the robe fits, wear it.”

“Can you use normal words like yes or no?”

“Having the ability and having the desire are two different things.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Bob means well, but I need more than wise sayings to thwart the traitors’ plans. I need a plan. Unfortunately, I’m horrible at planning. And if that weren’t bad enough, I also suck at asking for help. That’s why I came to Bob, but I still haven’t asked yet.

Bob sat with his legs crossed and his signature smile on full display. “Are you going to ask?”

You’d think I’d be used to his insightfulness by now, but he caught me off guard again. “What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The dignit can deny he’s a dignit, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s a dignit.”

“Is that supposed to mean you don’t believe me?”

He stared at me, smiling, "That's not what I meant."

“Fine,” I said. “I need you to plan a way to stop the evil gods.” Alora had suggested we call the traitors evil gods around the locals. “There. I said it. Are you happy now?”

“I was happy before you said it. And, yes, I will help. Actually, I hoped you would ask. The evil gods worry me, and I don’t worry easily.” He excused himself and went to his quarters to meditate.

So, I played the waiting game. What plan would Bob come up with? And how does he know so much? His insight is beyond spooky. It’s darn right scary. It’s almost like he really is a Shaman with spiritual powers. Or maybe, he’s just really observant and lucky. Who knows.

After a few hours, a priest gave me a summons to a secret meeting to discuss how to prevent the evil gods and the Elite Guard from obtaining the unknown object they were searching for.

When I arrived at the great hall, I saw that Alora, Tanbit, Drock, Grinfo, and three Knock-Woks whose names I didn’t know were already there.

I made my way to Alora and whispered, “Where’s Cleeber?”

“He’s over there in the corner, or at least that’s where he said he’d be.”

“Is he still wearing the chameleon suit?”

“Yeah, he won’t take it off. He’s afraid he’ll break their stupid law if the locals see him.”

Bob entered and motioned for me to come closer. “Where is the fourth god?” Bob asked.

“What fourth god?” I said. Trying to uphold Cleeber’s silly adherence to the letter of their law.

“The one whose presence I feel, but can’t see.”

How does he do that? There’s a lot more to Bob than I initially believed, but I refused to snitch on Cleeber. “Umm, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

Bob nodded with a smile, “Then let’s begin.” He looked around, counting everyone who showed. “I’ve called you all here to address the evil gods. I spent most of the day meditating, and during that time I saw nine figures: four Knock-Woks, one priest, and four gods. These nine are the only ones who can stop the evil gods and the Elite Guard.

I looked around and counted twice to make sure. Only eight people showed up for this meeting, not counting Cleeber and Bob. Is it possible Bob can see Cleeber even though he’s wearing a chameleon suit?

Drock asked, “There are only eight of us. Are you counting yourself?”

Bob glanced towards the corner where Cleeber stood. “No. I will not join you. I say nine because there will be nine before this mission is over.”

I’m actually getting goosebumps. Bob is really starting to freak me out.

Grinfo asked, “Could we have a cool name, like the Fine Nine, or god hunters? You know, like in the legends?”

“Yes, you should have a name, but not silly ones like you suggested. How about the League of Nine?”

It had a certain ring to it. I mean, it’s kinda like a fellowship I've read about in ancient fantasy books, only less ethereal, and much more industrial. The eight of us agreed and chose to overlook the fact that the League of Nine only had eight.

“Now that you have a name, you need a quest," Bob continued, "While meditating, I also saw a grain field, and hidden among the grain, a strange object the size of a house. I don’t know what the object is, but the evil gods are looking for it. Your quest is to find it before they do.”

Cleeber let out a cry of shock. We all stared at the empty corner.

“Did someone let out a cry of shock?” Drock asked.

“I didn’t hear anything,” I said.

“Yes, there was definitely a cry of shock coming from that corner,” Grinfo pointed.

Alora, who is much better than I am at quick thinking, said, “Sorry, that was me. I’m just so excited to mop the floor with Targon again, I got a little carried away.”

“So, how did your cry come from that corner?” Grinfo asked.

“That’s a good question, and I have a good answer, but first, let’s let Bob finish.”

That seemed to be enough. Everyone returned their attention to Bob.

Bob went on, detailing his plan, but my mind couldn’t leave the house-sized object. As soon as he mentioned the grain field, I knew what the traitors wanted. My ship! It explains the dylanium and why they need a large army. A ship using a chameleon shield is hard to find. You have to walk right through the shield to see it.

I could see Alora and Tanbit figured it out as well, but Grinfo, Drock, and the Knock-Woks were as clueless as the blonde in a dumb blonde joke. How are we going to explain a ship to them? Will Cleeber allow us to even look for it? I'm guessing that revealing a ship to the locals breaks their laws. This whole thing just got super complicated.