Sarah thinks about it for a second and agrees to the chess match. They walk into Blake’s house. It is a narrow house with various books and magical items lining the interior. There is a giant, metal earth in the center of his home, with the different planets of the solar system around it. Blake leads Sarah up a spiral staircase into a room. The room is filled to the brim with various chess books, from tactics to biographies of professionals like Magnus Carlson. A table with the pieces is already set up. Blake turns around and looks at Sarah.

  [Blake: Welcome to my chess room, a space that may seem tacky to some but is a reflection of my passion.] Blake’s wry smile hints at the personal touch he has put into this room, and he and Sarah take their seats, ready to embark on their chess journey.

  [Sarah: Not at all. In fact, I deeply admire your persistence and dedication to the game.] Sarah’s words carry a hint of respect and admiration for Blake’s chess prowess, setting the tone for their friendly yet competitive match.

  Now that they have the state,d the game can indeed start. Blake offers Sarah to have the first move as he is confident. Blake has only ever lost one chess game in his life to his father. Sarah starts off by moving her white pawn to D4.

  [Blake: Have you ever played chess before?] Blake asks in a curious tone as he moves his pawn to E5.

  [Sarah: I’ve dabbled in it. I don’t have as much experience as I probably should as a tactician.] Sarah moves and takes Blake’s pawn on E5 with her pawn that was previously on D4. Blake just chuckles to himself.

  [Blake: A good chess player doesn’t equal a good tactician; the opposite is also true.] Blake moves his knight to C6. Sarah starts to scan the board for any possible moves.

  [Sarah: I guess you’re right about that. Is there any reason you wouldn’t like to join the vassals?] Sarah responds to the play by moving her knight to space F3. Blake thinks for a second.

  [Blake: Depending on the terms of being a vassal, it could limit my freedom.] Blake moves his queen to E7. Sarah opens her mouth.

  [Sarah: I know you are big on respect. Will a game of chess earn me any respect from you?] Sarah questions as she moves her bishop to F4.

  [Blake: You see, I’m very big on respect. That’s just how I was raised. I am very easily annoyed by people less intelligent than me. Check.] Blake moves his queen to B4.

  [Sarah: At your level, most people are less intelligent than you.] Sarah blocks the queen by moving her bishop to D2.

  [Blake: Of course, there are caveats. I won’t be annoyed by people who are actually competent. Simply, as long as they excel in something, I won’t get annoyed.] Blake moves his queen to B2, taking a pawn.

  [Sarah: So you are not entirely heartless.] Sarah moves her bishop to C3.

  [Blake: There is one absolute to this rule. Anyone leading me has to be smarter than me.] Blake moves his bishop to B4.

  [Sarah: I guess that makes sense. So are you planning on challenging King Valerian to a game after I bring you to him?] Sarah says cheekily as she moves her queen to D2.

  [Blake: Even saying you will bring me to him is a stretch.] Blake moves his bishop to C3, taking Sarah’s bishop.

  [Sarah: Are you sure? I think I’m a decent player.] Sarah moves her queen to C3 and takes Blake’s bishop.

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  [Blake: It’s true. At this level, I can’t even begin to comprehend your moves. Checkmate.] Blake moves his queen to C1, effortlessly checkmating his enemy.

  [Sarah: Seriously!?!] Sarah checks the board and sees she has been thoroughly beaten. Blake sighs.

  [Blake: That was called “The England Gambit,” and I beat you in eight moves with it. I learned it from my dad. I don’t know what “England” means though.] Blake says as he starts to clear the board. Sarah looks him dead in the face.

  [Sarah: Let’s go again.]

  —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Bracken takes Selene to an arena in the backyard. It is reasonably spacious, with the parameters marked by white chalk. Bracken starts to explain the rules.

  [Bracken: Normally I don like rules, but I need to give you a chance! Here’s the deal. We both fight. The first to mortally wound the other or send the other out of the arena wins. I don plan on getting murked by some aqua, so don test me!]

  Bracken suddenly lunges at Selene with his claws. Selene spreads water around the ground, which makes Selene faster and causes Bracken to slip.

  [Bracken: You bitch!] Bracken shouts angrily as he blitzes Selene. Cutting her torso at nearly blinding speeds. Selene jumps back and shoots a bunch of water bullets at Bracken.

  Bracken dodges them. [I will show you what a real bullet looks like.] Bracken materializes a 9MM from nowhere and blasts three bullets at Selene.

  [Selene: Water Wall!] A wall of water seemingly stops the bullets. Selene proceeds to pull the water back like rubber and shoots the bullets back at Bracken with more force than they had originally.

  Bracken takes the bullets to show he is really about that life. The bullets push him back, but they can’t penetrate his hard skin. Bracken is about to run at Selene when she points down. Bracken has been forced out of the arena and lost. Selene laughs.

  [Selene: It seems I have won!] Bracken responds very angrily.

  [Bracken: Best out of three! I’m not going out like this! I’m a G!]

  —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  [A draw?]

  Blake was stunned at Sarah’s rate of growth. After the first game, it took her 30 moves to be defeated, and by her fifth, she could pretty comfortably draw Blake.

  *Blake: While she isn’t originally very intelligent, her capacity to learn is unrivaled.* Sarah prepares for another round when Blake stops her.

  [Blake: All right, you got me! I’ll go with you to see the king!]

  Sarah erupts in a cheer as she finally gets her goal. Blake just sighs as he goes outside and signals for Bracken to stop fighting. Sarah orders Selene back, and they start the ride back to the castle.

  [Bracken: Why’d ya stop me?!? I was about to give a fresh cut to this hoe. She wanted braids!!!]

  Bracken was furious that his match was interrupted, but Blake just shushed him. After a few hours, they arrive at the king’s palace. They all enter to see King Valerian on his throne. His aura is off the charts, to the point that even Bracken bows to the king.

  [Valerian: Blake, I have heard good things about you! You bow to me, but you don’t actually see me as your king, do you?] At these words, Blake looks up with a stare that would make any average person shake. King Valerian was not a normal person, however.

  [Blake: I recognize you as the king of this nation. I do not respect you as a king. For that, you have to prove yourself.] Blake’s words are considered very disrespectful, and the guards take an aggressive stance. King Valerian orders them to stand down.

  [Valerian: How about a chess match? One game, If I win, you have to become a vassal; if I lose, you get unlimited access to the forbidden library.] Blake’s eyes widen; the library contains various books about extremely dangerous and forbidden magic. The only person who can give people access to this trove of knowledge is King Valerian. Blake quickly accepts, and they both move to a room with a chessboard in it.

  45 moves later, King Valerian checkmates Blake. Blake is stunned; for the second time in his life, he has lost.

  [Blake: How?!? My strategy was perfect!] Blake was analysing the board and all the moves previously played. Valerian just laughs.

  [Valerian: See, you have way more knowledge than I do. The reason you lost is simple, you don’t have experience or wisdom. Experience is something you obtain through fighting opponents of similar strength and learning. Wisdom is something you get over time] King Valerian casually explains and raises his hand to Blake. [Becoming my Vassal offers you the chance to get both.]

  Blake, realizing his loss, takes Valerian’s hand. He has officially become the 2nd vassal.