On Scarole’s next turn, Tay watched as the pale man flicked through his cards and grimaced. The crowd fell in line with the man’s indecisiveness—some cried out that he could take on Tay, but most deigned to stay quiet and say nothing at all.

It was a miracle that anyone could perform while being watched by so many people. Tay both loved and hated it. Melee duels were a much more natural fit for a crowd such as this. In those, speed and ability mattered a whole lot more than deep thought.

Here, just one side remark from a member of the crowd and one’s concentration could be shattered. There had to be an art to tuning the crowd out, but Tay doubted he’d be able to figure it out by the time this tournament was over. He would have to take advantage of them and give them such a remarkable show that they could not help but to cheer in his favor.

Scarole held up a snowy white card. It dissolved partially and sunk down into his palm. Then the white light coiling around his form grew three times over and gained a certain amount of substance. It was like a small blizzard was honed in on his body. The transformation wasn’t like that of a revenant. Scarole didn’t get any new features or have the white color consume his current ones. Only the light around his body and from within his eyes grew in intensity.

“I summon the Viperfist,” Scarole said.

From the card that he threw emerged a robed creature with a feline face. It had pointed ears and fur running down its arms. All that it lacked was a tail. But it had more than enough sharpness in its twin claws to make up for it. No doubt that its name came from the half-foot-long hooks on the ends of its fingers that seemed to mimic snake fangs.

(20) Viperfist Stable Whenever this revenant obliterates another, it gains Decay until the end of the turn. Flurry 3 >>

Just like all revenants, it seemed like something from another world. Tay wondered where the creators of Runicka—the Runic Council—came up with the ideas for these cards. They were all so strange and mysterious. What legend had gone on to inspire the monk with snakes for hands?

Then Scarole threw another card into the Viperfist, and it morphed from within a cloud of white light. Emerging with a leonine figure, no longer covered in robes. They had a mane of pure flames and a leather harness that glowed white as pearl.

The long claws of the Viperfist stretched down from their claws and Tay could not tell if the new revenant had been cat-like originally, or if that was the Viperfist influencing it in that direction.

(15) Fireheart Tamer Unstable The Power of all ally Fusions are doubled on your turn. Energize 3 >>

Together, not only did Scarole’s fusion have 6 Power, it also had its Power doubled up to 12 because of the Tamer’s effect. And with the Flurry aura, Tay knew just where this empowered Fireheart Tamer was going.

First, Scarole bade it to destroy his Siphoner, which it was more than capable of. Its fang-like claws ignited in flames. It brought those against the Dark Siphoner, who tried defending himself with a well-placed blast of shadowlight.

But their difference in Power was too vast and the black flames just cascaded harmlessly off of the Tamer. Then Scarole’s revenant impaled the Dark Siphoner through the chest, forcing the Siphoner’s body to dissolve into nothing more than fading darkness.

Returning from the void came the Skull of Dark Insights, which flew back into the arena thanks to its Echo aura. And that also triggered its Shout effect.

(10) Skull of Dark Insights Stable

Dormant: gain Life equal to the cost of the revenant fusing with this revenant.

Shout: if this revenant was summoned from Echo, add Warlock of Midnight Darkness from your deck or Oblivion to your hand.

Echo < 1

Tay’s deckbox rumbled and shadowlight plumed from it as a card shot up into the air. It curled about as if on a magical updraft and then careened gently toward him. Tay managed to snag the card, which was the Warlock of Midnight Darkness. He wouldn’t necessarily be able to do much about this situation, but having the Warlock in his hand meant he always had an answer whenever the board became too chaotic.

“Don’t think you’re ahead yet,” Scarole said. “My Tamer will destroy that Skull too!”

And the Fireheart Tamer dragged its claws straight through the Skull of Dark Insights, splitting it like a coconut. Both halves of the Skull fell unenchanted to the ground, where they proceeded to dissolve into inky blackness once more.

“That’ll be it for my turn,” Scarole said.

Tay’s Life: 90 Scarole’s Life: 65

After drawing for his turn, Tay held up a card and absorbed it into his body. The shadowlight encircling his arms and chest grew in intensity. Tay would’ve thought he would be able to feel it growing in warmth. But instead, he felt it gain strength much like the wind. It whipped faster about him, but it wasn’t like it was any hotter now.

At Chaos 2, there was a whole wealth of options available to him now. But his most pressing concern was getting rid of Scarole’s revenant and getting board control back again. Which in any other deck might’ve been a problem, but for a bunch of Warlocks was just about as easy as anything else.

The first card that Tay played, when summoned, was nothing more than a mere book. However, it was animated. Just like the Skull of Dark Insights, it too hovered above the ground from unworldly powers. Twin black eyes glowed on its front covered. One could tell from a glance that its dark knowledge would be a hapless reader’s undoing.

(15) Grimoire of the Warlock Stable Dormant: target foe revenant loses -3 Power until the end of the turn. Then, if its Power reaches 0 by this effect, it is obliterated. Echo < 0

In a lot of ways, the Grimoire of the Warlock was a lot more like the Skull of Dark Insights, as both were cards that served as the perfect fusion bases for Tay’s plays. They’d allow him to build up stronger revenants while also providing him with small effects that could shift the tide of the game.

And Tay now relied on one of these effects. Because he chucked another black card into the arena, fusing it with the Grimoire of the Warlock. From the cloud of inky blackness that covered the arena, a pin of solid purple shot out of the cloud. It careened straight for Tay before coming to slow hover.

It circled around his right arm when Tay held up his hand. He realized it was the Dormant effect of the Grimoire of the Warlock, listening to him for when he decided where it should go.

At the moment, there was only one place for it to go. And Tay held up his hand pointing at the Fireheart Tamer.

The purple needle shot straight out like he’d had a bow on hand. The Fireheart Tamer hardly had any time to dodge it, and the purple needle lodged itself straight in its mane. Then the revenant physically shrunk, like it was aging backward. What had once been a full head taller than Tay, was now barely tall enough to come up over his waste.

Losing 3 Power from the Grimoire’s effect now put it at a collective and more manageable 4 Power, but during Scarole’s turn, that would still be too much to handle.

Which made it a good reason that Tay had played what he had. From the cloud of inky blackness emerged a woman in romans, with a mooncrest staff in her hands. A long cloak blew from behind her, and she held the Grimoire of the Warlock tucked underneath her elbow.

(20) Rival Warlock Stable Shout: target foe revenant loses its auras. It also loses -1 Power for each aura lost. Decay << 3

From the Rival Warlock’s hands, violet fire erupted and consumed the arena. It bathed the Fireheart Tamer in flames, but the Tamer did not die. It shrunk even more. Its once-long claws were now nothing more than small nails. It seemed more akin to a household cat than any sort of warrior that Tay needed to fear.

With its auras burned away, that now left it at a total of 2 Power, which was more than low enough for Tay’s plans to come to fruition.

A grin on his face, Tay said, “My Rival Warlock will now obliterate your Fireheart Tamer!”

And sure enough, the ensuing ball of purple flames that the Rival Warlock lobbed at the Tamer made sure Tay wasn’t a liar. When the fire cleared, Tay once again had control of the board. He considered that he’d overcommitted to this board by a bit, but he still had his Talisman to help him out if things took a turn for the worst.

“I pass the turn,” he announced.

Tay’s Life: 65 Scarole’s Life: 65

This time, Scarole held up and absorbed two cards into himself, transforming his body into a shining star of radiant whiteness. He glowed over the entire arena, earning many gasps and sounds of astonishment from the crowd. Tay smirked because it wasn’t like there was a single person in this stadium that hadn’t seen someone attune to Order 3 before.

The card that Scarole summoned though did qualify for a couple gasps and even a shout or two. It was a large man with a windswept cloak about his shoulders. His hair was done up into spikes, with each turning from a solidly dark black to a light white at the tip. Sheathed at his side was a single-sided blade. Tay knew without question that this revenant could draw that sword faster than Tay could blink his own eyes.

(20) Swordsman of Woe Stable This card gains an additional attack (in addition to the attacks it already has) at the beginning of your turn. 5 >>>

His name might’ve been the Swordsman of Woe, but there was nothing but a serene calm around the warrior. And at the call of Scarole, the Swordsman cleaved through Tay’s Rival Warlock as if it were nothing more than a long blade of grass. Sparks of shadowlight flickered through the air toward and around Tay’s head.

“You’re not going to be able to beat me,” Scarole said. “Do you know why that is, you little runt?”

“Is it because you’re not planning on getting attacked from behind this time?” Tay asked. “If that’s the case, please spare me the details.”

Scarole stomped on the ground, and it was funny that Tay was able to hear it over the roaring of the crowd. He pictured that he couldn’t quite make out the sound of Scarole’s heel breaking up the dirt, but his mind filled in the rest of it for him.

“You little… it’s because I’ve got friends in high places,” Scarole said. “Having House Polamund as your sponsor doesn’t come without its perks. Your cards aren’t even from this or the past set. You’re playing with tier three deck, at best. I, on the other hand, am playing with a Fireheart lineup and it’s a solidly tier two deck meant to counter all the strongest ones. I bet you couldn’t afford cards in this deck, even if you saved up for an entire year.

“Not even Amellia could afford this deck for you. That’s what having friends in high places gets you! Take your turn, you runt.”

Tay’s Life: 65 Scarole’s Life: 60

The worst part was that Scarole was probably right. Tay didn’t have access to infinite wealth. He’d barely managed to convince Amellia to pay for him to attend this tournament. Which was why he couldn’t lose now.

He needed money. Especially now that Rantho was here. He needed to buy Cari and Sally a house and then leave so that they could be safe. And he wasn’t going to let Scarole stand in his way.

After drawing, Tay absorbed two more cards of inky darkness into his body. The shadowlight pluming from around his form became almost so thick that he couldn’t even see. But his eyes adjusted and he could see Scarole standing there, opposing him with a thin grin still plastered across his face.

So far this was a close game, and close games called for his most trusted card. “I summon the Warlock of Midnight Darkness,” Tay called out.

And he threw his card only for a robed figure with a skull-topped staff to emerge from a cloud that was indeed as dark as midnight. Tay didn’t even have to say anything before the Warlock of Midnight Darkness raised his staff at the Swordsman of Woe.

(20) Warlock of Midnight Darkness Unstable

Shout: reduce all foe revenant’s Power by half (rounded down).

Uproar: obliterate all foe revenants with less than 3 Power.

Decay <<< 3

“You say that I don’t have friends in high places,” Tay said. “And you’re right about that, Scarole. I don’t have any friends in high places.”

“Nobody with any worth about them will want to associate with a runt like you,” Scarole said, nodding to himself.

“See, that’s where I disagree with you,” Tay said. “I may not have friends in high places, but you’d better be sure that I have friends in low ones. I have friends in the dark. I have friends that have fallen from grace. And all of them are worth ten times more than even a single hair on the top of Rantho’s head.”

Tay said that loud part at the top of his voice, so that Rantho could hear him. The Polamund’s face flushed red upon hearing Tay’s nickname for him.

“I’ll obliterate your weakened Swordsman of Woe with my Warlock of Midnight Darkness!”

The Warlock raised its right hand, and from it came a wave of liquid darkness. It sloshed through the air as if it were lava rolling down the side of a volcano. And when it collided with the Swordsman, smoke plumed up from the warrior’s side, as if the darkness burned it.

When there was nothing left of the Swordsman and Scarole’s face looked exceedingly pale, that’s when he ended his turn.

Tay’s Life: 60 Scarole’s Life: 60

Funnily enough, on his next turn, Scarole actually unattuned from Order 3, which reduced the glow about his body but simultaneously revealed how actually pale he was. He must’ve been quite worried about the situation Tay put him in, especially because Tay couldn’t recall if he’d ever had an opponent unattuned before. Usually, runekeepers wanted to stay at their most powerful, but sometimes one might prefer the small bumps added to their Life.

With each revenant that Scarole summoned, the crowd grew louder and louder. And each one made Tay fear that he wasn’t going to be able to bounce back like he’d be doing thus far. As a control deck, his win condition only came when he outlasted his opponent.

But it didn’t seem like Scarole’s flames were going to be dying down anytime soon.

The first revenant that hit the arena was a sluggish servant that looked to be carved from stone. It had a hunched back and arms that almost reached the ground.

(5) Emblazoned Servant Stable Dormant: other revenants gain +2 Power. 1 >

Then, next to it, rose up a woman in long, flowing robes of grey. She had white eyes and a singular white streak through her hair that reminded Tay a little bit of Sally. She wielded no staff and yet he knew that she practiced sorcery to some unfathomable degree.

(15) Archaic Magician Stable Shout: draw 1 card. At the end of your turn, discard 1 card. Barrier 1 >

Tay hoped that would end up being the final card that Scarole played, but then he reached for the farthest card that he held in his hand. Scarole met his gaze and then shrugged.

“If you’re friends are so great, then how about you find a way of dealing with this. There are perks to having wealthy friends, and among that includes being able to play with the most expensive cards in the newest set. This one costs 15 Aens.”

If Tay could’ve somehow caught the card and kept it for himself, he would’ve found a way. From the cloud of whiteness emerged a small girl in a lengthy tunic and a harp across her back. She had pointed ears and a sharp chin, but the playful grin that one might’ve expected on any youthful girl.

What really set her apart was the rainbow worm-like creature with a reptilian face that called her shoulders its home. It had spikes running down the length of its back and four horns protruding from its head.

(15) Wyrm Chronicler Stable Shout: return target ally revenant to the arena from Oblivion. 1 >>

Before the Wyrm Chronicler finished forming, a red pulse quickly spread throughout the arena. Its light settled on the Archaic Magician, whose muscles swelled in size. She grew to be taller than Tay, even.

When the Wyrm Chronicler’s body finished forming out of white light, she reached onto her back and plucked off the harp. After strumming a couple cords, she suddenly began to play a serene melody that captured the entire audience in a trance. There was hardly a shout that escaped from anyone’s lips as the Chronicler played for them all.

It was Scarole who broke that trance when he said, “My Swordsman of Woe will now return from Oblivion.”

A light brighter than the first rays of dawn bisected the arena. It acted like a curtain, behind which Tay could not actually see. From that curtain of light emerged the Swordsman of Woe, whose body actively recondensed itself from a cloud of white sparks. He drew his single-sided blade and angled it right for Tay.

“This,” Scarole said, “is what you get when you have friends in high places. Now, say goodbye to your Warlock!”