21. Child Protective Services #3
Corporate Cloning: Reveal the top card in your deck until you reveal a legend. Summon that legend for free and make a copy of it, even if there is no copy in the deck.
The card’s flipped twice until Flesh Evangelist was revealed and doubled. The two three-cost gaunt robots appeared beside Zhu.
A message appeared before me. “You have summoned one card beyond your four card limit. Please select another legend in your field for fusion.”
Zhu, what is this?
“Exactly what it says. Choose me.”
What? Wait–RegLon has more than four legends.
“He did, that is why he fused one of his Skirmishers with that armored Brutalist.”
What about those pups?
“They are tokens, not legends.”
Is there any limit to tokens?
“No. I trust you know what you have to do?”
Stop the birthing factory.
I selected Zhu for fusion with one of the Flesh Evangelists.
The Evangelist disappeared. Rather than double Zhu’s size, he floated up and his armor extended and expanded until it formed a robotic warrior in the shape of the Evangelist with Zhu’s head in its center.
He no longer had his staff in his hands, but one of each wrist like an assassin’s hidden blade.
The monstrous mouth of the Evangelist’s head stretched wide and roared, causing the Tanuki to tremble as a gust of wind ruffled their fur.
I checked his cards and saw that the abilities had changed from one to four costs into two to five costs.
The abilities were similar to those of the single Evangelist, so I tried out its two-cost Psionic blast. I selected the Herbalist as its target, but the shot was redirected to the armored Brutalist, which took the damage, not even bringing it close to half of its health.
I didn’t want to waste the rest of my lumens on one of Zhu’s weaker attacks, so I used Swine Servant’s Support Barrier, which granted all of my legends–and the infant–with a single point of protection.
I ended my turn.
Green infant: twelve.
Red infant: eight.
RegLon’s infant rehatched and whispered something to him that broke his otherwise stone composure. I couldn’t tell if he was laughing sincerely or out of fear.
The Herbalist gave birth to two Pups, which landed beside their father. The other two Pups doubled in size, becoming Tanuki Squires which were the equivalent of the Skirmishers as far as statistics were concerned.
RegLon commanded both of his Brutalis’s to cast impregnate, depleting his lumens to six. He then used the pregnant Herbalist to cast Mother’s Swarm, a her four-cost ability that ignited a fiery rage in every one of her Pups and Squires.
Before they reached my side, RegLon played Piercing Stike with his final two lumens, granting them all with an additional damage point and penetrate.
They focused on Multipider and Swine’s Servant.
The damage differences appeared above their heads.
Despite Swine Servant’s barrier, the Piercing strike boosted their damage just enough to kill both of my legends.
Perhaps I would have played differently, had I read how much the Herbalist could boost her children, but it no longer mattered.
I had to face the fact that I could not read and understand every attack and ability for every round.
If my failure to do so was nothing more than stubbornness, maybe I had no right to win.
I was cheating my way through with Zhu’s advice.
I had accepted this fact but now felt the significance of it grip me. Paralyze me.
“Bakuh.”
What?
“Do not doubt yourself.”
Why? I’m not doubting you.
“No one deserves this glory. It is filth, why do you yearn for it? Do you wish to become the king of liars? That is what your whining amounts to. You wish to triumph over this man in a game of memorizations. Enough with your infantile murmuring, you are a man of wisdom, true wisdom, not aptitude in a fool’s errand.
Awaken yourself to your wisdom and center your mind on what matters, lest your fit leads you to a cowardly capitulation. ”
Is this the first time you are complimenting me?
“Focus, bakuh.”
I cracked a smile, though my health took damage from their penetrating attacks.
He was right. This was a game of lies, run by someone who was convincing the planet that we were still living on the true Earth–that is, if our theories proved true. If not, to what end were we striving?
Green infant: twelve.
Red infant: seven.
Swine’s Servant’s barrier dissolved. Seeing the health of our infants, I doubted either of us cared about each other’s player health.
Can I attack the infant itself?
“Not directly.”
I figured as much.
“He would have won by now if that had been true.”
Right. I should have thought about that from the beginning. Maybe I did? I guess it doesn’t matter.
“It does.”
Is there something I’m missing?
“There is something we are both missing. I can see into the game’s structure. It is possible, though I fail to see how.
Well then. Might as well try this. I tapped the Gamble deck. The card turned over and revealed itself.
The Curse of Neglect: All unprotected Lonesome Infants lose four health.
The infants cried out in harmony. Their voices were a haunting siren’s song.
Green infant: nine.
Red infant: three
Zeg, I should have protected it beforehand!
“This is true, but alas, you are closer to the end.”
I eyed my ability cards, seeing one called Double-Edged Ritual, a two-cost. I read the text beforehand, trying to focus on the patience I had dismissed before.
I summoned a two-cost legend called Aquahorror that looked like one of the hellish ghosts I had seen swimming near Gong’s fetus back in Arabasia.
Rather than suffer by staring at it any longer, I used Double-Edged Ritual, which forced me to eliminate one of my legends to kill one of RegLon’s.
Aquahorror died with a bashree’s shriek which was then followed up by the howl of the armored Brulatist’s death.
“Why would you waste your time on that?” Zhu snorted. “That thing is nothing to me. You should have eliminated that mother!”
Just watch.
“What?”
If I can trust you, can you trust me?
He grumbled but did not argue.
I used my final lumen on a one-cost ability card. It wasn’t the ideal full protection, but it was the best I had.
Half-clothed: Lonesome Infant is protected from the damage that would follow the end of your turn.
Green infant: nine.
Red infant: two.