Card Fighter: A Deckbuilding Progression Fantasy, page 34
At this, it was Dax’s turn to frown. “I’m not really sure. I mean, I’ve watched him fight, but he hasn’t exactly sat down and shown me his deck. But he’s huge. Like, seven feet tall, and I don’t know if that’s just him, or if it’s because of a Card.”
“He has an Iron Skin Card,” Mira jumped in. “It’s a defensive Card that lets him take a lot of punishment without slowing him down. It’s the type of Card that I think Dax should be looking to add to his own deck.”
Torald was nodding. “And he has a berserker Card, although I’m sure that’s not what it’s called. It’s the type of thing that gives him power if he is angry. It’s an attacking Card that adds to his strength and mobility.”
Dax nodded. He didn’t know the name of the berserker Card at all, but Torald had described it accurately.
“I think he’s got something else as well,” Dax added. “Some sort of percussive power, a shockwave sort of thing that he can use at will.”
Jynn was nodding. “Sounds like a tough opponent.”
“He’s a fighter. A brawler,” Mira added. “And that makes him even more dangerous.”
Jynn was thinking. “How would he have fared against someone like Kragen?” The gambler asked.
Dax barely needed to think. “He could have beaten Kragen,” he said.
“What about Rorke?”
That was a more difficult question. “About the same,” Dax responded. “With his Iron Skin and Berserker Card, he could have stood against the Crimson Warg all by himself. And with his percussive Card, he might have been able to take out Rorke even if he couldn’t get past the monster.”
Jynn was nodding. “Sounds impressive.” He gave Dax a hard look. “Can you beat him?” He asked.
Once again, Dax laughed. “Do you even need to ask?”
“Of course I do. How else am I going to figure out the odds?”
Dax considered the question seriously. “I couldn’t beat him the same way I beat Rorke,” he said. The Smoke Gift was great for avoiding danger, and in fact, if he’d been able to use that Gift against the monster in the Pit, at the same time as he hurled mana Discs left and right, the monster wouldn’t have been able to touch him.
But it had worked against Rorke because that Card fighter didn’t have a strong defense of his own.
But maybe some of Dax’s other Gifts would have got the job done.
Enlargio, perhaps, especially when paired with his Level Up Card. Or the Vines of Binding. The Crimson Warg had managed to fight its way free of Dax’s Vines, but again, that was before Dax had used his Level Up Card in conjunction.
And even though it didn’t feel right using such a dangerous Gift in a Card fight, Dax was sure that his mana Discs would have turned the tide his way.
Dax nodded. “I can beat him,” he said.
Jynn studied him for a moment, as if trying to decide if he was telling the truth. Finally, he nodded.
“Well, I guess I have some work to do, to place a few bets. But I warn you — I’m unlikely to be able to get the same sort of odds as last time. I might get two or three to one, if this Gorn is as strong as you say, but no more than that.”
“Three to one is still good,” Dax said. “It’ll help pay me back for the cost of that potion.”
At this, Jynn turned his attention to Mira. “That potion,” he said thoughtfully. “Where did you get it from? I didn’t know there was anyone in the Fringe who could make such a thing.”
Mira looked at him. “Who said I got it from someone in the Fringe?”
Jynn wasn’t interested in letting it go. “You went to the outer rings?”
At his words, Torald stiffened and Mira quickly looked in every direction at once.
Jynn got the message. He looked around as well, confirming that no one was paying them any attention. Then he repeated his question, a little more quietly than before.
“Did you?” he asked. “Did you go through the wall?” Everyone knew that he wasn’t talking about the Wall that separated the Fringe from the Pit.
Mira seemed to be regretting that she’d said anything. “It was all I could think of,” she said. “Would you have preferred that I didn’t?”
“Of course not!” Jynn said. “It’s just — that was a risk.”
“And one I would take again, if the circumstances demanded,” Mira said.
At this, Jynn studied the leather-clad woman closely. He gave a slow nod, as if understanding for the first time what taking such a risk meant.
If Jynn had any doubts about Mira’s loyalty to Dax, then those doubts were quickly fading. But instead of saying anything about it, the gambler abruptly changed the topic of the conversation.
“Right. Well, time is moving on. I’d best get on with it.”
“You’re going to the bookmakers?” Dax asked. “I’ll come with you.”
Mira and Torald had no interest in speaking with the bookmakers. They did, however, hand over a small pile of coins for Dax and Jynn to bet on their behalf, and then the two groups went their separate ways.
But instead of looking for opportunities to make bets right away, Dax talked his friend into joining him in the tunnels beneath the city, in the same place Dax had first tried out his Card.
He wanted to find a Gift that might aid him against Gorn, and at the same time, he wanted to see if he could level up his Card again as well. And he knew that if he left it too late, his Level Up Card might not have time to refresh before the match.
Jynn was willing to go along with what Dax wanted. Together, they made their way to the chamber with the scorch mark on the wall. Jynn was carrying the lantern, and it had taken a few minutes for Dax’s eyes to get used to the flickering light.
But now that they had, he found himself breathing in the cool, slightly stale air of the tunnels.
He felt safe down here, away from the prying eyes of tens of thousands of casteless people within the Fringe up above. Like he could do anything he wanted without any risk of being observed, questioned, or stopped.
Jynn stepped away from Dax to give him some space and hunkered down next to a wall. “Okay, let’s see what your Card gives you this time,” he said.
“Activate Level Up,” Dax said. Then, “Activate Wild Card.”
As was almost a pattern, the first activation gave Dax a Gift that was next to useless.
But it was colorful. Dax could create pigments in the air, and use them to form images that were more substantial than the illusions that the Illusionist-Minstrel had created.
Dax didn’t immediately dismiss that Gift, but played with it for a few moments, creating colors at random that hung in the air.
“Cool,” said Jynn.
Dax agreed, but used his hand to wipe the pigments away anyway, and activated his Wild Card again.
It took three more activations before his Wild Card leveled up.
As before, he received a notification:
Congratulations! You have reached Level III of your Wild Card!
At Level III, you are more likely to receive Uncommon Gifts upon each activation. The refresh rate will be significantly shorter, and for those Gifts that come with a timer, the length of time during which they operate will be increased. In addition, at Level III, you will have more influence over the types of Gifts you receive.
Chapter fifty-seven
As far as Dax could remember, it was almost the same message he’d received the last time he’d leveled up.
Dax grinned at his friend and told him what had happened.
“You know, that might be another advantage of a Card that has no limit to the number of times you can activate it. You can level up faster,” Jynn observed.
Dax nodded. It was something he’d considered as well. And for him, it was unquestionably an advantage.
But Mira’s Stone Golem Card was much the same, its limitation being the fierce woman’s mana reserves.
It seemed to Dax that Mira had improved her mana situation by a considerable margin already. But if she hadn’t been able to do so, would leveling up the Stone Golem Card be the right thing to do? At a higher level, it would no doubt drain her mana more swiftly.
Not that it mattered much to Dax. His mana levels were still up to the task, and he still had some mana crystals in his possession should he need them. He should be good on that front for some time to come.
“Activate Wild Card,” he said again.
Ogre
Level II Rare (Transformation)
Transform into an ogre at will, for a total duration of fifteen minutes. Refresh rate three hours.
Dax blinked in the flickering light.
“You have something?” Jynn asked.
“I think so,” Dax said. As had been happening more and more often, this Gift came with a mental start button. At the moment, Dax was still himself.
“Well? Can I see it?”
The Ogre Gift would last for fifteen minutes. Even if Dax used all that time now, it would refresh in time for the fight. There was no reason not to show Jynn.
“Okay. Here,” he said. Then Dax hesitated. He had no idea how big this transformation was going to make him. “Um, stay back,” he added.
Jynn was still hunkered down next to the wall. He looked around, as if wondering how much further he should move, and Dax decided to just go for it. He hit the button in his mind, and within the space of two heartbeats, everything about him had changed.
“Wow,” said Jynn, his eyes wide open.
“How do I look?” Dax rumbled, unable to keep himself from grinning even in his Ogre form.
“You look… wow,” Jynn repeated.
Dax laughed out loud. He did his best to look down at himself and realized he was huge. He felt strong as well, and heavy, as if he had put on several hundred pounds of Ogre flesh all at once.
He wondered if this was what Mira felt like, and Kragen before her, when she transformed into a Stone Golem.
He felt like he could crush rocks in his bare hands.
For no reason other than to test his new strength, Dax approached the wall of the chamber, away from where Jynn was watching. He swung a casual fist at the wall, putting in maybe half his strength, and jumped back in surprise as the stone crumbled.
Jynn yelped and raised his hands to protect himself from the shower of dust and debris that rained down from the ceiling. Dax waited until he was sure that the entire tunnel wasn’t going to collapse.
Then he turned back into his usual self so as not to run down the time for this Gift.
Jynn was staring at him. “Don’t do that again,” he said.
Dax laughed. “So, what do you think? Who wins out of a fight between a berserker with Iron Skin and an Ogre?”
“I don’t know.” Jynn was clearly giving the question some serious thought. “You’re very strong in your Ogre form. What about durability?”
Dax looked at his hand. “I could punch stone walls all day and not even feel it,” he said.
“Seriously?” Jynn asked, and Dax nodded.
“In that case, yeah, I’ll be placing my bets on you.”
“Good,” Dax said. “Shall we get to it, then?”
“Yeah,” Jynn agreed. He pulled himself up from his spot against the wall and dusted himself off before picking up his belongings.
“Did you know that your Ogre form has horns?” he asked.
***
As Dax and Jynn visited several bookmakers to place their bets, they began talking about what Mira had said about finding a dedicated defense-oriented Card to go with Dax’s Wild Card.
The gambler mused speculatively. “Mira hasn’t seen your Ogre form,” he said. “I would say that’s defensive enough. As well as being offensive like crazy.”
Dax was mulling it over. “Yes, but what about when I don’t have this particular Gift?” he said.
Jynn conceded the point. “Yeah, maybe Mira is right. We can’t really have you losing your hands all the time, can we?”
Try as he might, Dax couldn’t laugh that particular jibe away. So instead, he changed the subject.
“I thought we might stumble across Cards in a moneylender’s collection, or that of a merchant. But so far, there has been nothing.”
“So you’re wondering where you might find your defensive Card,” Jynn said. Dax was acutely aware that he wasn’t the only one on the lookout for Cards anymore. Jynn had voiced an interest in getting one as well. Yet his friend hadn’t mentioned that at all. He was just focused on Dax’s problem.
“Something like that, yeah.”
Jynn sighed. “And it’s probably not a good idea to go hunting Card fighters, like we did with Kragen,” the gambler said.
Dax nodded.
Jynn looked at him. “Maybe you can get a Gift of some sort that would help? Like that scrying one we used to steal from the merchant.”
Dax nodded, but he wasn’t hopeful. “Maybe,” he said. “But the more I use my Wild Card to fight, the more it seems that the Gifts I get reflect that.”
“What, like your pigment-producing one?” Jynn replied.
Dax grinned. “Fair comment,” he said. “But I still think I’m right. It’s like there are Gifts that my Card wants to give, and others that it just kind of doesn’t. Like, it wouldn’t give me a healing gift no matter how many times I tried.”
This time, Jynn was nodding his head. “So what you’re saying is we might have to find another way.”
It was Dax’s turn to nod.
“Okay. I’ll put some thought into it,” Jynn said. “In the meantime, let’s go talk to the bookmaker here.”
Chapter fifty-eight
With about two hours to go before the fight was scheduled, Jynn was done placing bets. He’d done perhaps a little better in terms of the odds than he predicted, getting an average of about three to one. Dax was more than happy with that, and Jynn tucked the last of his markers away.
“Now, all you have to do is win and we will be golden,” Jynn said.
With that thought in mind, they headed to an open space near the river, not far from where the bout was to take place. Dax spent much of the remaining time practicing the techniques Mira had taught him.
With Jynn standing by, Dax practiced each block, each punch and kick, and each dodge from various phases of combat, working himself up to a light sweat.
Jynn was watching him more closely than usual, but it wasn’t until he was done that Dax understood why.
“How are you feeling?” the gambler asked. “Not too tired? And what about your arm?”
Dax grinned. “You’re worried that I might not have fully recovered?” Dax asked, and Jynn gave a quick nod in response.
“From the sounds of things, you nearly died,” Jynn said. “Something like that — it wouldn’t be a surprise if you were to take more than a single day to get better. I mean, this isn’t the same as a hangover, is it?”
“No, I guess not. But I feel fine. If anything, I feel stronger than before. It’s like the elixir did more than just heal me.”
Jynn seemed happy with Dax’s answer, and together they made their way to the old Reservoir where the fight was to be held.
The Reservoir was a circular structure that had once held significant amounts of the river’s water, as a backup for when the river ran dry. But a long time ago, the river’s course had changed, and the Reservoir had been dry ever since.
It was an area about as big as the Courtyard, a large hole dug into the ground to a depth of about twenty feet, its walls lined with wood and tar.
There was a distinct smell of tar mixed with rot even now, after so many years since it had held any water, and Dax suspected that this odor was why the people of the Fringe hadn’t built inside it, erecting their shelters and shops as they’d done in most other parts of the Fringe.
But that didn’t mean it was still fit for holding water. Some of the wood had been scavenged, and Fringe dwellers over the years had carved multiple stairways down to the reservoir floor.
By the time Dax and Jynn made their way down, with Dax wearing his mask, there was already a decent crowd. With about half an hour to go before Dax’s fight, they hadn’t just gathered to watch Dax and Gorn. Unlike the fight against Rorke, there was more than just a single event taking place.
On the raised, circular stage in the middle, a group of six men were doing all they could to pummel one another with their fists, feet, and anything else they could think of.
Dax paused to watch and saw at a glance that none of them had any formal training, and none appeared to have any Cards. The crowd was enjoying the spectacle regardless, cheering and clapping when one or another competitor landed a solid blow.
“Now what?” Jynn asked.
“I guess we find the organizer and let them know I’m here,” Dax replied.
The two of them looked around briefly, but it wasn’t the organizer Dax spotted first, but Gorn himself. The powerfully built man stood head and shoulders above most of the others in the crowd and was surrounded by a small number of followers.
Dax made a quick decision, then said to Jynn, “This way.”
He didn’t give his friend the chance to argue, instead just making his way to the other Card fighter.
Gorn’s entourage saw them coming and stood in Dax’s way before he could get close. They each wore the insignia of the Bronze Talons, marking them as part of Gorn’s Faction.
The heavyset man who blocked Dax’s approach showed more curiosity than hostility.
“Who are you?” he asked. Dax decided that his usual approach would be best.
He gave the man a broad grin. “I’m Dax. It’s me your man here will be fighting today.”
At this, the heavyset man’s eyebrows rose high on his forehead. He returned Dax’s grin with one of his own.
“Are you now? And what is your purpose for being here at this moment?”
“Just thought I’d introduce myself. Nothing more than that.”
The heavyset man nodded. “Well, I have to admit, we’ve all been wondering who you are.”
He turned toward the towering figure of Gorn, who was wearing a large robe that covered his torso but left his face visible.
