Chapter 27: Chapter 27 : The Sixty-Four Square Battlefield

Ralf’s senses rushed to take in everything. The boisterous clamour and the dozens of faces either blank or at either end of the emotional spectrum were certainly interesting but Ralf’s attention was squarely focused on the games they were playing. Games involving cards, games involving tiles, games involving dice, games involving machines…all kinds of games were scattered around the luxurious hall. The sight caused Ralf’s heart rate to up the ante.

The atmosphere of victory and defeat was one that naturally stirred his being. Breathing it in invigorated him. Still, Ralf kept a cool head. Eyes zigzagging from table to table, he mentally noted games which he knew enough about to attempt to gamble in. His experience in this world didn’t help much, but his time ‘abroad’ certainly did. Many games bore a striking resemblance to ones found in Rei’s world. Sweeping through the place, the estimate came out to half.

'Excellent, we meet all requirements. Earning four gold will be a cinch,' Ralf's eyes dazzled as his gaze roamed the place.

“Ralf, any game catch your eye?”

“Yeah, plenty actually. Though, I’m not sure if they’re exactly the same as the versions I know of."

“For that, you can visit the reception desk. They have sheets detailing every game at the casino and every rule and consideration that needs accounting.”

“Oh, thanks. I’ll check it out later.”

While bantering, the two strode deeper into the gambling hall. Reaching the end, they took the stairs up to the second floor. It was more of the same in regards to decorations and games, but there were fewer people present. These reduced numbers were due to the tables' increased entry cost and raised stakes. This pattern of higher stakes and fewer people would continue as the pair made their ascent, all the while, the building narrowed.

Finally, the two ascended the last flight of stairs. Ralf ascended using his feet, but Greg...not so much. After powering through the first flight with his own two legs, he floated himself up the rest of the way.

The Money Pouch’s staff not only let this action slide but also exchanged friendly greetings upon seeing him. Clearly, he was well-liked in this place.

Arriving at the top, Ralf’s senses were thrown off by the sudden switch in decor and atmosphere. The room was covered head to toe in tatami mats and gave off an eastern feel. His senses moved to the centre of the room, where an elderly gentleman sat in a kneeling pose, eyes shut while sipping his green tea. Donning a loose white and red-themed robe, he exuded a sublime elegance.

‘So this is Moriy- ah?!’

As his mind was about to enter profiling mode, it was brutally blindsided by another bit of sensory information. Placed before Moriya was a very familiar object, or rather objects.

‘Chess!’

As he made the discovery, so did Rei. A mental explosion went off in the two’s heads as they took in the game's existence.

Meanwhile, Greg and Moriya began their usual song and dance.

“Oh, long time no see Greg,” Moriya said after opening his eyes and taking in his old friend.

“You’ve finally gone senile, old friend.”

Moriya shrugged. “Ha, even if I have, your chances at victory remain the same.”

“Hmph, we’ll see whether that’s true or not shortly.” Greg approached and seated himself on the puffy pillow. “Today’s the day your king will squeal.”

Moriya hid his smirk with his wooden fan. “I recall you saying something yesterday and the day before and the day before that and…well, you get it. I am impressed you can say those lines with the same moxie every time, old friend. I admire your spirit.”

“I’m sure you admire my coin even more,” Greg remarked with a grin.

This time Moriya didn’t hide his smirk. “Of course, that too. You really made a mountain of a molehill,” he said while gesturing to the pile of coins stacked high behind him. They shone in many colours, but gold had a clear dominance. It was an enormous sum.

Greg took them in. Floating one to his side, he rubbed the gold coin against his beard while whispering, “ I know, you want to return. Don’t worry, I’ll bring you back to my pouch shortly, just give me a few minutes.” Offering these words, he floated it back to the others.

“Ahahaha…”

Moriya was reduced to tears as he burst into laughter. This friend of his never failed to bring out a few laughs. Calming down, he took a sip and moved his gaze over to the still stunned Ralf.

“Who’s your little companion? I’ve never seen him before.”

“I’m sure you haven’t. This here is Ralf, my lucky charm.”

“Lucky charm?” Moriya's head titled as he repeated.

Greg nodded deeply. “I picked him up at the fountain not even ten minutes ago. I felt it as soon as I set eyes on him. Our meeting was no coincidence, the heavens themselves put it into motion. They delivered him to me to bring about my long-awaited victory over you.”

“Ah oh, I see.” Waving his fan as though dispersing the nonsense his friend had just spouted, Moriya focused on Ralf and said, “Nice to meet you, young one.”

“Ah, same. Nice to meet you too, mister Moriya.”

Moriya nodded in approval.

‘Greg has quite the talent for finding gems among a sea of ordinary rocks. Gems or rocks, which category does this youth fall into?'

Examining his old friend’s companion, Moriya’s aged eyes could sense that the youth in question was leaning towards the former.

Waving his fans, he banished Ralf from his thoughts and focused up. The cogs in his head began spinning in anticipation.

“Greg, let's not delay further. Same as usual?”

“Of course.”

“Very well. Let’s begin.”

Greg, playing white, didn’t immediately move. He glanced back and waved Ralf over. “Get closer, at that distance, the luck effect is too dim.”

“Right away, sir.”

Ralf arrived outside Greg’s shoulder, before turning himself into a statue.

“Now, the massacre begins.”

Tok!

Pawn to D4 kicked off the battle of sixty-four squares.

***

The sounds of wood-on-wood collisions echoed out. An intense clash- no slaughter was currently underway.

On one end, Greg rubbed his beard ceaselessly while wearing a tense, focused expression. On the other, Moriya waved his fan nonchalantly through the air while enjoying his tea. Who was the slaughterer and who was the slaughtered? One look at the two competitors’ faces made the answer crystal clear.

Greg was down 4 - 0, and his current match, twenty-three moves in, didn’t seem like it would break this pattern.

The entire time, Ralf maintained a statue-like demeanour. His eyes were focused on the board, taking in everything while conversing with Rei through the Mental Link.

[[What do you think Rei? I think its a stomp.]]

[[Mmm, Moriya’s not bad, but he’s not on my level. I’ll beat him hundred out of hundred times…at least from what’s been shown.]]

[[You think he’s holding back?]]

[[Those coins didn’t stack as high as they have for no reason. He’s probably holding back just enough to give Greg the illusion that he has a chance to win. While he’s not been playing the best moves, he’s never once entered an inferior position.]]

[[What a willy old man, though I guess it fits, he’s this place’s boss after all. Still, even if he is holding back, it doesn’t really change anything does it?]]

[[Nope, nothing. Even if he is somehow better, worse comes to worst; we request the quickest time format and use Altered Time to our advantage.]]

[[Nice. When they’re done, I’ll bring it up. He doesn’t seem like he’ll disagree…not with Greg here at least. We really lucked out. All that gold will be ours ahahaha…]]

[[One step at a time, okay.]]

[[...yeah yeah.]]

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Saying this, Ralf refocused on the game.

‘Greg’s a great guy,’ he thought.

This was a common thought in the town.

Between matches, Greg explained the game’s arrangement.

First, the usual rules apply. No Naturals and no non-psionics were allowed to compete. The entry fee to play this game was 10 000 Drads. The win condition was simple, the first to win five games wins the match and the prize.

The games themselves were adjustable. The quickest time format one could request was a three-minute plus zero game and the longest was a fifteen-minute plus 1 second game. The challenger could request the games be anything between those ranges.

As for the prize money, it varied. It wasn’t a fixed amount. It started at five gold, which Moriya put up himself, then all the failed challenger's entry fees would be added to the pile. It was an accumulative prize that had a three-year cycle. If not won in this period, the money would go into Moriya's personal pouch.

This game’s run was a week away from completing its fourth cycle. In the twelve years it had been running, no one had won the prize. In fact, Moriya had remained undefeated, never losing a single match. His mental prowess was famous in the Arrin Dukedom. Were it not for his telepathic powers, most would be convinced that he was a Natural. His brainpower had earned him the title of the Unnatural.

With the next reset so close, the coins were piled high. There was no doubt in Moriya's mind that the money would arrive in his hands.

“Haaa, I’ll take the honourable way out.”

After a long sigh, Greg flickered the top of the crown and the king piece was sent toppling over.

The *tok* and subsequent roll resounded throughout the room and signalized the match’s conclusion.

“Five nothing…not bad, not bad.”

Greg’s face soured as he took in his friend’s smug look.

Moriya's smile widened. He glanced back while sending an order through his telepathic network. A second later, the coin previously held by Greg came flying into his hand.

He tossed it a few times, before bringing it to his ear. “Yes yes, I see, you’ve found a new home, yes, I’ll inform Greg, alright.”

“Hmph, this isn’t the end.”

Moriya smiled. “That’s what I like to hear. Will you be coming tomorrow as well?”

“Of course,” Greg said, his voice unfaltering and powerful. He stood up and said, “Until I see your fall, I’ll never stop.”

The Money Pouch's owner’s lips curled up. “Excellent. Then, I’ll keep a slot open for you. Same time, okay.”

“Yeah.”

“Excuse me.”

At the interruption, the senior-aged pair turned to Ralf who spoke up.

“Hmm, Ralf, what’s up? The lucky charm strategy didn’t pan out, but it wasn’t your fault, my skills were just lacking on this day.”

“On this day, ha,” Moriya added in the background. Greg squinted, but didn’t follow up and instead focused on his young companion.

“Chess, I’m familiar with the game.” Ralf’s eyes were fixed on the board as he said.

“Oh, you are. Are you any good at it?”

“Very.”

The words caused the two's eyes to flicker. It was swift, decisive, and said with overflowing confidence. Greg and Moriya were old hands and could read people like books. They could tell that this wasn’t the unfounded confidence ignorant youths usually possessed, but something deeper, something more substantial.

Moriya’s face turned serious. Fan spread and covering his mouth, he asked, “You watched us play, what do you think? Do you think you could best me?”

Again, Ralf’s reply came swiftly.

“Easily.”

Greg and Moriya's expression faltered at the comment. After the shock passed, Moriya’s face frowned. Meanwhile, Greg burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha…”

A displeased light swirled through Moriya’s black eyes. He shook his head. “Greg, quarantine yourself, your foolishness is clearly contagious.”

“Haha, don’t get knotted up old friend. Instead of fighting with words, let's settle this with a match.” He turned to Ralf. “Want to give it a go? I’ll pay your entry fee.”

Ralf’s eyes lit up. Still, he didn’t jump the gun. “I do, but there’s something I have to confirm first.”

“Oh, like what?” This time, Moriya asked.

Ralf looked at the board. “I need to confirm whether the chess we’re playing is the same one I know. While watching you guys, I didn’t find any difference, but I still want to go over everything and make sure I’m not blindsided by an unexpected move.”

“That makes sense.”

Responding like this, Moriya again focused inwardly. This time, several sheets floated in from the backroom.

Arriving before him, Ralf plucked them out of the air and began reading them. A minute or so later, after multiple reads, he concluded and took his eyes off.

‘Besides the En Passent’s absence, everything is the same as the chess we know. There’s no problem.'

"I see a Rank 3 Telekinetic in his Consolidation Phase," Moriya said as he got the information from the receptionist. With Ralf clearing the first requirement, Moriya asked about the second most important condition. "Your name's Ralf, right? Ralf, how old are you?"

"No worries, I just turned eighteen."

"Excellent. Then, let's not dally. I wish to see your mental prowess firsthand," Moriya said, the way he looked at Ralf was much less friendly than it was a minute ago. Ralf's 'easily' comment had irked him. He was raring to go, eager to dispel the youth's foolish notion.

Ralf smiled, then spoke. “Then, let’s comp- ah oh, um...”

“Boy?”

“...ah, sorry.” Ralf did a fake cough and readjusted himself. “Mister Moriya, can we postpone our match for tomorrow?”

“Mm,” Moriya quirked his brow. The youth was vexing. “I don’t mind. Why delay though, where has all that confidence disappeared to?”

“It's still here, as abundant as ever,” Ralf said as he tapped his chest. “I just want to face you in your best state. You just finished a gruelling battle with Greg. Defeating you now will be unsatisfying and leave room for excuses.”

Moriya’s eyes narrowed.

“You picked up a very interesting lad, Greg. Very well, let's reschedule our match for tomorrow. I hope your ability matches your words.”

“I won’t disappoint your expectations.”

Seeing the sparks forming at the midway point between the two’s gazes, Greg stepped in.

“Then, I’ll bring Ralf here when I come tomorrow. Till then, farewell old friend. Ralf, let's go.”

Ralf gave a farewell nod to Moriya and then turned to follow after Greg. The game had been set, tomorrow was the day.