Black looked at me with a challenge in his eyes. “Dealer to dealer,” he said, nodding toward the chessboard with a slight smirk. “Let’s play.”

I matched his grin. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.” Dummy, who was still licking his wounds from the last game, scooted out of his seat, and I slid into his place across from Black.

"Got a coin?" Black asked, leaning back with a cocky ease.

I pulled out a coin, holding it between my fingers. “Man or bird?”

“Bird,” Black replied confidently.

With a flick, I sent the coin spinning in the air and let it fall on the table. It was indeed a bird. Black gave a small, satisfied nod, setting his eyes on the black pieces. “I’ll be black,” he remarked, already positioning himself.

I looked at the board, noticing that Black had arranged it precisely to his liking. I swapped the King and Queen’s positions, nudging them just slightly. Black’s frown was immediate as he raised an eyebrow.

“You know the Queen and King should be facing each other, right?” he muttered, clearly annoyed.

I shrugged, returning the pieces to their original places. “Just testing your attention to detail.”

Black gave me a look and then nodded for me to start. I moved my pawn from E7 to E5, and he responded instantly, moving with the certainty of someone who knew exactly how to dismantle my strategy.

A few rounds in, Dummy, watching from the sidelines, snickered. “Wow… you suck.” He was talking to me.

I rolled my eyes but didn’t respond. Black, meanwhile, pressed forward with tactical precision, forcing me into uncomfortable positions at every turn. Before long, he had my King boxed in, and I was out of moves.

"Checkmate." Black leaned back with an expression that was both smug and businesslike.

I laughed, raising my hands in mock surrender. “Alright, you got me.”

Dummy scoffed as he looked at the final state of the board. “Seriously, dude, that was rough. I didn’t think anyone could lose that fast.”

I shot him a look. “Like you should be talking. You didn’t even last as long as I did!”

He just grinned. “Hey, at least I put up a fight and used my special ability. You? You just let him dominate you.”

I could feel my eyebrow twitch in irritation, but he had a point—sort of. I glanced over at Black, noticing something odd about his approach. His moves were precise, with a five-second interval between each one. Like he was calculating every possible response in his head. Another effect of his aura ability, maybe?

Not that it really mattered; I wasn’t here to play to win. Still, Dummy wasn’t about to let me off the hook.

“Man, sore loser much?” he added, folding his arms with an exaggerated pout.

I rolled my eyes and gave a half-smile. “Alright, alright. You got me.”

A scruffy-looking man in a mix of pirate and marine attire approached our table. He looked over middle age, with a thick brown beard, piercing brown eyes, and a rugged, well-worn naval hat that added to his seafaring charm. He dragged over a chair of his own and sat down just near us, giving us a nod.

"I've been watching you all play," he remarked with a gravelly voice. "Mind if I have a go?"

I smirked and stood up, gesturing to my seat. "All yours."

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As he settled in, he introduced himself. “Name’s Joe.”

Black nodded, offering a half-smile. “Black.”

Joe's gaze sharpened as he looked over the board, then a glint of mischief sparked in his eye. “How 'bout we make it more interesting, then? A little wager?” It seemed he was quite confident in his skills.

Black’s interest was piqued. “What do you have in mind?”

Joe reached into his pocket, pulling out a silver ring. It looked simple enough, but I recognized it right away—a semi-finished Maker product, just like the ones we’d earned back in the fifth stage. He didn’t waste any time. “This ring for whatever reward you got from the fifth stage,” he suggested, grinning.

Black's smile widened. "You’re on.”

They began setting up the pieces. I took a step back, intrigued to see how this match would play out.

I took a sip of my coffee, watching them with a smirk as the bystander in this unfolding game of strategy. I took out my coin, raising an eyebrow at Joe. “Man or bird?”

Joe’s eyes gleamed. “Bird.”

I flipped the coin, letting it spin before catching it on the back of my hand. It was a bird.

"Looks like you’re playing white," I said, stepping back and savoring my coffee. “or whatever you want.”

“I’ll play white,” confirmed Joe.

The game began, and as my cup emptied, their pieces clashed in a meticulous, calculated dance. Joe’s face was calm but focused. His moves were deliberate as his Maker-type aura subtly pulsed. Black’s face was an intense mask of concentration, his ‘demons’ surely fueling his gameplay.

The game stretched on. It was an intense back-and-forth. Their abilities clashed in an invisible duel as they strategized and recalculated at a furious pace. But, in the end, Joe was the one to stand victorious.

Joe leaned back with a satisfied grin. “That was a fun one, Black. Haven’t had a match like that in ages.”

He looked at Dummy and me with an inviting nod. “You two want a go?”

Dummy shook his head, glancing between us. “Nah, I know better after losing to Black.” He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

But I was different.

Black stood from his seat, walked to the counter, and ordered some coffee for himself.

I rolled my shoulders and took his seat, giving Joe a confident smile. "Alright then, let's see what you've got." And yes, I was confident I could win.

Joe placed both semi-finished Maker products on the table, his confidence practically radiating off him as he leaned back in his chair. “Alright, kid. What do you have to offer?”

I couldn’t help but smile at his boldness. “Oh, you’re sure you want to wager those?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Because if we play, you’d need to throw in your ship too.”

Black and Dummy glanced at me, their expressions turning confused. Joe, however, just let out a hearty laugh, shaking his head. “Well, I’ll be damned. Not many people recognize me that easily. Clever catch, kid.”

I turned to Black and Dummy, reintroducing our new friend with a bit of flourish. “This here’s Joe the Sky Ruler, owner of this fine airship and high-ranking member of the Hunter Association.”

Joe nodded with a faint grin on his face. “Much as I’d love to gamble with it, I can’t put the airship on the line—it’s worth a bit more than my left hand.”

“Fair enough,” I replied. “Then let’s settle on something else. How about three favors, plus those two semi-finished Maker products,” I pointed to the items on the table, “and one more thing—a custom piece of gear, made by you personally.”

I saw his eyes spark with interest. Joe was a renowned Maker, known for crafting some of the most powerful gear out there. My terms were a bit extreme, maybe even ridiculous, but it only seemed to fuel his curiosity.

“Bold demands,” he replied with a glint of amusement in his gaze. “So tell me, kid, what are you putting on the table?”

I leaned back, my smile turning cryptic, letting him wonder just what I’d risk for a chance to win against Joe the Sky Ruler.

In this line of work, keeping an air of mystique had always served me well. I took a moment, then finally revealed my wager to Joe: “Information on the legendary weapon—Excalibur.”

Joe’s eyes went wide, his disbelief plain as he stared at me. “Impossible,” he murmured as if trying to gauge whether I was bluffing. Black, too, looked at me intently, frowning but holding back any objections, while Dummy just blinked in total confusion.

“What’s this all about?” Dummy finally asked, scratching his head.

Without hesitation, Black leaned in, his voice serious. “Excalibur. It’s a powerful Maker artifact. Rumored to be created by an ancient Maker, the weapon that supposedly raised a king from the ruins of the Dark Ages.” Black shook his head. “I always thought it was just a legend.”

Joe crossed his arms, looking at me with newfound caution. “If that’s true, maybe I should withdraw from this little wager,” he said with a slow smirk creeping onto his face. “No way to verify if you’re telling the truth, and even if it is Excalibur, my airship wouldn’t be worth a tenth of its value.”

I inclined my head, acknowledging his point. “All fair observations,” I replied calmly. “Trust me, if I had the means, I’d have claimed it for myself by now. Not that it’d matter—it’s fabled to choose its own master.”

Black nodded, his eyes narrowing as he studied me. “Excalibur’s no ordinary weapon. Even the stories say it’s… selective.”

For a moment, they were all quiet, each of them considering the legendary relic—the ultimate prize among Makers. I asked the obvious. “So do you still want to play a game with me? What is it, Joe?”