The next morning, the bright sunlight shining through the thick canvas of the magic tent woke me up. The air inside was cool, but there was a warm, delicious smell drifting over from the center of the camp. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
Elphyete and Ma'am Cherha were already awake and busy at work. They were standing by the campfire, cooking a huge breakfast for all of us. Ma'am Cherha was stirring a large iron pan filled with sizzling sausages and thick cuts of bacon, while Elphyete was using her magic to perfectly toast several loaves of bread and fry a massive pile of eggs. They worked together perfectly, talking and laughing quietly as they prepared the food.
While the food was cooking, Lucian and Aria proved they had way too much energy for the early morning. As soon as they got out of their sleeping bags, they ran straight outside the tent. They didn't even put their boots on. They started running around the beautiful field of bright, glowing flowers, chasing each other just like they had the day before. Eventually, they got tired of running and just threw themselves onto the ground, laying flat on their backs in the middle of the soft, colorful petals, looking up at the clear blue sky.
"Breakfast is ready!" Ma'am Cherha finally called out, clapping her hands.
Everyone quickly gathered around the campfire. Lucian and Aria came running back in, covered in a few stray flower petals. We all sat down on the wooden logs and ate our food. Just like last night, it was incredibly delicious. The sausages were juicy, the eggs were perfect, and the toasted bread had a sweet, buttery taste to it. We all ate until we were completely full, getting the energy we needed for another long day of travel.
After eating, we quickly prepared to leave. Elphyete stood in the center of the camp, closed her eyes, and reversed her Creation magic. The massive tent glowed green for a second before folding in on itself and disappearing completely, leaving the flower field exactly as we had found it. We grabbed our heavy bags, loaded them into the carriage, and climbed inside. Ma'am Cherha took her spot at the driver's seat, Sir Vael lazily floated back up to his bed on the roof, and with a loud snap of the reins, the four massive horses pulled us forward. We officially left the beautiful flower forest behind.
Inside the carriage, it was very comfortable. The magic of the vehicle kept it from bouncing too much on the dirt road. We all settled into our velvet couches. For the first hour or so, we just watched the scenery change out the windows, but eventually, people started getting a bit bored.
That was when Elphyete reached into her bag. She brought out the beautifully carved wooden chess board she had used to completely defeat Euphyne and me yesterday. She set it down right in the middle of the sturdy wooden table in the center of the carriage.
"Does anyone want to play a tournament?" Elphyete asked, a small, confident smile on her face.
Instantly, the entire carriage was interested. We decided to take turns playing against each other to see who the best chess player in the adventure class really was. We set up a simple system: the winner of the match gets to stay at the board and fight the next challenger.
The first few hours of the morning were absolute chaos. It quickly became clear that half the class had absolutely no idea how to play chess properly.
Lucian, Aria, Euphyne, Tokine, Elfrich, and Elfhine had the least wins out of everyone. Their games were mostly just confusing to watch. Euphyne tried to use the exact same strategy he used yesterday, blindly charging his knights and rooks forward like he was in a real battlefield, only to get all his pieces captured within five minutes. Aria and Lucian played against each other, but they kept forgetting how the knight was supposed to move, which led to a lot of silly arguments.
Tokine tried her best, but she kept overthinking her moves. She would even use tiny bursts of her time magic to slow down time around her own head so she could think longer, but it didn't help. She still ended up walking her king right into a trap. Elfrich and Elfhine, being siblings, spent their entire match just trying to annoy each other rather than actually winning the game. They all kept losing almost instantly whenever they faced a slightly better player.
Then there was the middle tier. Vela, Zane, and I were stuck on mid wins. We weren't terrible at the game, but we weren't geniuses either. Vela was very careful, keeping all her pieces huddled together in a defensive wall, which made her matches take a very long time. Zane was the opposite; he liked to take risks, sacrificing his own pieces just to try and scare his opponent.
When I played against Zane, it was a close match. He managed to take my queen early on, which made Euphyne cheer loudly from the couch, but I managed to use my bishops to sneak around his messy defense and secure a solid win. But whenever Vela, Zane, or I had to play against the true top players of the carriage, we were crushed.
The top tier consisted of exactly two people: Celdrich and Elphyete.
Celdrich was one of the quietest students in our class. He usually kept to himself, reading heavy books or practicing small magic spells in the corner. But when he sat down at the chess board, his eyes sharpened. He was incredibly smart.
When Celdrich finally sat down to challenge Elphyete, the entire carriage went silent to watch. The game started off normally, but it quickly turned into a massive brain battle. Elphyete would set up a clever, hidden trap using her pawns, but Celdrich would instantly see it and move his knight to block her. Celdrich would try to attack her sides, but Elphyete was already there, waiting with her rooks to defend.
Neither of them made a single mistake. They were currently tied in skill. They stared at the board with total focus. The only sound in the carriage was the rhythmic clack, clack of the wooden pieces hitting the board. After thirty minutes of intense moving and blocking, there were barely any pieces left. The board was locked up. Neither player could make a move that wouldn't instantly lose them the game.
"Stalemate," Celdrich said quietly, pushing his glasses up his nose.
Elphyete nodded, looking very impressed. "A good match. Let us reset."
They set the pieces back up and played again. And again. And again. For hours, they kept playing, and every single time, it ended in a complete stalemate. The rest of us completely gave up trying to challenge them. We just sat on the couches, watching them fight a silent war of strategy while the carriage rolled smoothly across the grassy plains of Fhajin.
They played all the way until lunch. The carriage finally slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road near a small, crystal-clear river. We stopped there so the horses could drink water and rest.
Ma'am Cherha opened the small window. "Lunch break, everyone!"
We all stretched our legs and stepped outside into the fresh air. Elphyete and Ma'am Cherha quickly set up a small fire. Even though it was just a quick lunch, they still managed to make delicious food. They served us thick bowls of chicken soup with hearty vegetables and soft, warm rolls of bread. We ate quickly, enjoying the sound of the running river and the warm afternoon sun.
"You two are entirely too serious about that board game," I joked to Elphyete as we sat on the grass eating our soup.
Elphyete just smiled, taking a delicate bite of her bread. "It is good practice for the mind, Sogha. Celdrich is a very difficult opponent. I cannot let my guard down."
After we finished eating, we packed up the cooking gear, got back into the spacious carriage, and continued traveling.
As soon as we sat down, Celdrich and Elphyete immediately went right back to the chess board. They reset the pieces and started their games all over again. The rest of the afternoon passed by slowly. Lucian and Aria eventually fell asleep on the back couch, while Euphyne tried to teach Tokine some sword forms in the tiny amount of empty space we had.
But Celdrich and Elphyete kept stalemating. Their matches were getting longer and longer. They would sit there for ten minutes just staring at the board before making a single move. It was like watching two massive statues trying to out-think each other. They kept stalemating all the way until the sun started to go down and the sky turned a dark, starry purple.
The carriage came to a slow halt for the night. We decided not to set up the giant tent this time, as we were going to sleep inside the warm, spacious carriage. Ma'am Cherha handed out the dinner rations. It was a simple but filling meal of dried meats, thick cheese, and sweet fruits. We sat around the inside of the carriage, eating our food by the light of a few small magic lamps floating near the ceiling.
After we ate food, the door to the carriage opened. Sir Vael, who had spent the entire day sleeping on the roof, stepped inside. He stretched his arms, looking slightly bored. Ma'am Cherha also came back from the driver's seat, wiping some dust from her hands. They both joined us in the main cabin.
Sir Vael looked at the table. Celdrich and Elphyete were just finishing up another long, grueling stalemate.
"You kids have been staring at that board all day," Sir Vael said, walking over and leaning his hip against the table. He looked down at the pieces. "You're both thinking too hard."
Celdrich looked up, a bit of pride in his eyes. "We are playing perfectly, Sir Vael. That is why it ends in a stalemate."
"No," Sir Vael said simply. "You're playing safely. Safe is boring." He pointed at Celdrich's seat. "Get up. Let me show you how it's done."
Celdrich, looking a bit surprised, stood up and let Sir Vael sit down. Across the table, Ma'am Cherha smiled brightly. She pulled up a spare wooden chair and sat down next to Sir Vael, directly facing Elphyete.
"I think I would like to play too, if you don't mind," Ma'am Cherha said cheerfully.
So, it was decided. Sir Vael against Celdrich first. Celdrich started with his usual, incredibly smart defensive wall. He moved his pieces with extreme care, trying to lock the board down just like he did with Elphyete. But Sir Vael didn't care about defense. He didn't even seem to be looking at the board half the time; he was mostly just staring at the ceiling, looking sleepy.
But every time Celdrich made a move, Sir Vael would immediately reach out and snap a piece forward. He played fast, chaotic, and completely aggressive. He sacrificed his knights, threw his bishops into danger, and completely destroyed his own defensive line. Celdrich looked confused, thinking Sir Vael was just making terrible mistakes.
But then, ten minutes into the game, Sir Vael picked up his only remaining rook, slid it across the board, and dropped it with a loud clack.
"Checkmate," Sir Vael yawned, leaning back in his chair.
Celdrich stared at the board in absolute shock. The messy, chaotic attacks had all been a giant, hidden trap. Celdrich's king was completely cornered. Celdrich had lost.
Next, it was Ma'am Cherha against Elphyete. Elphyete looked very focused, clearly realizing that the teachers were on a completely different level. Elphyete tried to use her best strategies, hiding her real attacks behind fake ones. But Ma'am Cherha just kept smiling her warm, motherly smile. She countered every single one of Elphyete's moves flawlessly. She didn't play chaotic like Sir Vael; she just played with terrifying perfection. Every time Elphyete tried to build a trap, Ma'am Cherha had already dismantled it three turns ago.
Before long, Ma'am Cherha gently moved her queen forward. "Checkmate, dear."
Elphyete sighed softly, bowing her head slightly in respect. Both Celdrich and Elphyete, the undisputed champions of the student class, had lost to Ma'am Cherha and Sir Vael in less than half an hour.
With the students defeated, there was only one thing left to do. Sir Vael turned his head and looked at Ma'am Cherha. Ma'am Cherha looked back at him, her smile turning just a tiny bit sharper.
"Care for a game, Vael?" she asked.
"Sure. Try not to cry when you lose," Sir Vael replied lazily.
They reset the board and began to play. This time, it wasn't a quick match. It was a clash of titans. Sir Vael's aggressive, unpredictable chaos was going head-to-head with Ma'am Cherha's flawless, calculating perfection. It was incredible to watch. They moved their pieces with so much intensity that it felt like actual magic was sparking off the wooden board.
But just like Celdrich and Elphyete earlier, they were too evenly matched. Sir Vael would try a wild attack, and Ma'am Cherha would perfectly block it. Ma'am Cherha would try to slowly crush him, and Sir Vael would wildly slip away at the last second.
They kept playing, and they kept stalemating. Match after match, the board ended in a draw.
As the night got deeper, the carriage grew very quiet. The rhythmic, repetitive sound of the chess pieces being moved became like a lullaby. The long day of traveling and the heavy dinner was finally catching up to everyone.
One by one, the students passed out. Euphyne was snoring loudly on the floor cushions. Lucian and Aria were fast asleep on the back couches. Tokine, Vela, Zane, and the twins were all completely out cold, wrapped in their thick blankets. Even Celdrich and Elphyete, exhausted from their own chess battles, eventually closed their eyes and fell asleep leaning against the side windows.
Soon, I was the only student left awake. I sat up on my couch, wrapping my warm travel cloak tightly around my shoulders. I watched the two teachers play. Even when everyone except me is asleep, they didn't stop. They didn't even talk. They just stared at the board, completely locked into their silent war. Sir Vael still looked sleepy, and Ma'am Cherha was still smiling, but their eyes were completely focused on the black and white squares.
I tried my best to stay awake and see who would finally win. I watched Sir Vael slide a bishop. I watched Ma'am Cherha counter with a knight. I wanted to see the end of the ultimate match.
But the warm air of the carriage, the soft rocking of the suspension, and the quiet clack, clack of the wooden pieces were too heavy. My eyelids felt like they were made of stone. I fought it for as long as I could, watching the blurry shapes of the wooden pieces move across the table in the dim lamp light.
But after a few minutes, I finally gave up. I rested my head against the soft velvet of the couch, closed my eyes, and I fell asleep while they're still playing, the sound of the endless stalemate following me into my dreams.