Source & Soul: A Deckbuilding LitRPG

“You’ve got a spring in your step today,” Griff commented as I neared him in the Advisor’s Hall. “Finally relented and let that elf girl have her way with you?”

I paused in the act of pulling out my usual seat. “That comment was unbecoming, even for someone as vulgar as you.”

Griff leaned back, wagging a finger at me. “Trying to place limits on a Chaos user. Never a wise pastime.”

“If you must know,” I said while seating myself, “Esmi and her partner Glydnuk just bested E’lal and Wenden in convincing fashion, despite Esmi having to do the lion’s share of the summoning. I helped her with a number of her upgrade choices recently, so it was quite satisfying to see play out.”

Griff made an unpleasant sound in his throat. “Helping everyone else level their cards while letting your own languish. A tactic that’s sure to win you friends and leave you dead in a ditch.” He then went on to pick at his teeth with a horribly overgrown and yellowed fingernail. I was starting to become more accustomed to Griff’s uncouth displays, but some of them still made my skin crawl.

“We’ve gone through my finances before,” I countered, finding it easier to focus on my growing annoyance than my revulsion. “Perhaps if you didn’t insist I purchase everything in triplicate…” I let the accusation linger, but as usual, he merely waved it away.

“You have plenty of merits left.”

I was becoming increasingly certain that part of being a Chaos user was relinquishing all responsibility for your actions. That, or they just made abysmal bookkeepers.

“That is patently false,” I huffed. At the outset, earning what amounted to an Uncommon a day had seemed like an almost ludicrous amount of money, but after starting to spend my merits on new cards, they were slipping through my fingers faster than I was comfortable with. “As of last night, I only had twenty-nine remaining. If not for some fortunate successes in the pre-summoned challenges I might add, that number would be significantly lower.”

“See? Plenty. Wait, last night?” Griff said with interest. “Did you finally loosen your purse strings this morning? Not as good as loosening your breeches, mind you, but it’s something.”

I ignored the insinuation and leaned forward, eager to share the news I had been holding in. “Qi’shen agreed to see me.”

Griff reached over and casually flicked the fabricator I wore on my left arm. The metal ping the connection made rang out briefly before being lost in the hubbub of other advisors and their chargers surrounding us, each involved in their own impassioned conversations. “That sharp-eared snoot finally agreed that this counted as your third Life?”

“He wasn’t happy about it,” I confirmed, “but I think seeing me using my dual source the past few days convinced him that it’s here to stay.” The crystalized source from the king had slotted perfectly into the empty fabricator from Ticosi and had been on my arm ever since. The flexibility it gave me made me wish all of my source could do double duty. I had even begun to fantasize about what it might be like to have a tri-source some day. “Qi’shen wouldn’t show me everything, he was very clear on that,” I continued, “but what he did was enough to catch my interest.”

“Don’t string me along, lad. What did he have?” The way Griff got as excited as we did about new cards oftentimes made me forget that he was a man in chains. At least it would have if his enthusiasm didn’t cause the fetters to rattle. Despite how long we’d worked together, he still refused to elaborate on how he’d ended up in such a position, and all Edaine would say on the matter was that he was indentured for the next few years in exchange for a pardon.

If sharing in the joy of cards would help pass that time, I was glad to oblige, so I went ahead and laid the first of my purchases in front of him. “I found my battering ram.”

Griff’s unkempt eyebrows dipped. “This is nothing new.”

I nodded in agreement. “It was staring me in the face the whole time. I’m somewhat ashamed that I didn't realize it sooner.”

“What changed your mind?” For as much as Griff sometimes liked to force cards upon me, other times he preferred watching me come to conclusions on my own. I had found the incongruity of his advising style jarring at first, until I realized that it was just another quirk of his Chaotic nature.

“It’s what you said before: I need not only a wall, but a ram to break through my opponent. This card satisfies both of those conditions. I can open with it in a duel, the same as the Metal Golem and Zephyr. It can’t block Flyers,” I added, preempting a criticism I was sure he would have, “but it can heal when it transforms, fully negating some small, early match aggression.”

“Sounds like you’re just strengthening the wall you already have,” Griff warned.

“Which is why I didn’t give it enough consideration in the beginning. But Strong and the possibility of Terror? Watching Ky’reen use it against the Spirits of Korikana convinced me of its power as a ram. And when facing Souls with only 1 or 2 attack, it will be unstoppable.”

Griff remained impassive. “Do you think your brother is using the swarm side of Air?”

I crossed my arms, leaning back, some of my jubilant energy abating. “I’m still unsure on that count.” My hope had been to scout more of Gale’s deck during our time together in camp, but he had been off on some patrolling mission for the last few weeks and only recently returned, probably for the express purpose of attending the gala. I had been tempted to ask Esmi to inquire after his deck, since he still pestered her on occasion, but I never quite managed to turn the thought into action. It felt too awkward a request, and a prideful part of me wanted to beat my brother through my own card choices and skill, nothing else. Griff had called me a proper fool when I told him that. “He’s always been fond of swordplay, and from how he fought during the first demonstration, he is more likely focusing on personal enhancement and a few strong Souls. Terror will still get me past one buffed Soul, and if needed, I can use Canopy Climber on the Werebears so they can block any Flyers or Gale himself.” The way my brother’s Soul ability let him leap through the air, I’d wager the rest of my merits and then some that it counted as Flying.

“You sound convinced.”

“Are you not?

He waffled a hand in the air. “Not much of a blocker from hand.”

“If it was a better blocker, it would be that much harder for me to summon and then later transform. The fact that it requires just 1 Life means that with only a single Life source out, and another of course, I can summon it on my first turn and then Transform it the very next should I wish. That pay structure combined with all the rest? It’s a near flawless fit for my deck.”

“I warned you about chasing perfect, boy…” Griff said with a stern look, and a jolt of fear rattled through me. Had I just misspent nine merits? The elves weren’t beholden to the same rules of card exchange as the stalls, and it would likely shame Qi’shen if he found a card he had so recently sold me pawned off. Griff’s face cracked into a smile. “But it sounds close enough. Well reasoned, lad.”

“I’m glad you agree,” I said, breathing out in relief, “because I purchased three of them.”

Griff craned his neck back, angling toward his ever present guard. “It’s like we’re watching him grow tall right in that chair. Brings a tear to the eye, eh, Stephi?”

I gave the pair a flat look. “My purse was not happy with the decision.”

“Yes, yes, you and your miser-enchanted purse. Now,” – he rubbed his hands together – “what else?

The departing fear slipped right back into excitement. He knew me well. “We’ve talked about the Werepanther,” I started, causing him to roll his eyes.

“You’ve monologued about it, aye.” He stuck a knuckle into one ear and shook it. “Don’t think my ears have recovered from the abuse yet.”

“You know I’m right. You basically admitted as much last time we spoke.”I saw the card crisply in my Mind Home, and tried not to feel envious of those who possessed it.

Its stats were nothing overly impressive, but its affordability is what gave it power. That alongside its Pounce ability. Being able to deal damage to targets without recourse? Damage that I could increase with Feral Strengths? Amazing. “With its cost so low – ”

“You can refresh it with your Air Source power. I said my ears were abused, not deaf.”

It was the tactic I had always wanted to use with my Assassins, but their price had created difficulties in actual application, especially when it came to the Master Assassin. But for a soul with Transform, the price Air Power required was only that of the Transformation amount, not the total cost of the Soul. It was a theory that had come to me in the last week of training, and A’cia had confirmed its viability since she too cultivated some Air.

“So then,” Griff said, “did Qi’shen sell you one?”

I shook my head ruefully. The younger elves only had a single copy between them and so wouldn’t part with it, and their elder hadn’t included the Epic as one of the options available to me, and when I asked after it, had only pursed his lips noncommittally.

“No, but there was another with the same Source cost. It might even be a better fit for my deck than the Panther. Time will tell.” I knew that part of what I was saying was wishful thinking, trying to make-up for being denied what I truly wanted. However, I was very hopeful about this card and experienced a tiny thrill as I placed it on the table between us.

“Interesting,” Griff said, scooping the Soul up. Not long ago such impromptu handling would have made me uncomfortable for a number of reasons, but these days, I barely felt a twinge. “What’s this Web do?”

“Devote an attacking Soul,” I answered, having asked the same question of Qi’shen.

“Hmm,” Griff said, stroking his mange of a beard with his off hand – it looked like a place where spiders might live. “Shame it’s only Souls that it targets and that you can’t choose who the Relic goes to. A few turns of it out and you re-Stealthing would see you well stocked, with little the opponent could do to stop you outside a board clear.”

“Those options exist at Epic.”

His attention snapped back to me. “You checked?” he asked in a low whisper.

I nodded. “Before the purchase.”

“Now that you don’t have the merits for,” Griff said, placing the card upon the table and leaning back.

Griff was right; upgrading from Rare to Epic cost fifty merits in the camp. The only reason Hull had been able to elevate so many high end cards was because of the shards he’d had, which reduced the cost to a tenth of the original. Hull had already agreed to let me have some of the next batch, but they wouldn’t be finished in time for my match with Gale in two days. Hull had offered to share a portion of the first group, as well, but after Gerad had nearly killed him in their Apotheosis match and then threatened to see the deed done in the near future, I had refused. My marriage to Esmi was incredibly important, but she had been part of the decision and agreed. We both saw the way our friend was behaving lately: restless, with an eye always guarding his back, and we both wanted to do what we could to make him feel protected.

My eyes flicked to where the prince sat across the room, looking bored as the primly dressed woman I had first tried to work with gave him instruction. Esmi and I had also spoken privately about watching out for Hull. While none besides her could hope to face Gerad one-on-one, as Hull and I had proven on the practice square, the prince wasn’t strong enough to defeat two of us and certainly not all three.

“Did you buy a full set of this card, too?” Griff asked while my thoughts kept me silent.

“Assuming we’re still chatting, that is.”

“Apologies,” I said, refocusing on the bushy man. “No, just the one. It could work as a first turn play, but I’d rather have more source out to protect it.” I put my elbow on the arm of the chair and rested my chin in my palm. “With only twenty cards and multiples of so many, it’s getting quite hard to make cuts for inclusion. While I’d love to have three of these on the field with four webs each, that seemed more a dream scenario than likely to happen, particularly against the pressure an aggressive deck will be putting on me. Realistically, if I can get one out without sacrificing my defense, I’ll be happy.”

Griff tapped a finger on the table between us. “I can tell you’re trying to impress me today, and its working, lad. Your core cards should be the consistent ones, but specialized Souls like this could end up flooding your hand and put you in an awkward place should you have too many. Speaking of your core, did you get that third Metal Golem yet?”

The chance to bask in my advisor’s praise was woefully short lived, and I pulled a face. “I’m working on it.” Throice’s family had rejected the runner I had sent, unsurprising since I had so far failed to live up to my end of our previous bargain: convincing my parents to champion the inclusion of a ninth noble house. “I have a plan though, which should work.”

“Cutting it close,” Griff observed.

“Unfortunately, the party in question isn’t giving me much choice in the matter. I also have a runner checking Treledyne markets to find any resellers. The only one they’ve located so far is charging a ridiculous sum, but hopefully that will change.”

“There’s a few other substitutions we could consider, but my guess is you’ve already had a think on that.”

I chuckled nervously. “I’ve been able to focus on little else as of late.”

“Well, lay it out for me then. Let’s see how you plan to win this.”

I was happy for the chance to hunker down with him to discuss the particulars, and I pulled the rest of my deck out so I could show him the plays. By the time we finished, the sun was slanting at a much deeper angle through the windows, marking that midday was long past. Some in the hall were up and stretching, while others sipped at tea that had been circulated among us during the last hour.

“Well, rot my balls off,” Griff declared, my nose twitching at the profanity. “You might actually win this.”

“From your lips to Fate’s ears,” I said. My own back was sore from how long we had sat hunched over the table, and it felt good to straighten. “It would be remiss if I didn’t thank you for your obvious contributions. This deck is a clear reflection of the time you spent instructing me, and for that I am extremely grateful.”

Griff thoughtfully picked wax from his ears. “Well, that’s a fine thing to hear said, isn’t it, Stephi? With you feeling all full of grate as you are, young Hintal, and rightly so, I’d add, seems to me now would be the time to ask after a small favor. Tiny thing, really, hardly a favor at all.”

That I hadn’t been expecting, but perhaps I should have given his current state. “What precisely? And so you know, I won’t do anything illegal.”

“Nothing of the sort,” he assured me, and yet, I couldn’t manage to make myself relax until I knew what he had in mind. “You’re going to need someone knowledgeable in your corner during the duel,” he said, making it sound almost conspiratorial. “Take me with you to the gala, lad. Give me one of those fancy invites of yours I see everyone carrying around.”

I had been wanting to do something to repay Griff but hadn’t yet landed on the appropriate option. However, inviting him into my home? Was that a step too far? On the other hand, if he could provide me with even the smallest edge over Gale, wouldn’t it be well worth the risk of offending my parents? It’s not as if I was making decisions based on their approval anymore, and Griff did deserve some form of recompense for all of his time and effort. I doubted he was earning a wage like the rest of the veterans.

I looked the ill-kept man up and down critically. “What do you have to wear?”

“You saying these fine linens won’t suffice?” he said, plucking at his stained, dirt-caked shirt.

I was saved from needing to answer that prickly question by a line of workers entering the Hall, each carrying a small wooden box, which they brought to the seller area and began to stack. They worked efficiently, but there was no escaping the noise that a group like that made or how distracting their procession was.

“What’s all this racket?” the one armed veteran barked.

“Group of monks on pilgrimage to Pirtash Peak,” one of the receiving sellers answered. He moved about with a harried air, cracking the top box open with a small pry bar. “Had a slew of Air cards with them, and General Edaine bought the whole lot.”

It was like a string was connected to the top of my head, yanking it to attention. New Air cards?

Griff looked to say one thing but then gave a chuckle and waved me away. “Go on, lad. Stephi and I will be right behind you.”

With as much restraint as I could muster, I made my way over the stall along with a few other curious campmates, Esmi and A’cia among them. I was so focused on reaching the cards, I almost bumped into Gale’s feather-edged cloak before realizing he had appeared along with the last few delivery folk.

“It appears I returned at a fortuitous time,” he said to me by way of address.

I hadn’t spoken to him since his reappearance, and I didn’t know what to say now either.

He stepped back, arm swinging wide to beckon us all onward. “It’s appropriate that the new generation of lieutenants should receive first pick.” He then flashed me one of his infuriating smiles. “Choose wisely.”

I didn’t like the implication that I needed special treatment to compete with him or that he could get by without, but I also didn’t want to let someone else snatch a card before I saw them, so I took the invitation, marching past Gale. The shopkeep was still in the process of unboxing and organizing the cards, so they weren’t grouped yet by type or rarity, but that in no way dissuaded us from looking over what he had already propped up in the display.

Each new group he set up we poured over with fierce curiosity, whispering or exclaiming about especially powerful or unexpected cards, many of which I had read about but never seen.

My mind spun, working through one possible combination after the next. So many felt like they interacted well with my deck, but after trading Qi’shen for cards this morning, I only had seventeen merits left, an amount that felt woefully inadequate with the number of choices available. I was about to ask the Twins for guidance when Esmi caught my eye and winked from her position beside me, and a look over my shoulder showed me Griff looming right behind.

The tightness in my body eased, replaced by a sense of calm assurance and burgeoning giddiness to get to deckbuild together. Fate and Fortune, it seemed, had already provided me with all the help I might require.