"Bah, I don't know why you are so concerned, Arthur." Brixaby leaned back, radiating smugness. "After all, I have a card that will negate this problem."
"Impossible," Crystal snapped.
He turned to her. "Is it?"
Arthur stared at his dragon for a moment. When he figured it out, he had to resist the urge to facepalm. It had not been so much the thought of leaving his cards behind that had horrified him almost past reason, it had been the possibility of breaking the bond, even temporarily, with Brixaby.
Now he felt a small spark of hope flare in his chest. Was it possible?
"People do say there are cards for every magical spell," he told Crystal. "Why not this one?"
"That has not been proven." The large pink dragon leaned toward Brixaby. "I would like to see this card and judge for myself."
Languidly, Brixaby waved from his core, and a card description appeared before him.
Knocked Down A Rung
Rare
Illusion
The wielder of this card will have the unique ability to obscure power within their own heart deck. By every indication, they will appear one rank lower than the strongest card in their deck. This produces the following result:
Mythic = Legendary Appearance
Legendary = Rare Appearance
Rare = Uncommon Appearance
Uncommon = Common Appearance
Common = Empty deck
In addition, this Rare-ranked card will not contribute to the overall strength of a heart deck. A Common-rank user may add it and still remain Common.
Cost is 500 mana for one-time use to obscure the wielder, with an additional 500 mana one-time for any additional person the wielder wishes to obscure. A one-time cost of 100 mana per additional person per hour is required to upkeep this illusion.
Arthur was already familiar with this card, as they had used it to infiltrate Blood Moon Hive and stay out from under Chester's notice. So instead of reading it, he paid strict attention to Crystal's reaction.
The dragon's top lip trembled and then flicked upward in a tiny snarl before she regained control of herself. He suspected that she would find a way to take that card from Brixaby if it would allow her to enter that dungeon. But a Mythic was two steps up from a Rare. Even if she used the card, the dungeon would be out of reach.
What was in the dungeon that she wanted so badly? It made him want to find out.
Crystal shook her head. "This effect is merely an illusion—a persuasive one, but..." She trailed off again and looked at Brixaby. "You can still use your Legendary-level cards while Knock Down is in effect, is that right?"
"Yes," Arthur said.
"Yes," Brixaby agreed when Crystal did not acknowledge Arthur. He lifted his chin. "Not only did I use Legendary cards, I defeated another Legendary while doing so. Then I took his card and added it to my core."
She ignored that last bit. "Then this card is merely trickery. Meanwhile, when you cross through the threshold of a dungeon, you enter into its truth."
Truth? Arthur wondered.
Asha spoke up before Arthur could. "Great Crystal, my bonded rider has a card that allows him to alter dungeons."
"I can alter material objects within a dungeon," Marion quickly corrected. "Not the rules under which the dungeon operates or the blueprint the dungeoneer used."
Arthur turned to him. "Explain what that means."
Marion shrugged. "Crystal calls it a truth, but I like to think of it as its own separate reality. Basically, the dungeoneer who created the space set its rules for what is allowed and what is not. Those rules are absolute."
"Even to the might of a Mythic," Crystal added dryly. It seemed she would acknowledge a point from a human when she felt like it. Her next words were directed straight at Brixaby. "And what happens when a dragon reaches for power that is too much for it?"
"I wouldn't know. I have never personally encountered such a thing," Brixaby replied.
"Heart deck poisoning," Marion said grimly. "Or core poisoning for a magical creature."
That startled Arthur. "Are you sure, Marion?"
The healer shook his head vigorously. "No, not at all. We are firmly in the realm of theory, and it depends greatly on the rules that the original dungeoneer established."
"If such a thing were possible, do you not think that I would have done it?" Crystal asked testily. "Do you not believe that I have powerful illusion cards?"
Arthur bit back his first reply. She was a high-ranked Mythic dragon and, of course, had the ego to match. He would have to tread carefully. "I have no doubt you have an entire library full of powerful cards," he said. "So, what are our choices?"
She looked down her nose at him. "You talk a lot. In my kingdom, humans know their place."
"And yet you have not answered his question." Brixaby stepped closer to Arthur as if to protect him.
Not that Arthur felt particularly threatened. Crystal might be a Mythic, but he and Brixaby were powerful in their own right. And they grew more powerful with every Legendary they added.
"What are our choices?" Arthur asked again. "You are saying the Knock Down card will not work, yet Brixaby cannot remove all his Legendary cards from his core."
Arthur could remove all his cards, but as Brixaby was a magical creature, removing the cards from his core would be suicidal.
"It may not be necessary to remove your card forged through your bond in any case," Crystal said grudgingly, as if it offended her to have to answer their question. "Those cards exist in a special place, both inside and outside of our reality."
So Counterfeit Siphon would be safe, as would his link with Brixaby. Arthur breathed a little easier.
"But the rest must go?" Brixaby demanded, then did not wait for an answer. "Arthur, I would like to take the risk. I must fetch my card."
"Let me take a look," Marion said, stepping forward. "As I mentioned, I have a dungeoneer card. If I could gain access to the entrance, I might be able to gauge what is inside."
"Please, Mythic Crystal?" Asha added with a pretty bow.
Crystal visibly softened at her. As much as she did not care for humans, she was susceptible to flattery from a dragon. "Very well," she said.
Then a crystalline doorway shimmered into view. Arthur reeled back in surprise—not because he was certain that he had walked through that spot before, but because his Master of Spells suddenly revealed something to him...
Well, he was not sure what he was seeing at first. There were colors that he had not known were possible, a sort of in-between of not red and not purple. It radiated from the doorway like a miasma, and yet it didn’t feel wrong. It was just completely odd.
It took him a few seconds to realize that it was coming from his Master of Spells. This was mana, in a form that he could now see. He wished that he had been close enough to Crystal for his Counterfeit Siphon to pick up the spell she’d used. No one else seemed to notice his moment of confusion.
Crystal spoke to Marion. "The size of the doorway is, of course, a metaphor made for the real world. It would accommodate a dragon as well as a human." That was an important distinction because the doorway was sized for a human being to walk into a house. Crystal continued, "Do not touch it unless you intend to travel inside. I have lost a few researchers doing just that. As of yet, no one has come back out."
"Noted," Marion said calmly.
Asha made a tiny sound of distress as he walked to the door but made no move to stop him. Everyone held their breath while he stretched out a hand close to it. But Marion was a deliberate person and not prone to taking many chances. He did not take that final step.
Closing his eyes, he concentrated. After a moment, he nodded and backed away before turning to face them all again.
"The Knock Down card might initially work, but this dungeon feels flexible and almost alive. I am fairly certain it would figure out the ruse soon."
"Brix, you cannot go in," Arthur said softly.
Instantly, Brixaby objected. "My card is the prize. It is for my set. We must!"
Arthur clenched his jaw. He had given in to Brixaby's demands practically since the dragon hatched. Brixaby was bold where he could not be, aggressive where Arthur had to be diplomatic. They had gotten as far as they had because of that boldness. But today, at this moment, he could not give in and allow his dragon to hurt himself.
"It is your card, and I am your bonded rider. We are connected through a card we forged together. My heart deck is open to your core and vice versa. So I will go in and retrieve the next card in your set for you, and your card will just have to deal with it."
Brixaby actually snarled at him. Then he turned away, angry, and began to pace, his tail lashing back and forth. It was clear he longed to argue, but he knew Arthur was right, and he disliked it immensely.
Finally stopping, he said, "You will use your Nullification card on Counterfeit Siphon. I do not like the idea of you going into danger where I cannot help. You no longer need that card for your Return to Start." He cast a derisive look at Crystal, venting his anger on the closest target he could find. "She says that bonded cards may be exempt, but you will take no chances."
"I will be careful, Brix," Arthur said. "You know I will."
Arthur reached out a hand to his dragon, but Brixaby was so angry and visibly frustrated that he turned away and began to pace again.
"This is all very sweet," Crystal said to Brixaby. "But how do you know he will not go in there and seize power for himself?"
Brixaby whipped around. "I would not bond with anyone who would do that. You have been soured by humans, but it does not mean all humans are sour."
"Perhaps," she said. "You have not met enough of them."
"I’ll prove it to you," Arthur said, then glanced at Marion. "Are you ready?"
Marion looked to Asha, who nodded back at him. "We’re ready when you are."
Arthur wanted to say more to Brixaby, but it was clear the dragon did not want to be comforted. So he reached into his chest for his cards.
His heart deck was flexible thanks to a boon from the dark heart. That flexibility did not mean this was not going to hurt.
It was worse than he could imagine.
He had had his Master of Skills since he was twelve. It had grown along with him in his soul. But the others were just as special—Master of Body Enhancement, Master of Cards, and his newest, Master of Spells.
It felt like he was ripping out a part of himself, and the hole that was left behind was ragged and bloody. He felt weaker, like a child again, and he reflexively reached for his Acting Skill to cover the moment—
But it was gone. Just gone.
Yanking out his Time Card was easy in comparison, and yet it still hurt.
It would have been so much worse if he had to give up all of his cards, but what was left... just was not enough.
Numbly, he held the cards out to Brixaby, who paused long enough to collect them in his claws. His dragon's expression was blank—not out of pity or anger, Arthur thought, but out of shared shock.
"I will keep these for you," Brixaby said.
Arthur nodded, unable to speak. He had the presence of mind to nullify his Counterfeit Siphon and felt another part of himself slip away.
“Go,” Crystal said. "And know that if you die, I will take this one under my wing and protect him."
Crystal might have said that to be supportive, but as she extended a wing over Brixaby, it felt more like a threat.
Note: Next chapter, Saturday March 7th 9:00 PM PST