Source & Soul: A Deckbuilding LitRPG

I awoke with a slight headache, but otherwise refreshed and clear-eyed, none of the invasive visions I had experienced the night before clouding my sight. I was relieved, but also rather surprised that the Tears of Les hadn’t left me worse for wear, especially after how thoroughly I had been in its grip. I couldn’t believe that I had meandered around the Colosseum in such a state and then hidden under a staircase, of all places! I shook my head ruefully at the hazy memory. I knew that quality wines were less prone to leave one with a hangover – like the empty bottle that sat on the coffee table beside me – and perhaps the same was true of higher end drugs. Hull had called it fancy, after all. Speaking of, I propped myself up on the couch where I lay and looked around, but I didn’t see my savior. A shame that, since after the kindness Hull had shown, caring for me while I acted like an infant and then gifting me an Epic card from his personal winnings, I would have loved the opportunity to thank him again.

I still held the Spell, having clutched it while I slept apparently, and I laid back down, lifting it above my head. The sunlight through the window caught its ruby edge, making it glisten beautifully, and I let out a contented sigh.

The card was marvelous, not only because of its staggering value but also its synergy with my deck. My Assassins or Headsman or an empowered Condor attacking twice? That could be a match-winning move. And if I combined that with my other plans… I got up, invigorated by the possibilities of the day ahead, barely even noticing the headache anymore.

I straightened my room, picking up and organizing. As I did, I found myself pausing every now and then, recollections floating back to me from the night prior, like the overwhelming certainty that the furniture was moving out of the corner of my eye, preparing to pounce when I looked away, or later, the many mouths that had sprouted from the walls and how the flat surface seemed to bulge closer so they could consume me. It was obvious now that such things had been just fanciful imaginings, part of an unpleasant evening I would never, ever put myself through again.

Yet, the experience had also contained a brilliant silver lining that in my distraught and distracted state I’d overlooked: I had seen my Soul at Rare, which, if the Tears could be believed, meant that Warrick was wrong – I would complete the advancement I had started.

The image had been the first hallucination I had encountered; everything else had come later and were, I supposed, the aftereffects of the drug. The powder had dissolved on my tongue, and when nothing initially happened, I did some chores, waiting for the Tears to do their work. While dusting the mirror, I’d realized that the me staring back had golden flecked eyes, not the silver I currently possessed. The longer I looked, people started appearing at my side, and I knew them to be dead Souls because within the center of each was a card. More and more came to stand around me, but eventually, I had to blink, and when I did the mirror’s reflection was back to normal. It was then I swore that the walls and ceiling were tilting inward, ready to collapse, so I hurried out of my room to avoid being crushed. Once outside, it came to me that if I found a different mirror or reflective surface, I might see myself at Epic or beyond, but that, of course, hadn’t come to pass.

Stepping from my room now, I didn’t feel that same need anymore. Rare was enough for the moment, and as for the future beyond that… well, it was easier to have hope after seeing the early morning light and feeling the breeze brush past me in the open air hall, ruffling my clothes like an old friend.

I went to see Hull first, but my knocks on the door were met with no answer. Either he was already gone or deep in slumber. It was still quite early, so I took a risk, slipped a thank you note along with a little gift of my own under Hull’s door, hoping he would see it before his match against Plutar.

I then headed for the Coliseum's Vault, which contestants were allowed to use to store items of value free of charge. The rest of what Atrea had retrieved for me from home waited there, and it was finally time to make use of the lot. I had been tempted to do so earlier, when I faced Plutar, but in the end, I had trusted my current deck. Against Esmi, though – after seeing her match against Haze – I had come to a simple conclusion: there was absolutely no way that my current combination of cards could best her. My deck was too slow to keep up with her horde of kobolds and my Souls would trade abysmally with hers in the attempt, some dying outright if they tried to attack her directly.

Also, having seen my whole deck, Esmi could play with that information in mind, letting her make more optimal choices. I didn’t think that had been her plan when she asked to look through my Mind Home, and in fairness, I knew most of hers after spectating the match, but I saw no reason to let her keep the advantage if it could be avoided.

The Vault was in the lower portion of the Colosseum, the bulk of the structure hidden behind a thick wall. Windows dotted the wall at even intervals, each fitted with iron bars that uniformed workers waited behind. Due to the early hour, only three of the twelve openings were manned, and only one other customer was present, the woman already being helped.

An elderly gentleman sat on a stool behind the window closest to me and waved me forward.

“Thank you,” I said when I stood in front of him. “Here you are.” I slipped a brass token through the bars, which I had received when dropping off my possessions. It was hexagonal in shape and had a series of markings scratched onto it I couldn’t decipher.

He inspected it, the writing obviously meaning more to him than me, and then looked up. “And what are you withdrawing?”

“A grimoire and an artifact, if you please.”

***

“You’re using it now? Against me?” Esmi said.

We were standing on the platform for our duel, closer than would be allowed when the match proper began. She was staring at the Water fabricator around my left arm, eyes wide with disbelief.

“Are you angry?” I asked, touching the sapphires of the gauntlet with my off hand subconsciously. Despite my assurances to Hull last night, I was a bit concerned that Esmi might take offense to my timing on the use of her gift.

Then she let out a delighted laugh. “Not at all.” And the way she said it made me believe her completely. “I love it, in fact. I want this to be the best duel we can have.”

The announcer told us to take our positions, and as Esmi turned to go, I spoke up. “Good Fortune to you.” I hadn’t wished any of my competitors luck in the past, but Esmi wasn’t just anyone.

She smiled back at me. “The same to you.”

When we were the proper distance apart, the announcer summoned the Dueling Dome and led the crowd through the usual refrain – there seemed to be more people present then either of the previous two days, the stands overflowing, not a single free seat or step to be seen. Our ante’s were pulled from our Mind Homes: a Condor for me and a Spell from her I had seen shredded for damage in her match against Haze, but not used.

And then it was time to draw. Now that I was playing three different Sources, I was tempted to pull three at the start, but after a moment's hesitation, I went with my standard two Source, three Summon opening. I stared down at the hand Fortune had given me, both elated and concerned. I had gotten some of the key cards I thought I would need to have a chance of besting Esmi: Ice Armor for protection; Ice Arrows to stop her initial onslaught of Souls, similar to the way Plutar had used Fireball against me; and a Greater Elemental for defense and to hopefully power future Water summons.

The trouble was, the Source I had drawn was one Air and one Order. With a quick prayer to the male Twin, I mulliganed both Source, and he must have heard me, because I drew one of Water and one of Order this time around. I sighed in relief; the match had almost been over before it began.

Next was the opening gambit, and again, I was faced with a difficult choice. Esmi would very likely play Fire Source if she could since, as far as I could tell, all her cards required it. If I played Water, that would put our Source in opposition, giving us each the opportunity to bring out another of the same Source if we had it. I, of course, did not, and the thought of Esmi having two Fire and going first, since Fire was faster than Water, was a terrifying prospect. So, though it weakened my ability to react, I summoned my Order Source above my head, and sure enough, a ball of Fire drifted up over her, burning brightly.

Perhaps she won’t have much to play, I dared hope, but no sooner had the thought passed through my mind than her Source dulled and drooped, fully devoted, bringing out the exact combination I had been fearing: a Kobold Fighter, and with its ability, a Cold Blooded Kobold.

Predictably the pair came charging forward the moment they stepped into being, the flickering aura of flame around their chests from Esmi’s personal ability meaning they would hit for a combined 6 damage. I vehemently wished now that I had played the Water Source at the start, extra Source for her be damned, so I could destroy both with my Ice Arrows. Unfortunately, that was no longer an option, so, with the deepest of regrets, I loosed my Rare from hand to stop them.

The force of the blocking card’s shard explosion blew both kobolds back, the Cold Blooded going to one knee since it had devoted to attack, while the Warrior only looked winded, its Bloodlust ability meaning it would be ready to strike me again the very next turn.

The announcer was saying something, but it was Esmi’s voice I heard. “What a card,” she called. “Your mother knows how to collect.”

“I would rather it had made it onto the field,” I called back.

Esmi shrugged. “Better than losing a quarter of your deck.”

I looked down at my cards and then up at her Souls that were recovering. “You know what? I’ve decided that your Kobold Fighter is much too good. A petty opponent might even say unfair.”

She smiled. “Why do you think I have three of them?”

The pressure on my mind released, distracting me from making a witty retort, and I drew a Condor plus – I practically vibrated with excitement – another Water Source, the only other in my Source deck since the fabricator only provided me two.

I released one of the Water Sources, and a teal-colored bubbling ball of liquid joined my porcelain Order Source, hovering in the air. I could destroy both kobolds now, but only one would be able to attack me next turn, and the sooner I used my Armor, the more value I would get from it. So, I used both Sources to play my Relic. The calming sensation of the focused Order was familiar, but for the first time in my life, I felt the rush of Water from devoting the Source ball: it swirled through me, flowing from one part of my body to the next in a way that left me feeling connected from my toes to ears to fingertips, powering the card I held.

Unlike the Helmet, which appeared before me, the Armor coalesced around my upper body and arms. It was heavier than my usual Scalemail, noticeably so, but it was a burden I could manage. There was also a pleasant coolness to the suit, and seeing its hardened edges and softly glowing blue light in the periphery of my vision made me feel protected, indestructible even.

While I was marveling at my new Relic, Esmi was drawing cards and playing another Fire Source, which she devoted like the first to play a regular kobold. The tiny creature blinked with big eyes, and I could almost see why Esmi called them cute.

That and the Fighter isn’t so bad. And then the pair was joined by a third.

“Really?” I said loud enough for her to hear. “Another one already?”

She smiled again, looking mischievous. “I have three of them, too.”

The kobolds came at me while the fourth watched from where it recovered. With Esmi’s ability, the trio would be hitting me for a staggering 8 damage.

I blocked 1 of it with my Condor from hand, and the thick Armor turned aside another, but their vicious claws bled 6 more from me. I always hated losing any cards, but four of them were particularly painful to see go in the veritable cloud of shards that came from my body.

I had thought to use the Spawning Pool to match her Soul creation, and Equality was one of my only board clears – incredibly important against a deck like hers. Also, to not have a chance to use my newest card stung and then to lose my other Epic, too… My strategy to win was going to tatters, literally vanishing in the air around me.

“Oh my!” Esmi cried, hands to her face, having seen what I had just lost.

The only consolation I could take from the exchange was that her three attacking kobolds were now encased in ice, which meant I wouldn’t need to worry about them next turn. Of course, two of them would have been devoted anyway, attacking after having just been summoned. Perhaps Ice Armor wasn’t quite as good in practice as I had always thought in theory.

I desperately needed defense, so I drew two Summon cards, getting another Equality and Condor. I was so glad I had a second Equality in my deck now, which was what I had traded the Epic I had won off Plutar for: a Rare and more coins than I had ever possessed – the bulk of which I had also stored in the Colosseum’s Vault.

I played my second Water Source and was tempted to bring out the Condor, but I wasn’t going to make the same mistake for a third time in a row. Instead I simply waited, ready to cast Ice Arrows and hopefully set up Equality, which was the only way I could see myself winning at this point. It was a tricky balance. While the icons on Water were helpful for defense, they kept forcing me to devote my Sources, strangling my ability to use more cards.

Esmi brought out an Order source, focusing it and a Fire to summon a familiar face.

I’m going to lose on turn 3, I thought with a hysteric chuckle. However, I perked up when she didn’t summon another kobold with its ability and sent it along with the newly recovered Cold Blooded Kobold at me. Two kobolds? I could handle two kobolds.

I devoted my one ready Water source to cast Ice Arrows, spears of ice slamming into both creatures, turning them each into a satisfying spray of card shards.

“Good play!” Esmi called to me.

“Thank you! I figured I should put up at least a bit of a fight.”

I drew an Air Source – “Egad,” I sighed – and then a Summon card which gave me a dash of hope.

This beautiful Troglodyte should let me remove two cards for the price of one, which was exactly what I needed right now. Actually, if I went all in… I considered the possibility a moment longer and then decided to throw caution to the wind before Esmi could act again. I devoted my Air and Order Source, playing my Condor. Then I devoted my Water Source and played the Dart Thrower.

At my direction, the troglodyte threw a spear at the Fighter, who was just starting to thaw, impaling it. Before the kobold could expire, the Condor swooped over, gobbling up the smaller creature.

“That is entirely uncalled for!” Esmi called, sounding more cross than she had been about the fabricator.

“But see how good he looks now?” I replied, pointing at the Condor’s feathers, which had noticeably more volume and luster. “A few more, and he would be fancy enough to dine at Obu.”

Esmi sniffed loudly, but I knew there was no real issue. Even though the Fighter had turned to shards inside the Condor, the card would still return to her Mind Home eventually. I was also finally on even footing with her: two Souls against two Souls, and mine stronger than hers. True, a peek into my own Mind Home showed only 7 cards remaining, but with my lone card in hand being Equality, I had a response if she found a way to drastically outnumber me again.

I might actually win this.

Esmi played another Order Source, giving her four at the ready compared to my three devoted and one focused Source.

“Feel free to do nothing,” I called to her. “I won’t mind.”

“Oh, what fun would that be?” she said with a devilish look. She then used most of her Source to summon what was, as far as I knew, her biggest Soul.

The Giant Kobold was true to its name, taller than my Condor or either of us and thick with muscle. Some of its scales had turned into what looked like plating, giving me no doubt about the Armor its card said it possessed. Its Intervene was a defensive trait though, and if she kept it back to make use of it, that would be fine by me.

With a bellow, it along with the now free Kobold and Cold Blooded Kobold came pelting toward me. I let out a small laugh at the sight; I should have known Esmi wouldn’t give me room to breathe. Quickly, I considered my options: I could easily stop the two smaller Fire Souls and buff my Carrion Condor in the process. But the Giant Kobold would hit me for 5, Esmi’s ability and my Armor canceling each other out. Also, the devotion effect of my armor wouldn’t matter since the Giant was already devoting to attack me the turn it was summoned.

Wishing I had a better choice, I sent the Carrion Condor to block the Cold Blooded and the Troglodyte to block the Giant. The Condor took 3 damage from the Kobold it fought, leaving it with 1, but it gave as good as it got, doing 3 in return. However, when the Kobold slumped to the ground, it didn’t expire, the Albino’s ability keeping its body on the field. Sure enough, the Giant bellowed again, lumbering over and actually picking the dead body up and hurling at me. The corpse struck me for 1 damage, but thankfully it ricocheted off of my Armor, having no effect. My Troglodyte leapt onto the Epic Kobold while it was distracted, getting 1 damage past the Soul’s armor, but then the Giant caught the Troglodyte in an oversized hand, crushing it into shards with a single squeeze. This left the Regular Kobold still hitting me, which did 1 damage past my Armor thanks to Esmi’s ability, and I didn’t want to lose my Equality in hand, so I sacrificed a card from my Mind Home, appearing briefly to me as it shattered.

I groaned; I had hoped the Shaman would last through a few blockers with its regenerate ability, but at least the Kobold that had struck me was devoted again, its body covered once more in ice.

I only had 6 cards left in my deck. I could answer what was on the field with Equality, but that didn’t give me a way to win. I needed another Order Source to even be able to cast Equality, though, so I drew one of each Source and Summon, getting the Order I needed – Hurrah! – and an elemental.

My plan had been to use Source generating cards like this to assist me in summoning the Greater Water Elemental, which in turn would have let me summon the Sea Titan, destroying Esmi’s kobolds on its arrival and maybe even winning me the game straight out. If not, Microburst would have let me attack with the huge, Epic Soul twice, which surely would have done the trick. Those heavy hitter cards were long gone, but this little elemental could still serve as a blocker on the field and a way to help me power my remaining, smaller Water cards. Esmi’s two remaining kobolds were currently both devoted, but she would almost certainly summon more on her next turn.

I devoted my one ready Water Source to bring the new Soul into play, the Elemental spinning into existence, a flowing twist of water that stood three feet high and bobbed there, arms waving around it like it was floating in the air. Part of me wanted to attack Esmi with my Condor, which – due to Fire’s weak defense – would likely strip 2, maybe 3 cards from her hand. But then I’d have just a single blocker, an Equality in hand I dare not use to defend with, and only 5 cards in my Mind Home separating me from losing. So, though it pained me, I didn’t act further.

“You should have attacked,” Esmi called in a sing-song voice, as she drew her cards and played another Order Source.

“Maybe…” I replied, and then I saw her devote everything she had available, one Fire and two Order Source, and ‘maybe’ went to a definite ‘yes.’ Or did it? If she summoned multiple Souls, I needed multiple blockers. But if I had attacked, she might not have had those Souls to summon.

While I was wrestling with my past decision, I watched part of the fire and light that swirled around her hand of cards disappear, as a new Soul came into play, one I immediately recognized that had ruined Haze’s day in her match with the bruiser.

No sooner had I seen the card text due to the magic of the Dueling Dome, then the kobold appeared at my side, looking up at me.

“Don’t you even think about it,” I said, trying to pull away.

But the Treasure Hunter was too fast, its cat-like eyes gleaming as a clawed hand touched my armor in a place that didn’t leave the kobold frozen. Instead, the Ice Armor unlatched and fell off of me in two halves, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. I glanced down, wanting to grab the armor to put it back on, but again, the Treasure Hunter outpaced me, grabbing the Relic in its arms and dashing away, my wants no match for its Fated ability.

The kobold covered the distance quickly and then with care, put the armor around Esmi, fitting it onto her.

“It’s not fair that it looks better on you than me,” I called.

She gave me a smile as she manipulated the Source that was still available to her, “Flattery will get you everywhere, Basil, but not during a match.”

Then she cast a spell I hadn’t seen her use in her last match.

With fiery energy, the three kobolds on the field leapt upon my poor, wounded Condor, tearing it apart until only the twinkle of card dust remained. The Treasure Hunter dashed through the sparkling air that came from the bird’s passing, sprinting to attack me. I had the Water Elemental block it, and the two of them grappled, the kobold stabbing at the being of liquid with a short spear, while the Elemental shot close ranged blasts of water from its limbs so strong, flesh stripped off the kobold’s face. The Treasure Hunter collapsed with a death cry, its last attack shattering the Elemental.

And then the Giant Kobold was there, picking up its fallen comrade and hurling the body at me from close range. Without my armor to stop it, the force of the unconventional attack pushed me back a step and a card from my Mind Home was blown away.

Yet another one whose effect I had hoped to use to summon something larger. I could see the errors in my plan now that I was actually playing it instead of just spinning possibilities in my mind, but it wasn’t as if I could ask for the duel to be restarted now that I knew better, so I soldiered onward. I had at least survived another turn and was desperately glad that Esmi hadn’t possessed enough Source to trigger the Overkill effect of her Spell, especially since I was now bereft of my armor.

With four Source at the ready, two Order, one Air, and one Water, I decided to draw both cards from my Summon deck, to have more options for play and defense. What I got was actually quite good, copies of the most effective cards I’d played in the match so far: Ice Arrows and the Troglodyte Dart Thrower.

With them in hand, I decided that it was finally time to use my Equality; I needed to get rid of that Giant Kobold and this was the only way available to me. It was one of the reasons I had blocked with my Elemental, to ensure that I had an empty board, so all of her Souls would be removed by the Spell. With a thought, I devoted my two Order and one Air Source, my Rare vanishing out of my hand and coming into existence.

With a rumble that filled the air, a giant set of scales rose up from the ground between us. The kobolds on the field were caught in the base of one of the two wide, golden plates, while the other plate remained empty since I currently had no Souls on the field. As the scales lifted into the air gaining more distance from the ground, the far plate dipped, having more weight, the scales tilting from their fulcrum in that direction. There was a loud gong and the kobolds shattered into shards. The far plate, now empty, rose until it matched the height of the plate closer to me. Having equalled itself, the scales also vanished, the Spell complete.

I stared up at where the thirty foot tall scales had been, and I heard the muted crowd roaring at the spectacle I had just provided. I had only gotten to cast the Rare Spell in actual matches a few times before, and it was truly a sight to behold.

Looking back down at Esmi, she was all focus, already with another card in hand and a Fire Source above her, giving her three at the ready. I still had a Water Source available, and my fingers slid over to the Ice Arrows, sure that I would need to cast it to survive another round.

Her Sources dimmed and two more Souls came onto the field. One was her last Fighter, which I could handle, and the other was a card I recognized from her ante against Haze.

With a howl, both came sprinting at me, and I knew it was the end.

“Nooo!” I cried back, despairing at the Spitfire’s 2 health. “I was just starting to stabilize.”

I went ahead and played it out, casting Ice Arrows, which blasted the Fighter off its feet and stopping the ridiculous 4 damage it was going to do to me. Sadly, the other arrow wasn’t enough to take out the Spitfire, who stabbed me for 3. I blocked with the Troglodyte from hand, but it only stopped 1 damage, the other 2 plowing into me, ripping my last cards from my Mind Home, another Dart Thrower and Lesser Elemental, leaving me empty, both inside and on the board. Also, unlike a Fire Source user, none of my Sources could do any damage to her, which meant that the match was well and truly over. Taking my turn when I could do nothing would be a poor way to finish the match.

“I concede!” I said, loud and clear. Then I started clapping for Esmi, and the crowd joined me with gusto, the sound of them much louder when the commentator brought the Dueling Dome down. She had done an incredible job.

A felt a pull and slight pop from the side of my head, and a card zipped from me – a Carrion Condor, which had been up for ante – and Esmi grabbed it from the air. Holding it, she walked toward me, and I matched her pace to meet her halfway.

“That was an excellent fight,” I said when I reached her. “Well, not really. You absolutely slaughtered me.”

She smiled, ducking her chin in a way that looked pleased but also shy. “I did, didn’t I?”

I laughed at the sight. “Please! I didn’t land a single point of damage on you the entire time.”

“You could have if you’d attacked with that Condor. Speaking of…” She lifted the card she held. “I hear those of noble heart return the ante to opponents they truly respect.”

“No, no,” I said, waving her away and feeling a blush come to cheeks. “It’s all right. Fortune was kind to me that it was only an Uncommon. You deserve it.”

Esmi crossed her arms and tapped the edge of the card to her lips. “Hmm. We’ll see.”

“I made so many misplays,” I confided. “Not to mention completely botching my new deck construction.”

“Now, Basil, don’t get too down on yourself.”

“Oh no, that’s not what I meant at all. I learned so much by playing against your deck. Thank you. It was an invaluable opportunity.”

Esmi paused, considering me. “No one’s ever said that after losing to me. And I’ve beaten a lot of duelists.”

“How could they not?” I asked, honestly perplexed. “Your deck is so well tuned, with multiple synergies. Not to mention the strength your personal ability gives it. I can’t even imagine the work you had to go through to receive such a blessing from the Twins. It’s inspiring, honestly, how good you are –”

She moved before I could react, kissing me, her lips pressing into mine. The contact was soft, warm, and wonderful.

Esmi pulled away. “You were saying?”

When I got my breath back, I answered, “Whatever I must to make that happen again.”

She frowned at me, ever so slightly. “Basil, you do realize that you can make it happen again, don’t you?”

I didn’t know what she meant, and then, like inspiration from the Gods, I knew exactly what she meant. Cupping her face in my hands like I had seen couples do in the park, I kissed her. The onlookers cheered and whistled, but with an effort borne of Air, I ignored them. This kiss was even more magical than the first, and in that perfect moment, I didn’t feel like I had lost a match in the most important tournament of my life.

I felt like I had won the whole thing.