'Unitopia?'
Ziriothrax's mind moved at incalculable speeds, cross-referencing its knowledge, thoughts colliding, being destroyed and reforming a thousands times in an instant. But it came up blank. Completely blank. Abnormally blank.
'An unknown. Not just any unknown. An unknown unknown. The first step, then, is to quantify where the gap in knowledge lies. To elucidate the shape of a negative space by its reflection in realspace. Subsequently, once the known unknowns have been calculated, deductions can begin.'
He brought his cup to his insect mouth and sipped, looking over its lip with a burning gaze at Mayor Shade.
'Time for the games to begin'
Whether the Mayor knew what Ziriothrax was thinking behind his inscrutable eyes, he made no indication. He was content to let his two guests contemplate in silence. Eventually, Jeffbob was the one to speak up, his baritone voice possessing a strangely hypnotic quality.
"Tell me, Mayor. And you too, little cricket. Have you heard of the Tale of the Hunter?"
The question seemed innocuous, but for beings such as these, even simple words hid countless meanings. The Mayor had previously mentioned that discourse was a much better alternative to violence.
But at this level discourse itself was just another form of battle. With power comes pride and pride longs to be tested, whether intellectually or physically makes no functional difference.
And a mere pre-requisite to take part was to be able to deduce these concealed meanings before even thinking about constructing a response of equal complexity.
"I can't say that I have", the Mayor shook his head. "In these parts, there are countless fables of hunters and prey, though I doubt that is of what you speak."
"I see.", Jeffbob's voice became layered in sadness. "Then you know not, and are spared."
The Mayor and Ziriothrax both felt their minds lag as though overwhelmed by that emotion for a split-second before jolting out of that state. Instantly, their vigilance increased, the presence of the Mayor in his suit of armour suddenly gaining a much more real aura while Ziriothrax merely twitched an antenna.
"Knowledge may be a burden", the Mayor replied, not giving any indication of his brief falter. "But a burden shared is a burden lessened."
"Indeed", Jeffbob nodded approvingly. "And a burden lessened is one far more easily overcome. Is that not right, little cricket?"
"Not all burdens are so easily shared", Ziriothrax spat out scathingly. "Some are destined to be borne alone. A burden shared is a purpose diluted, and without purpose we are no different from dust."
"You do not lie", Jeffbob nodded once again. "There is no black and white in these matters. Only varying shades of grey. It is our duty to choose which one to represent. To be ash or dust, that is the choice afforded to us. That is the right afforded to us."
Both the Mayor and Ziriothrax fell silent, contemplating Jeffbob's words.
"The Tale of the Hunter, then, let me enlighten you", Jeffbob continued. "Just as there are forests now, once, there was a first. That forest was different, perhaps even unrecognisable, to us in this age. It was silent, soundless, the moon and stars pitiful replacements for true light.
"And in that Dark Forest, there was a Hunter. Of course, where there are Hunters, there are also Prey. For countless years, the Hunter stalked the forest, accustomed to its ways from a lifetime of experience. Eventually, he even crafted himself a weapon. It was merely a long branch tied to a stone with a piece of twine, but to him it was something special.
"A creation borne of his own mind, crafted from his own two hands. And for a time, he was confident. But then, as with all things, his luck shifted. He found no tracks, no trails. Days turned into weeks and his desperation only grew.
"And then at last, one fateless night, he came across a trail. After weeks of starvation, this would be his last resort. Failure would mean death.
"But he did not let desperation cloud his judgement, honed over years. He followed the trail with the instincts of a veteran Hunter until, finally, he came across his prey. An animal lay in the centre of a small clearing.
"It lay in a spreading pool of its own blood, sliced almost entirely in two at the waist so cleanly that the cut was almost like glass. The Hunter knelt down, blood wetting the garments of his legs, and wept.
"Tell me Mayor Shade, Ziriothrax. What is the truth of this Tale?"
Jeffbob paused and the silence in that office felt heavy, as if the world itself was holding its breath. The Mayor was motionless, it was unknown what he was thinking behind his helmet.
Just when the silence was growing unbearable, the mahogany table creaking under the invisible pressure, Ziriothrax spoke out. His voice was uncharacteristically quiet, but the venom within still smouldered with a raging intensity.
"The Dark Forest," Ziriothrax paused before continuing. "The Hunter reached his prey and, finding it already wounded, despaired because he came to a realisation. He was not the only Hunter. Out there, in the darkness, loomed True Hunters. Things with means beyond fathoming. This is the truth of the Dark Forest."
His voice turned grim.
"That out there, there is no hope for salvation. There is only despair. And an inevitable end."
Jeffbob's blank orbs turned to rest on Ziriothrax who flinched under their lifeless gaze.
"You are close, little cricket," Jeffbob shook his head softly. "But your preconceptions blind you to the truth".
The Mayor, motionless until that moment, spoke up. His metallic voice was hoarse and grating.
"The Hunter yielded to his own imagination. His mind conjured up monsters and he did not stop to think before succumbing to despair. The pool of blood was expanding, the prey was long dead, and yet those so-called True Hunters were nowhere to be found.
"Even if they were, he had the advantage of getting there first and could have easily set a trap for them. His true failure was in giving up."
Jeffbob turned to him and shook his head once again.
"Optimism is a virtue, but it should not blind you to clear evidence before your eyes."
"The truth is that this is not a tale about the Hunter, nor about the Prey, nor the Dark Forest itself. Not even the countless, nameless inhabitants that dwell within. The true crux of this story, what drives the actions of every being within it, is only one thing and one thing alone."
Ziriothrax and Mayor Shade both held their breath in anticipation, the air electric with potential as the shadows danced and writhed in the torchlight. Jeffbob's blank eyes regained a spark that stole the warmth from the room.
He leaned forward slightly and when he spoke his voice was layered with a primal force, echoing from a time before memory.
"Hunger"
The torches flickered in an unseen wind and the walls pulse as if the world itself suddenly remembered what it was to starve. The word he spoke lingered in the air, murmuring and gnawing at the edges of their minds like an emaciated beast.
Ziriothrax's antennae twitched, curling in on itself as though recalling a long forgotten and buried past. The Mayor's armour creaked and groaned, suddenly feeling the weight of all its years.
And in Jeffbob's eyes, for the first time, that single spark of life did not disappear. It settled deep in his pupils as though reclaiming its rightful place. A single fragment of a fragment of his true self slotting in where it always belonged.