Page 358 of Light Leech

With his frail infant now protected and at five health, he turned to attack with his Herbalist’s brood. The enraged Pups, Squires, and new Brutalists charged my legends. Though they didn’t have penetrate, they still damaged my health after killing all of my remaining legends. Zhu cried out as he had before, though the metallic shriek of his robotic body made it all the more traumatic. I hated to hear him suffer, knowing that this reality was as real for him as any other, but I held to the knowledge that he would return to me after the battle. Though he would be frustrated–more so because I was following my own strategy–I’m sure he would understand if I managed to succeed.

My field was bare. My health was low. My infant was weak. None of it mattered. This was a game for more than battling creatures, just as chess is more than taking your opponent’s pawns. I had sacrificed my queen and now moved toward checkmate.

RegLon smiled my way. His posture was the same, though his shoulders were tighter and his chin a tough higher.

Green infant: right.

Red infant: two.

Watch this. Maybe Zhu could hear me from the ether. Maybe he was watching with as much anticipation as I had billowing within me. Maybe he was in a state of non-existent null. I hoped for the former.

I wouldn’t have hoped so months ago when the swine was nothing more than an enigmatic nuisance. His intrusions into my thoughts were still not welcome, but they no longer bothered me as much as they had. It wasn’t like he was a pet or a close friend, but a part of me. He might be the only way to see the Gongtide end.

He was the only way.

What would that mean if we lost him? If we lost one of them? What about Sha? If there was something wrong with him, what would that mean for Ralia?

“Take your zegging turn!” RegLon shouted from across the arena. His voice was amplified across the arena, earning a roar of approval from the audience.

I couldn’t help but laugh, having seen his stone composure throughout the whole match finally cracking due to impatience.

If this had been the real world, I would have loved to top off this victory with his teeth.

Why not enjoy the reprieve you have from that vile hunger? Have you let your hunger taint you so much that you crave to see your enemies suffer?

Hunger was for the outside, as were the associated moral implications. This was a game of intellect, not impulses and emotions.

I tapped my first ability card, a four-cost that provided the first piece in my puzzle.

Light Drain: Roll a d8. Your opponent loses that many lumens for their next turn.

A giant holographic die rolled in the air, giving me a better result that I could have hoped for.

Eight.

I tapped my next ability card, a two-cost that would seem useless in most circumstances, unless a certain combination made it worth it.

Take the Children First: damage dealt directly to your opponent is instead dealt to a target legend. There was an attitudinal sentence added to the card due to this round’s particular module. Damage can also be done to a Lonesome Infant.

I checked RegLon’s reaction before playing my final card. His fury had turned into wide-eyed trepidation.

I spend the rest of my lumens on one final card.

Famine: your opponent refills their lumens immediately instead of at the start of their turn. Your opponent must then pay two lumens for each of their legends. If they cannot pay for one or more legends, target legend suffers five damage. The player then suffers two damage for every damaged legend.

RegLon’s lumens filled to a pitiful two after Light Drain took effect. He then chose to spend his two lumens on the Tanuki Herbalist, though it was nothing more than a formality for the endgame to play out.

His Brutalists suffered five damage, then the Squires, then the Pups, killing the weakest among them. None of that mattered. A crippling sum of damage totaled against him, but none of it mattered. A stream of light flew towards his Lonesome Infant, then burned through its shield in an instant before obliterating it. A black stain burned the ground where the infant had sat. Smoke arose from the complete absence of a corpse.

RegLon didn’t throw a fit. He didn’t shout, nor did he speak. He sat in capitulation, awestruck at his sudden loss brought upon him by his hubris, that of too many Tanuki legends and tokens for him to ever believe that loss was possible.

“Yet another surprise save for PetNeb! Congratulations! You have won the second round!”

Chapter twenty-two

Lake of Wine and Forest of Meat

My Bite fought for my consciousness as Zhou’s servants dragged me, but all I retained until complete consciousness was a broken conversation between Naoma and Zhou, moments before waking. I had missed much but tried to grasp what I could.