As night fell upon Chess City, a flash of thunder echoed across the skies, as lightning struck the pavement. A shaded outline coughed and groaned behind the lamppost. Then, it opened its eyes.
“Great.” said the cat. “Just great. Teleporting in the middle of who-knows-where in a thunderstorm. Just my luck.”
She shivered slightly, and decided to seek shelter nearby. As she walked inside, she collapsed onto the ground, weak and in distress.
“Those numbers.” she mumbled. “My head… those numbers.”
She moaned, grabbing her head, as a mountain of theory and calculation swarmed around her head. It sparked a sort of light inside her, a light that illuminated the surroundings.
Thoughts came quickly to her mind, and hit her all at once. The realization that she was in Chess City, a great player of the game, was instant. Where that memory came from was a mystery. But it came all right.
“I can sense the people of this city.” mumbled the cat. “All beginners, who know but nothing of the game.”
Her eyes reached a poster across the wall, a poster depicting the city’s overlord, the mighty emperor Stockfish. Finally, thought the cat, a real challenge.
A plot began to form in her mind. She would go to The Engine Empire, another word that just seemed to come to her, find this emperor, and force him to include her as one of the legends. Surely, once they recognized her power, they would be forced to let her in.
The tabby cat smiled, as another piece of information came to her. Her name. A name that would be remembered by the city for centuries to come. A name that would cause even the greatest of the game to tremble with fear.
Mittens had arrived.
Comments are closed.