Yellow Deacons; Black Bishops

The Bishop Training Ground, formally known as the 'Yellow Deacons', is where the Pharaoh's 'Sarcophagus' was sent from the 'Pharaoh's Labyrinth' to do his bidding as his 'Instrument'. Bearing part of his 'Soul', it was animate with his 'Spirit', and it was bid further directly by the 'Will' of the 'Pharaoh'.

On it was plastered the image of the Pharaoh as well as intricate decals and electric-looking designs, like lightning. "Yellow Deacons," bellowed the Sarcophagus, which floated in the midst of the Yellow Deacons' hall, "Report To The Court. It Is Time To Be Instructed On The Ways Of The 'Black Bishop'."

Shortly after the sarcophagus spoke, seemingly literally out of nowhere, a group of Instruments appeared in a bolt of lightning, each one having been transported from the Dream, seeming to have completed some prior purpose there and now being used for a new one in this new location. Though they were confused about their sudden transition, as Instruments that were also being commanded by the Lightning God, they were very much receptive of such occurrences and also what they were to do next.

Thus, they all regained their bearings quickly when they beheld the floating sarcophagus, and were compelled to obey it as if it was the Lightning God that previously commanded them.

From seemingly out of nowhere in a bolt of lightning, similarly to the Instruments, was a large feline creature bearing majestic angelic wings and a beautiful feminine face.

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Since the Sphinx should have entered the same area that Pharaoh just exited yet again, instead of moving into that same room's space, she would instead be transported into a different location, which was where the Yellow Deacons, the task force commanded by Kairo, would be meeting at. The Sphinx would continue her purpose as per protocol, however this time, she would be moving in a different way because she would be moving from the Yellow Deacons' location. This would alter the algorithm, but not the program itself, nor the commands that the Sphinx carried out absolutely.

She remained poised in place, as if awaiting something to occur, and did not move at all after her appearance. Her stoic eyes belied great mystery.

With the gathering of the Instruments which were going to serve the purpose as the Black Bishops of the Yellow Deacons, the sarcophagus of the Pharaoh Kairo would continue to speak, the power of its Voice seeming to have the same capabilities as he himself. "You Yellow Deacons Are Selected To Become The Covert Undercover Group That Works Behind The White Bishops, Dealing Specifically With 'Indirect' Combat, As Opposed To 'Support', Which Is What The White Bishops Tend To Focus On, As Is The Basis Of Their Concept." The Yellow Deacons hadn't been mobile in a while, and actually, neither had any of the other Color Factions. For a long while, they'd been given instructions among each of their Leaders that would help them better understand their purposes as well as the overall purpose of the respective Color Factions.

Now, it was time to put all of that time, and the time that it continued to take up, as the education never stopped, to proper use.

"This Sphinx Is Scheduled To Lock Down The Pharaoh's Labyrinth Outside Of This Space Very Soon, And As A Means Of Practice, You Are To Maneuver Through The Pharaoh's Labyrinth And Avoid Both The Sphinx And The Locked Rooms. Essentially, To Use 'Indirect' Manners To Deter The Sphinx And Find Your Way Through The Ever-Locking Maze." The sarcophagus turned to meet the eye of the Sphinx, whose once mysterious and pondering eyes suddenly became red and decisive, as if having come to a conclusion, or perhaps being initiated in some way. "The Goal Is For You To Use What You Have Learned In Order To Reach Me At The Top Of The Dragon Temple; Tower Of Manna, As Well As Learn New Information Hidden Within The Tower Of Manna As You Do." It floated out of the way of a passage that appeared before the Yellow Deacon Instruments, which led out into a very dark corridor.

The Instruments that were now being tried as Black Bishops for the Yellow Deacons after previously being Conjurers in the Dream World entered the revealed passageway, only to immediately stumble upon a set of instructions on the wall accompanied by a picture, something like hieroglyphics with a description. It showed the procedure for the Black Bishop technique known as the 'Silent Needle', which primarily revolved around infiltration.

None of them expected to have much time before the Sphinx was after them, so they took only as much time as they needed to study it and then get a move on into the depths of the Pharaoh's Labyrinth.

As predicted, the Sphinx began to move shortly after the Black Bishops were released from the Yellow Deacon room of the Dragon Temple. They had a relative headstart, yes, but they would still be rather promptly pursued. The Sphinx exited the Yellow Deacon room behind them, her eyes gleaming red in the darkness. Though silently stalking them like a feline, there was a level of cryptic intelligence that was befitting of a human, and from the way she moved, it was becoming clearer that she did not intend to allow them to gain much momentum before she pounced on them.

Her paws, though large, were quiet; careful. Her eyes, though malicious, were focused; calculating. She wasn't moving on pure instinct, though it was apparent that there was much of such mixed in -- she was moving with all the tact of a human, which premeditates far in advance.

The Black Bishops picked up on the encroachment of the Sphinx, both with her physicality and her mentality. She was already looking to close them in, and they needed to think fast in order to escape. With what they were given as their first set of instructions after the primary, they needed to utilize the 'Silent Needle' tactic to their advantage here, since obviously, trying to face the Sphinx was out of the question.

They decided upon dividing themselves up, since that would make it harder for the one Sphinx to target them all, even if she managed to get one at a time. This would make openings for the others, giving them the opportunity to take action. The method they were supposed to utilize was 'Indirect', so it could only be inferred that a more direct approach would have adverse effects in this situation. They moved throughout the many corridors, seeking to lure the Sphinx to follow any one of them. From there, they would be able to quite possibly get the jump on her after seeing which of them she would follow, thus executing their first 'Indirect' maneuver for the 'Silent Needle' tactic.

It was only after the Black Bishops successfully fulfilled the requirements of completing a 'Silent Needle' tactic that the Pharaoh's Labyrinth reared up again, leaving them their next tactic to perform. Inscriptions for the execution of the technique appeared on the walls in the same superposition in each room, which would cause there to be a brief moment of synchronicity between each of them through the alignment of the space and time in different areas at the same time. They may each come to their own conclusions of how to complete the task, but as of the same moment, they would each be given the same information.

It may not have seemed like it at first, but the Sphinx was adapting as Pharaoh's Labyrinth was, and the Black Bishops may have thought of an advantage against the Sphinx as she was, but with the continual progressing through Pharaoh's Labyrinth, she became more powerful, as did her mysteries. She followed behind each of them, yet did not pass through the doors when they split up, only appearing wherever they were next located.

Though all this happened where they were, the original did not move from its spot. So, part of the mystery was trying to figure out why such was occurring, as well as that it was at all, since each of them should have believed that the Sphinx followed them, but have no knowledge about it not following the others. It was something of a Schroedinger's Cat application, but to more than just a box, and in its actual application.

Just, offhand.

As anticipated, each Black Bishop noticed the inscriptions relatively around the same time, gaining the wisdom of the next technique from them. Once they were done, however, each one noticed the Sphinx that was suddenly with them in the room. It was only natural to assume that all of them were panicked, and none thought to think about what sort of trouble their friends were in. They had to think wholly of their own escape, since each one believed that the Sphinx had chosen them to prey upon, and the others were safe.

Though this bred the image of unconcern, it also invertedly subconsciously let them know that the others should have been safe from the Sphinx, considering that it should have only been able to logically follow one of them, to their knowledge. This meant that they had to brave the situation and survive, holding off the Sphinx so that the others could escape.

Naturally, that mentality went on through them for a while, but some of them then had the thought that perhaps they could regroup, and though the Sphinx might chase them, the others should have still have advanced far enough after the Sphinx was fended off for so long. This inspired them to tact flight and search for the other comrades, calling out to them.

One would think that none of them were close enough to each other to hear, but the way that they spoke to each other was not something that was heard with the ears, but with the soul. The spiritual reception that came from the souls calling out with sincerity for another soul allowed the still preoccupied Instruments to pick up on the safety of their comrades, causing them to naturally wish to return to them. They also escaped the Sphinx, following where their souls took them until they regrouped, making logical deductions as they could regarding each other in order to find a common point without ever verbally communicating.

It was like reading someone else's mind with your own thoughts, tracing the steps of their mind inside yours, deducing their decisions until they came together, hopefully with them having deduced your decisions as well to end up at said rendezvous point. This, in turn, brought them to what they understood as the 'Harmonized Belief System', which seemed to have root with each of them believing something that synchronized with the beliefs of another -- in this case, said beliefs being of what the other would do.

They each told the other about the Sphinx, only to realize that all of them were attacked by the Sphinx, though it seemed like it was an impossibility. However, after rationally finding it possible that there was just more than one Sphinx, they became more eager to complete their mission, since splitting up would no longer be the best solution, but now, possibly much worse than before. They didn't know exactly what they needed to do next, and there were no signs telling them... Only darkness and ambiguity.

Where the Black Bishops congregated, the wall beside them slid upward, revealing a hidden path. Within the hidden path was a light lit upon the next instructions for them, seeming to be portrayed like some sort of monument that had been there an extremely long time. It could have been inferred that it hadn't, but no one would have actually known this or not, especially considering the last instructions literally inscribed themselves right before their eyes. There was no telling how actually old these new ones were.

Honestly, none of that mattered, as literally all of those things were pretty much irrelevant to their situation at hand, which was to follow the instructions until they got out. It was unclear how long it was going to take the Sphinx to catch up to them, but what was clear was that it wasn't going to take very long, and they needed to understand the next instructions quickly. They'd clearly succeeded in accomplishing the 'Harmonized Belief System' previously, which was the only way they could even receive the next instructions at all.

One common factor was, though, that each technique they practiced help them evade the Sphinx and think more indirectly, as was part of the practice of the Black Bishop.

The Sphinxes that were with each of them were not illusions -- they were actually there, though they were projections coming from the original, which drew them all back to her as she followed the shortest and simplest path to where they were, as she hadn't gotten lost nor been taken off course, or been held up for an extended period of time. Even if she didn't get up right away, -- which she didn't, because she patiently waited for the others to stop scurrying around and to regroup on their own, without her pursuing them and potentially disrupting them from congregating. So, she could only make a move once they completed what they were doing and were all together.

Some would consider that lucky, since rationally, it would have also been good to simply chase them with the projections and pick them off one by one all at once, but the Sphinx chose the route which would be the least of a hassle.

The time was short for the Instruments to look at the new instructions, as the Sphinx already entered the room, and drew her other projections to her, each of which could handle at least one of the Black Bishops at a time. That would occupy them all at once, leaving no room for them to react otherwise, and if they split apart or left one another, then the Sphinxes could overpower them by having two gang up on one. The legion of Sphinxes stared emotionlessly at the Black Bishops of the Yellow Deacons, their eyes glowing in the darkness like a cat's, yet with a mystical aesthetic to them.

This tablet troubled the Instruments. It didn't actually give them any instructions, but only a vague understanding of what the name implied -- almost like they improvise based on the given information, and not actually anything tangible.

Of course, this concept was difficult to grasp for anyone at first, but it started to make sense to them all because of how many variables became open to them. It was very ambiguous about how to go about it at the beginning, since the possibilities were so vast, but when simplified, it could be understood at a more basic value simply as to work with the unknowns of the situation and react based on those variables in unknown ways, thus preparing for anything within the protocol's reach. The Sphinxes didn't seem like they had an immediate tactic that they were using, which was very strange, considering the Black Bishops figured they should have had an upper hand for a number of reasons.

Yet, they did not make a direct attack, but looked like they were waiting for them.

The Black Bishops encouraged each other not to move, but to stay still, retaining the element of both surprise and ambiguity, so that the enemy could not read their next move, even if they all knew what it was going to be, with the possibility that it wouldn't connect with what someone else was doing. They would be able to tell by maintaining the air of mystery whether or not the Sphinxes were trying to read them and predict them.

The Black Bishops were catching on now, Pharaoh Kairo could tell, as the instructions were revealing themselves to the group more quickly than anticipated. The next set of instructions after they comprehended what to do with the previous appeared as an inscription on the ceiling, glowing with a luminous, mysterious light. It was dim enough to be legible, but bright enough to cut the darkness and be clear.

With the advantage that they had, this technique should have played right off of what advantage that they had, which they could use to assist themselves more greatly against the oncoming Sphinxes.

Encroaching slowly, the Sphinxes continued to assess their targets, making no sudden movements, as if anticipating what the Black Bishops would do next, like a cat waiting to pounce. Their eyes remained aglow in the dark room, keeping it ever clear where they were, but also still posing menace to them. In fact, the main Sphinx's eyes suddenly released a beam of energy from them, directly at one of the Black Bishops.

Shortly after, the other Sphinxes fired lasers from their eyes, just as the first, now releasing a flurry of beams all around the confined space. With such little room to maneuver, nowhere to hide, and so many beings crowded into one space, they would surely be hit rather quickly. And, if the Sphinxes needed to, they could attack physically after forcing the Black Bishops to move where they wanted by shooting laser eye beams at them. Clearly, they were more intelligent than they initially seemed.

One of the Black Bishops noticed the instructions revealed in the light on the ceiling, then got the attention of the others as the Sphinxes closed in. They discussed what this could mean, suggesting to each other that they utilize their Conjuration powers. Since they hadn't used any of those Conjuration abilities before, they still kept the element of surprise, as per the instructions of the previous message implied. They understood rather quickly what the next message meant, since it directly linked with the previous one's setup intent.

Just as the Sphinxes would attack, the Black Bishops used their Conjuration to create alternate versions of themselves out of their own energy in order to double their numbers, and thus outnumbering the Sphinxes. They also would seek to confuse them and their perception by having the original duplicate itself again as the first duplicate would go off to handle a Sphinx, since if it was destroyed in combat, the energy would just return to the Conjurer. By doing this over and over, they could increase their numbers, confuse the Sphinxes, and also land blows simultaneously, plus get better vantage points for each alternate version they conjured.

With the power of Conjuration also naturally came the ability to Banish as well, and with the now numerous Black Bishop Conjurers on the field, their powers combined could banish the Sphinxes and also give the originals a chance to escape into the next room undetected plus leave the original Sphinx occupied with the duplicates.

Resourcefully escaping the Sphinxes, the Black Bishops were probably able to better understand the Lord Pharaoh Kairo and the Pharaoh's Labyrinth that he instructed them to climb. They were better bonded with each other and also were learning the tactics of the Black Bishops. The more they learned and remained receptive, the more they started to receive wisdom from the Pharaoh's doings, directly into their mind's eye.

'... You Are Getting Closer, My Pupils...' a voice spoke to them in their minds, similarly to what was done when they were in the Dream World. '... You Will Soon Reach Me Again, Once You Complete The Course I Have Left To Train You...'

The voice suddenly disappeared when they entered the next chamber, which looked like a dead end, which would mean that they were trapped. The space was small, but was able to comfortably fit each of them in it. They would be able to feel certain hints in their minds for some reason, but they would not be able to understand why. Yet, together, they would collectively think 'Focus...' and would begin to think intently on each other, their situation, and recouping. When they did, they would see the next set of instructions imprinted in their Third Eye -- the mind's eye.

It served very useful for the Black Bishops to banish the Sphinx Projections that the original created, but they would not be able to banish her. Overwhelmed by the sheer number of copies, the Sphinx had to mow them all down at once if she wished to continue toward the group. A radiant light emanated from herself, and she furled her wings, steadying herself. With a mighty burst, the light swept across the room and purged each of the Conjurations from their forms, likely as vengeance for banishing the Projections. When the path was clear, the Sphinx followed the path behind the Instruments.

Each of the Instruments heard the voice very clearly, and it spoke to them the same way the Lightning God had spoken to them prior to these events. They were aware that it was the same being speaking to them now, and they felt more in tune with him than ever before once he came to them in such a time. The harder they concentrated, the more focused they became, and they could then see and understand what the voice was speaking of visually in their mind's eye.

Suddenly, they all became more synchronized and sensitive than ever, and they were far more receptive to the wavelengths in the air than before. They could even see through their third eye the Sphinx, though it was still a great distance away. It was quite well-understood now that the Black Bishops needed to focus their energy rather than try to act upon anything, and that was why they hit the dead end. This type of situation called for their critical thinking skills to sharpen the usage of their other skills at a critical moment in an intelligent manner.

First thing's first was to call back the latent energy dispersed by the Sphinx when it destroyed the duplicates, since they could recall the conjured energy, since they used their own and not another source's. There might have been less than before, but it was still more than they had, and they probably needed all that they could use against the true Sphinx. It was approaching, but the Black Bishops kept their composure about themselves and continued to 'Focus'... They were going to combine their powers on the Sphinx once it was coming toward them and could not escape because the passageway was straight and narrow and there were no other entries or exits in that singular path. It was the perfect way to unleash an all-out attack that was guaranteed to hit the mark.

Unbeknownst to the Black Bishops, the previous Command had two parts to it, and 'Focus' was only the first. 'Very Good, My Children...' spoke the voice again, 'Since You Have Gathered Your Thoughts And Your Strength At An Opportune Time, It Is Now Time To Unleash That Power All At Once!' The second part of the Command would appear in their mind's eye as well, only rather than 'Focus', it said 'Execution', which meant for them to act upon their previously focused power. 'When The Time Is Most Opportune, Do What You Believe Is Best To Subdue The Aggressor.'

All too soon, the Sphinx was upon them, having caught sight of them down the narrow corridor, and was now entering into the only exit that they had, blocking it off. The mystic eyes of the Sphinx glowed intensely, and her mouth opened. Sonic forces concentrated into her gaping mouth, becoming so concentrated that they became light. A screeching beam of light was loosed from the concentrated energy in the Sphinx's mouth, barreling down the narrow corridor and toward the Black Bishops.

Suddenly, everything was clear to the Black Bishops, and they all came to a consensus right then and there as the blast was focused toward them. They used the power of the Conjuration to summon various different rifts that would take them to different locations throughout the area. Many of them stood to concentrate their power into one spot, opening a large portal that could take the fullness of the blast. The other end opened up behind the Sphinx, all of the built up momentum shot straight into the back of her head, hopefully incapacitating her, if only temporarily.

Meanwhile, the others had created portals in the ground and laced through the hallway so that they could both jump through and escape through multiple outlets at once and also so they could leave a way for the others that were maintaining the large portal to also use once the blast was taken care of, which they did.

And so, they were out of the corner they were backed into and back going through the Pharaoh's Labyrinth.

After such a daring escape, the voice of their Ruler spoke to them again, this time much clearer and longer than before. 'Well Done,' the voice praised as they escaped, 'You Have Followed The Commands Splendidly And Learned Many Black Bishop Techniques. Your Trial Is Almost At An End, If You Can Hear My Voice More Clearly Than Before'. As audible as it was, it still seemed distant. 'For Your Next Command, You Must Take Advantage Of Your Position As The Underdog; That Which Is Disadvantaged Yet Has Come Upon An Advantageous Scenario That Can Turn The Tides. Such Is The Technique For Utilizing Such A Situation When The Underdog Scenario Is Present.'

As they ran along, the inscriptions glowed along the walls, revealing themselves to them to read as they continued to stay in motion. They'd eventually reach a spiral staircase, which the instructions continued up the base of.

Needless to say, the Sphinx was outwitted and knocked flat, stunned for quite a while by her own blast, giving the Instruments more time to escape. When it finally came to, they were much farther ahead, but that didn't seem to deter the emotionlessly dutiful cryptic guard. She simply flapped her wings and propelled herself down the hall in a beam of light, then proceeded to do the same thing down every hallway in order to close the gap more quickly. Though because she did stop at every turn due to the small nature of the chambers, there was a bit of lag in between its wing flaps that would send it into a lightspeed burst like that. Even so, it was obvious that the time shaved would not amount to much.

Though they were sure of their head start and were not sure of how soon the Sphinx would gain on them, they pressed on up the spiral staircase quickly, grasping as much of the information about their next technique as they went along. From what they could tell, all it meant was to take advantage of an advantageous situation in a previously disadvantageous situation, and thus gain the advantage. It didn't seem very complex in theory, but in practice, especially against such a legendary creature as the Sphinx, it would probably be harder. For the moment, all they needed to do was get as high up as they could and read as much as they could. They could communicate and compose a strategy later.