Book 2: Chapter 46: Collapse

Book 2: Chapter 46: Collapse

Attribute points?

Arthur slowed down a stop as he read through the message. That had been a mistake.

He hadn't realized how much sheer momentum and stubbornness had been carrying his body forward. The moment he let himself pause and become distracted, abused muscles protested all at once.

Arthur crumbled ungracefully to the dirt track to the sounds of 'ohhhs' from watchers all around.

When had he gathered watchers?

He could barely think about that. Every long muscle from the soles of his feet to the tops of his legs decided to cramp up all at once.

Arthur half sat up, lips pulled back from clenched teeth. He'd had these cramps before -- they used to hit a lot when he was a child with too little food and too much work to do -- and knew he had to ride them out. But it was excruciatingly unpleasant.

"Sir? Sir? Drink this. It'll help."

Someone shoved a small tankard in front of his face. He could barely think through the pain, but his nose caught the metallic scent of water.

Raging thirst hit him like a hammer. He grabbed the mug in both hands and drank. Only common sense kept him rapidly sipping instead of trying to suck it down at once.

The water was flavored lightly with salt and herbs. His stomach protested water after so long without food and he slowed again to keep from cramping his gut, too.

He could have retreated into his Personal Space, but time wouldn't move outside. It wouldn't do him any good other than to delay the inevitable.

He managed to pull himself away from the water long enough to look up.

"Carley, wasn't it?" he rasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Heard the commotion and wanted to see it for myself, sir," she said cheekily. "Were you really running all night?"

"No, I... night?" It had only been a couple of hours, hadn't it?

With a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, he glanced to the side to see a small crowd dispersing. He had attracted a lot of attention.

Penn wasn't among them, but if word spread what he had just done, and if Penn linked that to his missing Master of Body Enhancement card, he might be in trouble.

Had he been running all night?

"Hasn't anyone ever warned you not to play with new cards out in public?" asked a cheery voice.

Somehow, Arthur was unsurprised when he saw Marion step through the crowd with a book in hand. The prince was dressed in pristine clothing which looked starch and new. It even included a cape.

Arthur's answer was a pained grunt.

Rolling his eyes, Marion tucked the book he'd been reading away. He walked over and looked down at Arthur.

"Let me guess: You went out and bought yourself some sort of stamina enhancement card, couldn't resist trying it out, and let it run away with you."

Marion's voice was pitched a little too loud for comfort -- just enough to carry.

Arthur may be worn to the bone with exhaustion, but he wasn't stupid.

"Isn't it rude... to ask about other people's cards?" he shot back, forcing a grin.

He accessed his Personal Space.

It only took a moment, and once he was inside, he let out a groan of pure relief. It wasn't really his body, but it was good to be able to 'stand' and shake out his legs.

"Yeah," he said to himself. "Pushing myself to level twenty all at once was stupid. Might be worth it, though."

Time to see what these attribute points were about.

When he had first placed his Master of Body Enhancement card into his heart deck, he'd been able to view his overall body attributes.

Base Attribute Points

(20 = Average)

Strength: 18

Stamina: 16

Dexterity: 16

Perception: 14

Charisma: 17

Intelligence: 22

Wisdom: 25

Luck: 21 (1 temporary point increase)

Oh, right. He had a temporary +1 to luck. He’d probably used his fair share of that during the eruption.

He felt instinctively that all he had to do was to will the points into the stat.

His perception was the lowest and seemed important. But there were more pressing issues.

He had to be strong enough to face whatever was to come.

"One point in strength, two in stamina," he said.

The numbers changed before his eyes.

Arthur looked down at himself but didn't feel any different. Then again, time didn't pass here.

He returned to his body.

A rolling warm power flowed from the core of his heart deck through the rest of his body. It washed away fatigue and exhaustion. Arthur took a deep breath, feeling like he had just woken from a refreshing nap.

He rose and stretched. His muscles were still tight, and he suspected they'd be aching tomorrow -- refreshing his attributes didn't erase any damage he had done -- but he felt wholly rejuvenated.

Marion watched him, eyebrows raised. "That's some card."

Arthur grinned back. "It really is."