It was cold and dreary that morning as Jacob walked to work. The streets were silent and mysterious, with a heavy fog hovering over the city. Jacob pulled his jacket close, gripping it to his body. The swirling mist was thick, with almost no visibility beyond a few feet. Light tendrils of water gripped his skin, his jacket, soaked into his hair. The fog had a light chemical smell to it, likely a mixture of natural clouds and off gasses from the factories. It was likely harmless, but Jacob reached to his equip deck anyways. He had 2 more uses of Filtration left, and he placed it into the equipper on his left arm. Immediately the smell dissipated, though the fog still left droplets of water on his skin. The government organization that oversaw the factories claimed the fog was safe. They inspected it annually, ensuring the populace that what was being produced was harmless. No one truly believed them, not even those who were working for them. Most did as Jacob did, and chose one allotment to pick up a Health and Toxicity GovPack. Those weeks were always difficult as the Focus Pack cards ran low, but it was worth it for the peace of mind the filtration and healing cards brought. Medical care was expensive; this reduced the cost.
Like most mornings, the streets were largely silent. One or two figures moved as he did, going to jobs they hated. In a time where most of the population huddled in warehouses for warmth and card automation had taken over production, work was hard to find. Those with some talent or connections did as he did and got a government job. Those with even more resources worked for the card companies. Almost everyone went to College or the Academy after they were made free 20 years ago. It was the years after that that became difficult. Many fell into the black market trades, opening bars and illegal Casting locations, finding niches of things to sell and make. An even smaller subset turned to active crime. Everyone was doing what they could to get by, and what they could do was done almost exclusively at night. The various enforcement agencies tended to overlook the smaller black market activities; petty card dealers, illegal food operators, clandestine event venues. They kept the population out of trouble, and the Agencies had their hands full as it was with the larger crime rings.
Jacob turned into an alleyway, shivering in the cold. He walked a few feet, then slowed down. Something felt off. He had walked that alley almost every day to work, but something wasn’t right. He felt the unmistakable feeling of eyes on him; someone was watching from the shadows. He slowly placed a hand on his sidearm, looking around the alley carefully.
“Oh isn’t that cute.” A deep voice echoed “He has a gun.”
“Adorable.” The second voice was slightly higher pitched, with an unmistakably mocking tone “Maybe we’ll have to take that too.”
A ring of fire suddenly erupted around Jacob, roaring into place. The heat was unbearable, the fog sizzling and steaming as it hit the flames. The alley around him grew hazy and out of focus, as the rippling warmth created ripples in his vision. Jacob pulled the gun out of its holster and held it lightly in front of him, moving his gaze around what he could see of the alley. He slowly turned, checking all sides but seeing nothing beyond the flames.
“I’m Officer Jacob Olivier of the Card Enforcement Agency.” Jacob’s voice had an edge of uncertainty, despite the confidence he tried to project. He had heard of several officers getting attacked, but he had never experienced it himself. He had been lucky thus far. Seems like that luck had just run out. “De-activate all card effects and stand down, or I will be forced to fire.”
“Fire at what, Officer Olivier?” The first voice mocked from in front of him. Jacob raised the weapon and adopted a standard Agency firing stance.
A figure materialized out of the fog on the other side of the flames, and Jacob pointed his weapon at it. The figure was large and tall, and kept moving forward. Jacob fired a single warning shot above his head, but the figure didn’t stop moving. Jacob paused with uncertainty, then fired at the figure itself. A rainbow colored shield suddenly appeared, and he heard the bullet ricochet off into a nearby wall. There was a scuffing sound behind him, and Jacob turned just in time to see a large man dressed all in back rushing through the fire towards him. Jacob fired at the man, only for another shield to block his bullet. He stepped out of the way just in time, and the man rushed past.
A portal opened below Jacob and a series of vines appeared, ensnaring his legs and preventing him from moving. Jacob struggled against them to no avail. He was trapped. Thorns dug into his legs as the plants wrapped around him, and he grimaced.
“Now that wasn’t very nice.” The deeper voice seemed to come from the first figure Jacob had seen, which stood just outside the ring of fire. “Don’t you know it’s rude to fire a gun at someone you’ve just met?”
The two figures stepped through the flames, giving Jacob his first good look at them. Both men were tall and well built, dressed all in black. Black combat boots, black jeans, black shirts, and an overly dramatic black trench coat of many pockets. Both wore two card equippers - one on each forearm, and already had several cards in their hands. The cards appeared to be corporate cards, though the haze from the heat made it difficult to make them out. Both had dyed their hair black and wore plain black medical masks over their mouths. There was an unmissable series of red straps around both of their right arms; three for the larger deep voiced man, two for the higher pitched one. RevGang enforcers. Likely hoping to score a few Agency cards or Civ Creds off of him.
There was a vibrating at his waste, and Jacob reached his right hand down to check it. He kept the gun pointed towards the enforcers with his left hand, staring them in the eye as he did. His hand brushed the battle deck, and he froze as he felt the form of three cards that it had issued. He had forgotten about the deck his grandfather gave him, and quickly drew the cards. He smiled, and the first RevGang enforcer raised an eyebrow at him. Jacob guessed they had expected him to be defenseless. He looked at the cards again, and holstered his gun.
“Well seeing as you’ve already given your introduction, I suppose it’s time I gave mine.” Jacob’s voice rang with confidence, as he placed his first card into the equipper. There was a rushing sound from behind him as soon as he did, and the enforcer’s eyes widened. Jacob braced himself as the wave of water hit him, rushing past to sweep the enforcers off their feet and into the alley wall. The Unholy Tsunami that he had played putting out the flames around him, releasing a massive amount of steam that joined the fog. The wall of water continued past them out of the alley, spilling into the next street before dissipating entirely. The air smelled of the ocean, and Jacob could swear for a moment he heard the soft sound of seagulls above. The second enforcer was the first to get up, soaking wet and sore from hitting the wall.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“That was a mistake.” Anger dripped from his voice as the second enforcer placed a card into his equipper. A Minor Fire Lord appeared in front of him and struck a pose, ready to strike. It was short but fierce, roughly five feet tall with rippling muscles covered in flaming armor, and holding a burning spear in its hands. Its eyes were two flaming pits, while its breath steamed in the air. More steam sizzled off of it from the fog as it stood staring at Jacob ominously. It’s skin was blood red where it showed through the armor, with patterns that echoed the cracking of magma under freshly formed rock. The creature was dangerous, and ready for battle.
Before the Fire Lord could move Jacob swapped the Unholy Tsunami card on his equipper with the Major Water Lord Labubuan in his hand, summoning it between himself and the fire lord. A massive 12 foot tall warrior appeared, covered in brown scaled armor that resembled that of a sea turtle. It had four arms, two of which held a large staff made of coral. Its skin was like that of a dolphins, smooth and lavender grey, with water constantly dripping off of it. The Water Lord looked down at the Fire Lord with an expression of pity, watching it with a cerulean gaze that sparkled like the seas. Water lightly swirled around it in spirals, and the smell of saltwater filled the air. A cool sea breeze radiated off of the Water Lord, dissipating any heat Jacob felt from the enforcer’s Fire Lord
The second enforcer got up and equipped his own creature, a Shadow Demon of Avarice, Level 3. It appeared out of a portal of pure darkness, laughing with a mild glee. It was 6 feet and thin, appearing as a mutated caricature of a cartoon banker. A suit covered in demonic symbols hung loosely from its frame, while pure black eyes looked directly towards Jacob. Jacob felt a small amount of nausea and revulsion at the creature’s gaze, as well as an uncomfortable itch to check his retirement account’s earning potential. In its right hand the Shadow Demon held an empty money bag, labeled clearly with an ancient currency sign that hadn’t been used in generations. The Shadow Demon radiated hunger and greed, and an insatiable desire for greater capital gains.
The Shadow Demon and Fire Lord stared up the Water Lord Lababuan, all three creatures waiting for an order to strike. Since this was a street battle and not an actual duel, turn limits and all other rules didn’t apply; the creatures still had to wait for an order to attack. Jacob quietly pulled two more cards out of his battle deck and smiled. It seemed his grandfather’s advice was right as always; trust in the cards, and the cards will trust in you. He almost felt a little bad for what he was going to do next; he liked his Water Lord, and his strategy seemed almost too cruel for petty level enforcers.
“Fire Lord, Spear of flame!” “Shadow Demon, Absorbing greed!” The two enforcers called out their attacks, forcing their creatures to engage with the Water Lord. Jacob didn’t give any orders back. His Water Lord Labubuan would take significant damage, but would stay between him and the other creatures without falling. The Fire Lord was the first to move, letting out a massive battle cry as it jabbed its spear forwards. A great rush of flames surrounded the weapon, and there was a burst of steam as the spear went through the Water Lord’s torso. There was a piercing sensation in Jacob’s side and he grunted; he would feel a fraction of his creature’s pain, a reminder of his role as its caster.
The Shadow Demon moved second, opening its bag and pointing it at the Water Lord Labubuan. There was a great sucking sound, and Jacob watched with regret as his Water Lord very slowly began to thin, its strength and stamina being robbed slightly by the Shadow Demon. It wasn’t enough to defeat the Lord, but Jacob could feel it’s energy being lost. He took a deep breath to stabilize himself, then placed his snare in his equipper, over the Water Lord card. A massive wormhole opened up underneath the battlefield, and the three creatures screamed as they were sucked within. The vines on Jacob’s legs ripped apart and were consumed well, before Jacob pulled the Battlefield Wormhole and Water Lord Labubuan cards off of his equipper. Before the two enforcers could react Jacob equipped his next card. The clouds above the three of them thickened, before a piercing rain began to fall. The two enforcers rushed to cover themselves from the Crystaline Ice Rain, which sliced into their faces and exposed skin where it hit them. The crystals melted almost immediately upon impact, staying solid for just enough time to scratch small gashes into the skin. An errant crystal bounced off a wall and nicked Jacob in the cheek, leaving a small cut that bled lightly. Unfazed, Jacob quickly loaded his final card into the equipper, directly over the Crystalline Ice Rain.
An Avenged Water Demon immediately appeared in the alley, leering over the two enforcers. It was 8 feet tall and fully unaffected by the rain, it’s eyes glowing white with the power of avenging force. Where the Shadow Demon radiated a need to check one’s 401k, this demon radiated a need for vengeance. Every slight, every frustration rose into Jacob’s mind as the creature stood, towering over the three on the battlefield. Like the Shadow Demon it was tall and thin, though this creature had pale blue skin that seemed to ripple like a gentle wave. It glowed lightly, wearing a light blue robe that left its arms exposed. A hood was over its head, hiding the entirety of its face save for its eyes. Its hands were empty; this demon summoned objects out of pure saltwater as necessary.
“Water Demon.” Jacob’s voice cut through the sound of ice hitting the ground “Ensnaring net.”
The Avenged Water Demon moved rapidly, a large fisherman’s net suddenly appearing in its hands. The net wrapped around the two enforcers before they could respond, tangling them like a bycatch never meant to be caught. They struggled for a moment, and the Avenged Water Lord pulled on the net. The two fell forward onto their faces, fully unable to move. Jacob walked forwards, pulling his side arm back out of it’s holster as he did so. He pointed it at the two enforcers with his right hand, while he pulled his badge off his belt with his left. He held the badge in front of them and pointed the firearm at the closest enforcer, who happened to be one that called his gun ‘cute’ earlier.
“I am Card Enforcement Agency Officer Jacob Charles Olivier the III.” Jacob range with cockiness as he reminded the criminals of their place “And you are under arrest.”
Street Matches - which blend the formats of Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon card games. Like Yu-Gi-Oh, casters in street duels have the ability to use Snares and Spells to entrap their opponents creatures, and affect changes on the battlefield. Like Pokemon, street duels are typically head to head face offs of creatures directly slugging it out. Unlike both, in this universe the Casters themselves are viable targets as well. The cards in this universe manipulate reality, which means you as a caster or bystander can be effected by them. This makes the matches far more dangerous than those in the Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokemon realms. If you lose in a street match you don’t have your life points go to zero, or run out creatures that have fainted. A loss on the streets is a hospital visit; in extreme cases it results in death. As the series progresses we’ll explore how that affects official matches, and start seeing equip cards designed to be used specifically in card matches. Official matches differ in the introduction of Official Rules, of which I have created several variants. In this universe cards can be used for almost anything, so the possibility for games are endless.
which story first.
trust in the cards…
What type of Card Use do you want me to explore more in future chapters?
