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Book 2: Chapter 46: Collapse

He hadn't realized how much sheer momentum and stubbornness had been carrying his body forward. The moment he let himself pause and become distracted, abused muscles protested all at once.

Arthur crumbled ungracefully to the dirt track to the sounds of 'ohhhs' from watchers all around.

When had he gathered watchers?

He could barely think about that. Every long muscle from the soles of his feet to the tops of his legs decided to cramp up all at once.

Arthur half sat up, lips pulled back from clenched teeth. He'd had these cramps before -- they used to hit a lot when he was a child with too little food and too much work to do -- and knew he had to ride them out. But it was excruciatingly unpleasant.

"Sir? Sir? Drink this. It'll help."

Someone shoved a small tankard in front of his face. He could barely think through the pain, but his nose caught the metallic scent of water.

Raging thirst hit him like a hammer. He grabbed the mug in both hands and drank. Only common sense kept him rapidly sipping instead of trying to suck it down at once.

The water was flavored lightly with salt and herbs. His stomach protested water after so long without food and he slowed again to keep from cramping his gut, too.

He could have retreated into his Personal Space, but time wouldn't move outside. It wouldn't do him any good other than to delay the inevitable.

He managed to pull himself away from the water long enough to look up.

"Carley, wasn't it?" he rasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Heard the commotion and wanted to see it for myself, sir," she said cheekily. "Were you really running all night?"

"No, I... night?" It had only been a couple of hours, hadn't it?

With a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, he glanced to the side to see a small crowd dispersing. He had attracted a lot of attention.

Penn wasn't among them, but if word spread what he had just done, and if Penn linked that to his missing Master of Body Enhancement card, he might be in trouble.

Had he been running all night?

"Hasn't anyone ever warned you not to play with new cards out in public?" asked a cheery voice.

Somehow, Arthur was unsurprised when he saw Marion step through the crowd with a book in hand. The prince was dressed in pristine clothing which looked starch and new. It even included a cape.

Arthur's answer was a pained grunt.

Rolling his eyes, Marion tucked the book he'd been reading away. He walked over and looked down at Arthur.

"Let me guess: You went out and bought yourself some sort of stamina enhancement card, couldn't resist trying it out, and let it run away with you."

Marion's voice was pitched a little too loud for comfort -- just enough to carry.

Arthur may be worn to the bone with exhaustion, but he wasn't stupid.

"Isn't it rude... to ask about other people's cards?" he shot back, forcing a grin.

"And that's a yes," Marion said, again loud enough for the still lingering bits of crowd to hear. "You there." He snapped his fingers at Carley. "Help my minders pull him off this track." He waved toward two men who had stood off to the side and seemed less than pleased to be put into service.

"Prince Marion, we are here to serve you, not--"

"You don't want me to be seen getting my hands dirty in public, do you? Oh, and do hurry up." He nodded down the track where a group of runners were coming fast. "I suspect someone intends to 'accidentally' step on the newcomer show off."

Arthur's legs were too cramped and his arms too weak to help himself. He had to suffer the indignity of being pulled bodily off to the side by a fourteen-year-old and two men who looked like they wanted to be doing anything else.

"Thanks," he said through gritted teeth.

"Don't thank me yet," Marion sighed. "I've come with news you're not going to like."

His stomach dropped. "What wrong now?"

"All Legendary recruits are to gather for a dragon orientation and class in..." he cocked his head, "an hour from now. I went to your room only to find no servants and an unopened notice on your table. Don't tell me you haven't hired anyone..."

"An hour?"

Arthur lay flat on his back, not able to sit up much less stand. He had been through the rigors of being a Rare egg recruit. Though that would be shadow boxing compared to this.

He couldn't even stand. Also, his clothes were a sweaty mess. He could smell himself, and it wasn't pleasant.

Arthur glanced over at Carley who was edging away from the prince.

"I'll pay you two Rare shards to be my assistant until the egg hatches."

The girl froze.

Marion sighed. "That is not how you hire help... but oh, I see you're going to do it anyway. Why do I bother?"

"Four Rare shards," Carley said boldly, even though one Rare shard for two days of work was outrageous.

Arthur forced a grin. "Three."

"Done!" She pointed to Marion, "And the prince witnesses."

"Yes, yes, I've witnessed his stupidity. It's official." Marion sighed.

Arthur ignored that. "Go to my room. It's on the seventh level, number five three six. I need fresh clothing--." He was about to add 'Just get something clean from the closet' but was interrupted.

"No, no, no!" Marion said, uncharacteristically sharp. "Fetch the most formal clothing you can find as well as a cape and matching boots."

"Boots in this weather?"

"Who is the prince and who is the baron's son?" Marion said, still snippy. He looked back to Carley. "Be quick. We'll likely need you to send for a healing potion too, if we can't get your new employer on his feet."

Carly nodded and was off like a shot.

Marion flipped a hand at his minders. "Go away now. No, a few steps further. Honestly, I don't have a flight card. I'm not leaving your sight." Only when the men stepped back a reluctant twenty feet did Marion kneel by Arthur's side. "If you can't actually defend yourself, you'd better look like you can."

That was why he was so worried about clothing. Arthur would have been touched, but he was still in a lot of pain.

The cramps had eased but had been replaced by a deep sense of lethargy. Standing was impossible. Walking to wherever they were meant to go was equally so.

Arthur had one trick up his sleeve and if that didn't work... well, he'd be likely emptying his newly acquired coin bag for a healing potion.

He accessed his Personal Space.

It only took a moment, and once he was inside, he let out a groan of pure relief. It wasn't really his body, but it was good to be able to 'stand' and shake out his legs.

"Yeah," he said to himself. "Pushing myself to level twenty all at once was stupid. Might be worth it, though."

Time to see what these attribute points were about.

When he had first placed his Master of Body Enhancement card into his heart deck, he'd been able to view his overall body attributes.

Base Attribute Points

(20 = Average)

Strength: 18

Stamina: 16

Dexterity: 16

Perception: 14

Charisma: 17

Intelligence: 22

Wisdom: 25

Luck: 21 (1 temporary point increase)

Oh, right. He had a temporary +1 to luck. He’d probably used his fair share of that during the eruption.

He felt instinctively that all he had to do was to will the points into the stat.

His perception was the lowest and seemed important. But there were more pressing issues.

He had to be strong enough to face whatever was to come.

"One point in strength, two in stamina," he said.

The numbers changed before his eyes.

Arthur looked down at himself but didn't feel any different. Then again, time didn't pass here.

He returned to his body.

A rolling warm power flowed from the core of his heart deck through the rest of his body. It washed away fatigue and exhaustion. Arthur took a deep breath, feeling like he had just woken from a refreshing nap.

He rose and stretched. His muscles were still tight, and he suspected they'd be aching tomorrow -- refreshing his attributes didn't erase any damage he had done -- but he felt wholly rejuvenated.

Marion watched him, eyebrows raised. "That's some card."

Arthur grinned back. "It really is."