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"Well, Doctor Lang, I would not have had this turn out any other way, assuming
that we had to meet at all." the little man in crimson responded. "It is
fitting that you should be here for the end."
Boolean looked up at the spinning globe. "Impressive gadget, Roy, but I make
only a quarter of the hubs gone.
Your three sorcerers are gone, and even I can't tell which
Storm Princess is which at the moment."
Klittichom chuckled. "You are weak. Doctor Lang. Too
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333
much has gone out of you. All you have done by this is murder about a hundred
million people instead of letting them be transformed into something
different. And that will be sufficient for me. I did not want to murder them,
but you forced me to do so. Then I will dispose of the pitiful wreck that is
all that remains of you, then I will achieve First Rank, and bring logic and
order to this chaos as my destiny commands."
"What do you mean, murder?"
"You see those red dots up there? Each one represents a bomb, each
scientifically worked out as to its placement, geography, and kilotonnage to
completely eradicate all life within each of the hubs. The timers began the
moment we activated the full system. Naturally, any that we were able to cover
in the more merciful Changewind manner were trans-
formed along with the lands and people and are no more. The rest they will
begin going off any time now. The signal has been given, was given, the moment
I had to shut down the progression. You can not believe how long I have
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planned mis, covering every eventuality, even this. Nor do I care which little
bitch is which. Either one will do."
Boolean blanched. "Roy have you gone mad? / dishon-
ored yo«. I admit that. Perhaps in a few minutes I will pay the price for it.
I don't think 1 deserve it, but at least I can understand how it would be
justice to you. But you're
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you dishonor your own parents? Have you looked at yourself, Roy? 1 no longer
see the face of the victim, I see the face of the Khmer
Rouge there, murdering, slaughtering millions of their own.
How can you become like them, Roy? How can you give those who murdered your
family and enslaved you for so long the final victory?"
"I reject your pitiful moralizing!" Klittichorn snapped back.
"The man you knew is no more! / have replaced him! /, in human form, have
become the incarnation of Siva, the De-
stroyer of Universes! What is done here is nothing compared to what I do
merely for sport! The girl, can you not recognize her by her mastery of such
energy as Durga, the Goddess of
Death? And your girl her other aspect. Kali? Soon we shall combine, we two, in
the Dance that Heralds the End of the
World, and lose our Earthly aspects, having done our duty, 334 Sack L. Chalker
and resume our rightful place at the left hand of Isvara
Brahman, there to witness the timeless recreation of a better world' You see
everything only with the blind eyes and arrogant ignorance of the westerner!
You who so polluted and defiled poor Cambodia that I had to send the dark
children to wipe them out, to purge them of the west and its evil! Come!
Let us do our little dance, corrupter of souls, so that I may get on and do
mine!"
My god! He is totally mad! was the only thought Boolean could make before the
onslaught of sheer, brutal power struck him, and the battle was joined. It
was, right off, a battle he knew he must lose, for he faced fanaticism and
madness along with brilliance and power, while he defended weakly and from a
position of guilt. No! Purge the guilt! Don't think of Roy Lompong! Think of
those bombs, those millions of people . . . .'
The Storm Princess tightened the ring some more, although she could sense no
life forms within the Maelstrom not inside the stage circle. Klittichom was
locked in battle; the others seemed weak, irrelevant, and not near enough to
her. Her battle was not with the likes of them, but with the Usurper battling
quite strongly from afar. No suddenly there was one, quite close, just
opposite her. For a moment she look her mind off the Maelstrom and looked with
her eyes.
It was like looking into a mirror, and she was startled at the sight in spite
of herself. Sam was not at all startled; she saw just what she expected to
see, and she didn't like it one bit.
"So, little decoy, they send you at last as if to frighten me," the Storm
Princess muttered between clenched teeth.
"In a way I almost feel sorry for you, as insignificant as you are."
Sam smiled grimly at her and began walking slowly towards her. Their eyes met,
and there was something in Sam's eyes that suddenly caused doubt, even fear,
inside the thoughts of the Storm Princess. She took a step back as Sam
continued to advance, oblivious of the Maelstrom around them.
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"Mother protect me!" the Storm Princess muttered. "You're not the decoy.'
You're. . . ."
Back around the side of the great spinning globe, Sam pressed on and the Storm
Princess retreated. They made a
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' quarter of the circuit, and then the Princess found her back to die wizard's
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