NOTE: White Chessmen are the enemies. The Children belong to Black side.
MAJOR OPENING DEAL: Starting next month, the Top Contributor for Dr Blessed fic will get one month free subscription of Patre0n's Inheritors Tier
One reader will be eligible for the free subscription alternating months. So, if you get to be the winner in July, you will be again eligible for free subscription in the month of September.
Please don't hold back on Power Stones as I would need all help I can get. Thank you!
*******************
Daphne had no experience in fighting; much less with fists.
Pointing the gloves forward, she madly rushed into the incoming heavy-armored Rook before it could swing the halberd down.
Her fists met the statue.
Blood oozed out from her gums.
The Rook staggered, but the force behind Daphne's charge, despite the use of the shoes, failed to push it off the square.
She took out her wand and pointed it at the soldier.
She had been practicing magic with Darcie since they were children. She never tried to outpace, or even catch, Darcie's learning curve.
However, more often than not, one's company dictated one's fate, too.
"Expelliarmus!"
Daphne's wand movement was exquisite, to say the least; her use of spell was swifter, still.
The white, glossy halberd the Rook was carrying, suddenly felt a tug similar to its magical creation. With a tremendous force, it lunged away from the soldier's grasp and went hurling up towards the roof.
Booommmmm!
The force behind Daphne's magic was so great that the halberd got lodged deep into the ceiling, debris falling on the stunned armies.
Silence.
…
"Arhghhhhhhhh!"
The white Rook roared, feeling humiliated as it lost its weapon.
Daphne's face paled. Only now she realized that against such an enemy, making it weaponless was as good as doing nothing.
The Rook lifted its huge fists and brought them down with roaring fury.
…
Draco was finding the magical shoes tailor-made for him.
He slipped under the barrage of spears from the white Bishop, dodging all attacks.
Simultaneously, he pounded the other Bishop back a square before it could land a killing blow on Hermione, the black Bishop meticulously backing him up.
It was then they heard the boom.
Draco's neck snapped up and saw the halberd stuck to the ceiling. His lips twitched.
He had known Daphne was good at magic. Darcie did that to people, rubbing herself off on them.
Still, Draco could have never imagined Daphne was this strong.
Suddenly, the white Rook lifted its fists, roaring at the girl whose face had gone deathly pale.
As if that wasn't enough, and before Draco could rush toward Daphne, a white blur passed right by him.
It was as if the wind had gained color.
Squelch!
Crackkkkkkkkk!!
Draco looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened.
The white Queen's rapier was embedded deep into the black Bishop. Then, as the spear fell out of its hands, the Bishop cracked and became dust.
From the other side, the white Bishop, who shared the same square color as Draco's, pointed its spear at him.
As if that was a cue, the white Queen turned around and planted her dead gaze on him as well.
And, the speed Draco had been enjoying so far, didn't seem enough anymore.
…
Harry was barely holding himself against the combined onslaught of white Knight and Rook.
He was a Pawn.
He could move only in one direction.
He could move only one step forward and backward.
Despite the great speed that the magical shoes bestowed upon him, once the Pieces had entered the battle, the Pawn couldn't match the white's charge at all.
Ever since they had survived the Werewolves on Halloween night, Harry, Draco, and Ron had been practicing punching, kicking, and basic hand-to-hand combat with Black's help.
Until we can do high-level spells, Black had joked, giving them books, let's focus on cooking, no?
Of course, the books weren't on cooking lessons, but Kickboxing.
Still, despite their nightly practices, there wasn't much the 11-year-old boys could learn themselves.
Blood dripped from Harry's chin as he punched the Knight's white sword, parrying it toward the incoming Rook.
He saw the Halberd flying and getting stuck to the ceiling from the corners of his eyes. But he barely had enough time to look away.
Harry did see Ron doing something, but he couldn't focus on him, either.
Harry's vision was blurring, getting redder by the second.
It was then he saw the white blur as if the wind had gained speed. Black side's first chess Piece, the Bishop, perished.
Harry saw the white Queen and the Bishop charging toward Draco.
The black side's other Knight rushed to give support but got blocked by the white's second Bishop's spear.
From the corner of his eye, he realized that Hermione, who had been standing next to him, had disappeared at some point in time.
Before Harry could turn his head, though, the white Rook standing by his side gained its bearings and attacked him with the halberd.
The white Knight, whose sword he had parried, also joined the Rook.
Harry's heart skipped a beat.
…
Hermione could give away anything to make herself useful.
She looked as Draco and Harry tried to keep the incoming white Pieces off her.
She looked as Daphne blasted the Halberd away. The white Rook lifted its huge fists and slammed right into her.
She saw Daphne trying to block them with the gloves but getting blasted off the chessboard following a boom, her bones jutting out of her arms.
Hermione couldn't even scream.
She looked as the black Queen charged to save Draco, but got blocked by the white Knight. The same knight had attacked Harry a moment before. But, it seemed, that had been a divergence tactic.
Perhaps that's why both white Knight and Rook had been targeting Harry, even though he was but a Pawn.
Regardless of the reasons, the white Queen gained the chance she had been waiting for.
With one great thrust, the rapier pierced Draco's waist, lifted him, and then threw him away like a piece of meat flung away from the skewer.
Hermione couldn't even cry.
She looked as Harry lost his balance as the blow he had been preparing from the Knight didn't come.
With half of his strength, Harry faced the Rook's blow.
The white Halberd struck Harry's hand, ignored the magical punch, and then slammed into his chest, sending him flying right into Ron's body.
Both boys skidded past black's King and fell face down, blood pooling under them.
Hermione couldn't even…
"I want to do something!" she cried, shouting out her lungs. "I want to move! I want to… I want to…"
Hermione grabbed her chest, bawling her eyes out.
"I want to fight!!!"
…
Black finished the box of popcorn and stood up, licking his fingers.
He put his hands behind his back and looked at the defeated children.
It was a magnificent piece of art, this Chess Room. Such emotions. Such great convergence of Providence.
The Ad Infinitum could feel it.
The Lucky Intuitions had already dictated it.
A great force of fate was boiling around the children, waiting for them to stand up and turn the tables.
But how? Even a blind man could tell by now that none of the five children would be leaving this room alive.
Unless… Unless the fate surrounding them took help from someone.
…
[
Congratulations Contestant Kai D. Stormborn
You have triggered a Hidden Mission
…
Hidden Mission: The Fate of the Five
Hidden Mission Grade: B-
Hidden Mission Summary: With the gathering of Prime and Lead Providences, the combined Fate of their impending doom would lead to disastrous consequences.
As a Contestant sharing the closest Fate as them, help the Characters survive this ordeal
Hidden Mission Objective: Help the Five from the shadows
Hidden Mission Time Limit: 60 minutes
Do you accept the Hidden Mission?
]
…
That's why it had been so important acting as a friend who could come to help when in need.
That's why it had been so important interacting with the children on a much personal level.
Everything, from all interactions to the manipulated events, had gone as planned.
As Black saw the Hidden Mission, the corners of his mouth lifted in victory.
**************
AN: Images of various scenes from this chapter are available on Patre0n
Over 60 Chapters ahead of Webnovel are on Patre0n, excluding exclusive Side Stories. With each Tier, you will get ALL Monthly Uploads as well. You can also access all the backlog chapters, with Images and Gifs, enriching your reading experience, while simultaneously supporting the work.
100 Power Stones: +1 Bonus Chapter