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Book 2: Chapter 14: Library Hiest - (4)

There was a rush of hot air behind him. Arthur turned to see Cressida had summoned her flame bear. It was the full version, not the baby bears meant for warmth. It was a hulking figure next to her, its shoulders equal to her own, but on all fours.

"Watch the flames!" Arthur yelped. They were standing next to the bookcases and some loose pages sticking out of the shelves were starting to smolder.

"Who cares about-- No!" Cressida yelped. Arthur leaped forward to put out some of the papers which were starting to smolder. The bear snarled at his approach, round ears pinned back. At Cressida's shout, it shuffled slightly to the side to give Arthur room.

"You'll care plenty when we're trapped in a room full of burning books," he snapped, stomping on the page.

"There are scourgelings in there! In the city!"

Another thump from the door, followed by a flash of cracked runes. They seemed to be holding up for now, but who knew how long that would last?

Cressida flinched at the noise, but then stared at the door, one hand to her forehead in amazement. "How could this happen?"

Arthur stomped out the last scorched piece of parchment. "One of the Rares went rotten and the magic was strong enough to fruit scourgelings. The only reason why this doesn't happen in the border is--" He stopped himself with a shake of his head.

She stared at him. "No, go on."

He hesitated -- long years of engrained habits of hiding his past warring the building pressure to let Cressida see the real him.

This fact was harmless enough, however.

"That's why they call them the dead lands. There's nothing left -- nothing can grow even if you watered the soil and mixed good dirt in. The scourge has soured it all. Even to themselves. It takes dragon soil to rekindle life." He gestured to the door. "If a powerful card dies in an area where there's life -- papers used to be trees, and vellum is made of animal hide -- then that's a perfect mixture for scourge spawn."

"But we're in the middle of a city!" The fear had faded now that the shock had worn off. Now Cressida seemed scandalized. "Practically next door to a hive."

"Eruptions happen in a city," Arthur said.

There was another thump at the door as if to punctuate his words. However, the impact was lighter as if the scourgeling were only making a half-hearted attack. Once more the runes flared and held.

He and Cressida glanced at one another and then fell silent, guessing that the sound of their voices was provoking the creatures now that they'd been woken by the door opening.

After a moment, Cressida dismissed her flame bear. It evaporated into a wisp of harmless smoke.

Arthur took a sideways step closer to her and spoke in a low tone. "I'm worried about two things."

"Two? I counted at least eight pairs of eyes there."

He was a little impressed she'd had the good sense to count their enemies. Arthur shook his head and continued. "The first is those runes around the door. They're cracked, but what are the chances they've broken in the exact right way to let someone open the door, but nothing to come out?"

Cressida whipped her head around to look at the runes. After a moment she shook her head. "They're meant to keep something in."

"Which means either the scholars have created that as a trap to imprison anyone who tried to access their Rare cards, or..."

"Or they created it knowing they wanted whatever was in there to stay in there," Cressida finished.

They exchanged a long look and then, as one, glanced back to the door.

"And the other thing you were concerned about?" Cressida asked.

"Scourgelings eat cards."

"So, if there were any left when they spawned..."

"Yeah," Arthur confirmed grimly. "Those scourgelings have Rare power."

Another beat of silence. Neither suggested they retreat or go for help. Surely the Hive officials would be interested in a small infestation within the city.

They weren't just scourgelings, which was bad enough. They were scourgelings with Rare cards inside them.

"I'll resummon Wicker," Cressida said after a moment.

Arthur barked out a laugh -- slightly high-pitched due to stress. He coughed into his hand and choked out, "You named your summon?"

"Just the combat form. The miniature form is-- Never mind." Cressida's face lit up red in a blush. She went on before Arthur could push her on it. "I'll send him through the door, and we close it afterward. It's a contained area with plenty to ignite. I'll dismiss him when my mana runs low, and we mop up the rest. What are your combat capabilities?"

Arthur was well grown for his age -- especially considering the underfed pipsqueak he used to be -- but at that moment he felt very small.

"I... um..."

Damn it all, why hadn't he kept that Common stinging bubble card he stole as a kid? Yes, it was a ridiculous power, but it was better than flat-out nothing.

But he didn't have nothing, did he? Yes, he was facing a room full of Rares, but Arthur had two Legendries in his heart. They were utility-type cards, but if he couldn't make them work for him then he didn't deserve them.

"I need a moment," he said.

"Oh?" Her eyebrows lifted. "You have an armor card, then? I've heard those can be awkward to conjure in... what are you doing?"

Arthur had taken out several over-ripe tomatoes from a produce bin within his personal storage space. Stepping to the side, he concentrated on a map of the Hive city tacked to a wall and started throwing.

The first tomato splatted just below the map. The second, a little above. He hadn't been this bad throwing stones at rats as a child. Was he out of practice, or was it the card?

The third hit right on target, red juices spattering over the poorly drawn map.

New skill gained: Throwing (General Class)

Due to your previous experience and your card’s bonus traits, you automatically start this skill at level 8.

That was a decent starting level. Then again, he had been throwing things all his life.

Next, he stepped to a likely-looking stone statue. It was the figure of a half-naked man, posed with a chiseled chest. The stone base was equally impressive.

Arthur gripped it and, focusing on the muscles in his legs and not his back tried to pick it up. It was heavy and he only managed it a short way from the ground before he set it down. Then he tried again.

Yes, he had picked things up plenty of times since he gained his Master of Body Enhancement card, but as he learned from his Skills card, developing a new skill required deliberate practice, concentration, and repetition.

"What are you doing?" Cressida demanded for a second time.

"I have a new card," he grunted, putting the statue down before trying again. "I need practice before-- ah, there we go."

New technique gained: Lifting (Strength Class)

Due to your previous experience and your card’s bonus traits, you automatically start this skill at level 5.

Hmm. He had hoped Strength could be a body technique. The fact that it was a class was interesting for the future, but not helpful now.

With a sigh, Arthur reached once again into his personal space and grabbed a cleaver. It was his personal knife - perfectly balanced and meticulously sharpened.

He would be so annoyed if the fine razor edge got chipped tonight.

Cressida stared at him like he had grown an extra head. "You're using your cooking card to fight scourge?"

"I used it to duel Mattew," he said. "Remember, I almost won."

"Everyone thought you were joking around!" she said. "You seriously don't have any combat cards?"

"I've always been able to defend myself," Arthur said. "And you never know. Maybe I'll end up with one now."

He nodded to the door.

She hesitated and he read doubt on her face. Then she visibly gathered her courage and nodded. "I can use my shield card if we get in trouble and need to retreat."

Arthur nodded and reached to grab a book from the nearest shelf. It was a large, heavy tomb. He could throw it in a pinch but would rather use it as a shield... or beat a scourgeling to death with it.

Holding it against his chest with his knife hand, he walked to the door and reached for the knob. "Ready?"

In answer, Cressida summoned Wicker. The summon lowered its head, ready to charge in.

Arthur opened the door and stepped to the side.

Ten seconds later, he regretted it.

He didn't know what they were facing, exactly. It would make sense if Rare scourgelings could use the cards inside them. That meant they could be facing any type of attack. Thankfully, fire tended to cleanse and overpower mostly anything.

But he had let himself forget that the scholars didn't have combat cards. They had knowledge and meta-type cards.

The door opened and Wicker barreled through. The runes flashed and for a brief moment, a barrier was visible in the doorway. They were right: The runes were meant to keep things in, not out.

But the scourgelings had not been idle. In that moment of disturbance when the flame bear charged in -- three of the creatures used the disturbance in the barrier to squeeze out.

They were a little like bats, if bats had bodies the size of a ripe watermelon and coin-sized red eyes. And ragged dagger teeth in a mouth that stretched from one side of the head to the other.

With whistling shrieks, the scourge-bats attacked.