48. Basil - Pincushion (Patreon)

Chapter 48

Pincushion

My match with Losum began on a high note and quickly devolved thereafter.

The crowd was smaller than usual but boisterous, and Fortune blessed me with a Water Source in my opening draw. Praying he’d favor me again at the end of the match, I mulliganed it away to the bottom of my heart to use in a Source Explosion. As for my Summon Cards, they were decent enough for the early and late game: a Metal Golem, my Master Assassin, and the Greater Water Elemental.

I deeply wanted my Scalemail as protection from Losum’s archers, but after having been able to prep the Explosion, it felt blasphemous to give away the other pieces I’d need: a big Water Soul and a high rarity Soul to swap it in for. So, I kept all three, hoping that the card draw the Metal Golem provided would help me get to my Scalemail and the middle of my curve.

During the opening gambit, I nearly used an Air Source to go first and attack Losum with the Golem. However, I didn’t want to give him the Source advantage he’d gain from going second just to push a single point of damage past his Armor Soul ability. So, I matched his Order with my own, making it Fate’s choice. Unfortunately, she picked me, letting me draw two more cards before Losum: a Troglodyte Dart Thrower and Penitence, leaving me without a play I liked.

Smirking at my lack of action, Losum proceeded to summon what I considered to be his ideal opening: a Shieldbearer followed by an Archer on his following turn.

In between those plays, I did manage to get Atrea out – one of the only cards I planned to attack Losum directly with, and that she did, swooping down on him with a vengeance.

But a single Shieldbearer from his hand was more than enough to block the diminished damage, and the strike left Atrea devoted.

Worse, the archer he brought out was one of his Masters.

It used its devote ability to send a perfectly aimed shot at Atrea. Her own Armor protected her from half the damage, but the arrow still broke through metal, lodging in her chest and leaving her with only 1 health remaining.

I would have normally returned the favor by sending a Soul to attack the devoted, and thus vulnerable, enemy, and I had two Metal Golems in hand now, eager to see the job done. The Shieldbearer’s Intervene ability was the snag. In order to get past it, I would have to devote both my ready Sources and both Golems to attack, a cost I deemed too high. Instead, I summoned just one and did send it after the Master Archer. Predictably, the Shieldbearer took up position between the pair and blocked the construct’s fists with his large shield, shoving back with the metal boss, denting the Golem’s chest. When the two disengaged, my Golem had taken 1 damage, and the Shieldbearer 2.

That’s when things truly swung out of my favor. Losum used all the Source he had to summon an Epic High Paladin, the new Soul’s ivory and gold armor gleaming like the sun.

The Paladin strode forward, the aura around him growing brighter when he approached the hurt Metal Golem. The construct fell to its knees under the pressure of the Epic’s presence and ability, but instead of drawing a weapon, the Paladin lifted a gauntleted hand, closing his eyes and saying something I couldn’t hear. My Metal Golem exploded into card shards, and a swirl of golden energy surrounded the Master Archer, who had been recovering from his previous attack. Ready again, the Master Archer fired a second perfect shot, the arrow whistling through the air and punching far enough through Atrea’s Armor to do the final point of damage she could sustain. She didn’t cry out as she vanished, but turned hard eyes onto me – eyes that said the war still needed to be won. I hoped the look I gave her was reassuring, even though I had no idea how I was going to do it with my current hand and facing a 5/5.

The announcer gushed about the combination play in a nasally voice, while Losum sneered across the distance at me. “See how my Souls work together, Hintal? I hope you’re taking notes.”

I looked down at the Summon card that the Metal Golem’s death had provided me: an Execution Spell.

Losum didn’t have any Source at the ready or abilities he could activate, so I went straight for the kill, using two of my three Order Source to play the Spell. The air over the Paladin darkened and the Soul looked up. From the inky distortion came an even darker blade, a shiing sound echoing within the Dome as it sheared his head straight off at the neck.

“See how I spent only three Source to destroy something that cost you six?” I shouted back. “That’s called winning the resource war!”

While Losum fumed, I devoted my remaining Air Source, summoning another Golem; I could tell now that including both had the right decision, much better than Souls I may not have been able to play when needed.

In a repeat of before, I sent the Metal Golem trudging toward the recovering Master Archer. Once again, the Shielderer Intervened, but this time my Golem was enough to take it off the field, turning the Order card to shards.

The board was looking much better now: just my devoted Metal Golem facing off against his Devoted Master Archer, and I had more cards in hand. Also, with one Order Source still at the ready, I could react with Penitence to stop an Archer shot or a large Soul from attacking.

Losum had run himself nearly dry to get the Paladin on the field, but he still was able to use one of his ready Source to cast his At the Ready Spell.

In an even more impressive display than last time, from a semi-hunched position, the focused Master Archer let an arrow fly. It thudded into my Metal Golem’s forehead, rocking the construct back on its heels before it broke apart.

Losum then used his remaining ready Source to put a yellow potion in his hand.

The tall boy didn’t hesitate, lobbing it to the Master Archer, who caught it from the air and downed the contents in a single swallow.

“That hits the spot,” the Rare said with a winning smile. Then he snapped off a quick shot at me, the same type he had used to kill my Golem.

The slim arrow whipped to a stop a few inches away thanks to Fate’s Grace, and it was like I was back in the training hall with Tipfin, watching the broad head of an arrow slowly rotate as it waited to connect. This was the moment that I had considered earlier today, using some of the extra Source I had to stop a single point of damage instead of wasting a Summon card. But was that the best play? I looked over my hand, including the Sea Titan I had just gotten from the destruction of my second Metal Golem.

The trouble was the Source I had in hand was Order, and I wanted to play my Master Assassin soon to deal with that troublesome Master Archer. I’d have enough Order Source at the ready next turn to do so, but I wouldn’t have enough to be able to trigger his flee ability if needed, which wasn’t ideal. The Master Assassin was the primary way my Souls could outlast Losum’s. And, with Atrea destroyed, the Master Assassin was my only other Rare Soul, and thus the best target for a Water Source Explosion to get either the Greater Water Elemental or Sea Titan on the field – both of which I had in hand.

I couldn’t risk the Master Assassin dying, simple as that.

Since I didn’t have any Water Source summoned or in hand, I blocked with the Troglodyte, the shattering of the card snapping the wooden shaft of the arrow in half.

Then I played the Order Source, giving me three ready – not quite enough to both play and then recall the Master Assassin yet, but it would be next turn. I still wanted to get Losum’s Master Archer off the board, and I did have another Execution in hand now. However, I only had two of that Spell in this deck, and I knew he had a second High Paladin he’d eventually play.

“Your Master Assassin will deal with that,” I told myself, but I wasn’t fully convinced. Wanting to do something, I finally used some of my Sources to cast Order’s Source Power and drew a Summon card. For my trouble, I got another Troglodyte Dart Thrower, and half chuckle escaped me. Fortune was certainly having his fun.

“Hintal looks unsure,” I heard the announcer say, which I tried to ignore, but then Losum shouted clear as day, “Hintal’s never sure!” which got some of the crowd laughing.

Having no return quip at the ready, I busied myself by counting my cards in hand and was pleased to discover that I had eight in total compared to Losum’s measly four – and that was after drawing at the start of his turn. At least I could block well if needed. As if my thoughts were prescient, Losum devoted three Sources, bringing another High Paladin on the field. Unlike the kindness the previous one had shown my Metal Golem, the new arrival unslung his sizable sword and came charging forward.

Seeing the Epic bear down on me with his promise of 5 damage, I found myself wishing very much that I had not wasted my Source on drawing a card. If the Source had instead been ready, I could have cast Execution, felling the Paladin before he reached me. I still had one Order up and a Penitence in hand, so I could make the Soul stumble, but I really wanted to have that card for when Losum’s Mythic eventually landed on the field.

“This is why you’re in the deck,” I said, as I released the Greater Water Elemental. The Rare card absorbed the entirety of the attack and created a huge shard explosion, pushing the Paladin away from me a handful of paces.

After that, it felt like almost nothing at all to spend my second Troglodyte Dart Thrower from hand to stop the arrow the Master Archer sent at me.

When it came round to my turn to act, there were a number of things I wanted to do from digging for more cards with the Order Source Power, to playing the Master Assassin, but in the end, I cast Execution while the High Paladin was still devoted.

“Not this time!” Losum shouted at me, playing his own Spell in response.

With inhuman speed, the Master Archer covered the distance between him and the High Paladin, shoving the stockier Soul out of the way. By the time Execution’s blade appeared, dropping with deadly force, it was the Rare who was cut down instead of the Epic.

What crowd there was shouted in excitement at the turnabout, while my mouth hung open. I was keeping Losum’s Soul cards in mind well enough, but obviously not the Spells I knew him to have. It was fortunate for me that in this case the new target had been focused, so was still affected. If it had been ready instead, Execution would have just fizzled, doing nothing at all – a mistake that could have cost me the match and my chances at top 5.

“You’re better than this,” I told myself. “Focus.”

Losum followed up the surprise play by summoning another Master Archer, making me feel like I had accomplished practically nothing during my last turn. This time when the Archer shot me I did use the Source I had in hand, an Air, to block it: 1 point of defense against 1 point of damage, which gave me a small dose of satisfaction.

My mood continued to improve after drawing and playing, seeing seven Source at the ready: two Air and five Order. It was time for me to initiate. In hand I had my Sea Titan, Master Assassin, and two Penitence, as well as the Ice Arrow Spell and a Headsman I had gotten during recent draws.

There were a plethora of options available to me: I could use a Penitence to move either of Losum’s two focused Souls to devoted and then eliminate one with an attacking Headsman, I could summon the Master Assassin and have enough Source left to use his ability for defense, I could even use Source Explosion to get the Sea Titan on the field since I only had two Sources left in my heart, both of which had to be Water. The number of choices was empowering, yet also intimidating – the fear of making the wrong choice growing stronger with each new possibility that came to mind.

“Do what you planned,” I coached myself. I had kept the Master Assassin in my opening hand for a reason, and it was high time he hit the field.

As soon as he appeared, I sent him dashing toward the High Paladin, the blur of his body preceded by two thrown knives. The first pinged ineffectually off the Paladin’s plate, but the second cut into flesh. The single point of damage was enough to trigger Venom, making the mighty Soul crumple, darkened veins bulging in the Paladin’s face before he broke into shards.

The Epic removed, I almost used Source Explosion to replace the Master Assassin with the Sea Titan. The Titan would come in focused because it was a higher rarity than the Assassin, but its Arrival effect would still happen, doing 2 damage to everything, enough to kill Losum’s Master Archer. However, I’d be wasting the second Water Source I was Exploding and then I’d never have any Water Source for regular use, making the Ice Arrows in my hand a dead card. Also, was using the Sea Titan’s board wipe against a single card really worth it?

Changin my mind, I summoned the Headsman, careful to leave some Order Source ready to use for the Assassin’s ability or to cast Penitence. Part of me wished I had summoned the Headsman sooner, so I could have attacked with it too, but another part of me was glad to have it as a blocker. After all, who knew? Perhaps throughout the tournament Losum had added some big Souls to his deck. The Headsman’s 2 health wouldn’t do much against Overkill, but its 3 attack would let it block something that was Strong.

“I’d say it’s been fun, Hintal,” Losum said, smiling wide, “but I’m no liar. Say hello to the end.”

Multiple Order Sources dipped in the air above Losum as he drew on them, and a shimmer of green signaled the arrival of his newest card.  I swallowed instinctually. Losum only had one Mythic as far as I knew: Orelus.

And sure enough, that’s exactly who appeared.

“There he is!” I heard from the announcer, “one of the greatest archers in human history!”

Those who remained in the crowd cheered for the cowled figure and his golden bow that dripped sparks of energy. It seemed to me that there were considerably fewer audience members since last I had checked, and sure enough a huge roar came from the direction of Esmi and the prince’s match, a sound only thousands upon thousands of throats could make. Here I was, fighting for my tournament life, and most people didn’t care.

Orelus pulled an arrow from his quiver, which was also gold, and suddenly, the Master Archer’s arrows changed to the same color, bleeding the same sparkling energy.

“Always a pleasure to take the field with you,” the Rare said to the Mythic, who nodded silently in response.

I had read that two centuries ago, when Orelus was still alive, many people had claimed to be him, the stories springing up in too many places to all be true. This was a constant for near eighty years, and it wasn’t until his card was found, confirming his death, that the number of imitators lessened. Yet, to this day, I’d heard that some still hid their faces and painted their bows gold to inspire those they led.

Losum could have done plenty of damage with the two Souls he had, but he rounded out their number with the first Common Archer of the match.

It was this Soul who struck first, the young looking man firing a shot at my Master Assassin, the arrow shimmering a piercing yellow from Orelus’s Aura.

To stop my Rare from dying, I immediately used my ready Source, engaging his ability to slip back into my Mind Home. There was a split second where Losum could have commanded either of his other two archers to shoot the Master Assassin before he escaped – one of which I could have stopped – but Losum opted not to, probably not wanting to use all three of his Souls to stop one of mine when I had a Headsman waiting to cut down any that ended up devoted.

Sure enough, I saw Orelus nock not one but two arrows. Before the Mythic could launch them, I used my last ready Order Source to bring him to his knees with Penitence.

“You’re just delaying the inevitable,” Losum called out, smugly.

Proving his point, he brought out another Common Archer and used that to destroy my last Soul on the field. Then, his Master Archer devoted to shoot me for an empowered 3 damage. I didn’t want to lose any cards in hand, and I did want to reach the Master Assassin at the bottom of my deck, so, feeling nervous as I always did when taking an attack directly, I let the arrow through. It ricocheted a bare inch from my right eye – that Rare truly was a master shot – stripping 3 cards from me that I watched vanish into dust: a Penitence, Headsman, and a Protection Spell.

The losses weren’t terrible, but seeing them go and looking at the current state of the board left me nauseous. Only a short time ago, and I’d had all the necessary pieces available to me. Now, I had no way of removing either the Master Archer or Orelus, and no way to get the Sea Titan from my hand out onto the field.

“I am so utterly atrocious at this,” I lambasted myself. If I had played the Source Explosion last turn, the Sea Titan could have weathered even Orelus’s shots and then I’d still have the Master Assassin and Headsman in hand.

A took a quick breath and reframed the situation.

“You’re new to the deck. It’s understandable that you’ll make some blunders. ‘The duelist who wins isn’t perfect, it’s the one who can play through imperfection.’” This quote wasn’t from Tipfin, but something my father had told me when he gave me my very first card: unsurprisingly, a Human Guard. At the time it had struck me as a loser’s mindset, but in this moment, it bolstered me. “Fortune, please be kind.” I said, drawing my cards. It was a Water Source and…

Without hesitation, I gripped the newly arrived Spell to cast it, overjoyed beyond measure that I had decided to include one in my deck.

And then I realized I couldn’t. I had five Order Source drifting above my head but only one was ready. I played the Water Source, and I had an Air Source already, but those didn’t help me get to Equality’s requirement of 3 Order. Somehow, I needed to survive another turn.

I could cast Ice Arrows now, but Losum’s two Archers were only returning to focused on his turn and weren’t an immediate threat. No, better to wait so I can react with the Ice Arrows if needed.

So, I did nothing, which Losum found infinitely amusing.

“Just say ‘I concede’, Hintal. No reason to embarrass yourself more than you already have. No? Maybe this will convince you.” Bright light shot up in a pillar around him, an obvious Order Source explosion, and three additional cards appeared in his hand. The act not only gave Losum more options, but I saw Orelus’s bow glow as it elongated and twisted, adding a recurve portion to both ends. Now the Mythic’s devote ability would hit all the harder. Frightening though that was, I could tell the truth of the matter: this was bluster and intimidation. Orelus could only use that power against other Souls, not me, and Losum’s Sources and Souls were almost all focused, with only Orelus at the ready.

I wasn’t losing yet.

When I didn’t concede, Losum had Orelus shoot me for 2 damage, which I blocked with Penitence. I could have cast Penitence to stop the shot entirely, but this way I didn’t have to spend any Source.

I drew two from my Mind Home, so only my Master Assassin remained, but I barely looked at the new cards: my other Protection Spell, and finally, my Scalemail Relic.

With more than enough Source at the ready – eight in total – I cast Equality.

The huge scales appeared, rising like mist through the stage but then growing solid when picking the Souls in play up into its plates. The scales tipped entirely toward Losum, with four Souls on his side and none on mine -- my weakness from a moment ago now my strength. Up on the perch, I saw Orelus put a comforting hand on the shoulders of the two archers nearest him. Then, with a solemn gong, all four Souls shattered into a spray of shards. Their weight gone, the giant scales swung back into balance before dissipating a moment later.

I was elated. “That’s called overextending,” I shouted to Losum. “Best not to do that next time you’re in a duel.”

“All you’ve got left is that infernal Assassin,” he growled back at me. “And I’ll take him out easily enough.”

“Don’t be so sure,” I answered with a smile. I also summoned the Chainmail, enjoying its familiar weight as I slipped it on. It wasn’t as strong as the Ice Armor, but it was much easier to cast, being Source agnostic.

By my count, Losum should still have another Common Archer in his deck, and this would stop it from hurting me. I also kept my Water Source at the ready in case I needed to cast Ice Arrows in reaction

I watched as Losum drew the last of his Summons, the ghostly apparitions of cards that had been circling his body winking out. I had only attacked him a single time, with Atrea, but now if I could just get past the 8 cards he had in hand, I’d win.

Like I had calculated, he did bring an Archer out, but then didn’t bother to shoot me with it.

If that really was his last Soul, I should have this. Though, I only had two Souls left myself, one of which I couldn’t summon unless I pulled off a Source Explosion.

I drew my last Summon, getting the Master Assassin as I knew I would.

“Let’s not make the same mistake twice,” I said, summoning it so I could perform the swap.

“Come at me!” Losum yelled, slapping his chest with both hands.

Since trading the Master Assassin for the Sea Titan would leave the Epic Water Soul focused and thus unable to attack, striking with the Assassin first could seem like a good choice. Instead, I focused inward, twisting the remaining Water Source in my heart – the one I had mulliganed at the start for just this purpose. I did that until I felt it tighten, ready to explode outward. The Sea Titan card in my hand bent toward the Assassin, and I let it go, a small column of water whipping briefly around me, followed by a snap-pull feeling that tugged me forward and then back. The Assassin was now in my hand, and in the center of the field, the enormous Sea Titan swept into being, as tall as the Colossal Golem had been, its arrival sending a ferocious splash of sea water in every direction, bowling into me and Losum.

The Armor on both of us – mine from the Scalemail, his from his Soul ability – reduced the damage but I still needed to use my Ice Arrows from hand to block the rest, lest I lose. Losum blocked the attack with another At the Ready, and the lone Archer was unceremoniously washed away.

“Just say it,” I parroted to him when the deluge subsided, absorbed by the Dome or dripping between the platform boards. “‘Concede.’ Weren’t you telling me how easy it is?”

“I said come at me, Hintal!” Losum repeated, eyes wild. He stood there like that, not doing anything with his 6 cards in hand.

I didn’t have anything to draw either, nor anything I wanted to play – by having both the Protection and Master Assassin in hand I could block if he had some sort of surprise in wait.

“Fine then.” I looked up at the monstrous Sea Titan, feeling a thrill at finally being able to use such a powerful card. “Crush him.”

The Epic growled in a language I wasn’t familiar with, and then, much like Colossal Golem had, the Sea Titan merely bent at the waist to reach its target with a massive arm. Losum played a card in response I just barely caught: Rise to the Challenge.

Even if I hadn’t seen it, I would have known the Spell for what it was from watching Losum grow, taller and taller, until he too was some fifty feet high, as big as the Epic. The announcer was babbling in excitement about the transformation, and I heard people from outside our section yelling in interest. The Sea Titan let out a bellow that drowned them all, the sound fluctuated in pitch from low to high, which sounded alien to my landborne ears. Then the Epic slammed a fist into Losum, who punched the Sea Titan right back. Losum’s cards hadn’t grown with him and a few tiny ones left his hand.

“He casts Protection,” the announcer hurriedly declared in a nasally voice, “blocking 4 of the 7 damage he’s taking after Armor.”

“And discards two Rallies to block the other 3.”

I had to squint, but I just caught the afterimage of the one of them.

It was a true blessing Losum hadn’t been able to cast one of those while he’d had four archers on the field, and I said a word of thanks to the Twins. At the same time, I was thinking how to save the Sea Titan from being destroyed by the 8 damage it was taking. I could stop some by casting Protection, but instead I did what I had practiced at the restaurant, just in reverse. Focusing my one Water Source, I felt the flow of energy move through me. Quick as I could, I cast it out, imagining it creating a connection not just between the Water Titan and me but going from the Titan to me. I even leaned back slightly, hoping to aid the transfer, and then a force struck me in the chest, making me stumble back. Due to my Scalemail, the 1 damage I had siphoned didn’t hurt me further, but it had still been shock enough to catch me off guard, and I let out a shaky laugh.

The play had been well worth it because the Sea Titan survived. Losum was cursing, loudly at first but then quieter as he returned to his regular size, and the announcer was talking faster than ever. My attention was on the Epic, watching a river of green-blue blood sluice from its mouth down its large chest. The flow eventually slowed and some bruising on its body from Losum’s blows started to lighten. Its Regeneration had begun, not healing it fully, but putting it in a place where it couldn’t be taken out by a single arrow shot or two.

I cupped my hands around my mouth to be heard. “It’s over –”

“It’s not over until I say it is, Hintal!”

“Fine then,” I said, going all in and summoning my Master Assassin.

I had been holding it back in case Losum had something unexpected, but if he did possess such a card, he surely would have played it by now.

This time both the Assassin and Sea Titan went after Losum, and again, he played Rise to the Challenge, one of his last two cards. Like before, he rose to the size of my Water Epic, and with a one-two strike, he punched the Titan and stomped on the Assassin. In return, both Souls did their fated damage of 10, which Losum could only block 3 of: 1 with his Soul Armor and 2 with his last card from hand, Protection.

I wished to use my last card as well, also a Protection, but I had nothing left in hand to power its defense. So, I focused my Water Source, pulling 1 of Losum’s damage off of the Assassin and onto myself, the Scalemail shaking again as it absorbed part of the blow.

The Sea Titan shattered into a cloud of card shards so large it was like it was snowing, and Losum’s huge body slammed into the wall of the Dueling Dome as he collapsed, defeated and rapidly shrinking. However, because of my intervention, the Master Assassin survived the final exchange, and he turned his dark eyes in my direction. Through the glittering remains of the Titan, I winked at the Rare. I hadn’t needed to save him and doing so hadn’t changed the outcome of the match, but he had been my key to victory multiple times now and I thought he deserved it. In return, he surprised and delighted me by giving me a small nod of respect.

Then the Dome came down, letting me hear the jubilation of a crowd that had grown considerably in the last few minutes. The announcer was also saying something about my win, but I was distracted as the ante card zipped to a stop in front of me.

While I hoped to never face off against anything as strong as a Sea Titan, I had to admit that seeing Losum grow to the size of a tower had made me curious to try the same. Plucking the card from the air, I considered how I might sneak it into my deck for next time.

Before that though, I needed to decide if I was going to share any closing words with Losum. He made the decision for me, stomping over as soon as he was upright. Instead of offering me his hand in congratulations, he sneered down at me.

“You won that by a hair's breadth, Hintal, so don’t feel too proud of yourself.” I must have looked exactly the way he didn’t wish because his expression darkened, and he jerked a hand at the card of his I held. “Even Fate barely considered it a match, giving you a nothing Uncommon for the win. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” I answered with a small smile. I was amazed that, for once, Losum’s cutting words weren’t affecting me. “I think Fate knew exactly what she was doing, giving me the card around which I’d have to successfully play to stop you from baiting me into a draw. That was your intention, wasn’t it? To get me to attack you directly with my Master Assassin before the Sea Titan was on the board? A last ditch tactic that I didn’t fall for?” With every word of mine, he grew redder in the face. “And even if that isn’t Fate’s message, taking you out of the tournament is gift enough for me.”

Losom’s blew out his nostrils. “You won’t win again. Not with that trash you call a deck.”

“The trash I beat you with?” I asked, all innocence, and I thought Losum would burst a vein. “And what do I care? I’m already in the top five.” My nonchalance about the future wasn’t entirely true – I hadn’t felt my Soul elevate after claiming victory, which might mean I needed to win the whole thing to do so – but the small lie felt like an appropriate way to end the conversation. Plus, it had the lovely bonus of leaving him stewing.

I didn’t see anyone waiting for me, so I hurried off the stage, eager to share my good news, as well as to see how Esmi was fairing against Gerad and Hull against Lustra.

“You’d both better be winning,” I sang, my excitement to find out spurring me onward.