Chapter 7: Ascend

  As a school dedicated to the perfection of using magical cards, Rentan Academy had plenty of places to obtain new ones. The problem was fighting everyone else for the best cards, and then affording whatever exorbitant price the vendor decided to charge. Bartering was not uncommon, but Ambrose decided to check with the above-board sources before he brought Jessica to the Peddler’s Shack.

  The problem was, everyone knew her.

  “Miss Vanderborn!” one portly woman with red hair in a tight bun said through a big, fake smile mere seconds after they entered. “It’s an honor to have you in my shop. Are you here on behalf of your grandfather?”

  Jessica shot a look at Ambrose. They’d discussed this possibility, and a few other potential annoyances. “No, Sheila, just browsing.”

  “Ahh, of course, finals are coming up,” Sheila said with a nod. Then her eyes bulged, and she grimaced. “But, uh, I’m afraid we’ve largely been cleaned out of our top spells. I’m not saying that we have only duds, but -- “

  “But you have only duds,” Ambrose finished for her. He smiled at the sour look he got in return. “Don’t worry about any of that. Show us your mind affinity spells, preferably levels 2 and 3.”

  Sheila looked like she wanted to complain, but instead nodded and led them past the non-combat cards and rituals to a section filled entirely with mind affinity spells behind a reinforced glass display, no doubt warded out the ass to prevent theft. “Like I said, we’re a bit cleared out right now, but…”

  Ambrose looked and scoffed. “You’re underselling how cleared out.”

  Jessica elbowed him in the side and bent over, looking. Her lips moved as she silently read over their meager selection. True to her word, only about a third of the cards were left, and most were level 1 and 2 spells. Worse, there weren’t any spells with teeth, just the usual illusions, control, and misdirection. There was an enchantment that wasn’t half bad, but her mana was notoriously low, and the maintenance cost would hit harder than it would some of their other classmates.

  [Peek: Common. Enchantment. Take a look into your enemy’s hand.

  Spell effect: Between rounds, see which cards are in target opponent’s hand by name and Affinity Level. 2 Mana, 2 Ongoing]

  “Next,” said Ambrose.

  It wasn’t better.

  [Tempest Raven: Uncommon. A cunning bird of the eternal storm, bringing a taste of the tropics with every flight.

  Special: Flying.

  Special: Summons rain in a hundred foot radius for two rounds.

  Strength: D. Defence: D. Speed: D. Magic: C. 2 Mana, 2 Ongoing]

  “Oh yes,” said Ambrose, “The weakest creature for two mana I’ve ever seen. Congrats, you have an idiot-trap card there.”

  “You didn’t have to be so rude,” Jessica pointed out when they were encouraged to leave. “It’s not her fault Rentan students are greedy. Do you think we’re going to have luck anywhere?”

  Ambrose shrugged. “I don’t like the way she immediately fell over herself to kiss your ass. I know you hate it too. Besides, she was desperate and would’ve begged you for a sale if I didn’t put my foot down.”

  They walked down the cobblestone street between nearly identical blocky buildings. Everything about Rentan had been built around the school, and very quickly. Shopowners decorated their window displays, and often had murals painted onto the walls on either side, anything to stand out against a sea of homogeny.

  Their next stop would’ve been fine, if the man hadn’t insisted on trying to offload his noncombat spells. Ambrose didn’t see a need for cleaning charms or simple elemental control. He was the kind of wizard that was, for better or worse, all or nothing. Low level utility cards did little for him. Jessica nearly bought a drying spell, but he managed to talk her out of it.

  The one after that, they’d spent only a few seconds before leaving, after finding out that the new owner specialized in Ritual cards. They both had their binding ritual cards equipped, but good Rituals were too pricey and slow to use, even if they were a great deal more powerful.

  “Not to complain,” Jessica started.

  “You’re going to complain a lot, aren’t you?” Ambrose said as they stepped out. An hour of picking through the leftovers later, he was almost ready to give in and go get dinner. Almost.

  “Only a little!” she insisted. “It’s just, I don’t see this going anywhere. It’s been nice to go for a walk and window-shop, but what are we doing? I could have a duel or two and work on my killer instincts there. This feels like it’s wasted time. Apart from the company, of course.”

  “Thanks,” Ambrose said dryly. “No, I know what you mean. I have one other option, but…The guy involved is weird, sensitive, and kind of gross. There’s a good chance he’ll have something we could use, though.”

  “Well, if even you think he’s gross,” she joked.

  “I could go back to my apartment right now,” said Ambrose, but he smiled. “Just…Don’t threaten to report him or anything silly like that. For the next while, you’re not the headmaster’s least favorite grandchild, you’re just a prospective buyer. You got that?”

  Jessica looked hurt for a second, but nodded.

  “Alright. Okay. So, the Peddler’s Shack…”

  The Peddler’s Shack was located not too far from the stables and garage, where creatures and carriages were held. It stank of horse shit and oil, and so did the people who spent most of their time there. It wasn’t actually a shack so much as an elaborate tent that occasionally went up. It wasn’t illegal, per se, but nomads buying and selling cards managed to dodge supervision and scrutiny in a way many of the professors disapproved of.

  “Does my grandfather know about this?” Jessica whispered when they approached the orange and purple circus-like tent.

  “Undoubtedly,” said Ambrose, “but he understands the value of services like this, and he definitely gets a cut from their profits.”

  “He wouldn’t do that,” she said, but his raised eyebrow made her flush with discomfort.

  “Sure,” said Ambrose, and he left it at that. If she knew about the real offer he made to Ambrose, would she even believe it? Best to not poke that bear. “But that’s what I’m talking about. Don’t say things like that when we’re in there. Not if you want to actually get a card or two.”

  She nodded, and exhaled slowly. Ambrose pulled the flap open, and they walked in.

  It looked like the inside of a warehouse or bank, with a bunch of different sized chests piled on top of one another, cramped together. The tent itself felt bigger on the inside, and Ambrose assumed it was a magical artifact, or maybe a Ritual card at work. Sometimes, it was better not to ask questions.

  “Ambrose!” Gordo called out. He was a pig-faced blond man in soiled clothes. He sat on a chest, hunched over a battered book. “I don’t have any more discard spells, but I’ve been looking. I assume that [Night Terror] is still treating you well?”

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  Jessica glared at him, no doubt still stinging over the duel. Ambrose smiled and shrugged, spreading his arms helplessly. “It is, but I’m not here for me. My friend Jess here is a Mind Wizard and needs a finisher of some kind.”

  Gordo nodded enthusiastically. “What level?”

  “2 or 3,” Jessica answered. She looked and sounded a little nervous. “I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I’ll know it when I see it.”

  That earned her a grunt, then Gordo pulled out a ring with a couple dozen different oddly shaped keys dangling from it. He selected one and shuffled past them. He opened one chest, pulling out a tray and motioning for them to look.

  It had just about as many cards as most of the shops, but these ones were actually good. Jessica bent over closer, jaw dropping as she read some of the cards and their descriptions.

  [Fickle Mimic: Rare. A mischievous, shapeshifting pest who can borrow another’s form…for a time.

  Special: Each round, this creature copies the form of an animate object or creature near it, chosen at random.

  Special: This creature can use a borrowed wizard form’s Cantrip once.

  Strength: X. Defense: X. Speed: X. Magic: A. 3 Mana, 3 Ongoing]

  “Very strong,” Ambrose admitted, “but a bit pricey for you. It would be good to have if you had even one more mana available to you. Maybe next Affinity Level.”

  “These are…Wow,” Jessica breathed, his words sliding off.

  Ambrose peeked over her shoulder, and let out a whistle.

  [Astral Viper: Rare. A deadly serpent from the astral plane. Hunts its wizard prey with a special venom.

  Special: Dream Venom. Anyone affected by this creature’s venom will draw one fewer card each round. Stacks twice.

  Special: Unstable Shift. This creature phases in and out of this reality at random.

  Strength: C. Defence: X. Speed: A: Magic: B. 3 Mana, 2 Ongoing.]

  “You want this one,” he said. It was the perfect example of a level 3 affinity card. It would cost all of Jessica’s meager mana to cast, but it was likely to be fast, strong, and had an effect she could use to help control fights.

  “Hrm,” Gordo grunted again. “A good choice. Not cheap, I’m afraid, but…”

  Ambrose laughed. “Nothing you sell is cheap, you greedy bastard. Luckily, I’m doing well enough at the moment to cover it. Probably.” There was his tuition to consider, but the crowns he’d hoarded paled in comparison to the hundreds it took to pay for each semester, let alone housing and food.

  “I’m not sure about it,” Jessica said. She reached for the card, but stopped short. “If I cast this, I won’t be able to do anything else other than my cantrip and signature creature.”

  “Good thing your body is also a weapon, huh? Pair this with a few good hits or an actual knife or something and I think you’ll do okay. But this isn’t all we’ll get.”

  Jessica bit her lip, but nodded. Gordo took the card and slipped it into his back pocket for safe keeping.

  “I’ll tally up the cost at the end,” he said helpfully.

  Gordo had a number of decent creatures, but Jessica didn’t have the mana required for most of them. There were a few Mind cards Ambrose appreciated.

  [Mindspike: Rare. Punish those who try and fail.

  Spell Effect: The next time you counter a spell, the caster takes damage scaling with the Affinity Level. 1 mana.]

  “That’s more your style,” Jessica protested.

  “Okay, but what about this one?” Ambrose pointed again. “This one is perfect for you as a finisher.

  [Psi-Blade: Rare. A spell-weapon based on the user’s psychic power that gets more powerful the deeper the user’s distress.

  Weapon Property: Grows stronger and larger with each Deactivated card in your deck. 1 Mana]

  It was cheap and had no maintenance cost, but again she hesitated. “I don’t know, Ambrose. I was thinking something more along the lines of this one.”

  [Lift: Levitate the target with variable intensity. Gently raise something, or launch it skyward.

  Spell Effect: Magically compel a creature or object upwards. X Mana]

  Ambrose made a face. “Explain, please.”

  Jessica rose up, and took a second to pick her wording. “I’m not very strong, but I don’t think I need to be. This spell is versatile. I could use someone’s weight against them. Between that and my [Telekinesis] card, I think I could throw people and their summons around, let them crash. Add that [Astral Viper] to the mix and maybe I’ve got something going.”

  He tried to think about it, and realized she might’ve been right. Her [Telekinesis] was, like her, not as powerful as it could be, as it was only an uncommon card, but creativity and versatility had always been her best friend. Ambrose wanted to help, but he wasn’t going to make her choices for her.

  “Alright, then we’ll take these two,” said Ambrose to Gordo.

  “Frankly, you can have that [Lift] for free,” said the seller. “But that [Astral Viper] is going to cost you fifty crowns.”

  Despite his good mood, Ambrose immediately soured. “Are you kidding me? This is only a level 3 rare. There’s no way it could possibly cost this much.”

  Gordo held up his hands to placate them. “There’s extenuating circumstances, my friend. The astral plane is always shifting, and these vipers are getting harder and harder to find. Chances are it’s just a temporary spike in price, but I have to make a living, don’t I?”

  Ambrose shook his head. “This is ridiculous. C’mon, Jessica, we don’t need to take this.” He turned around, and fought a smile as Gordo panicked.

  “It’s worth the price and you know it! C’mon Ambrose, I know you want it, and…and…”

  Only Jessica saw Ambrose’s expression, but she kept her face neutral. She couldn’t quite hide the smile from her eyes, but Gordo wasn’t focused on her.

  “And what, Gordo?” Ambrose demanded, looking over his shoulder. “Fifty crowns would pay for a legendary and you know it.”

  “Yes, but…What if I threw in something else? I’ve got some new travel cards that you might be interested in.”

  Before Ambrose could try for more, Jessica said, “Do you have flight?”

  Most people wanted to fly, but it was rare, dangerous, and taxing. There was no way Gordo would part with a flight card for anything less than twenty crowns, but the salesman latched onto the possibility.

  “No, but we’ve got the next best thing!” He pulled out another key and opened the chest he’d been sitting on. He motioned for them to come closer, and they did. He picked up one card and showed it to the mind mage.

  [Leap: Your jumps gain the power, distance, and speed of a Doomtoad.]

  Just their luck, it was level 3. Noncombat cards came in many flavors, but travel cards were among the most useful. They didn’t tend to cost mana outside of the really powerful ones, like teleportation or flight. Some, like burrowing, felt useless, but many believed there were no bad cards, only poorly utilized ones.

  “This is perfect,” she whispered. “With everything else, I think I can make something of this.”

  Ambrose bit back a sigh. She had no poker-face whatsoever. “Great. [Lift], [Astral Viper], and [Leap], for fifty crowns. Is that good enough, you robber?”

  “It is,” said Gordo, grinning like a fool. This would no doubt cover his living costs for a couple of months, and nearly clean Ambrose out in the process.

  As much as he liked Jessica, his instincts screamed for him to back off and not waste his hard-earned money on something as silly as friendship. On the other hand, it would mean she owed him a major favor. Maybe even something to help him get his prize.

  Just as he was about to theatrically give in, a card caught his eye.

  [Spider’s Ascent: Skitter up walls like a spider, sticking to whatever surface at least one limb is touching.]

  His lips twitched. No, this was stupid. There was no way it would work, and if it failed, it would likely get him killed. Instead of deterring Ambrose, the idea of a great gamble paying off intrigued him. Things were tight, and possibly about to explode in his face. What was one more risk?

  “Actually Gordo, throw this one in too,” he said, tapping the card. “I want to try something.”

  “Like what?” Jessica asked, craning her head to see.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell you later. One problem, Gordo. I don’t have the crowns on me. You okay with a contract?”

  “Of course,” said the seller, bowing his head. Messy, greasy blond hair flopped in front of his face. “You’ve never screwed me yet, so you can even write it yourself, if you’d like.”

  Ambrose nodded, and internally winced. He was really doing this. Almost all of his savings were going towards four cards, and only one of them was for him.

  It would be worth it if it meant he got that Wildcard, and aced the final exam and competition. What was fifty crowns to a full year’s worth of tuition and a monthly stipend? Chances were he’d make it all back, and then some.

  If he didn’t die trying.