Book 3: Chapter 42: A Sword Cuts Both Ways

Book 3: Chapter 42: A Sword Cuts Both Ways

The yellow dragon died moments later, burned alive by Laird’s candle-topped flames.

The only one of their enemies left alive was the brown dragon.

"Give me the card," he sang, pushing through a new storm of purple-topped candle flames to lunge at the dead blue dragon. The flames sizzled on his scales, but he didn’t react at all. Looking closer, Arthur saw his scales were reinforced with either hard-packed dirt or stone.

The brown’s focus was absolute, his yellow eyes open and manic as he ran toward the blue.L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.

"Stop him!" Arthur yelled.

Joy spun around to face him, teeth and claws bared.

Brixaby got there first. He swooped over to the brown's chest. The brown was so focused on retrieving the other dragon's card that he didn't even glance down at the Legendary.

Big mistake. Brixaby plucked a card right out of his core.

That got the brown's attention.

He spun around with a wheeze. "Give me my card! My card... my card... Give me my card... My rider’s card," he said still in that odd lyrical cadence.

Joy lunged, but Arthur had sensed Brixaby's plan and had changed his mind. "No, wait! Joy, stop! We need him alive."

All the other dragons were dead, and at the very least, they needed somebody to be able to answer questions.

"What card? This card?" Brixaby waved the brown's card in front of him and deftly avoided a snap of the dragon's teeth.

The brown was in bad shape. Laird's candle-top flames had still made an impact. Several clusters of scales were burned through to the skin, leaving red welts. He was clumsy, and with every other step, he kept looking back toward the blue dragon as if fighting a compulsion. The desire between his rider’s card and what the Mind Singer was telling him. He staggered over every step, one foot going one way, the other pointing in a different direction.

All in all, he made a pathetic sight for such a large, stolid dragon.

Joy came to stand between Cressida, Arthur, and the brown dragon, her wings spread in defiance in case he turned his anger toward them.

But Brixaby was doing his best to keep the brown’s attention, waving the card in front of his snout and generally working the other dragon into a froth of anger.

"What kind of dragon lets their rider's card fall into the claws of another?" Brixaby said, pitilessly. Then he openly stuck it into his Personal Space. "You want it? Come in here and retrieve it."

With a roar, the brown dragon closed in on Brixaby.

For a heart-stopping second, Brixaby led him.

The moment the brown dragon touched him, however, he disappeared.

"Wait..." Cressida swung around to look at Arthur in accusation, as if he had just pulled that trick, "Didn't you say you needed permission to put someone sentient inside your Personal Space?"

Arthur nodded, eyebrows raised. He was impressed. “He must have wanted to go in there after his rider’s card—Brix!”

Brixaby dropped like a stone, hitting the ground and groaning, holding his head.

Arthur rushed to his side. The little dragon waved him off.

"There's too much in my Personal Space. Between that dragon and the cards... I'm full.” He rubbed his stomach, looking like he was ready to burst.

“Will you be okay?"

The dark dragon looked at him, his blood-red eyes full of defiance. "I am Brixaby! Of course I can handle a mere Uncommon in my Personal Space." He flapped his four wings, a little feebly, and barely managed to lift himself into the air.

Arthur reached down and picked him up. "Why don't you take a break?" he suggested.

Brixaby grumbled but climbed onto Arthur's shoulder.

“Let me pull the cards, just in case,” Arthur said.

He harvested them without an issue. The blue had two additional Uncommon cards besides the Legendary.

Naturally, Arthur read the Legendary first.

Full of Sound and Fury

Legendary

Combat (Elemental - Sound/Force)

The wielder of this card will be able to emit a sonic blast that vibrates molecules in air, water, solid matter, and living flesh. This sonic blast will vibrate molecules at increasing speeds, and at its most potent, may tear apart molecular bonds. In such cases, this card will provide a fifty percent damage reduction due to any backlash. This power travels out in a cone-shaped attack, though the wielder may be able to choose allies to be immune to the power. Objects may be damaged up to one mile away.

This card both uses and unlocks mana.

The mana pool for this card is set apart from a secondary pool, so that the user may always have access to this card even if all other mana is drained. With practice, the user may be able to extend or refine their attack range.

Seek cards within the same set for additional elemental powers.

That was terrifying. Arthur wasn't sure what a molecule was, but he understood that tearing it apart would not be a good thing. He guessed that these molecules, whatever they were, likely existed in living beings like Shadow. The poor dragon had been torn apart from the inside out.

Off balance and unthinking, Arthur shoved the Uncommon cards Brixaby’s way. "Can you hold these cards?"

Brixaby's dark complexion somehow managed to still look green. "I... would rather not." He looked like he was so full he wanted to throw up.

"Oh. Of course." Arthur's Personal Space was so full he couldn't even fit in one of the Uncommon cards, let alone bear the magical weight of the Legendary card. So, he retrieved an empty leather satchel from his Personal Space—one of the few items he had kept there because of its compactness. The satchel was simple with a drawstring top. No one would ever guess there was a Legendary card inside.

Out of curiosity, he glanced at the Uncommon cards.

The first was likely the blue’s core card. ‘Humidity Into A Cup’ was an Uncommon power to condense the air's humidity into an ice glass filled with fresh water.

It might seem like a trivial power, but in a dry desert place like the Free Hive, it would be extremely valuable.

The second Uncommon card, however, made Arthur pause.

A Sword Cuts Both Ways

Uncommon

Trap

On the occasion this trap card is ever stolen or forcefully taken from a heart deck, it will release a pulse of pure death energy, instantly killing both the thief and the wielder. This card becomes inactive upon the death of a wielder and may be harvested normally.

Arthur's face went pale. He resisted the urge to grab Brixaby from his shoulder and wrap him tightly in his arms. If he’d used his card-plucking power...

Thankfully, Brixaby's danger sense had steered him clear.

A shiver of cold fear down his spine, immediately followed by hot rage. The trap had been intentional and targeted. The Mind Singer was aware of Brixaby's abilities, and she had anticipated their next move once they saw the effect of the Legendary card. Only Brixaby’s danger sense—and a good deal of luck-- had spared his dragon.

And at that moment, Arthur’s timer on his bonus luck ran out.

If he hadn’t picked that attribute to boost...

He didn’t want to think about it. Instead, he turned his thoughts to the Mind Singer. She’s tried to kill Arthur, which he could accept. But now she’d turned her attention to Brixaby.

He already hated her.

Now, she had to die.