Instead of thousand possibilities - part 7 - Chess has never been so dangerous

This is the seventh chapter of the chess story Instead of a Thousand Possibilities. If you haven’t read the first six chapters yet, now’s the perfect time to dive in.

I’m not sure if I should spoil what’s coming in this chapter : Ray is about to stare into the eyes of a furious monster

!Content Warning: This part of the story contains graphic scenes with lots of blood.!

INSTEAD OF THOUSAND POSSIBILITIES - PART 7 - CHESS HAS NEVER BEEN SO DANGEROUS

Ray was beginning to sense that the trailer was approaching a small town—one with an arena. He could hear voices—voices of chess people. That welcome film he saw back in the wasteland? Yeah, it had left a lot out. Like the fact that there’s a town in the middle of the desert. A town with an arena where they hold something like bullfights.

Well, not “like.” They *are* bullfights—because in this new version, the Wildebeats chess piece looks like a bull.

Before long, the trailer rolled into the empty town. Everyone was already inside the arena. Past a narrow street lined with tiny, half-collapsed houses stood a giant arena shaped like the Dabbabarider piece. It had a huge open shaft running through the center—tall enough to reach the top—designed to keep only the audience stands covered while leaving the battlefield itself under the open sky.

Under the stands were cells—where the fighters waited when they weren’t in combat. Between them and the arena floor, there were only iron bars—thin enough to see right through. Under a different section of the stands were metal doors hiding the Wildebeats chess pieces.

Soon enough, Ray found himself behind those bars. A General piece had struck him and dragged him off to a cell.

When he came to, he saw the cell: concrete walls on all sides except one. That one was made of bars, and light was pouring through them. He walked to the edge and looked out—he could see a match in progress. A Wildebeats piece was fighting the Bishop—the same one who’d arrived here with Ray.

The Bishop had a red scarf wrapped around his body. Unlike how real bulls react, the Wildebeats wasn’t enraged by the color—it took it as a signal. It believed the Bishop was bleeding. And whatever bleeds must die—and then be drained.

Ray noticed something horrifying. When the Wildebeats opened its mouth, it had two vampire fangs and the sharp teeth of a predator. This was no herbivore—it was a merciless killer.

The Bishop had a sword. He dodged the Wildebeats’s charge, jumped, and went to stab it straight through the skull. But he landed right on one of its massive horns, which twisted through his wooden body like a drill and burst out the other side. The horn dripped blood as the Bishop lay dying—barely breathing.

In his final moment, the Bishop dropped his sword. It fell and scraped one of the Wildebeats’s eyes, drawing blood. But the beast only shook its head, flung the Bishop off its horns, opened its mouth, and drained him dry. What was left was nothing but hollow wood—emptied out like a carved pumpkin.

The next fighter was a chess-human. He stood right in front of Ray’s cell. Wildebeats charged him—but slammed into the bars in front of Ray instead. Its horns punched through the grating, slowly bending the iron toward Ray.

Ray panicked. The bars were warping. Wildebeats could break through—or impale him with a horn. He still had space to step back—one more step. But not more.

The bars kept bending. Ray’s back hit the wall. He felt Wildebeats’s cold breath. Its head pushed through the bars. Turning to run would be a mistake. There was nowhere to run.

Wildebeats pushed forward. Ray jumped—but one horn caught his leg, stabbing right into an old wound. Blood soaked through his pants.

Then—Wildebeats dropped to the ground. The chess-human had driven a sword into the back of its neck.

They dragged the Wildebeats piece away. High up on the golden grandstand—on a throne—sat the Alibabarider piece. She gave the order:

> “This chess-human survived. But can he handle another Wildebeats?”

That’s when it hit Ray—the fight only ends when the fighter dies, or when he defeats *all* the Wildebeats pieces. And there were... probably a lot.

Two Pawn pieces opened the metal doors. Another Wildebeats emerged. Then they walked up to Ray, wrapped a red scarf around him—he was next—and waited behind the bars.

Soon, it was his turn.

This Wildebeats was especially strong. It charged and bit a chess-human clean in half. The Pawns opened the gate—even though it was warped—and walked Ray into the arena.

He looked around—an ocean of spectators. Thousands of seats in a massive ring, stretching high into the air. On the golden grandstand, Ray spotted the Alibabarider piece on her throne, being fanned with palm fronds by Pawns.

And then—Ray noticed something.

It might be his way out.

Because this was it: either die, or fight until he can’t anymore. But hanging from the Alibabarider’s golden stand were huge, shimmering ribbons—long golden sashes trailing down like banners.

The match had already begun.

Wildebeats charged. Ray dodged and sprinted toward the sashes. He tripped. Wildebeats was gaining. Ray scrambled to his feet, grabbed a sash, and started to climb.

Alibabarider didn’t issue any orders. She was sipping wine grown from grapes on the bodies of Alfilrider pieces.

Ray made it to the top.

Alibabarider dropped her wine, stood up—and shoved him off.

There was no sound. Not from Ray. Not from his fall.

Alibabarider decided to make sure. She slowly walked to the edge of the stand and looked down—only to see Ray still hanging onto the sashes. He’d grabbed them again mid-fall.

He climbed back up. Grabbed the edge. Hauled himself over.

Alibabarider backed toward her throne and ordered the Pawns to push him down. But they didn’t obey. Instead—they pushed *her*.

Right to the edge.

Then Ray gave her one last shove—and she fell.

A loud thud echoed through the arena.

Splinters scattered, blood splashed—and there, under a pile of shattered wood, was a growing pool of red.

> “Freedom,” the Pawns said.

They’d helped him—on purpose.

Ray thanked them, jumped onto one of the golden pillars, and started to climb. Then he leapt and caught hold of the roof. Looking down, he saw just how far he’d fall if he slipped—and it was terrifying.

The roof only covered the stands—apparently, no one expected anyone to climb it. Ray had only his hands, but he managed to swing one leg up—then the other.

He slid down the cutout half-circle slope, and finally landed on a broad, flat rooftop. But getting down from here wouldn’t be easy.

He looked down again and almost passed out. His hair and clothes whipped in the wind. The sun was setting. Another one of those stunning blue-and-gold sunsets.

The Dabbabarider-shaped arena had two protruding half-circles on one side and two massive rectangles on the other. Gaps lay between them—any fall through one could be fatal.

Then—an opportunity.

A Chancellor piece shot past at incredible speed. Another followed behind it.

Ray waited—then jumped—and grabbed on.

He flew through the air at wild speed, hanging on tight. When the time came, he let go—over a massive sand dune scattered with sharp rocks.

But Ray was fine.

From the dune, he looked down—and there it was:

The statue of the Chess King.

It was close. Really close.

Continued story here

© Choanozoa (a pseudonym and the author’s trademark), all rights reserved.

A FEW WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR

Dear reader,

 As you’ve probably noticed, this isn’t the final part of the story. As I mentioned at the end of the previous chapter, unlike in Dragon Wasteland, this story doesn’t yet include the additional sections with chess-related insights or the more detailed A Few Words from the Author. These will either appear at the end of the final chapter or be published separately on the blog afterward.

 If you enjoy my stories, feel free to join my Discord server—there you'll get access to exclusive tales I haven’t shared anywhere else, plus a bunch of other perks, many of which I talk about in this video.

In any case, thank you for taking the time to read this part. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to let me know in the comments.

Thank you!