Welcome to Gaia! ::

Okita regarded her with a slight distain, but he didn't show it. The girl should be able to choose her path by herself, but yet she regulated it to him. He was a leader, but there wasn't much he could do when he didn't know anything about her.

"Well then, would you allow me to test your mental fortitude? There is a place over there that would be great. If you wish to train, then follow me over there."

He wandered over to what appeared to be a shop of some kind and nodded to the owner. The man was used to Okita showing up randomly. He sat down in his usual chair and motioned for Aryza to do the same. Between them was a small table, and Okita quickly covered it with a checkered mat.

"So ever played chess before? It's a game that a lot of older people play, but i prefer it to games like go."

Okita chuckled a bit, he wasn't a bit surprised that she hadn't played before. It's very hard to teach a dog to play games like this after all.

"Think of chess like you think of the village. Each piece represents a village. I'll be white, so I’m the aggressor. You're black, so you're the defender."

He quickly set up all the pieces in their positions and looked at Aryza. "Now, each piece represents a different person in the village. The pawns are the weakest piece. They're the villagers. They're your first line of defense and can only take out units that aren't expecting them."

"Behind them are the rooks, or Taijutsu specialists. They can only move in one direction. Next to them are the knights, or the Ninjutsu specialists. They can move in ways you don't expect. Next to them are the Bishops, or Genjutsu specialists. They don't attack head on, rather, they attack from angles you can't see."

"Then we have to most powerful piece, the Queen. Sh can move like any piece, and she represents the Hokage. While powerful, even she can be taken down by a pawn if careless. The last piece is the weakest, but it's also the most valuable. It's the King, and he represents the village. It's the job of the other pieces to protect it at all costs."

Okita sighed. This was probably too much to comprehend all at once.

"The objective is to capture the other players king. I'm going to let you play against me, but i'm only going to react to your moves. I'm not going to be overly offensive. Try to see openings two to three moves ahead."

He wasn't sure if she wasn't going to grasp the concept right away, but he knew that she would understand how to play after a while.


Chess Practice
Learn to plan ahead by seeing openings in your oppenents defense. Okita will open gaps on purpose to see if you notice them.
DC: 12 to see the opening, 14 to take advantage of it.
Formula: 1d20+Wis.

Okita studied her opening move with interest. It wasn't the best, but it wasn't too terrible. She'd definitely improve.

"Not bad, but remember your first moves should allow you to let the other pieces come out onto the field. Watch."

Okita moved the pawn out two spaces in front of his king.

"Now look at what I’ve done. I can now bring out my queen, or one of my bishops. Your first moves should always prepare you for what will happen later. Flexibility is the key to success here."

He really hoped he was making sense. Explaining such a complex game was hard, but it would help her out in the long run. The Inuzuka could benifit from having someone in their clan who was truly wise.

((+4 to next roll.))

Okita smiled a bit as she moved. It was a wise move under the circumstances. It wasn't the move that he would have made, but it wasn't a bad move at all. However, it did make this game very short.

He moved his bishop to his right four spaces. "Check. Make sure that you move to protect your king. Since your king can't move at the moment, So you'll need to move a piece in the way to protect it."

He really shouldn't have made that move, but there wasn't much to do to otherwise. He had to teach her that when you see an opening, you need to take it before it closes. Of course, he could easily lose that bishop, but he didn't care much. It was still early after all.

"Remember, if you see an opening, take it before it closes."

((+4 to next roll.))

Okita looked over at Aryza with curious eyes. It was apparent that she wasn't used to thinking ahead for herself, let alone a whole team of people.

"Now, I figured that you'd make that move. You’re more worried about saving pieces than you are about taking my king. On the other hand, in one move I put you on the defensive with a bold action you most likely didn't expect. I fully expect that I will lose that piece, but it's the best way to achieve my goals and keep you guessing. If you can throw your opponent off balance, you can defeat him."

For the moment, he had to keep her guessing. He also knew that he had a move to spare while she wasn't sure what he'd pull. He quickly moved his lift knight in front of his king. A futile move compared to his last one, but it allowed him to set up his next few moves. There was always a plus side to everything it seemed.

((+4 to next roll.))

Okita viewed her move with some confusion. After all, there were plenty of opportunities to be had with the opening he had provided. He assumed that her move meant that she was unsure of what he was planning. At the same time, he had no idea what she was planning and that meant she was learning from him.

Was she planning a diversion to throw him off his game? That seemed to be the most obvious idea. At the same time, she may have just moved that to give herself some breathing room. Either way, it wasn't a big enough development to change his next move.

He moved his king and his rook so that they were next to one another on opposite sides. His king was now on the second left space while his rook was on the third. Surely Aryza hadn't expected that.

"This is called 'castling' and it allows me to switch these pieces around. It has its uses, but it's not always a safe bet. Still, I think you'd be wise to take heed of it. Also, I think you should rethink your defensive strategy. If I find one hole in it, it could be over."

((+4 to next roll.))

Okita noticed Aryza's frustration with his move. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem, but it seemed to almost guide her actions, and that was a fatal flaw for a commander.

"Don't expect your opponent to use moves you know all the time. War isn't fair after all. I would also recommend that you don't let your frustration and anger guide your actions, unless you want to explain to the families of your men how your hubris got them killed."

He studied the board with the calm determination that he had forged in himself years before. This may have been a simulation, but Okita treated it as a real war. Preparing an assault, Okita moved the pawn in front of his rook forward two spaces. It was a trivial move, but it would allow him to get his better units onto the field. He had been playing nice for two long; it was high time for some bloodshed.

((+4 to next roll.))