Source & Soul: A Deckbuilding LitRPG

We all filed into the Advisor’s Hall, the paladins chattering together, the elves following just behind with a more muted, regal air, and the dwarves keeping to themselves as usual. Basil was flitting amongst the various groups, Esmi at his side, a sheaf of folded and wax-sealed papers in hand. He’d handed mine to me during the pairs duel we’d just watched, telling me that if his mother dared snub the people most important to him, he’d very well deliver his own invitations to the Gala. I needed another party full of nobles and hangers-on in my life like I needed the burning itch, but if Basil wanted me there, I couldn’t very well say no.

At first I thought he’d been a fool to challenge Gale to a duel, especially after seeing the elder brother in action during our early exercises and classes, but if it was Esmi’s hand at stake, I saw the need. He’d be a Twins-struck fool if he let that girl go, for more reasons than one. She was everything these nobles were supposed to be but weren’t, not to mention being a hellcat on the field. I’d never been one for romance, but even I could see she was worth fighting for. Doing the thing in front of the gods and everybody at the Gala was exactly the kind of dramatic flair Basil loved; maybe a good fight would make the evening a little less painful.

He was enthusiastically shoving an invite into Afi’s hands as she tried to peel away toward her advisor’s table, but Basil wouldn’t let her escape until she nodded and said something I couldn’t hear. Most of the other students had their stamped and swirly-lettered bit of frippery already; Afi had been one of the duelists on the field. She was paired with the elf girl Ky’reen, and they’d mopped the floor with A’cia and whoever that other dwarf was – I’d never learned his name. Or her name, maybe; it was hard to tell with the Deepkin.

New and upgraded cards were starting to show up on the field across the board as we all scrambled to earn merits, trade favors, and sweet-talk the smiths into better deals. A’cia had a new transforming Life card that she’d almost been able to parlay into a turnaround in the duel, but Afi’s control deck was too much to handle, especially now that she was fielding a matched pair of new Water Souls herself.

A’cia was fighting at a disadvantage, being paired as she was with one of the dwarves. None of them would summon anything but minor Earth cards and never contributed anything to their partners. When I’d asked Harganut whether he had any Depths cards in his deck, he’d pretended to be asleep in his bunk even though he’d been chattering at me about his meditations on stone literally seconds earlier. Edaine was at her wits’ end with them; she’d actually lost her temper and yelled at A’cia’s Deepkin partner when the match ended, demanding whether he would care whether someone died in battle because of his total unconcern with practicing the essentials. Personally, I thought a little anger was long overdue with the Deepkin bunch – they were the worst allies I’d ever heard of. If it were me, I’d have sent them back to their people in disgrace after a week. If the dwarves were bothered by their increasing distance from everyone else, though, they hid it well. Harganut still seemed happy to see me in the evenings, even if I couldn’t make sense out of half of what he said.

And now I have to deal with the worst of the bunch, I thought sourly, heading to the table along the north wall where my advisor Badgou always sat. General Edaine’s outburst had given me a kind of permission – I wasn’t going to put up with this useless lump any more, and she was going to get an earful.

“Ah, Hull,” the dwarf woman said in her rough, accented voice. She had the small grimoire she was always looking through in hand, and as usual, it went back in its box as soon as anyone came close. “Always good to see you, boy. What should we focus on today?”

“How about the fact that we’ve met a dozen times and you haven’t given me a single ounce of useful advice?” I growled, dropping into a chair.

She rapped her knobby knuckles on the wood of the table and chuckled tolerantly. “Oh, let’s not grind down our nubs. We’re laying the foundation like I told you.”

“How long does it take to lay a foundation?” I snapped. “I’ll be old and gray by the time we start making progress.”

“Better a solid deck in your old age than a flawed one that kills you on the battlefield at twenty,” she said, raising her craggy brows. She probably thought she sounded sage, but it only made me want to punch her, no matter that it’d just cost me skinned knuckles.

“And exactly what kind of deck do you think I’ll have during all those years while I wait for this solid deck of yours?” I said, clenching my fists. “I’ll end up dead just like you say, and what good will you have done in the meantime? Look around, Badgou – Esmi’s got three new upgrades and a solid swap, Afi’s done nearly the same, and Basil’s whole deck got an overhaul. Even the paladins have managed an upgrade a piece, and they’re working with set decks. Meanwhile, you and I talk about demon rifts – and Twins, don’t even open your mouth; I haven’t magically stumbled across one in the last three days – and the value of mineralization in Relic formation. Enough! Every time I sit here I wish to Fortune you’ll trip on your way out, break your neck, and I’ll get assigned to someone else. You’re useless!”

Silence descended on the nearby tables. I realized I was on my feet and leaning aggressively over the table at her, and if I hadn’t been yelling, it had been the next best thing. A deep breath brought my old friend rage back to heel, and I sat back down. Badgou still wore a slight smile and folded her hands over her broad stomach.

“If you’ve got more, get it out,” she said blandly.

“I think that covers it,” I said, sitting back down calmly. “But If you think I’m going to say sorry for yelling, don’t hold your breath. Even Edaine is sick of all this mealy-mouthed Deepkin bullshit. Why are you even here?”

“We’re here to help our allies,” she said, sounding serious for once.

“Then maybe try actually helping,” I countered. “Otherwise I’ll spend my advisor time playing in the mud from here on out. It’d be more productive.”

“Hasty upgrades might impress in the short term, but your fellows will be sorry down the road,” Badgou said. “How do they even know what they’ll end up with?”

“Listen, I know exactly what possibilities my cards can produce. My Sucking Void, for instance, can either give me 2 extra turns of protection or remain at 3 turns while only destroying half my deck at Mythic. If you’d ever shut up about minerals and rifts for two seconds, you’d know that already, and we could discuss which would be a better fit for my deck. Oh, but wait: you’ve never seen most of my deck, have you?” The anger was rising again, and I pulled it back with a shake of the head and a quick scoot back from the table. “Never mind. I’ll go ask Edaine to put me with someone else.”

“Hoping for a particular elevation doesn’t make it any more likely,” Badgou said, waving at me to sit back down. “Put your wishes in one hand and your night soil in the other and then see who wants to shake hands.”

I blinked at her. That had the sound of a saying, but I couldn’t quite figure out what she meant by it. “I’m not hoping. Basil can see card elevation paths; it’s his soul ability. We’re working through my deck little by little when he has the time. There are others for the Sucking Void, but those are the two best ones.”

“Fascinating,” she said, a gleam in her eye. Her amused detachment was gone. “And he allows you this information?”

“We’re friends,” I said, feeling a surge of pride. “He’s not a withholding piece of shit, unlike some others I’ve met.”

She nodded, ignoring the insult entirely. “That does change things. Perhaps speed isn’t quite as reckless when you know what’s coming.” She knocked her knuckles on the table again. “All right, then, let’s see the lot if we’re to decide which upgrade would be best.”

Trying to hide a smile, I hurriedly pulled my cards from my Mind Home to lay them on the table as I’d seen the others do. I wasn’t sure exactly what I had said that made the difference, but if she was really going to give my deck a good look, maybe I wouldn’t have to go sniveling after Edaine for a new mentor.

She paused when I had them all laid out. “Where are the others?”

I shrugged. “There aren’t any others.”

Her rocky brows drew down. “Are you telling me that you’re not running a full deck?”

I laughed. “Lady, a few months ago I didn’t have a single card to my name. Am I supposed to feel bad because I’ve only got 18 instead of the full 20?”

She shook her head, looking as close to angry as I’d ever seen her. “You’ll feel bad when those last 2 end up being the difference between winning on the field and dying. You’re supposed to represent the best of humanity’s next generation – you really haven’t been able to scrounge up 2 more cards?”

I felt a prickling under my skin and I gritted my teeth. Whatever I’d expected from Badgou once she finally got off her ass and did something, it wasn’t this. “My strategy is solid. I don’t want to throw any old piece of shit card in there to muddy it up. Besides, Nether cards don’t exactly grow on trees around here.”

“Nether’s easy,” she said, waving a hand dismissively. “I may even have a few laying around.”

I was on my feet again before I knew it, my hands gripping the tables edge till the fingertips went white. “You’ve had Nether cards this whole time?”

“Oh, sit down,” she said irritably. Oddly, I found her less annoying now that she wasn’t stuck in her I-don’t-care, let’s-talk-about-anything affability. “If I’d known you were running light, I’d have said something.”

I lowered myself back into my chair slowly. “You could have, y’know, asked.”

She was busy scanning the cards. “Self-damage and rushing the opponent, with the reflection Relic as the centerpiece. Yes, you have a solid strategy. The Sucking Void is good, yes, but if I were picking, I’d say to focus on the Talisman for elevation first. And you need more protection for your Relics. The Spell Drinker is good against Melts, Rusts, and the like,, but ideally one of those two missing cards should be Relic recovery from discard or some other kind of shield for it.”

I soaked up the information. Her suggestion to focus on the Talisman of Spite first was a good one; I’d need to talk to Basil and Esmi about it. “I haven’t seen anything like that from any of the sellers here. What would you suggest?”

She harrumphed, seemingly deep in thought. “Well, to your original question first, 5 turns of invulnerability will do you more good than reducing the card loss from the Sucking Void, especially with the Vampiric Blade helping you recover your discard. That would be another good focus for upgrades – getting its cost down would make it far more useful.”

I nodded eagerly. Basil and I had already looked at the Blade together, and making it easier to summon was indeed one of the primary things I wanted to do for it. If only she’d acted like this the whole time!

“I’ll have to think on what would be the right thing for more Relic protection,” she continued. “There are some people I could talk to. In the meantime, you need a full 20. Immediately. Edaine should be ashamed of herself for letting one of you run around without a complete deck.”

Several acid replies leapt to mind on that one, but she was pulling her grimoire out of its box, so I bit my tongue. Is she going to gift me some cards?

She looked up from her book of cards with a gimlet eye. “How many merits have you got?”

My expectations came crashing back to reality. “Uh, nine.” Edaine had gotten stingier with them lately.

Badgou sucked air through her pebbled teeth as she flipped through the book, angling it up so I couldn’t see what she was looking at. “Demon pickings have been poor lately,” she said.

“I thought you told me Nether was easy,” I protested.

She huffed. “It’s one thing to say and another to do,” she said wryly. “I do have a pair here that would fit your deck nicely, though. I don’t go in for piece-of-schist filler cards, no matter what angry young duelists might accuse me of. I’ll let you have them for two merits.”

“Let’s see the cards, then,” I said.

She didn’t move. “Do you want them?”

I snorted. “I won’t know until I see ‘em. You really think I’m going to fork over my merits for cards without seeing them first?”

She grunted and picked two cards out of the book. “Never know – you might have done.”

“Are you related to Findek?” I asked bitterly, reaching for the cards. “You’ve got the same sense of fair play.”

She didn’t answer, but I wasn’t paying attention anyway. The cards were an identical pair, and I knew I wanted them immediately.

They fed in nicely to my Talisman-centric strategy, and they were well-rounded for such a low summoning cost. It made me wonder what else she had hidden in her grimoire, but she was right – I needed to finish filling my deck, and these would get the job done while I looked for specific pieces like extra Relic protection.

“One merit,” I said, putting them back down firmly. “If I had a way to cut a merit in half, I’d say that. It should be 3 Commons to a merit.”

She gave a sly look. “Ah, but these are Nether.”

“Which you said was easy to come by. Funny how that seems to change depending on what you’re focused on.”

She moved to take the cards back. “If you can find Nether elsewhere, by all means…”

I put my hand over the cards. “One credit and a promise to be less useless starting now.”

She scowled. “Look at all the help and advice I just gave you, you ungrateful child.”

“The help and advice you’ve been withholding from me for weeks while everyone else races ahead and I’m left treading water.” I bared my teeth. “One merit and your promise.”

She cleared her throat angrily, which sounded like a miniature avalanche, but I thought I saw the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Robbing an old woman. I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

“I’ll sleep like a baby,” I said. “Deal?”

She rapped her knuckles on the table. “Done.”

I fished a merit out of my pocket and handed it over, collecting my prizes and adding them to my stack of cards still on the table. It felt good to know I was full up.

“Speaking of demon pickings,” she said casually. “Edaine was telling us advisors that the King’s star-gazers have determined that a rift will open only a few leagues from here within the week. She’s thinking to organize a raiding party for the students after this Gala thing everyone’s going on about. You should try to be part of it; you’re sure to secure some new Nether cards, whether for including in your deck or using for shards.”

I perked up at that. I wondered whether I’d see my mother before then; she could be a useful source of information if I were going to enter the Demon Realm, even for a little bit. I was sure Edaine would sit us all down soon to discuss it. More opportunities. I considered for a second what might have happened to my life had I not competed in the Rising Stars Tournament and ended up in War Camp. It hardly bore thinking about.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “How about we run an on-the-table round?” I suggested, gesturing around the room. Many of the other students were doing exactly that with their advisors.

“I’m not pulling my deck,” she said lazily. “But if you want to mock up the first few rounds on your own side, I’ll talk you through it.”

I’d hoped I might get a glimpse of what she carried in her Mind Home, but given how close-mouthed the other dwarves had been, I wasn’t surprised, and getting her take on my opening turns would be a damn sight more useful than anything she’d done for me up until today. Excited, I started pulling source cards, intending to immediately put them overhead.

Instead, I stopped dead, staring at the first one I pulled. I couldn’t quite understand what I was seeing at first.

My face must have showed something, because Badgou perked up. “What’s wrong, boy?”

“I…” I cleared my throat. “Nothing wrong, I just…” I cast the source overhead, a smile growing on my face. It shone pearlescent in the air. “I hadn’t pulled source yet today – I’ve got my first Order.”

She broke into a wide smile. “Ah, new growth. Congratulations.”

I wanted to tear over to the other side of the room and show it off to Basil, but there would be time for that later. I hadn’t been making my bed like he’d told me to forever ago, but apparently all my work in the Lows had brought some Order to my life anyway. I felt the warm glow of accomplishment. All this time I’d thought myself a freak, and maybe I still was – but now I was a freak with 1 Order.

A sudden thought wiped the smile off my face, and I grabbed the two Imps off the top of my deck. “Wait, are these the right ones to round out my deck now? Should we be looking at Order cards instead? This opens up a bunch of new possibilities!”

Badgou immediately stuffed her grimoire back into its box and stood up. “I’ve just remembered that I didn’t extinguish the globes in my quarters. Best to take care of it now so the sprites aren’t exhausted come nightfall. I hate wandering around in the dark.”

I gaped at her. “You live in the Deeps. Don’t you have darksight?”

She was already walking away and spoke over her shoulder. “Like my quarters bright. Hope you enjoy the cards. No tradebacks!”

That pebble-chewing cave troll! She’d pawned off her useless Nether cards and bolted before she had to do any real work. She and that asshole card trader Findek were cut from the same cloth after all; for all I knew, she was the bastard’s mother. I growled and balled my fists. She was going to get another earful from me next time we met. She had good advice when she bothered to give it – I’d drag it out of her a piece at a time if I had to.

“Hull,” a crisp, light voice behind me said. “A moment, please.”

I turned, and Afi was standing there, slim, straight, and serious. I blinked at her. She’d never spoken more than three words to me.

“What do you need?” I asked.

She held up the cream parchment I’d seen Basil hand her earlier. “I am expected to attend this Gala. Will you accompany me?”

I took a long moment before I could drag my thoughts away from Badgou and my new Order source. “Accompany?”

“These events are intended for dancing pairs and a coupled dinner,” she said, totally straight-faced and emotionless. “I find your face less offensive than most and I want you to be my escort.”

My jaw was hanging open, and I quickly closed it. “E-escort. Uh. Sure? I mean, yes. Are you certain? We’ve never really talked.”

“Idle conversation is painful,” she said, “and I have observed that you keep yours to a minimum. Wear something nicer than your usual attire. You would look well in blue.” Her eyes flicked up and down me, and she nodded decisively.

“Blue?” My brain was moving so slowly that all I could seem to do was repeat what she’d said. “All right.”

With a miniscule smile of satisfaction, she turned smartly and walked away, leaving me baffled. I had a new Order source and a date to the Gala, and I had no idea what to do with either.