Scourge of Urga

The next morning, heavy rain was once again in the forecast. As he walked out to the bus, Okisato noticed Genghis Jad, along with the other members of the Mongolian team just standing in the rain off to the side. There also appeared to be a sizeable army of undead Mongol warriors lined up, presumably there as spectators for the event.

Jad glared from beneath his horse skull mask as he watched Okisato get on the bus. The driver then called out for anyone else that wished to climb aboard, stating that this would be the last bus to the venue, at least the last one that would get there in time to avoid a round forfeit. Yet the Mongols didn't budge an inch, with Jad' glare still focused on Okisato, who was now seated next to a window.

"They're not getting on? Well, I'll take the win then. The weather's worse than it was yesterday and the day before, so I don't see them being able to get a ride there if they forgoe this one. Heck, with how flooded the roads are, I wouldn't be surprised if this bus, and the others have trouble making it. But I still think the busses can make it at least. If the Mongolians are betting on the round being postponed, they don't know how the WWCF works."

A seat behind Okisato, Volkner began trembling as he stared out at the Mongols. Unlike Okisato, he knew exactly what they were about to do, and it terrified him.

As the bus drove off, the Mongolss still continued to stand in the rain. Once the bus was out of sight, Jad cloaked himself in Genghis Khan's visage and turned to face his army.

"Өнөөдөр дайн тул бид тэдний цусыг дээрэмддэг [Today is war, so we rob them of their blood]!"

"Өнөөдөр дайн тул бид тэдний цусыг дээрэмддэг [Today is war, so we rob them of their blood]!" the army repeated.

Тэднийг цохиж, өшиглөж, махыг нь хус [Bludgeon them, kick them, scalp their flesh off]!"

Тэднийг цохиж, өшиглөж, махыг нь хус [Bludgeon them, kick them, scalp their flesh off]!"

"Өршөөлгүй, бид нядалгааны төлөө тэмцдэг [Without mercy, we fight for slaughter]!"

"Өршөөлгүй, бид нядалгааны төлөө тэмцдэг [Without mercy, we fight for slaughter]!"

A deranged smile spread on Jad's face as he summoned an army of undead horses for his soldiers to ride on. Once everyone was mounted he orded them all to charge. As they did, lightning flashed and the ground shook as thousands of boney hooves galloped through the rainy road.

Ginji smirked as he watched the Mongols ride off into the rain. "Oki-chwan, you really think I took a break out of good-will? Jad's a maniac. Even with your unorthodox sadism, you can't beat him, for today he's declared war on Japan, all because of you."

Onlookers froze in terror as the Mongols rode through the streets, leaping over and running atop vehicles, both moving and stationary as they headed to the venue.

From the bus, Okisato heard the rumbling as well as Volkner's panicked shrieks. "T- The Mongols... They're after us!"

Hooves slammed atop the roof of the bus while all sides of the bus becam surrounded by undead Mongols on horseback causing nearly everyone on board to panic.

Okisato was a bit unnerved, especially when Jad hiself rode up to the window and to personally relay a message. "Эхлээд цус чинь урсаж, дараа нь үндэстэн чинь живнэ [First your blood will flow, then your nation will drown]."

With a roar, Jad then sped off as all the other Mongols picked up the pace. Lightning flashed, and the rain poured down harder, but it didn't so much as hinder the stampeding Mongol horde.

At the venue, an arbiter nervously stepped outside. While some players had arrived, not a single one of the many buses, which was the primary mode of transportation for a majority of the players, had arrived.

"Mr. President, we should delay the round until tomorrow. The weather's just too bad," he pleaded as Raymond stepped out.

"No, they will show up."

"Mr. President- ...?"

The rain was so heavy, it was hard to see even 10 ft in front of you. Yet, the arbiter was able to make out a large shadow, or rather shadows approaching. Jad and his Mongol horde sprung forth from the wall of rain, charging straight for Raymond and the now terrified arbiter. The arbiter curled up on the wet ground in terror, as Raymond stood, completely unwavering as all the Mongols leaped over him and the cowering arbiter.

"Flashy as always, Nikolai. No need to worry, the round will proceed as planned. If the Mongols are here, the others will soon follow," Raymond declared as he turned to head back inside.

The Mongols meanwhile were already marching in, with the players heading for the boards and the other heading for the spectator area.

"So they rode here. Well, that should psych them up, and spread weariness to you, oni-tiger," Red Reaper thought as he watched Jad and his 4 other teammates sit down at their boards to await team Japan.

Meanwhile, the buses all began arriving, though nearly everyone that had been on them were now jittery, courtesy of the Mongol encounter.

"Crazy Mongols. Some of us can't handle the extra stress," Ragnar huffed as he massaged his bandaged head and waddled into the playing hall.

It would be more accurate to say Ragnar was jealous at how cool the Mongols had just been, rather than frightened by them. Though his teammate Stressaður was most certainly frightened as was Volkner, both of whom supported each other as they wearily trudged in.

"Ain't sleeping in great? Ya still get to catch the bus, and get an undead Mongol escort. Talk about premium service," Skaberghast sneered as he forced himself in between the two.

"I'm staying up all night. I got coffee," Stressaður crazily chuckled.

"Give me some of that coffee too," Volkner cried.

Team Japan, meanwhile, scowled as they arrived at their boards and stared down the Mongols.

"The last time I fought a Japanese man was in Manchuria. Your blood will be the first taste of Japanese blood, in a century," Jad growled.

"I thought zombies wanted brains, not blood. Well whatever. Though if you're declaring war on Japan itself, I'd rethink it. We were one of your countries biggest backers, before you took over that is."

"And I'm going to take over you in turn! The Mongol empire, MY SECOND Mongol empire, will rule the world!"

Okisato sighed and sat down across from Jad. "Alright, Genghis, you want a war, I'll give you one."

Board 1 wasn't the only source of turmoil as a beef was quickly brewing between Ryonosuke and Jochi on board 3.

"What's with the frown, geezer? Afraid of me crucifying ya nude?"

Ryonosuke scowled. "The young are too cocky, worse you're obsessed with being "edgy". Seems some schooling is in order.

The two locked eyes and immediately went to war once the round officially began. The game started off peacefully enough with a Queen's Pawn Opening: Pseudo-Catalan variation, knight f3, knight f6, g3, g6, bishop g2, bishop g7, a king's side castle from both sides, d4, d5, and c4.

Ryonosuke decided to change things to a Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Classical, Original Defense with his pawn to c6 play, though Jochi quickly turned things into a King's Indian Defense with his queen b3 play.

The peaceful nature of the game continued only up until Ryonosuke's pawn a6, as after that, Jochi drew first blood by capturing the pawn at d5 with his c-pawn. "Very well, boy. Time to get schooled as to why you don't emulate edge into adulthood," Ryonosuke thought as he moved his pawn to a4.

"Oi, hands away from MY woman," Jochi thought as he scowled while moving his queen to e3.

"And now I recapture. Take a good look at the board, boy. There's deception in the seemingly near-symmetrical image," Ryonosuke thought as he captured the pawn at d5 with his c-pawn.

As for the two remaining boards, Zago was on board 4 against a normal-looking man named Orda Ichin while board 2 was occupied by the masked man and the visage of Ögedei Khan. The masked man was busy showing his disrespect to Ögedei in the form of a Meadow Hay mistake, a4, e5, rook a3. Ögedei didn't see it as disrespectful, but rather charitable as he was now up a rook after bishop captures a3. The masked man naturally captured said bishop with his knight, but Ögedei could have cared less as he moved his pawn to d5.

But after the masked man moved his pawn to d4, Ögedei's play of pawn e4, made him nod. "Just as I thought, this may be a visage of one of Mongolia's greatest military commanders, but he's yet to grasp modern opening theory. This will be easy," he thought as he moved his bishop to f4.

As for the main event at board 1, Jad once again had the White pieces and opened by moving his pawn to h3.

"He trying to make a statement? The Clemenz is pretty much the slightly worse cousin of the Anderssen," Okisato thought as he moved his pawn to e5.

But when Jad moved his pawn to e3, that's when Okisato realized things were personal. "Oh, now you're trying to mirror the Japanese opening I created. Alright ya Genghis Khan cosplayer, I'll show you why the Clemenz is inferior to the Anderssen, why your opening that's yet to be named is inferior to the Japanese opening," he thought as he moved his pawn to d5.

Jad matched with d4, so Okisato doubled up by moving his knight to c6. Jad didn't care and captured the pawn at e5 with his d-pawn, prompting Okisato to capture said pawn with his knight.

Jad then played bishop d2, with Okisato nearly mirroring him with bishop d6. But bishop c3 and knight e7 later, it was clear this game would soon turn into an intense bloodbath.

...

On the women's side, things were much more peaceful, though tension was still in the air. Noa was trembling in terror, traumatized by the Mongol encounter as Maccabee and Chaya tried to calm her down.

"If you're too spooked to play, I'll swap in," Chaya offered.

"N- No. We aren't playing Mongolia... We already beat them... I- I don't need to fear them," Noa trembled as she tried to put on a brave face.

Orit scowled and gazed at her necklace. "Damn Mongols, are they trying to sabotage us with their stunt!?"

"If that's the case, I'd say our men's team was the main target, but naturally everyone caught in their warpath was effected," Daria stated as she sat down across from Orit.

Orit's eye narrowed as she pocked her necklace back into her cleavage before looking up to face Daria. "Not going to have your daughter face me?"

"One of our players is out, so I have to fill in anyway. Did you think she'd be an easier mark?"

"No, but the lack of Ishikiridokoro is soothing, assuming of course you're being truthful about her being out sick."

"Ever the cautious one, but even if she wasn't sick, I wouldn't field her against you. Now, let's tango."

On the lower boards, Azenira found herself filling in at board 4 for Iori against Simien's Shoshana Luzon. Shoshana was a pretty girl with long brunette hair and ears and lips filled with piercings.

"Hmmm, Bluepetals," she muttered after sizing up Azenira.

"Uh, what?"

"Bluepetals. It's your new name."

"My what?"

"I always name folks names. See her at the top board? That's Deadeye. Next to her is Goldy, then Nerva, and Teabag. Since you got blue petals on your clothes, you're Bluepetals. And for your team, Facepaint, Smoothskin, and YinYang."

"Um, excuse me, what-"

"Oh, and Bee's Nerva's dad. Hmm, guess you want a name for your sick teammate too... Sicko," Shoshana shrugged, completely ignoring Mimoko.

"Then what's your name?" Azenira asked.

Shoshana stared for a bit before adjusting her glasses and mumbling, "Anne Frank."

Shoshana Luzon was an oddball to say the least. Her lifestyle could best be described as that of a laid back hippie, though a laid-back hippie she was not. Sure, there was often a tone of droll in her voice, but overall, her personality seemed to be more on the morose side. But despite all that, she was infamous for being an edgy streamer, often commentating on various subjects as she played games. Though she tended to have good insight at times, often being able to get a good read on a person's personality. This led to her dabbling in chess, and while she wasn't as gifted as some of her other teammates, she was closing in on a 2000 rating.

"Oh don't mind Shoshana, she's just a little odd. She doesn't mind if you call her Shoshana anyway," Chaya smiled as she patted Shoshana on the back.

"I see. But why am I "Smoothskin"? Mimoko frowned.

"Uh, cuz you got... smooth skin?"

"Why not twintails?"

"Cuz you look like the type that wants to shave em off smooth n' bald, hence, Smoothskin, Smoothskin."

Mimoko went red in the face as Golda burst into laughter. "Atta girl, Shoshana, I heard a rumor that after she got shaved bald by the Fairies, she developed a massive bald fetish. So ya bald under that wig?"

Mimoko blushed even harder as she confirmed her hair was in fact real. Worse, Daria jumped in on the teasing, unable to resist, resulting in her receiving a slap on the cheek. The escapade helped calm Noa down to the point where she felt confident about playing.

"You sure you're fine?" Maccabee asked as he began to head off towards his game.

"I'm good. Oh, but could I have one of your pe dreidels?"

Maccabee shot her a confused look, but pulled a wooden dreidel out of his pocket and tossed it to Noa. "The arbiters already know about it, but just show it to the one at your table anyway so you avoid the headache later."

Noa nodded and did as was recommended. The dreidel itself was just a wooden top, though Prokrutka was infamous for deeming even the smallest of accessories "suspicious", thus it was best to get the checks out of the way before the game began.

Once the arbiter assured Noa that it was fine to keep the item in her pocket during play, Noa thanked her and sat down across from Mimoko.

"Uh, Noa? That's my-"

"Sorry Golda, but I wanna face her. You can take... Himitsutan was it?"

Tenju scowled as Golda began to pout. "Well, if you want me to win THAT badly, fine. But remember, I'm the golden girl on the team, so the golden spot is mine," she huffed as she sat down across from Tenju.

"So what brought this on?" Mimoko asked.

"Oh, I just feel like I can be at ease if I'm playing you. Here's to a good game," Noa smiled as she extended her hand.

Mimoko blinked for a bit, before smiling and shaking Noa's hand. "Good luck, you'll need it against me."

"Seems I'm not needed. Well, off I go," Chaya smiled as she began wandering away.

Orit's gaze remained laser focused on her until she was out of sight.

Daria could sense there was something going on, but decided it wasn't important. What mattered was winning the game before her and as Black none the less.

"Let's see how good you really are," she thought as she shook hands with Orit.

The game began with pawn to d4, and knight f6, knight f3, and c6 later, the game was an Indian Game: Czech-Indian variation. A bit on the uncommon side, but far from unfamiliar territory for Daria. Knight c3, d5, and queen d3 later, Daria sensed a small opening in the form of pawn to b5. Though it was still barely an advantage as Orit ensured thing would remain practically even after moving her pawn to a3.

G6 being on the board next, invited bishop f4, and subsequently bishop g7. All were standard moves, but a move that most certainly wasn't standard was e4. Now Daria had the chance to gain a bit more ground by capturing said pawn with her knight.

Orit was unphased and promptly captured said knight with her knight. But when Daria refused to recapture, instead moving her pawn to f5, Orit decided to get aggressive.

"Check," she snarled as she moved her knight to f6.

Daria captured said knight with her e-pawn, but quickly found herself in check once more as Orit slid her queen to e3. "Aggressive, but being down a pawn can make all the difference," Daria thought as she moved her bishop to e4.

Orit's aggression continued with bishop d3, but Daria ignored it in favor of a king's side castle. Castling seemed to be in season as Orit also castled king's side. But aggression was back on the menu as Daria slid her rook to e8, preparing to load the barrel.

Orit fought fire with fire though, moving her a-rook to e1, but that was a misstep as now Daria could move her knight to f7. It was at this point frustration began to overtake Orit and she activated her eye.

"So there it is, the power of the executive board. Now what move will it show you?" Daria thought.

The answer was pawn h4, the best move Orit could make. Though she deactivated her eye immediately after the move was over.

"Hoh? Not keeping it active? Or conserving uses? It matters not. It can't help you get out of an already lost position," Daria thought as she moved her knight to f8.

Sure enough, Orit's decision not to rely on her eye cost her as if she continued to use it, she would have seen that c3, not b3 was the move she needed to play, but it was too little too late. Daria wasn't a maestro for nothing, playing f5 on instinct.

Frustration slowly began to creep onto Orit's face as her scowl narrowed ever slightly while moving her pawn to h5, but it narrowed a tad more after Daria moved her knight to e6. "Damn you... So those with the natural talent of an engine do exist... Perhaps I could have become like you, but I needed elo and prowess fast, so don't think of this as game as some sort of statement to show talent surpasses evolution. I got this chip not for myself, but for my people's sake. I'll use it like a tool, as for my people I am their tool," she thought as her eye glowed, showing her bishop e5 was the best move.

Daria moved her pawn to f6, and once again the glow vanished as Orit captured the pawn at g6 with her h-pawn, but after Daria captured the bishop at e5 with her f-pawn, it was on once more.

"Check," Orit growled with a tinge more hostility as she captured the pawn at h7 with her g-pawn.

"Seems she's getting agitated. Well, I can't blame her. She's her team's top player, so if she falls, it will be hard for the others to equalize, especially with what's going on between Tenju and Golda. And Mimoko- Mimoko... ...!?"

Daria stared in shock at the game next to her between Mimoko and Noa. Noa's eyes were wide open, superglued to the board while Mimoko was staring at the board with a frustrated look on her face.

"That position... Don't tell me she's on the ropes!"