SHOWDOWN

“I hope that’s not an omen,” Hale said as she looked at the double ones that Max had just rolled. In the game, that was considered automatic failure.

“Don’t worry,” Max said. “I’m just getting it out of the way.”

Hale slipped on her Kinematic goggles before turning on the power.

The MERLIN Tech that surged through the goggles turned a simple trading-card game into a three-dimensional, interactive battle where the duelists became part of the action. In reality, they were still pitting card against card while casting knucklebones to determine their success, but the Kinematic goggles made everything seem real.

Max fired up his goggles, as did everyone standing around the table. It was the only way to watch the real action. The dining room faded and was replaced by the charred remains of a city. The sky was filled with swirling clouds, and rain fell diagonally. When lightning flashed, Max started to second-guess his decision to play with a deck filled with metal clockworks.

“Are you ready?” Hale asked. She was standing under the glow of a gas lamp on the far end of the street.

“Does it matter?”

“Good point.” Hale flicked her wrist, sending a Round Table card spinning through the air. In a flash, it disappeared, leaving something that looked like a cross between a lizard and a bird in its place. It was as big as a horse, with a head that looked like a falcon’s. Its reptilian body was covered in blue scales, and feathers crested around its neck like a mane.

“Are you going to defend yourself or not?” Hale asked as the monster’s forked tail swished back and forth.

Max flipped his card into play, and a small clockwork appeared. It was shaped like a barrel and had tracked wheels. Its head was a turret with a cannon, and as Max saw it standing in front of the monster, he realized it didn’t stand a chance.

“Are you serious?” Hale asked. Everyone laughed. Then she cast her knucklebones. The total was added to her monster’s attack value, and that released the monster. It ran across the cobblestones before launching into the air with outstretched claws.

Max shook his own knucklebones before releasing them, but the result was pathetic. He was forced to watch as the clockwork fired an errant plasma bolt that hit one of the gas lamps.

Hale’s monster landed on top of the machine, ripping off the clockwork’s turret with a swipe of its claw. The clockwork sputtered before its gears stopped rotating. It was out of the game.

Max went on the offensive with a clockwork covered in iron plating. Each of its four hands held a plasma revolver as its eye scanned the horizon, looking for an opponent.

“Multiple-attack advantage? Nicely played,” Hale said.

She countered with a pixie that looked like a cross between a grasshopper and a little girl. When the clockwork fired its first round, the pixie danced nimbly to the side. Then she stuck out her tongue. The second shot wasn’t even close. Max was ready to ditch his knucklebones for a new set, especially after the next shot missed as well.

“Can somebody get Max a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows?” Hale said. “He’s going to need something to calm his nerves.”

Max tried to ignore her chatter. He scooped up his knucklebones and shook them in his fist. He had one last chance.

“It’s about time,” Hale said after she saw what he cast.

The clockwork took aim before squeezing the trigger. Hale’s pixie tried to fly away, but it wasn’t fast enough. When the bolt struck, she exploded in a cloud of shimmering dust that turned back into a Round Table card after it settled on the street. He was on the board with his first point.

“So what’s with all the metal, Sumner?” Hale asked.

“They’re part of the new expansion set.”

“Clockwork Chaos?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s not even out yet. How’d you get them?”

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” Max said. “But if you’re nice to me, maybe I’ll give you my doubles.”

“Is that a bribe?” Hale had disappeared only to be replaced by Chief Constable Oxley. His enormous mustache was dripping with water as rain beaded on his hat.

Max smiled. “No strings attached.”

“Very well,” Oxley said in Hale’s voice. “Just make sure you mind yourself—these streets aren’t safe for children.”

Oxley disappeared, leaving Hale standing in his place. Her green skin glistened in the rain as her antennae swayed. Over her next four turns, she scored three points to take a commanding lead. Max did his best to counter, but he didn’t have much luck.

He had no idea how to use the new cards in his deck, but Hale was managing hers expertly. She set traps and took advantage of bonuses that eliminated some of his best cards. It wasn’t long before she had five points, while Max was still stuck on two.

Then she sent a Frost dragon after him. The beast roared as it shimmered to life. Its wide mouth was filled with more teeth than Max could count, and everywhere it stepped, the ground turned to ice. It looked hungry.

Max countered with an enormous Nemesis clockwork. As it came to life, he could see the fire burning through a grate in its chest. Clouds of steam poured out from two exhaust pipes that shot up over its shoulders, and the hands on all four of its arms flexed and unflexed.

The dragon roared, but the clockwork didn’t budge. It stood with its feet planted firmly as the dragon slammed its tail against the ground. Chunks of frozen bricks shot into the air. Then, with its lip curled back, the dragon launched at the clockwork.

The Nemesis wrapped two hands around the dragon’s snout while two others took hold of its neck. Then the clockwork fell back. Its feet shot onto the dragon’s chest before it flipped the dragon over. The dragon landed with a thud, and Max struggled to remain standing as the ground shook. The dragon dissipated. Max had won.

He went on the offensive with his Nemesis, and Hale countered with a gnome. Max frowned. It seemed like a ridiculous play. After all, the tip of the gnome’s pointed red cap didn’t even reach the clockwork’s knee.

“Are you serious?” Max asked.

“Do your best,” Hale said.

The clockwork charged. With each step it took, brick cracked under its weight. All four arms were outstretched. Its eyes were glowing red. The gnome looked unperturbed. Its eyes were heavy as though it was tired. Then, as the clockwork closed in, the gnome reached into a pouch hanging from its belt. In a single motion it tossed seeds onto the ground.

The rain continued to fall. The ground rumbled before it broke apart. The Nemesis was about to grab the tiny gnome when giant vines sprang from the ground. Like the tentacles of a hungry octopus, the vines wrapped around the clockwork. They twisted around its neck, legs, waist, and arms before hoisting the Nemesis into the air.

Its arms and legs flailed, then bolts of electricity coursed over the vines before shooting into the clockwork. The machine convulsed as smoke rose out from its eyes. The vines threw the lifeless metal husk to the ground. A moment later the clockwork fizzled before it turned back into a Round Table card.

Max slammed his fist on the table.

“You realize we should be tied, right?” Hale said.

“Yeah, right.”

“You get too emotional, and then you lose focus.”

“It’s your move,” Max said. Losing was one thing, but getting a lecture was unbearable.

Hale tossed a card into the air. It vanished with a pop before an armored zeppelin appeared in the sky. Max wished he had his regular deck. He would have sent a swarm of Fireball Pixies to rupture the zeppelin’s envelope.

Instead, he had to settle on a massive machine called a Magnetron. According to the description on the card, it was capable of creating a magnetic field that would devour anything made of metal once it was in range.

“Nice try,” Hale said. “Too bad missiles are made of metal, too.”

As Hale cast her knucklebones, Max closed his eyes. The magnetic field would make sure that the zeppelin’s missiles didn’t miss. They roared through the sky before hitting the Magnetron. The ground shook as the machine exploded, sending a shower of scorched metal into the air.

“Time’s up,” Ross said before Max had a chance to go on the offensive. “And our winner is… Hale!”

Everyone cheered.

Max peeled off his Kinematic goggles and threw them onto the table. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but he was back in the dining room of the abandoned house.

“Shake it off,” Harley said as the crowd dispersed. Most of the group ended up in the kitchen, where Ross and Todd had set out snacks. For the Toad brothers, the duel was nothing more than a chance to sell more Toad Reports, so they didn’t skimp on the treats as part of their bribe to entice new business.

“If I play like that, I’m not going to make the team,” Max said.

“If you focus, you will,” Hale said, joining them.

“Yeah, right.”

“Listen, Sumner. Did you know that I got kicked out of a tournament last year for flipping a table over?”

“What happened?”

“I was upset because an unranked player scored against me on consecutive turns. If that wasn’t bad enough, he started taunting me,” Hale said. “I told him to shut his mouth, but he kept on chirping, so I stood up, threw the table out of the way, and then I punched him.”

“During a school tournament?”

Hale nodded. “I got suspended for the rest of the season. It was my own fault. I mean, I had a shot at becoming the youngest champion in the history of the Templar academies, but thanks to my temper, I blew it.”

“So that’s how Xander won the title,” Max said.

“Who knows, maybe he would have beat me anyway,” Hale said, shrugging. “But yeah, I think about it every day. If you don’t keep yourself in check, you’re going to have the same regrets. You can’t let your emotions get the best of you… not at this level.”

“Here.” Max offered her his Round Table cards.

“I don’t need your charity.”

“It’s not charity,” Max said. “I told you, I have doubles. Besides, after what just happened, I’m never playing with those cards again. Either you take them or I’m going to burn them. It’s your choice.”

“What are you talking about?” Todd said.

“Yeah,” Ross said. “Do you know how much money we could get for those?”

Before the Toad brothers could snatch them away, Hale took the cards. Then she placed them in her satchel. “As long as these are doubles, I guess I could take them off your hands.”

“By the way,” Max said, “thanks for the duel… and the advice.”

“No problem,” Hale said. “Next time, bring your best deck. I heard you almost beat a Grandmaster.”

“That was just luck.”

“There’s no such thing.”