Caesar stood outside the door with a troubled smile on his face. His frown visibly lessened as he turned the doork.n.o.b and entered. He could see both Elizabeth and Ahri sitting on the bed playing a game of chess. Naturally, Ahri was dominating quite thoroughly.
The black chess pieces were dominating the white, pushing them back into the corner. Elizabeth could only try and hide her king in an attempt to prolong the game. Once the king was captured, it marked the end of the match.
Just at the mere sight of the board, Caesar could quickly determine that Elizabeth was playing too hasty, falling into Ahri"s clever traps. Patience was an important aspect when it came to chess; one must never be too greedy if they want to win. Seizing control over the center of the board and developing your pieces were vital.
Both players were seemingly amateurs as they didn"t coordinate more than one piece together. Their crude way of playing left a bad taste in Caesar"s mouth, and he couldn"t help but walk a bit closer. Ahri glanced at him for a millisecond before focusing back on the board, ignoring him entirely.
Thus, a smile formed on Caesar"s lips as he sat behind Elizabeth, putting her on his lap. He soothed the surprised girl with a few whispers, causing her to giggle out loud. Soon, her way of playing drastically changed. With Caesar"s tutoring, she began to play much more cautiously.
As if she were waiting for her opponent to make a blunder, she made sure not to play too aggressive. The key to winning in a game of game chess was knowing how to take advantage of the opposing parties mistakes—no one could play perfectly.
The five-minute game slowly turned into a 30-minute set as sweat started to fall from Ahri"s face. She glared at Caesar menacingly as Elizabeth used her small little hand to capture the black king. Her last move marked the end of the game and Ahri couldn"t help but growl in protest.
"You"re not allowed to cheat…" she stated weakly as Elizabeth started to pout her lips. She couldn"t bring herself to blame him for cheating in front of the young la.s.s. Thus, she decided to complain when they were alone.
Ahri temporarily contained her rage and s.n.a.t.c.hed Elizabeth from Caesar"s lap so that they could begin their history lessons. She continued to ignore Caesar the entire time, and he didn"t say one word in protest. Instead, he merely watched in silence.
His eyes were peacefully closed as he leaned back in his chair, paying close attention to Ahri"s words. She was telling a story of a grand king, one who shaped the Azure continent. Elizabeth also paid close attention as Ahri told her story.
"Once upon a time, there was a plebian boy named Arthur," Ahri explained, "his life was full of large hurdles. Both his father and mother died when he was at the tender age of 15. With nothing left to live for, he joined the military. At first, he accomplished nothing special; however, as time pa.s.sed, he started to accomplish more and more things."
She paused, "the once looked down upon boy started to achieve great merits that not even the high generals could ignore. Word of his greatness started to spread in his little kingdom, resulting in even the crowned princess to take an interest in him. Years pa.s.sed, and he married the princess, finally gaining a position of power."
Ahri"s story halted as she poured herself and Elizabeth a fragrant cup of tea. "Once he gained a large amount of power of his kingdom, he established entirely different rules… he was abolishing things that were once considered to be normal. He treated both poor and rich of equal status, both man and woman of equal strength. Love started to spread for this king. Thus, his kingdom started to expand."
"With an expansion, came war, and with war, came conquering. He defeated all of his enemies one by one, etching his name into history. His great rule lasted for years, however, one day, an evil being came into existence… his ideology was nearly the exact opposite of Arthur"s."
"He separated the strong and weak, filling the n.o.bles with the belief of superiority. He treated all humans as trash, besides his citizens. Many rich and powerful men pledged their allegiance to such an evil figure, forming a behemoth. Even Arthur"s mighty kingdom could not afford to take their opponent lightly."
"A huge war broke out; both sides held completely different ideals. Neither force was willing to submit… blood was spilled, and skies seemed to weep. Arthur"s once glorious kingdom became stained with rivers of blood. Disease started to break out and infect the humans, causing even more unrest."
Ahri paused as she took a deep breath, "Still, neither side relented. The citizens were tired of war; they were started to burn money for warmth. The economy fell down the drain, and most of the citizens were staving. Alas, both kings were too prideful to surrender. One last battle took place at the very core of the world."
"Using his newfound power, holy magic. Arthur defeated Sepharion in a duel, marking the end of the great war. The large and powerful church as made right after, ushering the world into an entirely different era, one under the church. The dark races which had watched on the sidelines were now inadvertently mixed in with the humans due to popular religious beliefs."
As she spoke to here, Caesar cut off her story with a wave of his hand. A strange smile was on his face as he stroked the hair of the sleeping Elizabeth. She was snoring quietly, and Ahri couldn"t help but cough in embarra.s.sment.
"That story, I feel as though it"s the opposite," Caesar suddenly commented, "Arthur fell in battle, to which Sepharion created the church based on human rule. Their sense of superiority was through the roof. Thus, most humans accepted without another thought."
He paused, "through time, the truth slowly corroded, and to maintain face; the church manipulated the story as such. Now, they are deemed to be righteous and are feared across the lands. A truly "blessed" position to be in." Caesar said sarcastically as he pulled Ahri into his embrace.
"Are you done with ignoring me now? I can"t help but want to tease you, even more, when you act like a spoiled little girl." Caesar said with a sly smile as he wrapped his arms around Ahri and roamed around her body with his hands.
Unfortunately, Elizabeth was in the room so they couldn"t continue their actions. Ahri still remembered what he did to her in the morning, so she merely huffed and sat on the bed with a gloating smile. She knew of his "needs" and wasn"t afraid to use them against him. Since Elizabeth was in the room, she wasn"t scared of being mounted.
Caesar also knew of her amusing antics, so he quickly left the room in an attempt not to pay any more attention to the seductress than he needed to. Once he escaped into the halls, he decided to pay Joe a visit. It had been a long time since he hung out with his friend and he was in dire need of a few drinks.