38. Hull - Smarter, Not Harder (Patreon)

NOTE: Here's the Source power list, for anyone that wants it: https://imgur.com/1loo0Ov

And here's the abilities list: https://imgur.com/7GJtMOf

Chapter 38

Smarter, Not Harder

I stared at Haze across the boards, sweat trickling down the back of my neck and into my collar. I shifted the Hammer in my hand, glanced at my cards, and waited. This was the strangest match I’d played yet, and it had me spooked. I was used to hitting hard every turn, but with this great clobbering bastard I couldn’t.

“He has a personal Attack on his soul card,” Esmi had explained to me. “He doesn’t need a weapon at all – although he has those too – so every time you hit him, he hits back, even if he attacked on his turn. You can’t just dance in and whack away at him for free like you’re used to.”

“Use his Attack against him,” Basil had advised me later. “Wait until you’ve got your Sucking Void active before you go after him, or better yet when you have the Talisman of Spite equipped. That way you’re powering it up using his own ability.”

It was great advice, but the strategy session had gone on long enough that I’d had to scramble to the trading tables to find a replacement for my Lesser Healing Potion. Fortune had turned his back on me there; plenty of vendors had Minor and Lesser Healing Potions, but none of them were any more powerful than what I had, and the one man I’d found with a Greater Healing Potion, a Rare, wanted either my new Epic Microburst card as a straight trade or five crowns for the purchase. He had a sneer the whole time that said clear as day that he had it in for me, and I wondered if maybe he’d lost a bet against me or something. When I tried to talk him down to a more reasonable price he said it had changed to six crowns. Only the fact that I had a match about to start kept me from getting my fists involved in the trade. I’d scurried off to my match at the last second without the new potion I needed, and I was worried. According to Esmi, Haze would be my toughest opponent yet.

Now, several turns into the match, I knew she was right, but the rounds were progressing with an unfamiliar cadence that left me wrong-footed. Here we were, two in-the-face duelists, and instead of wading in at every opportunity and whaling away at each other, so far we’d done a lot more dancing around and waiting for the right moment than I was used to.

I’d gotten pretty much the perfect opening hand, but for the very first time, I hadn’t attacked with my Hammer on turn 1. It nearly killed me not to, but I knew it would just cost me twice the cards until I had my Sucking Void out, so I’d bitten my tongue – hard – and waited. He’d waltzed right over with a tight grin on his turn and hit me with a bare fist, costing me a Ghastly Gremlin, but the fact that I’d left my Hammer at the ready meant the blow cost him a card as well. He’d lost his smile once the Sucking Void had come out and I came swinging for him, instead. That had forced him to use the Lodestone he’d summoned on his first turn to search his deck for his Onyx Gauntlet. Seeing it summoned left me cursing to myself.

It was terrible. No, it was an amazing card, but it was terrible for me, because it meant my Hammer would do nothing to him so long as he kept just hitting with his fists and keeping the Gauntlet at the ready to eat my damage.

But then I’d played the Talisman of Spite, and he’d started cursing every bit as fiercely as I had.

When I hit him with my Hammer that next time, he’d used the Gauntlet to dismiss my damage as expected, but the 2 damage he did in return was absorbed by the still-active Sucking Void and started to charge the Talisman.

So there I was, sweating as I wondered whether he’d draw his other Gauntlet on the coming turn and knock me straight out of the Tournament and into Ticosi’s waiting arms, praying to the Twins I could pull off a win. The Sucking Void was on its final turn. Is it better to skip out on drawing another Nether this turn? It’s always good to have more source, but I’m going to lose the rest of my deck at the end of the turn. If I take 2 from the Mind Home instead, then I only lose whatever the last card on the bottom is. It felt like a good trade. I could always draw more Nether later.

I pulled my 2 cards and felt a rush of relief. The only thing I hadn’t drawn was my potion, and it was of no use to me anyway, since all it could get back for me at this point was a Ghastly Gremlin. I had both Mauraders, 2 Ghastlies, my Root Imp, and my Iron Maiden Plate in hand. This could work. Can I win this? Quit blabbing to yourself and play, you stupid lump of shit.

I devoted both my available Nether and brought out a Marauder. The 3 damage it does at the end of the turn will activate my Talisman, and then maybe I’ve got a chance.

Haze had no Souls in play – I assumed because they didn’t have high enough Attack to block my Strong hits – but he had 2 Earth source available to soak up damage. I looked to the Marauder, which was bouncing eagerly on knuckles and toes, panting with an insane eagerness for blood, and was about to order it to attack when a thought occurred to me. Haze might focus his Gauntlet to absorb the 5 damage, but he could also hit back instead, and if he uses the Gauntlet and his 2 Attack, that’ll kill the Marauder. If it dies, it won’t trigger the Talisman. That would be really bad for me. On the other hand, if I left it at the ready, it’d make a hell of a blocker.

“Sit tight,” I told it.

The demon’s mouth gaped in offended shock as I left it idle. I shifted onto the balls of my feet, ready to charge in wielding the Hammer, but then… He’ll just block my damage with his Gauntlet, and then I won’t be able to hit back when he comes at me after the Sucking Void expires. I settled back onto my heels and let the moment pass. As I did so I marveled at myself. I could have gone in there raging and dealt out 7 damage to my opponent – more than twice what it would take to kill an average man on the streets – but I had chosen not to because it might be more useful later. The me I had been a couple of days ago wouldn’t have even considered it. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

The Marauder, still pouting around its tusks, raked me with its claws for its end-of-turn damage, and I felt the Talisman start buzzing and bouncing on my chest. The starlight skin of the Sucking Void guttered out, and the single remaining card in my Mind Home shredded away. Now it really begins.

Haze brought out another Earth source, leaving him with all 5 available. He looked to his hand, grimaced, and devoted 1, bringing out a Soul for the first time.

It wasn’t a big one, but I could see its use as a blocker. I expected him to come flying at me for 4 damage using both his personal Attack and his Gauntlet, but he stood there irresolute, lips moving subtly as he talked to himself.

I remembered something Esmi had said earlier when she’d been talking me through the upcoming match. “He has to focus himself to hit using his personal Attack power, you know. It’s one of the few downsides to having an Attack value on your soul card. When a Summoner is focused, they can’t devote their source on the opponent’s turn, which cuts the amount of damage he can soak up with his Earth source by half. If he plays defensively – and he might; he did just lose his last match – he might hold back when he sees you have a big swing on the boards.”

Haze spat a curse and let his moment pass. Esmi, you really know your shit. Since she’d pointed it out, I could now see the conundrum the bruiser was in: if he hit with his fists, he’d lose the ability to soak up a full 5 damage on my turn; if he focused his Gauntlet and hit with that instead, it wouldn’t be able to use its damage-ignoring ability either. I cursed him for playing it smart even as I breathed a sigh of relief knowing I didn’t have to swallow 4 damage this turn.

The moment of respite gave me the chance to build some momentum. I drew 2 Nether and put one overhead. I had 2 available and I devoted them both. I was itching to use the card I hadn’t gotten to play in a match yet.

The full set of plate appeared in front of me with the back hinged open like a casket. I could see sharp little spikes lining the interior of the armor, and I had to remind myself that its damage would be going to Haze instead of me now that the Talisman was activated. I stepped into its embrace and the back closed in on me. It felt nothing like the Sucking Void; that was like being wrapped in a sheath of cool air that fit perfectly. This felt like a suit of armor – big, clanky, and awkward. On the other hand, it felt like solid steel, and I was glad to have it on me. Before the helmet settled on my head I glanced down and saw the Talisman on the outside of the armor even though I’d been wearing it when I stepped into the plate. The details of how these arcane magics worked together was beyond me, and I simply accepted it. Haze’s frown deepened when he saw me suited up, and I felt a little thrill. The helmet had horns on it, and I knew I looked mean. Haze, the crazy bruiser who’d hit me for 6 with a single punch at the Soiree the night before, was scared of me.

His Onyx Gauntlet was at the ready and so was he. He could block or absorb any combat damage I sent at him right now, and he could kill the increasingly-frenzied Marauder just like I’d worried about the turn before, so… I did nothing. My activated Talisman was going to do the job for me. A moment later, the Marauder reached into the gap between breastplate and pauldron to deal its 3 damage to me, and at the same time I felt a stab from the spikes inside the armor. Once again I had the strange sensation of the damage passing through me instead of into me, and four spikes shot out from the Talisman, trailing blue wisps.

I thought he’d devote some of his Earth source to absorb the spikes, but instead he held out a card from his hand, and all four projectiles thudded into it, leaving a brief, sparkling afterimage.

That little bastard was a hell of a blocker out of hand, but he could only have so many of them. I hoped any others were buried in his Mind Home instead of sitting in his hand. I wasn’t sure how long I could last. My Mind Home was empty and I had my Root Imp, 2 Ghastly Gremlins, a Marauder, and a Nether in hand. I could block some damage, sure… but not if he had a really big swing with Overkill like his Gauntlets could deliver together.

I watched Haze realize that I was going to be doing 4 damage to him at the end of every single turn independent of any other damage I could deal when attacking. He was going to come in hard and try to finish this before I whittled his deck down to nothing. He drew 2 from his Mind Home, smiled, and focused 3 Earth.

A hole appeared in the boards of the arena right underneath my Marauder, and it sank up to its neck, howling and spitting. The hole closed up around it and yanked itself to the very corner of the dueling square, where it could do nothing.

I gaped at the sight. Basil had mentioned that card in passing, but I’d completely forgotten about it. I’d been counting on that Demon as my big blocker!

Haze left his Soil Troll at the ready as a blocker and came charging at me himself, inserting his hand into the Onyx Gauntlet and making a fist. My guts clenched. Even with the Plate on me that Gauntlet looked jagged, pointy, and oversized.

His spiky fist came flying at me, and Fate’s Grace slowed the moment, giving me a breath to calculate what was coming at me. He was hitting for 4 damage. The Plate would absorb 2. I threw one of my Ghastly Gremlins at his approaching fist and swung my Hammer at him at the same time. The air filled with shattered cards on both sides as we rebounded away from each other.

The Gremlin, summoned out of turn, looked just as confused as it had when the same thing had happened in the match against Spignit.

“Sorry, little guy,” I told it. “You’ll get your turn next time.”

It scowled at me and vanished into sparkling light.

All right. Haze had taken his swing and I’d weathered it shockingly well. In my heart of hearts I thanked Fate that his other Gauntlet of the pair was buried somewhere at the bottom of his Mind Home instead being in play, which would have made that last turn a very different experience. He’d focused all his source but one on that last turn, and he was focused himself, meaning he couldn’t devote that 1 open source for the 2 Earth he needed to block even a single point of damage. Now was the time to strip him of as many cards as possible and hope that Dyran’s Howlite Gauntlet was one of them. A quick squint showed that he had 9 cards left in his Mind Home.

I drew my last Nether, put 1 into play, and looked at my hand. What I saw was a thing of beauty. He has no idea the fury I’m gonna rain on him. Sure, my one Marauder was still mired in Haze’s Sinkhole, but it hardly mattered. First I devoted 1 Nether and brought out my Root Imp.

Its thorny branch-talons raked me across the bare hand as it shimmered into being, and the damage shot through me to the Talisman and out toward Haze as a pair of glowing spikes. He shouted in anger and threw another card at it.

Oh, was I glad to see that Sinkhole gone, especially with what I still had coming. As the damage from the Root Imp was passing through me, I felt it trigger the activation of my one remaining Ghastly Gremlin in hand, and I let it loose to be summoned.

Then I devoted my last 2 available Nether and brought out my other big boy.

I looked to my little troop of Demons, all waiting on me expectantly, and a smile broke all over my face. “Let’s go get him.”

They hissed and hollered in response, and we swarmed at Haze in a group. I saw his eyes go wide in panic, and he shouted an order to his one Soul, the Soil Troll, which jumped in front of the Ghastly Gremlin. They both shattered as they clawed at each other.

Haze threw his last card in hand at the Root Imp, and it shattered.

But then he was out of defenses, and all he could do was watch helplessly as the Demon Marauder climbed all over him, laughing as it ripped and tore at him. His eyes turned toward me as I came down with my Hammer, and in them I saw the dullness of defeat. He gave a half-hearted swipe at me with a bare fist as I came close, but it bounced off my Plate, doing nothing. An incredible shower of card pieces rained down around him as I bounced back. It was so dense that I couldn’t even see him for a moment.

When it cleared, I peeked to see what was left to him. I’d dealt 7 damage directly to him, and he only had 2 cards left.

That wasn’t going to be enough.

I held out the bare underside of my arm to my nearby Marauder, and it chuckled in black-hearted glee as it did its 3 damage right as the spikes inside my armor skewered me. The Talisman surged, and 4 little spikes thudded into Haze. Cards puffed into shreds, and he went to one knee with a pained expression.

It was done. The Dome came down, and the crowd was once again chanting my name. I heard a female announcer say, “And the out-of-nowhere Hull has reached the top 8!”

Haze’s ante flew into my hand.

Fortune’s hairy ballsack, I just won! I stared at the card, hardly able to comprehend what had happened. I’d hoped to whittle down Haze’s deck with a big hit, but I hadn’t realized I could take him out all at once! I counted it up in my head and couldn’t quite believe it – I’d dealt out a total of 18 damage in a single turn. It almost scared me.

Haze stumped over to me. He didn’t look happy, but he stuck out a hand. “You hit like a falling mountain.”

Dazed, I shook the proffered hand. “I’m just glad you didn’t get your other Gauntlet. Or that Spell you hit me with last night.”

He nodded tightly. “You should be.”

He walked away, back straight and head high. He knew he could have beaten me if the cards had fallen differently. So did I. I expected the thought to bother me, but it didn’t. Fate had her hand in all our lives; what was the point in worrying about it? There was plenty else to fill my head. Ticosi would be glad I was getting him more cards, and now I’d have an extra day of competition to… I don’t know. Something. There must be something I can do.

Basil and Esmi were cheering at the foot of the stairs. The funny little nobleman even embraced me for a moment, and Esmi shook my hand warmly, chattering about the grace and beauty of the moment.

They were good people. I wasn’t sure how I’d fallen in with them or why they bothered with me, but the truth was that I liked them. I trusted them. I wanted to see where my life would go if I stayed in the clean, trustworthy world they moved in. I didn’t want to be Ticosi’s man.

Strange, somber thoughts to be having right after a huge victory. Feeling oddly removed from myself, I let them pull me toward the tunnels. As I went, a new firmness of mind grew and overtook me.

I’m turning into a force to be reckoned with, and Ticosi knows it. He wants to take my cards because he knows that if he doesn’t do it soon, he won’t be able to. I have to stand up to him. I can’t just go along.

One last thought chilled me as we passed into the dark interior of the Coliseum. It echoed inside me with the hard certainty of truth. If I don’t get out from under Ticosi’s thumb now, I never will. And then I’ll end up being just like him.