All The Skills

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 had already come prepared and strung temporary ropes around the dragons to act as handholds, though Arthur didn't see an official saddle among them.

Others who didn't want a ride to the top either used their own cards' power or started up the long stairway that was carved into the side of the mesa. It looked like quite the hike.

Cressida turned to Arthur with a frown. "Joy can't take us both at the same time," she said almost apologetically, though Arthur had not expected such a thing. "Why don't you go with her first, and then she can come back for me?"

For the hundredth time, Arthur felt a pang of regret that Brix was much too small to carry him. He turned to the little dragon to gauge his mood — Brixaby could be jealous whenever Arthur rode on another dragon but paused when he saw Shadow melt out of the crowd as if he were using a kind of card power.

"There you are," Brixaby buzzed right up to the tip of Shadow’s nose. "I was beginning to think that you abandoned your duty to my rider."

"Not yet," Shadow said, then turned to stiffly nod at Arthur. "Sir, I figured you would need a safe way up to the top."

Arthur couldn't say that he had grown close to Shadow in the few hours they'd worked together, but there seemed to be a new formal distance to the dragon now. "If you wouldn't mind."

"It's my duty," Shadow said stiffly.

In the following moment, Arthur, Brixaby, Cressida, Joy, along with Shadow, stood in the sheltered lee of... was it an impossibly tall rock wall? Arthur felt slightly dizzy from the rapid transport as he stepped back from the wall to look around.

"Where are we?"

“The top of the mesa,” Shadow replied.

No, that was impossible. He had just been at the top of this mesa a few hours ago, and it had been completely flat. He supposed someone could use a powerful earth manipulation power, but why?

Brixaby buzzed to gain height and a better perspective. Figuring that was a good idea, Arthur backed up a few steps, then a few steps more. He looked up, and up, and up.

It took a few seconds for his mind to wrap around it, but he realized that he was looking at the back of a large auditorium — an awe-inspiring structure that was built entirely out of red sandstone. Due to Shadow's teleporting ability, they had appeared where the sun was mostly blocked.

Joy flew after Brixaby and called down, "There is an opening over there," and she pointed a claw to indicate around the curved wall.

"I will sit with the rest of the dragons," Shadow said, and without another word, leaped into the sky. Arthur saw several of the larger dragons swoop to land at the very top rim of the auditorium. That functioned as their seating.

As he and Cressida came around the structure, they saw people filtering in through arched entrances—some separating from dragons who, like Shadow, decided to sit at the top. Others followed their riders and friends inside. Everyone was all smiles and there weren’t any guards at the door to check identity. It seemed everyone was welcome.

Once they passed through, Arthur saw that the inside was even larger than he suspected, as a massive space had been carved out to create sub-levels. At the very bottom sat a stage.

"This wasn't here a few hours ago," Cressida said, echoing his thoughts.

"If they have powerful enough cards, say, a few earth Rares, they might be able to raise or sink this whole structure. That way if there were any patrols flying above, this wouldn’t give them away." Arthur was just thinking out loud, but Cressida nodded.

She looked up and waved at Joy, who was cavorting with other young dragons up in the air. Brixaby buzzed nearby, too, though he held himself slightly apart and did not actively interact with the others.

Cressida dropped her hand. "Let's get near the stage," she said, "I want to see what all this fuss is about.” Then lower, "and if these people are as fair as they claim."

Arthur stopped himself right before he defended the Free Hive folk. He settled with a nod.

But the instinct to think the best of these people bothered him. After all, they had essentially kidnapped him and Cressida. And though they weren't being held in a cell or currently threatened, they weren't allowed to leave. The Free Hive council had, in fact, kept Arthur away from his primary duty of being available in case a Demi-scourgeling erupted.

And yet... Brixaby was already showing interest in a craft. And Arthur wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to get back to Wolf Moon Hive with all its deep-seated problems.

Just in case, he concentrated on his mental blocking skills... then remembered about the card-block cuffs. How far did those go? Would they block only his skills, or the skills of mind-mages working on him?

Ugh. He could drive himself crazy by thinking of what-ifs.

Deep down, he didn't think he was being manipulated. These feelings had been brewing for awhile. The truth was, he wanted to find a hive that was worth leading.

And he hadn't realized how disenchanted he had slowly become with Wolf Moon until now. The schism had started when he was left out to dry before he met with the king. And it hadn't gotten better. When—if-- he did return, he needed to find a way to fix that.

Still, as he and Cressida made their way down toward the stage, he found himself thinking, "Please be a place worth defending."

The seats were filling up fast, but Cressida navigated the way with confidence born of a noblewoman. They found a spot three rows up, which was still fairly close. The seating itself was wide shallow steps. The humans typically sat on the edge and dragons lounged on the wide portions. Joy swooped to join them, cuddling up next to Cressida, even though she was as big as a horse.

Brixaby came down as well, sat next to Arthur, and fluffed out his four wings. “It seems they'll let everybody in for this show,” he sniffed.

“You don't think that Commons and Uncarded should be allowed in?” Arthur asked, frowning at his dragon's prejudices.

Brixaby gave him a look like he was being intentionally obtuse. “I think everyone’s time would be better spent improving skills and crafts.”

Oh. Brixaby was just put out that he couldn't work on his newest obsession. Arthur knew the feeling. There was nothing quite like leveling up a new skill. “You know, if you stored some chain rivets in your storage space, you could be working on it right now...”

Brixaby gave him a startled look and then flicked two of his wings back in irritation. “I will consider it later,” he said haughtily, which was as good as admitting that he had completely forgotten to use his Personal Space.

When he and Arthur had linked, they had pretty much given each other carte blanche on Arthur's Heart Deck cards and Brixaby's core card, Call of the Void.

Brixaby, however, didn't often use Arthur's cards he wasn’t directly linked with, and vice versa. Arthur’s cards weren’t stamped on Brixaby’s heart, so accessing his cards was a matter of practice rather than automatic thought.

Also, Arthur felt ambivalent about using Brixaby's power as it required the permanent destruction of cards. He hadn't found even a Common card that he was willing to take out of circulation forever.

His thoughts were interrupted by Joy pointing one claw hand just to the side of the stage. “Oh! There's Tamya and Len. They're over there. Should they come sit by us? What do you think, Cressida? Tamya! Len! Over here!” She stood up on her hind legs to wave broadly in their direction.

Joy was being very loud even among a crowd of chatting people—but it seemed Tamya and Len were purposely not looking in their direction.

“Are they sitting with Uncarded charted people?” Arthur squinted to try to get a better look

Sure enough, the blue and his rider sat with people who had the marks of the Uncarded. Some were frightfully skinny, and others had the unhealthy pallor of someone who had been sick multiple times in their life. He was certain that one woman had pockmark scars on her cheeks.

“Joy, settle down. There's no room for Tamya and Len to sit here,” Cressida said. “Leave them be.”

Joy dropped back down to four feet again with a sigh. "I don't think they want to sit with us anyway," she said sadly. Joy could act like a ditz, but she was observant when she wanted to be.

"I don't want to sit with them either," Brixaby said. "They never have anything to say, and their power isn't all that interesting either."

"Their powers aren't very useful to fight scourgelings," Arthur had a hunch about why they were sitting with the uncarded, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. "But in a desert community by the ocean, they'll be invaluable..."

Cressida glanced at him, frowned, then sent a harder look back toward Tamya and Len. Before she could say anything, Councilor Chablis walked out to the middle of the stage. She was followed by several older men and women that Arthur didn't recognize, and Laird the Dragon, which he most certainly did.

"Don't tell me..." Arthur said.

"That's the council," Cressida murmured, having picked up on it too. "And look at that, Laird is one of them."

Arthur felt a spike of annoyance, but Laird had not told him he wasn't part of the council. He’d just implied it.

Smiling widely, Chablis stepped before everybody else and made a gesture at her own throat. When she spoke, her voice echoed throughout the auditorium. She had a sonorous card power.

"My people, we are all gathered today to witness the induction of these fine folk, new citizens to our Free Hive. By taking a card into themselves, they strengthen our hive, as we strengthen them with the gift of power and healthy life."

The crowd clapped, including the dragons, who did so with forward or backward flicks of their wings, depending on how they were built. The purples and the few blues who had four wings were especially loud. All eyes were on the group clustered to the side of the stage—the one where Tamya and Len sat.

As Arthur had suspected, Tanya and Len had agreed to join the Free Hive.

“They convinced them to leave Wolf Moon in just a few hours?” Cressida gave Arthur a concerned look. “Do you think it was by force?”

That redoubled Arthur’s worry about influence.

“Of course not,” Brixaby said, overhearing them anyway. “They’re just cowards who don’t want to fight and earn cards like everyone else. They want them given to them on a platter.” Then he let out a long sigh, likely wishing he could be given a card to eat right about then.

“Should we stop this?” Cressida asked, worriedly.

It was moments like this that reminded Arthur that Cressida had been expected from birth to be a leader, while he was still getting used to the idea. It hadn't even occurred to him that, as the ranking rider of Wolf Moon, he should have a say in whether Tamya and Len joined the Free Hive or not.

And what if he didn't want to have a say?

He hesitated, weighing the options to intervene or not, but then he shook his head. “I'll talk to them later.”

By then, Tanya and Len would have already accepted the card, but at least he could at least find out why they had decided to abandon their hive. Arthur knew why he was disenchanted. But what would a Common rider have to worry about?

Cressida frowned, but she nodded.

Shortly after, the clapping died down. Chablis looked over the crowd, and Arthur saw her eyes briefly land on him before moving away again.

"I will call our new residents up one by one, and they will draw a card from the barrel."

Laird leaned forward with a large apple barrel between his claws, the insides glittering with cards. Arthur winced at the sight of cards stuffed together like that, but they weren't exactly paper. As hard as plate steel, they couldn't be bent. Still, it seemed like an undignified way to store so much power.

"Fate will decide your card and how you may help your new home," Chablis said to the waiting group. "Once you choose, please join the craft experts and masters who best fit your card." She gestured to another group who lined up at the other end of the hall. "These men and women will help you get started in your new life."

"That barrel reeks of Common cards," Brixaby muttered, making a show of sniffing. "A few Uncommon, too."

Cressida leaned close to Arthur. "I bet none of them are combat oriented."

His Gambler class twinged. "I wouldn't take that bet."

"Still," Joy said, "It's nice to get a card at all. I would hate to be without one. Some of those people are so thin..."

Arthur silently agreed. Seeing those hopeful, anxious folk about to receive a card of their own, he couldn't help but think of the people left behind in his border village.

Brixaby snorted, unimpressed. "What if they pick a card they aren't suited for?"

"It'll go in their heart. They'll grow with it," Arthur answered.

"Besides," Joy said, perky and optimistic as always, "there's no rule that says they can't trade the card. So, if someone has a fear of mice but gets a speaking-with-mice card, they can trade it!"

"Who would want a speaking-with-mice card?" Brixaby demanded.

"I would! Mice are so cute with their little hands and whiskers. But Cressida said I couldn't keep any of the ones I found for a quest that one time because—" Joy was cut off as Cressida shushed her.

The first person took the stage: an older woman with wispy silver hair and a determined expression on her face. She moved like every step pained her but asked for no help crossing the stage.

Laird lowered the barrel to make it easy to reach, though he kept the top above her eye level, presumably so she wouldn't look before she picked. The woman didn't seem to care. She reached over the top and plucked one down, gazing at the card for a moment before she spoke to Chablis. Because her words weren't enhanced, they didn't carry to the rest of the crowd, so Chiblis repeated them.

"Common fabric weaving charm!"

Though the card wasn't traditionally exciting, the crowd clapped and cheered as if it were first-rate. With a small smile on her stern face, the woman pulled down the neck of her shirt and pushed the card into her chest. She gasped audibly. A man with a textile badge on his shoulder crossed the stage to meet her. She met him halfway, her steps visibly more fluid.

"What happens when a card is given to an older adult who can’t grow with it?" Arthur asked Cressida. "Are they healed? She looked better."

Cressida hesitated before answering. "I don't know. I've never met an uncarded adult."

Nobles, Arthur thought with fond exasperation.

The ceremony continued. Every card drawn could be put toward a utilitarian or crafting purpose, and as Arthur suspected, every one was a Common or Uncommon. No Rares and no combat. Which made him wonder what they did with the combat cards. And if he and Brix could browse them. Though he still had a little bit of a wait until Brixaby could safely develop a secondary dragon core…

He was musing on this as the last person was called up and received an Uncommon herb garden class card - quite the find, and one Arthur wouldn’t mind copying one day.

Finally, the only ones left were Tamya and Len.

With a smile, Chablis indicated Laird could put away the barrel. A male council member stepped forward with a pretty gilded box. Chablis turned to the audience.

"Our last inductees are a young dragon rider pair. While they are too newly linked to safely accept a new card, the council has offered this Common water temperature alteration card as a gift—"

Arthur sensed rather than saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. He wouldn't have thought much about it except for Brixaby's sudden squawk.

"Arthur! Phase out!"

He didn't think. His Phase In, Phase Out card was part of his heart deck and accessible as a thought. He also didn't think about the fact what he was about to do was impossible with the card-link cuffs on. He just did it.

In the next blink, a wiry man dressed in black passed through Arthur's body, a knife out in front. He had come at Arthur at an angle, a knife edged with green slashing at his neck.

His attacker — no, his would-be-assassin — staggered forward through Arthur and past him to land on Cressida.

Or he would have.

Joy, for all her bubbles and excitement, was still a dragon. With an outraged roar, she slammed one pink-clawed limb thicker than a man's forearm between herself to shoulder away the staggering man. Her wing swept forward to knock him away.

It happened in a flash, and before people all around had time to do more than scream, the would-be assassin was knocked out of arm's reach.

Quick as a diving hummingbird, Brixaby darted forward and ripped a card right out of the man's heart.

He came away just as Joy started bellowing. The green-tinged knife that had been aimed at Arthur and almost hit Cressida had instead driven between the scales of her forearm. And they were starting to darken and wither.

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