He had moved the man into his own bed and tried to make sure he was comfortable. The man’s breathing remained steady, if shallow, but he showed no signs of waking.
Still don’t know how that didn’t blow his head off. Flynn shook his head then turned his attention to his own matters. I am officially a card wielder now!
He pulled up the messages he had received after absorbing the Strength of Arms card. The first thing he focused on was the card itself. There was more information now that he’d used the card, making it a part of his deck.
Card Name: Strength of Arms
Rank: Basic
Level: 0 / 100
Class: Enhancement
Focus: Hands, Arms
Incompatibility: Feet, Legs
Synergy: Combat
Power comes in many forms and is something that many people strive for but few ever truly obtain. The Strength of Arms body enhancement card grants physical power to the wielder to enhance both mundane abilities and other card powers and skills. Basic ranked Strength is far from common and makes any card wielder far stronger than a normal person.
Flynn sighed. Strength of Arms was not the card he had wanted, at least not to start with. He didn’t regret using the card. It had literally saved a man’s life, but it had made his life way more complex. He didn’t know much about the people that had captured the man, but it was clear that they were not people to be trifled with.
I can always have the card removed, he thought, but that was not an easy thing to do, and it got harder the more he leveled the card up.
I guess I just have to play the cards I’ve been dealt.
Flynn chuckled at his own wordplay then brought up his personal stats.
Name: Flynn Finnigan
Level: Basic
Number of Cards: 1
When he focused on the Number of Cards, a secondary list appeared.
Combat Cards: 0
Crafting Cards: 0
Enhancement Cards: 1
Healing Cards: 0
Spell Cards: 0
Utility Cards: 0
Flynn turned his attention back to the unconscious man on his bed and focused on him like he did when identifying a monster. He still didn’t know the man’s name, and the improved identification skill that came with the Card System didn’t tell him anything either.
Name: Unknown
Level: Unknown
Number of Cards: Unknown
That’s not very helpful, he grumbled.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
There were tattoos on both of the man’s hands, and the images had been untouched by the explosions that had charred the rest of the skin around his wrists. That meant he had at least two cards.
The tattoo on the man’s right hand appeared to be the tip of a sword that extended up his arm and disappeared under the man’s sleeve. That meant the tattoo covered two regions—hand and forearm—so it was either Elite or Epic rank.
Unless it extends all the way to his upper arm, making it a Legendary card, Flynn mused.
He shook his head. There was no way someone wielding a Legendary combat card would have let himself be captured.
Of course, his captors had absorbed cards into their heads, so there was no telling how powerful they were.
The only certainty was that Flynn was in way over his head.
I just need to get this guy out of here before his problems become my problems.
He watched the man for a few more minutes then got up from the chair. I can’t just sit here and watch him sleep. I’ve got places to go and people to see.
Flynn shook his head then headed for the stairs. Maybe he’ll be gone when I get back.
He didn’t think he would get that lucky though. Truth be told, he was still incredibly curious and wanted to know more about the man. Even if it put him in danger.
I’m a card-wielding adventurer now, Flynn insisted to himself. Danger is part of the game.
***
Flynn really did have places to go and people to see. Several shop owners, inns, saloons, and restaurants throughout the city used him for minor services. Those services ranged from message delivery to pest control, and the business owners relied on his services as much as he relied on their generosity. At least, that’s what he told himself. Deep down, he knew that if he didn’t take care of their needs, someone else would.
And that was why it was important for him to take care of business instead of sitting around watching an unconscious man breathe.
It had been several days since he had visited one of his best clients, an inn run by none other than Walter’s brother. The shopkeeper at the card shop had made the introduction that had turned into one of Flynn’s most important clients. He’d even picked up a fragment or two working for the innkeeper.
The Inn of the Wandering Dragon was on the far east side of Aramath, about as far away from the warehouse district as one could get and still be inside the walls of the frontier city. That made it a perfect place to visit.
Flynn moved cautiously through the mostly empty streets near his derelict domicile. He didn’t think there was any chance the tattooed freaks from the warehouse had tracked him, but he admittedly didn’t know what kind of powers high-level cards could provide. By the time he reached the busier part of town, he felt more confident and safer.
The Inn of the Wandering Dragon was close to the large gate on the east side of town, which made it one of the most popular places for card-wielding adventurers to stay. Men and women preparing for a monster hunt liked the proximity to the gate so they could leave quickly, while those returning from a monster hunt didn’t have to travel far once they returned. The inn was also popular with locals looking for a stiff drink after a hard day’s work.
There was a downside to being so close to the main gate: monsters. Smaller, low-level monsters frequently snuck through the gate, tunneled under the wall, or climbed over it. Those that harassed people in the streets were quickly dealt with, either by the card-wielding adventurers or the city watch, who also possessed powerful Combat cards.
The monsters weren’t powerful enough to regularly produce card fragments, so people didn’t generally put much effort into exterminating them. That’s where Flynn came in.
When he reached the Wandering Dragon, Flynn found it to be just as busy as it usually was. He glanced up at the black dragon on the sign over the main door, wondering what it would be like to face down an actual dragon. There might even be high-level card wielders inside who had done just that. Frank, the owner of the Wandering Dragon, had made it very clear he was not to bother his patrons though.
Maybe someday when I’m buying drinks, I can listen to the stories of adventure, he thought. Or maybe I will be the one telling the stories!
Flynn pushed through the swinging double doors and made his way to the bar, carefully weaving between drink-carrying patrons, many of whom swayed under the influence of the inn’s ale and mead. He made himself inconspicuous at the end of the bar but caught the barkeep’s attention. The man nodded but continued to serve patrons for several minutes before turning from the bar and disappearing through the door that led to the kitchen area.
A burly man with curly red hair and a long beard emerged a moment later and approached Flynn. He had a smile on his face. “Walter told me you finally earned your first card. Congratulations.”
Flynn raised an eyebrow. He knew the clerk at the card shop was close to his brother but hadn’t expected the news to travel that fast. “Yeah, I got a Strength card.” He couldn’t keep a smile off his face, even though the card wasn’t exactly what he’d wanted.
“Well, that’s a useful one,” Frank said. “Maybe you can use some of that strength next time I get a shipment of mead and ale.”
Flynn chuckled uncomfortably. Using his Strength of Arms card for menial labor was the absolute last thing he wanted to do. “I’m hoping to use my increased strength to defeat monsters.”
The innkeeper nodded. “It should definitely help with that.”
“Have you been having any problems that I can help you with?”
Frank shrugged. “Not sure. Unless they come out into the streets, I don’t know about them. There might be some in the alleys. Same deal as always for any you kill.”
“Alright. I will see if there’s anything that needs exterminating.”
Flynn started to leave, but Frank stopped him. “Hold on a second.”
The innkeeper bent down and grabbed something from under the bar. When he stood up, he held a shiny black cudgel in one hand. He smacked it into his offhand a couple times, producing a loud slap each time. “Here, take this. It will pair nicely with your Strength card. Call it a first-card present.”
“Really?!” Flynn said, a warm feeling of gratitude suffusing his body. Frank—and Walter—had always been good to him. Better than most. But a gift. That was more than he had ever expected.
Frank held it out, and Flynn reverently accepted it. “Thank you. I will put it to good use!”
Name: Cudgel
Rank: Basic
Cudgels lack the cutting power of a sword and the range of a spear but are brutally efficient in close quarters. They are weapons favored by warriors who want to use their strength to deliver bone-breaking attacks. Cudgels have delivered countless crushing blows and will serve you well in any brawl.