Chapter 11: You're in Check

"As Creo and his friends had finished recovering from their wounds, they went to exit the mountain cave now that they are in possession of the Aethereal Dreamstone Crystal." The Narrator stated.

"Now that we have the crystal, we can go back to the kingdom of Elderith and do what is necessary." Creo remarked.

"You know, it seemed far too easy for us to get the crystal." Zion replied.

"As they continued walking, the air suddenly becomes thick with tension as shadows started to shift, revealing to be none other than Rook and his men guarding the only other exit in the cave." The Narrator said.

"Well, well well, what do we have here." Rook said as he and his men corner Creo and his group.

"Great, not you again." Athena said as she rolled her eyes.

"The King of Elderith clutching the very crystal we seek, hand it over and we might let you live your merry little lives." Rook smirked.

"You'll have to try and take it from my very own hands, Rook. This sacred crystal does not belong to you!" Creo said as he firmly hold the crystal in his hands.

"We need a plan, cause right now we are clearly outnumbered and they're armed to the teeth." Athena said as she whispered towards Creo.

"You're not only outmatched but you are also outnumbered, boy. Be the bigger man, little boy and give up the crystal." Rook said sarcastically.

"The power of the crystal is not something to be taken lightly Rook, you don't know what kind of power you are dealing with." The Bookkeeper said as he  stepped forward, preparing his book.

"Oh, but I believe I do. It's the key to unlock the ultimate power in this realm. And with its power, CHESS will reign supreme." Rook replied in a sarcastic manner.

"We need to make a distraction very quickly, I'll distract the Pawn soldiers over on the left side." Zion said as he whispered to Creo.

"Athena, cover me. Bookkeeper, prepare a spell, Zion, on my mark." Creo said as he was preparing his plan.

"I've had enough of this talking. Seize them!" Rook said as he was getting impatient.

"As Rook's men advance, Zion throws a smoke bomb, creating a thick cloud of smoke that envelops the room. Amidst the ongoing chaos, Creo and Athena charge towards Rook, while Bookkeeper begins to cast a spell." The Narrator said.

"Don't let them escape! Get the crystal from their hands!" Rook shouted as he and his men chased after them.

"You want the crystal so badly, Rook? Come here and take it." Creo said as he was gripping the crystal tightly.

"Creo proceeds to swing his sword to fend off against Rook's men, but he is quickly overwhelmed. Rook takes advantage of the chaos in the situation and lunges towards Creo and snatches the crystal from his hand." The Narrator said in shock.

"Finally, the crystal is mine! The power of the Aethereal Dreamstone Crystal belongs to CHESS now!" Rook shouted as he held the crystal, triumphantly.

"You haven't won yet, Rook!" Athena said angrily.

"Face it, you're beaten. Retreat now while you still can or face utter defeat." Rook said in a mockingly tone.

"As Rook and his men retreat with the crystal, Creo and his companions are left to regroup and plan their next move." The Narrator said.

"This isn't over, Rook. We'll get the crystal back, no matter what it takes." Creo said as he clenched his fists.

"We will, Creo. We just need to stay focused and find another way." The Bookkeeper said reassuringly as he placed his hand on Creo's shoulder.

"We still have each other, and together, we can overcome any obstacle." Zion Kishima said as he nods.

"Let's regroup and plan our next move. We can't let CHESS get away with this." Athena said determinedly.

"The group, resolute and united, prepares their plan in chasing after Rook and reclaim the Aethereal Dreamstone Crystal knowing that their journey is far from over." The Narrator said.

"Meanwhile, Rook and his men are already on their steampunk warship in possession with the Aethereal Dreamstone Crystal." The Narrator said in suspense.

"Now that our association is the one in possession of this precious artifact, we might as well keep this safeguarded." Rook said as he was sipping tea.

"King Creo and the others will probably be after me, so I should probably entrust the crystal to someone to send it to CHESS headquarters." Rook said as he thought who could he give it.

"Nonetheless, I'm sure you'll be the right man for the job, Nightshade." Rook said as he turned around.

"In front of him was a hooded figures, with eyes glowing with malevolent energy, it suggests that the person was an elite operative in the organization." The Narrator said in awe.

"I'm surprised that you were always there but never decided to help us?" Rook said as he sighed.

"Well, I like to maintain the mysterious flair of surprise." Nightshade replied, smirking at Rook.

"I'm sure that you are able to safely bring this crystal to the CHESS headquarters considering you are not only an elite operative in the organization." Rook said as he was sipping his tea.

"You are known for being notorious in using dark magic and ruthless tactics upon anyone who you think is a hindrance or a pest towards the organization's cause." Rook continued after putting down his cup.

"It would be my pleasure Rook, the crystal will be safe under my hands. Those adventurers are nothing to me and to the CHESS organization's superiority." Nightshade smirked.

"Rook hands the crystal over to Nightshade to which he quickly puts inside his pocket." The Narrator said.

"Long live CHESS!" Rook declared as

he raised his cup of tea.

"Long live CHESS!" Nightshade replied as he also raised his cup of tea.

"Both of them finished in drinking tea and Nightshade leaves Rook and his men and uses a flying machine and eventually arrives towards the CHESS headquarters." The Narrator said.

"It has been done, higher-ups. Rook has managed to locate the Aethereal Dreamstone Crystal and here I am before you as I bring you this crystal, to be safe from the enemy's hands." Nightshade said as he bowed but not before presenting the crystal towards the CHESS officers.

"Good work, tell Rook that he has been a good officer and he is allowed to take a rest." King said in satisfaction.

"We will be sending in Bishop and Knight to handle the ones after it, considering he needs the much needed rest." Queen replied in a playful tone.

"Understood, I'll make sure word gets sent to him right now." Nightshade said as he bowed and goes to inform Rook via telegram.

"Rook receives Nightshade's message and smiled and rushed to get back to the CHESS headquarters." The Narrator said.

"Good luck with dealing with those pesky troublemakers, Knight and Bishop, they can be quite the challenge." Rook smirked as he went to his quarters.

"Whatever you say." Bishop and Knight replied as they head off to their steampunk warships and flew off heading to look for Creo and his allies.