(Planet Granada, Leo's POV)
For a while, Leo and Mauriss continued to stare one another down, neither willing to yield even an inch, as the storm raged around them while the tension between them grew heavier with every passing second, until eventually, it was the erratic God who chose to break the silence.
"So... I'm sure you have already practiced this ga a million tis before coming to .
So tell -
Do you really think you can beat ?"
He asked, as a wicked grin spread across his face, one that carried both amusent and challenge, as though he was not rely asking a question, but inviting Leo to step into madness with him.
And yet, Leo remained unfazed.
"Yes...."
Leo began, his voice steady, grounded, as he spoke not with the delusion of a man blind to the gap between himself and a God, but with the quiet conviction of soone who understood both his own limits and those of the monster standing before him.
"Yes, I have practiced this ga extensively before coming here.
In fact... it would be an insult to you and your reputation if I had not." He continued, his gaze unwavering.
"So yes...
While I fully understand that I may lose...
I also believe that I can win."
Leo replied candidly, as Mauriss let out a burst of laughter, clearly
entertained by the answer.
"Hahahaha!
Good!
This is exactly the attitude I want in an opponent!
Hahahaha!
You're almost as fun as Soron."
He said, sounding genuinely pleased, as he clapped his hands once and tilted his head upward, allowing the rain to pour over his face as though he relished every drop of it.
*KABOOM*
A streak of lightning tore across the sky, illuminating the storm for a fleeting instant, as Mauriss slowly lowered his head again, his expression shifting as his eyes locked onto Leo once more, the playfulness giving way to sothing far colder beneath the surface. "Alright then...
Shall we begin?"
He asked, as the thunder rolled again, the storm intensifying as though responding to his will, while Leo gave a small nod and stepped forward.
With a controlled motion, he presented the two battle golems between them.
"We shall play this ga using these stone constructs," Leo said, as he placed them carefully on the surface of the rock, allowing Mauriss to choose between the purple and the gray one without interference.
"The golems are controlled through these cards," he continued, picking one up briefly before placing it back down, "which, when flipped and pressed against the gaboard, will prompt the construct to execute the corresponding action."
"We each receive ten identical move cards, alongside five identical multipliers."
He explained, his tone calm and thodical, ensuring there was no ambiguity in the rules.
"The match ends when either golem is incapacitated... or when one of us forfeits, whether willingly or due to exhausting all available moves." Leo paused briefly, letting the final condition settle.
"And that also ans...
If you exhaust all your existing multiplier cards, but I have one of mine saved up.
I technically have a card to play, while you dont.
So, in that case, you lose.
Because you will be the one left without any moves left, while I will have a single card that can't be played on its own."
Mauriss's grin sharpened slightly as he listened, his fingers brushing lightly against his chin, as his eyes scanned the cards and multipliers laid out before him, his mind already racing through countless
possibilities.
"Interesting...
So very interesting..."
He muttered softly, as the storm continued to roar around them.
For a while, Mauriss's gaze continued to linger on the two constructs, as though weighing sothing far beyond their outward appearance, before his hand moved without hesitation, selecting the gray golem with a casual flick of his fingers, as if the choice itself carried no importance to him at all.
"Gray suits better," he remarked lightly, as the faintest curl of amusent tugged at the corner of his lips.
Leo said nothing in response, as he simply nodded once and reached forward, as he picked the purple one, before unveiling the gaboard
table.
*Click*
The wooden gaboard table locked into place with a soft chanical click, as it created a defined space where the battle could
unfold.
*Shuffle*
Without wasting another word, Leo took his seat on one end, his posture straight, composed, while Mauriss lowered himself onto the opposite side, his presence imdiately warping the atmosphere around the table, as his long hair continued to float unnaturally upward, untouched by wind or gravity, while his eyes remained fixed on Leo with an expression that hovered dangerously close to
madness.
For a brief mont-
Silence returned.
Then-
"Before we begin this ga..." Mauriss said slowly, his voice softer
now, yet far more dangerous, as though each word carried weight far beyond its sound, "...I must remind you of the terms you agreed to,
Skyshard."
His grin widened.
"If you lose... you will be bound to fulfill one request of mine."
A pause followed, deliberate and suffocating.
"Any request.
Anything that I choose."
His fingers tapped lightly against the table, each tap echoing louder
than it should have in the charged silence between them.
"And you will have no choice... but to fulfill it."
*KABOOM*
*Rain*
The storm roared.
Yet sohow-
His voice felt louder.
"So for every card you flip..." Mauriss continued, leaning forward slightly now, his eyes gleaming with cruel delight, "...rember that a single mistake is all it takes for you to beco indebted to the
Deceiver Mauriss"
It was a psychological play.
A deliberate attempt to destabilize.
To plant doubt before the ga had even begun.
And Leo recognized it instantly.
'You already knew this before you ca here....
Leo reminded himself, as he let out a deep sigh and maintained his
composure.
*Sigh*
But unfortunately for him, Mauriss was not done. "When I say anything..." Mauriss continued, his tone turning almost conversational, as though discussing sothing trivial, "...I truly an anything."
His grin twisted further.
"I could ask you to destroy your beloved Cult."
The words landed quietly.
But their impact was anything but.
"I might even do it... just to watch you suffer," Mauriss added, his
voice laced with disturbing sincerity, as though the idea genuinely entertained him, "...to see you break while killing those you swore to
protect." He tilted his head slightly, almost thoughtfully.
"And what would it bring ?"
A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "Nothing. Nothing but joy."
His eyes locked deeper into Leo's.
"I am not a man bound by reason, Skyshard.
I do not always act for gain... or logic... or necessity."
His voice dropped lower. "Sotis... I act on a whim."
The storm cracked again.
"And that..." Mauriss finished, leaning back slightly as his smile settled
into sothing calm yet deeply unsettling, "...is sothing I want you
to rember while we play."
For a second, everything stilled.
Then-
*Crack*
*Crack*
Leo rolled his neck from side to side, the sound cutting cleanly
through the tension, as he lifted his gaze and t Mauriss's eyes head-on, showing no trace of hesitation, no sign of wavering under the pressure that had just been placed upon him.
"If you're done with the chatter..." Leo said evenly, his voice calm,
controlled, unwavering-
"...shall we begin?"
He asked, as he did not let the idle chatter get to him at all.
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