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"This is not our first game, but I still don't know which of us should play as black," looking at the pieces already placed on the chessboard, Nightmare said thoughtfully.
When playing with his subordinates, who didn't like to play with him because they always lost, he undoubtedly chose black pieces to match his appearance. But now, his opponent was an equally black skeleton.
The Destroyer did not look at all like the monster that had recently been abducted, only his hands were loosely tied with a small rope and then not even behind his back. Just for the sake of decency. Although, it wasn't just Error that didn't match the situation. Nightmare himself looked no more like a kidnapper than Glitch looked like a victim. The situation was more like an ordinary game of chess between two acquaintances, and the fact that one of them was supposedly captured did not bother either of these two. He can move the pieces. That's enough.
“The white pieces remind me of Ink.”
"Got it," Nightmare replied, turning the board with the black pieces towards Error.
Glitch was generally extremely fickle, so forcing a specific color on him was tantamount to suicide. Otherwise, it might not suit his mood. That's why he always chose the color himself.
"We can start,” said Nightmare, more for decency's sake, and then made his move.
“Do you think we'll have enough time for one game?” Error asked, rearranging his figure.
"Depends on where Ink is now," gooey fingers placed the white piece on another square with a soft thud.
"Probably somewhere with Dream again,” Glitch snorted with displeasure, making a new move. “Fucking again…”
"Someday I'll shoot myself with you two…” Nightmare sighed, knocking down the opponent's wooden fighter.
"I don't think a bullet will do anything to your goo," Error said, also removing the opponent's piece from the field, "And it's still a bit beneficial for you, even if it's a pain in your ass."
"That's right, that's right," Nightmare agreed, putting the piece down again with a soft thud.
"By the way, how long has it been?" Error asked, "eating" the opponent's pawn.
“About half an hour," Nightmare replied, agreeing to the exchange.
“He’s late…” Glitch made a move again. “Are you sure you left a note? In a prominent place?”
“I wrote down everything you said as verbatim as possible and put it in the indicated place. Not an inch further," Nightmare replied, knocking down the opponent's figure under the gaze of amber eyes.
“So he's a stupid asshole,” tricolor fingers struck the elephant a little aggressively on the field, “I'll make him run ragged through destroyed universes if he doesn't show up by the end of the hour.”
“Just in the heat of rage, don't forget about our agreement," Nightmare moved his figure much more carefully than Glitch.
“Yes, yes, of course, I won't destroy negative worlds for a month," the Destroyer said, moving his figure to a more advantageous position. “Only if they start to rot, I certainly won't stay away.”
"I can't stop being amazed at how you really keep all your promises with that attitude,” Nightmare said without hesitation.
"The curse of the original, which forces him to keep his promises, also falls on his copies," removing the white piece from the field, Error put his one in its place.
“And this curse doesn't care at all that Dream and I weren't created from the original, you were born of emptiness, and Ink is a blob of ink," Nightmare confidently made his move.
"That's right, that's right," Gluck agreed, running away from the blow.
Both skeletons did not flinch when a roar mixed with screams began to be heard on the first floors.
"Your prince in shining armor has arrived,” Nightmare commented, putting down his piece faster than before. “There will be some more time to search, we will have time to finish.”
“Not even a crazy person would call this idiot a prince," Error replied, also speeding up.
"You still haven't said why you decided to make him run after you," Nightmare said, knocking down the figure in one motion. “Is he spending more time with worlds and Dream than with you again?”
“We recently had an anniversary, but he not only forgot, but also basically didn't talk to me at that time," Glitch replied, also demolishing the opponent's figure.
“How long ago was your anniversary?” having used the fighter who was standing idle earlier, Nightmare asked.
"Thirty-five hours ago." Almost thirty-six," Error replied with displeasure, sending a piece to attack.
"He's so fucking dead," Nightmare realized instantly, blocking the enemy's attack with a “living” shield.
“Exactly," the tricolor fingers kicked the opponent's piece off the field a little aggressively.
Literally moments later, the rumble was heard barely beyond the entrance, where Ink had been making noise before. After him is another one, still loud and far away.
"Are you sure you told your guys not to resist much?" Error asked, walking with his piece rather quickly.
"Actually, yes,” Nightmare cut down the opponent's piece. “Probably Killer decided to show off. He'll pick his own bones later.”
“And that Cuttlefish Mommy is not going to help her children?” Error removed his opponent's queen from the board with a grin.
“Only if they are unable or need help. As it is, the boys are adults, they have already learned how to collect bones themselves.” on the way to the black king, Nightmare knocked down the figure protecting him, but I still haven't checked. “Just give them a slap on the head on time and that's it.”
"It's a pity it doesn't work that way with Ink," Glitch sighed after making the castling.
"That's right,” Nightmare knocked down another opponent's piece.
The noise subsided a little, but instead hurried footsteps of bare feet began to be heard in the castle, even slightly drowning out the tense and rather rapid tapping of the pieces on the board. They didn't want to leave the game unfinished or then pack up at another time. Both were silent, completely immersed in the game and driven by Ink, and moved the pieces one by one.
“Stalemate,” the knocking of the piece on the board defined the end Nightmare.
“Again?”
“Again.”
"See you, then," Error said, gathering the pieces into a folding board and throwing them at Nightmare's back as he approached the window.
“Yeah, don't break the castle completely, I don't want to rebuild it from the rubble," Nightmare also said goodbye, jumping out of the window of his own house.
Ink, who had run into the room, and a disgruntled Glitch should have been left alone now.