All The Skills - Book 4 Chapter 23: Wakey-Wakey

Arthur awoke with the strange feeling that everything under the surface of his skin was sore. yet, as he shifted around in bed, he realized that it was deeper than muscle soreness. The odd, dull pain seemed to penetrate even past his heart.

Wait… he was in bed?

The last thing he remembered was the weird sensation of consuming the card. What had happened?

Even with his eyes closed, he must have made some movement or grimace. Or else there was an alert for when a patient returned to consciousness.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” Marion’s voice said with a very thick level of irony. Hadn’t he said something like that before? The last time he was here?

Opening his eyes, Arthur took a swift look around the room to confirm, yep, he was in the hospital. Also, Brixaby was nowhere to be seen. Though he felt the link between them was as strong as ever, so he wasn’t overly concerned. He was probably just sleeping somewhere else.

From the dim light that filtered in through the window, it was just dawn.

“How are you feeling?” Marion asked, this time putting down his book. He was probably concerned about Arthur’s silence.

Arthur raised his hand. “I need a second.”

Then, holding his breath — real and mental — he checked his version of the ‘Call of The Void’, which he had thanks to his link with Brixaby.

Call of The Void

Legendary

Nullify

The wielder of this card has the ability to take another card of the same rank or lower from any deck. Once placed in a temporary deck, the new card’s aspects are slowly consumed and added to a list of ten removable/adjustable slots to grow the wielder’s strength.

This list is not transferable and will dissolve upon the wielder’s death or removal from the core.

This card is part of the Call set. Search out other cards in this set to add to your power.

Card Effects:

1/10

– Endless Grindstone: The chance to learn the basics of a new skill by casual observation is 1:4, with a 33% overall accelerated rate of learning.

He had retained much of the card—not all of it, but the vast majority– probably because he had slept.

Wow, he thought, struck dumb. This is really going to help.

That was an understatement. This card represented a big boost to his already powerful Master of Skills.

Though… he was struck with a pang of guilt that in doing so, he’d taken a card out of the world forever.

Maybe it would have been better just to stick it in his heart. Though, judging by how bad he felt… that would have been a very bad idea.

I’ll just have to make sure I’m worthy of what I took, he thought, though it seemed like thin justification.

Nearby, Marion was shifting around in his chair, looking more and more concerned with Arthur’s silence.

Blinking, Arthur set aside the implications of the new boost in his skills for now and looked at him. “What happened?”

Marion’s eyebrows show up. “Well, your dragon said your card anchor was destroyed while fighting another card user — which is something I’ve never heard of before.” He paused and added, blandly, “The healer who attended you said it looked like your anchor was pushed beyond its limits to the point where it actually exploded. As I understand, the shrapnel hit your soul. So, I’ll ask again: How are you feeling?”

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“A little like shrapnel hit my soul.” Now that he was concentrating on it, his right side did feel worse than his left.

Lifting his arm, he looked at his card anchor. The skin had been cleaned of blood, but now only faint, spidery lines remained of his tattoo.

“Don’t try reaching for your cards,” Marion said quickly as if he’d read what Arthur intended to do. “Not until a heart deck specialist has examined you.”

Heart deck specialist? That sounded serious, but also sort of interesting.

Arthur looked at him. “Can it be fixed? I’ve never heard of an anchor exploding.”

“They do fail,” Marion said, his tone grave. “Typically, the pain stops people from pushing them too far. It usually happens when someone buys a cheap card anchor from some back-alley idiot or tries to do it themselves to save a few shards.” He shook his head. “This isn’t good, Arthur. The healer said it wasn’t a coma, but it was close. You probably got lucky this time and didn’t scar yourself, but only a specialist can say for sure.”

“I… don’t think I passed out because my card anchor exploded,” Arthur admitted slowly, voice tinged with embarrassment. “I–well, I added something new to my heart deck after my anchor started to fall apart.”

Marion exhaled sharply and then rubbed between his eyes like he was getting a headache. “You know, I had wondered if being a dragon rider would change you. If you’d become one of the elitists. But then I remember all the things you pulled during that eruption — I think linking with Brixaby hasn’t changed you one bit.”

“Oh, haha,” Arthur said sarcastically, struggling to sit up. He managed it after a moment. “Where is Brixaby?”

“I’m not sure. He said he had some business to handle, and then he just left.”

Either sleeping or trying to get his chain mail class, Arthur amended with fond exasperation.

“I’ll have you know he made quite a scene coming into the hospital,” Marion said. “Again.”

Arthur shrugged at that because it was Brix. The dragon made a big scene when he couldn’t get the cook on the meat he wanted.

“What happened with the rest of the adventurers?” Arthur asked. “Did they get back with the Sheriffs?”

“No idea. Though I haven’t heard of any angry Over-sheriffs beating at the hospital door and yelling your name, so they probably got back fine.” Marion paused. “Soledad has found a position here, as a healer assistant as well. She has checked in once or twice and she wanted me to tell you that you were an idiot for getting hurt.”

“She doesn’t know what happened.”

“She knows you took on too many scourgelings at once and got hurt.”

“Brixaby and I already told you,” Arthur said, annoyed, “it was another card user.”

Marion looked unimpressed. “Yes, that’s what you claimed. So, what really happened?”

Arthur sighed. Okay, maybe Marion had a point.

“You know that in the Kingdom there are people who stay on the outskirts of eruptions to see if they can hunt any scourgelings that escaped the dragons, or harvest dragon riders who fall?”

“I’ve heard of them. The vultures.”

“Right, well here, there are no dragon riders. It’s all vultures.” He shook his head. “Someone with a toxic gas card tried to take all the spoils for his own, and the sheriffs weren’t empowered enough to stop them.”

Marion frowned but he didn’t look surprised. “Anyone who has any real power would already be an Adventurer or a freelance crafter. Those with ambition but low or middling powers tend to go to government jobs.”

“Which means the government here is barely in control,” Arthur said.

Marion shook his head. “Maybe that’s how it is outside the city where there is no direct oversight. But make no mistake, Arthur, right now the city’s administration has never been more powerful. They get to lord access over the dark heart, and everyone knows it.”

“That’s another thing!” Sitting up straighter, Arthur grabbed his blankets. He sort of wanted to throw something. “Marion, we discovered a whole nest of scourgelings. It was a fissure — practically a mini-eruption — and I’m sure it led straight from the dark heart. They’re flirting with a full-blown eruption here.”

Marion’s gaze snapped toward the window and the steadily brightening dawn, almost as if he was expecting to see a scourgeling eruption at any point. It was peaceful outside, but his troubled expression remained.

“I confess that I haven’t been able to get what Soledad said out of my head. What happened to her city…” he shuddered. “I don’t miss my Time card. I really don’t. But sometimes, I do wish I could see the future.”

Arthur nodded, feeling troubled too. “I’d be happy if they opened the heart tomorrow, but I’m still waiting for a couple of friends to arrive.” He looked at Marion. “You’re going down into the dark heart with me, aren’t you?”

Marion seemed surprised. “You’d really have me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

He put a hand over his heart. “Because I’m not a card-user anymore.”

Sympathy flashed through Arthur. He still felt lousy, but he couldn’t imagine how having an empty heart deck must have ached.

“You’re my friend,” he said simply. “I want you by my side. Also, tell Soledad she has a spot on my team, too.”

“Wonderful, so you’ll be carrying two dead weights.” Despite Marion’s words, his tone was unexpectedly light. Then, he leaned forward and he lowered his voice. “I still have the two you-know-what’s.”

The Illusion card, he meant.

“Do you want it?” Arthur asked.

Marion leaned back with a deeper frown. “I don’t know. My Time Card was given to me because I was born… well, you know the circumstances. But this time, I do want to earn my card. That was the whole point of this.” He gestured around the hospital meaningfully.

“Think about it,” Arthur said. “There’s no rush.”

“You think about it,” Marion countered. “You’re supposed to see a heart deck specialist today and they are not cheap. That will be on top of another emergency visit and overnight stay.” He sighed. “Arthur, you might have to sell you-know-what just to clear your debts.”