Theft of Decks 4, CH 27

Honor be. Our lives are His. Honor be. Our hearts are His. Honor be. His life for us. This is one of a series of childrens’ books we obtained. All professionally made. All revolving around the topic of the Savior and his relationship with the Liberators. However it works, there is a definite trade-off. Life, toil and sacrifice in exchange for his protection and care. The process is rather nebulous. I suppose that is little surprise. The Savior would start the schooling and indoctrination at an early age to ensure their belief. (Page 47.)

Cilia and Chase returned from their outing and shared everything with the others. What followed was a long, loud debate about whether they should run for the hills right at that moment. Eventually, the response was, just like it had been before: ‘No. We are not in overhanging danger at the moment.’ Also, they agreed that knowing that they were living on borrowed time could work to their advantage, given that those in charge might be less likely to look too closely at their actions until they approached the end of Tier five.

Apart from the two, only Sera had any weighty news to bring. She, in her chats with Reen, had managed to come up with an initial peace deal with him. She promised that there was going to be no fallback from his actions, and that they would simply be working together to try to work to their mutual benefit.

Of course, following the explosive revelation of the pillar, that promise would soon to be put to the test.

“She said that? A pillar?” Reen’s voice was calm and collected, too much so, as if he was holding himself from exploding.

“She did.” Cilia answered.

The two of them as well as Chase were striding along on the streets, taking care to look like they were busy. They’d asked a random member of the mass to fetch Reen from within his house, and he had come through.

“I am unsure if I can take in the impact of this.”

“Let me try to help you. I’ve had a night of not-so-restful sleep to take it in. Now, not only does your wonderful Savior,” Chase imbued the word with enough scorn to make no secret just how much he meant it. “pressure everybody into fighting for their country – even if they don’t want to. He also pushes them to take cards that benefit himself as an individual, making him grow stronger without any action on his part. As if that weren’t enough, he also ensures that anybody who looks like they might grow strong enough to eventually become a threat to him wind up dead.”

Reen’s breath came fast and hard like he was close to hyperventilating. “How? Do we know how?”

“No. She said she didn’t know the details. Too many dangerous battles with the odds skewed against you, possibly? Perhaps the Savior himself comes to visit if you’re too stubborn. Does it really matter?”

“No.” Reen whispered. “Yes. It means that, every triumph I have ever prided myself over in my work – every person I have helped choose the right cards and grow to loftier heights… I was steering them straight toward the precipice.”

“You couldn’t have known, mate.” Chase said softly.

“You think they care?” He hissed. “Rotting in their graves. I should have guided them toward rebellion instead! At least that way, they would have had clean deaths.”

“Stop.” Cilia said. She grabbed his shoulder gently. “This is something I have had to do with Chase and Liam especially. Once they get emotionally invested, they tend to lose focus of what is important.”

“What’s important?” Reen’s eyes gleamed with unshed tears. “Me having wasted my life and ruined the lives of countless others is not important?”

“Not when it comes to your current decisions. Would you like to spend a while spiraling, engaging in self-destructive behavior – or would you rather learn how to properly hurt that so-called god of yours?”

He reeled like she’d punched him in the guts. He turned away, walking in silence for a while, before asking hoarsely, “How? How would I hurt him? I’m nobody. A petty hand, who’s only good at bribery, and talking people into going to their deaths.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Chase said. “You know what we’re doing. We’re no saviors or anything like that. We want a deck. That’s it. But you tell me. Right this moment, everybody here in Liberty believes that your Savior is just that – an actual god looking out for them. If they knew everything we knew, a lot of them would want to do something about it. You might be able to get rid of the bastard and build something real for yourselves. Only, there is one thing missing – for you and for us.”

Reen snorted, seeming to regain a bit of his normal cynical veneer. “The fact that nobody’s ever gone up against the Savior and won?”

“No. Well, actually, yes. That’s sort of it. The point is that, with everything we know, he should be powerful. Overwhelmingly so. Yet, that’s not what facing him felt like.” Chase frowned.

“You actually went up against him when you tried to steal from him? I thought… Nevermind. Please continue.” Reen massaged his brow.

“I think I will take over here.” Cilia said, brushing off Chase. “Because this is your domain, Reen, and mine. You know cards. You know that there are rules to it. Logic. Limitations. I enjoy the puzzle of it. Figuring out shortcomings, opportunities and combinations. Teasing out the underlying logic and abusing it. Yet, when we were up against the Savior… there was nothing.”

“Nothing?” Reen repeated.

“Exactly. Nothing worked. Our cards did not take effect. Existing buffs tapered off and turned to nothing. Kith’s summons were unsummoned, and he was unable to summon new ones.”

Reen frowned and blinked a few times. “That sounds… like a lot.”

“We haven’t even started yet.” Cilia said. “My droplets did not work. I flung them, and they did nothing. Might as well have chucked a stone.”

Chase added. “One of my Tier four cards worked for a second, then it fizzled out. The normal buffs faded. The lower-Tier cards failed to even activate. But, get this: my card that allows me to keep switching cards worked. Also, Home Defender – Sera’ permanent buff – worked as well. The rules for what worked and what didn’t were all over the place.”

“On top of that, he was able to erect a barrier in the palace. Stronger, wider, than anything else I’ve seen. Finally, he handled most of this before we could even see him.” Cilia added, frowning.

“Huh.” Reen lowered his head.

“You see it, don’t you?” Cilia asked. “He should be a normal human. Everything speaks to that. Everything. Only, if he is just like us – except at some insanely high Tier…” She trailed off, looking intently at Reen.

Frowning, he spoke up, hesitantly. “The rules would still apply. A number of his cards might end up at Legendary rarity – Between two and four, most likely, depending on his Potential. Also, his every attribute could be as high as your Mental Power when crafting, Cilia. But he would not be able to just do everything.”

“Exactly!” Cilia smiled. “The different classes can’t just do everything. Cards like that simply do not exist. And despite cards getting stronger the higher the Tier, even the legends about the strongest of all time mention their cards having drawbacks, openings, limitations.”

“Do we know that, though?” Reen’s downcast expression was fading as he focused fully on the mental exercise. “Even if we agree that he was, at one point, actually a normal human - what if, at a high enough Tier, the cards are simply that powerful?”

Cilia shook her head vehemently. “Just think of the effects. Cancelling buffs. Restricting the activation of new cards. Nullifying the magic in crafted items. Unsummoning summoned creatures and suppressing new summons? Even if we argue that his cards are powerful, what are the odds of the Savior having cards with all of these effects at the same time, perfectly ready to use? Think about it. Even if he’s Tier ten, you know most Tier five cards, right? Do any of those cards enable somebody to do some of that?”

Reen’s frown deepened even further. “Yes-no. Not in the way that you explain, cutting off possibilities entirely.”

“Exactly. That only leaves the Savior five cards above Tier five that are supposed to do all of that.”

He nodded, acknowledging her point. “On top of that, if he were that powerful, a few cards escaping the effect… hmm. It is a conundrum.”

“That’s why we’re here, man.” Chase grinned. “We figured you’d help us think of the type of cards that he might have – say, if you know weaker versions, that might evolve into something like what we were exposed to. That way, we’d also be able to able to make an educated guess about his class and possibly his attributes.” He smirked and winked. “You know, all the sort of knowledge that would be useful for any Liberator who’d want to take the bastard down.”

A tic grew under Reen’s eye. He hid it under a hand. “I can’t believe you’re talking about that so calmly.” Blinking, he cleared his throat. “But… I guess his class is as good a place to start as any. I could picture most Liberty classes to eventually be offered cards that could cancel or subdue enemy cards for a very short while. Buffs, at least. Perhaps not summoners.”

“We were fleeing for five minutes, at least.” Chase added.

Reen shook his head incredulously. “Fighters are out, as are ranged fighters. Entirely. The ability to affect either summons or crafted items… no. The same for crafters. As you very well know, Cilia, they rarely get cards to be used in battle. Healers could handle that barrier you saw, but not the rest. Casters affecting summons? Perish the thought. Rogues? No. Just no.”

Chase felt the need to speak up for his class, but decided not to interrupt.

Reen was deep in thought now, caught in a world of his own. “A summoner could surely affect the summoned creatures of others. Yet, they very rarely have effects that range farther than line of sight. Also, affecting crafted items? That is the manipulation of permanent magic. Not the normal purview of summoners.” He grimaced. “With what I know, there is no way that any of the classes should be able to handle everything you state that you saw.”

Cilia blinked. Then she spoke up, softly, at first. “Reen? How often do you see the Savior outside of the palace?”

His face scrounged up in confusion. “Why?”

“Humor me, please.”

“Erm. The Savior has toured the width and breadth of the blissful lands. We have stories about it, even.”

“Within the last two decades? And have you ever seen him yourself?” Cilia asked.

Reen’s confused frown grew deeper. “Seen him myself? Once. During a ceremony here in Salvation. He attends those, at times.”

Cilia sighed. “So, he does move about within Salvation. But I am clearly asking this wrong. Do you know of current situations where the Savior is known to tour the lands? Where he is seen outside Salvation, with no hint of a doubt that it’s him?”

He started responding, but stopped again. “Maybe eight years ago. A particularly large group of rebels were moving toward the capital. He ranged forth with the pillars and a large army of soldiers and squashed them. Plenty saw him then.”

“But otherwise, he stays inside the palace. Lets the lower Tiers govern the lands?”

“Following his ruleset, of course. That is how he rules. It’s been like that since the start.” Reen squinted at her. “Just tell me? I’m clearly not getting whatever you’re hinting at.”

She sighed and nodded. “He’s a crafter.”

Reen blinked. Then he snorted in derision. “No, he’s not.”

“He is.”

“He destroyed you, in person. You said so yourself.”

“In a place he himself has been creating for decades.” Cilia rested a hand on Reen’s shoulder. “Listen. It’s the only explanation that makes sense. He can ignore most of the usual limitations on cards and classes – not because he is all-powerful, but because he has built up the palace from scratch, imbuing it with protective items.”

“But… the legends?”

“Legends he himself has created. Legends which they are teaching, according to his instructions. Also, during the tour of the palace they actually said it themselves. There were items in there, whose effects they don’t know. But okay, if you have trouble believing it – consider this: the Prism.”

Reen waited. When he realized there was no more forthcoming, he cocked his head. “The Prism what?”

“Everything. Consider it. The Prism is, undoubtedly, magic. It messes with your mind, defends Liberty lands, ensures that the defenders are able to ambush incoming Guardians and soldiers, often safely, as long as the attackers are weakened.”

“That is known.”

Cilia slapped her fist into her palm. “Good. Then think. Not as somebody who has grown up listening to the legends of the Savior, but as a man who knows about classes. If you were told that somebody was able to manipulate magic that covered the width of an empire, that stayed active regardless of time and distance, what would you think?”

Reen’s gaze unfocused. His eyes darted every which way. “Yet, our teachings clearly state that the Savior uses the Ænima sent his way to keep him safe.” He was quiet for nearly a minute. Then he hissed. “I am going to see him dead!”

“Whoa. You pivoted kinda hard there, man.” Chase said.

“It makes sense. It makes sense! If you accept that he’s a regular human, restricted to a certain class, this is the only logical explanation. He would have to know how to craft permanent creations-“

“I’ve done that, and I’m only Tier four.”

Reen spat on the ground, drawing the eye of a hand walking on the far side of the street. He closed his eyes. “Okay. I will try to calm down. It’s just – if he’s using all that Ænima, not for our defenses, but simply to grow stronger - Fire burn his rot-infested carcass!”

Chase nodded. “We get it, man. We’re outsiders, like everybody loves to remind us. That means we barely know anything. But it also means we suspect everybody of being underhanded bastards. Sometimes, we’re more right than we’d like.”

For a while they walked in silence. Reen’s features went through a series of expressions, outrage, fury and dismay being provident among them.

His voice, when he spoke up again, was deadly intent. “How do we kill him?”

“Whoa. Reen.” Chase laughed in shock. “I did not see that one coming.”

“I am not joking. That bastard is killing people left and right, forcing the rest of us into battle, feeding on our Ænima and throwing those few of us who dare to dissent into work camps. I want him dead!”

“I-“ Chase started and stopped himself. “We aren’t godkillers, man. We’re thieves. Pretty sure we told you that already.”

“Why are you even telling me this, then?” Reen hissed, his face a picture of pain and frustration.

Chase smiled intently. “Because this – what we’re talking about right now – can be what you all need in order to get rid of the bastard. What we need to sneak past him is the exact same thing you will need to clean your house. Effective counters and strategies to what he’s got. You help us come up with crafted items and card combinations we can use against him, and you will know what works for yourself. Pits, we can even craft extras! But we need help, because we don’t know the specifics of Liberty cards.”

“Where will that leave us then?”

Chase shrugged. “Better off than before. If you share this knowledge far and wide, there’s no putting the lid back on. Everybody will know. Your vaunted Savior’s not a god, but human. Also, he’s a crafter, whose only contribution to your existence has been walling you off from the rest of the world and feeding you lies, while he grows fat off of your Ænima. Do you really picture that just blowing over?”

Reen hesitated, but eventually shook his head. “No. This kind of secret, when it gets out, is going to spread everywhere. It is also going to result in a lot of blood being spilled.”

“I don’t disagree.” Chase said somberly. “So, I guess that’s the question. Do you think it’ll be worth it, ridding Salvation of this so-called god?”

Reen didn’t hesitate. He merely nodded. Something new was growing in his eyes. Some inner fire; of hope, of persistence and deep-seated hatred. “I will do what it takes. Now, shut up and let me think.”

A few hundred feet along, they waited at the side of the road for a group of hopefuls to march past, led by a scarred hand. Their eyes gleamed with pride and determination, though some of them looked more guarded, like they had some forewarning of what they were going into.

Once they had marched past, Reen nodded. “That is what we’re up against. An entire system, built to break down our people, spill our blood to strengthen one single person. To create unthinking fanatics and punish any who dissent.”

Chase nodded. “Sounds a bit overwhelming, when you put it like that. Except, like Liam says, no meal is too big. You’ve just gotta take one bite at the time.”

“That has got to be the worst comparison I’ve ever heard. I can’t believe you guys have survived this far.”

Walking up to wrap his arm around the shoulders of the smaller Liberator, Chase beamed with joy. “Neither can I, my friend. Neither can I.”

They continued their walk in silence for a while. Eventually, Reen said. “I believe we will find the secret to defeating him in the card limitations set out by the palace itself.”

“Ooh.” Cilia said. “I like that line of thought. I was thinking something like that as well. Whatever he decides is off limits is likely to be something that could be a threat to himself and his rule. For instance, the limitations on anything revolving around shields.”

“Exactly.” Reen agreed. “The official reasoning that they’re afraid anything might interact badly with the Prism has also sounded rather speculative. If, instead, it’s because he’s afraid something will be able to raise shields to fend him off, or bring down the barriers he can erect inside the palace?”

“Much more plausible.” Cilia nodded. “Also, those stupid restrictions on anybody building their attributes higher and higher-“

“And on stealing ‘em from others.” Chase added.

“Exactly. Those are clearly created to keep anybody from building a set of cards that could, theoretically, drain the Savior of his own powers.”

Reen rubbed his hands together. “This… I am going to need to work on this. There are so many possibilities here, but also so many risks. Possible false starts. When do you plan to act?”

“As soon as possible.” Chase said. “I mean, we don’t think that we’re about to get caught out, but in this place there’s always a risk of us getting spotted doing something we’re not allowed to. The thought that we can keep up our façade forever is not bloody likely.”

Reen nodded, his entire being business-like and to the point. “Understandable. If you are likely to be raised to Hearts soon, would you pick your cards in order to succeed with your theft?”

Chase snorted. “That’s the entire bloody point, man. If we can pick a set of cards, without getting ourselves executed, of course, that will help us against the bastard, we’ll do it. Of course we will.”

“Excuse me if not everybody can afford to pick their cards on a whim like that. Some of us only get a single set of cards.”

“Well… then that’s what we need to change.” Chase smirked.

“What?”

”Well. There might be a tiny detail we haven’t exactly told you yet. Hold out your hand!”

It took Reen a while to get over the shock of realizing that, not only did they have other cards than the Elemental ones they’d told him about. Now, so did he! He walked like a drunk, lost in the notifications inside his mind.

“We need to find a way to set up a method for us granting cards to people who believe as we do, in secret. How do you think that is going to change things? Everybody you know will earn Light, Elemental, Fury and Dark cards. If we share enough cards, we will even earn another Deck of Darkness that could stay with you.”

“Buh.” Reen looked confused, like his brain refused to engage.

“What? It makes sense, doesn’t it?” Chase turned to Cilia.

She rolled her eyes. “You are offering to upset the power balance in this place as a quick aside. I believe Reen is very justified in needing a few moments to take it in.” Turning to Reen, she patted his arm. “Take your time. Sudden or not, I agree with the offer. It would make for a decent long-term solution, I believe. Even if we’re gone, having all the cards we’ve shared and a Deck of Darkness might very well be what you need to turn the tide.”

“What do you want in return?” Reen eventually asked.

“You’re already giving it to us. Items for crafting, and the information we need. Contacts.” Chase shrugged. “This will be helping us as well.”

“Yes. The answer is yes.” Reen hurried to say. “As to the rest: I need time. This is all very overwhelming and a lot to take in. I will think it over, and return to you as soon as I can.” He hesitated before adding, “I have to admit, when I first met you? I believed you were going to stab me in the face. Now, I think you might just hold the key to our salvation.”

“This, Reen. This is why we can’t have nice things. You’re still planning to depose one Savior. Don’t go setting up the next one already!”