Cross didn't even notice when Crash fled the heaps, taking with him Rusty's cards he hadn't added to his own deck, too focused on his friends.
Rusty accepted the deck almost robotically, not really registering it.
Not that Cross could blame him.
While their decks were made of the best cards they could gather, there was more to them than just strong cards.
His Steampunk Tank, one of his go to cards? He received it from Rusty in exchange for a group of Legionaries, including an Archer.
But at least Crash's deck meant Rusty had a starting point to reclaim his own deck.
For all that, Cross wasn't really sure what to say to comfort and reassure Rusty, making it something of a relief when Aurora took over that role and Blanc motioned for him to speak with her further away.
“Crash targeted Rusty,” she stated quietly, once confident they were out of earshot. “Built up his ‘Legion’ deck and went after Rusty to claim his cards to ‘finish’ the deck.”
Not that a deck could really be considered ‘finished’, given all the possible cards you could find later. For all you knew, you might find your archetypes level X fighter and need to bring it into your deck. Or a level X for a different archetype you would need to start using, like Cross and his Harbingers.
“I didn't even know there were ‘Legion’ cards beyond the Legionaries,” Cross nodded. “I guess it makes sense to pick on Rusty, he has the worst win rate against Crash.”
But had always had a better rate against the rest of them, always getting more fighters in play.
Without reliable access to a ‘piercing’ effect, a wall would block your opponent from doing damage, and given the usual calibre of cards in the heaps…
There was a reason they only tended to see piercing damage from Crash or Rusty.
“Not just that. The way he made a display of picking out the cards to ‘finish’ his deck, and pocketing the supposedly useless ones, just so Rusty couldn't get them back.”
“And he talked about etiquette,” Cross winced.
Blanc nodded.
“Even if it uses his cards, I don't think he'll be willing to use that deck. And we were so close to being ready to escape.”
The brief glance sideways at him made it clear what she meant.
“I know I hadn't found my archetype before today-”
“If only it was something else,” Blanc interrupted. “Those Harbingers… there's something wrong with them. I can see why someone might throw out a level X like that.”
“They were from a spawn box.”
That drew a direct look from Blanc. “You found a box..?”
It was just unfortunate that they were travelling through the heaps at the time. Otherwise Blanc wouldn't have let that moment of distraction guide her foot onto the exact wrong spot and fallen towards one of the spiky stacks before Cross could try and catch her.
Her automatic attempt to grab some kind of handhold and arrest her fall was also less than ideal, tearing free what they had long dismissed as a buried statue.
Except, as it stood on its own, this was clearly no statue.
It turned its metal head towards Blanc, where she was frozen in possible terror.
“Deck d-d-detected. Usual d-d-wager declared. Time to d-d-d-play.”
Even without Blanc agreeing to the match or its unknown stakes, the arena barrier formed around them, Cross rapidly retreating to escape the shifting rubble.
He heard the others calling out to them, making their way through the scrap to find the arena that had formed outside their prepared area, but froze, unable to help guide them.
“What… what is this? What's happening?”
[]
Even with the arena forming around them, Blanc didn't believe the match had begun until her opening hand appeared before her.
“Not good,” she stated quietly, mentally repeating the words as she saw what cards she'd been dealt.
Turning her attention from the cards, she locked her eyes on the blank metal face of the robot that had challenged her.
It tilted its head, seven cards remaining in the air before it.
Which meant…
“Draw,” Blanc tried tentatively, her cards not working well with a special draw, even if she hadn't started with her dragon, a low level but late game fighter, in her hand. Well, most of her cards, a number of the cards she'd drawn weren't from her archetype.
An eighth card formed before her, still leaving her without any fighter she was willing and capable of summoning.
She glanced through quickly, before tapping at two of her cards.
“Set these, undeclared.”
Sure, she wouldn't be able to activate them directly without taking a turn to declare them, but rare was the player willing to risk unknown cards in the arena.
Perfect for her archetypes traps.
“Turn end.”
“Teeheehee, how interesting. Draw,” the robot stated in a perfectly flat voice.
Blanc flinched back at the utter discord between voice and words.
“Come forth, Schoolgirl Bea,” the robot continued, giving something of a reason for its choice of wording.
It was said that, over time, a players mannerisms and chosen archetype would come to mirror each other.
She had always assumed they meant players would gravitate towards an archetype that fit them, but maybe…
The fighter materializing disrupted her thoughts, a blonde girl seemingly slightly younger than her dressed in a white top and skirt with a pink tie of some soft fabric.
Schoolgirl Bea
Atk: 4 Def: 8 Life: 6 Level: 2
On summon: add any ‘Schoolgirl’ fighter other than ‘Schoolgirl Bea’ from your deck to your hand
“And the Bea is never alone,” the robot continued, as the fighter drew out a vaguely metallic rectangle from its clothes, tapping away and appearing to speak silently into it, “calling Schoolgirl Petra to my hand.”
A card appeared before the robot, refilling its hand to eight cards.
“Now, Schoolgirl Bea, attack the card on your left.”
The fighter jogged forward, throwing an utterly terrible punch at the back of the card.
Which burst into metal stars, shooting past the fighter to stick into the robot.
“Shuriken Starstorm,” Blanc declared. “By attacking it, your attack is wasted and you take double your fighters Atk as damage!”
Taking it down to 92, not as good as if she'd used the activated effect (for once in her archetypes life) or it had targeted her other card, but it did leave her slightly ahead.
The robot paused.
“Calculating… Ouchie, that stings. One declared non-fighter. Turn end.”
There was something seriously surreal about this thing.
“Draw.”
Ah, something useful.
“Summon Kunai Kite!”
What appeared wasn't what she'd expected the first time she'd found the green card, but rather a black bird with metal feathers.
Kunai Kite
Atk: 10 Def: 2 Life: 6 Level: 2
Passive effect: this card is always treated as being a ‘Shuriken’ card to effects
Activation cost: when this fighter is targeted for an attack while you control an undeclared face down, return it to the hand
Activated effect: negate the attacking fighters remaining attacks this turn and activate the effect of 1 face down card you control as though attacked by that fighter
About the biggest threat to the cards utility was the inability to recover the levels spent on summoning it, but combined with her other Shuriken cards, it was able to manipulate the arena quite effectively.
As long as the opponent couldn't swarm you with too many cheap fighters, while knowing better than to target her face down cards.
“Kunai Kite, attack Schoolgirl Bea!”
It wouldn't be enough to destroy the fighter, but damage was damage.
The bird flew up, pausing for a moment at the peak before flapping both wings forward, its feathers shooting forward to strike the Schoolgirl.
Or rather, for the most part, the book she whipped out and cowered behind.
She considered things quickly, she still had a couple of levels and a number of Shuriken cards that, while useful, weren't as good for an opening as the two she'd chosen.
“These two face down, undeclared. Turn end.”
Four cards in her hand, and her opponent about to draw to eight once more.
But it wasn't about the cards you drew, but those you played, in the end.
[]
Rusty and Aurora showed up just as the robot was due to start its second turn, the speed of the card appearing in its hand strongly suggesting a normal draw.
“Looks like she's set to win,” Aurora noted, the audience displays showing the basic stats of each fighter and the current Life totals.
“Maybe, but the robots cards… never mind that, are you feeling better Rusty?”
He nodded slowly, hesitantly. “A-a little. But he still has Legionnaire Commander.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
One of the first cards Rusty had built his deck around, and truly part of the core of a Legionary deck. It had the effect of doubling the effects of the Legionary fighters, something that more than made up for its higher level, relative to the other Legionaries.
“We'll get it back,” Cross assured him. “All of your cards. As soon as we can get out of here, we're tracking him down. Okay? And from Blanc said, you were just waiting for me, and I beat a guy who had played their level X didn't I?”
“Well, maybe not just waiting for you, but beyond that,” Aurora agreed.
“Y-yeah, I guess. Wait, what's going on with the match?”
They turned back, to see beams of light surrounding both the fighters the robot now had in play.
[]
“Draw,” the robot stated, moving swiftly on with its turn. “And Bea gets her first friend joining her. Summon Schoolgirl Petra.”
Much like the Harbingers, the Schoolgirls looked pretty similar except for two points.
While Bea was a blonde with a pink tie, Petra had dark brown hair and a blue tie.
Schoolgirl Petra
Atk: 0 Def: 6 Life: 12 Level:
On summon: add a ‘Transformation Trinket’ from your deck to your hand other than ‘Transformation Trinket: Pen’
“And like any good student, Petra always makes sure to bring the supplies her friends need, allowing me to add to my hand Transformation Trinket: Phone.”
A new card appeared in the robots hand.
“And now my Schoolgirls can show their true colours. I activate Transformation Trinket: Pen and Transformation Trinket: Phone.”
A different rectangle to the one Bea had pulled out on being summoned appeared in her hand, while a pen appeared in Petras hand.
Bea tapped at the rectangle rapidly while Petra clicked the top of her pen, both fighters vanishing in pillars of light, which burned away to reveal new fighters.
The outfits looked about the same at their base, but the pink and blue had spread beyond the ties, even to the level of completely changing their hair colours.
Magical Girl Queen Bea
Atk: 20 Def: 20 Life: 16 Level: 6
Passive effect: can only be summoned by the effect of ‘Transformation Trinket: Phone’
On destruction: you may discard 1 card to add any ‘Schoolgirl’ fighter from your deck or discard to your hand other than ‘Schoolgirl Bea’
Magical Girl Genius Petra
Atk: 24 Def: 15 Life: 18 Level: 6
Passive effect: can only be summoned by the effect of ‘Transformation Trinket: Pen’
Activation cost: discard any ‘Transformation Trinket’ from your hand
Activated effect: add any other ‘Transformation Trinket’ except ‘Transformation Trinket: Pen’ from your deck to your hand
“And Petras preparedness continues, by discarding Transformation Trinket: Sword I can draw a Transformation Trinket: Choker. Now, Magical Girl Genius Petra, attack Kunai Kite.”
Blanc considered quickly.
She hadn't expected to be facing even a single level 6 this early in a match, let alone two. But…
“Kunai Kites effect activates! My fighter returns to my hand to negate your attack and activate my face down,” she made her decision, “Shuriken Assassination as though it was the target of your attack!”
A beam of light shot from the Magical Girls hand towards the bird, which vanished in a storm of its feathers, redirecting the beam to the remaining card from her first turn.
As the beam impacted the card, it vanished, metal stars suddenly bursting into existence around the Magical Girl and destroying her.
“Calculating. How cruel, destroying a defender of love and justice in such a manner.”
Blanc stared blankly at the robot.
“What?”
Her tone was nearly as flat as its was.
“Now, Magical Girl Queen Bea, attack directly.”
In the time it took Blanc to blink the fighter closed the difference between them, planting a kick on her that removed a fifth of her Life and forced her back a step.
“Turn end.”
“Draw. I summon Kunai Kite, and activate Shuriken Stream.”
It was a very circumstantial card that paid off well when it worked.
First, she could only activate it when she controlled a ‘Shuriken’ fighter, second, a fighter had to have been destroyed by a ‘Shuriken’ effect during the opponents previous turn and finally, the opponent needed to control a fighter with the same level as that destroyed fighter for the card to target.
“By sacrificing Kunai Kites attack, your Magical Girl Queen Bea is destroyed!”
The bird repeated the motions from when it attacked the Schoolgirl, except this time what fired from its wings were projectiles to match those from Shuriken Assassination, perforating the Magical Girl to destroy it regardless of the relative stats.
“When the leader of the Magical Girls falls, by sacrificing a card from my hand I can call forth one of her friends. In this case, Schoolgirl Alyss.”
One of the seven cards it had in its hand flickered, switching between the two cards.
Blanc hesitated a moment, considering whether to play the other fighter she could afford from her hand, but decided against it.
“Turn end.”
“Draw. Summon Schoolgirl Hilda.”
This time the schoolgirl had a red tie and black hair.
Schoolgirl Hilda
Atk: 10 Def: 8 Life: 4 Level: 2
On summon: add any ‘Transformation Trinket’ from your discard to your hand other than ‘Transformation Trinket: Choker’
“And the fighter of the Schoolgirls has her own talent, reclaiming the Trinkets her allies have lost from destruction. As such, Transformation Trinket: Sword returns to my hand. Now activate Transformation Trinket: Choker.”
Some kind of soft collar joined the tie around the Schoolgirls neck before a pillar of light formed around her, revealing her evolved version, the colour of the tie spreading in the same way as the others while taking on a similar appearance to the collar.
Magical Girl Warrior Hilda
Atk: 28 Def: 20 Life: 16 Level: 6
Passive effect: can only be summoned by the effect of ‘Transformation Trinket: Choker’
On destruction: you may discard a card to add any ‘Transformation Trinket’ except ‘Transformation Trinket: Choker’ from your deck or discard to your hand
“Magical Girl Warrior Hilda, attack Kunai Kite.”
“I activate Kunai Kites effect, targeting Firestorm Shuriken,” Blanc countered quickly, the birds wings redirecting the Magical Girls punch to one of the face down cards still on her field, even as she closed the hand gap slightly at five cards to seven.
The metal stars that exploded out of the card were on fire this time, targeting both fighter and robot.
“The Firestorm Shuriken halves your fighters Life and deals and equal amount of damage to your Life,” Blanc continued, watching her opponent drop to 84 Life, the gap between them closing.
“Turn end,” the robot stated.
“Draw. I summon Kunai Kite and Shuriken Sparrow,” Blanc declared, having finally drawn another fighter she was willing to use, another green backed card like most of the fighters in her deck.
Shuriken Sparrow
Atk: 8 Def: 0 Life: 4 Level: 2
On attack: you can tribute this card to deal its Atk as damage to the targets Life ignoring Def calculations
This time all the birds feathers were metal blades rather than just its wings.
“Shuriken Sparrow, attack Magical Girl Warrior Hilda, and activate your effect!”
As the metal bird divebombed the Magical Girl, it fell apart into the metal stars that formed its body, bombarding the other fighter and destroying it.
“Effect activate. One card discard, add Transformation Trinket: Staff to hand.”
So, even more of these ‘Schoolgirls’ and ‘Transformation Trinkets’. Well, she already had enough to face later, so…
“Kunai Kite, direct attack!”
The blades from its wings showered the robot, dropping its Life to 74 and putting her back in the lead.
And she was out of levels, leaving a single face down to protect her. The cost of a Shuriken deck, and likely why the cards had been abandoned.
“Turn end.”
“Draw. Summon Schoolgirl Alyss.”
This time the Schoolgirl looked a lot more different.
The black tie and yellow (not blonde, yellow) hair might have fit with the look of the others, but not how loose the tie was, or the darker colours of the uniform and shorter skirt.
Schoolgirl Alyss
Atk: 8 Def: 8 Life: 8 Level: 2
On summon: add 1 ‘Magical Girl Tactic’ card from your deck to your hand
“And the delinquent has her own talents, letting me draw error card not found. Deck incomplete, error.”
Blanc blinked.
Was that why the robot had been abandoned, it had lost cards? Or had it lost the cards after being abandoned?
But either way, if the deck was incomplete, how was it able to start a match?
Something occurred to her.
“Oh you cheater, that's how you keep getting the cards you need, isn't it? You aren't playing with a full deck, which changes the odds.”
As she finished speaking, the robot seemed to run a soft reboot on itself, continuing its turn.
“I activate Transformation Trinket: Sword.”
As Blanc had been learning to expect, a sword appeared in the Schoolgirls hand, preceding a pillar of light forming around her.
Before revealing a leatherbound Magical Girl, still wielding the sword.
Magical Girl Turncoat Alyss
Atk: 30 Def: 20 Life: 28 Level: 8
Passive effect: can only be summoned by ‘Transformation Trinket: Sword’
Activation cost: discard a card from the hand or a ‘Magical Girl Tactic’ from the field
Activated effect: add a ‘Magical Girl Tactic’ that doesn't share its name with the discarded card from your deck to your hand
“Magical Girl Turncoat Alyss, attack Kunai Kite.”
“And effect activate! Kuna Kite returns to my hand and activates the effect of… Sealing… Shuriken…”
The Magical Girl lunged with her sword, only for it to be deflected into her last face down, shadowy flames burning away until papery shurikens, some kind of writing scrawled across them, burst forth and dug into the fighter, sealing her effect and ability to attack.
Not to mention letting Blancs fighters ignore her as a target.
“Turn end.”
“Draw, summon Kunai Kite,” Blanc repeated, giving up a temporary equality in hand size as she dropped to holding five to the robots six.
“Giggle. Your fighter no longer has any way to use its effect.”
“But it can still attack. Kunai Kite, direct attack!”
The metal rain reduced the robot to 64 Life, pushing her ever more slightly into the lead.
“Now I activate Obvious Ambush! Once per turn I can discard the top card of my deck to set a Shuriken from my hand even without having any levels remaining. And I use the effect immediately.”
She couldn't see any representation of her deck to witness her card vanish, but her other Sealing Shuriken? That she could see as it set itself to the arena.
“Turn end.”
“Draw. Summon Schoolgirl Gwen. Effect activates. Like any good friend, Gwen is able to bring her friends back even when they appear lost for good. Schoolgirl Hera returns to my hand.”
The Schoolgirl he summoned looked like the earlier fighters, with a green tie and ginger hair.
Schoolgirl Gwen
Atk: 8 Def: 4 Life: 6 Level: 2
On summon: add any ‘Schoolgirl’ fighter other than ‘Schoolgirl Gwen’ from your discard to your hand
“Wait, you never played any ‘Schoolgirl Hera’, how is it supposed to be in the discard?”
“TB-4 discarded [QUERIED] card earlier for effect activaion.” That queried was the first time the robot changed the tone it spoke in. “Activate Transformation Trinket: Staff.”
A staff appeared in the Schoolgirls hand, heralding her transformation into Magical Girl form.
Magical Girl Princess Gwen
Atk: 20 Def: 20 Life: 20 Level: 6
Passive effect: can only be summoned by ‘Transformation Trinket: Staff’
Activation cost: discard any ‘Schoolgirl’ fighter from your hand
Activated effect: add any ‘Schoolgirl’ fighter with a different name to the discarded card except ‘Schoolgirl Gwen’ from deck or discard to hand
“Magical Girl Princess Gwen, attack Kunai Kite.”
“Effect activate! Your attack gets redirected to my other Sealing Shuriken!”
Sure enough the burst of wind the Magical Girl used to impact struck the face down instead of the bird as it returned to Blancs hand.
“Calculations suggest one turn before victory. Turn end.”
If there had been any emotion in the robots voice, Blanc may have assumed it was a bluff, but something about the flat tone convinced her the robot knew what it was talking about.
“One turn to do all the damage I can then. Draw! Obvious Ambush effect activates!”
If she wanted to win, she needed to do more damage than Kunai Kite would allow, so the card she set didn't matter. What did matter was getting a card in the discard,hoping it wasn't one of her non-archetypal cards.
“Now summon Shuriken Wing Dragon!”
The level 2 fighter she'd been holding onto from her first turn, and arguably one of the strongest cards they'd found in the scrap heaps.
Shuriken Wing Dragon
Atk: 72 Def: 18 Life: 8 Level: 2
Passive effects: the Atk of Shuriken Wing Dragon is always equal to the number of ‘Shuriken’ cards in either discard times 8. The Def of Shuriken Wing Dragon is always equal to the number of ‘Shuriken’ cards in either discard times 4. At the end of each turn, a ‘Shuriken’ card must be removed from the game from either discard. If one cannot, Shuriken Wing Dragon is destroyed. If Shuriken Wing Dragon would be destroyed due to battle damage, a ‘Shuriken’ card must instead be banished from the owners discard, if possible, and its Life is reset to 8
The mighty dragon, its wings formed of metal stars, roared as it manifested.
“Shuriken Wing Dragon, direct attack!”
“Card activate. Barrier Maidens.”
The card the robot had left in play since its first turn activated.
“By removing Schoolgirls in my discard from the game, I can reduce the damage of your attack by double their level. I remove Schoolgirls Bea, Alyss, Petra, Gwen and Hilda from the game, reducing the damage of your attack to 62.”
The robot stared impassively as the dragons wings rained upon it, leaving it with 2 Life.
Blanc checked her hand quickly for any Shuriken that she could use for that last bit of damage, but nothing.
“Turn end.”
A window blinked up before her, and she quickly selected Shuriken Sparrow to be removed, lacking any way to bring a fighter back.
“Draw. Summon Schoolgirl Hera.”
Another Schoolgirl, orange tie and brown hair.
Schoolgirl Hera
Atk: 0 Def: 8 Life: 8 Level: 2
On summon: add 1 ‘Combination Attack’ card from your deck to your hand
“Effect activates. Card added to hand. Activate Transformation Trinket: Compact.”
Blanc… wasn't sure exactly what it was that landed in the fighters hand and commenced their transformation into the orange coloured Magical Girl.
Magical Girl Negotiator Hera
Atk: 8 Def: 30 Life: 30 Level: 6
Passive effect: can only be summoned by ‘Transformation Trinket: Compact’
Activation cost: discard 1 card
Activated effect: add 1 ‘Combination Attack’ card with a different name to the discarded card from your deck or discard to your hand
“Activate Combination Attack: Revenge for the Fallen. Requirements, three Magical Girls in play, including Turncoat Alyss, and at least one Magical Girl in the discard. Effects. One opponents fighter is destroyed. Opponent takes damage equal to the total attack of Magical Girls in the discard with names different to each other and the Magical Girls in play. Magical Girl Turncoat Alyss cannot attack this turn.”
A stream of dark fire burst from the Magical Girl despite her bindings, sidestepping the dragons effect to destroy it and burning Blancs Life to 8.
“Magical Girl Negotiator Hera, direct attack.”
Blanc missed the attack, blinking away the spots from the Combination Attack, but certainly felt the impact like any attack that dropped a players Life to 0.
The arena faded, and the robot spoke.
“Victory determined. Further training will occur, as per wager.”
It shuddered, seeming to reset in some way, before tilting its head as it faced them.
“Query, have you seen my missing cards.”
It took a moment to recognise its words as a question.
“I… don't think so?”
“Then recommend joining forces in search while waiting for next lesson. Query, which way to Factory Street.”
“Um,” Blanc looked around the heaps that covered the otherwise flat plain of the zone. “I think we'll have to leave the zone to find it…”
