LITMIR.BIZ

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just like one couldn’t laugh at their own arm or leg or head.

      “It’s great, but it’s also strange that we all froze, feeling the same thing at the same time. We, however, walked confidently across a foreign town and, most importantly, came to the right place,” Artem, the team’s analyst, said. “Sophie, show me the handbill for this place,” Artem said in a very calm voice. He was thoughtful, kind and compassionate. His playing style was positional. Sergey Karjakin was his favorite chess player. His favorite opening was the Caro-Kann Defense. He took losses as life lessons.

      Sophie took the handbill out, opened it, and only then they realized that it was written in the Quechua, and that standing there, in front of the entrance to the labyrinth, they did not understand a word, although before that Sophie had somehow managed to understand both the map and the attracting handbill that led them directly to that increasingly mysterious and strange place.

      “It looks like we are in for not just an adventure but something more,” Alice intoned.

      “Well, since we are here, it means that someone wanted it this way, and how fortunate that the desires of the Universe have coincided with ours! The stars shine and we all need it,” Alice decided to calm herself and others down by paraphrasing the words by Vladimir Mayakovsky from his immortal poem “Listen!”.

      “I and Artem will lead the way followed by Sophie and Kiera with you, Alice, bringing up the rear. If something happens, then you, Alice, turn around and run away. It’s only you with your power of suggestion who can send the entire Peru into a tizzy and make them rescue us,” Mark said and entered the labyrinth without waiting for the team to realize the whole horror of his words.

      The guys had no choice but to follow the team’s intellectual and main prop to immerse themselves into the biggest adventure that would change their lives forever and – they did not know that yet – the life of the whole world!

      Chapter 2

      The mystery of the labyrinth in Peru

      In the labyrinth, they came face to face with creepy silence and darkness.

      “Erm… Did it occur to anyone to take a flashlight?” Alice asked.

      “Well, apparently, there is one in every mobile phone,” Sophie sneered, taking out her mobile phone and turning the flashlight on.

      When the labyrinth was illuminated by the phones, the team saw walls covered with symbols, which, upon a closer look, turned out to be pictures of chess pieces, frayed in some places, intact here and there. Whole game notations or chess problems could be seen elsewhere.

      The guys moved forward beckoned by these amazing themed walls as if they were created specifically for them. Sometimes they stopped, puzzling over a problem or trying to figure out a solution for a chess study.

      None of them noticed how much time had passed and how long they had been walking, but at some point, mobile phone flashlights became completely unnecessary and the team ended up inside some kind of a room that looked like a secret room in a cave. Suddenly it became light. However, it was impossible to determine where the source of light was. It seemed to go from the very space around the room.

      The room was substantially a circle, in whose center there was a chessboard with pieces on it in a position enabling a checkmate in one move (Black’s move)1:

      “The queen moves to f1, checkmate in one move,” Mark said confidently and before the team had time to stop him, he did exactly what he said.

      In an instant, a loud voice from nowhere said:

      “The first round is over, the second one will begin in 5 seconds, but if you want to finish, leave the thing that is the most valuable for you and leave the room forever.”

      “It’s optimistic and strange at the same time,” Keira muttered. “Who even uses such terrible voices for children’s quests?!”

      “Keira, you’re reading my mind. It’s like you’re at your parents’ party when they are watching an old American movie with a terrible one-voice translation,” Sophie said.

      “And I’m concerned about what is going to happen next given that after the first round and the scholar’s mate in one move, we have to leave the most valuable thing?” Artem puzzled everyone.

      Once the promised 5 seconds lapsed, the pieces on the board changed into quite a simple position: checkmate in two moves (Black’s move)2:

      This time, Keira stepped up to the plate. She apparently was eager to find out what would be requested after the second round.

      “Congratulations on passing the second round. The third round will begin in 3 seconds, but if you want to finish the game, leave your intuitivist and leave the room forever.”

      “Me?… How do they even know about me?” Alice appalled.

      To put it bluntly, everyone experienced a wild fear as if at some point it had occurred to the guys that they were not playing a computer game or dreaming. Everything was really happening to them and it could very well be that they were trapped by a psychopath who specifically lured smart, but not very smart, kids there?!

      They did not have time to panic or try to comprehend something, when a more difficult position appeared on the chessboard – “mate in three moves” (White’s move)3:

      Alice solved the problem faster than anyone else and already raised her hand to rearrange the pieces but this time Sophie was on the alert:

      “Stop! Alice, we do not know how much time we are given to solve it, but intervals between tasks become less and less, why? And if our time is not limited while we are solving a problem, then maybe we will discuss what is happening right now?”

      “That’s not quite right, Captain,” the voice out of nowhere said. Everyone had already been pretty much annoyed with that voice, and the word Captain was said with such a mockery that the guys felt like becoming wrestlers or whatever they called them instead of chess players.

      “In fact, you really are not limited in time while solving the next problem. However, if you talk about anything but the position, you will lose and will not be able to win the next game and, therefore, continue your way through the labyrinth, pending the most important and final win.

      “Great, Voice from Latrine, why do we need to pass these tests at all, and how come you know who we are?” Keira said in an angry voice.

      “Your victory will save your world. We, however, cannot give this chance to unworthy. Consider this a pure test for strength.”

      “What about your threatening words: “Leave the most valuable thing or a member of your team? What a lot of rubbish!” Mark also joined in.

      “Defender, we didn’t build the labyrinth. More likely, it built itself between your world and ours. It has its own rules and laws and if you enter it, you must keep trying till the end and win to prove that you are eligible for the Main Battle in your life or lose to confirm that the Earth has not participated in the Great Tournament for hundreds of years for a reason. And you may not just turn around and leave at any moment since you have to pay for everything. That’s the law of this Interworld. Your time is running out, players, make your move and don’t bother me again.”

      After that the annoying voice deactivated. And the guys had nothing to do but to nod Alice to the chessboard and everyone would continue to play

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