Source & Soul: A Deckbuilding LitRPG

Our fight would have been over before it started if not for my Master Shieldbearer. The burly Soul shoved her way in between Felstrife and me, breaking the lich's hold. More importantly, my Bodyguard took the strikes intended to strip my cards. I'd seen Emerus kill a demon with a single swipe, but the Master Shieldbearer weathered the backhanded blow, in part due to the extra Armor I had equipped her with.

Sliver's cold blade would have finished the job, what with his Precision, but using the Fluid Grace I had pre-cast on my Soul, she twisted out of the way, landing a point of damage herself by catching the edge of her shield on Sliver's chin with an upward swing.

Felstrife hissed in frustration at how the combat had resolved, which added some savor to the moment. I had no doubt that she could see the abilities of Soul cards – she could perceive my living Soul, after all – but with her mourning the loss of her prisoners and then her attention so fixated on me, she must not have noticed the additions I had given my Soul.

Tiny mistakes like that were exactly what I needed to defeat her.

Due to my Equality, the summoned Skeletons and Specters were gone, along with both giant Ice Wyrms – their shards so large they hadn't finished dissolving in the air – but I still had the Mythic and Legendary to contend with. Already flush with Source hovering around me, I drew two more summon cards, quickly surveying my Hand of six.

Execution would let me destroy Sliver in his current state, but Felstrife could easily regain such a low cost Soul by using her Death Source Power. Part of me wanted to start forming my usual defensive wall, which the Acanthi would help with, but the last time we had dueled, Felstrife had decimated my line with a combination of Blizzard and her Mythic Relic – a brutal weapon that allowed her to make use of her many combat abilities.

It was possible that she had used some of her Spells during Azure's mass assault, but that was far from guaranteed. No, what I needed to do was exploit my Soul advantage. I'd just removed seven of her cards, nearly half her deck, and I'd be a fool to give her the space to build back up using Emerus's ability. If I hit her hard and frequently enough, I could destroy the Reaper of Helix before it had the chance to enter play.

Using all of my Life Source along with some Air, I summoned both my Bearkin, Transformed them, and then sent the furred beasts charging at Felstrife while my recovered Master Shieldbearer stayed by my side.

Felstrife Dodged one of the bears, which I had expected from the last time we fought, but I tensed in anticipation as the second's great paw swung toward her. Felstrife only had three cards in Hand – another reason to think she had used some Spells while I had been away – and she flicked one of them out to intercept the incoming blow.

Red motes burst around the bear's claw, stopping the brunt of the attack, but 1 more damage made its way through. However, this last point rebounded harmlessly off of Felstrife's rag-wrapped body.

So she does have Armor, curse her. But not enough to stop 4 points of damage.

There was no mystery behind the card she had chosen to block with: like me, her Source was all summoned, six of Death and four of Water, so she had little need for more. As I parsed this information, I drew an extra card by using my Order Source Power, frowning when it coalesced into my hand.

I had been hoping for Atrea, to use her Aura to remove whatever Armor value Felstrife had. But, I was one card closer to reaching her now, and the Raven was a key piece of my endgame, so not a total loss.

The lich drew two cards, summoning one that took form in her grasp, causing my gut to shrivel. If she'd already drawn the Reaper of Helix, the ensuing Lifesap attack on both of my Bearkin would practically return her entire deck to her. Instead, it only turned out to be her other Mythic Relic.

Of course, there was no such thing as "only" where Mythic Relics were concerned. Without hesitation, two of her floating Death Source fractured and vanished, and my Bodyguard jerked at my side. Death Source Explosion was a destroy effect, so the poor Soul couldn't Dodge it. With a final lurch and gasp, the Master Shieldbearer melted into nothing, leaving me exposed.

Felstrife then used Emerus to add a Common Death Soul to her Hand, along with her Death Source Power to return one that had been destroyed. However, instead of the returned card going to her Mind Home as it should have, it flickered into being in her hand. I let out a disgusted breath. This was no doubt another of her Mythic level abilities I'd have to contend with and a severely problematic one at that. If she could bring her Souls back without needing to slow her draws, the advantage I'd gained with Equality would be meaningless in a few turns.

No sooner where the two Souls in her bony grasp than she was summoning them.

Both came after me and so did Sliver. Fortunately, I had used Air Source to help summon my Bearkin, so I had enough Order left to cast Protection, a mid-size shield springing into being and stopping all 4 damage the three Souls were trying to do to me.

Unfortunately, the Spell didn't stop the inhuman chill of the Specter from frosting my breath and freezing my muscles in place, devoting me, and thus denying me a future Dodge. At least I had avoided taking any damage – yet, that was. I watched Felstrife closely, past her Souls that now sagged near me. If she had an offensive Spell such as an Ice Lance, I stood to lose a great deal of resources.

Out of her three remaining cards, she did have a Spell but it turned out to be one of debilitation, not damage, an oozing sludge filling my half of the ballroom.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

So that's why she attacked with the Skeleton instead of keeping it ready as a defender. She had no need to be worried about defense with a lingering Spell like Stagnant Waters in play.

I could feel my next cards almost ready to be drawn, but before that, despite being focused, Sliver darted briefly out of being, reappearing by one of my devoted Bearkin long enough to slash his frigid blade across the beast's throat, destroying the Transformed elf.

I hated seeing the Soul go, but there was nothing for it, so I focused on the opportunities my two new cards represented instead. They were my Execution and the only Penitence in my deck, which I'd subbed in along with Protection since I had more Order and less Air Source now.

Five of those Order Source were currently at the ready, but that was all, which limited my options. I was also still half frozen, the Specter's touch having yet to fully thaw. I needed protection, what with my Dodge unavailable and my Bearkin focused. If I summoned another Bodyguard, Felstrife could just destroy it again using Khufa's Rune-Carver, but better to force her to sacrifice the Source than do nothing at all. So, I summoned my only other Master Shieldbearer, who gave me a solemn nod as he took up position by my side.

I briefly considered using my new Soul power to peer into Felstrife's Mind Home, but I recognized that feeling for what it was: the itch to do something. The truth was I had played what I could this turn, and knowing one card that she might draw next wouldn't alter the decisions I had made.

That said, I would have given anything to be able to read Felstrife's expression when she received her next two cards, but for all our time together, the subtle shift of her jaw and dimming of her eyes didn't leave me with enough to go off of. Even better would be to know how many cards she had left in her deck, like when fighting under a Dueling Dome, but that was another card I had purged. The tactic had worked well for me in the streets of Treledyne, but now I needed to be able to defeat my enemies and move onto the next, not lose everything I'd summoned when the fight was over.

I expected the Blizzard plus Reaper of Helix combo from her at any moment, or at the least another use of the Rune-Carver to take out my Shieldbearer. Instead, a card shattered in green motes from her Hand, whipping into a massive swirl of frost and ice that near filled her side of the ballroom

It was now oh-so-very clear to me why she hadn't wanted to sacrifice more of her Sources since that would have only made the skull-shaped tidal wave that was bearing down on me weaker. Felstrife probably expected me to take the brunt of the damage on my Bodyguard but I wasn't about to lose my second one so easily. Instead, I blocked all 8 damage from Hand, Executions proving their defensive worth to me yet again.

The three cards blew up a swirl of card shards, which somehow managed to stop the oncoming Spell, though the room was covered in chunks of what looked to be dirty snow for a handful of seconds.

Felstrife sent Sliver to Ambush my Bodyguard next, the Mythic crouching his knees to launch himself forward, but I cast Penitence with my remaining two Order Source, bringing his knees to the ground.

With a hiss of frustration, Felstrife dredged up another Ice Specter, this time sending it at my Bearkin so Sliver could destroy the elf with his end of turn effect. I thought Felstrife might follow this up with using her Rune-Carver to destroy my Master Shieldbearer and then attack with Emerus for 5, and she certainly looked to be considering it, scraping her finger against the icicle-shaped Relic. I stared back at her flatly, holding my Raven Nightguard up – my only remaining card in Hand – as if it could defend me like my Executions had just done.

In the end, she kept Emerus where he was, either unwilling to take the risk or perhaps worried she might kill me with too large an attack when I was down to my last cards. What surprised me more was that she didn't use Emerus to generate another Soul. Instead, he stood as her lone blocker, a Death Source and Water still at the ready. A single Skeleton would have served her nearly as well as the Legendary, so it must be that she didn't want to spend the 1 Death Source to summon it. But why?

I thought back through the cards of hers I had seen, trying to recall one that would need one to two Death, but I had seen so many from her it was hard to say. Perhaps a Phylactery Encasement?

It would be an excellent card if so, able to protect her or stop a threat from me. Such thoughts lingered in my mind but shifted to the side as I drew my next two cards.

"Atrea," I whispered, "I've been waiting for you."

I might only have three cards in total now, but I had all of my Source back except for one Order. My body was no longer frozen, so I could Dodge, and I had a healthy Bodyguard at my side, but I didn't plan for this fight to last long enough for me to need either again.

First, I summoned Atrea – keeping one Air Source floating as I did – her ability to negate Felstrife's Armor being exactly what I needed, the Aura able to work even if she ended up trapped in an Encasement. Next came the Pantherkin, the lithe elf Stealthing into existence beside my other summons. Sneak Attack damage couldn't be blocked with cards from Hand, and if my calculations were correct, Felstrife should only have two or so cards remaining in her Mind Home, the same number I did. What's more, the Stealth on the Pantherkin meant that it couldn't be targeted until after it had done its Sneak Attack. Truly, it was a glorious card, much like all those Epics Felstrife had been putting to use against me.

With a pull on my Life Source, I transformed the Pantherkin and empowered it with Sneak Attack. Like a dark shadow, it slipped across the ballroom, using the same sort of Ambush attack Felstrife had wanted Sliver to use on my Bodyguard earlier, which let a Soul do its combat damage directly to a target without taking any in return.

I expected Felstrife to Dodge, so it was a shock when the Pantherkin's long claws sunk into the lich's emaciated body, first shredding cards and then shards of bone.

Felstrife stumbled, and I felt a flash of triumph mixed with concern. Why hadn't she Dodged? The only reason for her not to was if she thought I had another, stronger attack coming, which in a way, I did. But in that case, why not at least transfer some of the damage away with Water Source Power? She must have some play in mind. But what?

Having no time to waste on such musings, I used Order Source Power to draw my second to last card.

Relief flowed through me. Just like Felstrife, the final piece of my combo had been waiting for me at the end of my deck; a combo courtesy of my lovely Esmi that I had needed hours staring at the mix of cards I now possessed to see the best usage of.

Drawing on the floating Air Source from when I had summoned Atrea and returning my devoted Air Source to hand, I called forth the first of my Ravens. Being able to attack with the Nightguard alongside Atrea was a boon, but it wasn't my primary reason for summoning it. Instead, since I hadn't played a Source this turn, I let the card that had just returned to me float up above my head, fully refreshed.

Next, I devoted both Air Source, directing the refreshing energy toward the Pantherkin. The effect would ready the Soul, and with her Sneak Attack still in effect for the turn, the Transformed elf would be able to gut the lich. In response, Felstrife finally did cast her Spell, a frozen box appearing around my Soul, ice-rimmed metal walls closing around the Pantherkin and causing my Air Source Power to fizzle.

"That's adorable," I sneered at my one-time captor. She was completely out of Source now, which meant she was at my mercy, and I had none to give.

I used three of my remaining Source to pay off the Coffin's cost, which exploded outward, leaving my Pantherkin wild-eyed and angry. Then I summoned my second Raven by pulling an Air Source back into my heartdeck. I felt the weight of the newly returned Source, as if Esmi was laying her warm hand on my chest. Then, I compressed the Source until it exploded out of me in a flurry of wind, and I funneled that buoying force into my Pantherkin, who popped upright. Reenergized, the Transformed elf leapt toward the lich's throat, and I leaned forward, ready to see the bag of bones dismembered. If this wasn't enough to kill her, I'd send Atrea and both Ravens in, and we'd see if 10 damage didn't turn her to dust, after which I'd use the solution the Master Assassin brought me to pour over anything that remained.

Felstrife let out a keening cry as she floated back from the oncoming Soul, but Fate wouldn't let her avoid it. And yet, before my Pantherkin reached her, the lich managed to fall to one knee, cards bursting into shards all around when she did.

"Twins take me!" I cursed, blinking hard and trying to make sense of the chaotic jumble. For a heart-stopping moment I feared every card had been unsummoned, but as things settled, I saw it was just Felstrife's: all of her Souls, her Rune-Carver, and even the last two cards in her Hand, the lot of them vanishing in puffs that sparkled.

But why had such a thing happened before she'd been struck?

I got my answer when the Pantherkin's claws raked into Felstrife a second time, and instead of felling the lich, card shards burst from the contact.

I hadn't imagined my Soul injuring Felstrife only a short time ago, a clear indication of a depleted Mind Home, which could only mean…

"You switched to your second Mind Home, mid-battle?" I accused, not needing an answer to know I was right. It had clearly required a focus to use, yet another reason why she hadn't Dodged earlier, but still, the utility was undeniable. I would need to make every effort to acquire one of my own once I had purged this rotten carcass from the world.

Felstrife shoved the devoted Pantherkin out of the way so she could better glower at me. "After I have your abilities," she rasped, "I will slice you, flay you, break you, keeping you alive as a twisted husk for a hundred years. No, two hun – "

"Shut up," I told her. "I liked you better when you didn't talk."

She hissed at me and then drew two new cards from her refreshed Mind Home.

In the confusion I had missed my chance to attack with my newly summoned Souls, but that didn't disturb the cool rage that coursed through me. Whether she had two Mind Homes or twenty, I'd rip them out of her. For Bessamun, and Justine, and Geb – I touched my wrist holder briefly, thinking of my friend – and all the others she had no doubt murdered in her centuries of unrestrained ambition.

Tonight would be the night I learned exactly what it took to kill an unkillable lich.