Chapter 7: Champion.

Lorry

Being one of the privileged few allowed to log in to Aevitas, Lorry smiled. He could only really check up on Tobi, but visiting the world on an almost daily basis had allowed him to keep up to date with the affairs of the world.

Normal players had never really given the affairs of NPC's much attention but that was their mistake. They were all interested in quests, dungeons and levels; all wanting to be the best. If you wanted to be the best in Aevitas, there were more methods than just monster hunting.

Did the players really think that high level NPC's went around killing monsters to achieve their levels and abilities?

To keep up-to-date with affairs though, Lorry had to be careful about it. The company would keep track of his movements and make sure he wasn't secretly trying to play the game. Whilst the servers were closed, that was a big 'No'. The excuses for his actions were simple but easily believed. He claimed to be going around asking vague questions to learn what the NPC's knew about Tobi and keep track of his actions in the game.

In truth, he was keeping his own affairs in order. Tobi was quite a smart guy so Lorry didn't have to worry about him at all.

Walking down the stairs, he decided the alchemy shop would be first. Roken was still trying to make an exploding potion for him and last time he'd logged on, he was pretty close to perfecting it.

Hearing a bang behind him as he closed the door, Lorry spun around with two daggers in hand. Instead of an attacker though, there was just a piece of wood hanging on the back of the GM doors.

Danger. Traveling. ... Huh?

Puzzling over the picture for a minute, Lorry put away his knives before carrying the board upstairs to his unofficial office. He recognized the outline of Anderon almost immediately and was instead puzzling over the 8x8 squares below.

I don't know how to play chess though. Give me a game of Janggi any day, but this...

Knowing he would have to learn at least the basics to figure it out, Lorry hesitated. If Tobi was in enough danger to leave Brackley, he would be in danger even now. Logging out for a mere fifteen minutes would cost him an hour. Learning how to play chess enough to figure out the puzzle could take him hours.

Whites turn. King is probably the same as the General in Janggi.

"System. Open window: Chess Rules."

No such command exists.

"He hasn't registered the game then? Hmm. He needs someone to play against though."

He was definitely making the game last time I was here.

Deciding it would be faster to track down Tobi inside Aevitas than log out to learn chess, Lorry left for Jaspers. After making his chess set, he would need to dye it.

Wait. Dye?

The Alchemy shop was closer, he might as well check there first; it's on the way anyway.

As the bell hanging above the door jingled, Lorry was greeted by a small explosion.

"Another failure, Roken?"

The litte man hopped down from the high cabinet and looked to Lorry in annoyance, "I told you I would get it done. I just need more time."

"I am not worried about the explosive potion right now, Roken. I am here about something else. Did that baker Tobi come by for any dye this past week?"

"No." Roken replied instantly before moving out toward the back and grabbing another vial of liquids.

"OK, well keep at it then."

"I will. Why are you looking for Tobi anyway?"

Turning back in surprise, Lorry asked if they knew each other.

"Sure. Met him just two days ago. Wanted Varnish for Jasper he did. I told him though-"

Lorry didn't wait for the man to finish, he left the shop and instantly headed to Jaspers. He doubted Jasper was involved with Tobi's situation, but you couldn't put it past the man.

Flying through town and into the Trade District, Lorry came to a skidding halt. Guards were everywhere and Tobi's shop looked like a war-zone. He wouldn't have been surprised to learn that one of Roken's failure potions had been set off inside the place.

The empty shop across the alley had some damage too.

Walking past the empty shop and Tobi's bakery, Lorry turned into Jaspers Carpentry.

Greeted by five surprised faces, Lorry asked what was going on. Four of them turned to look at their commanding officer.

To Lorry's surprise, these men were no towns guards. They were the law; at least as far as Brackley was concerned. Technically they were still named 'Guards' but their duty was different.

"Who wants to know?" The officer asked with a puffed out chest.

Looking to the other four guards, Lorry recognized a mercenary mixed in. Probably one of Joe's men - if the rumours were true.

Gesturing his head to the side, Lorry moved away from the guards. The officer followed and made a gesture for the guards to move back.

Leaning close to each other, Lorry put his arm around the officers shoulder and shielded the view.

"I am the man that will slit your throat if you don't tell me what's going on." He whispered into the mans ear.

To emphasize his point, Lorry's favourite dagger was pressing under the mans chin. After a quick look over his shoulder, Lorry confirmed that the guards were none the wiser.

"You won't get away with it if you do." The man whispered back.

"I think I will. You see, after I kill you, I would just kill your men too. Or do you not think I could?"

The man hesitated and winced as a gulp caused his throat to rub against the blade. "Jasper disappeared yesterday. Looks like he packed up and left on his own though."

"Does it have anything to do with Tobi and what happened to his bakery?"

Noting how the man paled, Lorry pressed the knife a touch deeper. Any more and he would draw blood.

"I don't know, but if Tobi is involved then Jasper is probably dead."

Surprised by the statement, Lorry asked what he meant by it.

"Tobi paid a visit to Ranall not long ago. Ranall left town the same day. He turned up dead on the road to Gilleous soon after.

We know Tobi visited Jasper two days ago, so if that's why Jasper left, he is probably dead too."

Putting his mind in order and focusing only on the facts, Lorry asked where Tobi was now.

"We don't know. We went around searching for him after we learned of Ranalls death. We tracked him as far as the Mage Guild. They claimed he went north to Camlann but the guards were on high alert and they were keeping track of everyone who left. Tobi was still in the town."

"Was? So he isn't anymore?"

Distracted by the story, Lorry relaxed the knife. The man visibly relaxed a little and became more talkative.

"We had confirmation that Tobi was still in town the next day. A runner had seen him leaving his bakery. We didn't station guards there because we believed he fled and we'd already searched his place. We put a runner on the door to keep an eye out for him coming back.

He wasn't seen returning, but he was seen leaving. The runner didn't know what to do so ran for a guard. In truth he was just scared of Tobi and didn't want to follow him. We didn't blame him; Tobi's been hanging round with Joe, the Lumberjack. Nobody wanted much to do with Tobi.

Anyway, that same day a house near the city gates exploded. Well, the door did anyway. We thought Tobi escaped during the confusion. One of the guards spotted two figures run East. He swore on his eyes that one was Tobi dressed as a mage.

We put together a party and headed East but we couldn't find the trail. We searched until after dark but no luck. It was like they just vanished. When we returned there was a huge explosion from somewhere near the trade district. Turned out to be Tobi's bakery. We stormed the place, but nobody was there."

By the end of the story, Lorrys dagger had dropped by his side. He hadn't realized it -but the guards had.

Seeing Lorrys dagger glinting by his side, three of the guards quietly drew their swords. The fourth one had recognized Lorry and didn't dare draw his weapon at all.

Whilst the three guards slowly advanced on Lorry, the fourth one ducked out the back.

---

Cursing, Lorry tried to wipe flecks of blood from his clothes. He hadn't really wanted to kill them but the idiots attacked him. He left the officer alive as the man didn't reach for his weapon.

He also left the man alive in case he needed more information later.

Based on the story he'd heard, Tobi left dressed as a mage. He had definitely visited the Mage Guild.

Visiting the mage guild made sense too. What better place to find chess partners than the most intelligent people in town?

As he walked past the Plucked Duck, Lorry considered going inside. The inn was involved with Tobi's story somehow. He severely doubted Tobi had killed Ranall. He probably didn't even have the ability. Passing it by, he continued straight for the mage guild.

Entering the mage guild, Lorry was greeted by an odd, old wizard with a stereotypical costume. He doubted the developers had ever created such a man, but he remembered the fashion being popular when people started playing the game.

"Welcome." The wizard called.

Lorry guessed he was smiling but it was hard to guess under the facial hair.

"I am not here for magical teaching. I am here on other business." Lorry replied looking at the three doors with interest.

"Oh? What business do you have?" The man asked frowning as he noticed the fresh blood on Lorry's clothes.

Lorry could sense the build up of magic around the room. As he wasn't actually a mage it was extremely subtle but he knew it well enough to recognize it.

Glancing around the floor, Lorry wondered whether it was air or earth. Based on the vibrations it was probably one of the two. Feeling heat starting to rise up from the ground, Lorry looked at the wizard in shock.

"Wait! I don't want trouble. I think we have a friend in common. A friend in danger?"

The tremors in the floor started to die down instantly.

Crazy guy. Did he plan on sinking the entire building just to kill me? He didn't even know why I was here...

"How do I know what you say is true?"

Lorry considered the question. The man had been merging fire and earth magic to create lava below the floor. If the man was crazy enough to go that far, he couldn't be under-estimated.

From the mans reactions, Lorry also assumed it was safe to trust the old man. "Would it help if I said my name was Lorry?"

The wizard nodded, "More."

"OK: Lorry, Danger, Traveling, White's Turn, Chess, Tobi...how's that?"

"If you know that much, what do you need from me?"

"Tobi seemed to think I know how to play chess. I don't."

The wizard narrowed his eyes. His waning suspicion had flared back up.

"Listen, I can learn it alone, but meanwhile he is in danger. I just need to know how the pieces move so I can take whites turn and figure it out."

"Tobi said you knew how to play. If you want to help him, clear his name. Then I will tell you what you want to know."

Quest: Clear the name of Tobi of Brackley.Grand Mage Galven of Brackley Mage Guild wants you to prove yourself as a friend by clearing the name of Tobi.

Requirements:

Have the town clear Tobi's name for the murder of Ranall.

Rewards:

Grand Mage Galven's trust and a debt of favour.

Lessons in Chess.

Secret to revealing the code to track down Tobi of Brackley.

Failure:

Abandoning the quest.

Failing to clear Tobi's name.

Choosing not to accept this or failing it will cause Galven to distrust you.

Galven will no longer allow you inside the Mage Guild.

Galvens distrust will prevent you from entering a few other Mage Guilds around Anderon.

What the hell? If there is a quest involving Tobi, that means the system has incorporated him into the game.

Worried by what it could mean to have Tobi involved in a quest storyline, Lorry accepted.

Clearing Tobi's name would be easy. He'd just go to a Tavern and boast about killing Ranall himself.

***

Tobi

Wearing brand new clothes he'd made himself, Tobi turned a half circle to check his appearance in the mirror.

The clothes were pretty basic and slightly baggy but they were designed for a purpose, not general wear.

Black trousers, white top, one black shoe, one white shoe and a checkered black-and-white hat.

I look like a fool or jester...

The design had been Vallens idea and Tobi had thought it was a good one. Now he seen how he actually looked, he didn't like the idea at all.

Ditching the hat, Tobi thought he could pull off the rest. If you ignored his shoes, the appearance wasn't too far from normal.

Heading outside to where the tournament was to be held, Tobi asked Vallen how things were proceeding.

"Better than I expected but not without problems."

"More thieves?"

Vallen nodded.

Along with all the people coming to register came the riff-raff: Pickpockets, Thieves, Burglars, Con-men...

When he saw some people from Brackley arrive he'd realized the mistake of inviting all of Anderon. Guards were looking for him and he'd pretty much told them all where he was.

To Tobi's surprise, the people of Brackley actually cheered when they saw him. Curious, he walked over and greeted them in turn. He knew most of them and they were all happy to see him alive and well.

Asking why the sudden change of heart, Tobi was answered with a story you couldn't make up.

Some crazy lunatic had gotten drunk in Teagans Tavern and boasted about killing Ranall. He claimed the man had looked at him funny so had to die. When the soldiers shown up, they included charges of some guards that were killed at Jasper's place.

The man didn't go quietly though. He fought back and eventually escaped.

Asking about Jasper, nobody seemed to know what happened to him. Some guy from out of town has taken over his shop and a shady character shown up with the lease to the Plucked Duck.

"You ready for this?" Vallen asked, snapping Tobi out of his thoughts.

"Still another day yet." Tobi replied as he looked at the long line of people still trying to register.

In truth, Tobi's excitement had dimmed a little. Waiting for something for two long months was like waiting for Christmas. You start getting the feeling in November and the excitement builds through December. Come Christmas Eve though, your excitement tends to run dry.

He wanted to hurry up and open his presents already!

Things hadn't been all fun and games either. Vallen had taken charge of almost everything due to Tobi's extra tasks. In order to reach Vallen's expectations his training had been constant.

The training wasn't all that bad and it was easy to keep positive. Just the night before his Linguistics had finally reached Beginner 25 and he was now able to learn another language. He'd been waiting for the level since he'd finished mastering Elven.

His next plan was to learn whatever language was in the Diary of Ellenestri. Although the cover was written in Elven, the inside was a different language entirely. Fortunately, all he had to do was read the first page and he'd begin learning the language. As soon as the day was over, he planned to get the book and begin learning whichever language was inside.

Elven Carpentry had also developed nicely and was now at Beginner 50. His next level would be intermediate 1 and he could start trying to work out how to use his Arcane Magic. Half the chess sets being used in the tournament were made by him but he'd purposely made them all as basics without leaving his mark behind. He didn't want a surplus of 'Tobi Specials' that would devalue his own pieces.

Everything seemed to be right in front of him, ready to be taken.

Feeling as though he was on the precipice of some unfathomable cliff, Tobi hoped that what came next was flight; not doom. Wasn't there a saying that pride always came before a fall?

"How long are you going to enjoy the view?" Vallen asked as a group of men approached.

"My cue to leave?"

Vallen nodded, "I left a book for you in your room. I remembered you were interested in it so I delivered it to your room this morning. Perhaps now would be a better time to discover what I left for you."

Despite being curious about the people approaching, Tobi nodded and left for the residences.

Having normally only come to the room on nights he actually went to sleep, Tobi still felt like the room wasn't his. The book was there though, just as he was told.

Picking it up, Tobi tried to read the title: The Malanquit

You have begun learning the language 'Malanchite' of the Malanquit.

+1 intelligence.

"What?!" Staring at the notification, he didn't want to believe what he read, "Damn it, Vallen..."

Quickly grabbing the Diary of Ellenestri out of his chest, Tobi confirmed that the book was not written in Malanchite. Cursing Vallens name for ruining his plan, Tobi slammed the book shut.

I knew things were going too well for me.

---

Seeing both Galven and Deedee approach, Tobi felt like his first present just arrived.

Rushing from his little podium at the center of the tournament ground, Tobi grabbed Deedee and pulled her into a hug. Spotting Galvens bemused face in the corner of his eye, Tobi dragged him into the hug too.

"It is so good to see you both! I didn't think you could come."

Laughing, Galven told him that they'd shut the Guild. They didn't plan on missing the tournament at all.

"Then I wish you both luck. Have you both registered?"

Galven nodded as Deedee slumped.

"What is it?"

"We're both in first hundred." Galven replied with a wan smile.

"First hundred? We face each other first."

Tobi shook his head. "Nope. That won't do at all. I will change your partners."

"Isn't that cheating...or something?" Galven asked.

Ignoring the slight dig from Deedee telling him to shut up, Galven waited for Tobi's answer.

"Nah. Doesn't really make any difference. What are your numbers?"

After receiving their numbers, Tobi went to search for their table. Finding them near the center of the tournament ground, Tobi swapped Galven's number with one on the table next to it.

It wasn't how chess tournaments were usually held but they'd improvised a little. For starters, Aevitas didn't have things like clocks, let alone stop-clocks and timers. Doing the best they could, they set the tournament up as a knock out from the very beginning. Pretty much a winner stays on rule.

Every entrant was given a number based on when they registered. Galven and Deedee had both been registered by Vallen early on so their numbers were 22 and 23. Vallen in turn nearly forgot to register himself and ended up being entrant 132.

In short, that meant Vallen wouldn't start playing until 32 people had been knocked out. Whilst some would claim being last was better as you had more chance to get into the finals and win, those who knew better wanted to enter early.

What you needed in chess was experience. There was also the bonus of high stat gains from all the matches.

Every time one person was knocked out, the next in line would take their place. Breaks were every three hours for roughly an hour and would be done in 3 sets. A total of 11 hours out of the day.

With the numbers swapped so that Galven and Deedee weren't facing each other, Tobi looked around for something else to do. It was almost time to begin.

"Tobi, sir. I have been told to give you these."

Looking down at the young apprentice mage, Tobi took the items. "Who told you to give me these?"

The young mage seemed to have lost his voice and bashfully pointed toward Tobi's podium. Vallen stood smiling as he rocked back and forth on his heels.

Walking over, Tobi asked what the big idea was.

"The first hundred are locating their numbers and taking seats. I have spread the word that you will give a speech before we begin., The matches will start as soon as you don your hat."

Looking down at the checkered hat in his hands, Tobi cursed. The gloves that came with it however were not so bad. The left was white and the right was black. Exact opposites to his shoes.

Standing on the podium, Tobi pulled on both gloves and raised his hands.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. We all know why we are here. We all know what you want. Let us not dally any further..." Holding the checkered hat up in his right hand, Tobi flipped it onto his head, "Let the games begin!"

A cheer from the crowd erupted as dozens of white pawns or white knights instantly made their first move.

For public speaking, you have unlocked the Charisma stat.

---

Walking around the games with three other officials, Tobi watched for false calls of check-mate or people failing to notice they were in check at all. There wasn't really much else to do and all he really did was watch how the games were unfolding.

The majority of the first hundred were residents of the mage guild; they all knew what they were doing and the games were dragging on.

Once a winner was declared, the next in line had the right to choose which colour they would be. Challengers always got the right to decide their colour.

"Check mate!"

Turning on his heel as countless heads also turned in the direction, Tobi spotted Deedee with her arms in the air. Her partner stood and gracefully bowed before leaving. He didn't even wait for Tobi or an official to confirm the victory.

Tobi walked over just the same. He wanted to see how the game ended.

Gesturing for the next participant to come over, he gave a small nod to Deedee. Smiling, she started setting the board back up.

"Blacks or Whites?" Deedee asked as he sat down.

"Blacks."

As challengers normally chose white, Deedee had set the board up for her to be black. Smiling, she spun the board around and made her first move.

It wasn't long before Tobi wished there were more officials. Check-mate was being called almost everywhere at the same time.

"That one isn't check-mate." Tobi advised and moved instantly over to the next table.

Rushing round like a madman only lasted a few minutes but it felt longer. With all the new matches starting up, he slipped off to the side to grab a drink.

"Will your stamina hold up?" Vallen mocked in a whisper.

"Hush you, focus on your game."

Tobi's stamina wasn't bad anymore, he could easily hold up for the tournament.

"Makes no odds, I win in six more moves."

Seeing the hurt look of Vallens opponent, Tobi moved to have a look.

"No helping him." Vallen warned with worry.

"Not sure I could. I think it's over. Better luck next time, Jae."

The apprentice mage slumped. He'd gotten through the first battle just to face Vallen next and lose in almost no time at all.

"Bit of advice Jae. Don't fall into your opponents pace. Based on how fast your game ended, you were taking your turns almost as fast as Vallen. He does that on purpose to rush you and force mistakes."

Jae nodded, "I want to see what he does to beat me in six moves though, so I will fold my King when I see how its done."

Tobi nodded. As soon as four moves had been taken, Jae knocked his king over and Tobi gestured for the next opponent.

---

"How many left?" Deedee asked rubbing her eyes. The tournament had been advertised as a 3 day event with day four holding the quarter, semi- and final matches.

It was already day four.

"You're done now. Break is in about ten minutes but you can go now if you like. When all the matches being played are over, we will be down to the last eight."

"Will we be having the finals today?" Galven asked from the next table over.

After taking a quick look at his board, Tobi could see that Galven had won -or would win in a couple of turns- his partner was just stalling whilst he tried to figure a way out. "Probably. It depends how long the quarter-finals and semi-finals take. If they're all done before second break, we will host the finals after that."

Galven nodded and looked back at the chess board, "Tobi, is there a way for you to rule a winner or force someone to stop wasting time?"

Tobi looked at the table, "Technically no, it is just bad etiquette for people to do this. Some think it is better to see the game through to the end and not rob your opponent of victory, but others think it more gracious to fold rather than waste time. I am sorry friend, but you can't escape. You have definitely lost."

Sighing, the man tipped his King over and gave Tobi a nasty look.

Hearing someone call 'mate' in the distance, Tobi told them both to get something to eat and drink.

"Lorry?"

"Shh." The hooded figure hissed back as he looked around. "How did you know it was me"

Looking down at the table, Tobi smiled. He'd won with an archetypal Bishop and Knight check mate. The exact same one he'd used in his code for Lorry to work out.

"What do you mean, 'how did I know'? I can see your face..."

"Really? That shouldn't be possible."

Tobi shrugged and helped Lorry put the pieces back into their rightful places. "Why are you hiding your identity?"

"I'm a wanted man. Normally a players bounty disappears after a while but mine refuses to go. I can't even bribe my way out of it. I am stuck in a chaotic state."

"Funny. What did you do?"

Staring at Tobi like he wanted to hit him, Lorry pointed a finger in his face, "I saved your backside. That's what I did."

"What do you mean?"

Pulling Tobi off to the side, Lorry shared the story of how he pretended to get drunk in Teagans Tavern. Although he'd heard it before, the fantastic tale weaved by Lorry was far more enjoyable.

"That's not really important though," Lorry continued, "I have actually been here since shortly after you got here. To think it took you nearly a month. Had I not been held up, I'd have arrived before you. Imagine my surprise if you hadn't been here? I would have never waited a month. I would have been all over the country looking for you thinking you probably died along the way."

Apologizing, Tobi explained that it couldn't be helped.

"I learned all that already. Anyway, you can't let anyone know who I am. Especially Chaucey."

"Vallen Chaucey?"

"Yeah, we have some bad blood. He might try to kill me again. If he knew I was in a chaotic state, he wouldn't even hesitate. Oh, and I have news for you. Want it now or after the tournament?"

Figuring the news was about one of three things, Tobi asked if the news was good or bad.

"News is news."

"Go on then, what is it?"

"Your parents have handed over your Dive Unit and you are on a flight to Korea right now. Also, Skea-Tech have decided to open the servers. Some places in Europe are putting a ban on it, but there is nothing they can do. The South Korean government have said it's fine so long as we put a warning on the system that people can be trapped.

China, Japan and most other Asian countries are fine with the servers being opened. They have said that people play at their own risk."

"What about England and America?" Tobi asked thinking about his sister.

"The governments are still arguing with Skea-Tech; like demanding to have knowledge on how it works before judging it as safe. Skea-Tech refused though. They basically said:

'You don't want your people to play? Fine. You stop them.' and left them to it."

Imagining Skea-tech flipping the proverbial bird at British and American governments, Tobi couldn't resist a smile.

Apparently Lorry thought it was funny too as he was giving the same stupid grin.

"There is a lot of other stuff happening, obviously. That isn't your concern though. Or mine."

"Yeah. Doesn't matter. When do the servers open?"

"The relaunch of servers is scheduled for midnight on Sunday. Gives you about 10 days."

***

Lucy

Watching as the nurse wrapped a bandage around her hand, Lucy thought the woman was going a little overboard; it wasn't like she broke a knuckle or anything.

"What caused it this time?" The nurse asked.

"You know what caused it: My fist hit his face."

"I am not talking about your hand, I am talking about the fight."

Trying to resist a smile and failing, she considered telling the truth. Instead she looked out of the window and watched the boys playing football in the yard.

She could have blamed the fight on many things, but in truth, the answer was Tobi.

Since Tobi had become trapped in the machine, she'd felt raw inside- like her emotions were open to the elements.

When Tobi had come home, she'd been out. She knew what time he was supposed to be home and had gone shopping with the girls to get him a welcome home present. The summer before he'd made a big act of disappointment at not getting a present, even going so far as pretending to sob and claim he was unloved.

It was comical to her but her parents didn't think it was funny. They just called him an idiot and a clown.

She also knew his girlfriend was coming too - a secret she'd been told to keep from their parents.

When she'd arrived home with a present ready to be wrapped, his bags were already there. She'd ran to his room straight away but the guy could sleep like the dead. He wasn't budging at all. More surprising was the fact that his girlfriend hadn't come with him. She wanted to ask about that as soon as he woke up.

The next day she'd gone out with her parents to buy food for his welcome home party. She'd practically forced her parents into hosting one.

When they got home an ambulance was parked outside with the front door kicked in.

Whilst her parents meandered dumbly as if they couldn't register what they were seeing, she'd rushed into the house in blind panic. Remembering that his girlfriend hadn't come with him for the summer like she was supposed to, she instantly thought of the worst. Fearing they had broken up and Tobi committed suicide, she was already crying before she reached the house.

The relief of him still being alive didn't stop the tears, they seemed to fuel them instead.

Just the memory of thinking he'd killed himself threatened to make her break down all over again.

"All done." The nurse smiled.

Looking down at her bandaged hand, Lucy wondered where the woman had learned her skills; it looked as though her hand was ready to slip on a boxing glove.

"So, want to tell me why you hit him?"

Her smile gone, she thought about being honest. Out of all the staff in school, only the nurse was on her side. Even her parents didn't have much time for her anymore.

"When I was a kid, about three or maybe four-years old, I had gone home from playschool in a really good mood. I had a little daisy in my hand that a boy had given me after asking me to be his girlfriend. I don't remember his face at all but I remember the flower and the words.

I asked him what it meant to be a girlfriend. The boy didn't know so I told him I would answer him when I knew what it meant.

That day when I got home, I ran to my brother's room to tell him how my day went. I was really excited too so it had probably been my first day.

Anyway, I ran in with a flower in my hand and told him to look. I told him how a boy had asked me to be his girlfriend."

Smiling at the memory, she shook her head. With a small laugh escaping her, Lucy continued;

"His reaction...I remember it perfectly. His face turned white and his eyes shot open. I think he may have actually teleported he got to me so fast. Putting his hands on both my shoulders he looked directly at me and said:

'Lucy, when a boy asks you to be his girlfriend, it means he has been attacked by the fuzzies. They have gotten inside his head and are eating his brain. You have to save him. Do you want your friend to die? To rescue him, you have to make your ball into a fist like this and punch him really hard, right here.'"

Doing all the actions as she told her story, Lucy tapped herself with a fist twice on her own chin.

"The next day, I ran right up to him and asked if he still wanted me to be his girlfriend. As soon as he said yes, I punched him as hard as I could. After the boy fell over crying, I looked back to the car. Tobi gave me a thumbs up, after nodding proudly, I gave him a thumbs up back. I'd rescued my friend from the fuzzies."

Covering her mouth to hide a smile, the nurse paused before shaking her head, "That's incredibly cute and a little sweet, but aren't you a little old to still be doing that?"

"I stopped doing that years ago. Since Tobi got trapped though, I have been afraid of forgetting memories like that. I was pretty good friends with Scot at the time and he'd comfort me whilst sharing memories of Tobi. Then he tried to kiss me and I realized he'd only been comforting me to get close. I remembered the story of the fuzzies and..."

"...you hit him."

Lucy nodded. It was Scots' older brother she'd hit this time though. Whilst she and Scot were still fifteen, his older brother was seventeen and in sixth form of the school. He'd sent a girl to beat her up a couple of days after she'd punched Scot. She'd had been caught off guard by the attack but still won the fight.

The girl in turn jumped her with some friends and got her revenge.

Picking off the girls that jumped her one at a time, she went to confront Scot's brother. The idiot tried to brush her off and told her to move before he knocked her out.

Lucy had laughed and a second later he was on the floor rubbing his chin. Everybody dragged them apart before it could escalate further.

She'd probably get beaten up again later, but she didn't care. None of them would have dared if Tobi wasn't trapped inside a game. Even though they all called Tobi a chess geek behind his back, they all moved out of his way when he came walking by.

The few friends Tobi did have had nicknamed her 'Little Tobi'. Their only differences really were the fact that she was a girl and he was amazing at chess. She tried to like chess, but never developed the same interest in it as Tobi had.

Hearing the vibration of her phone inside her schoolbag, Lucy reached in to grab it.

The nurse pulled her own phone out of a pocket at the same time.

As they both read their text messages, their eyes locked on each other.

They were both subscribers to the Skea-Tech News Forum and had both received the same message:

The servers are reopening!

***

Tobi

Whilst the quarter- and semi-finals were interesting, Tobi had been unable to settle down.

Whilst trying to watch the final match between Vallen Chaucey and Lord Hallen, his mind repeatedly made plans for what he should do next.

Remembering he'd once told the church that the Gods were going to war and the Travelers would disappear, he thought it would be a good idea to pay them another visit.

He also needed to finish getting Elven Carpentry to intermediate so Vallen would share what he knew about Arcane Magic. It didn't seem to be much but anything was better than nothing.

He wasn't sure what to do after that though:

-Head North towards Camlann and see if he can find his sister?

-Head East across Lybernia and sail to Llysfaen and find the Elves?

-See if he could charter a ship from Cohol and sail all the way to Llysfaen?

Whatever he chose, he needed to get stronger. With players coming back, the risk of death wasn't just the monsters outside the villages and cities.

"Check mate."

Snapping out of his thoughts and looking at the board, Tobi confirmed the check mate.

"Ladies and gentlemen! We have our winner. Vallen Chaucey of the Cohol Mage Guild."

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do really so he just made it up.

The crowd cheering at his words caught him by surprise too; it was not the kind of thing you were likely to see at a chess tournament in the real world. Clapping was about all you would get usually.

In some ways, he was starting to like this place more than his old home. If his sister was here, he'd probably not have reason to go back.

"And our runner up, the Lord of Cohol himself, Lord Hallen!"

The crowd renewed their cheers at the name of their lord. He was really loved by his people and the humble attitude and bowing really made Tobi warm up to him.

"This way please, Vallen. Lord Hallen, could you come too please?"

Taking them to the podium, Tobi raised the cup, "To the champion of this tournament, I award this cup and the Title of Cohol Chess Champion!"

Taking the cup with a small bow, Vallen turned and raised it to a crowd of cheers.

You have successfully awarded a title to a resident of Aevitas.

You have unlocked leadership.

+10 Leadership

You have unlocked Nobility.

+20 Nobility.

Surprised by the window, Tobi moved it to the side to read later.

"To the winner, I also award this chess set. The original chess set and the first ever made: The Angels and Demons chess set of Tobi of Brackley."

Handing over the chess set, the crowd cheered. The look of envy from Lord Hallen cheered Tobi a little too. To learn that Hallen had desired the chess set he made was truly gratifying.

"That isn't all." Tobi called to the crowd, "Is it fair to send our runner up home empty handed?"

The crowd shouted a loud 'No' as they started to get caught up in his pace.

"Then we should award him should we not?"

Laughing as the crowd responded with a yes, Tobi turned to Lord Hallen.

Pulling a leather-bound book he'd tucked into the back of his pants, "To lord Hallen I present this; The first ever written Rules and Regulations book of Chess. Inside contains the rules of Chess, Timed Chess, Speed Chess, Tournaments, Official Tournaments, handing over of Titles and almost anything else you could wish to know. I had originally intended to use it to host tournaments all over Anderon.

Instead, I give it to Lord Hallen and grant him the Title of: First Ever Cohol Chess Tournament Runner-up.

I also include this:"

Tobi reached into his bag and produced a smaller version of Vallen's trophy. Tobi wasn't sure what it was made from but he'd asked the blacksmith to make its colour silver.

"The runner-up Trophy!"

As the crowd cheered, Lord Hallen accepted both rewards. He seemed to be far more interested in the book than the trophy.

"Would this book give me permission to hold tournaments in the future?" Hallen asked quietly so that the crowd couldn't hear.

"You will find information on that in the book, but yes. Even if I did not give permission, tournaments will be held. That book will explain how to host official tournaments and keep records. Only official matches and tournaments will change chess rankings and ratings...you will have to read the book."

Smiling at the book, Hallen nodded.

"Now. On to our final bit of business!" Tobi called to the crowd, "Vallen Chaucey. As the Cohol Chess Champion, I give you the right to challenge me for an even grander title. The World Chess Champion!"

As the crowd were stunned into silence, every eye turned to Vallen.

Taking the opportunity, Tobi quickly looked at all the notifications that wanted his attention.

You have successfully award a title to Lord Hallen:

First Ever Cohol Chess Tournament Runner-up.

+5 Nobility.

You have successfully Awarded a Title to a Lord.

+15 Nobility.

You have successfully hosted a Tournament enjoyed by the people.

+20 Leadership.

Intimacy with citizens of Cohol and Brackley has risen

Due to gaining confidence in Public Speaking You have gained 10 Charisma.

By remaining undefeated you have successfully awarded yourself Title of:

World Chess Champion.

+3 Nobility

You will be recognized as the World Chess Champion by all Chess practitioners wherever you go.

You have charmed the people of Cohol as well as their Lord,

You have unlocked Charm.

+10 Charm.

Closing the boxes and making a mental note to look up the stats and their bonuses later, Tobi turned to Vallen for his answer.

"May we play with the chess set I won?" Vallen asked with a childish glee in his eyes.

Tobi laughed and agreed.

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Back to Main Page

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Authors note:

Spoiler :

Sorry for the delay on this chapter. Edits, edits and more edits.

I have decided to open a Discussions Q&A thread due to this chapter. [maybe later today]

I edited out A LOT of filler and other details were lost because I couldn't think of ways to write that information back into the story. I despise info-dumps so I really try to keep them down to a minimum or non-existent.

If anything, I am not too happy with how I ended up throwing in his Nobility, Leadership and Charisma gains nor how I ended the chapter. Without all the filler and info-bombs, I really struggled to get all the important information into the chapter.

Shows that my writing still has a long way to go.

Anyway, when it is up, please check out the "Discussions and Q&A" - If not for the comments and responses received so far this story would not include Deedee's POV, Lucy's little cut scene or Lorry's actions. Your comments really do have an impact on my writing, so please feel free to voice your opinions.

~Aspirer <3