Book 3: Chapter 14: A Stealthy Card

    Instinct made Arthur catch Brixaby in mid-air as he darted toward Chablis. He didn''t think Brixaby was going for her heart cards – at least he was pretty sure – but the effect was striking.

    Chablis and the three councilors next to her backed up hurriedly. Even Laird backed up a step, giving Brixaby a hard look.

    "You blocked my rider''s powers and then set him up to be assassinated!" Brixaby bellowed. He was so angry that he vibrated in Arthur''s grip. “Arthur, let me go. I’ll show them what happens when they betray us.”

    "No one betrayed you, that is absurd," Chablis said. "Young dragon, we would never allow your partner to be put in danger.”

    "Not even for free Legendary cards?" Laird asked, dryly. "Utility Legendary," he said, with emphasis.

    "What do you mean by that?" Arthur demanded. Did they value utility over combat here?

    The other councilors pretended they did not hear him.

    "This is ridiculous," one of the councilors, a male, said, "we gave this Kingdom rider permission to be among us only if he kept the card-locks on. He’s broken our one request: The locks must stay on!"

    Brixaby inhaled as if to bellow, but Arthur got there first.

    He kept his voice measured but stern. "I had the right to defend myself. That assassin came out of nowhere. You are lucky that I was able to break the card locks." He looked down at Brixaby, meaningfully. The dragon looked like he would happily tear out the cards from all their hearts.

    "Is that a threat?" the councilor asked.

    "Don''t be a fool," Laird said, "a dragon who loses his rider and survived– one who is so young that he hasn’t even developed a secondary core – would go insane with rage. A Legendary would be near unstoppable. I think this is less of an assassination attempt and more of an attack on our hive."

    That quieted most of the councilors. Chablis, especially, seemed thoughtful. She looked at Arthur. "For whatever it''s worth, you have my personal guarantee that this attack was not ordered by our hive. We''re not sure of your value to us, but we certainly were not plotting your death."

    Arthur nodded, though he wasn''t sure that he believed her.

    "And you have my guarantee," Laird rumbled, "that we will interrogate this man and get to the bottom of it."

    "That, I can agree with," another one of the councilors said.

    The third remained silent and troubled as he looked at the assassin, but he did not object.

    "That’s not good enough," Brixaby said, "I need guarantees that my rider will stay safe. I can''t look out for him forever. I have crafting to do."

    "Brixaby," Arthur sighed. Deciding the dragon had calmed down enough, he adjusted his grip and allowed him to stand on his shoulder. Thankfully, Brixaby didn''t take this as an opportunity to dive for the councilors.

    "Yes, interrogate the man," Arthur said. "But Joy needs a healer, now – the best healing you can get for her. And I expect it to be at no cost."

    Chablis leaned back as if she had been slapped. "Of course, we wouldn''t charge you for that. Healing is free here at the hive."

    That wasn''t always the case in Wolf Moon. Another difference between the two. But her attitude annoyed him. "So far I have been brought here against my will. Then a pair of the ones I’m responsible for has been convinced to leave my hive. Now this man attacked me, resulting in the injury to a retinue rider and a friend. So forgive me if I don’t expect the best out of you."

    "You''re lucky that I''m so forgiving," Brixaby added with a sniff.

    There was an awkward silence. Arthur got the impression he hadn’t made any friends with that last speech, but he had made a point.

    "We will let you know what our investigation uncovers," Laird said. "But, as we have no mind mages here, it may take some time."Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through N?o?v€l--B1n.

    Arthur filed that gem away for later, though he had no way to know if it was true or not. “I understand.”

    The healer took one look at Joy’s ravaged forelimb and tsked under her breath. Instant green light started to spread over Joy. It wasn''t too different from her newly green skin under the scales on that arm.

    Finally, the healer spoke. "I was told to expect poison, though... It seems to be neutralized now. This is all necrotic damage, not too different from gangrene."

    "Can you save the arm?" Cressida asked.

    "Yes," she said, still brusque, but everybody let out a breath of relief, "but I''ll be managing it for the rest of the day, rebuilding all this muscle and tissue. She will wake up ravenous, so be aware of that."

    "Yes," Cressida wiped at her eye, clearly relieved.

    “No, girl. I mean, she will wake up literally starving. So while I work I want you to go fetch her meal. There are sheep in the lower paddock..."

    While the healer spoke, Brixaby buzzed up to Arthur''s ear. "Arthur, we need to speak. In private."

    That was by far the quietest he had ever heard Brixaby before, and proof that he could whisper, when he wanted to.

    With a glance towards the balcony, Arthur left Cressida and the healer speaking and walked to the back of the room. Inside, he wondered what had gone wrong now. "What is it?"

    Brixaby, though, had a devilish look in his eye.

    From nothing, or specifically, from Brixaby''s own Personal Space, the dragon pulled out a card.

    "The assassin had a third card. And I think it''s one you''ll like."

    Arthur read.

    A Stealthy Class

    Rare

    Utility

    This card grants its wielder instant Stealth Class as well as a 50% boost to natural and skill-based stealth.

    Stealth Class Skills:

    Silent Movement – Level 10

    Heightened Awareness – Level 10

    Camouflage – Level 10

    Evasion – Level 10

    Deception – Level 10

    Concealment – Level 10

    When Equipped:

    + 3 to Luck

    + 5 to Perception