Source & Soul: A Deckbuilding LitRPG

The blade slid across my cheek, but like before, all I felt was the barest of pressure. At the edge of my vision, I saw more card fragments shed from my skin, shimmering motes in lieu of blood. Besides Atrea, the staccato strikes at 2 damage each stripped me of a large chunk of my Air Souls: my other two Zephyrs and one of the Raven Nightguard that I had just been gifted.

Gale was pushed away in truth this time, but he made the forced retreat look elegant, doing a flashy backward somersault with no hands that some in the crowd applauded. I barely noticed the pointless showmanship, focusing on the ramifications of his assault. Losing four of my Flyers after I had been so bold as to allow my brother to keep his artifact bracers felt like Fortune was mocking me. I still had a few left, but would they be enough? I let that question linger only a moment before moving past it. I was practiced enough at dueling now to know not to sit in my regrets. Instead, I turned my thoughts in a more positive direction: You’re closer to getting your Shieldbearers now, and you still have a Zephyr ready to use in hand.

Feeling my Mind Home relax, I quickly drew two cards, both from my Summons Deck, and was rewarded with not just one copy, but two, of the exact Soul I had just been thinking of.

“It did work,” I breathed in relief. Taking the hit had not only preserved my hand but also brought the cards I needed to the fore. But what to play? The Zephyr would let me block Gale’s next attack. However, I wouldn’t get the Zephyr’s Dying Breath benefit, and with it being the only one I had left, I didn’t want to miss out on that opportunity. The obvious alternative was a Master Shieldbearer, but that Soul had downsides, too. Summoning it would completely exhaust my available source, severely limiting my plays the following turn, which Gale could capitalize on.

I allowed myself another few seconds to weigh my options; against a fast deck, early decisions like this would win or lose the match, or so Esmi had drilled into me.

Decided but still feeling slightly sick about it, I played my Air source from hand and then devoted it and the Order to summon one of my Master Shieldbearers. The card misted out of my hand, reforming in front of me as a broad shouldered, heavily armored figure.

I took up position behind it, and waited, having nothing else to do this turn.

“I had hoped for a little more brotherly sparring, but if you’re just going to hide…” Gale commented, beginning to spin his Owl Blade in hand, which meant the Relic was back to ready. He drew his cards and played an Order source. I wondered what sort of Order cards he might be using, but like me, he ended up doing nothing.

With my returning source not yet refreshed and all the cards I wished to play already in hand, I drew two cards from my Source Deck this time. My fervent hope was to get one of Air so I could either bring the Zephyr onto the field or have the source ready to cast Defensive Kata if needed when Gale inevitably attacked again.

However, I drew two Life.

“Fortune’s balls,” I cursed under my breath.

“Problem?” Gale called. He was only ten or so feet away, casually strolling back and forth, so he didn’t need to speak loudly for me to hear him.

“None of your concern,” I bit the words off, letting one of the Life orbs drift into the Air.

“There’s no call to be less than civil,” Gale said with a frown. “Especially not to someone who outranks you.”

“It’s funny how you bring that up when it suits you.” I was going to say more, but my eye and mind caught on a possibility. I had been so focused on the line of play I had been digging for, I had nearly missed a completely viable alternative. I devoted my fresh Life source, feeling the tingly power of it flow down through my skull and out my arms to the card I intended to summon. I had used Life source in War Camp before, and unlike Order’s feeling of collected calmness or Air’s soaring freedom, Life was similar to my cultivation of it, making me more aware of the life which surrounded me. That hadn’t been a problem before, but now, with so many people packed together in this room, with Life Source flowing in my body, I suddenly became infinitely more aware of them: their breath, their attention, their very being, filling the ballroom with a buzzing energy I could feel against my flesh and almost hear. It would have been frighteningly easy to get lost in this heightened awareness, but I refocused on the card, pouring the source into my Bearkin, and the extra perception thankfully left me at the same time the Soul vanished from my hand.

It was the older one with white in his hair who took form, and he gave me a small nod of greeting before positioning himself next to the Sheildbearer.

“I heard that you had been getting on with the elves,” Gale said, somewhat dismissively. “Two slow sources in a single deck? You’re practically begging to be a punching bag.” He sighed. “And that is why you should never have stayed with that Chaos user advisor. It seems you and I will need to talk about your deck construction when we have that drink.”

I nearly had the Bearkin attack, just to shut him up, but my brother’s Owl Blade was at the ready. The swordstrike wouldn’t be enough to destroy my Werebear, but Gale could easily finish the job the following turn since the Bear would be devoted and thus Vulnerable. Also, having just devoted my only Life source, it was going to be some time before I would be able to Transform the elf, and I’d prefer it not get hurt until right before that.

Patience would see this match won. I just needed to be deliberate and careful and keep a rein on my emotions.

Watching Gale make his draws, I saw him flinch slightly. I discovered why when he played another Order, causing me to release a relieved breath. He didn’t have enough Air for his Hunting Hawk, at least not yet, which would give me another turn to build my defenses. It was a beast of an Epic that I remembered crisply from when he had used it during our first day of War Camp training.

Of course, that would hardly be the only big threat in his deck, so I watched without blinking to see what he was going to do with his 3 ready source. Surprisingly, his next act was to use both Order to draw, the pearlescent orbs above his head dimming and a new card flashing into his hand.

He’s not getting what he wanted, or at least not what he needs to deal with my Master Shieldbearer. It was a thrilling feeling to think that I might have stymied my older brother, even if it was just for a turn or two.

He caught my look and wagged a reproachful finger at me. He then focused his Air and brought out a small Soul that started singing before it was even fully formed.

Fascinatingly, I could see a vague impression of the notes in the air, which moved away from the bird, swirling around my brother and then more specifically the blade of his sword. Gale leapt at me, sailing over my Werebear and would have landed directly on top of me, swordpoint down, if my Master Shieldbearer hadn’t pushed me back, taking my place. My Shieldmaster used one of his shields to stop the initial blow, but with Gale’s Attack now at 3, it wasn’t enough. My brother’s blade knocked the shield edge inward, blowing past the defense to lodge briefly in the Soul’s armor, a few inches deep. Gale yanked his arm back and did the same again, all before his feet touched the ground.

During this onslaught, the Shieldmaster fought back, catching my brother in the chest with a solid shield bash, causing him to finally lose something from hand. It ended up being just a single card, an interesting dual source Spell built for defense that was clearly meant to pair with weapon Relics like the Owl Blade.

Once again I found myself thankful that Gale had only a single Air source in play. With another, he could have used the Spell to damage my Master Shieldbearer further.

Gale took advantage of the force of his own shattering card and the strength his bracers gave him to leap backward. He didn’t spin in the air this time like an acrobat, but he did land adroitly a few feet behind his Starling, barely needing to bend his knees to cushion the landing.

All in all, I found myself pleased by the result. How could I not be? Yes, my Master Shieldbearer was now wounded, but to me, Gale’s attack was tinged with desperation considering he had taken as much damage in return to inflict it. Also, now that his Owl Blade hung heavy in his hand, used for the moment, I could attack with my Bearkin without worry about recrimination.

Drawing, I opted to go for two source again, wanting that second Air so I could use one while having the other ready for Defensive Kata. The first I pulled was Order but the second was finally an Air, and I clenched my fist briefly in excitement. With defensive Souls on the field, more available to summon, and a protective Spell at the ready, my chances of overcoming Gale were feeling more and more like reality.

You won’t lose, I told myself, my eyes flitting briefly to the viewing box Esmi was in. You can’t lose.

I played the second Air source without hesitation, keeping the Life and Order in hand, along with my Zephyr, Defensive Kata, and extra Master Shieldbearer.

With a command, I had the Bearkin attack. It would only do a single point of damage, but considering how Air-centric Gale’s deck was and how little defense from hand those cards offered, 1 damage could end up removing a powerful Summon.

However, instead of letting the Bearkin reach him, my brother had the Starling intercept. The bird pecked ferociously at elf’s face, doing damage before being crushed in the Bearkin’s hand, turning to card shards.

“Frightened of a little damage?” I asked, slightly perturbed that my first attack hadn’t connected.

My brother looked perfectly at ease, his posture almost insultingly relaxed. “If ‘a little’ is all you can do, this is going to continue to go poorly for you.”

I opened my mouth to argue that this was going poorly for him not me, but then I began to wonder if I should have summoned and attacked with the Zephyr as well. That would have left it devoted, though, and I was reluctant to provide my brother with any such easy kills. Closing my mouth, I did go ahead and summon it now, devoting an Air to do so, giving myself another blocker on the field. The Zephyr beat its wide wings gently, which kept it half a dozen feet off the ground and provided me with a welcome breeze.

I could have used an Air and an Order when summoning it, but I decided against that course for two reasons: First, I wanted to keep my remaining Air and Order up so I could not only cast Defensive Kata but use its pay ability if Gale found a way to get multiple, strong Souls onto the field quickly. Also, the Zephyr’s Dying Breath ability was mostly useful on things that were devoted, so by devoting the source to summon it, I was providing its Dying Breath a target.

Settling in, with my fingers on the Defensive Kata, ready to cast, I waited yet again to see what my brother would do next.

He finally brought out a second Air, and I did my best not to react. I had been lucky to have this long without needing to face his big Air Souls. The question was, did he have one in hand now? Gale answered me by pulling from multiple of his sources, and sure enough, the giant bird misted into being. It let out a fearsome squawk as it appeared, and a yellow tinged shimmer surrounded it and my brother, both of them now diving through the air toward me, their combined potential, a ridiculous 20 damage.

The attack would, however, leave the Hawk exposed, but I could see Gale’s reasoning. If my brother had struck alone, I could simply block him with the Zephyr, which would waste the single turn of the Hawk’s buff. With both Gale and his Epic Soul attacking, I would be forced to lose my Shieldbearer.

Or so I was sure he believed.

“Let them through!” I yelled. I could have given the command mentally, but something about the moment seemed to demand more of me. The truth was that I didn’t want to lose the Souls I had worked hard to summon yet, and I didn’t have to.

With my ready Air and Order source, I cast Defensive Kata on myself.

Gale and his deadly bird descended on me, but my body was already repositioning itself under the effect of the Spell. With an agility I never would have thought my limbs capable of, I dodged sword blade, beak, and claw with equal ease, my hands slapping away their strikes when the rest of my body couldn’t get out of the way fast enough.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have let you have first pick of those new Air cards,” Gale conceded when the exchange was done, he and his Hunting Hawk backing away, their attacks spent.

My body stilled, muscles slightly sore from being used in new ways, and yet, on the whole I felt excellent, invincible even. “Perhaps not,” I agreed. I was doing it; I was in control of this match.

Drawing my cards, I was overjoyed to see another Defensive Kata appear in my hand, along with an old staple.

If I played my other Order source from hand, I’d have enough to summon the Assassin, but instead, my eyes shifted to the second Life source. I had previously cursed its arrival, yet now it felt like exactly the thing to use. I let the source go, which formed into a green ball of vines, drifting upward and joining my other Life source. Then I drew on both, and the feeling of awareness I had experienced previously reasserted itself. It wasn’t as shocking now that I was expecting it; this time I was better able to distinguish individuals, especially those close to me, like my brother, mother, cousin, or even Ossun the butler, each of them seeming to vibrate at a slightly different frequency. Fascinated, but having no time for such things, I expelled the tingling, jittery force onto the Bearkin, the green energy eagerly wrapped around the Soul before sinking into him. Enriched with Life source, the elf began to Transform, face and limbs extending, hair sprouting from flesh, wicked claws and sharp fangs protruding. The seven foot tall bear that now stood there gave a mighty roar, like it was finally free. And, just as I had planned, the 1 wound it had taken before was now healed.

With a thought, I sent it charging after the still recovering Hunting Hawk. Though the bird was massive, the bear ripped its wings off, and the feathers all shifted into card shards, vanishing. Gale looked entirely displeased to see his Epic go, but he didn’t have long to focus on that, because this time I did send my Zephyr in at him – his Owl Blade heavy in his hand making him too tempting a target.

Almost distractedly, Gale batted my Soul aside, blocking with another card from hand.

That Spell used in tandem with his Hunting Hawk would have let him do a monstrous amount of damage, and I was suddenly very happy that I had managed to remove both from the duel.

But what if he has more of them? That thought sobered me greatly, and I watched his response with more than a little trepidation. He revealed nothing about his draws, playing another Air source, which would give him enough for a second copy of the Epic if he had it…

Instead, he played one of the cards Griff had heard about, an Order Rare that could increase the attack value of Gale’s weapons.

My brother wasted no time, bringing his Owl Blade over to the freshly summoned Soul. The Smith’s hammer rang on the sword, and a swirl of yellow sparks infused it.

Gale tipped his head in thanks, and then came at me in a corkscrew spin, his empowered blade leading the way.

I had the source to cast my new Defensive Kata, but to use it against just one target felt like a waste. I couldn’t take the hit though – it would be 8 damage with Gale’s Flurry – so, with reluctance, I stepped back behind the Master Shieldbearer. My brother sliced the poor Soul to ribbons, but the Soul did give 1 damage back. I expected this to cost my brother little, perhaps another Riposte, but those among the crowd who were wearing viewing glasses of one sort or another gasped when it was the pieces of a red Epic that broke apart in front of him, and I was just as shocked as they.

I couldn't imagine Gale’s hand was flush with Epics, so the only explanation must be that he was protecting something even better that was still in his deck. My mind itched, trying to figure out what it might be.

As it did, I drew my two new cards and immediately knew I’d have a tough decision to face.

I had returned the Executions to my deck for the express purpose of dealing with problem Souls like the Master Relicsmith. By playing my Order source from hand – which I did – I would be able to cast the Spell. However, I was already feeling exposed without the comforting form of a Bodyguard at my side, and I didn’t have enough Order source for the Spell and the Soul. For the first time since embarking on a tri-source build, I found myself wishing for my old, less spread out style. If only I had drawn my dual source of Order and Life earlier! But I hadn’t, and it could be languishing at the base of my heart for all I knew.

The situation made me think of Esmi. In our practice matches, she had drilled into me the importance of being aggressive. She understood that I was using a more defensive style, but she said that this only made it more important that I chose the right times to strike. Without a doubt, she would urge me to use the Execution.

Delaying the choice, I attacked with my Transformed Werebear to see what my brother would do in response. He only had a single Air source at the ready, but he might have a Defensive Kata of his own in hand.

The lumbering bear ran on all fours until he reached Gale, at which point the Were-Elf stood on his hind legs, a powerful swipe of his paw raking across my brother. To my surprise, Gale managed to stop the entirety of the 4 damage with a single card.

The golden shards weren’t as impressive as the red that had come before, but I still heard people ‘ooo’ from below.

My time was running out, and I knew I wouldn’t be happy with either play, so I did the one I felt I had to, pulling power from my Order source.

A haze of darkness appeared over the Relicsmith, who was already slightly bent from his last action, followed by a shimmer of silver and a schick as the metallic haze suddenly descended, lopping the Soul’s head clean off before both parts of it broke into motes of light.

Gale looked over to where his Rare Soul was disintegrating. “I hate to say it, but this deck of yours is decidedly boorish to play against.”

“Why Gale,” I said, doing my best imitate the many smirks he’d thrown my way over my life, “that might just be the best compliment you’ve ever given me.”

Pulling from my Life source next, I went ahead and summoned a Soul I could afford, the slim form of the Spiderkin appearing before me.

I kept two Air source ready so I could add to my Defensive Kata in hand. I also didn’t transform the Spiderkin because I knew from War Camp that Gale also used an area of effect Spell, and I wanted her able to Dodge if needed.

I felt even twitchier than before without a Bodyguard. Would my single Zephyr and Defensive Kata be enough to protect me? I prayed to the Twins they would be.

Seeing so many of my brother’s source dip in the air clenched my gut, and sure enough, another of the Souls Griff had warned me about appeared.

My Zephyr let out a squawk of alarm as it fell from where it had been hovering to the slick stone of the stairway landing. It fumbled upright and beat its wings, but no matter how hard it tried, it made no difference.

The air around me felt wrong now, too, stale, dead even, and I looked at the one-armed Soul my brother had summoned with trepidation. It’s ability was incredibly good when paired with Gale’s Flying attacking, and I had known of it when I agreed to let him use those damnable bracers, believing the foreknowledge of the Soul and the adjustments to my deck would be enough to overcome his combo. Facing the Kestrel Outcast, however, I felt sweat tickle down between my shoulderblades. My skin ran even colder when I realized that the new card didn’t account for all the source my brother had just spent.

A curved weapon appeared in Gale’s off hand, each of its four blades looking wicked sharp.

“Now the fun can begin,” he said, his usual cocksure attitude fully restored.

That must have been it; the card he had been protecting. I had never seen or heard of its like before, but even at a glance, I could tell it would be a problem for me to deal with.

With a flick of his wrist, Gale sent the Relic spinning not toward any of my Souls but directly at me. I had no defense against it and couldn’t imagine getting rid of my Master Shieldbearer – I need to play that next turn – my Master Assassin – I need that to kill his Kestrel Outcast – or my Defensive Kata – I need that when he attacks me again, which he’s going to do now that my Zephyr is grounded.

With just two cards he had completely cracked my defenses.

Hating the decision in front of me, I did my best to stand tall as the Whirling Blade sliced into me, cutting four cards out of my Mind Home. I watched each go, like they were fingernails being ripped from my body. They were all repeats, which Griff would tell me was the point, but still it stung to never get to use the Nightguard that he and Esmi had picked out for me.

The last two being my only other Master Shieldbearer and Defensive Kata made those just as heartbreaking to lose as Atrea had been at the start, especially since their late arrival meant that even if I healed some, I wouldn’t be getting my best two defensive options back anytime soon.

“Can’t say I’m sorry to see those go,” Gale said, and I hated him for knowing.

Perhaps even worse, I only had 3 cards left in my Mind Home. How had they gone so fast?

As the Whirling Blade arched away from me, my brother appeared in its wake, shooting across the distance between us, sword leading the way. Before he reached me, the spinning Relic twisted, transforming back into a card and joining the others that floated beside Gale, making up his hand.

He’ll be able to keep summoning it until I’m dead, I realized with grim certainty.

At least against this attack, I had an option, casting Defensive Kata, which let me slip past both sets of his attacks.

“You bought a full set of them?” Gale asked, backing off. “Is anything in your deck offensive?”

“It’s working out well enough,” I growled at him. But was it? If he managed to throw that Whirling Edge at me again when I didn’t have a Bodyguard summoned to take the hit, it would be the end of me. The only upside I could fathom was that all of my brother’s source had been used, four of the five devoted. That meant next turn I’d have a bit of reprieve.

Twins send it so.

I also had an important decision to make, something that only a year ago I wouldn’t have considered, but now, after having fought in the Risings Stars Tournament, I knew could make or break a match: whether or not to Source Explode.

I hadn’t gotten my dual source yet, and it would be a shame to lose, but it being undrawn meant I could use its flexibility to help swing the Explosion the direction I wanted. With only two cards in hand, I’d almost certainly use the Order side for the additional draw. What I really wanted was to summon both my Master Shieldbearer and my Master Assassin, but no matter what I did, I wouldn’t have enough Order source available. With that play impossible, bringing just one of the Souls out didn’t feel like enough, not on these turns I needed to make count before Gale got all his source back.

I looked to Esmi’s box, and I swore she gave me strength.

Quickly, I drew two source, getting an Air and Order, summoning the Order as soon as my fingers touched its card. Then, I compressed the remaining source in my heart, shrinking it down until I couldn’t hold it anymore, and then I let it release, a mixture of light and life pouring out of me. The power came from just one Order source and my dual source, and with a mental nudge, I pushed that dual source to Order, turning the source I was releasing all to light. Two more cards jumped into my hand, ones I knew I would get because I had put them there at the start of the match: a pair of Executions.

“What I wouldn’t give for a Penitence right now,” I grumbled to myself. I was surprised when both my Spiderkin and the Werebear looked at me.

“If you Transform me, I can devote that Kestrel if it attacks,” the willowy elf said. Not to be left out, the Werebear growled and grunted something at me as well.

“What did he just say?” I asked in bemusement.

“I don’t speak bear,” she answered matter-of-factly, “but probably that with Terror, he can get past the Kestrel.”

They were… helping me. It seemed my pledge to them at the picnic had indeed had a lasting effect. “Thank you,” I said, somewhat abashed to be receiving their aid even though it was what I had asked for.

The Spiderkin’s overlarge eyes watched me. “Prove you’re worth it,” she said. “That winged Epic keeps saying you are.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gale’s fingers twitch, eager to draw, and I knew I was running out of time.

“I will very much try,” I promised, quickly using a mix of source. As much as I wanted to take down the Kestrel with my Master Assassin, I needed protection from another hit of that Whirling Edge, and doing that with a Soul on the field I could heal felt more efficient than being forced to block with cards from hand.

“Welcome to the party,” I said, when the Master Shieldbearer formed in front me. For some reason it felt right to keep the conversation with my Souls going.

His helmeted head turned enough so that I could see the edge of his visor slit. “They won’t touch you.”

That voice and that phrase. He was the one who had protected me before so valiantly, and despite everything, my confidence grew. Not done yet, I quickly devoted my only ready Life source, splitting its energy into the Werebear and Spiderkin. An aura of malevolence descended around the bear, and when it roared, this time it was a deep yet piercing scream that assaulted the senses, and I saw people in the crowd shy back.

The Spiderkin’s limbs bent and popped, skin hardening instead of growing hair, becoming smooth, interlocking chitin.

And then, I sent both charging at Gale, the bear continuing its terrifying roar and the elf-sized spider skittering forward, venom-tipped pincers clacking. The Kestrel Outcast wouldn’t be able to block the Bear, and if it did block the Spider, it would be destroyed – the latter of which I desperately hoped happen.

However, my brother swept forward, taking on both the shape-shifters. His Owl Blade was dead in his hand, so he could only take the attacks on the chin, which he did with a cool dignity.

At first he blocked with cards from hand, the early ante reappearing, stopping a full half of the incoming damage, alongside a Spell I was unfamiliar with but devoured the text of, knowing my victory might hinge on such knowledge.

The other 2 points of damage Gale let connect, losing two cards from his Mind Home, both of which ended up being the same.

The extra swords seemed redundant to me at first, until I realized that equipping a second would have let him easily use Echo on himself – I shuddered at the thought.

Glancing at the nimbus of cards still surrounding Gale, I was displeased to see that he still somehow had 6 cards left in his Mind Home to my 1.

“At least I have more cards in hand,” I told myself.

“And me,” the Shieldbearer said, clanking his shields together in a way I thought was meant to be supportive. The Bear and Spider returned then, echoing their assent in what way they could.

I only had one source at the ready, an Air, and I focused it to refresh the Werespider. The fact that the Source Power cost so little due to her Transformed state was a marvel and felt like I was really making use of my mixed source build.

As a final act, I had the Spider use its refreshed state to spin out a Web.

It wouldn’t work on Gale himself, but it would stop any big Souls in their tracks. I knew this meant that my brother would likely target her with his Whirling Death, but he’d only have enough Air source to use that Relic once on his next turn, and if threw the Relic at my Souls, that meant he wasn’t targeting me.

Maybe this way he’d finally have some hard decisions on his hands.

Gale drew his cards, looking thoughtful, not stressed, damn him, and then he focused his only two ready sources.

Focused? But that’s not enough for –

I had been so sure he would cast Whirling Edge, I’d forgotten about a Spell I’d seen from him before! I felt the air rush past, and though I was unharmed, I saw my Spiderkin crumple and then shatter, her Web falling apart with her. My grounded Zephyr, Werebear, and even my Master Shieldbearer – since Armor didn’t protect from Spells – all rocked back from the blast, taking a point of damage each.

The end result was little different than him using the Whirling Edge; in fact, this way, his own Kestrel Outcast took 1 damage, too. However, he had achieved the effect without needing to devote any of his sources, which meant on his next turn he’d have at least 6 at the ready.

And then he sent the Kestrel Outcast at me. With its 5 attack, it wouldn’t do quite enough damage to my Master Shieldbearer to kill it, but it would be close, and I wanted the Soul healthy to defend against the Whirling Death. So, I sent the still grounded and thus ungainly Zephyr to stop the Kestrel, who was unceremoniously butchered, the Outcast ripping the other bird’s heart out with its beak. As the Zephyr perished, a gust of wind came from it, which I redirected toward my devoted Life source, bringing it back to ready.

“Thank you,” I whispered. I doubted the Soul could hear me at Uncommon and destroyed as it now was, but still, I hoped that it did or that one of my other Souls conveyed the message.

I felt my Mind Home loosen, and I drew my last Summon card at the same time I released my last source from hand, an Air.

Equality was sadly no good to me at the moment since I still had my Werebear and Master Shieldbearer on the field against Gale’s single Soul. However, the Spell should help me defend from hand. Also, with another source above me, I now had seven at the read: 3 Order, 2 Air, and 2 Life. I could power practically anything I wanted, but what?

“Kind of you to focus your Kestrel Outcast for me,” I called to Gale, killing a bit of time while I thought. With 2 damage on the Outcast, it would only take a single Execution to destroy.

He shrugged, nonchalantly. “I know you use that Master Assassin. It was only a matter of time until you targeted it.”

I could play the Master Assassin, but it wouldn’t be as efficient a removal option as the Execution. Even without any Flyers remaining on my side, I felt I should get rid of the Outcast while it was focused, and my hand moved to one of my Executions.

Watching me just as closely as I was watching him, Gale’s lip twitched up.

My hand froze. Was that another smirk? He always had such an air around him, but there was usually a reason why. What did he know?

I looked at his side of the field, my eyes catching on the half dozen source that floated above him, all slowly making their way up to ready. 6 available, just as I had thought about before. That would be 12 source when devoted, enough to…

I did some quick calculations, and my heart sank like a dead weight. If he threw the Whirling Edge at me four times next turn, the first two would be enough to kill my Master Shieldbearer, and stopping the next two directed at me for 4 damage each would require me to block with my entire hand: my Executions, Equality, and Master Assassin all stopped 3, an incredibly unfortunate amount in this situation. And I had to block from hand because I had no cards left in my Mind Home.

Then, with my Master Shieldbearer destroyed and me cardless, Gale could casually leap through the air over my Werebear to finish the job with his Blade because I had let him keep his bracers.

He had won. That’s what his little smirk meant. He knew it.

I began sweating in earnest. I had so much source at the ready, there had to be an out, didn’t there? The only way that came to mind was defeating him first, but he had 2 cards in hand, and, I squinted… 5 still in his Mind Home. Attacking with my Bear wouldn’t do near enough to end things, and he’d still have the Whirling Edge left to best me.

It’s over, started repeating in my head frantically. I’ve lost.

I could kill his Kestrel Outcast with Execution and also summon my Master Assassin to attack Gale, but 2 more damage wouldn’t be enough to tip the scales. I felt like a blind man pawing at a wall, believing that there must be a doorway through but finding nothing but smooth stone. My breathing became irregular and my vision darted around. I was going to lose everything, and I was going to do it in front of everyone.

Feel your Order source, a voice said in me; it was small, yet insistent, a part of my mind that hadn’t yet accepted defeat. Use it to calm yourself. Breathe, feel the Air around. It’s quiet, yet there, waiting to take you wherever you want to go. It was working, my heart rate was slowing, and I didn’t feel as impossibly trapped as I had a few moments ago. Feel the Life, too. Not too much but enough to enliven you. I did feel them, so many focused on me, yet they were not the only ones. I felt the barest tingle from my Shieldbearer and Werebear in front of me, and my Master Assassin in my hand, and somewhere else in my mind, not my Mind Home, but past that, in the darkness beyond –

Atrea! the thought came to me in a rush. You still have Atrea!

With no time to waste, I drew from my Life source, enough to heal myself with its Power for 1 point, returning the first card I had lost to my Mind Home. I pulled on my Order source next, using its Power to draw that card into my hand.

Then, with my remaining Order and Air, I brought her into the flesh.

The crowd ‘oohed’ at the combo, but I only had eyes for Gale, whose smirk had slipped a touch.

With 8 attack, that should be enough to see the deed done. Unless…. A terrifying thought occurred to me, robbing me of the momentum I had been building. What if he had another Greater Air Elemental in hand? It would let him block 5 of the 8 and the rest he’d be able to absorb with his remaining cards.

Was it better to keep Atrea back and not attack? She was a Flyer, except she wasn’t because I hadn’t killed the Kestrel Outcast. I didn’t have enough Order left to cast Execution, too – it cost 3 and I only had 2. I could attack with Atrea and maybe refresh her with Air source power? No, I didn’t have enough of that either.

I stood there, frozen again, knowing that I had to make a decision, but without the time to go through all the calculations; I had spent too long collecting myself, and Gale’s sources were nearly back to ready. Air was weak to attack, this I knew. As long as the other card in Gale’s hand couldn’t block for more than 2 – something only two of his cards so far could do – I would win. It was an educated guess, but with the few seconds remaining to me, that’s all I had.

“Fuck it,” I said, and as the words left me, I finally understood what Hull saw in swearing.

Atrea and the Werebear rushed forward, charging past the focused Kestrel who couldn’t stop them, straight into Gale, sword and claws swinging.

Every part of my body was on edge as they collided. If my brother had a big card –

He let the first from his hand fly and it was… nothing more than an Order source, breaking apart in a flash of light.

It was like all the breath I had ever taken in was expelled from me at once.

The Whirling Edge was next to go from his hand, followed by all the remaining cards in his deck, which burst out of him like a confetti shower. I didn’t bother trying to read them nor did I care that he still remained standing because the outcome was a foregone conclusion: there was no way his Owl Blade and Kestrel Outcast would be enough to get past my bodyguard and the 4 cards I still had in hand. And even if he held the Outcast back for protection, my Bear with Terror would defeat him on my next turn.

Gale must have been just as aware of this as I was because he raised his hands palm up in a casual shrug of surrender, letting his Owl Blade drop, the Relic vanishing before it hit the floor. He then gave those watching a bow and me one as well.

The crowd, consisting mainly of the nobility and those of the upper crust, did not go as wild as common folk might, but there was a thunderous applause, and I did catch some people shouting, Hull very much one of them, jumping up and down beside Afi, which pulled an unexpected laugh out of me.

“You have achieved your wishes,” someone said to me close by. I turned to see that Atrea was back, the Werebear just behind her. She laid a gauntleted hand on my shoulder. “Remember this moment. It is a fine one.”

The Dueling Dome fell then, and she vanished, along with everything else we had summoned. My chest burned seeing them go, I was sure from the deep gratitude I felt for them, and if I was fortunate, perhaps something more. I would need to give them all my thanks the next opportunity I had.

Gale had approached without me realizing and threw an arm over my shoulder. “You little turtle,” he said. “Who knew you had that last bit of snap in you?” I had a number of retorts to his poor, backhanded compliment, but before I could get any out, he pointed. “You might want to catch that.”

A look up showed me a card falling like a leaf, drifting back and forth on its way down. I grabbed it between my fingers when it passed low enough, having completely forgotten about the Epic ante.

I stared at it, applause still filling the room, imagining how much more defensible I’d be wearing something like that. The moment didn’t last long, and I handed the card back to my brother. War was coming, and even if he was an insufferable ass who should have taken my side to begin with, I didn’t want him getting hurt.

He guffawed. “You’re surely joking.”

“I asked you to duel for Esmi’s hand, not a card,” I said, pushing it toward him. “Take it.”

“What a truly thoughtful brother you are.” He plucked the Relic out of my hand as he said it, not bothering to argue against the idea a second time, nimbly tucking it back behind his ear. “I shall have to repay the favor someday.” He leaned closer to me. “Saving myself for Esmi ever since this marriage talk has begun has been an awful bore. I finally feel free again.”

I stiffened, an awful idea coming to me. He seemed much too happy after having just lost. “Did you…”

His expression turned hard, harder than it had ever been during our match. “By the Twins and the name Hintal, I did not. Do not insult us both by speaking such a thought aloud.”

“Good,” I said, relaxing despite his harsh look. I had done it; with the help of Esmi, Griff, Hull, the elves, and all the rest, I had well and truly done it. A glance at my mother showed she was none too pleased, and who knew how my father would react, but that wasn’t stopping a font of elation from pouring into me, mixed with gratitude, relief, and excitement.

I’m going to be married.

A murmur among the crowd turned both our heads, and the cause was none other than Esmi riding Balax through their midst. The giant, scaled cat picked its path well, leaping from one opening to the next, but the crowd had little trust in the creature, shouting or darting out of the way, some even summoning source.

Esmi paid them no mind, her long, curled hair and red dress flying out behind her as she rode Balax past them all and then up the large flight of steps. When she reached the top, she dismounted expertly, crashing into me, her lips meeting mine in a fiery kiss. When we parted, I didn’t expect to see an equal amount of fire in her eyes.

“You let him keep the bracers?” she nearly growled. The sentiment was underscored by Balax letting out an actual growl of his own while he prowled behind her.

“Ah, that, yes,” I said, disarmed by the sharp contrast in treatment and feeling instantly sheepish. “It was important I win my way, you see,” – her eyes did not soften – “and the difficult road can be a better road for the Soul” – was her foot tapping now? – “It might have been a bit prideful, true –”

“A bit?” she said, eyebrow arching.

“Don’t be too hard on him,” Gale interjected. He had released me when Esmi arrived but was still near. “He did win, after all. Besides,” he added, giving her one of his well-greased smiles, “a man isn’t very interesting without any pride.”

Esmi eyed my brother dangerously. “I see where he gets it now.”

“And I can see this cat has claws,” Gale joked. “It seems I dodged a barbed arrow there.” He gave me a wink. “My thanks again, little brother.”

Esmi and I both started to argue her fine qualities as a partner, but another spoke louder.

“I challenge!” The voice cut through the hubbub that was still boiling below and certainly got our attention. It took a bit of shifting among the crowd to uncover the speaker, but eventually those watching parted enough to reveal the group of Deepkin. I had invited nearly everyone in War Camp, but I hadn’t even realized that the dwarves had decided to attend. The female dwarf, Glydnuk I thought her name was, stepped forward, her stony gaze boring straight into me. “I challenge Basil for his hand and Soul in marriage.”