B3 Ch15: A New Joy (Patreon)

**Re-edited Nov' 23**

Arthur reread the card three times, hardly not believing it.

Brixaby couldn't have plucked a better card for him if he had planned it. Then again, the man had been an assassin. It made sense that he would have a stealth card in his deck.

Still… a stealth class card was on a whole other level.

"Don't get me wrong, it's amazing. But how did you get it?" Arthur asked.

Brixaby’s head lifted with pride. "Everyone was paying attention to Joy. I just plucked it out while the man was seizing and put it straight in my Personal Space."

Before Arthur could worry about his dragon's lack of empathy, Brixaby shot a hasty glance towards Cressida and the healer who were talking. Then he looked back to Arthur.

"What are you waiting for? Use it, and don’t let that healer see."

Arthur glanced towards the two, then shifted around so his back was to them. It made it harder for any eavesdropping. "I can’t put it in my heart deck,” he reminded Brixaby, “Yes, the chances are low that it might affect our bond, but it’s a risk I don’t want to take."

"Of course," Brixaby said, looking mildly offended. "It should work just fine in your card anchor deck. Go on. I want to see what your Master cards do with it."

So did Arthur.

Nodding, he slipped it into his card anchor. Or... at least he tried. He encountered a strange resistance. He was still able to do it with a little more effort, but the entire temporary deck felt as if it were weighed down. Then again, he did have a lot of power contained there.

While it was perfectly possible to upgrade a card anchor deck, Arthur would not risk such a thing when he was newly linked to Brixaby.

Those thoughts were cut short as he received a wave of notifications.

New skill gained: Silent Movement (Stealth Class)

Due to the ‘A Stealthy Class’ card and Master of Body Enhancement’s bonuses, you automatically start this skill at level 13.

New skill gained: Heightened Awareness (Stealth Class)

Due to the ‘A Stealthy Class’ card and Master of Body Enhancement’s bonuses, you automatically start this skill at level 13.

New skill gained: Camouflage (Stealth Class)

Due to the ‘A Stealthy Class’ card and Master of Skill’s bonuses, you automatically start this skill at level 13.

New skill gained: Evasion (Stealth Class)

Due to the ‘A Stealthy Class’ card and Master of Body Enhancement’s bonuses, you automatically start this skill at level 13.

New skill gained: Deception (Stealth Class)

Due to the ‘A Stealthy Class’ card and Master of Skill’s bonuses, you automatically start this skill at level 13.

New skill gained: Concealment (Stealth Class)

Due to the 'A Stealthy Class' card, you automatically start this skill at level 10.

New Class!

Stealth – Tier 1 Utility

You have begun to master the art of remaining unnoticed. Some say that to be stealthy is to disappear like magic. In your case, that is exceptionally true.

This class combines the following:

Silent Movement – Level 13

Heightened Awareness – Level 13

Camouflauge – Level 13

Evasion – Level 13

Deception – Level 13

Concealment – Level 10

Stealth – Level 19

Into one basic class. This class will be the average of all skill levels. Newly learned compatible skills may be added to the Stealth class. However, an added lower level skill contributes to the overall average, possibly lowering the entire class level.

Stealth Class – Level 13

When equipped, card wielder will learn all the Stealth class levels at 1.25 times the normal rate in addition to existing skill bonuses.

+ 3 to Luck

+ 7 to Perception

Do you wish to combine these skills now?

Sure enough, it looked like the skills had been copied over and been slightly enhanced, thanks to his Master of Skills and Master of Body Enhancement card. It seemed his Legendary Master card classes overrode the actual Class card to some degree, though it did include a two point advantage in Perception.

The reference to magic was surely about the concealment meant that it was a magical skill, which his Master cards could not copy over. That explained the strange warping sensation around the assassin as if light had bent around him.

Arthur would have access to that skill too if he kept this class card in his anchor deck. But... there were better uses for it.

With a slight grimace, he removed the card again. Sure enough, the majority of his skills stayed the same. However, he received an interesting notification:

Skill Downgrade:

Concealment – (Stealth Class) has lost its mana enhancement ability. Concealment is now a utility only skill.

Due to your Master of Skills bonuses, Concealment has been upgraded to level 13.

Stealth Class is now level 14 (13.85 rounded up.)

He couldn't help it. He was grinning from ear to ear. He was glad that he was turned away from Cressida so she didn't see because this wasn’t the right time for happiness. 

But on a personal level, this was huge. "I kept the class and some of the skills. If we can find more cards like this..."

"Well, we would if you ever allowed me to pluck more cards out of people's hearts," Brixaby said blithely.

Arthur rolled his eyes but held the card back out to him. "Your turn."

Arthur naturally assumed Brixaby was going to consume the card. Brixaby had the same problem that Joy did-- even worse, considering he was a little younger than her. His secondary card core was not fully developed. However, Brixaby's particular main allowed him to consume others and add them to his own strength.

The pity was that it would destroy the card. Arthur felt ambivalent about that, but he wasn't going to stand in Brixaby's way. He had found the card. It was his.

So he was surprised when Brixaby took the card, and, with a pained expression, stuck it into his Personal Space.

"You're not going to eat it?" Arthur asked, shocked.

"I'll hold on to it. For now," he said, not sounding entirely happy. Then he straightened. "I’m a Legendary dragon, and I'm not meant for sneaking around. I ought to be seen. Plus,” he added, “it's a valuable Rare card. I might sell it at a later time for something else."

That didn't strike Arthur as quite right. It seemed that Brixaby had other ideas, ones he wasn't entirely willing to share right now.

Could it be that he was growing up?

If necessary, Brixaby could try to briefly consume the card to absorb a little power and remove it again. He had done such a thing with the Legendaries when he first hatched. But those had been extenuating circumstances. Legendary cards were on another order of power than Rare cards. Also, Brixaby himself had been newly hatched with a core card that had mostly, but not entirely, formed.

Also, consuming it and then removing it again might just damage the card. And a damaged card could rot and sprout a scourge infestation. Arthur decided not to mention the possibility. 

"If that is what you want," Arthur said.

Brixaby still looked torn. This decision was hard for him. "I can eat it at any time," he said as if trying to convince himself.

Holding back another smile, Arthur nodded and then turned away. As he did, he saw Cressida stride to the edge of the balcony and run up one of the flags. It was red, indicating an emergency.

Moments later, a blue dragon no bigger than a draft-oxen flew up and asked for her request.

Arthur walked up just in time to hear Cressida order a sheep set up immediately. The blue nodded, took one look at the still unconscious Joy, and dived down.

"I don't know how I'm going to pay for it," Cressida muttered, turning back to Arthur. "All of my coins and shards are back at Wolf Moon."

"I can cover it," Arthur said.

The healer who was still working on restoring Joy’s limb spoke up. "This is an emergency situation. The hive will take care of basic necessities—within limits. But, if you abuse our kindness, there will be consequences."

"Arthur would never," Brix said. "He pinches every single coin like a mother dragon with her first eggs."

The healer didn't respond, busy with her task.

Arthur stepped over and saw more of Joy’s pitted flesh healing itself. New scales were growing at an advanced rate, replacing the blackened, dead scales. Old skin was sloughing off to be replaced by new. But there was a difference: Those black scales were replaced by green, not pink. As the necrotic damage had not spread evenly up her arm, it made for a patchy design.

"I don't think Joy will like being a part green dragon," Arthur muttered, thinking of Joy's dislike for the green in their class, one of the few creatures she had ever spoken badly about.

He regretted his words a moment later as Cressida's face crumpled.

"Uh, I don't mean to say—“ he stammered. “I’m sure she’ll get used to it.” He stopped before he could dig his hole any deeper.

"I'm just glad that she's alive," Cressida said in a low voice.

There was the rapid flapping of wings, and the blue appeared, carrying a struggling sheep in its claws. It seemed that mutton was going to be on the menu.

Joy gave a faint twitch when the ewe hit the stone floor. Her nostrils flared, and her eyes shot open, still blue, which stood out around her bright pink muzzle. Within a moment, Cressida was by her side.

The healer, however, hurriedly backed away.

This was just in time as Joy twisted and got up on her feet. Her face was a mask of fierceness, entirely animalistic in a way that was not like the usual sweet-hearted dragon.

She shoved Cressida aside and launched herself to fall awkwardly on the sheep, thanks to her still-healing forelimb. There was a crack as the sheep's spine broke—dead instantly, which was a blessing because Joy immediately started tearing the animal open. She swallowed everything that she could get into her mouth: hunks of flesh, bone, wool. It didn't matter. Gobbets of gore flew everywhere.

"Joy?" Cressida asked, stepping toward her. The dragon didn’t act like she heard her.

"Do you think that she'll share any with me?" Brixaby asked in an aside to Arthur.

"You don't want to eat that," Arthur said, lowly. From where he stood, he saw the places where Joy's newly green claws sank into the animal's flesh. It was starting to go black and rot away.

Joy took a few more mouthfuls, but one of which seemed to be half blackened with necrosis. She stopped. Her eyes practically crossed, and she spit the meat to the side. "Oh... gross!"

"Joy?" Cressida stepped forward. "How are you feeling?"

"Hungry..." the dragon growled, going in for another few bites, well away from the blackening rot. The problem was, the rot was quickly spreading up the body. With a growl, Joy ripped the sheep's still-fresh head off its body and crunched it like someone would a hard candy. She swallowed it down. By then, the rest of the corpse was a black, stinking mass.

There was a barrel set to the side for rain catchment. It was old with green algae floating on the top. Joy didn't seem to care. She dunked her head in and sucked it down greedily. Coming up for air at last, she looked around, noting the shocked silence.

"Why is everybody looking at me?"

"We're not looking at you," Brixaby said. "We're staring at your forelimb."

"My what?" Joy looked down and saw her mismatched limbs. One bright fluorescent pink, and the other mottled pink and tinged with toxic green. She brightened. "Oh wow! I like this! And oh, double-wow! I have poison cards in my core, too. Cressida!" She turned to her rider, excited, though there was a dangerous glint in her eyes that certainly had not been there before. "These are great. Can you feel how powerful these are? Three cards! Wow!"

"I didn't link with those, dearest." Cressida looked a little worried. "How are you feeling?"

"It kind of hurts down to my claws, but this is much better than being poisoned. Now I'm the poisoner!" she said enthusiastically, sounding much like her old self, though with a new steely edge. “Wait… am I poisonous or venomous?”

It was too much for Cressida, who had been clearly holding herself back. She ran forward and threw her arms around her dragon in a hug.

With a feat of shocking speed and maneuverability, Brixaby darted forward and grabbed Joy’s green limb before she could use it to hold her rider. "Don’t prick her with these claws!"

Cressida stepped back, and Joy looked stricken. "I can't hug anyone ever again? I mean, killing enemies is really fun," she added, "but… what if I really, really wanna hug a friend? Or Cressida? Cressida, can we still sleep in the same bed?"

Now she sounded almost teary. But at that moment, Arthur knew she was going to be okay. She was still Joy. Just… with an edge.

"Of course you may still sleep in the same bed," Brixaby said disdainfully. As he should. He insisted on having his own pillow to curl up on. "I’ll make you a chainmail glove to wear over your claws. Then you take it off when you want to kill something."

Joy visibly brightened.

"Furthermore," Brixaby said, settling back to the ground but puffing proudly. "I'm pleased with this upgrade to your capabilities.”

"Really?" She looked down at Cressida who nodded, still teary-eyed.

Joy held up her claws on her green limb in front of her face. "Yay! Oh, I wonder how many scourgelings I can poison with these? Quests are going to be so much more interesting now." Then she glanced over at the disgusting blob of flesh that had been a sheep a few moments before and growled, "But... I could use another sheep. Or three."

Dangerous or not, Cressida threw her arms around her dragon's neck. "I'll get you more. As many as you want!"

"First, she needs to be healed to make sure that limb is as strong as the other one. We have to replace muscle mass, not to mention reknit several nerves," the healer said. If she was affected by the emotion around her, she didn't show any indication. “Hold still. This may itch but do not scratch.” A new wave of healing energy engulfed Joy.

"I want to begin designing that glove," Brixaby said.

This was Arthur’s chance. "And I need to speak to the council. Let them know Joy’s going to make it and see if they learned anything from the assassin yet.”

Cressida nodded. "Yes, go. Of course."

Brixaby buzzed off toward the direction of the crafting cave.

Arthur headed out, too, using the door at the back of the small quarters. He wondered if he was going to be stopped from leaving, but there were no guards out there.

Nor had the council insisted he rewear the card-lock bracelets. Just as well. They hadn’t worked for long.

He activated his stealth skills by concentrating on them one by one. Though he could not see himself, he could tell that he had just blended in with the shadows. Perfect.

He wasn't going to speak to the council. At least not yet. He intended to find Tamya and Len and see what had driven them from Wolf Moon Hive. And, what exactly had been promised to make them stay here.

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