Book 2: Chapter : 25. The Third Choice

Book 2: Chapter : 25. The Third Choice

The very next instant, Arthur found himself standing, whole, in his Personal Space.

He looked around wildly. It took him a few moments to realize that he had come immediately here. He didn’t even go through the extra step of standing in front of the bookshelf, first. Apparently, panic was a good way to discover a shortcut.

That was great and all, but it didn’t distract him from the fact that while his mind was suspended in timeless space, his body was under attack.

“Shit,” he muttered.

He began to pace the length of his Personal Space, from one end to another. He had all the time in the world to decide what to do, but only a fraction of a second in which to act out int he real world.

What skill could help him out?

Reluctantly, he decided that none linked to his Master of Skills card could help him. He had a Butchering skill and there had been a butter knife on the table within easy reach. However, it took a few moments to get into the right frame of mind.

He wasn’t sure he would even be able to activate Butcher on a human being.

That left his Master of Body Enhancement.

He could... grab the knife and use it to block Penn’s fork? There was a certain poetry in that, but Arthur didn’t think he had the time. The fork had been plunging down right at his face.

No. He couldn’t fight back, and he couldn’t reliably block the danger. That left escape.

Except... he got a sense from the two cards humming in his heart that ‘dodge’ or ‘escape’ would qualify as a combative skill. He wouldn't gain those unless he somehow found that card.

Okay, so he didn’t have to escape completely. He could dive off the side of his chair, land on the floor and try to roll away?

Surely one recruit attacking another out of the blue wouldn’t be tolerated. He was surrounded by people with Legendary cards.

Aside from perhaps his father, Arthur had never expected anyone to jump in and save him from danger. Not when he’d traveled in the trader’s caravan with Red, not when he lived in the orphanage, and not now.

No. His only true chance at escape would be to deactivate the Nullify on his Return to Start card. Penn was likely using his card’s power to attack. That would be enough to transport Arthur away...

... And he’d likely miss out on the rest of the night. His invitation had been locked into the table, and he doubted those vigilant guards would let him in again.

He might even lose a chance at the egg, if it was presented tonight.

That was unacceptable.

Suddenly, Arthur recalled that Prince Marion had a card which allowed him to see several seconds in the future.

Why hadn’t he warned Arthur he was about to be attacked? Had it been casual cruelty? Maybe he just wanted to see a show. Arthur had only just met the guy, but he didn’t think so.

What else, then?

A new idea struck him.Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through Ñôv€l--B1n.

Fighting wasn’t an option. Escape was either risky or unpalatable.

But there was a third option.

The next few minutes passed easily enough.

Penn and Marion seemed to know each other distantly, which wasn’t a big surprise considering Penn was a high noble’s son. The two spoke about places that they visited at one of the big cities — Amberlion, which was Marion’s last name.

“My father, Lional, was named for that city,” Penn said. “The story is, he was conceived there, and my grandparents were inspired.”

That startled a snort of laughter from Arthur.

Marion, however, looked like he was a few seconds away from picking up his book. Apparently, he was uninterested in small talk.

Penn turned back to Arthur.

“So, tell me about this new card of yours.”

Arthur stared. That was an incredibly rude question. “Excuse me?”

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” Penn waggled his eyebrows. “Oh, come on, Kane. We all know the prince’s secrets—"

“Because he’s royalty! That’s public knowledge.” Arthur huffed. Inside, he was pleased. He just had to make sure Penn didn’t see it.

Arthur made a show of thinking about it, then looking around as if watching for spectators. No one paid attention. Not only was most of the room still gathered around the bearded prince, Penn’s stunt earlier had been so quick it hadn’t caused a stir.

Arthur leaned forward, conspiratorially. “You’ll tell me about yours? You swear?”

“Would I lie in front of the son of our sovereign?” Penn asked, gesturing dramatically at Marion who’d gone back to his book.

Arthur had the feeling the other boy was listening, though.

Again, Arthur hesitated. Then he nodded once. “It’s a little embarrassing, actually. You know my family’s... situation. I wasn’t kidding when I said we’d saved for this. We had to purchase the card for the rank, not for the ability.”

Penn leaned forward.

“Ultimate Crafting,” Arthur said. He wasn’t going to show Penn the card and would use the excuse of being in public in case he was questioned. He only hoped his sincerity won out.

“Crafting?” Penn repeated, expression inscrutable.

“It’s has skill-based advancement,” Arthur continued, “bonuses if, say, I learned tailoring or cooking. I would kill in a guild hall.”

“Your father expects you to link a dragon with that?” Marion demanded. He had set the book down and stared at Arthur with pity.

“Baron Kane’s never been known for his reasonable expectations.” This time Arthur didn’t have to fake his bitterness. “Besides, the hive just hatched—“

“What are the chances of two meta-pinks in a row?” Marion snorted. “Besides, Pinks are just as likely to have knowledge-based powers. Sorry ol’ chap, you’re screwed.”

Arthur barked a laugh and turned back to see Penn watching him carefully.

Abruptly, Penn rolled his shoulder in a shrug. “That’s hard luck. I’m afraid you’ll hate me when you hear of mine.”

“That bad?” Arthur asked, grinning. He tried not to show he was holding his breath. He fully expected Penn to either lie or weasel out of his agreement.

“Mine is called Master of Combat.”