Michael found the stairs leading down and joined the group of serious mages engrossed in their game.
He didn't travel for four hours in a bumpy carriage ride to the waste-ridden Kingsbridge City just so that he could see the mages spending their entire day playing chess.
He had come for magic spells.
"Haha! Checkmate, I win!" one particular game ended, with the winner announcing his proud victory out loud across the room. The loser quickly left the table, desolate and saddened by his loss.
Michael approached the winner.
"Excuse me, but aren't you going to perform magic spells in front of the crowd?"
He pointed towards the spectators gathered on the second floor.
The victorious mage, still basking in his win, graciously answered Michael's question with a smug smile on his face.
"Ahh, there's no need for that anymore," he said, adjusting his glasses. "Instead, we hold daily chess tournaments to show our advanced intellect to the good people of Kingsbridge."
