Innverse Stats

Chapter	Text
1.30	“I would like to be known as ‘Pawn.’ It is a fitting name for this individual.”
1.30	“Hi, Pawn.”
1.30	Pawn looked over his shoulder. The other Workers looked away. He bowed his head.
1.30	Pawn nodded.
1.30	Pawn caught her before she hit the ground. He helped her up, and Erin sat down while the other Workers surrounded the area. They paused as they surveyed the wreckage of the inn and corpses and then seemed to come to a decision. As one, the Workers began hauling the corpses away while others of their number began digging several hundred feet away from the inn. More still entered the inn and began dragging out broken wood.
1.30	She said it to Pawn and then to the other Workers. They nodded as one.
1.30	Slowly, Erin brought the board out and set it down in the grass outside the inn. The Antinium formed a huge circle around her, and Pawn stood in the center next to Erin. She sat down and placed the board in front of her. She gestured, and Pawn hesitated, then sat opposite her.
1.30	Slowly, Erin brought the board out and set it down in the grass outside the inn. The Antinium formed a huge circle around her, and Pawn stood in the center next to Erin. She sat down and placed the board in front of her. She gestured, and Pawn hesitated, then sat opposite her.
1.30	Slowly, Erin put the broken knight on her side of the chess board. Pawn rearranged the pieces on his side. She stared at him. She stared up at the sky. It was too blue, too pristine for a day like this. It wasn’t even night yet.
1.30	And there was nothing she could do about it. So Erin moved a piece on the board. The broken knight moved up to C3. She looked at Pawn. He stared back, and the rest of the Workers stared with him at the Human who wept for Antinium.
1.31	Pawn. He was staring at the board, pondering his next move. His shaking was gone. He no longer spoke in a trembling whisper, and he was—calm. Calm, and as if he were the very grass upon which they sat. Blown away by the wind in this vast sky. Yet he did play, quickly, placing the pieces with the same confidence as Erin did, if not more.
1.31	Krshia shifted in her seat in the grass. She sat with Selys, inside the circle of watching Antinium Workers, but distinctly apart from them. She was calm, at least in that she was watching Erin play Pawn, but Selys kept glancing around at the silent Workers nervously.
1.31	Selys nodded. She was the bigger expert on classes, apparently. It probably had to do with her being a receptionist. Erin frowned, looked at a knight, and nearly ran right into the trap Pawn had set. How had he become so good?
1.31	Pawn looked up from the board.
1.31	Erin looked at Pawn. He and all the Workers were staring hard at the board. Erin pushed her king over. She’d lost. They reset the board, and she began again. And once more—he moved so surely she felt like he had been playing longer than she had. How had he done this overnight? He’d been an amateur when she met him in her inn. Now…she glanced up, and all saw his antennae waving slowly in thought. It made her smile.
1.31	He paused, and Erin noticed something odd. All of the Workers were focused on the board. Yet when Pawn moved a piece, suddenly they looked at her or elsewhere. But whenever she moved a piece, they immediately focused on the board again to the exclusion of everything else.
1.31	Erin turned back to the game and saw Pawn had moved. She tipped over her king.
1.31	Pawn bowed from his seat to her. Erin bowed her head back.
1.31	“I don’t know much about chess, but I’ve seen Olesm play. You’re way better than he is, Erin. And you…um…Pawn.”
1.31	Erin was mildly insulted by the suggestion. She helped Pawn reset the board as Selys frowned.
1.31	Erin took her time before answering. She reset her pieces and switched the board around. Silently, Pawn moved a piece forwards, and she countered. Another game began, but she had the same feeling.
1.31	She moved another piece. After a second of staring, Pawn moved his queen and took it. She frowned and kept playing. Memory was overlapping with reality.
1.31	…Much like Pawn was doing, actually. Erin glanced up at him. This was impossible for someone to do, play at this level without practice. It was more than intelligence or experience. She knew patterns and strategy. Yet he won. She went on, remembering.
1.31	She moved a pawn. The Workers paused, and then Pawn moved a piece.
1.31	Pawn took her queen, ironically, with a pawn. It couldn’t be avoided, but Erin knew how the game was going to end now.

1.30

“I would like to be known as ‘Pawn.’ It is a fitting name for this individual.”

1.30

“Hi, Pawn.”

1.30

Pawn looked over his shoulder. The other Workers looked away. He bowed his head.

1.30

Pawn nodded.

1.30

Pawn caught her before she hit the ground. He helped her up, and Erin sat down while the other Workers surrounded the area. They paused as they surveyed the wreckage of the inn and corpses and then seemed to come to a decision. As one, the Workers began hauling the corpses away while others of their number began digging several hundred feet away from the inn. More still entered the inn and began dragging out broken wood.

1.30

She said it to Pawn and then to the other Workers. They nodded as one.

1.30

Slowly, Erin brought the board out and set it down in the grass outside the inn. The Antinium formed a huge circle around her, and Pawn stood in the center next to Erin. She sat down and placed the board in front of her. She gestured, and Pawn hesitated, then sat opposite her.

1.30

Slowly, Erin brought the board out and set it down in the grass outside the inn. The Antinium formed a huge circle around her, and Pawn stood in the center next to Erin. She sat down and placed the board in front of her. She gestured, and Pawn hesitated, then sat opposite her.

1.30

Slowly, Erin put the broken knight on her side of the chess board. Pawn rearranged the pieces on his side. She stared at him. She stared up at the sky. It was too blue, too pristine for a day like this. It wasn’t even night yet.

1.30

And there was nothing she could do about it. So Erin moved a piece on the board. The broken knight moved up to C3. She looked at Pawn. He stared back, and the rest of the Workers stared with him at the Human who wept for Antinium.

1.31

Pawn. He was staring at the board, pondering his next move. His shaking was gone. He no longer spoke in a trembling whisper, and he was—calm. Calm, and as if he were the very grass upon which they sat. Blown away by the wind in this vast sky. Yet he did play, quickly, placing the pieces with the same confidence as Erin did, if not more.

1.31

Krshia shifted in her seat in the grass. She sat with Selys, inside the circle of watching Antinium Workers, but distinctly apart from them. She was calm, at least in that she was watching Erin play Pawn, but Selys kept glancing around at the silent Workers nervously.

1.31

Selys nodded. She was the bigger expert on classes, apparently. It probably had to do with her being a receptionist. Erin frowned, looked at a knight, and nearly ran right into the trap Pawn had set. How had he become so good?

1.31

Pawn looked up from the board.

1.31

Erin looked at Pawn. He and all the Workers were staring hard at the board. Erin pushed her king over. She’d lost. They reset the board, and she began again. And once more—he moved so surely she felt like he had been playing longer than she had. How had he done this overnight? He’d been an amateur when she met him in her inn. Now…she glanced up, and all saw his antennae waving slowly in thought. It made her smile.

1.31

He paused, and Erin noticed something odd. All of the Workers were focused on the board. Yet when Pawn moved a piece, suddenly they looked at her or elsewhere. But whenever she moved a piece, they immediately focused on the board again to the exclusion of everything else.

1.31

Erin turned back to the game and saw Pawn had moved. She tipped over her king.

1.31

Pawn bowed from his seat to her. Erin bowed her head back.

1.31

“I don’t know much about chess, but I’ve seen Olesm play. You’re way better than he is, Erin. And you…um…Pawn.”

1.31

Erin was mildly insulted by the suggestion. She helped Pawn reset the board as Selys frowned.

1.31

Erin took her time before answering. She reset her pieces and switched the board around. Silently, Pawn moved a piece forwards, and she countered. Another game began, but she had the same feeling.

1.31

She moved another piece. After a second of staring, Pawn moved his queen and took it. She frowned and kept playing. Memory was overlapping with reality.

1.31

…Much like Pawn was doing, actually. Erin glanced up at him. This was impossible for someone to do, play at this level without practice. It was more than intelligence or experience. She knew patterns and strategy. Yet he won. She went on, remembering.

1.31

She moved a pawn. The Workers paused, and then Pawn moved a piece.

1.31

Pawn took her queen, ironically, with a pawn. It couldn’t be avoided, but Erin knew how the game was going to end now.

Pawn

Total mentions

Mentions

Chapters with the most mentions

Books with the most mentions

Volumes with the most mentions

Mentions