John Davis
Stories
4
Chapters
1,426
Words
411.5 K
Comments
0
Reading
1 d, 10 h
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Arthur went back the way he had come through the meandering, nonsensical hive. Tamya’s words echoed in his ears, lowering his mood. Though he had not been aware that there was a problem, he knew he had failed her and Len. He was supposed to be the leader of the class—even though he was in training himself. Yet all he had done was focus on how Moon Hive’s training had failed Rubbing his face, he sighed aloud. That must have been a bit too much for his new Stealth class because he got a couple of…-
71 •
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Arthur activated every skill within his stealth class as he explored the interior of the Free Hive. That, however, soon proved to be overkill. He let go of all but classic Stealth, Silent Movement, Heightened Awareness, and Concealment. The combination of skills didn't exactly make him invisible, just unnoticed – or, another bland, unremarkable face in the crowd. People glanced at him and then casually looked away with no change of expression on their faces. It was liberating. The last few months had…
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71 •
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Arthur reread the card three times, hardly not believing it. Brixaby couldn't have plucked a better card if he had planned it. And then again, the man had been an assassin. It made sense that he would have a stealth card in his deck. Still… a stealth "Don't get me wrong, it's amazing. But how did you get it?" Arthur asked. Brixaby’s head lifted with pride. "Everyone was paying attention to Joy. I just plucked it out while the man was seizing and put it straight in my Personal Space." Before…
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71 •
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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…
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71 •
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. . . . . Joy recoiled, as if trying to distance herself from her own arm, and collided with several people who didn't move out of the way in time. In just a few seconds, the wound was visibly darkening. No, Arthur realized. It was rotting. Chaos ensued, with people screaming and scrambling to get away from the assassin and Brixaby, who was buzzing around with the man's card in his claws. "Who are you? What did you do to my friend?!" Brixaby roared out in a thunderous voice that didn't suit his tiny…
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71 •
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It wasn't hard to figure out where the ceremony would be held. As the gongs continued to ring — echoing around the interior sandstone walls and out across the desert plain — locals turned and started filtering out of the cavern. The atmosphere was that of a relaxed festival, with people and dragons calling out to each other cheerfully. Once outside, the dragons either took to the sky to fly up to the top of the mesa or, more commonly, bent to allow humans rides on their backs and necks. Some people…
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71 •
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Arthur had caught glimpses of the crafting cave before his talk with Laird —enough to get a rough idea of what Brixaby and Joy were going. But as he and Cressida walked up to the mouth of the cave, he realized that he had thoroughly underestimated its size and scope. It seemed to have been dug out of half of the mesa. Yet, light-based card anchor spells kept it from being gloomy. What shocked him more was to see dragons working as crafters. Alone. He had got the impression that perhaps they were…
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71 •
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Arthur and Cressida watched their dragons fly off toward the crafting cave. Arthur sighed. "I have a feeling that those two are going to get in trouble. But…" He trailed off. Cressida sighed in agreement. "Yes, they are going to get in trouble, but we can't watch over them every second. They're growing up and have to be allowed to make their own mistakes." Though Arthur didn't like it, he knew she was right. Cressida visibly shook herself, then turned to look at Arthur. She tilted her head towards…
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71 •
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Brixaby was not worried for Arthur’s safety. Well, not Yes, his skills were locked, but Brixaby had a sense for nullification magic and knew that if Arthur truly pushed, such as in a time of crisis, he could break through the lock with his Legendary level cards. Besides, if anybody in this so-called “Free Hive” dared to touch Arthur after they had guaranteed his safety, Brixaby would simply make an example of them. Unlike his rider, he had no moral qualms about destroying cards for his own…
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71 •
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There was a loaded moment as everyone processed what had just been said. Then Cressida turned to Chablis with a scowl. "What does that mean?" Chablis smiled back with an edge of condescension. "Come, I will show you." She gestured ahead towards the lip of the mesa, and as if this was a signal everybody had been waiting for, the crowd began to melt away. Most of the dragons outright flew off. The only ones who stayed were Chablis, Laird, Cressida and Joy, Arthur and Brixaby, Shadow, and the blue…
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71 •
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