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“Amadeus, you snake!”
“General, to what do I owe this honor during my chess game?”
“You knew that would happen!”
“Hmmm, knew ‘what’ would happen?”
“You–!”
“…”
“Call off your men, Amadeus.”
“…”
“Ama–!”
“Please rid General Fenrir of weapons and wait outside the door, gentlemen. Thank you.”
“…”
“Would you like to join me for a game of chess?”
“I’m not here to play games with you!”
“We’ve already been playing for a while now, General. Why not take a break and join me for a round of chess?”
“You’re insufferable.”
“Your move, General.”
“…”
“…”
“…Amadeus…”
“Yes?”
“Did you know – no, of course you knew–”
“About the ambush of your men? Of course, General.”
“Those were good men!”
“…”
“They were—”
“Pawns.”
“…”
“The word you’re looking for is ‘pawn’, General.”
“My men are not pawns.”
“Could’ve had me fooled. Those ‘good men’ as you so passionately defend managed to coax your enemies out of hiding and dealt heavy losses to their side. So what if you lost a few men?”
“I lost seventy-three men.”
“What of it? It was a victorious day on your part so they served their purpose well, didn’t they, General?”
“Do not call them pawns.”
“Why not? This war is no different than this game of chess that we’re playing.”
“This is nothing like chess!”
“Really? Nobody ever won a chess game by resigning. The same goes for warfare. You have to be daring, be bold. Make a move that no one sees coming, General. Be steadfast and sure of your strategy or else you let your opponent get the best of you.”
“…”
“Sometimes that can be a daunting task, however. Please feel free to correct me if I am mistaken but that is why you enlisted my services, is it not? You get to be the compassionate general that you portray for the masses while I get to lurk in the shadows.”
“…”
“What is it, General? You’ve been awfully silent.”
“Isn’t chess supposed to be a quiet game?”
“It is but you’re not really focused on the game, are you? You’ve lost six of your pawns, one knight and a rook so far. Try a bit of tact or you’ll lose your bishop next. You’re going to lose if you don’t apply strategy overall. Kind of like this war.”
“You’re an asshole, Amadeus.”
“Well, you can’t get shit done without one. That being said, that is why you enlisted my services.”
“I didn’t enlist the help of a monster.”
“You say ‘monster’, I say ‘tactician’.”
“So, you planned to have my men die out there.”
“Their sacrifices were not in vain. The pawns fulfilled their role to their king.”
“I’m no king.”
“I’m aware of this. What good is a king who cannot look past minor casualties to see the larger picture? A king mourning pawns forgets how direct their knights, their rooks. Similar to how you’ve already lost footing in key locations, General. But no need to worry. I’ve already taken the liberty to ensure those locations are secured.”
“How?”
“…”
“How?!”
“Check.”
“What?”
“Check, General.”
“…”
“…”
“Why don’t you tell me?”
“Because then I’d get lectured. Do you honestly believe I want to hear you spout Geneva Convention nonsense at me when my methods are working to win your war? Want to tell me that you will report me to higher authorities once this all over? Don’t think you can use me as a stepstone, General, by thinking that you can just wash your hands of all the blood you’ve shed up to this point. Stop painting me as a monster when I’m simply fulfilling the role given to me. If I go down – which I won’t – I’ll be sure to bring you down with me. In the meantime, check.”
“…”
“By the way, when I said ‘check’ I meant the chessboard.”
“…”
“You’ve been moving pieces around absentmindedly the same way you’ve been moving your assets, General. This chessboard mirrors your battlefield. If you want, I will bow out and you can continue. No more monster as you put it. However, if you even try to notify the authorities, it’ll be more trouble for you than for myself, General. Your move.”
“…”
“I thought so. If that is all for the day, we should conclude this meeting. I'm sure you have a busy schedule and my time is valuable, General.
“Mr. Amadeus.”
“Yes?”
“I wanted to inform you that General Fenrir has collected his belongings and the guards have escorted him off the premises.”
“Thank you. Is that all?”
“He seemed a bit… disgruntled on his way out.”
“Oh, really?”
“Mr. Amadeus, do you know why that is?”
“We were simply having a chat while playing a game of chess.”
“Chess?”
“Yes.”
“He was upset over a game of chess? Surely chess isn't something one should get so worked up over. Are you sure?”
“True but as great of a tactician as the General would like to think, I got checkmate.”
ns 15.158.61.54da2
