Chapter 98: Checkmate
The clearing had gone utterly silent. Students and instructors alike watched with rapt attention as Gale took a measured step forward, his polished boots crunching against the grass. His usual smirk remained, but there was an edge to it now—like a blade sharpened to its limit.
Gale’s smirk didn’t falter as he took his seat across from me, the board between us like a battlefield drawn in miniature. The crowd around us hushed, students and faculty alike waiting to see how this would play out.
"Best of three?" he asked, as if offering me a fair chance.
I met his gaze evenly. "One game. Winner takes all."
A flicker of amusement crossed his face. "Confident, are we?"
I shrugged. "Time is valuable. No need to waste it."
Gale chuckled, then reached forward and made the first move. The game had begun.
The opening moves were slow, measured. I mirrored his patience, placing each piece with careful deliberation. Stones and Crowns wasn’t just about strategy—it was about reading your opponent, anticipating their moves before they made them.
Gale played methodically, with a steady, almost mechanical approach. No wasted movements, no reckless gambits. It was the style of someone who had honed his craft over countless games, someone who believed in calculated victories.
But that was the problem.
He expected me to do the same.