The healing cavern was a lot less crowded than earlier, but there were still too many people in need of help for Arthur’s taste. Looking around, Arthur asked, "The other eruption?"
"Still ongoing," Asha said.
He frowned. "It hasn't been stopped yet?" What were they doing over there?
She shrugged. "There haven't been any reports of a demi-scourgling emergence. The hives fight on."
Part of him longed to go out there, exhaustion or no exhaustion. Brixaby would be irritated thinking of all the shards they'd miss out on.
No matter. There would always be more eruptions. And depending on when this one was plugged up, perhaps he and Wing Purple could go harvesting when no one was looking. That thought cheered him up.
He continued onward, shifting into a jog as he saw Cressida's bed.
The curtains had been drawn around her bedside. And though he was not an expert like Brixaby, he identified some basic silencing and darkening runes linked to card anchors to give her privacy and let her sleep. Good.
He longed to see her, but that would only be for his sake. It was more important she got her rest.
Marion was nearby, diagnosing a girl who, unfortunately, was missing her ring and pinky fingers. The girl was looking at her hand stoically while Marion examined and wrapped the wound in bandages.
Arthur stood off to the side and listened to Marion tell her that the fingers could be regrown in time, but the process would be harder as they were bitten off by a scourgling. She would have to wait for the higher-level healers to recharge their mana when there wasn't a need for trauma care.
Marion then delicately asked what Arthur wanted to know: Where were her parents?
"Don't got 'em," the girl said. "The orphanage I lived in fell into a big hole in the ground. I haven't seen the matron, nor any others since then."
At this, Marion glanced over at Arthur with a question in his eyes. Arthur nodded back at him.
"Well, you have a new home here. One where scourglings will never dare come," Marion said. "Then maybe when you're older, you can get carded and ride a dragon like the one that protected you."
The girl visibly brightened.
"A real nice Purple dragon picked me up, right off the ground. I was running from them scourglings and all—didn't think I could run fast enough with my hand bleeding so bad. Then swoop!" She curved her good hand downward. "Got saved, just like that."
Marion smiled. "I think you'll fit in fine. Why don't you stay right here for now? You've got a nice warm bed to rest in, and I'll have one of the nurses send a meal. How would you like that?"
The girl nodded.
As good as his word, Marion stepped away to speak to a nearby nurse before he joined Arthur.
"Is it shock, or is she just that tough?" Arthur asked.
"A little of both, I think," Marion said. "I know when I was her age, I would melt into a puddle of despair when I had a nightmare."
Arthur flashed her a quick grin before he grew serious. "Can the fingers be regrown?"
Despite what Marion had told the girl, Arthur knew that he would have done it then and there if he had the option.
"Maybe," Marion said. "It always takes the right card. I don't think any of the current healers have one, though. She’ll have to see a specialist outside the hive. Meanwhile, she’s out of pain and her remaining fingers have functionality.” He reached up to fix his glasses. "You look like something that was eaten and then spat out again. I assume from the demi-scourge?"
He didn't wait for Arthur to reply before he flicked his hand and cast what Arthur assumed was some diagnostic spell. Green light washed over him, and Marion blinked.
"How are you still standing?"
"I have a lot to do," Arthur said.
"I'd order you to bed rest if I thought your dragon wouldn't eat my cards for it.”
“I don't even know how he got that reputation," Arthur said piously. Though he couldn’t help but glance at few unoccupied white-sheeted beds in the cavern. They looked a lot cozier than they ought. "I'll get some rest right after this."
Marion snorted, not believing him.
"Meanwhile, I have something for you," Arthur said.
"Cards? I'm always up for more cards," Marion said, obviously joking.
But Arthur wasn't. “Let’s find somewhere where we won’t be overseen. I assume you have an office?”
“I should at this point. Apparently, a certain Leader hasn’t approved the paperwork.”
Call that number 801 on his to-do list. “Then pick one, and let’s go there.”
****
Marion had an office in mind—one that was already furnished with a desk and a set of comfy chairs. “The rumor is the previous owner fled when you took over Blood Moon hive,” Marion said, flopping down in the best looking of the two chairs. “Apparently a lot of the higher level staff did the same. It’s been adding to the chaos.”
“I haven’t heard anything about that,” Arthur said.
“The people here aren’t used to bringing problems to the leaders. You can guess why.”
Arthur sometimes had flashes of those drawn and prematurely-aged people Chester found excuses to drain over and over.
He let out a sigh and shook his head. Trust of the leadership would return to the hive, but it wouldn’t be fast. “Now that we’re here, how’s Cressida? Really?”
Marion flashed him a smile. “Better than you currently. Rest is the best thing for exhaustion.”
Arthur exhaled a sigh of relief. If he thought she was in true danger, he wouldn’t have left in the first place. Still, it was good to hear it again. “That’s not why I asked you here,” he said.
Marion started to reply, then stopped, his brows drew together in confusion when Arthur presented him with the Uncommon cards, one after another.
For all he had been born a prince and had been expected to carry Legendaries in his heart, Marion didn't immediately scoff at the sight of Uncommons. Instead, he read over each card silently. His confusion turned into surprise when Arthur presented him with the final card.
"A set?" he asked. "From the looks of things, they all have something to do with heart decks and souls." He looked up at Arthur. "Surely you don't mean me to..." He trailed off.
"I don't know if it will work," Arthur said, "but I was trying to replicate the card that fixed your heart deck.”
“But that was a one-time use."
"And if this works, it won't be."
"If it works?"
Arthur hesitated, then quickly filled Marion in with everything Lung Bai had said and what else he had guessed from the conversation.
"These are Uncommons, so I don't think to create this set it has to be the first card you ever put in your heart, but it should at least be something similar to the ones your heart is already used to. You're a healer. Plus, your heart deck was reset to Rare rank.”
Arthur stopped, trying to figure out how to say the next bit. Marion beat him to it. He was a healer, so perhaps he had an instinct for dangerous things.
He folded his hands on his desk. "You don't know if this will work for sure, and you're not certain there is no risk."
Arthur nodded. "I'd do it myself, but most of my deck is geared toward utility skills. I don't think I'd be able to merge healing cards."
Marion nodded. “If this set can create the card I think it can, I’m willing to take the risk.” He then reached up with one of the cards to slip it into his heart.
Arthur caught his wrist. "Wait. I think we need to do this in a certain order."
Marion gave him the evil eye. "You think so?"
"Well... I've never done this before, or, uh, seen it done.”
"Well, aren't we just experimenting today?" Marion said acidly.
Arthur winced. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."
To his credit, Marion thought about it. His gaze focused out the office window to the healing cavern beyond, the other healers coming and going from beds, to the patients being brought in—luckily, that had slowed to a trickle. Arthur didn't interrupt him, didn't ask what he was thinking.
Finally, Marion turned back.
"Arthur, if this works..." He didn't need to finish.
Arthur nodded. "You don't even know the half of it."
"All right."
He focused on his Master of Cards and his Set Creation skill to determine the optimal order. The first was the former Combat Soul Wound card, which was now focused on heart decks.
“This one first,” Arthur said, handing it over.
Marion took it with a sideways smile. "If this blows up my heart deck, I don't think even Brixaby will stop Asha from eating you."
Asha was a very sweet dragon, but if Arthur was responsible for Marion's death, he fully expected her vengeance.
He drew on his leadership skill. "It's going to work. Trust me and trust yourself."
He didn't know if having the proper mindset would also have an impact. But if Marion didn't believe this would work, then there was a good chance it wouldn't.
Marion seemed to catch this, looked at Arthur hard, and then nodded. "Okay."
Arthur absently realized he was shuffling the remaining cards like he used to do in his gambling class. Actually, he put that class to the forefront just for the little bit of extra luck it granted. It had been a while since he used his gambling skills. One day he should shake the dust off them, go to a random city, join a poker match, and see what would happen. Maybe he would, if he ever had the time.
His absentminded shuffling fingers stopped on one card, and he checked it with his Master of Cards. It was the former Bone Repair card. Yes, this one next.
He handed it to Marion, who slipped it into his heart right after the first.
"I feel... incredibly overfull," Marion complained after he’d added the third and fourth cards, "like I've just eaten a large meal and need to belch." He paused. "Or pass gas."
Arthur grinned. "Is that any way for a prince to speak?"
"That's the fun part about relinquishing my Legendary card. I'm no longer a prince of the kingdom," Marion said, taking the final card with slightly trembling hands. "Here we go."
He added it, and there was an immediate effect.
Arthur might not have noticed it if he hadn't been focusing on his Master of Cards, but it felt as if all the power within Marion suddenly surged through his body and then collapsed inward, concentrating his heart. There was another source of power there, something that didn't come from the cards but from outside of Marion. Perhaps it was the diffuse place where all the card shards were born?
He sensed the cards merging, becoming more than what they could be separately.
Suddenly, it was as if all the cards clicked into place like a shard that had found its perfect spot, and a new Rare was born thanks to the death of five Uncommons.
Marion opened his eyes, and for a second, they flashed with Rare power. “It worked.”
"I know. I felt it. Let me see."
Marion displayed his card.
What is Broken Is Not Lost
Rare
Healing
At an extreme mana expense, the wielder of this card will be able to soothe and heal wounds to a heart deck created by strain, card loss, and injuries caused by card effects. Minor healing of the soul is within the card wielder’s reach, but will exclude emotional or mental trauma. While this card is not skill based, more power and finer expertise is possible with repeated practice. If the wielder does not have a card to unlock mana, this card will do so. If the wielder already possesses unlocked mana, this card will provide an additional mana proficiency of 10% per cast.
Except the massive mana drain, this was perfect.
Arthur had to brace himself against the top of the desk to keep from slumping in relief. "It will work."
"Get some rest, then,” Marion said, his tone of voice no less than an order. Then he proved he’d been paying attention and knew Arthur’s ulterior motive. “Once you’re up again, we're fixing your cousin."
Next Chapter: Thursday Jan 15th, 9PM PST.