[https://i.imgur.com/PVQZiJI.png]
I stood in the arena with my fists clenching and my mind whirling. The crowd was rowdy and the announcer was speaking, but I hardly heard anything. My thoughts kept running through everything I’d worked on with Morgane the hustler, but every now and then I’d remember Ticosi’s face, dimly lit by the ember of his cigarillo, and my carefully constructed plays would fall to bits and I’d have to start over. It didn’t help when I caught sight of my opponent on the far side of the boards and felt a hysterical laugh bubbling in the back of my throat. They had me fighting a gods-damned bird.
It was a big bird, maybe a foot tall. I wouldn’t want it flapping after me in the streets, no doubt, but compared to that monster condor Basil had summoned during our fight, this thing looked like a sparrow. How can a bird be a Summoner? The announcer had said its name was Spignit, but how did he know? All I’d heard from it was chirps and squawks as it hopped around and pecked at things on the floor. I wasn’t even sure if it was a boy or a girl. Not that it mattered, exactly, but I didn’t know enough about kestrels to tell the difference. It had been in the soul ability competition the night before, so there had to be something special about it, but it was going to feel pretty damned weird to swing my hammer at a bird. It hardly felt fair.
Take the easy win and be grateful, the wiser part of me said. As soon as you lose you get handed over to the Big Man, and every extra card you win will make him more likely to go easy on you. My guts burned at the thought of forfeiting my deck to that snake-faced bastard. I wasn’t sure I could make myself do it, no matter what I’d told him… but it wasn’t like he was going to give me the choice, either.
A wrench from behind my ear pulled me back into the moment, and I saw my ante card fly out, magnified overhead alongside my opponent’s. I’d been so busy gnawing on my worries I’d missed the opening bits of the match.
[https://i.imgur.com/hb3K3SR.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/rdTjQpZ.png]
I blinked and goggled at the matched pair. This chirping feather duster was carrying an Epic? As I quickly scanned the text, I realized I was underestimating the little beast. That was a powerful Spell. A quick squint now that the Dueling Dome was up showed that Spignit had the full deck of 20 cards allowed for the Tournament. My insides clenched. Bird or no, this was a serious competitor. If I wasn’t careful here, I’d lose the best new card I’d gotten last night.
Drawing my opening hand helped me focus and calm myself. I drew a single Nether from my soul, and from my Mind Home came the Hateful Hammer and then one of each of my three new demons. The Marauder still gave me a twinge, but I’d summoned each of them several times during my practice session, and not only was I unable to figure out which was the one that had attacked me for Ticosi last night – I couldn’t tell the two Marauders apart yet – but both had obeyed me perfectly, performing exactly as expected.
I chewed my lip. Morgane had beaten into me the idea that I needed to mulligan hard for my Hammer-Sucking Void combo, but it was hard to put my alternate opener of the Root Imp and Ghastly Gremlin on the bottom of my deck. You’ll get the Void. The draws work. Breathing deep, I tucked the Marauder behind my ear first – I’d want to get that back as soon as I could – then the Root Imp and the Gremlin. Drawing 3 more immediately eased me: I drew the Sucking Void, the other Marauder, and my Lesser Healing Potion. I had my opening combo in hand. It was going to work.
I took a peek at my opponent as it mulled over its own cards. It had the tip of one wing folded over against itself to hold its cards, and its tail twitched rhythmically against the boards in a way that made me imagine it was thinking hard. Its beak was curved like a bird of prey’s, and the rust-colored stripes beneath its eyes looked like war paint. It saw me looking and shrieked a cry of challenge, brandishing its cards.
The opening gambit went as it always did, with me going first. I wondered if I’d ever play an opponent with a source that was faster than Nether. None of the Elemental sources were faster – not even Air, which this kestrel was playing – and neither was Order. I had no idea how fast some of the other exotic sources like Celestial or Fae were.
Drawing 2 for my first turn got me another Ghastly Gremlin and the Iron Maiden Plate, but those were concerns for later. Devoting my single Nether, I summoned my Hammer and raced over to the bird, swinging hard. It squawked furiously, flapping into the air to avoid my blow, but the Hammer’s damage was Fated, just like all cards. The arc of my swing changed to catch Spignit squarely on the body, and it twitched its feathers to cast one of its in-hand cards in front of the blow, shattering it.
[https://i.imgur.com/ongkBrB.png]
The kestrel is playing with other kestrels. Was that weird? I wasn’t sure, but either way, I was glad to have gotten rid of that one before it hit the field. I didn’t need a bunch of armored birds pecking at me. I bounced back hard from the card shatter, and the Hammer felt heavy in hand. I wished for a weapon that recovered so quickly I could use it on both offense and defense. Morgane had mentioned that out in the real world, in wars and such, some Summoners carried both a carded Relic weapon like my Hammer, Fated to do its damage, and also a mundane sword or even a non-card magical Artifact weapon. Those could miss, of course, depending on the skill of the wielder, but you could also use them as fast as you could swing your arm; there was no waiting for them to come back to Ready. Such things were banned under the Dueling Dome, but maybe once I was working for Ticosi I could get something like that. If he lets me.
There was no time for self-pity. Spignit summoned 2 Souls at once and sent them streaking at me side by side.
[https://i.imgur.com/0MLrjTq.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/0MLrjTq.png]
Time slowed, and though I hated to lose a heavy hitter, I threw my Ghastly Gremlin at them, letting it shatter against their sharp claws. Both Kestrels dropped to the ground, exhausted from having been devoted the turn they were summoned but seeming very satisfied in a bird-y kind of way to have done their damage.
The Ghastly Gremlin shimmered into being, looking at me in fire-eyed confusion for a brief moment before splintering back into nothing.
[https://i.imgur.com/y7l5bKS.png]
It felt like a waste to block with the Gremlin and have its Expire get activated before I had the chance to command it to attack, but it was a better option than sacrificing my other Marauder, so down it went.
Now I could put a fresh Nether in hand – and immediately into play – as well as draw another card, which was my Talisman of Spite. I grinned, glad to see my next big piece of my puzzle fall into place. But for now it was time for the tried-and-true, and I devoted my new Nether to summon my protection Spell.
[https://i.imgur.com/haaIWU2.png]
I thought about just swinging at Spignit’s face – it felt a lot less weird now that it had attacked me – but decided to take out one of its damned Summons first. Some of the damage would pass through due to my Hammer’s Overkill, and besides, it wasn’t a good idea to let Souls pile up on the board even if they couldn’t hurt me yet. I smashed one of the downed Kestrels with my Hammer, and it shattered. An arc of power surged through the glittering light to strike Spignit, and it cast another card out of hand to block it.
[https://i.imgur.com/91jjccE.png]
This bastard had no end of Kestrels! I was starting to see how well all these tribal cards worked together and was doubly glad I’d gotten one off the board.
Spignit was chirping and hopping in agitation. If it had been human, it would have been spitting and cursing, no doubt. Instead, it drew its cards, summoned more Air source, and devoted 2 of them to summon a new Soul. From the size of the mist cloud it generated, it was a sizable one.
[https://i.imgur.com/IVh8LgU.png]
Dammit! The bird wasn’t just playing Kestrels; it had one of those cursed monster birds of Basil’s, probably more than one. I hated those damned things.
Seeing that it couldn’t hurt me, Spignit left the Condor at the Ready as a blocker. It was the only sensible thing to do. Its remaining Kestrel was still recovering, now at a focused state, so there was nothing left for the Summoner bird to do.
The Hammer lightened and shifted in my hand, begging to be unleashed, and I was happy to comply. Another Nether went overhead and a fresh card came into hand, my third Ghastly Gremlin. I used both available sources – devoting one and focusing the other – to bring out the Talisman, ducking my head under the loop and letting it settle onto my chest.
[https://i.imgur.com/hb3K3SR.png]
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I was really cooking now, and not only would any blocker not harm me, any damage the Sucking Void absorbed would still serve to charge up the Talisman, as Morgane had proven in the most annoying possible way. I leapt into the fray, swinging my Hammer.
Spignit puffed out its feathers and took the hit on the chin, discarding its 1 card in hand – another Kestrel Sentry – and shredded 1 from the Mind Home as well, a puff of confetti showering down around it. The bird glared at me balefully. I had no doubt it would gladly peck out my eyes if given the chance.
It drew a card and a source, put an Air up overhead, and eyed the 1 card it had in hand doubtfully, ducking its head to preen its feathers as its tail bobbed. Whatever its card was, it decided to hold onto it for the moment. The Kestrel and Carrion Condor were fluttering at the ready, but they couldn’t do me any harm. With a frustrated quorking, Spignit let its turn pass.
I was on my last turn of invulnerability. I still had my healing potion in hand, but I realized that, like Morgane had predicted, it wasn’t going to do me any good in getting my Sucking Void back for a repeat use since Spignit had forced me to discard my Ghastly Gremlin back on turn 1. Fortune’s balls, I need to upgrade that Potion to get me 2 cards back. As it stands, I might as well take it out of the deck. We’d gone back and forth on that one, and the hustler’s advice was that getting any card back was worth the inclusion. Not that the Ghastly Gremlin wasn’t a good card, but I wanted the Spell back.
There was no point in wasting time. I summoned another Nether, drew my second Marauder – I’m down to my mulliganed cards; not much left! – and devoted my 2 available source to bring forth the one I’d been hanging onto since the top of the game.
[https://i.imgur.com/i6WJsVf.png]
The horned monster misted into being and bounced lightly on taloned hands and feet, watching me expectantly and huffing its chuckle-breath.
“All right, you scary son of a bitch,” I said, pointing at Spignit. “Let’s go nuts.”
“Finally,” it laughed, sounding ecstatic. “Gimme.”
It scrambled forward on all fours, getting ahead of me as I ran to swing my Hammer as well. It felt odd to not be using my Nether to power up my hits, but with all these cards there never seemed to be any left over.
Spignit trilled, and the little Kestrel Soul swooped in front of the Marauder, scratching at it. It managed to score the demon’s face with its claws as the terrifying thing stuffed the bird into its mouth and chomped down, sending shards of light everywhere. I felt a moment of surprise as I went in for my own hit; I’d thought for sure Spignit would block with the Condor to soak up as much of the Marauder’s insane Overkill damage as possible, but instead the bird Summoner shed 4 cards out its Mind Home and then immediately another 2 as I slammed the Hammer home, leaving its Condor out of the fray.
The Marauder, leaking black blood from its torn face, bounded back to me and casually raked its claws down my side. With the Sucking Void still active, I felt nothing but a gentle pressure, and 3 of the 5 points on the Talisman of Spite lit up, which made me very happy.
I looked to the massive Condor circling overhead and felt a tiny spike of fear penetrate my battle focus. That fear took root and blossomed as the Sucking Void finally dissipated and the last 2 cards in my Mind Home shredded themselves into the discard. I really wanted that Condor out of play! I’d swung big and hit hard, and a focused glance showed me that Spignit only had 6 cards left in its Mind Home. I, on the other hand, suddenly had none, and my opponent was gearing up for the attack.
Spignit, chirping in distress and hopping in a circle, made its draws, summoned its source, and a full 4 of its Air source went totally gray as it devoted them. A truly massive Soul appeared, and my blood ran cold.
[https://i.imgur.com/bGI7v6T.png]
Some distant part of me heard the announcer jabbering excitedly, but I might as well have been underwater for all I understood. The Eagle stood well over six feet tall on two clawed feet, with massive wings blocking the sky and powerful man-arms beneath them reaching for a shining broadsword. This thing made the Condor look like a house pet. It was a beast of savage majesty, and I knew I’d lost the match. Looking at my hand, I saw the Iron Plate – which I now wished I was wearing – my second Marauder, a Ghastly Gremlin, and the useless, good-for-nothing Potion. I could block 6 damage out of hand. If this bad boy wasn’t hitting for at least that amount, I’d eat my new shoes, and the Condor was at the ready as well. I was done for. Spignit just had too damned many good cards.
But then the bird Summoner dithered, looking from me to its one card in hand and then back again. It hopped and chirped and bobbed its tail feathers in thought.
It’s scared, I realized. I just sent a shit load of damage down its throat and it’s not sure what I have in hand. I squared my shoulders, spread my cards as wide in my hand as possible to make it look like I was holding more, and glowered for all I was worth. It was a weak bluff, but it was all I had.
Finally Spignit squawked a word of command, and my heart seized as the Condor came swooping down at me. I cast my Ghastly Gremlin into its claws, and the last 2 points of the Talisman lit up. It hummed with a weird, discordant energy as the Relic fully activated. It was a sight to see, but I could hardly appreciate it. I was certain that once the Condor cleared my field of view, I’d find that great damned Eagle shoving its sword down my throat.
It didn’t. When the Condor swooped away, the Eagle Overlord still hulked at Spignit’s side. The kestrel had kept it back as a blocker, fearing my next attack, not knowing that it could have just put me out of the match and into Ticosi’s grasp.
As if from another world, I heard a familiar voice scream, “Use the Potion! Hull, use it!”
I looked over and saw Basil shouting at me, red in the face. It looked as if he’d been at it a while, but I’d been so deep in my battle trance I’d heard nothing. Esmi was at his side, hopping up and down and shouting as well. I couldn’t make out what she was saying.
Was that the right play? Basil knew his stuff. Getting a card back would be a good idea with that monster Eagle in play, but I knew in my gut a single card wouldn’t be enough to save me. Now or never, dummy. Don’t waste your chance. I had no more cards to draw from my Mind Home, but I pulled 2 more Nether and put 1 up. I had 3 available, and no matter what Basil said, there was only one good last-ditch play. I summoned the other Marauder.
[https://i.imgur.com/i6WJsVf.png]
The last 2 Nether I sent coursing up my arms to fill me with rage and power my Hammer blow. I had to hit with everything and I had to do it now, or I was lost.
I sent the twin Marauders in first, hoping against hope that Spignit would have to block one of them with that beefy Eagle. Sure enough, it sent the monster swooping over to intercept the freshly-summoned one. The demon swarmed up the front of the Eagle, shredding its armor and digging its claws deep into its chest, sending bright blood spurting. The great bird shrieked in rage and brought its sword down on the Marauder’s head, and it shattered into light. The Eagle limped off to the side, bleeding profusely but still on its feet. If I didn’t beat Spignit this turn, that sword would be coming down on me in a moment.
My other Marauder rushed past the focused, recovering Condor and got right up in Spignit’s face, slashing and tearing as it panted its creepy breath-laugh. Spignit threw its last card in hand at it, and I saw the afterimage of the shattered card glowing brightly for a moment.
[https://i.imgur.com/Bp7FIeh.png]
Twins twist me, how did this kestrel end up with all these amazing cards? Either Spignit was the hope of the avian tribe, or else the rest of the kestrels had the humans fooled and were going to take over the kingdom any day now. Either way, the Mythic only blocked 2, and 3 more cards shredded out of its Mind Home.
That’s when I showed up, swinging the Hateful Hammer with all my might, a prayer to my pal Fortune on my lips. With a despairing peep, Spignit took the hit, and 3 more cards fluffed away. As I reared back, recovering my balance from the hit, I saw that the little kestrel had no more cards left. Its Mind Home was empty.
If I’d been playing any other deck, I’d have been done for. I’d hit with everything, and even though I’d stripped my opponent bare, it could attack back now and I’d be totally defenseless.
Except I wasn’t playing any other deck, and my Talisman was still humming and bouncing on my chest. My surviving Marauder loped up to me and with a satisfied growl dug its claws into my side, dealing its 3 end-of-turn damage. Instead of the pain I expected, I felt a surge of power course from the spot where it had raked me and up through my chest, focusing into the Talisman. The metal plate’s hum rose to a fever pitch and resolved into a fell harmony… then three glowing blue spikes shot out of its face, slamming into Spignit.
The kestrel tumbled into a heap, and the match was over. I’d won.
The Dueling Dome came down, and the roar of the crowd broke over me. HULL! HULL! HULL! they chanted. I wanted to revel in it, but all I felt was weak-kneed relief. Another match won. Another moment of reprieve gained.
The kestrel’s ante card came flying at me, and I caught it reflexively.
[https://i.imgur.com/rdTjQpZ.png]
Another Epic in hand, at least for the moment. It galled me to think I’d have to hand it to Ticosi. There had to be some way I could escape him. Later. Think about it later. I caught Spignit’s eye across the arena and nodded to the bird respectfully. It had almost won. It could have won – although not even Ticosi’s little tortures could have forced me to say it out loud to Spignit. The bird fluffed its feathers and bobbed its head in return before taking to the air.
Then Basil was there, grabbing my hand and pumping it for all he was worth. “A fine showing! Capital! Twins Above, when I think about how you started out I can hardly believe it. Incredible!”
Esmi clapped me on the shoulder and favored me with a smile. “Not half bad, Hull. Keep it up and the Prince will have to watch his back next time.”
I had plenty I wanted to say to that, but Basil wouldn’t shut up as they pulled me arm-in-arm down the stairs. “...only caught the latter part of the match, but you put up a smashing fight. And tell me, why didn’t you play the Potion? I know you heard me that time; I saw you look.”
I smiled and put it as kindly as I knew how. “Basil, that Potion isn’t worth shit for any deck bigger than 3 cards. I’m going to find that Relicsmith and see if he’ll upgrade it for me.” It wasn’t worth trading away my new Epic just for that, but I still had a good deal of the Gamemaster’s purse left, and maybe it’d be enough for an elevation.
Basil looked crestfallen. “Ah. A wise thing, I suppose. I’d rather hoped you’d come watch my match, but that’s all right. You do as you must.” He looked down and shuffled along, looking as if I’d kicked him.
Esmi caught my eye over his head and gave me a say-the-right-thing kind of look. I wasn’t sure how I knew that’s what she meant, but it was clear as day. I rolled my eyes at her, and the look hardened just a little. The girl had some steel in her, no doubt about it.
I held in a sigh. “Course I’ll watch your match. Plenty of time for trading afterward.”
He brightened like the sun, and then he didn’t stop talking for twenty minutes after.