A Royal Meeting

Under the watchful gaze of the entire court, we were presented before King Jervis III. From his golden throne, he clapped his hands, causing the curtains to move in such a way as to focus the mosaic lights solely on Eleanor and me. Imryll stood aside by a pillar, motioning for us to begin. My heart rate rose, beating even faster than the championship finale to the point where my body began to tremble.

You can do this…

Deep breaths like how you’ve always done before a match.

In… and out…

It was no use. That was, until Eleanor smiled in my direction. As absurd as she looked, it helped to ease my tension, freeing me to speak, not that I liked it or anything.

Eleanor and I began by recounting what occurred, including how my card interacted with the physical world and the bull’s immunity to conventional attacks. With each detail, more officials whispered, passing around rumors and speculation. Some of them even labelled me a witch, blaming me for supposedly attracting the assailant.

“Silence!”

The room turned cold. All attention was now on Imryll.

“How can any of you spread such blatant lies about Verity? She saved countless lives today! The least you pigs can do is show her the respect she deserves!”

“Shall we have Captain Imryll stripped of her position?” asked an advisor to the king’s right.

“No, I believe it’s time for a demonstration,” King Jervis III said, leaning forward. “Lady Verity, the invitation bestowed to you was on my behalf. Our greatest scientists have unearthed a new mineral that may be key in unlocking the full potential of Fossilium monsters. Regrettably, however, some deposits have been raided by unknown outsiders. The figure you defeated today may have been one of those agitators.”

Blood began boiling in my veins. “Regrettably? Is this nothing but an inconvenience to you?”

“Verity, let him finish,” Eleanor cut in. I turned to stare at her, my heart stinging as I did. Was she really being serious? No—I shouldn't be so impulsive, especially after Imryll’s faith in me.

I apologized with a formal bow before allowing the king to continue.

“Can you summon your dragon on command?” he asked.

“I’m sorry, but I had no involvement with that. It did that of its own accord.”

“In that case…”

With a snap of the king’s finger, a pair of aides stepped from behind and presented me with a pulsating red crystal in a display case. It hummed an eerie tune almost as if it were calling out to something—

Or perhaps, yearning.

Instantly, my staff reacted to the crystal, glowing a similar color before manifesting a card into play.

“Look out!” I shouted, pushing Eleanor out of harm’s way.

As we fell to the ground, Thila awakened in an explosion of light, nearly knocking over several pillars as it unfolded its wings.

“Exquisite… simply exquisite,” the king mumbled.

Everyone froze at his words.

“Can you command it?”

Before I could reply, Thila let out a roar, shattering the mosaic windows. It then disappeared back into its card and my staff, leaving nothing but a mist of fine particles.

Unfazed, King Jervis III continued. “Lady Verity, if you would be willing, I’d like for you to use your gift in service of Ragos and all her people. And not just Ragosopolis, but Mirefield and other villages as well. You would be awarded most handsomely for your contributions. How could a talented sorceress such as yourself miss such an opportunity?”

“I—I—”

“This was never part of the plan! You have no right to pressure Verity like this!” Imryll declared as she marched toward the king. “No one can possibly comprehend the forces at work with the crystals! Using them for any reason would be reckless as it stands!”

On command, a band of knights formed a defensive circle around the throne, their weapons pointed forward. “Take another step, and I’ll have you court-martialed.”

Imryll stopped in place, gripping her fists so tight, I could hear the leather in her gauntlets strain.

“Veri, she’s right… Don’t give in, even if it’s the king himself asking,” Eleanor said, resting her hands on my shoulder.

What was going on!? Adding to the commotion, a messenger sprinted up the stairs, his clothes torn and dirtied. “My lord, I have an emergency announcement for you! Mirefield is under siege! You must send an army at once! There’s a—”

Before the boy could finish, he choked and collapsed. A pool of blood soaked into the ornate carpet.

“Eleanor!” I yelled.

“On it!”

“Verity! You must stay!” the king demanded. We ignored him and sortied for Mirefield, shoving our way through the countless nobles and guards blocking our path.

Everyone, please be safe…

* * *

A plume of smoke rose high, turning the sky a murky gray.

“Over there!” I said, pointing at a nearby tree. Hiding behind it was a woman and a girl.

“Mommy! Help has arrived!” the girl cried out, tugging on her mother’s arm.

The woman smiled as she struggled to stay awake. While Eleanor tended to them, I headed for the enemy. Like the bull, there was a huge creature being controlled by someone; a serpent this time. Covered in black scales, it laid senseless waste to everything.

With my staff, I charged and released a lightning spell at the rider, only for the snake to block the hit without harm.

“You’ve arrived at last, Verity!” the shadowy man said. “I’ve been waiting for this moment! Let’s have a proper game!”

I don’t have time for this! I need to put out the fires!

As I tried to flee, a circle of magic enveloped us in a transparent sphere, blocking any escape.

“Watch everything burn as I defeat you!” From his cloak, the man drew a skeletal sword with a purple gem embedded in the center. “It’s your turn! Go ahead, be my guest!”

“If that’s the only way to defeat you, then so be it!”

I drew from my deck, expecting the standard starting hand of five cards.

Only three!? What’s going on with the rules of the game!?

In a desperate attempt, I called upon Thila but failed. The only play I had was to summon Tri-Horned Serpent, followed by placing two face-down cards.

“Can’t summon your ace card? Boohoo! That’s too bad! Go, Dusk Serpent, devour that pathetic card!”

The snake lunged, its mouth enlarging to swallow my monster whole.

“Trap activate! Indestructible! By paying 2 Mana, my card can’t be destroyed this turn!” I declared.

“But you still take the damage! Twice the damage with Dusk Serpent’s ability!”

Twin fangs slammed down, injecting my monster with venom. Under normal circumstances, I would have only taken 300 out of 1,000 Health Points worth of damage. And yet, there was a burning sensation throughout my body, sapping my real energy away.

Hang in there, Verity, just a little more…

“Tri-Horned Serpent’s effect now triggers! When it survives a turn, it evolves into Level 5, Fire Lake Gator!”

“Oh? You summoned something other than your wyrm?” the man said before setting a card and passing his turn.

“I draw! From my hand, I activate the spell, All In! With this, I raise my gator’s attack from 400 to 1,000 at the cost of 6 Mana! Now attack!” Heeding my command, the gator bellowed, creating a surge of blue flames across its back before galloping forward.

The cloaked figure laughed maniacally. “You fell for my trap! Venom Surge! When you declare an attack, I can pay 4 Mana and send up to five cards from the top of my deck to the Discard Pile. For each one, my monster gains 200 attack, and I’m sending all five! My monster now has 1,400 attack!”

“As if! I activate my other trap, Attack Tax! When my opponent attempts to increase their monster’s attack, I can negate that effect by paying 2 Mana!”

The attack went through with Fire Lake Gator chomping down on the man’s serpent, leaving him at 600 Health Points.

“Ngh! Lucky hit, but I’m still alive. Next turn I’ll—”

“There won’t be a next turn!”

“What!?”

“Fire Lake Gator’s ability! After defeating a monster in battle, it evolves into Level 8, Thila, the Dragon of Reparation! Go, end this duel with Divinity’s Wind!”

“H—Have mercy! Spare me!” begged the man.

“Repent for the lives you’ve taken!”

With a direct hit, Thila’s beam attack evaporated the shadow figure with no trace of him but his final scream. Following his defeat, the barrier surrounding me disappeared.

“Can anyone hear me?” I shouted as I used water magic to cleanse the fires.

“Over here…” replied a weak voice from a pile of rubble.

“Hang in there, I’m coming!”