Furious Scribe posts
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51. Basil - Sharing Souls
Chapter 51Sharing SoulsBy the time I recovered my wits, Hull was nowhere to be seen. I didn’t have the energy to chase after him or any idea as to where he had gone, so I rested on the steps to the match platform he had recently vacated. Some thoughtful spectators buzzed around me, asking after my needs and expressing their excitement over my advancement, but they were soon dispersed by a tournament official. The man was older and wore his robe...
50. Hull - The Little Death
Note: The Top 8 bracket from a few chapters back has been updated with an addition that gets mentioned later in this chapter, just in case anyone wants to go back and take a look.Chapter 50The Little Death“Oh, it’s you,” Lustra said as I mounted the arena, the crowd chanting and singing on all sides. She stretched languorously, showing a tantalizing stretch of pale belly between her leather pants and black bustier. “Didn’t I already bea...
49. Hull - Burning Bridges
Chapter 49Burning Bridges“Ah, it’s Hintal’s little pet again,” Throice said when I approached his family shop, squinting through some head-mounted device that magnified his eyes.I didn’t rip the thing off his head and beat him with it, which I was proud of, but I couldn’t make my voice any less rough. “I’m nobody’s pet.”He shrugged and looked back to the work he had on the bench in front of himself. He was the only one manning...
48. Basil - Pincushion
Chapter 48PincushionMy match with Losum began on a high note and quickly devolved thereafter.The crowd was smaller than usual but boisterous, and Fortune blessed me with a Water Source in my opening draw. Praying he’d favor me again at the end of the match, I mulliganed it away to the bottom of my heart to use in a Source Explosion. As for my Summon Cards, they were decent enough for the early and late game: a Metal Golem, my Master Assassin, a...
47. Basil - Culling Cards
Note: Water Source Explosion has been adjusted slightly. The updated description can be seen here https://i.imgur.com/selI5u9.png?1Chapter 47Culling CardsWatching Hull take Plutar out of the tournament was a moment of sheer bliss, nearly on par with the sublime kisses I had shared with Esmi. I’d hoped that after he and I would have a chance to briefly celebrate and discuss our upcoming matches, but Hull, unfortunately, hadn’t been in the mood...
46. Hull - Mouthing Off
Chapter 46Mouthing OffPlutar was waiting for me on the boards, arms folded and face smug.“I thought yoo might run away eenstead of face me,” he laughed. “Eet would have been ze smarter thing to doo.”He’d have looked so much better with a bloody nose. “I hope you like the taste of my hammer, you peacock, because it’s going to be in your face every single turn.”He sneered. “Yoo think so, but zat ees because yoo are a stupid child....
45. Hull - Back to Basics
Note: Sorry it's a later in the day post than normal. Hope you enjoy it!Chapter 45Back to BasicsI spent the early part of the morning wandering from level to level, convinced that Gerad had bought up all the decent Healing Potions from every trader and shop in the Coliseum. No matter who I asked, the person at the table or counter just shrugged and said they’d traded away their last, or left it at home, or there’d been a strange shortage ...
44. Basil - Gifts
Chapter 44GiftsI awoke with a slight headache, but otherwise refreshed and clear-eyed, none of the invasive visions I had experienced the night before clouding my sight. I was relieved, but also rather surprised that the Tears of Les hadn’t left me worse for wear, especially after how thoroughly I had been in its grip. I couldn’t believe that I had meandered around the Colosseum in such a state and then hidden under a staircase, of all places...
43. Hull - Turnabout
Chapter 43TurnaboutBasil dismissed his Order and sat bolt upright, clutching the Microburst card. “Hull, you can’t.”“I can,” I said, crossing my arms.“Hull,” he pled, holding it out to me. “This is more money than you’ll see in a year after the Tournament. Several years. Take it back.”“No,” I told him. “You saw a kid about to walk out of the Tournament and you gave him an Epic that you had just won. Now you want to stop ...
42. Hull - Tears
Chapter 42TearsEsmi knocked again at Basil’s door. Her brow was creased with worry, but what really gave away her state of mind was the fact that her knuckles were leaving little round burn scars on the door. Her control of her soul ability was slipping, and that spoke volumes.For my part, I hadn’t wanted to go looking for him in the first place. Despite the good food – no, the incredible food – sitting at the table listening to my insane...
41. Basil - Growing Pains
Chapter 41Growing Pains“What occurs when two duelists summon opposing Sources during the opening gambit of a match?” Tipfin asked. The trainer rested on the edge of a wide desk, a cup of tea poised near his lips to take sips from in-between his questions.Basil was the lone student in the hall, sitting in a chair a few feet from his instructor. He was thirteen, but the Twins hadn’t blessed him with the growth spurt everyone told him was comi...
40. Hull - A Little Experiment
Chapter 40A Little ExperimentI wrenched my eyes away from dear old dad and his weird diamond-colored eyes to see Warrick pulling ineffectually on Afi’s arm. He was such a weedy thing that the ramrod straight girl didn’t budge in the slightest. The ruffles of his shirt were stained pink with spilled wine at both neck and wrist and his formal robes gapped open, showing his untucked shirt tails flapping in front of his trousers. Everyone else wa...
39. Basil - Dinner for Ten
Chapter 39Dinner for TenI walked arm-in-arm with Esmi through the halls of the Colosseum. We had gotten ready separately and then convened at Hull’s, who had managed to put himself together in a respectable fashion without the help of kobolds, impressing us both. Warrick hadn’t returned yet, but Biddlewyn’s curriculum was known for its intensity, so that didn’t surprise me.Unlike the celebration that had taken place the evening prior, ton...
38. Hull - Smarter, Not Harder
NOTE: Here's the Source power list, for anyone that wants it: https://imgur.com/1loo0OvAnd here's the abilities list: https://imgur.com/7GJtMOfChapter 38Smarter, Not HarderI stared at Haze across the boards, sweat trickling down the back of my neck and into my collar. I shifted the Hammer in my hand, glanced at my cards, and waited. This was the strangest match I’d played yet, and it had me spooked. I was used to hitting hard every turn...
37. Basil - Soulless
Chapter 37SoullessThe walk from Hull’s match platform to mine was a boisterous affair. I both could and couldn’t believe the wily scrapper had managed to pull out yet another win with a deck that had started with a mere two cards. All he needed was one more victory, and against all odds, he would break into the top eight. I was sure he was the talk of the tournament already, and if he managed to make it to the third day, criers and wordsmiths...
36. Hull - Fowl Play
NOTE: I continue to balance the cards as I make them, and sharp-eyed readers will notice that one of the Souls you've seen in an early battle shows back up here. Your eyes aren't deceiving you; it's been retconned to better match newly-existing cards. I went back and made sure the change doesn't alter the plays in the earlier match.Here's the keyword sheet for anyone who wants it. https://imgur.com/7GJtMOf Enjoy!Chapter 36Fowl...
35. Basil - Resolutions
Chapter 35ResolutionsA Source Explosion was when a Summoner chose to sacrifice whatever undrawn Source remained in their heart, destroying it for a time. Just as all Source Powers were unique, each had a different effect when spent in a singular burst. None were weak – far from it, in fact – but since the tactic lost you the cards for the rest of the match, some duelists like myself shied away from their use, while others often waited until a...
34. Basil - Earth vs Fire
Chapter 34Earth vs FireAfter completing a few errands, I passed an updated bracket board in the Colosseum’s halls on my way to Esmi’s duel and immediately paused to inspect it.The winner’s bracket matches were in the upper half, while the loser’s took up the lower portion in a more condensed fashion. Right at the top, I couldn’t help but notice that the prince had emerged victorious against Afi. The sight brought on a cold rush of doubt...
33. Basil - Mindset
Chapter 33MindsetBy the time the sun had fully risen I was already gone from my room.Much like the night prior, my rest came in only a few short bursts interspersed with wild thoughts and planning of how to raise myself to previously unfathomable heights. Atrea’s return with the items I had requested also awoke me for a time, as did Warrick leaving in the predawn light.“I thought I was the one who was supposed to have good hearing,” he said...
32. Hull - Practice, Practice
Chapter 32Practice, Practice“I hate you all over again,” the hustler sighed when I finished showing him my cards. “I’d kill my kid sister for a haul like this.” We were working our way through the honeycomb network of hallways tunneled into the recesses of the Coliseum, and I didn’t trust the boy well enough to hand the cards over, so I’d drawn them one by one into my hand to show to him. Once I got to 10 cards I couldn’t bring an...
31. Hull - Juggling Act
Chapter 31Juggling ActThe Mess Hall was a buzz of morning activity, and every server and functionary that hurried past in my peripheral vision made me flinch and jump. My stomach was in no shape for breaking fast, but I wasn’t so rattled that I’d forgotten the basics: I took three fat sausages and stuffed them into the pocket of my fresh trousers, ignoring the odd looks from a serving girl arranging fresh fruit on a platter. I’d been amazed...
30. Interlude
Chapter 30InterludeUrgal stood on the cliff edge, looking at the expansive valley below him and even higher peaks in the distance. He was an honored forerunner to the Great Host, and just like all the days since the title had been bestowed upon him, he could see nothing in their path ahead that was a threat to the enormous army. They were still many hundreds of miles from their destination, the human city of Treledyne, but the distance did not tr...
29. Hull - Old Friends
Chapter 29Old FriendsI woke up in total darkness and felt a complete sense of dislocation. Something was on top of me, and I grappled it in desperate panic for a breathless moment before I realized it was only the soft, shapeless coverlet I was sleeping under. I was in my competitor’s room, on my ridiculously comfy bed, hidden and safe. I slumped back into the mattress, heart thumping, breathing hard. My body could tell it wasn’t morning yet,...
28. Basil - True Wishes
NOTE: If you're reading this close to when it was first posted (Jan. 13), please be aware that I made a few changes to the previous chapter to better align the details of the Flinch Test with the rules of how damage works.Chapter 28True WishesThe evening had turned into a nightmare much worse than any vision of a dagger stabbed into my chest. The vampire had returned to the stage, this time summoning shadowy Source balls of Death, which I had...
27. Hull - Like Father, Like Son
Chapter 27Like Father, Like SonMy father the King strode back and forth on the stage like a peacock, the smug son of a bitch, and everyone in the crowd dropped to their knees with held breath, waiting for something amazing to happen. This is a Legendary Soul! I could hear them all thinking. What incredible powers will he show us?One person who wasn’t thinking that was the asshole announcer. He was making small noises of distress and trying to f...
26. Basil - The Power Within
Chapter 26The Power WithinI registered Hull’s departure half a moment later than I should have, and I nearly cursed when I scanned the crowd, unable to find him. He had barely needed anytime alone before to get into a shouting match with the prince – the prince! – not to mention failing miserably in the trade I had been so looking forward to. Considering what sort of trouble he might make this time around made my skin itch, and I did anothe...
25. Hull - Sibling Rivalry
Chapter 25Sibling Rivalry“Are you as thick as you are ugly? It’s not your card.” The smug bastard was right in my face, his perfumed breath washing over me. “Trade it away and I’ll have you imprisoned for theft and fraud.”It would be so easy to lunge forward and break his nose with my forehead. I imagined him falling backward with his nose crushed to the side and blood leaking onto his teeth. Oddly, I found less pleasure in the though...
24. Basil - The Other Suitor
Chapter 24The Other SuitorSeeing the spread of Nether cards laid out by the half-dwarf, any worries I had about the quality of his selection quickly departed. Palms on the table, Hull hungrily leaned over the fan of Souls and Relics, and I joined him, though my hands stayed clasped neatly behind my back. The point of Nether – or at least what these grouping of cards represented, along with the one I’d already seen of Hull’s – wasn’t har...
23. Hull - Deep Waters
Chapter 23Deep WatersI had to walk all ginger-like as I trailed the others up stairs and down corridors through the Coliseum. Those damned kobolds had scrubbed me near to bleeding, and my skin chafed and burned in places I hadn’t even known I had skin. That trollop Esmi had promised me they were only taking me back to my room to help me clean up, but they were relentless. At one point I’d wondered if I needed to summon my hammer to defend mys...
(Test) Appendix: Elemental Cards (Air, Fire, Water, Earth)
Hi, friends. In keeping with the spirit of the season, I have a little holiday extra for everyone on top of your regularly scheduled chapters! I've gotten a few (understandable) requests to have a place where cards can all be seen together. I've considered a few different ways to do this and decided to give it a go as additional chapters, mainly so people can find it in the same place most are reading the story. For now, I think I'll ...
