Revelations

[Liar Game]

Four of you have left the site of the revival round, and one by one, a succession of limousines glide you down the silent roads. One of you took this journey a little earlier, but all five of you have looked out of the window at the passing scenery. The journey is surprisingly short; you have arrived at another airfield, perhaps five miles from the one where you landed.

Chichuan Tai is waiting here with a plain-masked attendant. The other four finalists step out of their respective cars, and huddle as a group. It's windy here; the sea air lashes in your face.

"Welcome, finalists!" a familiar voice says. No wonder it is so familiar; it had been present on the plane, and at the airport. Sagaro emerges from yet another limousine, except his appeared to contain a hot tub. "We are almost at the destination for the final game. Barbaro will be here shortly, but for now, let us wait: your ride is due any moment now."

You wait with your peers. No more than sixty seconds elapse and you hear a chopping sound in the air. Someone points at the helicopter that lands just feet away from your position. The attendant that had waited with Tai opens the helicopter door. All of you climb in anxiously, with Sagaro sitting in the front.

"This is your Captain speaking," a distorted voice interrupts your thoughts. It comes from the pilot, Barbaro, who is still wearing his elegant tuxedo. "Please fasten your seatbelts. In the unlikely event of an emergency landing, the Liar Game Offices will still seek compensation from your next of kin, so don't try anything funny. Emergency exits are all the windows."

With those words, the helicopter rose gracefully into the air and flew out to sea.

[Liar Game]

The ride took an hour. The island set way out to see is tiny; it's clear why they did not land the plane here directly: it seems to have no signs of civilization. The only indication that humans have ever stepped foot on this island is the castle, jutted out on a precipice. The helicopter sets itself down on a patch of lawn. You all file out and head to the castle, where a file of masked attendants line the way.

You enter the courtyard and are surprised to see it is quite resplendant. Barbaro and Sagaro split apart at this point: Sagaro climbs a tower and enters a first-story room; Barbaro crossed the courtyard and passes through a set of grand doors.

You know enough about the Liar Game to understand implicitly you are free to walk around the castle right now (looking back, the attendants are blocking the only exit). You have a choice: do you Visit Barbaro or Visit Sagaro?

[Liar Game]

Visiting Barbaro

The old wooden door creaks ajar. You are in what is unmistakeably a coronation room. Barbaro is standing beside the empty throne, to its right. You approach, and your footsteps echo in the air.

"Is this where the Liar King is crowned?" you ask eventually. Barbaro, usually intimidating, is looking at you in a different way from normal: it almost feels like you, the contestant, have earned his respect by being here.

"Yes and no," he says. "This is where the first ever King of Liars was coronated. But he wasn't a liar himself. He was so called because he was ruler over a people who lied to him."

You find your curiosity piqued. "How did he become King?"

"Through lineage," Barbaro explains simply. "His father was King before him, as was his own father, and his before that. The people questioned it, but never sought a coup, because they knew the crown would be too hotly contested."

"That's a strange attitude to have," you say suspiciously.

"Ku ku ku, quite the right attitude for a finalist to have," Barbaro chuckles. "This was a very long time ago, of course. The story is mixed in with folklore. The first true King of Liars was borne of such a myth."

"Can you tell me the story, Barbaro?" you ask excitedly.

"You forgot to say 'please'," Barbaro interjects flatly.

"Please."

"The legend is a well-known tale, though it has changed many times over the years. The story tells the tale of a physician, who had formed a pact with Death himself."

Your eyes widen. "Death?"

"Yes, Death," Barbaro said, raising a gloved hand to silence you. "Death would allow the physician to heal any person in the land, but if there was no cure, Death would signal to the physician by standing at the head of the patient's bed. With this deal, the physician became famous and quickly advanced to the royal court."

You feel a memory stir in the back of your head. It's like you've heard this tale before. "Until one day the King got ill?"

"That's right," Barbaro said. "And Death stood by the King's head, but by now the physician had become accustomed to his lifestyle. Drunk on power, he betrayed Death by turning the King's bed around. Death, no longer standing by the ailing man's head, lost his claim on the King, and the doctor healed him."

"That's good, right?"

"For the King," Barbaro said grimly. "According to the tale, Death summoned the physician to the caverns that run beneath this island that very night, and showed the physician proof of the King's impending fate. And then the physician did something very foolhardy to save his reputation."

"What?"

Barbaro chuckled. "The tales all tell a different ending. We believe the physician sacrified another's life to save the King. Unfortunately, it was his own life. The physician died, and the King's life was extended by many years."

A silence. Barbaro starts to pace toward you. "The legend goes that when the King was revived, he changed. Something from the physician lingered in his very soul, and he became a different man. Ambitious. Cunning. Charismatic. It saved his rule, but at a high price. He became a Liar who unified and quatsched his people."

You try to digest the tale, but Barbaro is right in front of you now. "Do you believe that tale?"

"Good question," Barbaro answers. "However, that is for you to decide. You might want to focus more on the present day. Have you spoken to Sagaro yet? He will reveal the role of the modern Liar King in the monitor room."

You take a few moments to take in the architecture. Eventually, having seen enough, you return the way you came. Do you Visit Sagaro, or Wait in the Courtyard for the others?

[Liar Game]

Visting Sagaro


You climb the steps to the tower. You hear an electronic hum, and as you step into the stairwell, you cut through to a renovated room bustling with high-tech equipment.

"What is this?" You ask despite yourself.

Sagaro looks at you, and through the holes of his mask his eyes seem watery. "This is where the Liar King's main office. It's not just a title. It is a responsibility. You have heard before how the Liar Game reflects real life?"

You nod.

"Well, the opposite is true," Sagaro says, waving a hand over the consoles: "real life reflects the Liar Game. The King is called that for a reason. The position holds all sorts of influential roles."

You tilt your head uneasily. "Such as what?"

"Oh, stock markets, political campaigns, healthcare, certain religious denominations, the military, banks" Sagaro rattled off lazily, pointing at various screens. "The Liar King pulls all sorts of strings behind the scenes, and is outside the jurisdiction of any one government."


"So that's how you get all this money," you say. You're not even surprised.

"In part," Sagaro says. "We act in an advisory role, and are paid well for it. We also get commission from big organisations and governments for achieving particular ends, but we're not bound by any of them. It's not a system I wish to explain right now."

You don't expect him to explain everything. You instead look at all the consoles. "And the Liar King- or Queen-" you add firmly, "controls all of this?"

"There's no guarantee they'll listen to your advice, but yes: this is why we need to find someone with a natural talent. We couldn't recruit just anyone to this position. We need someone who can stay cool under pressure, has risked personal fortune and has a personal agenda. That's important, too."

"Why?"

Sagaro looks at you. Those eyes that seemed shiny not too long ago are suddenly dry and dull. "We have to change the incumbent King or Queen every so often. When things change in the world, it's usually because of one powerful liar behind the scenes making many changes."

"Like picking on flies in a spider's web?"

"Like picking on flies in a spider's web," Sagaro said.

Silence falls. He then looks out the window. "This is what King of Liars does now. Have you spoken to Barbaro yet? He will relay the tale of how the throne came into being."

You also look out the window. This is the first time you have ever stood by Sagaro. You suddenly appreciate his height, though it may just be an illusion from how upright he is standing.

You eventually leave the monitor room. Do you Visit Barbaro, or Wait in the Courtyard for the others?

[Liar Game]

Returning to Courtyard

You must have spent longer exploring than you thought, as you're the last of your comrades to return to the meetup point. Barbaro and Sagaro both return from their positions in the castle. You stand there, shoulder to shoulder with the four others who have battled to reach this stage.

"It is time for the Finale to begin!" Sagaro rumbles.

"You have all had time to have a good look round the castle," Barbaro confirms. "However, the finale will not be taking place here at all!"

The five of you look at each other, with expressions ranging from confusion to irritation.

Sagaro points to an attendant stood beneath the portcullis, dressed in white. "Please follow that gentleman. He will escort you to the venue. It's not far at all; we shall meet you all there."

The five of you walk behind this man. The afternoon sea breeze is salty in your hair. It's easy to forget the dangers and the huge debts looming over your head.

The attendant walks you to a cliff. The rocks are firm, dry, but worryingly high. The attendant turns to look at you all. "Please follow me."

With that, he jumps off the cliff and dives into the unseen darkness below.

The man behind you sums up your thoughts perfectly: "Are. They. Kidding?"

Apparently not: there is nothing else in sight. Is this the only way?

You, the most entrepid member of the group, decide to go first. You stand at the edge and look down. The waves are crashing in at high tide, but the cove is ill-lit. Summoning your courage, you take a leap of faith.

You plummet thirty feet into the spray, and find yourself cushioned by a thick bed of seaweed.

Deciding it foolish to stay here, you yell up that it's safe, and bring yourself clear. You see an alcove, and are at once mesmerized by it.

The route is lit up by thousands of candles. Forgetting the chill in your clothes, you wade inside.

The cavern seems to lead deep beneath the island. Halogen lamps have been installed high above, which provide warmth and heat. You follow the winding path inside. The path illuminated by the candles makes you remember how tiring your journey through the tournament has been. All the candles remind you of all the people you met along the way: tall, old, wizened, thin, wispy. But that's in the past, now. What waits for you in the middle comes as a shock.

It is a ring of candles, all different shapes and sizes. They describe a large circular arena with five points, all equidistant from one another, connected to one another like a pentagram. In the middle is an altar, with a large stone angel. Its fierce, handsome face reminds you of the Archangel Gabriel, yet its frivolous, impish demeanour more closely resembles the cherubs that decorated the glossy black LGT postcards you received all that time ago.

Barbaro and Sagaro have appeared. They seem to have come another way, owing to the fact they are completely dry. The two of them stand on the outskirts of the circle. The five of you each have taken yourselves to one of the five navel-height altars at each of the star's points. You can see one another clearly, but are free to move and talk.

The cavern hushes.



And then.....











"Let The Shrine Game begin!"