Of course, he’s tied up, so I should still be able to win this fight.
The man stared at him and looked like he was going to say something else, but then his head slumped back down to his chest, and he was still again.
Flynn stood there for several moments, his hand shaking slightly as he kept the knife pointed at the again-unconscious prisoner.
Once he was satisfied the man wasn’t a threat, he shoved the knife back through his belt and approached again. This time, he studied the straps that bound the man’s arms and legs. They appeared to be made of thick leather but didn’t have buckles or latches or any other obvious way of unhooking them.
He glanced at the door again, a sense of dread welling up inside.
What am I doing here? he demanded of himself. I don’t know who this man is or what he has done. He might deserve to be tied up.
Flynn shook his head. He usually had a pretty good sense of people, and this man didn’t seem like he deserved to be held captive in an abandoned warehouse.
Unfortunately, he didn’t know what he could possibly do about that.
He looked up at the skylights again and could see it was getting dark outside, the sun having set while he’d been exploring the warehouse.
I don’t know this man. I don’t owe him anything. I should just leave and go get my new card.
Flynn had the feeling doing that would mean the man’s death though.
Maybe I can get a Combat card and come back and save him.
He also knew that wasn’t a good option. A single Combat card wouldn’t be enough to deal with whoever had captured the man. Possibly multiple somebodies.
No, I need to get him out of here before someone comes back or comes out of that room.
Flynn looked at the door then at the unconscious prisoner. He took a deep breath and made a very painful decision.
You owe me, mister! he declared silently then pulled the Strength of Arms card out of his pocket. He looked at the card, wishing there were swords or knives or even a mace on the card. Something that would help him defeat monsters and earn more cards.
The words of the Card Master came back to him.
The card that you need is rarely the card that you want.
Flynn gazed at the unconscious man and the truth of those words couldn’t have been more obvious.
You have to play the cards you’re dealt, he thought wryly and pushed up his sleeve to his shoulder.
Flynn looked at the card one more time, then slapped the card to the skin of his shoulder.
Do you wish to add Basic ranked Strength of Arms to your deck? Card tattoo will be placed on your shoulder.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
He answered, “Yes,” and immediately felt the card burn into his skin like a branding iron and clenched his teeth as hard as he could to avoid screaming out. His head swam as the magic of the card suffused itself into his body, and a tingling sensation spread out from where the card had touched his skin until his whole body was throbbing.
Then, just as quickly as the magic had enveloped him, it was gone. Flynn looked down at his arm and saw the tattoo of a flexed bicep right above his own left bicep on the outer part of his shoulder.
Flynn flexed his arms and felt his biceps bulge. There was an incredible strength in his arms now that definitely hadn’t been there before, and he spent a moment admiring his newfound power. A notification flashed into his vision, similar to the way the basic information of a monster appeared when he focused on it.
Congratulations. You have activated your first card and gained access to the Card System. As your deck grows, so too will your level and personal power.
Flynn had known about the Card System. Everyone did. It was common knowledge.
Knowing about it and possessing it were two entirely different things, and the thrill of finally becoming a card wielder nearly overwhelmed him. Even if the card he had absorbed wasn’t the card he wanted.
He nearly forgot about where he was and what he was doing, but then reality came flooding back to him.
Flynn turned his attention back to the bound prisoner, dismissing all the notifications that would tell him more about his new powers. Those would have to wait until he was free from the warehouse.
He reached down and grabbed the leather strap that bound one of the man’s arms. Let’s put this power to use!
Flynn pulled on the strap, trying to break it, but the chair broke instead with a loud snap.
He froze, his head jerking toward the door. He stayed there, unmoving, for several moments, his eyes locked on the door.
Nobody came through, and he sighed in relief after a few moments. Satisfied that no one was going to rush in and kill them both, he turned his attention to the leather strap that bound the man’s other arm.
Flynn grabbed the strap with both hands and pulled with all of his new strength, careful not to break the chair again. The leather stretched a little but didn’t break. Sweat started to bead on his forehead, both from exertion and stress.
He stopped pulling on the strap and studied the chair. He definitely didn’t want to break the wood of the chair again but saw that he might be able to pull the pieces apart, causing less noise.
Flynn carefully grabbed the arm of the chair with one hand and the frame with his other and slowly started pulling them apart, his new card filling him with more strength than he’d ever had before.
There was a pop when the chair came apart, and he froze. The sound was much quieter than the splintering wood, but he still glanced at the door nervously.
When the door stayed closed, he turned his attention to the straps that bound the man’s feet. He bent down to try to break one of the straps—or the chair.
The unconscious man suddenly woke and shot to his feet with a confused groan. “Huh?! What?!”
The motion knocked Flynn off balance, and he fell forward into the man’s legs, tripping the man.
The nearly freed prisoner fell forward on top of Flynn, and there was a loud crash of breaking wood and curses.
“We have to get out of here!” the man said desperately and pushed himself off Flynn. He turned to run with no thought for the young man who had just saved him.
Flynn shot to his feet an instant later and took off running too.
He had only taken a few hurried steps when the door to the unknown room slammed open. The freed prisoner raced away without looking back and shouted, “Keep running!”
Flynn had already turned his head to see who was coming after him and saw a nearly naked, fully tattooed, and drop-dead gorgeous woman step through the doorway. His feet tangled, and he stumbled into the wall.
He felt his body react in the way any sixteen-year-old boy’s body reacted to seeing a beautiful, nearly naked woman. He stared, frozen in place, everything else in the world forgotten.
After a moment, his mind cleared a little, and he realized any time spent with this temptress would not be pleasurable for him.
The woman raised her arm and waved her hand back and forth toward both Flynn and the fleeing prisoner. “Get them both!”
Four figures dressed in black surged out of the door, each with a glowing tattoo visible on their faces and shaved heads.
Head tattoos?! Flynn shivered in terror and started running again.
An arrow slammed into the wall a split second after he bolted away.
Adrenaline coursed through his body, and Flynn ran faster than he’d ever run before. He didn’t know where the freed prisoner had gone, but the only thought in his mind was to get the heck out of the warehouse. Every man for himself and all.
Flynn saw that there was a wooden board securing the door as he approached. He skidded to a stop and grabbed the board with both hands and pulled. Adrenaline surged through his muscles, as did his new card power, and the board snapped. He shouldered the door open and leaped out of the warehouse.
The instant his feet hit the cobblestones, he ran, with no thought whatsoever as to what had happened to the prisoner.