Alpshar sat at his place across the board and motioned for me to sit with a nod. As I tried to digest the absurdity of the situation, I took my seat. Alpshar lightly tapped his fingers on the board as he glanced over its arranged pieces. Even this rhythmic gesture seemed to carry some sort of threat, or at least, that's how I felt.
"Go ahead, make the first move," he said.
There was a tone of challenge in his voice, yet it also felt like a game. In every movement and word of Alpshar, there was both a deadly seriousness and a strange enjoyment.
I took a deep breath, selected a piece, and placed it on the board. As I made my move, my mind began working quickly. I knew this wasn't just a game. Alpshar's eyes were carefully watching my every move. Maybe, on this seemingly simple board, he was trying to learn something.
