37. Basil - Soulless (Patreon)

Chapter 37

Soulless

The walk from Hull’s match platform to mine was a boisterous affair. I both could and couldn’t believe the wily scrapper had managed to pull out yet another win with a deck that had started with a mere two cards. All he needed was one more victory, and against all odds, he would break into the top eight. I was sure he was the talk of the tournament already, and if he managed to make it to the third day, criers and wordsmiths would be peddling his story for years to come. During my contemplations last night, I had considered how continuing our relationship didn’t directly align with my new goals – in fact it could run counter to them should we be matched up against one another – but despite that, it felt proper in my heart and bones to be on Hull’s side, as if Fate truly had wanted us to go through the gauntlet of the Rising Stars tournament together by pairing us up in our first match.

The platform for my match was the same one Esmi had competed on a short time ago, and like before, the stands around it were filled to the brim – overflowing even, with people standing on the walkways meant for accessing the seats. It was a sight I was growing more and more used to, and while I knew that many were in attendance because I was the only winner’s side duel happening at the moment, when some started chanting my name, I felt a small burst of pride in having made it so far in the tournament myself.

Plutar was already waiting on the other side of the dueling square, wearing oranges and reds like he had the previous night, his curly hair fluffed, and his eyes narrowed, watching our trio approach.

“I will be most grateful if you turn him into a smudge,” Esmi said at my side.

“Looks like he deserves it,” Hull commented. “Want to borrow my Hammer for the job?”

The idea of smashing a slab of metal into Plutar’s face was a pleasing one, and I was touched that Hull thought enough of me to let me borrow one of his cards. “Thank you, but no,” I said and then added with a wink, “I have a different plan in mind.” To my fiancee, I dipped my head like she was royalty, saying, “Your wish is my command.” She gave me a warm peck on the cheek, and Hull clapped me on the shoulder before departing, and I practically bounded up the steps: I was ready for this challenge, and I couldn’t wait to see it done.

Plutar was saying something to me across the platform, and the announcer had begun speaking as well, but on an instinctual whim, I chose not to listen. The Charbonder would just be trying to unsettle me, the same as his two previous attempts, and I already knew how a duel was to run. The shimmer of the Dueling Dome surrounded us, the crowd chanted words I could ignore, and I didn’t even look up when the ante was pulled from behind my ear: it wouldn’t matter until the match was over, and I didn’t need knowledge of it distracting me during. Instead, I focused on recreating my time on top of the Coliseum this morning. There was only me and the Air, lightly playing on my skin and breathed in through my body, filling me, calming me, until it was its time to go.

I saw Plutar start drawing cards, so I did the same, receiving from Fortune an Order Source, an Air Source, Protection, Penance, and one of my new Metal Golems.

At first I had worried over the number of cards I possessed that would have no affect on a deck like Plutar’s. With Esmi’s help before the Soiree, I had removed the most obvious offenders, but there were still a number of Spells, like Penitence, that I couldn’t purge from my deck if I wished to have a full count of twenty. However, after watching Esmi’s match against Haze, I was no longer so concerned. Like Earth, Order’s cards had a tendency to make good blockers from hand, so even if there was no point in me casting a spell like Penitence or Execution, they could still keep me alive.

I didn’t need them now though – I needed Souls to attack Plutar with – so I tucked Protection and Penitence back behind my ear and drew into exactly what I had hoped I would: Atrea, my Winged Knight, and a Headsman.

I played my Order Source during the Opening Gambit, wanting to go second, and Plutar, as expected, played Fire. He was immediately able to draw two more cards, but he didn’t do anything with them; Plutar just stood there with a full hand of cards and a small ball of flame hovering over his head, watching me. He didn’t seem happy to have been ignored before, but that wasn’t of interest to me. What was, was his patience. If it was true that he didn’t use any Souls, that meant the only way he could stop my attacks were with cards in hand: either Spells or ones used to block.

So, he was waiting to see what I would do and then react, which sounded just fine to me; I’d get to dictate the pace of the match.

When my Mind loosened, I drew two more of my Summon cards, adding an Assassin and a Runic Cloak.

The Common Relic was the most recent change to my deck, and a replacement for my Soulforged Helmet. Throice’s family had given me a good deal on the Cloak earlier today, but it had still taken the very last of my limited allowance to purchase. I hoped it would be well worth it.

I played the Air Source I already had in hand – a small stormcloud joining my porcelain ball of Order – and I pulled on both to bring my Metal Golem onto the field.

As soon as it coalesced, I sent it charging toward Plutar, its feet clanging against the wood with each step. Attacking with it right away would then take it longer to recover, but I had a sneaking suspicion that wouldn’t matter.

Plutar answered back by devoting his Fire Source, the ball of flame darkening and dropping near a foot in the air. In one hand, a card vanished, and in his other, a clump of fire the size of a grapefruit appeared.

The Fireball streaked from his hand into my approaching Golem, bowling the metal creature back. Righting itself with a pained squeal from its joints, the Relic Soul tried to stumble forward as it burned and melted but then it shattered into card shards. From its destruction, another card flitted from my Mind Home into my hand.

I was truly being favored by Fortune to draw so many of my Souls so early in the match. Although, that also meant I didn’t have any cards in hand that I’d want to use to block damage with, so perhaps I wasn’t quite so fortunate as I thought.

Plutar had another quick turn: drawing and playing a second Fire Source, the majority of his attention remained on me, continuing to wait.

I drew, getting another Order Source, which I played, and a second regular Assassin in hand – now I didn’t feel as bad about using one of those two for blocking. Focusing all three of my now ready Source, I summoned my Headsman, the card melting from my hand and appearing before me, nearly a head taller than I stood.

Like with the Metal Golem before him, I sent the new Soul pounding toward Plutar. As the Headsman neared, it was now my turn to wait and see if Plutar would use his new Fire Source to power a similar counter strike. It never happened; the Headsman got in striking range, swinging his ax, and Plutar rapidly threw two cards from his hand, blocking the attack. I missed seeing the first he used because my eyes caught on the red border of the second.

As usual, the force of the cards shattering pushed my Headsman back a few paces, but then the Epic card reformed, flicking back through the air to Plutar’s fingers. He smiled wickedly at me as he caught the card, adding it back to his hand.

What in the Twins had that been?

I opened my senses beyond the tunnel vision I had been using thus far, hoping the commentator would explain this oddity to the crowds.

“...oul ability, only once a match, to return a used Spell from hand…” a cool, clipped voice was saying, who I recognized as the same business-like announcer who had commentated my match with Throice.

“Thank the Twins he can only do it once,” I breathed, shutting the rest of the world back out now that I had my answer. After seeing what Esmi and Haze could do with their Rare Souls, I shouldn’t be surprised that Plutar had more up his sleeve than just the ability to sense heat. At least I had gotten it out of him early in the match, and he hadn’t gotten to cast a spell on me twice, especially not that one. 9 damage? I’d definitely need to keep my defenses strong in preparation for that, as I was sure he wouldn’t be using it just to block with again.

Plutar drew and played an Order Source. My guess was that he had at least two so he could use Order’s Source Power of drawing cards – a reactionary deck like his would need it. He devoted two of his Sources and summoned a suit of armor which took form over the layered robes he was wearing.

I coughed a dry laugh, finding it funny to see him using a card I had cut from my deck since it didn’t provide any protection against Spells. It was a smart choice on his part though since Fire cards were such flimsy defenders.

I drew an Air Source and finally a Spell: Execution.

That was part of the defense I was looking for, which made me happy as I played my new Air Source and immediately used it along with one of my Order Source to bring out Atrea.

When she appeared, she stretched her wings.

“Finally. The way things were going I thought I’d be the only card you didn’t use in this tournament.”

“A gift for you.” I said, playing the Runic Cloak on her. This had been a plan of mine from the start since I had no other way of defeating Plutar besides using Souls on the field. Seeing that Hellfire Spell had almost made me reconsider, and the old me might have, draping the Relic over myself instead, but I chose to trust my previous thinking. Atrea was tied with my Headsman for the strongest Souls in my deck, and in case Plutar put out some sort of an obstacle, she could potentially fly over it.

There was a brief moment though, as the Runic Cloak was starting to take form over Atrea, that Plutar could strike her before the Cloak’s protection was active. He had one ready Fire Source and another Fireball would erase Atrea from the field.

When it didn’t come – a blue stitched gold cloak appearing around her winged shoulders – I breathed a sigh of relief and then sent her off to attack. Plutar did respond then, playing a card I hadn’t seen him use yet but one I expected a deck like his to have.

Atrea reversed in flight, her wings beating against the Spell, but unlike regular smoke, the ash cloud stayed there between her and Plutar, completely disrupting her ability to strike. I also had trouble seeing Plutar, until another Fireball – which he must have just drawn – shot through the cloud of gray and slammed into my Headsman, turning him into a smoldering lump before he broke apart.

Through the tunnel that the Fireball had created in the smoke, I watched Plutar as I drew an Order Source and another Execution, making me feel good about my decision to give the Cloak to Atrea – I had a sizable amount of defense in hand now. Playing my Order Source gave me five Source balls floating around my head: one dim, four ready. I wanted to attack every turn, but I also didn’t want to fill the field with my Souls only to run into a board clear from Plutar, like Flaming Ribbons or Conflagration, both of which I had also read about. His Fire Source Explosion was another way to empty the field, though that one was at least Slow, so could only happen on his turn.

To avoid overcommitting, I used my Order Source not to fuel a card in my hand but for its Power: a wave of structured, calming energy untightened my Mind enough to release a card into my hand, which turned out to be another Spell I could only use for defense: my Rare, Equality.

I then used Air’s Source Power, which flowed around me in a whip of rejuvenating wind that I sent flowing toward Atrea, which recovered her enough that her wings snapped back to open and she soared toward Plutar, striking him with her sword. The Scalemail protected Plutar from 1 point of damage, and he defended the other 2 with cards from hand, both of which I caught right before they shattered, giving me more insight into his deck.

Both had their uses, and Blood Boil could kill any Soul in my deck. I was glad the Spell was Slow at least and that Atrea was safely covered in her Cloak in case he was running another copy.

Plutar drew his cards and played a Fire Source, giving him only three cards in hand compared to my six. Was I winning this handily? It seemed like I was, but I shouldn’t get too ahead of myself. That Hellfire of his would cost three of my own cards to stop, so our available resources really weren’t that different.

Plutar used his Source Power to ping Atrea for 2 damage, enough to force her to use Runic Cloak since her Armor didn’t protect against Spells. The Relic fell from her shoulders aflame, quickly disintegrating and leaving her unscathed. I though Plutar would cast another Spell to take her off the field now, and when he devoted his two remaining Sources and a card vanished from his hand, I was sure of it.

But then, instead, a book with pages lit aflame appeared, falling into his waiting grasp.

“By the Twelve,” I cursed. Source Powers and Source Explosions were Spells.

Plutar didn’t have any Source left ready, but with that book, he could start whittling down me or my Souls twice as fast with his Source Power. And, assuming he still had a fair number of Fire Source that he hadn’t drawn from his heart yet, he could blanket the field in flame at any point in my turn, destroying my Souls. Suddenly, he was the one in a favorable position, able to threaten me on future turns, and if I tried to go all in to stop him now, ready to punish.

I breathed out, letting the air take those nervous thoughts with them. I still had three Souls in hand; I could afford to lose some, and the sooner I made him use his Source Explosion, the less Source he’d have for the rest of our match.

My draw gave me another Order Source and a Carrion Condor, which cemented my next play. Using some from all of my available Sources, I brought out both the Condor and a regular Assassin.

The giant bird screeched, seeming to be as pleased to be on the field as Atrea had been, while the Assassin was there and gone in a blink of an eye, his Stealth taking effect. Then I sent all three charging forward. I was out of Source, just like Plutar was, and I was hitting him for 6 damage, when he only had two cards in hand and ten left in his Deck – with the magic of the Dueling Dome, I could see their ghostly images flitting around his body, protecting him.

Sure enough, a pillar of fire with a touch of light bloomed around Plutar. It was similar in size to Esmi’s, but instead of granting cards like Order, the Fire Source Explosion swept across the space between us like a boiling inferno, the heat blasting my face.

Atrea withered and became shards, and I winced, seeing her blown away, and the same for my newly summoned Assassin. The Condor survived though, as I had hoped he would – Plutar had been using more than one Order Source – flapping onward with a single point of Health. To block the 1 damage from the Condor, Plutar used a card I had suspected from him

The more cards I got out of him like that the better, so hopefully my next group of Souls wouldn’t be threatened.

Plutar drew, both Summon cards since all his Source was gone, and only a single Source of his came back to ready. This was another reason I had been willing to go for a big swing – he wouldn’t be able to do much to me to answer back. I suspected he’d just destroy my wounded Carrion Condor with his Source Power, giving me time to restock my Souls and attack again.

As expected, he did just that, using a Source powered fireball the size of an apple to fell the Condor from the sky, the bird shattering into shards before it hit the platform.

I drew another Order Source and played it, giving me seven of my eight Source out, with only one Air source still to be drawn. I also drew Protection, which, with my hand of six cards, was quite effective at the moment. But, I also needed Souls back on the field, so I used all but one of my ready Source to finally bring out my Master Assassin.

He wasn’t as deadly against a deck like Plutar’s, but he was durable, and I planned to make full use of him. When he appeared, he turned to stare at me in a way no Common or Uncommon card ever would, and I could feel the venom coming off of him, just as strong as whatever deadly substance coated his blades.

“It’s like you’re not even trying to sell me to a more suitable Summoner,” the masked man hissed.

Instead of placating him as I had in the past, I said, “That’s correct. You’re too valuable by far for me to let go, and I think in time you will see that I am more suitable than you expect. Now, if you would, please strike him down.”

The Master Assassin hesitated against my command for a moment. “We shall see,” he finally allowed and then took off, sprinting toward Plutar.

Plutar had no Source ready and his Source Explosion spent, so all he could do was take the two daggers that flew at his face, one pinging off his Scalemail, and the other blocked by one of the few cards in his hand, another Smoke Screen.

That meant Plutar just had Hellfire in his hand and something else. Of course, he’d get two more cards on his turn, but none I had seen so far particularly worried me, since I could defend my Master Assassin with my Protection Spell, or use the card’s ability to return him to my deck if needed.

And then Plutar cast the perfect answer.

The Spell was absolutely awful for me. Using Protection, I could defend the Master Assassin for 4, but then Plutar could use his remaining Source to fuel a Source Powered blast to kill him because I didn’t have enough available Source to play Protection and use the Master Assassin’s ability. And if I did use the Master Assassin’s ability, then the Overkill effect would roll all the damage over to me, and I’d have to defend for 5.

Unlike when I was being attacked directly, Fate did not slow time for me, and I had to make a decision in an instant if I wished to counter. Hoping it was the right play, I used my only ready Source to send power through Protection, sending it to intercept the Greater Fireball.

As I knew would happen, the Spell didn’t stop all the damage, a bit of flame spilling past the glimmering, oversized shield that had appeared in front of the Master Assassin, setting some his black clothes afire and burning him, though he bore the damage silently.

I then waited to see if Plutar would finish off the Rare Soul with his last remaining Source. I loathed losing my Master Assassin, but if Plutar did opt for that play, he wouldn’t have any Fire Source the next turn and be severely limited the one after, giving me time to get my Carrion Condors or Headsman. I still had three of those Souls left in my deck, and only eight cards remaining. I could also use my Order Source Power to dig for them if need be, making me confident that I’d get some of them out in time.

The Master Assassin shot me a dark look from where he crouched, devoted, obviously aware he was vulnerable, while Plutar hesitated, the Burning Book he held casting his face in flickering light; he clearly wanting to destroy the Rare, but in the end he chose not to, prioritizing having more Source available in the following turns.

I didn’t bother drawing any Source, opting for two Summon cards instead to get to my remaining Souls…

“Fortune, I could kiss you,” I said, grinning big, looking down at a Headsman and Condor that had just appeared in my hand. Using my Source, I summoned the Condor.

And then… I did my own Source Explosion. It was a relatively tiny thing, powered as it was by only a single Air Source. Still, the force of it twisted around me, flapping my clothes and hair as it funneled upward. From the sudden sensation of lightness that permeated me, I wouldn’t have been surprised to find my feet had lifted from the ground, but I wasn’t the intended recipient of this effect: the Master Assassin was. At my urging, the swirl of air vanished from around me and surrounded the Rare, his body actually rising into the air in a bubble of wind. And then it was gone, making him fall a few inches, but he landed unbent and as ready when first summoned. Normally he was too expensive to refresh using my regular Air Source Power, but the Air Source Explosion completely ignored that restriction. It was a combo I had only gotten to use a few times before, and it felt quite good to pull it off in front of a crowd, who I did catch giving me a few wild cheers.

With two Souls now at the ready, I sent the Master Assassin and Condor forward, attacking Plutar for 4. In response, Plutar used a Greater Fireball – now a Fast Spell due to the Burning Book – sending it plowing into the Condor, immolating it and Overkilling into me for 1 damage. Time did slow then, letting me look over my hand of one regular Assassin, two Executions, one Equality, and one Headsman. None of them blocked for a single point of damage, so would be a waste to use now, but I didn’t want to risk losing the Condor still in my deck, or even my Metal Golem. It pained me to lose another Soul in this type of match where I needed them so much, but I sacrificed the Assassin to block.

The Master Assassin’s blades then stabbed into Plutar: the Rare Soul had decided to attack the Summoner directly this time instead of using thrown daggers, perhaps not taking kindly to having being singed before. Plutar blocked the strike with another Fireball, which was good to eliminate, but I worried that Plutar had another of those Greater Fireballs left to play in his – I squinted – remaining 6 cards.

He drew two of those and decided it was time to finish the Master Assassin off, using his one available Fire Source for a small blast. I wasn’t about to allow that, and I devoted the Order Source I had purposely kept ready to activate the Rare Soul’s ability.

The Master Assassin slipped sideways and vanished into thin air before the Source Powered ball of flame struck him. He hadn’t truly vanished, which I knew because I could feel the weight of him sitting at the base of my Mind Home. Plutar cursed loudly enough for me to notice, even though he had likely been expecting the response from me.

Yet again, my side of the platform was empty, and my draws were Execution and, Fortune be praised, my last Condor. Like the two before it, I immediately summoned the Air Soul. This was the turn where I needed to end it or at least do as much damage as possible, so I summoned my Headsman as well, sending both Souls at Plutar. He couldn’t stop either this time, having no Source at the ready, and they struck for a combined 5, minus 1 for his Armor, which he blocked using all three of his cards in hand, shocking me that he was willing to give up his Epic for good and then some.

I was relieved to see those cards go – the Choker in particular would have been a nightmare if he had managed to get it into play – but I was also wary. What else did he have in his deck that was better and thus worth protecting?

He drew his cards and had four Source available now. If he got what he had been waiting for, he’d surely use it now. His Source all dimmed, and I saw a green shimmer, heralding the arrival of something awful I was sure.

Fire burned everywhere except for him, ripping the Souls I had on the board away and buffeting me with a terrible heat, hotter than hot, making it hard to breathe. A Mythic. He had a Mythic. Again, time slowed, but despite my shock, I already knew my choice: I released all three of my Executions, fully stopping the Spell’s damage. I didn’t like blocking for 9 when I was only taking 7 but I had cards in what remained of my own deck that were worth protecting, too.

The platform was still smoking from the effects of the Mythic when I drew my cards, giving me three in hand: my Equality, joined by my second Metal Golem and Penitence.

The Spell was useless to cast of course, but if offered more defense in hand then it did in my deck. I used my replenished Source to get the Golem onto the field, and having no other Souls to summon, I sent it to attack. Plutar stopped the 1 damage that got past his Scalemail with yet another Conflagration Spell, giving him no cards in hand and only two in his Mind Home – I was so close!

But it wasn’t over yet, so I used my leftover Order Source to draw one extra card to have more defense. I couldn’t imagine Plutar had a second of that Mythic – I hoped to the Twins he didn’t – but I wanted to be as prepared as possible. The card was what I had known it would be since I had mulliganed at the start: Protection. Sadly, my hand wasn’t large enough to make much use of its effect but it could still block for 2 on its own.

Plutar drew his final two cards, which I desperately hoped were just Spells like Melt or maybe a Stoking the Flame. No such luck: he used his Source to cast another Greater Fireball, blasting my Summoned Golem apart and roaring into me for 3 damage. I stopped it with my Equality, while the Golem’s effect brought another Penitence into my hand.

I only had one card left to draw, and I did, the Master Assassin returning to my hand. The crowd was going wild, each of us now without any cards in our Mind Home. But the Master Assassin let me cheat that with his ability, and if I didn’t blunder, I should take the match. For all my expressed new confidence, my hands shook as I played, summoning him. He rushed forward, striking for 1 damage, which Plutar blocked with his last card in hand, another Smoke Screen.

Plutar used his Source power to strike me for 1, which I blocked with a Penitence.

My Source came back to ready, but I had nothing to draw or play, and my Assassin couldn’t attack again, slumped from being devoted. So, I waited. This was it; I just needed to survive long enough to attack one more time.

Plutar looked at my Master Assassin, but of course there was no reason to send a Fire Source attack at the Rare Soul, since I could just pay to return him to my deck and then instantly have him out again. So, Plutar shot at me. I only had two cards in hand and he was striking me for 3. If I had different cards, it would have been the end of me, but Protection and Penitence blocked together for 4 and the explosion of shards they made in front of me was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen.

My Master Assassin stood, and I thought he looked as eager to finish the job as I was, but instead of standing there to take the final hit, Plutar strode off of the field.

The crowd shouted at him and applauded for me, the sound thunderous. The Dueling Dome was still up though, and the Master Assassin cocked his head in my direction.

“Without me you would have lost,” he rasped. “You owe me.”

“You are correct,” I replied. “Any duelist worth the name knows that he owes his success to every card he is fortunate enough to carry. By staying with me, you give me the chance to repay it.”

I didn’t get to see the Assassin’s reaction because a card whipped down, hovering in front of my face.

I plucked it from the air, disbelieving. An Epic. I finally had an Epic of my very own that I could sell, and there were a few choice cards I had seen the night before from some high-end vendors that immediately sprung to mind.

A weight crashed into me from the side, and I turned to see it was Esmi hugging me. She gave me a tight squeeze and then pulled back, beaming. Hull was close behind her and even had a smile for me, marring his normally gruff countenance.

“Well done,” Esmi said and then she bopped me lightly on the cheek with the flat of her hand. “And that’s for making me worry you might lose. What were you thinking cutting it so close?”

“What she said,” Hull echoed.

I caught the hand she had used for the faux slap with my own before she could remove it, pressing it back against my cheek. “This is just the beginning,” I told them both.

Esmi looked at me in mock offense. “You do realize that I’m your next opponent, don’t you?”

I grinned back at her. “And I’m sure the experience will only serve to deepen our respect for one another.”

Hull coughed awkwardly. “I can give you two some time…”

I released Esmi’s hand and pointed at Hull, who was already starting to turn away. “Don’t you go anywhere. We need to figure out how you’re beating Haze next.”

“I’ll tell you how I did it,” Esmi said, her eyes alighting eagerly at the prospect.

Watching the two of them talk, thick as thieves, I smiled in joyous contentment that I didn’t think any amount of Order or Air Source channeled through my body could make me feel. The Dueling Dome had fallen and my Master Assassin was gone with it. Spectators were crowding down the stands, some waving to me, and I waved back. Esmi’s parents might be somewhere in that group, unless they had decided to just wait and hear the outcome. If they were here, I wanted to –

My chest fluttered, driving all other thoughts out of my head. It was like a hummingbird had become trapped in the upper portion of my ribcage, which wasn’t uncomfortable, per se, yet it was noticeable. The sensation lasted for a few more heartbeats and then faded, still present, though considerably lighter than it had been a moment before. I gasped in shock and profound delight. Three times now I had been blessed by this herald of change, and never this strongly. The timing made sense though, after defeating my self-proclaimed rival and reconciling with my fiancee.

“Are you alright?” Esmi asked, and I realized that I stood partially hunched, a hand over my chest. “Is it… ?”

“It is,” I said, straightening with a laugh. “Which makes me much better than fine.” Hull seemed confused by that, so I happily explained. “I’m going to have a new Soul soon.”