“I got it! It just came to me! We can call this your Soul Four-Ce! It fits the game theme!” Jacques feels like a genius.
He rubs his chin. “Let’s see…your King would now go down from 4 to 3 Soul Four-Ce since he resisted my Dragon’s assault…”
“If we both started the game with 10 Soul Four-Ce, then this means you now have-”
“MY BROTHER! DEACON! WHERE IS HE!?” Faith smacks her hand on the stone. Still shaking. Hissing blood between her teeth.
Jacques finishes, “...9 Soul Four-Ce left. Hmph. No need to be rude!”
Faith wipes her mouth with her sleeve and is unwilling to wait long for an answer…
Jacques leans to the side of the stone slab, squinting his eyes. “Ah!”
“There he is! Right behind you!”
*SNARL* It makes Faith want to jump right out of her seat if she could....
She feels and smells nasty horrid breath on the back of her neck. Then, right in front of her, Faith now sees Dee's body dangling high in the air. A bulky, hairy forearm is holding him up by the shirt collar. Jacques gestures gently with his hands, then Dee is carefully dropped to the floor. Faith observes the arm again...it's ghoulish.
Jacques says, “I had Hobbes bring him with us! He took extra special care when tending to the poor boy's wound! Didn't you?”
THE THING SNARLS MORE HEAVILY! Faith's cards in her hand almost go soaring, but she clutches them close to her chest.
Jacques smiles. "Hobbes loves games too! He insisted on watching us, and I didn't want to say no!"
"You'll think this is funny! One time when a guest saw him like this, they had a heart attack, right on the spot! Their game had a complicated setup too!”
“GEEZ! All that effort just to drop D-E-A-D!" Jacques bursts out laughing.
...
“But, even if we can’t play games, I can still give Hobbes his toys…”
Faith does not move...she feels it glaring at her...
Jacques claps. “The young lady's turn is next. Please leave us to it. Give the poor baby her space. Be a good boy!”
The creature backs away, to Faith's relief. She looks to Dee and then to Jacques.
He adjusts his glasses again. “I gave the boy medicine to ensure he stays quiet during our game.”
“Damn brat, had he fiddled around with a few more books, he might have found this place ahead of schedule…”
“Anyway, Phase Close, you're up!”
Faith draws a card. "Phase Open!" Her face shows she drew a good card!
She looks to the King of BurningHEARTS. He is concerned like a father to a daughter. Faith notices one of the previously lit wicks above the word King on her side of the stone has indeed gone out.
‘Jacques is keeping track of the stats after all…’
These wicks accurately represent the Hit Points (HP) and Range Points (RP) of the Royal Rank cards. The King of BurningHEARTS may have gone down from 4 HP/4 RP to 3 HP/RP, but that is still plenty to work with! Faith can persevere!
She rolls the Field Dice. It is a 5! Faith then glides a card with her aura off to the right of the grid.
Then revealing a Queen card from her hand that disappears with a twinkle. “I’d be happy to call it a Range Strike too!”
Faith gracefully takes in the Range Dice with her left hand. She lets it orbit behind her with an aura, around the right shoulder and back to the grid. Now she is getting into it!
The dice lands on an 8. Jacques lets it stay and passes without attempting to counter that roll.
Faith points ahead. “Show ’em whut ya got~!” She is ecstatic to see this upcoming heroine in action.
A figure leaves the card, giving Faith a high-five, orbiting around the same way the Range Dice did. Faith watches it all with a huge smile! When the figure flies to the middle of the grid, it pirouettes as it stops.
Wearing a skirt with a Number 12 and a confident smile, the haughty lady pushes up her witch’s hat with one hand and grips her scepter with the other. An elegant jewel-encrusted crown lines the brim that covers well-brushed lush hair! Well, save for a single stray strand.
This is the LV. 12 Queen of BurningHEARTS!
Faith swings her arm. “Ya won’ be hidin’ from us~!” Her embarrassing accent keeps slipping out. It tends to happen when she gets this excited, and with this Queen around, that’s no surprise.
Jacques, all the while, is stupefied by Faith's sudden glee.
The Queen generates a fireball and chucks it into the air with an attitude! *HAAAAAAAA*
Spinning the scepter gracefully before she points it again at the fireball. The ardent orb above swells up and glistens like a radiant ruby.
*HMPH* The sassy Queen makes her mark and prepares to hurl that sucker…but she pauses when she remembers Faith hasn’t made a full command yet…
The Queen turns to face Faith while poking her fingers together. Feeling a lil’ ashamed.
Faith winks at her. “Don cha’ worry. I think we have the same idea…”
They grin together mischievously. Jacques looks on, curious and impatient. He raises an eyebrow.
“Scarlet Split-Flame~♥” Faith waves at Jacques, then gives a thumbs down.
The Queen gives her own accompanying thumbs down, and the hot heap above is finally slung towards Nightfall Swamp. On the way, the fireball splits into two, one much larger than the other! Homing in on two cards at Jacques' front row…
“A +1 fireball here!”
*BOOM* A Skull Warrior ignites and perishes!
“Another +2 fireball here!”
The Dragon of NightSPADE has been caught! It climbs out, trembling in fear as the bright flame casts a long shadow as it draws ever nearer. The boney buffoon has every right to be afraid!
*BOOOOOOOOM* The Dragon explodes into dust with a weighty flurry that biffs Jacques’ face.
Jacques coughs as he waves it off.
“Minus one Soul Four-Ce for ya!” Faith sticks her tongue out at him!
Jacques bleeds from the side of his mouth. ‘Damn, losing two cards at once…’
“Wait a sec!” Faith starts fiddling with her hair…
“Oh~kay. Ready when you are! Phase Close!” Her ribbon is back on.
Jacques draws his card. Rolls the Field Dice. It lands on a 2.
He moves a card onto his II-zone. “…Phase Close…” With no fanfare, his turn is over.
“Phase Open~!” Faith draws her card.
Spinning the Field Dice and playing around with it, she rolls it. It lands on a 3.
Faith raises her arm dramatically. “My LV. ACE Knight of BurningHEARTS is coming for that I-zone!”
“Burning Blade!” She slashes the air.
The courageous Knight charges at the card occupying its objective, scorching sword in hand! At full speed, it clashes with a timid Skull Warrior of a lower level. However, rather than sully the sharp end of its blade, the Knight prefers to swat away the pitifully weak thing with the flat side!
*WHACK* That Skull Warrior might as well have been weightless!
The Knight reaches its goal. It triumphantly thrusts its blade deep into the I-zone and graciously enters a crimson vortex.
‘Damn…had I Field Clashed with that ACE Knight on my turn, I wouldn’t have lost my Warrior…’ Jacques bites his thumb.
“Zone Locked!” Faith folds her arms with a big grin.
‘Cheeky brat…’ A tiny bead of sweat rolls down Jacques’ forehead.
They both exchange an intense gaze. The battle of experts begins NOW!
…
-CHAPTER END-
With all your HEART!
-PHASE CLOSE-
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