11 Misinterpretation

People are not always what they seem to be. We all know this fact but there are some who aren't putting up a front who have a darker side to them, one that lacks empathy or control. Someone who completely defies expectations of what once was. Some fear these people while some admire them. Some hate them, despise... some love them for they are strong. Someone who could completely overwhelm another through misconception alone.

One day, at some point, you will encounter someone like this in your life, I know it, your job is to determine how you feel about such a person.

Commentaries from the Abyss, Ludis Minor, Commander of Terra.

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The Gambler examined what was in front of him, a game all too familiar but foreign simultaneously. This wasn't a game of chance like the last one, its a game of skill. The Gambler sneered at the tablet in front of him, looking up to Terris, a confident smile coming across his face. Loa stands calmly at Terris's side while Ren looks at the tablet with a confused expression.

"Do you want to play?"

The Gambler sighs, "Sure, I'll do it. What do you want to bet?"

"I bet fifty percent of my shares."

The Gambler sighs again, "I bet everything."

Ren whips her head around to look at the Gambler, "What!?"

"It's fine, just watch..." Ren was about to yell at him until she notices the Gambler's solemn expression, "Mind explaining the game to me?"

Terris nods, "This is called Loney, a game similar to that of Orbia War." Loney is shogi, while Orbia War is chess, "It isn't a very well known game since only the Arasians in the south of Terra play it. So, like chess, each piece on the board can only go in certain ways. The king can go any direction one space, gold generals move one space in one of six directions - forwards, diagonally forwards, sideways, or backward. Silver generals move one space in one of 5 directions - forwards, diagonally forwards, or diagonally backward." Terris points to the pieces he referred to, "Knights move two squares forwards and then one square sideways. Only two squares are available to the Knight but, in compensation, it is the only piece that can jump over other pieces," He taps it with his finger, moving on, "A lance can move any number of spaces forward, it cannot go backward. A rook moves any number of spaces orthogonally but cannot jump over another piece. A bishop can move any number of spaces diagonally but cannot jump over another piece, and then there are the pawns that can only move one space forward." Terris takes a deep breath, leaning back into his chair.

"Alright!" Terris moves forward again, "Then there are promotions, if someone manages to go to the completely opposite side of the board, they are allowed to promote a piece, no matter what they are, similarly to Orbia War or Netier," Netier is checkers, "When pieces are promoted, they will be able to move exactly like another piece on the board, and some gain extra areas in where they can go in the spaces provided. So, pawn, lance, knight & silver general will be able to move like a gold general when promoted, a promoted rook will still move like a rook but will now have the power to move a single space diagonally, and a promoted bishop, similar to a rook, can move like it's predecessor but now can move orthogonally one space. Other things in this game include when you take one of my pieces, you can use it during a game, I can also do the same, these are called drops. Here are the restrictions and additional information... if you do not have more than one captured piece, you cannot drop a captured piece into battle. All dropped pieces will be in an un-promoted state although they can be promoted in subsequent moves. A piece cannot be dropped on a square from which it would never have a legal move, i.e if a pawn is placed on the last row or if a knight is on either of the last two rows." Terris points to the board.

"A player cannot drop a pawn onto a column where there is already and un-promoted pawn that belongs to the same player, and then, a pawn cannot be dropped in front of a king in where it will result in checkmate." Terris sighs, "Do you need me to explain anything else Gambler?"

The Gambler shakes his head, "It'll be fine, I remember it all..."

"Right... I'll take your word for it... unless you're a liar that you hate very much so."

"You assume I hate liars?"

"That wicked expression of yours wills it so."

The Gambler nods, "I've never lied, I've only run from telling the truth."

"Is it not lying?"

"Not when it's literal."

"Shall we start? We will be given sixty minutes for each turn, you see the numbers on the board?" Terris points to the numbers in each of the boxes on the board, in total, eighty-one squares, a nine by nine scaled board sitting on a massive tablet screen. "If you want to move the piece, tap it and drag it to the desired location on your Pauldron, it will not go to a location that it cannot go when you are dragging a piece either. Every time you officially move a piece, audibly say where you are placing it by the numbers you see on the board including the letter associating with the piece."

The Gambler nods.

"I'm on the side of the board with the highest numbers." Terris points, patronizing the Gambler, Terris smiles, "I'll go first."

The Gambler sighs. Pawns aligned in front of the higher tier pieces, lance at the back on the edges of the board, et cetera. Terris moves his pawn by one space, swallowing through a dry throat audibly speaking where he is going, concentrating on the board. The Gambler moves one pawn forward nearest to his bishop, leaving a gap. Terris notices, corning some of his pieces. Terris moves, the Gambler follows. Feeling as if going on for hours, both Loa and Ren watching, engaged in what was going on.

Moving methodically, purposely, until... the Gambler wins by a landslide, a blank expression scrawled across his face as Terris watches the board helplessly as he is checkmated. Terris clicks his tongue, "There is no way you got the rules of the game that fast!?"

"I've played..." The Gambler almost says "shogi" but stops himself, "Loney... I've played Loney before. I like strategy a lot but... it's too easy to defeat someone who is so materialistic."

Terris grits his teeth, closing his eyes, "Fucking... whatever! You win! Fifty-percent of-"

"I want to play again."

"What?"

"I want all of your shares... no. I want to become the shadow president of your casino."

"You want me to bet my presidency?"

"Well... maybe you'll win and I'll become your slave!" The Gambler goes back into a cheery personality, exaggerating his movements, "You were pretty close at one moment and could've cornered me! So... let's go again!"

Loa speaks up, "Don't do it... Terris, or... I'll have... no choice..."

Terris growls, "No... I'll do it! I'll still be president right?"

"Yep, but I'll permanently have a hand in your money like a shadow president, but... I don't have to do anything to improve it. I don't want to have a temporary share, I want it permanently."

"How much money will you be taking?"

"Only thirty percent. Of course, since it's permanent I'll get more in the long run."

Terris's finger hesitates as it touches the screen on the table, starting another game. "I'll do it... my pride is on the line."

"This... is worth... more than... your pride..."

"Pride is priceless Loa."

Loa shakes his head in a slow and somber manner as another game begins.

One-piece moves forward and the other goes next, a cornering and the swift placement of a hand tapping the screens of their Pauldrons. Concentration overtakes them, one move, and a next. The cold stare from the Gambler as he stares down at the tablet below him leaves Terris annoyed. Just before the Gambler's expressions were those in a thousand but now it is a poker face that no one could read through even if they tried. A stone wall... a statue. It felt as if the dark circles laying under the young man's eyes were beginning to burrow itself further into his head.

Terris would pace across the room to think, looking at the walls, looking back down at the tablet, bringing his finger across the smooth lining of the electronic device. Staring at his screen for minutes until finally making a move while the Gambler's decisions are decided in a manner of seconds, almost an entire minute or rarely even two.

Tap... tap... tap...

Again... Terris lost. He looks to his board stunned. It was last minute, the Gambler had feigned himself failing until he finally checkmated at the last minute without Terris realizing. Loa moves in to grab the Gambler and is swiftly killed by a gun that the Gambler kept hidden under his scarf. A high-caliber pistol that caused a massive cracking sound to vibrate the entire room, a hole appearing where Loa's brain would be, a yellow liquid pouring out as he collapses to the floor. The suit had to add artificial muscle to the Gambler's arm to prevent it from breaking because of the knockback the pistol had. The Gambler sighs as a surprised Ren watches.

"Did you lie to me, Terris?"

"No... that was Loa's decision, not my own," Terris sighs, keeping his composure. "I'll give you a contract, I'm not being overthrown or anything so I'm fine with this. I don't like having less money but it is something that is easy to adapt to."

The Gambler nods, "Thank you for your time, Terris."