Just as the boy’s hand is about to reach the doorknob to the front door, he hears something from behind him.

“Catch.”

The boy turns and immediately sees something sailing through the air. He catches the item and holds it up to examine it. It is a tiny cologne bottle, the main body that holds its dark liquid content is made out of crystal while the part that covers the top is made out of gold.

“This is…”

“It’s something that I concocted in my spare time.”

“…”

“Don’t make that face. It’s nothing to be cautious about at all.”

“You saying that makes it all the more suspicious.”

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to look at a gift horse in the mouth?”

“Knowing you, I’m checking to see to if this giant hollow wooden horse has any enemy soldiers hidden inside it.”

“If you’re gonna doubt every little thing that I will make for you, I guess I’ll just stop making them at all.”

“I’mputtingiton. I’mputtingiton.”

“Atta boy. Off you go to save the world now.”

“Bye Rolfe.”

“Bye darling.”

**************************************

“So…”

“…..”

“Do you have anything to say?” says Mistress Heather with a smile that is not a smile.

“I would like to point out, she’s putting words into my mouth. There’s no definite way to prove that I was talking about your differing breast siz-“

“…..”

“Crap. I forgot you guys are mind readers.”

“…..”

Quick, the boy silently tells himself, think of something harmless to stop their mind probing, Fill your thoughts with a mundane activity. Feeding ducks at the pond, that’s a good start. Imagine giving them stale bread. White ducks, brown ducks, black ducks. Ducks with white feathers, ducks with brown feathers, ducks with breast- Fuck!

“…..”

Start again. Large ducks, small ducks, medium size bre- SHIT!

“….”

DICKS! DICKS DICKS! Wait… I MEANT DUCKS!

“As much as I enjoy watching you squirm in your seat, we should probably move on to our next agenda.”

“In my defense, I would like to point out that I’m a fan of all siz-“

“You should quit while you’re ahead.”

“Okay, shutting up now.”

Mistress Heather motions her body-guard / body double to leave her side and exit the private booth. Sulis looks like she’s about to protest out loud that it’s a risky decision but then decides it’s unwise to oppose her mistress’ command in front of outsiders.

In the end, she begrudgingly gets up to take her leave. But before that, the loyal bodyguard bends over and whispers something to the ear of her beloved mistress. Even though Sulis is trying to be discreet about it, the content of her whisper still reaches the perky ears of the ever-listening boy.

“Beware of his scent.” warns the vigilant bodyguard before making her exit.

What? He cocks his head to the side in puzzlement. Do I smell bad or something?

The boy slightly lowers his head and inconspicuously tries to sniff himself.

“It’s your cologne. There’s something unsettling about it.” says Delyth who is sitting stoicly beside the boy. The third year student is in the final process of finishing her meal.

“Unsettling? Am I producing an ominous odor that makes you feel like you’re about to walk into an ambush or fall into a trap?”

“On the contrary, you’re giving out a soothing aroma that can disarm people and makes them drop their guard around you.”

“Then why do you guys-“

“That is exactly why it’s so unnerving. How you smell like right now… it’s akin to a walking, talking gingerbread house.”

“Ah, I see. You mean like a kind and generous housewife that gives out free gingerbread to the neighborhood children.”

“Yes… no wait. What?”

“You know, the benevolent aunty that gives children playing in the playground baked treats like gingerbread. But secretly she’s making those bread with too much sugar so that the children’s teeth will quickly decay and rot off.”

“Gingerbread is a cookie, not bread.”

“Gingerbread is a bread. Why else would they have the word ‘bread’ in them?”

“It is not. And why would the housewife-“

“It is too. So that her husband the dentist would have a steady supply of clients. Good gods, Delyth! Try to keep up.”

“…..”

“My late mother used to tell me that story to warn me about taking sweets from strangers.”

“My gingerbread house analogy was referring to the fairytale story about a witch that lives in one.”

“…..”

“She uses her gingerbread house to lure unsuspecting children wandering in the forest so she can eat them.”

“Must have missed that one.”

“Seriously, you’ve never heard that particular fairytale story about the abandoned twins and the witch?”

“Well, clearly, we had different bedtime stories read to us growing up. And why would that witch eat children?”

“She’s a witch. Who cares?”

“No, I mean she lives in a gingerbread house. Why doesn’t she just eat the bread-lined walls-“

“Cookie-lined walls.”

“-if she’s so hungry for food?”

“That’s just what witches do.”

“No, listen. I think that fairytale story has got too many holes in it. Gingerbread is a notorious and subpar building material. Would a gingerbread house hold up to the effects of weather? Torrential rain? Scathing hot sun? How about insects and wild animals?”

“Are you guys done?” asks a voice coldly from across the table. The boy and Delyth are so deeply engrossed in their conversation that they forgot where they are at the moment.

“It’s just not a good fairytale story, is what I think.” mutters the boy quietly to no one but himself.

“The gingerbread house is made from magic. It’s magically protected from the natural elements. The witch has to eat children because that’s how she gets her magical powers. And gingerbread is neither cookie nor bread. It’s actually an umbrella term used to describe many different sweet breads, cakes and/or cookies.” declares the beginning-to-feel irritated older woman in front of them.

“Looks like I was half right and you were half mistaken.” says the boy smugly.

“Are you deaf? She said breads, cakes, and/or cookies. So you’re just 33.33% correct and 66.66% wrong.” an annoyed Delyth shoots back.

“And now-” the mildly angry Mistress Heather announces in a higher tone than usual “-that we’ve maintained the structural integrity of the fairytale story and settled the fascinating debate regarding what exactly constitute a gingerbread, let’s get down to business.”

“…..”

The older woman pushes a different hidden button embedded in the dining table. This one cuts off the sounds and voices travelling from the private booth to the secret control room, thus rendering anyone from eavesdropping in and keeping them in the dark. Although this action is dangerous to the safety of Mistress Heather if the boy wishes to do her harm, she is confident in the ability of the person standing outside the door. Sulis is currently on standby. Even though the private booth is sound-proofed, the experienced bodyguard can sense the smallest of disturbance and will immediately come to her aid if needed.

“When my daughter first contacted me with this urgent news of your arrival, my first thought was to withdraw her immediately from the academy and admit her to a discreet mental institute for psychological evaluation.”

“……”

“Initially, I thought you were just an over-gloried mind-reader, a charlatan masquerading as a false prophet drunk on his own fake divinity. All your prophesies were just smokes and mirrors, parlor tricks greatly blown out of proposition. Against my better judgment, I decided to investigate her story first before taking any drastic action. And when the results of the investigations and the conflicting reports started pouring in, I had them double-checked and triple-checked.”

“…..”

“My daughter here believes that you’re the real deal. That you’re a genuine time traveler from the future, came to warn humanity about the end of days. And that while on your journey here, you met a deity who granted you with an unimaginable amount of blessings and gifts. Blessings and gifts that could turn this whole continent upside down. More so than the news regarding our impending doom.”

“Really? I bring news about the approaching apocalypse and all you can think of is how you could exploit my powers and skills to make money? Can’t say I’m not disappointed.”

“I’m a respected and well-known business woman. To the eyes of the world and the adoring public, I’m the owner of several successful restaurants and famous dining establishments. I also co-founded and run various orphanages and women shelter. Underneath the surface and behind closed doors, I am secretly an arms dealer. I sell spears and swords to one side and shields and chainmail armors to the other.” says the older woman calmly, any trace of playfulness has vanished from her eyes.

“…..”

“The point I’m trying to make is, doing business is in my blood. I don’t care how I earn my profit, even if it’s blood money. So your disproval of me has zero value and is of no currency to me. I am unable to take your 'disappointment' to the local butcher and exchange it for a scrap of meat to make some soup stock.”

“…..”

“Now, you need me because you require my support for your bid to take over the Master of Ouroboros’ empty seat, left vacated previously by Master Jev Haithur. All to help further your goal of saving the world. I want you because I smell the opportunity to make an indecently huge amount of wealth, power, and authority. To sum it up, we need and want each other.”

“…..”

“So, come over to my side and be under my wing. I will nurture and guide you on your noble quest. I will hold you, mold you, and you will be mine. I will become your shield and protect you from any threats, both foreign and domestic. If you still have any misgiving, I can even tie your hand in marriage to my daughter here, Delyth. You know I won’t harm any sons-in-law of mine or treat them harshly. In fact, the treatment you'll receive could rival that which is given to a prince. But you’ll have to take my family name though.”

Delyth who is sitting rigidly beside the boy doesn’t even bat an eyelid upon hearing this subject. The beautiful third year student continues starring at the empty wall across from the table with her back straight.

“…..”

“Just accept my offer and take my hand. You can thank the lucky star you were born under. That star has lead you to the great fortune of meeting me. It’s not every day a nameless boy can wander into an exclusive restaurant and walk away with a marriage to a beautiful girl and the backing of an extremely powerful person.”

“…..”

“Before this I was making money by being a merchant of death. But with you by my side, I can be a merchant of life. Just think of how many lives we could save.”

“…..”

“Or you can wait for a better offer from the other Grandmasters in Ouroboros. I’m sure they would be more than happy to assist you out of the pure kindness of their hearts. Provided of course they don’t kill you first or kidnap you and force you into one of their laughable money-making scheme.”

“…..”

“Who knows? Maybe you can successfully implore to some deeply-buried compassion and invoke their hidden love for humanity. A little bit of friendly advice though. You don’t get to become an Elder in Ouroboros if you have any shred of compassion or humanity left inside of you.”

“….”

“So which option shall it be? Is it the first option? Will you accept this witch’s invitation and step into the warm and comfortable gingerbread house? Where you can have your fill and eat to your heart’s desire. Or is it the second option? Do you want to leave and take your chances with the outside world, trying to survive in the harsh environment and get pestered by insects and wild animals that is the rest of the Ouroboros’ Elders?”

“I choose the third option.”

“There is no third option.”

“I’ll shove the witch into her own oven and bake her alive. Then I’ll burn down the gingerbread house as a warning to all the insects and wild animals.”

“So you do know the fairytale story.”

“I actually really don’t. But how else could you kill a witch except by fire? I just figured the witch is in possession of an oven. I mean, no one wants to eat the flesh of children raw, no matter how much that person claims she has no humanity left.”

“This has turned out to be a futile business meeting. How irritating. And I've wasted all that time and energy trying to travel here quickly. What a fruitless endeavor this turns out to be.”

“You’re forgetting one thing.”

“And what is that?”

“I have crossed an infinite ocean of time of space to get here. I have climbed over the bodies of a million dead and stood on their corpses to reach this height. Every time before I fall asleep I look down and I see their grey lifeless eyes looking up to me.”

“Choose your next words very carefully.”

“The point that I’m trying to make is, it’s thanks to their senseless sacrifices I am where I am today. So the displeasure of a greedy, red dragon dreaming of hording a million gold coins means very little to me. I am unable to take your 'irritation' to the bakery and exchanged it for something as simple as a day-old, stale bread.”

“Those are my words.”

“Well I took them, broke them, and now they are mine.”

“Then I guess I can just go ahead and give the signal to the kitchen. No sense in them continuing making those muffins when all negotiations have broken down.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.”

“…..”

“There’s still some room left for discussion.”

“It’s weird seeing you sell out your ideals for a blueberry muffin.”

“It’s not selling one’s self. It’s compromising.”

“So you are 'disappointed' with me and I am 'irritated' by you. How do you suppose we break this deadlock and reach an agreeable compromise?”

“Well in the business world, gentlemen usually resolve their disagreement with a game of billiards or darts. Kingdoms settle their border disputes with skirmishes waged by armies.”

“Well I’m not much of a fan of billiards or darts.”

“Me too.”

“And I can’t exactly pull an army out of my dress either.”

“That’s not exactly true, and you know it.”

“You…”

“Yes?”

“Just how much of today’s event have you anticipated?”

“Well the day’s still young. Everything is in the air and pretty much anything can happen.”

“Then how can you be so sure that I will accept?”

“Because you’re you and I’m me. And you for one will never agree to anything or back down from a challenge unless you’re 100% positive you will win.”

“Then by all means, be a gentleman and set it up.”

The boy stands up from his chair and goes to a nearby wall. He pushes a secret panel and a hidden drawer full of weapons springs out from the surface.

“Oops, my bad. These secret panels are a nightmare to operate. But since we’ve got the weapons out, are you sure you don’t want to settle this with a duel? It won’t be to the death, of course, that would be counterproductive. But the loser has too submit to the whims of the winner. I’ll even let Sulis be a stand in and fight in your stead.”

“…..”

“No? Okay, fine. I was just checking.”

The boy pushes the weapons drawer back into the wall until it snaps tightly shut. Next, he fiddles with a different secret panel until another hidden drawer pops out but this time it isn’t full of weapons. The boy reaches into the drawer and takes out the single item that occupies its entire space, a small beautifully carved wooden chest. He brings the chest over to the dining table.

Mistress Heather and her daughter Delyth watches silently as the boy takes all the playing pieces out of the chest and puts them to one side on the table. After the chest is empty, he flips it over so that it could transformed into a board. The boy sits down after he is done setting up the mini battlefield.

“So let’s go over the stakes, shall we? What will happen to me if you win?”

“When I win, and believe me I will, you’ll be my personal money-making prisoner. I’ll still make you the head of Ouroboros and help you with your goal, of course. But you won’t be able to move freely or make any decisions without my say-so. Hell, you won’t be able to piss without getting my go-ahead.

“If you say jump, I’ll say how high? If you say sing, I’ll say what tune? If you say you want my head on a silver platter, I’ll say medium or well done? I get it, okay? And I liked how confidently you said the word 'when' instead of 'if '. Makes the act of me crushing you in the first round oh so satisfying.”

“And marriage with Delyth is off the table since you’re vehemently oppose of it.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Now let’s listen to your demands.”

“I have only two.”

“Tell me.”

“First, you will never use Delyth’s hand in marriage as a bargaining chip in any future business negotiation with other parties. In fact, I want your word that you will allow her to marry whoever she wants and let her do whatever she wants to do in the future.”

Delyth who has barely moved the entire time after she’s done eating casts a sideway glance at the boy sitting beside her. It’s hard to tell what kind of emotions is going through her head at the moment. Whatever it is, she’s keeping it close to her chest.

“Done.” says the older lady immediately without any hesitation. It is because the word 'defeat' has never once crossed her mind. “And might I say, you’re really painting me in a bad light here. I’m not that much of a monster. I’m confident any future husband I’d chosen for Delyth would bring her great happiness and prosperity.”

“Let’s just leave that decision for your own daughter to make. Right or wrong, let it be by her own choice.”

“Okay. What’s your second demand?”

“I want to do to you what I did to your daughter three days ago outside the Academy’s horse stable.”

“You want to… ride me?”

“No!” shouts both Delyth and the boy at the same time.

“Hahaha, I’m just kidding. Why are you children so serious?” laughs the older lady.

“Surely Delyth has told you what had transpired between us during the first time we had met.”

“Well she didn’t paint a vivid picture, if that’s what you’re asking. She only told me bits and pieces with tears streaming down her face. At one time, I really thought you had held my daughter down and assaulted her.”

“I did no such thing!”

“I wasn’t crying when I told you what had happened!”

are what the boy and Delyth both screamed at the same time.

“I kid. I kid. Gods, where are you guys’ sense of humor? Anyway, how many rounds are we playing?”

“I’m thinking the standard seven rounds should be okay.”

“Nope. I’ve already wasted enough time here as it is. Let’s just go for three rounds and call it a day.”

“I want seven and you want three. How about we meet down the middle and settle at five?”

“Which is actually the number of rounds that you really wanted from the start, but I’m too lazy to argue. Five rounds it is then. Who’s going first?”

“Well traditionally between two players, the less experienced of the two is given the chance to pick white and go first.”

“I’m guessing that person is you then.”

“You’ve guessed correctly.”

“Do you know my ranking?”

“Officially, you’re ranked 127th out of 10517 professional Shahjahadian chess players in the entire Grandiel Continent.”

“I’ve dropped out of the top 100? Damn, I’m slipping. Time to enter a few tournaments every now and then to boost up my ranking. And 'unofficially', using your powers, how would you ranked my strength as a Shahjahadian chess player?”

“You would have been number one.”

“I’ve suspected just at much. Between juggling all my different roles, I really don’t have the time and energy to travel to different kingdoms to participate in the official tournaments. No, wait. What do you mean I would have been number one? Not I would be number one?”

“It’s because today is the day you encountered me.”

“…..”

“You can go ahead and curse the unlucky star you were born under. That star has lead you to the great misfortune of meeting me. It’s not every day you find yourself going up against a nameless boy and get taken down a peg.”

The boy picks up an exquisitely carved infantry piece, made from ivory ,and moves it one square forward on the board.

“I hope you’re ready to see what the inside of your own oven looks like.” proclaims the boy with a wicked smile.

“…..”

**************************************

Result after the first round:-

The boy: 0

Mistress Heather Anatol: 1

It was a complete and utter crushing defeat for the boy.