As Cross started his third turn, 85 Life to his opponents 100 and controlling only his new Narrow Pass zone and full Life Harbinger of Discord, to his opponents empowered Templar Swordsman and Castle of the Round Table.
On paper, not too bad aside from the Life.
In practise, his Harbinger couldn't even half the Life of his opponents, which would likely be traded out for a higher level fighter next turn anyway, wasting his attack.
Not to mention that, unless he played another fighter, he would end up taking another direct attack, while any fighter he did play would just waste the levels, lacking any way to keep it alive against the Swordsman next turn given the relative power of the level 2 fighters in his deck to that of the Swordsman.
There was no real choice, he was just going to have to eat the damage, save up levels for a stronger fighter.
“Harbinger of Discord, attack Templar Swordsman!”
The distortion that marked a Harbingers attack struck the fighter, dropping it to 7 Life.
“And-”
Cross hesitated, looking properly at one of the cards in his hand.
“One face down, undeclared. Turn end.”
“Saving up to try and finish my Templar, or the next of my knights,” Hester asked conversationally as she drew her next card, before pursing her lips as she checked it.
“Not ideal, but I can still make it work. I summon Hospitaller Squire,” she declared, placing the card on her back row.
Hospitaller Squire
Atk: 2 Def: 6 Life: 13 Level: 2
Passive effect: this card is treated as a ‘Knight’ by effects
Activation cost: either discard one ‘Hospitaller’ card or any two cards from your hand
Activated effect: one fighter you control heals 2 Life, then you may restore 2 Life to a ‘Hospitaller’ in play other than this card
The fighter looked similar to the Knights Squire from Hesters first turn, except holding a satchel over his shoulder instead of wielding a sword, and there was a white symbol on his shield.
Was that what a flower was supposed to look like?
“Now, by discarding… these cards,” Hester continued, holding out two cards from her hand with their backs facing Cross before they faded into the discard, “I activate its effect, healing my Swordsman back to 9 Life.”
The Squire approached the Swordsman, laying down his shield and treating him with something from his satchel.
“Even with another turns healing, it doesn't buy your Swordsman another turn against my Harbinger,” Cross noted.
“And doesn't that just make you wish you knew what I had here,” she teased, waving her four card hand gently. “Still, Templar Swordsman, direct attack. And…” she hesitated as Cross had his Life reduced to 74 by the attack, “I activate Crest Shield, equipping to my Hospitaller Squire to increase his Def by 4. Turn end.”
The Squires shield glowed briefly, before forming into a slightly larger and fancier shield bearing the same symbol.
“Draw. I summon my Steampunk Tank,” Cross declared without hesitation. “And it attacks your Templar Swordsman!”
Steampunk Tank
Atk: 20 Def: 28 Life: 8 Level: 4
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“I activate Crest Shields effect,” Hester interrupted. “Once per turn I can use it to halve the damage taken by a fighter who isn't equipped with Crest Shield!”
The cannon shell smashed into and through a barrier from the Squires shield, losing most of its force before striking the Swordsman and reducing it to just 3 Life.
“Harbinger of Discord, attack Templar Swordsman!”
This time the fighter shattered as the distortion struck, leaving Hester to sigh.
“Well, so much for the Heirloom Blade. Just needed the one level 6, but no, the cards were against me.”
“Turn end.”
Hester nodded, picking up her next card.
“I tribute my Hospitaller Squire to summon Mounted Freelancer. Rather than the Hospitaller I was planning,” she added in a quiet mutter as she placed the new card on her front row.
Mounted Freelancer
Atk: 13 Def: 8 Life: 15 Level: 4
Passive effect: this card is always treated as a ‘Knight’ by effects
Condition: this card attacks a fighter under the effects of a ‘Contract’ card
Conditional effect: this card ignores the targets Def for the attack
The fighter was a lightly armoured figure astride what Cross was pretty sure was a horse, a long spear in one hand and a shield upon the other, bearing the symbol of a broken chain.
“Next I activate Bounty Contract: Armed and Dangerous, using my hand as collateral to target Steampunk Tank with its effect.”
The last two cards in her hand vanished as a sheet of parchment appeared behind the Freelancer, marked with the word ‘Wanted’ and bearing an image of the Tank.
“Mounter Freelancer, attack,” Hester ordered, the fighter charging down the Tank and, despite its Def being so much higher than the Freelancers Atk, piercing its shell.
Cross couldn't help flinching back as his fighter was destroyed.
“And with my Contract fulfilled, I recover the cards I staked and draw two more,” Hester declared, glancing at her new hand before just staring.
“Why am I only getting a cross section of my deck,” she demanded of the cards she was holding, before shaking her head. “Oh well, nothing I can do about that. Turn end.”
“Draw.”
This wasn't good.
With that Contract and the Freelancer, as long as she had the cards in her hand, she could ignore his fighters Def, destroying nearly any fighter he could play and then claiming additional cards.
And it wasn't as though he could turn that back on her, lacking any cards that would grow stronger from her hand or lack of deck size in his collection, let alone his deck.
What he did have…
“Summon Water Sprite, and I discard Unstable Behemoth to activate its effect!”
Water Sprite
Atk: 4 Def: 4 Life: 14 Level: 2
Activation cost: discard 1 fighter from your hand
Activated effect: gain Life equal to that fighters Level
The Sprite glowed nearly as soon as it entered play, restoring his Life to 80 as he discarded a fighter he couldn't trust against a player with so many disparate cards.
“Now, Harbinger of Discord, attack Mounted Freelancer!”
The attack barely knocked off 2 Life, dropping the Freelancer to 13 Life.
“Turn end.”
“Interesting choice,” Hester commented as she drew her next card. She paused for a moment with her hand over one of the cards, before moving away.
“Mounted Freelancer, attack Water Sprite, and turn end.”
The Freelancer charged down the Sprite, the strike dealing 9 damage to leave it with 5.
“Draw. I discard Harbinger of Starvation to activate Water Sprites effect,” boosting him back to 88 Life, “before tributing my Water Sprite to summon Martial-arts Scary Mascot.”
Martial-arts Scary Mascot
Atk: 20 Def: 8 Life: 17 Level: 4
Condition: this card is the target for an attack, the first time in a turn
Conditional effect: redirect the attack to another fighter you control that is a valid target for that attack
The Mascot looked the same as always, as it stood next to the Harbinger.
“Now, both of my fighters will attack your Mounted Freelancer!”
The attacks landed, leaving the Freelancer with just 3 Life remaining.
“I play one face down, declared, and end my turn.”
Hester drew a card almost casually, checking it only briefly before turning to another card from her hand.
“I summon Ermine Order Officer of Arms,” she declared, placing the card on her gauntlet.
Ermine Order Officer of Arms
Atk: 17 Def: 8 Life: 8 Level: 4
Passive effect: can be treated as a ‘Knight’ for effects that reference ‘Knight’ cards
On play: you may either add one random equip-type card from your deck to your hand or select three equip-type cards with different names from your deck. If you do, your opponent adds one to their hand at random while you add the other two to your hand
The knight looked different to the previous ones in certain, subtle ways.
Like the fancier armour, a chain marked with some small type of animal and being female under the armour.
“I activate her second effect,” Hester continued, cards flying from the back of her gauntlet to display themselves before her.
She selected three of them quickly, the others returning to her gauntlet as the three shuffled themselves quickly before one of them flew over to join Crosses hand while the other two turned back into regular cards and slipped into Hesters hand.
It was quite exciting for Cross, getting to see what an equip-type card actually was for the first time.
It wasn't what he'd expected.
“What the fuck?”
“Let me guess, you never looked at a cards second page.”
