Around the World

Rutile slid open the wide, flat wooden box. All the pieces of the game—the painted board, the handwritten playing cards, the numbered tokens, and the wooden pegs—were all there, still in the same compartments that Rutile had left them. Oh, wait, no, there was a misplaced token. Rutile smiled to himself as he moved it to its correct spot. The students must've been playing the game back in the South, even in his absence. The board game wasn't something Rutile had thought to bring with him when he moved into the manor, but on his last trip to the Town of Clouds, he'd picked it up to bring to Riquet's lessons.

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They had everything they needed to play the game. Except, well, players. Himself, Riquet, and Mitile would be enough, but… In ordinary classroom circumstances, they'd usually play this game with four or five people.

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But that was an easy problem to solve here in the manor! Rutile just needed to invite some other wizards to class for the day to play, too. And, upon hearing the muffled conversation heading down the hallway outside his room, Rutile knew just who to ask.

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He popped open his door and saw just who he expected to. "Chloe, Heathcliff!"

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Chloe jumped—he'd been absorbed in telling something to Heathcliff—but grinned as soon as he realized it was just Rutile. "You surprised me! I was just taking Heath to see a design I've been working on. It's got some intricate parts that I think he's the perfect person to help with. Want to come?"

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"Absolutely!" Rutile agreed. He stepped out of the room, the game box still in his hands. "I wanted to ask a quick favor of both of you first, though. I was going to play this game with Riquet, but I need more people—would you two be willing to join us tomorrow?"

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The other two looked down at the game box. Heathcliff muttered the game's title as he read the cover. "Around the World…"

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"It's a board game about traveling!" Rutile explained. "Since it's about going to different places, I thought it would be fun to play it with people from other countries. Otherwise it would just be Mitile and me."

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"That sounds fun!" Chloe agreed. "I'm in!"

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Heathcliff nodded. "It's been a while since I played a game like this. I'll join, too."

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Perfect!

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"Playing a game rather than having a lesson feels frivolous," Riquet said.

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"The game is the lesson," Mitile assured him. "We did this all the time during school in the South!"

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"That's right," Rutile agreed, placing the game box in the center of a library table. Everyone took their seats around it. "You have to be able to read well and do math to play the game! Plus, this game is made to teach you geography as you play." He pulled the lid off the box.

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Riquet looked intently at the game pieces. "I'll play very seriously, then, since it's a lesson."

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"You don't need to play that seriously…" Mitile assured. "You can still have fun."

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But before they could set everything up, they heard a thud on the library roof.

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That wasn't completely unusual in the manor, and after a second's pause, they all ignored it.

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Then it happened again, louder. And before they could ignore that—

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KRAKOW!

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Thunder roared as lightning struck the roof, pieces of it crumbling and falling into the library. Mithra, flat on his back and clutching his crystal skull, crashed down onto the pile of rubble. Behind him, Oz floated down through the hole he'd created, electricity still crackling in the air around him.

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Well now! This wasn't a very pleasant interruption! Rutile ran over to Mithra's side to check on him. "Mr. Mithra, are you alright? Jeez! Were you fighting with Oz again?"

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Mithra tried to shake Rutile off, but even for him, being struck directly by Oz's lightning was painful. He groaned in equal parts exertion and annoyance.

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"Oz!" Riquet called. "Breaking the ceiling when someone's in the library is very rude!" He marched over to the hole in the building, crossing his arms. "Please at least look in the windows first to make sure you don't hurt anyone."

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"...No one was hurt," Oz pointed out.

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Well, aside from Mithra, but he was getting better by the second. He shook the dust and rubble out of his hair. 

Riquet grumbled. "It still interrupted our lesson."

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Oz sighed, and lifted his staff into the air. The broken chunks of the manor floated into the air, dumping Mithra to the ground and then fitting themselves back into the wall. He didn't say anything as he disappeared from the room.

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"He must be embarrassed," Riquet insisted. 

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Rutile wasn't so sure about that, but it didn't really matter.

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Heathcliff, still seated at the table, sagged. "I can't believe I'm getting used to this kind of thing."

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"It sure makes daily life exciting!" Chloe said. "But I wouldn't mind if it was exciting in a less dangerous way…"

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Mithra was sitting up straight now. He managed to stand, but not without effort. "If you'll excuse me," he said as he opened a door in space. "I'm going to get Oz back for that strike."

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"Already!?" Rutile grabbed Mithra's wrist. "Your clothes are still completely burnt from the lightning! Really, what do you think you're going to do to him in this state?"

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"The state of my clothes matters very little to my magic ability," Mithra replied.

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That wasn't really what Rutile was worried about… He didn't want Mithra fighting Oz at all. "Still…" What could he say to convince Mithra not to? Maybe he could distract him? "Oh! Why don't you sit for just a while and play this game with us?" He looked back at the others, hoping they'd back him up.

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Chloe smiled and nodded; Heathcliff looked unsure, but still nodded, too. Riquet and Mitile looked even less sure.

Rutile tried to convince them. "Around the World is about going to every country, so wouldn't it be fun to play with people from every country? We were only missing a Northerner, but now Mithra's here! Isn't that perfect?"

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"Is Mr. Mithra really the type to play board games…?" Mitile wondered.

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"I don't believe I agreed to play."

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Riquet agreed with Mithra. "If we wanted someone from the North, we should've asked Oz when he was here. He's much older, and I believe he would benefit from your lessons."

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"What?" Mithra prickled at the mention of Oz's name. "I'm much better than him. He rarely even left his tower. If you want someone who knows about the North, I'm a much better choice."

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"Oh! So you'll play with us, then?" Rutile smiled. Riquet's unintentional reverse psychology had done the trick!

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"I'll show that I'm much more skilled than Oz could be." Mithra magic'd his clothes back in order with a wave of his hand and sat down at the table.

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Great! Six was the highest number of players they had the pieces for. With everyone once again seated around the board, Rutile started setting it up to play.

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He placed the board in the center of the table. "Here we go! So: like I mentioned, Around the World is a game about going to different countries." The game board was a painted map of the continent, with a path of colored squares winding through all of them. "Everyone gets a player piece." He motioned to a pile of wooden pegs. "You start here, in the Town of Clouds. Every turn, you roll a die and move that number of spaces. Based on the color of the square you land on, you draw a card!" He placed five piles of colored cards around the edges of the board, one for each country. "That card tells you where you visited or what you did in the country you're in. You might also make friends! That's what the counters are for." He showed everyone the thin wooden pucks with numbers written on them. "The player who has the most friends when they round the map and make it back to town wins!"

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"That's very Southern," Heathcliff noted with a chuckle.

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"Of course!" Rutile agreed. "It's a competitive game, so you wouldn't want students competing about things that might teach them the wrong lesson. But making friends is great no matter how many you have."

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Chloe, though, was entranced by the game board. "This map is just the sweetest! I love all the little drawings of towns and animals! Did you buy this somewhere, or…?"

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"Oh, I made it," Rutile said. "It was a gift for my dad, back when he was the teacher."

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Chloe and Heathcliff both paused. Heathcliff said, "Is it really okay for us to just be playing it normally…?"

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"Please don't worry," Rutile assured him. "It was made to be played!"

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"So, did you come up with the whole game yourself, then?" Chloe asked.

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Rutile shook his head. "My dad designed the game! He wrote all the cards, too. We used to play the game on a big old atlas, with spare change to keep score… But it wasn't always easy for the youngest students to keep track of the maps, so I put together the pieces to make it easier to play. Heh, looking at some of these paintings now is a little embarrassing!"

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"They're… certainly not your usual style," Heathcliff said.

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"I've grown a lot as an artist since then!"

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Mithra, rather than looking at the board with everyone else, was looking at the cards. "Your father traveled?"

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"Oh, no, not really," Rutile said. "But he read about all sorts of places! So the cards are based on things he learned from books, mostly."

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"Oh." Mithra's expression was unreadable.

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"Well!" Rutile said. "That's enough talking about the game. It's sentimental for me for sure, but it's even more fun to play it! Does everyone understand the rules?"

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Everyone nodded. Rutile handed out the player pieces—small wooden pegs differentiated by the different flowers painted on their tops. 

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"Usually," Rutile said, "play starts with the youngest player, and goes clockwise around the table. Mitile, do you want to go first?" That was for the best, since Mitile had played the game before. Rutile wasn't worried, but… he wasn't completely sure Mithra would get the idea of a board game. This order conveniently had him going last.

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Mitile rolled the die, moved his player, and grabbed a green card for the Southern country space he'd landed on. He read it aloud. "You pick fruit with the settlers in the Swamp of Pestilence. Gain one friend." Rutile handed him a token with a one on it.

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Riquet was next. He read his card aloud with only a little trouble. "You explore a new area of the Rheita Mountains and find a rare medicinal herb. …But I didn't gain a friend?"

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Mitile answered, "Sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. But there are also cards that let you get lots of friends, so you can catch up!"

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Riquet nodded seriously. "I shall pray for good luck with my cards."

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Chloe and Heathcliff both took their turns, both of them collecting friends. After Heathcliff had finished his turn, he said, "Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like this game doesn't take a whole lot of… skill. Is it mostly luck?"

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"Weeell…" Rutile shrugged. "There are some cards where you have to make a choice between gaining a friend immediately or losing a turn and gaining more later, but mostly, you're right. Classes in the school in the Town of Clouds usually have a mix of ages, and games of chance keep it fair between the younger and older kids." He'd really only been thinking of Riquet when he brought this particular game. "We can play something with a little more skill involved another time!"

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Heathcliff nodded. "It's still a very nice game."

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Rutile took his turn, and then it was Mithra's. He rolled the dice—good. He moved the right number of spaces—great. He drew his card, aaand… "You help build a new community hall at Lake Russell. Gain five friends." He looked at Rutile. "I don't believe I'd do this. Why would I help build anything?"

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And he'd been doing so well, too… 

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"Aw, Mr. Mithra, I'm sure you'd help if Mitile and I asked you nicely!" Rutile said. "Lake Russell is where Figaro's clinic is, too! Wouldn't you want to help him?"

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Mithra grimaced. "No."

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Okay, okay. Mithra wasn't the type to actually help anyone build anything. "But look." Rutile pointed at the second sentence on the card. "You gain so many friends!"

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"Why would I want friends?"

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"That's how you win the game," Rutile reminded him. "Only the coolest people can make the most friends, you know."

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Mithra stared at the card. Then he tossed it on the table. "Well, then, naturally, I assist. Building things is a trivial task for a wizard as powerful as I. I'm certain I'll have many more friends than all of you by the end of this game." He crossed his arms and added nonchalantly, "I'm very friendly, after all."

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Rutile nodded. He was just happy Mithra was playing the game right, honestly.

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Mitile wasn't about to let Mithra's comments slide, though. "I don't think you're really that friendly, Mr. Mithra… I don't usually see you with anyone."

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"Was I not with Oz when I arrived here?"

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"You were fighting," Mitile reminded him. 

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Before Mithra could retort, Chloe said, "I think Mithra's pretty friendly! He's always having tea parties with Owen and Bradley."

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But Riquet pointed out, "Their last tea party ended with them destroying the parlor as they attacked each other. Oz had to put it back together."

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"Um…" Heathcliff spoke up. "I do see Mithra and Mr. Faust talking together occasionally, and I don't think they destroy anything…"

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"Precisely," Mithra said. "Faust and I talk at length about curses and malediction. We're very good friends."

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"That's wonderful!" Rutile said. "If you see the value in having friends, then I'm sure you'll do well at the game."

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With that, they moved along. The cards for the South involved things like helping with harvests, caring for animals, and exploring new areas. Chloe was especially tickled by the card he drew—"You help the town wizard gather components for a healing spell from Tycho Lake." He chuckled softly. "That's so sweet. I love that there's even cards about helping wizards!"

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With Mitile's next turn, he moved into Central Country. "You spend the day studying at the royal library in Granvelle Castle. Next time you gain friends, gain twice as many." He smiled. "It's different playing this again when I've actually been to these places. Now I know how big the royal library really is…"

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"That's true!" Rutile said. "I never would've dreamed it had so many books! That library is bigger than most houses in the South."

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While they talked, Riquet had already taken his turn. "You help a knight catch a criminal in the City of Glory. Gain one friend. As it should be." He nodded seriously. "Justice is just the thing to make friends."

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"The City of Glory…" Heathcliff mused. "That's where Cain's from. It's sort of like the card is about him."

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Chloe nodded. "They are known for their knights, after all!"

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Other cards they drew as they traveled included activities like navigating cities, shopping at markets, and meeting royalty. Students in the South always loved this part of the game—they always talked about the cities they wanted to visit, the things they wanted to see, the people they wanted to meet. Many of them would go on to move to Central Country once they graduated. Not a lot of Southerners had much ambition, but those that did usually followed it by heading to Central.

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As they moved through the board, they continued on to the West. There, the cards were about things like learning about industry, or trying magical technology, or watching performances. The only thing was, well…

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"You help a wizard and a human get along by throwing a party for all of their friends. Gain five friends," Chloe read. He let out a small, awkward laugh. "I sure wish it was that easy for humans and wizards to get along! I guess it's hard not to get along at a party together, though, so maybe it would work for a little while."

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"A lot of these cards are a bit optimistic, aren't they," Heathcliff noted. 

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Rutile laughed, a bit embarrassed. "I'll admit that I was kind of surprised when I went to the West for the first time and it was… not quite so kind. I guess it's more of a Southerner's view of the West than an accurate picture."

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Mitile sighed. "The actual West is kind of scary, sometimes…"

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Mithra waved his hand dismissively. "Why does it matter whether we get along with humans? Just do what you like."

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"That's why humans don't like wizards like you," Mitile said.

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"I'm curious what it'll be like when we get to the East," Heathcliff said as he took his turn. When he saw his card, he held back a laugh. He read it aloud. "You help the great philosopher Murr with his star-mapping at the Observatory of the Undeveloped Lands. Gain one friend." 

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"Oh!" Chloe exclaimed. "Murr's in the game! Now you're friends with Murr, Heath!"

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"I guess I am," Heathcliff agreed. "I think I'm more interested in the telescope itself than the stars, though."

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"Maybe that's how you helped him?" Rutile said. "You helped him upgrade the telescope!"

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"I wonder if he'd let me."

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"You should ask sometime!" Rutile laughed. "That's one card that we could make come true, at least!"

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The path on the game board continued into the North. Rutile was excited to see how Mithra would react to the cards, but…

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"You help the villagers in the Town of Ice make salted meat for the winter," Rutile read. "Mithra, did you ever do anything like that?"

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"What? No, why would I?"

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"So that you've got lots of food over the winter…?"

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"If I'm hungry, I hunt something. Why would I use salt?"

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Okay, so Mithra didn't bother with preparing for winter. "I guess you're too strong to have to worry about it… Never mind!"

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Mithra's own card read, "You spend the day learning from the ancient wizards in the Forest of Ice." Mithra glared at the card. "What could they possibly teach me?"

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"Oh, the Forest of Ice!" Chloe recognized it. "We went there together for the Banquet to the Lost. Wouldn't the ancient wizards there be Snow and White, then?"

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"Precisely," Mithra said.

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Riquet pointed out, "Aren't they the teachers of the Northern wizards? Don't they already teach you, Mithra?"

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"They do nothing of the sort." He huffed. "They merely harass me each day and summon Oz whenever they need to enforce their whims."

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Rutile wanted to object—Snow and White were so kind!—but he wasn't sure Mithra was actually wrong this time. Snow and White did do that to him.

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Mitile took his turn. "You collect pearls at the Lake of Death. Mr. Mithra, you have to know about this one, though, right?"

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"Ah, yes. They have limited use in sorcery. The meat of the oysters in the lake is good, though, so I often collect the pearls incidentally."

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"Uh… wait," Chloe said, "You don't mean the sea-star oysters, do you? With the blue pearls?"

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"Those are the ones," Mithra said.

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Chloe blinked in disbelief. "The sage showed me one, once, that Bradley gave them, asking me to help make it into jewelry… They're incredibly valuable! How many do you have, Mithra?"

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Mithra shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I've been collecting them for years now, so… perhaps a few hundred. They're with my things in the Land of the Dead."

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"Wow," Rutile said. "Mr. Mithra, that makes you rich!"

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"…And?"

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Uh… Right, Mithra didn't really care about stuff that mattered to human society. "Well… I'm certainly not going to buy things at the market for you as often, then."

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They moved through the North, and then down to the East. 

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"You learn from the craftsmen in Blanchett Town," Riquet read. "There's a town? I've visited the Blanchett estate, but hadn't realized…"

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"There isn't," Heathcliff said. "It's just the estate. I guess you might assume it was a town if you read about it and weren't used to the way noble estates are run in the East."

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"Yup," Rutile said, "we haven't got anything like it in the South! Since we don't have nobility. But, oh my gosh, I'd forgotten that this card was here! I guess you're in the game, too, Heath!"

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He shook his head. "I'm not surprised your father would've read about my family. It's one of the oldest in the East."

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Chloe took his turn next. "You keep a wizard's identity secret in the City of Rain. Gain one friend. …I guess that answers your question about how the Eastern cards treat wizards, Heath."

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"I… I kind of like it," Heathcliff said. "I was a little worried the game would… gloss over things. But that sounds like what would really happen if a Southerner visited the East."

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Other cards as they traveled the East had things like exploring nature and learning about the local laws. The game board finished its loop after the Eastern country, landing back in the south. The players all gradually came to the finish line, back at the Town of Clouds. 

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"Okay!" Rutile announced. "Everyone count up your tokens, and let's see who made the most friends!"

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"I've got seven," Heathcliff said.

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"Eight for me!" Chloe said.

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Riquet carefully counted his. "I've made nine friends."

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"Eight for me, too," Mitile said.

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"And I've got nine," Rutile said. "I wonder if it'll be a tie? How many did you get, Mr. Mithra?"

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Mithra smugly pushed his tokens forward. "I've made eleven friends," he said. "Naturally."

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Rutile double checked Mithra's counters, and—wow! "You won, then, Mr. Mithra! Congratulations!"

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He confidently leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "Of course I did."

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Rutile looked at him and laughed. More importantly, though—"Did everyone have fun? Did you learn a lot, Riquet?"

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Riquet nodded. "I learned that Southerners have a very odd view of the rest of the world."

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Hm. Maybe this game taught a different lesson when you'd actually been to the places it talked about. Oh well, though—it was still fun! "I'll bring a different game next time."

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Heathcliff asked, "Oh, did your father make more games?"

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"All sorts! Maybe I'll bring one of the money management games next. That takes a little more skill."

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Mithra scoffed. "Why bother? I'll surely win that as well."

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"Mr. Mithra…" Mitile said, "You don't really know what money is, though."

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"That sounds fun!" Chloe said. "I'm pretty good at that sort of thing, since I helped Rustica with that between trips to the bank!"

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Heathcliff hummed affirmatively. "If you bring another game, Rutile, I'll gladly play again."

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"This was a rather fun lesson," Riquet said. "Perhaps it wasn't so frivolous after all."

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Rutile couldn't have been happier.