by Eden Redd
Miranda’s legs curled in as her body twisted. Bolts shot past as she turned and shot her legs out, touching her boots on the tall academy wall. Sinking down sideways, she launched again, landing on a low roof before shooting into the sky.
The lancer was so fast, Dax could barely keep up. Miranda’s entire body moved like a spear and bent just before she touched a surface so she could jump again. Lancers were meant to take on large enemies and monsters, their jumping ability allowing them to reach places normally difficult for normal ground classes. Dax remembered from his own research that lancers were pivotal on taking down the void spawn’s larger monsters coming from their world. It made them essential during large scale conflicts during the war.
Miranda moved with incredible speed and finesse as she dodged barrages of stun bolts, every action leading her closer to the main building with the bell tower.
“She’s going to do it,” Fern smiled.
Dax didn’t blink as she came down, surrounded by five students with wands. Hands came around Dax’s head, one clamping on his eyes and another clamping on his mouth. Darkness blinded the mage as a boot kicked him in the back of his leg and brought him down on the grassy ground.
The attack was so swift and sudden that when the hand pulled away from his eyes, he was stunned to see two hooded heads peering down on him with wicked smiles. One was a woman with dark violet skin, pointed ears and short white hair. Her eyes were blood red as she looked down with high cheekbones and black lips.
The other one was reptilian with large green slitted eyes. She had a small snout and it still conveyed her smile. Green scales ran along her snout and ended at her neck. Her skin was softer and had patches of dark green from what Dax could see. The hoods and dark leather outfits covered their bodies but their faces shined with devilish intent.
The shadow elf kept her hand on Dax’s mouth as she straddled his waist. “Hi handsome. I’m Isani and this is Ressa. We want to invite you to a party.”
Dax didn’t blink as the shadow elf pulled a small square piece of paper from in her top and slid it into Dax’s inner robe pocket.
“Come alone,” Ressa said with a sly grin.
Dax remained silent as the shadow elf bent forward and kissed his cheek. In a blink the two were up and already walking away. Dax sat up and turned his head, watching the two women stepping away and disappearing into a shadow of a building.
The mage was to his feet, his friends still turned toward the action. When the mage stepped forward to see, several students in the courtyard wrung their hands in the air in annoyance as Miranda stepped into the main building.
“That was incredible!” Fern shouted.
“I had no idea Lancers could move like that,” Symon said with wide eyes.
“We should invite her to join the Heroes of Kinarth,” Vance said as he rubbed his chin.
Dax shook his head as he missed the action when a thought slammed into his thoughts. Hand diving into an inner pocket, he felt the new note there among his cards but as he felt around, one of his cards was missing.
Fucking rogue took one of my cards!
Dax let out a frustrated sigh. Fern looked over with a raised eyebrow. Zarra was silent as a grave. Symon and Vance turned around, their eyes still dazzled by the Lancer’s display.
“We have to come up with strategies for the gem hunt. Miranda is already the first to find one so that means we are already behind. Did you see how she worked with her fellow lancers? We have to do the same,” Vance spoke his thoughts out loud.
The bell tower rung, it’s loud chime filling the entire academy.
“Bring your ideas to the meeting this afternoon,” Vance ordered before he turned and walked away.
Symon nodded. “I’ll see you guys later,” the spellsword smiled, turned, and left.
“I have to go too. See you at the meeting,” Fern smiled and skipped away.
Dax was ready to run to class when Zarra touched his hand.
“Can you stay with me for a moment?”
“Sure. Is everything okay?” Dax asked.
Zarra nodded. “I was going to ask you the same thing. What did Isani and Ressa give you?”
Dax’s eyes widened.
Zarra gave a small smile. “I heard everything while everyone else was distracted. I knew they weren’t going to harm you, but I’m curious why they took the moment while everyone was distracted to invite you to a party.”
Dax shook off his disbelief, reached into his inner robe pocket and pulled out the paper. Opening it, it simply read “Silver Port in two nights. We will find you.”
Zarra looked down at the note and back up to Dax.
The mage rubbed the back of his head, “It’s just an invite to a party, but one of them took one of my cards.”
The cleric nodded. “They seem to want your attention.”
“It would seem so,” Dax dropped his hand to his side and shrugged.
“What will you do?”
Dax eyed the beautiful cleric with dragon eyes. “I have to go, if only to get my card back.”
Zarra nodded. “Tonight, after the club meeting, you and Fern should come to my dorm room.”
Dax eyed the cleric, unsure what to say.
Zarra stepped closer, her lips close to Dax’s ear. “Simply come and we can talk more in private.”
Dax’s blood began to pump as he felt Zarra’s breath on his ear. The cleric kissed his cheek, stepped back and walked away, the sun shining down with brilliant light.
***
The rest of the day spun on into late afternoon. Dax rushed out of his class, down the stairs and outside the Mage Tower. Looking forward to the club meeting and seeing Fern and Zarra afterwards brought a small smile to the mage’s lips.
The courtyard was crowded with students, many relaxing after classes and others moving toward the Dining Hall or their dormitories. The sun was low in the sky, it’s warm light painting the academy’s towers in an ember glow.
Dax made his way to the Commons building and rushed up the iron stairs to the third floor. Making his way down the hallway, he smiled as he saw they still had their same club room. On the side, a sign read “Heroes of Kinarth.” Dax took hold of the handle, turned and stepped in.
Happy smiles greeted the mage as he stepped in and closed the door behind him. Symon and Fern had cups in their hands. Vance was pouring himself a drink. Zarra sat, a small barrel of spirits by her leg as she gave the mage a shy, happy smile.
Fern picked up another cup and sauntered over. The now five-foot-tall fairy handed the cup to Dax. The pair clinked their cups before they drank deeply.
“We should begin the Heroes of Kinarth club meeting,” Vance smirked before he took a long guzzle of his drink.
“Aye!” everyone said and took another drink.
Zarra lifted her barrel and drank directly from it.
“I want to open the meeting to expanding membership,” Vance said.
“Nay!” Dax, Fern, and Symon said in unison before they burst into a laughing fit.
Vance smiled, “We have to think about the future of the club and when we leave the academy. The more friends we have, the better off we will be after we graduate.”
“But our group is so cozy,” Fern said before finishing her drink.
Vance nodded. “I know, I know, but increased membership will only help us. We don’t have to open it to everyone, but we can select our members.”
“Do I detect a bit of a crush for a certain Miranda Bright?” Fern grinned.
Vance’s face turned red. “I think she would make an excellent member of the club. And to answer your question, she is lovely, but I have taken a personal oath to focus on my studies.”
Symon stepped over and curled his arm around Vance’s neck. “It’s okay if you like her. We’re all friends here.”
Vance looked down. “I stand by my statement.”
“He likes her,” Zarra smiled.
“Can we get back to the meeting at hand!” Vanc
e said before pulling away from Symon and pouring himself more spirits.
Dax grinned. “Vance is right. We should think about opening membership, even if it's for certain people. I suppose it couldn’t hurt to invite a few more members now.”
Symon raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised. I thought you would want to tell everyone to go swim with sea monsters before allowing them into the club.”
Dax took a big gulp before holding his cup at chest level. “That was before my card magic technique was out to the world. It felt like everyone wanted to join because they wanted to know more about it.
“Now that it is out there, I’m sure many of those kinds of people will drop off. We might get some genuine classmates who wish to join our little club.”
Fern nodded. “Aside from Miranda, I’m curious on who we want to allow in our club?”
Vance took a sip of his drink. “We can take our time and decide on who we want during the next few meetings. We have to move to the topic to the Gem Hunt.”
Symon sighed. “I’m not sure we have the numbers to be effective. Miranda had many from her class helping her. One of them sacrificed themselves so she could get closer to the main building.”
“Without Zarra, we are down to four,” Dax added.
“I wish I could help. It seems like a delightful exercise,” the dragon cleric smiled before lifting up her barrel and drinking deeply.
Vance moved to the middle of the room and addressed everyone. “How about we focus on simple steps first. We need wands if we want to stop others from making it to the main building. Since anyone could have a wand, but anyone with a gem will be noticed, we should start our search for wands.”
Symon looked down to his drink. “Are we going to be those students to try to take others down? I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that.”
“It’s just a game,” Dax smiled.
Symon nodded, but his expression remained the same. “I know, but those students with wands were waiting by the main building. I mean, we could take turns, but we don’t have the numbers to effectively watch out for any students with gems.”
Dax looked to his friend. “Would you feel better if we simply found gems and ran the gauntlet?”
Symon lifted his head, his expression a little lighter. “I feel better about that aspect.”
“We have our goal then,” Dax smiled.
Heads nodded.
“We should travel in pairs, just so we can give the other person a better chance,” Fern added.
“Since I cannot participate, I can switch from pair to pair. Nothing in the rules says I can’t simply speak my thoughts,” Zarra said with a gleam in her eye.
Vance nodded. “Dax and I share the same classes so we can pair up. Fern and Symon, can you both pair up from your schedules?”
Symon and Fern looked to each other and smiled.
“I think we can do it,” Fern grinned.
The spellsword nodded. “I think so as well. I think there might be a lull between our classes midday, but we can work it out.”
“It sounds like we have a plan,” Dax smiled.
Vance nodded. “Excellent. Now, we can move onto the business of drinking and…” the mage trailed off when there was a knock at the door.
All heads turned to the door. Dax was first to move, making his way over and opening it. Looking down, his eyes widened a hair as a kobold stood in a black robe. His hood was down and his reptilian eyes looked up. The kobold stood about three feet tall with a small squarish snout. Scales covered his face, head and neck.
“Master Dax Sage, may I have a moment of your time?” the kobold asked with a nervous edge.
Dax caught himself and smiled. “Sure, how can I help you?”
“My name is Noss Bonegnaw, student of the Necromancer Class. May I come in?”
Dax looked to the side, “We are having a club meeting.”
The kobold bowed his head. “I don’t wish to disrupt your meeting, but I think we should speak behind closed doors. I’m okay speaking with your fellow members as they may wish to give their thoughts on what I have to ask.”
Fern and Symon were behind Dax. The spellsword and berserker looked down at the small kobold.
“Noss here wants to speak to all of us,” Dax said over his shoulder.
“Come in,” Symon said with welcomed flair.
Everyone backed up as the kobold made his way in. Fern closed the door. Vance was standing as Zarra remained sitting at the table.
The group spread out as the kobold moved to the middle and faced Dax before bowing.
“Again, my name is Noss Bonegnaw from the Necromancer Class. I thank you for allowing me to come in to speak with you for I am honored to be in your presence, Master Dax Sage.”
Everyone could see the little kobold was nervous, his little scaly hands clamped to each other.
“What brings you by, Master Noss Bonegnaw,” Dax smiled.
Noss bowed deep again as he spoke, “I wasn’t sure how to approach you so I decided to be direct. I, like many others, are a firm admirer of your card magic technique. I have spent the last number of months designing my own cards. There are a large number of fellow students from all classes that are interested in learning more about your technique.”
A shadow touched Dax’s eyes. “Thank you for coming to me, but books and training will begin in the next few weeks. I don’t know what you could learn that hasn’t already been written or done.”
Noss stood up but kept his head bowed. “It is more than simply learning more about the technique. Many of us have discussed at length about the future of your kind of spell casting. We believe there should be rules for friendly competition between all those who admire your card magic.”
The kobold took a deep breath before he turned his large eyes upwards to Dax. “We want to form a club with agreed upon rules for card magic duels. A safe and practical rule set so everyone can learn and create in peace. We would be honored for you to be part of it to help create and use cards safely.”
Dax eyed the kobold. It was clear the small humanoid was nervous and it seemed to take everything he had just to be here. His bravery spoke to Dax and he found it difficult not to listen to him.
“What would you call this club?” Dax asked with a smile.
Noss’s eyes shined in excitement. “We wanted something simple and easy to remember. We thought to call it the Card Alliance. Any who are a part of it must follow the rules for duels. We would award badges and ranks on wins, and cards can be won in greater challenges.
“That is why I’m here. You created something that will change the world and we feel, as we hope you do, that a safe and sanctioned rule club will benefit all people of Ikkudran.”
Vance crossed his arms and tilted his head forward. “Something like this sounds like it should be discussed further before…” The mage was cut off.
“This sounds incredible! Yes! I completely agree!” Dax said with an excited edge.
Vance opened his eyes, giving Dax a sideways glance. “Or we could just say yes.”
Noss smiled wide, showing sharp teeth. “This is very good news!”
Dax stepped closer as he smiled at the small kobold. “I’m sure the academy will have their general rules for card magic, but an organization where its rules can be used across Ikkudran would help so many people. It would give them resources and balanced rules so it could be used effectively.”
Fern looked to Dax, the mage’s mind clearly working as he thought of the possibilities. Zarra’s normally small smile grew a little wider. Vance smirked and Symon nodded.
“Has the group been created? How many members will it start with? Do you have a working rule set?” Dax asked with excited fervor.
Noss seemed equally excited as he spoke, “The group was not going to be created without your blessing first. There are about twenty of us, but we believe there will be more.”
The kobold’s demeanor dimmed as his little claws sank into his robe pockets. “As for
the rules, that is another reason why I’m here. I thought, the only way to ensure we can have such a group is if we test out what we have.”
Everyone’s attention fell on Noss as he pulled his hands from his robe pockets, a few cards in each hand. The kobold looked up with wide eyes and took a deep breath.
“Master Dax Sage, I challenge you to a duel,” Noss said in a serious tone.
Six
Dax’s eyes narrowed as he smiled. “I accept!”
Noss smirked as he held up four cards and took a step back. Activity filled the room as Fern, Symon, Vance, and Zarra were moving the main table back and pulling chairs away. The furniture was pushed against the wall and under the windows.
Dax took a step back, his hand reaching into his robe. “What are the rules?”
Noss nodded before he spoke, “This is a practice duel. I have tried it with a few others and a beginner duel should only have four cards. We can scale up with tougher duels, but since this is our first one, we should start with four.
“One card must be a phantom card so it can be your champion. The other cards can be spell effects. We each take turns. A phantom card is played and when both duelists are ready, you can play one spell effect card during your turn. We’ve discussed this at length and felt it was only fair to allow one phantom and spell effect per turn.”
Dax nodded. “Maybe we should try five cards? It might add a little more to the duel?”
Noss shook his head. “We should try the rules we started with and change from what we learn from duels.”
Dax nodded again. “True. I would like to see what you and your friends have come up with. Please, continue.”
Fern, Symon, Vance and Zarra stood to the side, their full attention on the mage and the necromancer.
Noss continued, “Each side has a turn. As I said, after duelists place their champion monster, that is the first turn. You may use a spell effect card on your champion during the first turn, but no battle may take place.
“The second turn is the battle turn. The champion phantoms may use their normal attacks and the spell effect already in place. You may direct your phantom to make one attack or defend.
