Female Heart of the Cards (F, 3/3, Updated 9/1/2016)

[Blah!?]

Ladies and gentlemen, do you like sneezing? Do you like children's card games like Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic the Gathering?

If so, then have I got the story for you! This is without a doubt the most anime thing I've written since The Adventure Club, and it's basically taken me since the last time I updated that to finish this. Seriously, I created the document for this story on August 21st, 2015. That being said, I see no reason to make you wait any longer. Enjoy!

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Part 1 - C Rank Little Sister

 

The heavy beats of techno music faded away as Maren Sato stepped into the Welcome Home! maid cafe and removed her headphones. Letting her audio device hang around her neck, Maren reached a hand into her pocket and switched off her phone's music player. Contrary to popular belief, the cafe was not modeled to resemble a mansion or anything of the sort. A mansion wouldn't exactly fit on the eighth floor of a department store. The cafe was simply a modern restaurant adorned with decorative plants, pictures and cute stuffed animals. Above all, everything from the floor to the ceiling was a pastel of some sort. The only principal difference between it and other restaurants was the wait staff, all of whom were dressed in frilly, colorful maid outfits.

After waiting for a moment Maren was led to a table, and she happily sat down and perused the menu. Maren pushed her aluminum-framed glasses up the concave bridge of her nose as she scanned the available meals, and she quickly reached a decision. The pink-clad waitress quickly returned, and since Maren was by herself, she sat down with her customer and leaned lovingly across the table.

"Do you know what you'd like to order, master?"

"I sure do. I'll have a mango green tea, the special omelette rice, and a bunny cheesecake for dessert."

"Right away, master."

Maren quickly received her drink, though the food took a bit longer. She smiled as her maid set the omelette rice down on the edge of the table and drew a cute anime character on the egg using a ketchup bottle, though she was too hungry to pay attention to who or what it was. Once the waitress departed, Maren's patience ran out and she quickly devoured her meal.

When it came time to pay, Maren retrieved her wallet from the inside pocket of her blazer and slipped her credit card into her check. Raising her headphones back to her ears, Maren closed her eyes and began to bob her head up and down as the music filled her mind once more. In her distracted state, the young customer failed to notice her maid returning with a concerned expression on her face.

"Excuse me? Master?" inquired the maid, tilting her head to one side as she placed the check back on the table. Still engrossed in her techno, Maren simply bit her bottom lip and began to lightly pump her fists in the air. Glancing around nervously, the maid raised an apprehensive hand and reached it toward her charge's shoulder.

"Excuse me?" the waitress repeated, gently touching Maren's arm. The music enthusiast's pixie-cut brown hair stood on end and her eyes snapped open a split second before she flailed her arms around and fell sideways into her bench seat. With a surprised yelp the maid jumped back and clutched her hands over her chest. Breathing heavily, Maren gripped the edge of the table and began to pull herself up.

"I'm terribly sorry to disturb you, master," said the maid, her voice still shaky, "but I'm afraid your payment has been declined."

Maren lifted her head above the table, but only after turning to face the maid did she realize that she couldn't see. Her glasses were barely clinging to the wide tip of her nose, and the band of her headphones had fallen in front of her eyes.

"Oh, no problem," replied Maren, waving at the maid as though her headphones weren't obscuring her vision. "I'm sure it's nothing. It's not like I'm stone cold broke or anything! I mean, who goes to a maid cafe when they're out of money? That would just be silly!"

"Of... Of course, master," tittered the maid as Maren finally removed her headphones and fixed her glasses. Turning away from her server, Maren furiously tore her phone from her pocket and checked her bank account. She immediately began to tremble and sweat when she discovered that she had reached her credit limit four days ago. Maren put away her phone and dug out her wallet. A tiny whine escaped her throat as she snapped the billfold open and saw only a single bitcoin note. She stuffed her wallet back into her jacket and nervously rubbed her nose, trying in vain to stall for time.

"Is something the matter, master?" asked the maid, cocking her head to the other side.

"No! No, everything's fine!" stammered Maren, startling her server once more. She hastily pushed her glasses up her nose and glanced around for a way out. Finally her vision came to rest on a sign hanging on the glass door. After a moment of squinting, Maren managed to reverse the letters and read the sign.

Normally Welcome Home! offered a free dessert to anyone who could beat their server in a game of Fortitude. This week and this week only, however, a customer's entire meal would be free provided they could defeat three maids in a row, each match more difficult than the last. Fortitude was used as far more than a simple meal ticket, and as such nearly everybody carried a deck at all times. Maren was no exception, and as the tips of her fingers touched the top of her deck box, she knew she had found her escape plan.

"I..." Maren began, slowly turning to face her maid. "Challenge your Fortitude!"

She whipped her deck out of her blazer and shoved it so close to her server's face that the tip of the maid's nose squished against the box. Letting out a split-second scream that turned the head of every nearby customer and server alike, the waitress jumped back and waved her arms in Maren's direction for a moment.

"You... You already had dessert, master!" she cried, refusing to open her eyes.

"No, not for dessert!" Maren replied, climbing out of her booth. "For all of it! The works! The whole nine yards!"

The maid slowly backed away, holding her hands up defensively.

"I'll... Go talk to my manager..."

And with that she was gone, leaving Maren to grin down at herself and smugly adjust her glasses. Those who called her a friend knew there was no limit to the dishonest effort she would exert to keep from doing honest work. Removing the cards from her box, she began to shuffle her deck as she waited for the cafe's response to her challenge.

"Good afternoon, master!" called a new voice, catching Maren's attention. She looked up from her cards to find a new maid approaching, and her original server was nowhere to be seen. This waitress was a bit shorter, and her outfit was green instead of pink. Wavy blonde hair, big blue eyes and a turned-up nose gave her an almost childlike appearance, and Maren was confident that she would present no challenge if she was to be the first opponent.

"Hey," Maren responded in a flat tone, bridging her cards and temporarily slipping them back into their box. The maid delicately pinched the edges of her skirt and curtseyed, calmly closing her eyes and bowing her head.

"My name is Christa," said the waitress as she lifted her head and let go of her skirt. "And I'll be your first match in the test of Fortitude! Please follow me."

Christa led Maren to a small stage at the head of the restaurant. Despite the fact that it was a stage, it was so understated that Maren hadn't even noticed it until now. After directing her customer to the nearest end, Christa walked down the length of the stage and then turned to face her foe. She grabbed a microphone from the wall behind her, and after a pop and a whine through the speakers, she began to talk through the PA system.

"Hey everone!" called Christa, getting the cafe's attention. "It looks like someone's taking on our weekly challenge! What's your name, master?"

"Uh, Maren. Maren Sato."

"Say hello to Miss Maren, everybody!"

Just over half the cafe's occupants applauded, and then the lights dimmed ever so slightly. Fortitude was a little different from other card games: it was something that past generations could only dream of. A unique game requires a unique playing field. As the stage darkened, hovering translucent playmats appeared before each player, along with life bars and mana counters.

Maren removed her deck from its box and placed the stack of cards in the appropriate space on her playmat. After a chime and a flash, her life bar and mana counter updated to show her statistics, though the exact numbers were visible only to her not her opponent. A blue number representing her mana pool rested at zero for the beginning of the game, and her life bar transitioned to a horizontal gradient, solid red at zero and solid green at Maren's maximum life, 6000. She had no way of knowing Christa's exact amount of life, but as each player's statistics were based on their own willpower and convictions, Maren was confident that hers was higher.

"Are you ready?" asked Christa once her own deck was in place. Maren raised a limp hand.

"If I'm your master, can I just like, order you not to win?" she inquired, drawing her hand back toward her face to push her glasses up her nose. Christa giggled and shook her head.

"I'm afraid not, master," the maid answered with a smile. "You have to beat me fair and square. Though, since you are my master, you can take your turn first. Whenever you're ready."

Maren nodded to Christa, and then she swiftly drew the first five cards from the top of her deck. She fanned the cards out in front of her face and scanned them quickly, and she immediately chose to discard one. With a pleasant beep Maren's mana pool increased to one, allowing her to make a basic move if she chose. Looking at the rest of her cards, Maren was almost annoyed that she had drawn Inconvenient Allergy this early in the game. It was one of her most powerful endgame cards, but in the first turn of the game there was simply nothing to make Christa allergic to that couldn't be accomplished with a more common card. For now, Maren decided to bide her time and hoped she wouldn't be forced to discard her ace in the hole.

"Forehead Flick," Maren declared, plucking her first offensive card from her hand and placing it face-up on her playmat. It levitated toward Christa until it was close enough for her to read the description on the lower half, and then the maid staggered back with a yelp as an unseen force jabbed her brow.

"Ouchie!" Christa squealed, gently massaging her forehead. "That hurt, master!"

"I'm just testing the waters," said Maren, arrogantly pinching her glasses by the corner. The spent attack card floated back toward her and placed itself face-up in the space beside the deck, starting the discard pile. Forehead Flick only dealt a feeble fifty damage, but it allowed Maren to judge roughly how high Christa's life bar reached. It shrank ever so slightly after the attack, but the fact that the change was visible at all meant Christa's maximum was relatively low. Ending her turn, Maren placed her drawn cards in a resting position on her playmat and smoothed down the front of her pencil skirt. After whimpering for a second, Christa finally straightened herself up and faced her opponent with a friendly smile.

"Alright, here I go!" she declared, turning down to her own hand. The maid discarded two, raising her maximum mana by the same amount. The number wasn't visible to Maren, but if she paid attention she could keep track of how much her foe had at her disposal.

"Teddy!" Christa called out, playing her first card. A large teddy bear materialized before her, and she snatched it out of the air before it could fall. Wrapping her arms around the bear, Christa gave it a big hug. Maren noticed the maid's life bar refill to its maximum as the bear disappeared with a pop. Folding her arms, she began to tap her foot as she waited for Christa to either make another move or end her turn.

"And... Puppy Stampede!"

After taking a moment to make up her mind, Christa pulled another card from her hand and placed it forward on her playmat. A crowd of roughly three dozen puppies appeared in the center of the stage, and once they spent a few seconds of scrambling around they began to charge toward Maren. Most of them simply scurried around the young lady's legs like water breaking around a stone, but one of the final dogs propelled itself upward and lunged directly into Maren's belly.

Letting out an undignified grunt, Maren fell on her back with her arms sprawled out above her. The puppy sat on her stomach for a moment, and then it clumsily padded over her chest. Maren lifted her head as best she could and stared cross-eyed at the dog. Her nostrils flared involuntarily, and the puppy took this as a sign that it should slobber all over the broad underside of Maren's nose and then step on her face to run away. Once the dog was finally gone, Maren stood up, wiped her nose on her forearm and fixed her glasses.

"Aww," cooed Christa, placing her fingertips over her mouth. "You're not an animal person, are you master?"

Maren didn't respond, but she stole a glance at her life meter. The puppy attack had only dealt one hundred damage, but her maximum life had also been reduced to 5990. Of all the people she knew, Maren was certain she was the only one who didn't like puppies. She was okay with it; it made her more metal. Still, she supposed it was possible that being swarmed by fuzzy animals could also increase somebody's willpower.

Clearing her throat, Maren returned her attention to the game. She drew two cards, returning her hand size to five, though again she immediately decided to sacrifice one to increase her maximum mana. Spending both of the mana points she had accrued, Maren took another card from her hand and played it face-up.

"Hay Fever," she proclaimed as the card floated toward Christa. The maid read the description on the card, and she suddenly doubled over as it returned to Maren's discard pile. Christa wrinkled her nose and rubbed her outstretched fingers under her small nostrils, letting out a quiet groan.

"Ooh, icky!" she complained, removing her hand from her nose but keeping her face scrunched up. "Is this what having allergies feels like? Ih... Egh... Ih'CHHeew! Oh... Oh dear, I'm sneezing already... Oh... ChhYEEW!"

Christa cupped both hands over her nose and bobbed forward with a series of squeaky sneezes. Most of her distress appeared to be temporary: only a shock in response to her sudden allergic reaction, but it was more than enough for Maren. She couldn't keep herself from grinning as she proudly adjusted her glasses until the lenses shone with reflected light. Christa's life bar remained the same size, but some of the green faded from the gradient and the deep red crept farther along the bar. The maid's willpower was faltering, and while Maren still couldn't see the exact numbers, it had reduced her maximum life. With no more moves left to make, Maren ended her turn.

"Ah-Ahh-Ahhh-CHHyew!" Christa sneezed again as she drew more cards. Some of them slipped through her fingers, but her playmat caught them and held them floating in a neutral position. The maid sniffed and rubbed her nose, and after collecting her dropped cards she placed a finger under her nostrils and stared helplessly at Maren.

"That wasn't very nice, master," she whimpered, sniffing again. Maren shrugged.

"Sorry, nothing personal," she replied, running a hand through her short hair. Christa tipped her head back with a deep, harsh sniff, and afterward she seemed to regain her composure. She smiled slightly and made eye contact with her opponent once more.

"It's okay, master. I forgive you," said the maid, slipping one card out of her hand. "But you still have to beat me, fair and square!"

Christa sacrificed two cards for a total of four mana points. Then, with a level of dexterity Maren didn't expect, the maid immediately played a card face-up.

"Sleepy Sheep!" commanded Christa as another creature emerged. It was a sheep as the card's name suggested, though it didn't appear to be especially sleepy. Maren watched as the sheep pranced forward, and then it began to frolic around her in a circle. Every move the sheep made released bits of fluff into the air, and Maren immediately held her breath. Despite her efforts, however, she could tell she had already inhaled some of the wool by mistake as she felt a sharp tickle slither up her left nostril.

Maren lost track of the sheep as her head began to swim. She lifted an outstretched finger to her face and flicked the tip of her nose up, but after only a few repetitions she had already forgotten why she was doing it. The irritation in her nostril was gone; instead all she felt was an overwhelming urge to take a nap. Maren pushed her glasses up her nose purely out of force of habit, and then she began to stagger around as she fought to stay awake.

"Eh... Hihh... He'CHHHeew!" Christa sneezed once more, and the high pitched sound was just enough to keep Maren from falling asleep. She stumbled and tried to lean against her playmat, but it was only capable of supporting her cards. The sleepy young woman fell flat on her face, and the impact finally managed to jolt her back to her senses. Maren gasped and returned to her feet as quickly as she could. As she took her position behind her playmat once more she realized she still had a tickle in her nostril, and she held up one finger to warn Christa of a sneeze of her own.

"He-Heh-HEH! HeyeeSHHOOOOH!"

Maren's head gradually jerked back with a series of short breaths, and then she doubled over as she bellowed out a booming sneeze. She shook her head and began to flick the tip of her nose up with the side of her finger again and again as she steadily straightened herself. Christa couldn't help but giggle.

"Goodness, what a loud sneeze you have, master," she teased, placing her hand over her mouth as she continued to chuckle. "Bless you!"

"Thanks, I guess," Maren grumbled as she sniffled against the her wrist. Scrunching up her face, she ravenously rubbed her itchy nose into the back of her hand until the tickle in her nostril finally stopped. Once she finished, Maren fixed her glasses and looked up to find Christa dealing with a similar predicament.

"Ugh, I know how you feel, master," whined the maid, shaking her head lightly as she slid her finger back and forth under her nostrils. "Itchy nose!"

"Oh, it'll all be over soon," muttered Maren, noticing a few changes that had taken place during her sleepy stupor. First, she reviewed her own status. She didn't appear to have taken any damage from the sheep debacle, but the drowsiness had reduced her maximum life all the way to 5490, far more than Maren expected. Her life bar still hadn't changed in size, thereby hiding the exact amount from her opponent, but more than a little of the green had disappeared from the gradient. She was still confident that she would win, but she took this as a sign to stop being so sloppy.

On Christa's side of the playing field, the maid's life bar was even redder than before. Hardly any green remained; between that and the complaining, Maren had a feeling she had brought Christa's willpower down almost as far as it would go. One final effort was all it would take to break the maid's will to fight, and Maren would have won her first match toward a free lunch. As her gaze turned away from Christa's crimson life bar, Maren discovered that the maid had dug her own grave.

A lion sat patiently beside Christa's hovering playmat. Maren could tell from its shimmering, translucent form that it was a spirit animal, and the maid must have summoned it while she was stumbling around. Fortitude players could summon a great many different spirits, but Maren had seen this one before. The lion was a reasonably powerful offensive spirit, and it would attack her each time Christa's turn began either until it was banished or the game ended. The spirit was of course a threat that Maren would have to be conscious of, but now she had a target for her trump card.

Maren drew her hand up to five cards, and to Christa's surprise she immediately sacrificed all but two of them. As the maid began to question her opponent's strategy, Maren ended her turn. Christa's lion lunged forward and swiped a clawed paw at its master's foe before returning to the maid's side. Maren let out a pained scream as the attack knocked two hundred of her life points away, but she wrapped her arms around her shoulders to steady herself and gave Christa an arrogant grin.

"Wha- Ha'chyEEEW! What are you doing, mahh... Hahhh... CHHHeew!" the maid attempted to ask between squeaky sneezes. She summoned another Teddy to restore some of her life, but she didn't seem to notice that it was only a waste of mana. Christa ended her turn, and Maren began to let out a low, evil chuckle. Clutching her hands over her chest, the maid backed away as her opponent drew three more cards and instantly sacrificed them all to rush her mana pool to endgame levels.

"Inconvenient Allergy," hissed Maren, flicking one of her two remaining cards out of her hand. It took Christa a moment to realize that anything had happened, but before long her lion let out a quiet growl that caught her attention. Drawing a sharp breath of despair, the maid placed a fist over her mouth and stared down at the big cat with the makings of tears in her eyes.

"Oh no..." she moaned, her voice starting to crack. In an attempt to deny what she already knew to be true, Christa knelt beside the lion, leaned her head over its mane and sniffed twice. She immediately drew both hands up to her face to cover her nose, and then she fell backward onto her rear with a high-pitched "Haa'CHHyeeew!"

Placing her hands on the floor to steady herself, Christa sniffled, bit her lip, and began to sob theatrically. Maren almost felt bad for her, though she was open to the possibility that she was simply embarrassed on the waitress's behalf. After a moment of pinching the bridge of her nose an hiding her face, she turned toward the maid and extended a hand.

"Uh, please don't cry, Christa."

"I-I-I'm dot cryig, master!" the maid protested, furiously shaking her head. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs and began to rock back and forth for a second before jabbing a finger at Maren. "You made be allergic to... T-to... Heh! Hah! ChhYEEW! Oh, Mr. Lion I'm sorry! I love you adyway!"

The waitress threw her arms around the spirit animal and sobbed into its mane, ignoring the fact that this would only aggravate her new allergies further. The lion merely gave an apathetic grunt, and then it stood as Maren ended her turn. It charged forward, dragging Christa along with it as it struck at its target once more. The maid only detached herself from the animal when it returned to its place beside her playmat, and then she stood and glared at Maren through streaked eyeliner and itchy tears. Undermining her attempt to appear threatening, Christa sneezed.

"Hih... Hehhh... IHH'chyeew! Th-this isn't over, m-master," she whimpered, drawing her allotted cards. The maid followed Maren's lead by sacrificing most of her hand to boost her mana reserves, and then she threw down the only card that remained.

"Bear Hug!"

An enormous grizzly bear appeared beside Christa's lion, and as it raised itself up on its hind legs, even someone with Maren's heroic resolve couldn't help but swallow nervously. She began to tremble and sweat, genuinely unnerved by Christa's animal-driven rage. The bear lumbered forward slowly, and before Maren could brace herself the creature threw its arms around her and picked her up in a crushing embrace. Maren had never broken a bone in her body, but she had snapped a lot of twigs in the forest as a child. She assumed this was what it was like to be one of those twigs.

Maren's limp body fell to the floor in a crumpled heap as the bear dropped her and disappeared. She struggled for breath, and she remained unable to stand or even articulate in any capacity. Strangely, the pain actually brought her comfort: it meant the game wasn't over yet. Christa had played the last card in her hand, and that meant she had no choice but to end her turn.

"M-master, Hahh... CHHHyew! A-are you alright?" called the maid, clearly shocked by the brutality of her own attack.  She stood over Maren, rubbing her nose as she stared down at the patron in concern.

"My back..." Maren gasped, her voice strained and breathless. Finally regaining some of her strength, she rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself back up at a snail's pace. After dragging her failing body toward her playmat, Maren stared at Christa's life bar and then her own. She was down to less than 2000 life points herself. The spirit lion alone wouldn't be enough to finish her, but if Christa could call on anything half as powerful as the Bear Hug, the game would be over. Despite the grim outlook, however, the maid's life bar still brought a smile to Maren's lips.

Christa's life was a deep, gushing red. Maren had seen this color dozens of times before, and as long as she had one card left in her deck, it always spelled defeat for her foes. She ceremonially drew a few cards to return her hand to full size, but then she threw down the one card she had been carrying since the beginning of the game. Christa barely had a chance to look at Maren's playmat before a tiny ripple in her forehead reduced her life bar from 45 to 0, sending her keeling over like a log.

"Winner: Maren Sato," proclaimed a floating holographic banner above the stage. After the message flashed on and off a few times, it and the playmats disappeared, leaving both players' decks levitating in neat stacks at chest level. Maren drew a deep, relieved breath as all traces of pain and discomfort faded away. Snatching her deck out of the air, she slipped it back into its box and then tucked it away in the inside pocket of her blazer.

"Let's hear it for Miss Maren!" called Christa, surprising Maren with her joviality. The cafe lights rose now that the match was over, and everyone who wasn't busy serving or eating gave their requisite applause. As Maren turned to face Christa, she nearly gasped at how placid the maid seemed. There was no sign that she had been crying, or even that she had been marginally upset. In fact, Christa looked like she wanted to give Maren a hug until a sudden sneeze stopped her in her tracks.

"Ah-Ahh-CHyew!"

The maid bobbed forward with a smaller but no less squeaky sneeze than usual. After removing her cupped hands from her face, she squeezed one watery eye shut and rubbed a finger under her nose.

"Sorry, master," Christa apologized, playfully sticking out her tongue. "My nose still tickles a little. Anyway, congratulations! Good luck in the next round!"

In the interest of time, Christa skipped off the stage before Maren could even say goodbye. Unsure what to do next, the victorious player slipped her hands into her blazer's pockets and began to rock back and forth on her feet. Just as Maren started to whistle casually, a firm and unfamiliar voice shouted out at her.

"Hey you! You made my little sister cry!"

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And that's all for part 1! I'm planning to update once a week, so be sure to check back next Thursday. Same card time, same card channel.

This was really a ton of fun to write, and as always I hope you enjoyed reading it! I feel like comedic stuff is where I do best, so I guess this was something of a natural fit. Plus I've been really anime overdosed lately, so I'm sure that helped.

Thanks for reading!

[Sneezingnonstop]

Omg, I love this!!!!!!! Someone could make this an anime!!!! I loved Yugioh as a kid and I would so play this!(though I'd loose often>_<). Great work and can't wait for part 2!!

[melonbun]

Cool story bro  No, but really enjoyed reading this. I was in the mood for some late night reading and this sure didn't disappoint!

I like your creative spin on Yu-Gi-Oh and how you described the game mechanics of your version. Bet Maren has the ultimate sneeze fetishist deck~ 

Can't wait to see where you go with this next! 

[Pilgrim]

This is actually even sillier than I was expecting, major props to you and your creativity! I'm looking forward to seeing the rest.

[Anonymouse]

Quote

This is without a doubt the most anime thing I've written since The Adventure Club

Jesus, you weren't lying.

Quote

"I sure do. I'll have a mango green tea, the special omelette rice, and a bunny cheesecake for dessert."

All of that sounds amazing right now. 

Maren (love the name) dancing and then falling off her chair. 

Quote

She whipped her deck out of her blazer and shoved it so close to her server's face that the tip of the maid's nose squished against the box.

 Cute.

I'm glad you're writing again, you always come up with really cool stuff. My favorite attacks/moves (besides the obvious ones) were Teddy and Puppy Stampede. Looking forward to parts 2 and 3!

[Oolia]

This was so much fun and, as always with your story, so creative! I could totally visualize everything you were describing like it was a real anime  And let's be honest, this SHOULD be a real anime!

Also... Puppy stamped?! YES PLEASE.

[MoonDuck]

I want this game so badly…but don't we all?  This is so crazy and cute I love it. I'm so glad you finished it, I look forward to reading the next part!

[Via]

This is absolutely incredible, and I can't wait for the next few parts. 'Gamifying' sneezing is probably my favorite story element ever, and you use it to masterful effect here. Keep up the awesome work.

[Blah!?]

Thanks for all the kind words, everybody! It's really great to know that so many people enjoyed this. I hope you'll like the next part even better, since probably 80% of it was written after I picked this story up again maybe a week and a half ago. That's right, I wrote the first chapter in August of 2015 and basically left this sitting for an entire year before I touched it again. I'm really glad that I personally can't pick up on much of a stylistic difference where the change occurred, but I think the 2nd and 3rd parts are still a lot better.

On a related note, due to what I consider to be blatant harassment off-site, I've decided to move my schedule up a bit. I'm going to post part 2 either tomorrow or Monday, and then the final part will go up this coming Thursday. Stay tuned!

[Sneezingnonstop]

Wow…I'm not sure I could ever leave an amazing story like this waiting for a year, but thank you so much for continuing it!! Can't wait to see what happens next!

[Blah!?]

Hokay, for anyone that missed it, I lied about when I was going to post the next part. Instead of next Thursday, I'm posting part two today. Partly because somebody asked and partly because I can't resist you people buttering me up. Anyway, the vast majority of this part was written much more recently than the first part, and I think the card battle this time around is a lot better. Certain other things also get a bit more interesting too, so hopefully you'll enjoy this one even more.

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Part 2 - B Rank Tsundere

 

"Hey you! You made my little sister cry!"

Maren turned toward the source of the voice just as another maid stepped up onto the stage. This one was smaller in stature than Christa, but Maren could already tell she had more substance. Her outfit was a cold blue, and she also wore a pair of stockings that came almost all the way up her thighs. Black pigtails flanked her head on either side, and her hands seemed permanently attached to her hips as she glared angrily at her customer.

"Apologize!" demanded the maid, jabbing a finger at Maren.

"Oh yeah! You tell her, Yuko!" shouted a male fan from somewhere in the cafe. Maren rolled her eyes while the waitress became instantly flustered.

"B-be quiet, d-dummy! I can handle this myself!"

"Yuko, is it? So, Christa's your little sister? Right..." Maren groaned unapologetically. Yuko's pigtails swished as her head whipped back to Maren, her accusing finger not far behind.

"That's right! And nobody's allowed to make Christa cry!"

Growing tired of Yuko's unbridled enthusiasm, Maren limply adjusted her glasses and leveled a shaky finger at the maid. She had never seen someone so spirited outside of grade school, and she simply wanted to put the thought to bed.

"How the heck old are you?" asked Maren, not sure if she really wanted to know the answer.

"What? I'm nineteen, dummy! Not like it matters!"

"So Christa must be eighteen then, right? I can't imagine being allowed to work here if you're younger than that."

"She's... Tweh..."

"What?"

"She's twenty, okay!? Jeez! You better pay attention!

Maren recoiled and placed a hand on her chest as she hunched over and tried to catch her breath. She broke out in a cold sweat, not sure whether to be embarrassed for the maids or ashamed of herself. Swallowing hard, Maren backed up against the wall and weakly lifted her head, staring at Yuko over the frames of her slipped glasses.

"S-so, not only is your little sister older than you, she's the same age as me? No way..."

"What!? You're not twenty! You look like you're about fifty! Do you dress up in a suit like that every day just so you can pretend you have some fancy job?"

A vein popped in Maren's forehead. She narrowed her eyes and pushed her glasses up until the lenses reflected the stage lights at her foe.

"In fact, I bet the whole reason you're challenging us is because you're totally broke and you can't pay for your food!"

Now it was personal. Maren stepped forward and jabbed a finger straight at Yuko, ignoring the guilty sweat building up on her forehead and temples.

"You fiend! You are very rude for a maid! And I so do have a job!"

"Oh yeah? A job doing what?"

"Uh, kicking your butt in Fortitude!"

The playmats reappeared at the cinematically appropriate moment. Maren deftly extracted her deck from her blazer pocket and shoved it into the holding slot. She folded her arms and leaned back on her heels with as much swagger as she could muster as the Fortitude system processed her statistics. Yuko had pushed the wrong buttons, increasing Maren's drive to defeat her and giving her a boosted 6250 starting life. The maid's rage simultaneously vanished as she attempted to appear as the calm one. After placing her deck on the mat, she quietly folded her arms as her life bar flashed into existence.

"Since you went first last time," Yuko began, tapping a finger, "and because you made Christa cry, I'm going to go first this time."

Without breaking eye contact with her opponent, Yuko quickly drew five cards. She scanned them for a moment before sacrificing one for mana and playing another.

"Steadfast Elvenguard!" Yuko commanded, her hand still hovering above the card she had just played. Instead of floating back toward the maid's discard pile, the card remained on the forward edge of her playmat, indicating that the summon was persistent. A tall elf woman was quickly assembled bit by bit from the feet up in front of her master, appearing battle-ready in a defensive pose. The elf's equipment had an otherworldly and futuristic flair to it, but her shield and short sword gave her an anachronistic touch.

"Really? That's how you're going to play?" teased Maren as Yuko ended her turn. She smirked as she drew her five cards and looked them over. The Elvenguard was a card Maren had encountered many times before. It was popular with newbie players due to the fact that it blocked all types of damage until it was destroyed, but it was also unable to attack, making it truly useful only in skilled hands.

Yuko's relatively weak card was the only good news for Maren so far. Nothing in her hand was particularly useful, either because it was too expensive for the first turn or too early in the game to be effective. Keeping the best poker face she could, Maren sacrificed two cards for mana. She would have been perfectly happy sacrificing the other three as well, but doing so would make her slow start plain to see.

Folding her arms and tapping her foot, Maren watched impatiently as Yuko played out her turn. The foul-mannered maid sacrificed one card, and then she played one without announcing its name. A second elf woman appeared in the center of the stage, and unlike Yuko's first summon, this one wasn't a soldier. She was clad in an elegant nightgown, and her sultry movements immediately put Maren in a trance.

"Oh yes," said Maren with a lecherous chuckle. "You know me too well. The Treacherous Temptress is my waifu." She smiled blissfully as the elf circled around her, drawing closer with each step. Maren knew the Temptress would attack her eventually, anywhere from two to five turns from now, but that didn't stop her from giving a quick kiss on the cheek. The cafe audience erupted into applause as the elf draped her arms over Maren's shoulders and kissed her on the nose in return.

"Y-you pervert!" Yuko exclaimed, her face turning red as she jabbed a finger at her opponent. "When it's my turn again, you're going to get it!"

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Maren muttered to herself as she shooed the Treacherous Temptress away and reached for her deck. She couldn't stop herself from smiling as she laid eyes on her first useful card of the game. Filled with renewed confidence, Maren immediately slapped the card down on her playmat.

"Sinister Sneeze!" she declared, directing the curse's effect toward Yuko. Maren folded her arms and smirked, waiting silently for her opponent's suffering to begin. To her horror, however, Yuko immediately threw out a card of her own.

"Mirror Shield!" exclaimed the maid, clenching a fist in triumph. "Take that, dummy! We didn't even get back to my turn and I'm already kicking your butt!"

Sure enough, Maren's nose crinkled up as an almost painful tickle filled her nostrils. Normally Mirror Shield would reflect the curse to a random creature, but since Maren hadn't summoned any, she was the only target. She lifted an outstretched finger up to her face, but before she could even start rubbing her nose, her first sneeze forced its way out.

"Heh! Hh-He-Heh! HeyeSHHOOOO!"

Maren sneezed loudly, doubling over. Her nose continued to tickle maddeningly even after the sneeze, so she rubbed her finger slowly but firmly under her nostrils as she righted herself. Looking up at her playmat, she saw that she had lost 100 life, and due to her shock and dismay at being countered, her maximum had decreased to 6150 as well.

"Ew, don't sneeze!" Yuko tutted, placing her hands on her hips. "People are eating here!"

"I wouldn't have if you hadn't reflected the curse at me!" Maren stammered, removing her finger from under her nose so she could flail her arms around in anger.

"Well, that's your fault for casting it at me in the first place!"

"Oh yeah!?"

"Yeah!"

Maren fumed as she turned her attention back to her cards. At the back of her mind she already knew there was nothing else she could do this turn, but a combination of her frustration and the lingering itch in her nostrils distracted her. She wrinkled her nose and sniffed harshly as she stared at her cards, but her annoyance quickly faded as the Temptress coiled around her and began to scratch the underside of her nose with a long fingernail.

"Thanks, sweetie," Maren cooed, prompting Yuko to stomp her feet and pout.

"Pervert!"

"Whatever, you little gremlin! Just take your turn!"

Spurred on by her annoyance with Maren, Yuko quickly summoned two more elves to the battlefield. One was simply another Steadfast Elvenguard, but the second was a new creature. A Woodland Sharpshooter appeared between the maid and her Elvenguards. She wore light armor with a similar aesthetic to the guards, but instead of a sword and shield she was armed with a long, futuristic rifle. Once the playing field finished assembling her, the Sharpshooter sank down to one knee and rested her rifle on her leg as she awaited orders.

"Ha! I already have an army going and all you've managed to do is curse yourself!" Yuko taunted, turning her head to the side and sticking her nose in the air.

"Uh, is this army of yours going to do anything?" asked Maren, eyeing the passive creatures. The maid twitched, stammered, and then pointed angrily at her opponent.

"N-not this turn, dummy! But just you wait!"

Maren rolled her eyes and lifted a hand to reach for her deck, but before she could draw a card she involuntarily clenched her eyes shut and flared her nostrils. She felt the Temptress lovingly press a finger under her nose, but Maren could tell it wouldn't be enough. Gently pushing the elf back with one hand, she raised the other to cover her face just before she sneezed away another 100 life.

"Hh-! HEH! HESHHH-Hoo!"

After taking a second to snuffle and rub her nose, Maren finally managed to draw a card. She pushed her glasses up so that she could read the text, and her lips twitched toward a smile. This wouldn't directly let her fight back against Yuko just yet, but it might help her gain the upper hand in the coming turns.

"Are you Pondering what I'm Pondering?" Maren chuckled, rubbing her nose as she played her new card. As the Ponder card floated toward Yuko for her to read, the top three cards of Maren's deck rose up and presented themselves to her. Two of them were still exceedingly useless at this stage of the game, but one was just what she needed. After Maren rearranged the cards, they returned to the top of her deck and she ended her turn.

"Alright, you asked for it!" shouted Yuko, drawing a card and immediately sacrificing another for mana. The maid summoned a second Woodland Sharpshooter, and then she leveled her pointer finger at Maren.

"Fire!" Yuko commanded, and the Sharpshooters immediately sprang into action. They lifted their rifles and braced them against their shoulders, taking aim at the opposing player. Maren was tempted to run back and forth across the stage, but she knew better than to waste her effort. Instead, she simply closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. The Sharpshooters fired a pair of blue lasers that pierced straight through Maren, each dealing 250 damage.

"Ow! Jeez!" Maren yelped, staggering back. The Temptress helped steady her as she nearly fell, and while Maren appreciated the gesture, she knew she couldn't trust the elf any longer.

"How'd you like that?" Yuko asked, smugly folding her arms. "There's only more where that came from!"

"Laugh while you can," growled Maren, giving her opponent an unhinged glare. As her turn began, the tickle in her nose spiked to near-painful levels again, and as her eyes squeezed shut she noticed a dagger in the Treacherous Temptress's hand. The knowledge of the card she was about to draw brought Maren some small inner calm, but if she didn't act quickly, the elf would shave off another chunk of her life. Struggling to open her eyes, Maren groped for her deck and drew the top card.

"I play... Heh... I p-play Contagious C-Condition!" Maren wheezed, shakily holding up the card. Yuko placed her hands on her hips and gave a haughty laugh.

"Oh yeah? On what?"

"O-on myself!"

"Wait, what!?"

Maren tapped the card against her forehead and then flung it down onto her playmat. The second the card was active, she summoned all of her strength and turned to face the Treacherous Temptress. The elf was hiding both hands behind her back, but Maren still knew she would strike this turn. Amazed that she had managed to hold in her sneeze for this long, Maren let loose in the Temptress's face.

"HeyeeeSHHHH!"

The elf squeezed her eyes shut as Maren's sneeze sprayed across her face, and then she angrily raised her dagger to attack. Before she could, however, her eyes began to flutter and her long, pointed nose twitched. Yuko watched in utter shock as her Treacherous Temptress placed a finger under her small nostrils and gave a fittingly tiny "Ah-CH!" Having only 100 life to begin with, the single sneeze was all it took to defeat the elf. She sank to the ground in exhaustion, and then she disappeared in a cloud of blue particles as the playing field disassembled her.

"Hey! What the heck did you do!?" demanded Yuko, finally starting to process what had happened. Maren grinned, arrogantly adjusting her glasses.

"What does it look like? I played Contagious Condition, and the only one with a curse is me! Just as planned!"

"Liar! You only got lucky after I reflected the curse first! What do you have to say to that, dummy?"

"Git gud!"

"I'll show you!"

Yuko sacrificed all but two of the cards in her hand, and then she used her boosted mana pool to summon a third Elvenguard along with a new elf warrior. Maren's poker face broke as she watched a Shadow Avenger appear beside the Elvenguards. The Avenger wore a long cloak instead of armor, and only the lower half of her face was visible below the shadow of her hood. She could deal heavy damage to creatures and players with ease, but the fact that Yuko summoned her at all indicated that the maid had overlooked a key detail of the battle.

"I bet you won't even survive my next turn!" proclaimed the maid, grinning as she jabbed a finger at her opponent. Maren smiled back, and when Yuko ended her turn, she drew a card and then immediately ended her own without making any moves.

"Are you giving up?" Yuko asked incredulously. Maren shook her head, but she was too busy trying to hold in her next sneeze to give a proper response. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Yuko drew a card, but she ignored it and immediately ordered her Shadow Avenger to strike. The elf warrior's cloak billowed, revealing a pair of glowing eyes under her hood. She charged toward Maren, a magic greatsword materializing in her hands. Raising the weapon above her head, the elf drew within reach of her target. Before she could swing her weapon, however...

"Heh-! HEHH! HeyeeSHHHOOOOO!!!"

Maren opened her eyes to find the Shadow Avenger's face inches from her own. The elf's glowing eyes flashed in the lenses of Maren's glasses, partially blinding her. Looking down, the young lady also noticed the Avenger's greatsword sticking through her chest. Naturally Maren wasn't actually hurt, but the attack had cost her another 750 life. She placed a hand on her chest and took a deep breath as the Shadow Avenger dispelled its sword and returned to Yuko's battle line.

"Hey! I told you to stop sneezing everywhere!" demanded the maid, tapping her foot.

"I'm not the one you should be worried about," Maren growled in response, her smug smile returning in full force.

Yuko followed Maren's gaze to the Shadow Avenger, and she couldn't help but let out a small gasp. The elf's pointy nose was still visible under her hood, and to Yuko's horror, it was twitching. Too stoic to remove her hands from her cloak, the elf warrior furiously wiggled her nose and flared her nostrils, but it wasn't enough to stop a sneeze.

"Huh... Haah... BWAAH-SHOO!"

The Shadow Avenger's head dipped as she unleashed a booming sneeze. Afterward, she finally lifted a finger and daintily slid it across the underside of her nose, giving a tiny sniffle. The sneeze still dealt 100 damage, but the Avenger was much hardier than the Temptress, having literally ten times the maximum life. In her current state, she could withstand another nine sneezes before being defeated. Still, this did little to curb Yuko's fury.

"What the heck did you do!?" she shrieked, flailing her arms in Maren's direction.

"Uh, I already told you last time. Did you think Contagious Condition only lasts one turn or something?"

"N-no! Shut up, d-dummy!"

Yuko pouted and ended her turn, prompting Maren to lose another 100 life as she let out a sharp "EschHOO!" Her confidence renewed, she drew from her deck and finally played one of the other cards she had been saving.

"Horrible Night," she declared, placing the card on her playmat. The stage lights took on a blue tint, and the whole room seemed to darken. Yuko shrank back in fear, which of course only made Maren feel even more smug as she ended her turn.

This time Yuko decided to let her Shadow Avenger rest. Instead she had her Woodland Sharpshooters fire another volley, costing Maren another 500 life total. Once the attack was over, however, the Shadow Avenger began wiggling her nose again. Yuko silently begged her not to sneeze, but the elf warrior was helpless to resist.

"Heh... Hih! RAHH-CHOOO!"

Keeping a running tally in her head, Maren subtracted another 200 life from the Shadow Avenger. Horrible Night was could be a risky move, since it amplified every curse on the playing field whether they were cast on friend or foe, but Maren still considered the advantage her own. The Sinister Sneeze's destruction was about to become exponential.

Shortly after the Shadow Avenger recovered, one of the Steadfast Elvenguards took her turn to sneeze. Her eyes fluttered for a moment, and then she ducked her face behind her shield and let out a squeaky "Eh-CHII!" With only 300 life remaining, the Elvenguard would only last another two turns unless Yuko intervened. Unfortunately for her army, the maid seemed to have forgotten about everything but destroying her opponent.

"Now for the really fun part!" Maren muttered to herself, sacrificing two cards to bolster her mana. She raised another card from her hand, but before she could play it, she too had to deal with her requisite sneeze. Maren held up a finger at Yuko, but it did nothing to stop the maid from impatiently tapping her foot.

"Hehh... HeyeSHHH! Ugh... Where was I? Oh yeah."

With her sneeze out of the way, Maren threw down a Turncoat card. It was expensive, but it allowed her to take control of an enemy creature for the turn. Maren couldn't order the Shadow Avenger to attack itself, so for a moment Yuko felt relieved, but she could only grab her pigtails in a panic as one of the Sharpshooters suddenly shot the Avenger in the back, taking off another 250 life.

Maren had barely ended her turn before the Shadow Avenger's greatsword plunged into her stomach. She doubled over and nearly fell when the elf retreated, but despite losing a lot of life each turn, she was sure she had definitively gotten under Yuko's skin. After the attack, the Shadow Avenger and all three Steadfast Elvenguards sneezed away 200 life each. The maid's army was beginning to crumble.

"Hhh-! HeyeCHOOO! Whew! I'm getting a little tired of sneezing, you know? How about we end this game soon?" Maren teased, playing an Archaeologist to retrieve the Turncoat card. Feeling little remorse for her opponent, she once again took control of a Sharpshooter and attacked Yuko's Shadow Avenger, finally destroying the powerful creature.

"Stop it, d-dummy!" shouted Yuko, thrusting her hands down toward the floor. Maren was too busy performing a milestone victory dance to care.

"How you like me now? How you like me now? Uh! Uh! How you like me now?"

"Sh-shut up!"

"Alright, alright! Fine! Just take your darn turn."

Just as Maren suspected, Yuko had completely lost track of the game. Her playmat had to draw her cards for her automatically, and even still she ignored them as she ordered her remaining soldiers to attack. As Yuko's turn ended, the sneezes had spread to one of the Woodland Sharpshooters, leading to her and the first Steadfast Elvenguard being knocked out. There were still two more Elvenguards preventing direct damage to their owner, but they wouldn't make it past the next turn.

"H-hey, I... I'll... HeyeeeeSHHOOO! I'll tell you what," Maren began, clearing her throat after she sneezed. "Just, you know, take your turn. Go for it. I'm not going to do anything."

"Don't mock me, dummy!" Yuko stammered, barely able to contain her rage. Maren shrugged.

"Well, it's not really up to you."

Grabbing her pigtails again, Yuko gave an incoherent angry yell as Maren ended her turn. She finally remembered her hand existed, but the cards she had amassed didn't amount to much that she could use all at once. Yuko summoned three new Woodland Sharpshooters, but this only left her with enough mana to fire one of them. Maren endured the hit, and after another chorus of sneezes from the elves, the last of Yuko's defenses vanished. To add insult to injury, the sneeze seemed to have finally passed on to the maid.

Maren's eyes flicked to Yuko's life bar as the maid began to scrunch up her nose. Just like Christa's at the end of the last game, Yuko's life bar was a complete, solid red. Maren shrugged. At this rate she might not even need a Forehead Flick to finish the game.

"Don't do it," Maren teased, watching Yuko wave a hand up and down in front of her face.

"Hhh-! Hih!" Yuko wheezed, her small nostrils flaring as her eyes squeezed shut. She fanned her face again, but she quickly realized she wouldn't be able to last any longer. Placing both hands over her nose, the maid bobbed forward with a quick but harsh "HA-KSHHH!!!"

Losing what remained of her weakened life bar, Yuko rebounded from the sneeze and fell backwards. She landed on the floor just as the playing field disappeared, and any traces of both pain and the tickle in her nose vanished instantly. Maren, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. She had endured the curse for so long that even now that the game had ended, her nose was still itchy.

"Heh... Hhh-! HESHHH-Hoo! Eh? EsCHOO!"

When she opened her eyes, she found Yuko standing in front of her, holding out box of tissues.

"Here," said the maid, averting her eyes. "I-it's not like I want you to feel better or anything! Just stop sneezing, okay!?"

"Thanks, Yuko," Maren replied, her tone uncharacteristically genuine. Yuko stole a timid glance as Maren plucked a tissue out of the box and forcefully blew her nose. Afterward, the maid clutched the tissue box to her chest like a teddy bear and began to rock back and forth on her feet.

"I... I guess you beat me," she said in a shy voice, glancing up at her opponent. "You're pretty good at Fortitude. Do you think you could teach me sometime, master?"

Maren blinked.

"No."

Yuko's friendly disposition instantly disappeared and she began to tremble in a mixture of embarrassment and anger. Still squeezing the tissue box in her arms, she turned and ran off the stage.

"I hate you! D-dummy!"

The maid crashed through the door off to the side of the stage, leaving Maren alone. Her solitude didn't last long, however, as the sound of slow clapping began to emanate from the rear of the cafe.

"Well done, Master Sato."

-----

And that's all for now! The final part will go up next Thursday, and then I can crawl back into my hole for another year or whatever. We'll see what happens, I guess. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this part too!

[Via]

This was even better than the first part! I really enjoyed the sneezing affecting the cards as well as the players, and hope to see more of that in the final battle. Can't wait.

[Sneezingnonstop]

Holy crow, this is genius!! You've made such an amazing game and an amazing story! Every little detail was put in perfectly! I loved it!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see part 3!!!!

[SexyGodlikeHair]

Damn, this was SO. GOOD!!!!!

I can't even begin to describe how I eager I am for the next part

[Blah!?]

You know what they say, all good things must come to an end. It's finally that time, and honestly it feels like I only put the first part up like yesterday. I'm also paranoid that it's going to be disappointing, but hey, that's...

That's uh...

That's the luck of the draw

ANYWAY here we are, and I hope you all enjoy the finale!

-----

Part 3 - A Rank Rival

 

"Well done, Master Sato."

Turning to face the sound of the voice, Maren could only see a pair of spectacles at the far side of the cafe, shining as they reflected the stage lights. The wearer stepped forward, and as the light revealed her third opponent, Maren was a bit surprised to see she was dressed more like a butler than a maid. Her light brown hair was done up in a bun, and her attire consisted of a white shirt, black slacks, a black waistcoat, and a red bowtie. Finally her glasses were perched atop a large, freckled nose, and Maren just barely resisted the urge to throw out a teasing remark.

"My name is Sydney," the young woman greeted, giving a bow after stepping up onto the stage. "And I'm the manager of this establishment."

"So if I beat you, does that mean I own the whole place or something?" asked Maren, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"I'm afraid you'll only get your meal," Sydney replied. "And I do hope you have an acceptable form of payment ready for when you lose."

Maren and Sydney smirked at each other, and they spent the next several seconds trying to determine who could adjust their glasses more arrogantly. Eventually they both decided it was a pointless effort, and a winner could only be determined through a test of Fortitude. The playing field reset and the playmats reappeared, ready for the game to begin.

"I'm afraid you're in for a rude awakening, Master Sato," said Sydney, slotting her deck into her playmat. "Christa is one of our more casual players, and she generally only collects cards she thinks are cute. Yuko has a bit more fame to her name, but she's too hot-headed for a real battle. But now, you're looking at a regional champion!"

Maren shrugged, placing her deck into the slot and drawing five cards to begin the game. "What the hell are regionals, anyway? Ah, whatever. Let's get started, shall we?"

Her determination to defeat a seemingly worthy opponent boosted Maren's willpower somewhat, but her desperation to get out of paying for her meal ended up cancelling the benefit out. Maren began with a normal 6000 life, and after discarding one card for mana, she put down her first curse of the game. The Hay Fever card sat at the top of her playmat, but unlike Christa, Sydney gave no sudden reaction as the effect took hold.

"You should know that I already have hay fever," Sydney chuckled, shaking her head. "And I take my medicine."

"I'll keep that in mind," Maren replied, ending her turn. She felt a bit annoyed, but the game had only just begun. Sydney drew five cards and quickly sacrificed two for mana. Holding a third card at the ready, she turned her eyes up to Maren and stared tauntingly over her glasses.

"Smite Condition," Sydney declared, playing her card. Maren's Hay Fever card flew into her discard pile, and then she felt a sudden shock that stripped away 200 life. She grew somewhat concerned that Sydney had tailored her deck to defeat curses, but Maren did her best to keep up her poker face and move on. At the start of her next hand, Maren drew a Treacherous Temptress of her own, but she decided to keep it in reserve for the time being. This early on, Sydney might have something to counter it before it could deal its damage. Biding her time, Maren simply sacrificed a different card for mana and ended her turn.

"Even Flow," continued Sydney, playing an enchantment. Maren's brow furrowed as she tried to predict her opponent's next move. Now they would both gain mana whenever either player sacrificed a card, and their mana pools would only return to normal if the Even Flow card was removed from play. Sydney was likely setting herself up for a power play, but Maren had no idea what it could be just yet.

"Y'all got any more of them... Smite Conditions?" Maren teased, drawing a card. Sydney shrugged with a slight smile.

"Not yet, I'll admit that much," the manager responded, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Maren lowered her head slightly, causing her glasses to flash slightly in the stage lights.

"Sticky Spores!"

A cloud of green fluff appeared in the air in front of Maren, and then it quickly drifted forward, heading straight for Sydney. The veteran player knew better than to flinch, but her expression still became strained as the spores flowed under her nose and up into her flaring nostrils. Once the last of the spores disappeared, Sydney wrinkled her freckly nose and placed her fingers underneath it.

"Huh... Ha-Ngxxt! Choo..."

"Oh, how cute!" Maren teased, clasping her hands together and tilting to the side. Sydney gasped, about to sneeze a second time, but she gave her nose an upward rub with her fingers and quickly calmed down.

"Please, spare me the schoolyard banter, Master Sato," grumbled Sydney. "I highly doubt you can come up with anything I haven't already heard. You're not that clever."

Maren gave a deep, rapid chuckle, leaning away slightly. At this point she didn't much care what Sydney had to say. If her opponent was planning on getting physical, the Sticky Spores would reduce all of Sydney's direct damage.

"I suppose you do have the right idea, however," Sydney continued, sacrificing one card and playing another. Maren watched with a slight smirk as a set of Battle Ready Armor assembled itself over Sydney's clothes.

"What a waste," sighed Maren, holding up her hands. "I would never hit a girl with glasses."

"Somehow I don't believe you."

"Eh, you probably shouldn't."

Maren drew another copy of Sticky Spores as her turn began. Without many other options this early, she decided to play it too. The effect didn't stack, but now Sydney would have to remove both individually to return her attack power to normal.

"Hihh... Huh-Knnxx! Choo..." Sydney sneezed again as a second wave of spores flooded into her nostrils, prompting Maren to snort with laughter.

"I hope you have room for more! Oh, who am I kidding? Of course you do!"

"What did I just say, Master Sato?" replied Sydney, sounding congested but still calm. "You can't make me angry."

"Oh, please!" Maren laughed, slapping her knee. "That's what my last boyfriend said before we broke up!"

Sydney gave little reaction, perusing her cards with one hand and rubbing her nose with the other. Her nostrils produced a squishy sound as the spores inside squelched, but Sydney hardly appeared bothered by it. She finally wrinkled her nose with a frown as she selected a card, but before playing it she suddenly sacrificed a whopping three for more mana.

"Ultima Weapon," said Sydney, playing her card and then holding out her right hand, palm facing down. A large purple-bladed sword rose up from the stage, coming to a stop as its pommel came to rest in Sydney's hand. Maren barely had time to blink before Sydney flipped the sword upright, gripped it in both hands and lunged forward. She drew back the blade and prepared to strike, but before she could she suddenly staggered to a halt and placed her fingers under her thick nose.

"Huhh-! Ha'Hnxx! Ih! Heh! Eh-Kngxt! Choo..."

"Ew!" Maren yelped facetiously, hopping back on one foot. "Go ahead and stab me, but don't sneeze! You've got sticky boogers!"

As if at Maren's behest, Sydney drew a folded handkerchief out of her pocket. She flicked it open and then held it under her nostrils with one hand. After gently massaging her soft nose for a few seconds, the manager took a deep breath and blew as hard as she could. When she tried to lower the handkerchief, two strings of green goo connected it to her nostrils, the sight of them making both her and Maren wrinkle their noses.

"See? What'd I tell you?" Maren taunted, holding back a giggle. Sydney ignored her opponent and wiped her nose. Then, still holding her sword with one hand, she swung her weapon vertically and brought it crashing down on Maren.

"Ow! Ow! Jeez! Ow!" Maren whined, hopping around in a circle on one foot. Dragging her sword along the floor, Sydney wordlessly blew her nose again as she returned to her playmat. When Maren finally got a hold of herself, she saw that even under the effect of the Sticky Spores, Sydney's attack had still dealt 350 damage.

"Sheesh, you really don't play around," said Maren, wringing out her wrists. Sydney wiped her nose again and neatly put her handkerchief away, and then she gave Maren an arrogant smirk.

"I have not yet begun to fight."

"That's just what I wanted to hear!" Maren cheered, beginning her turn with renewed vigor. The Ultima Weapon was an exceedingly rare card, but she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised that Sydney had one. She would simply have to accelerate her plans, and playing recklessly was her specialty.

"Sinister Sneeze!" declared Maren, playing one of her favorite curse cards. Unlike Yuko, Sydney didn't counter, and thus she found herself at the mercy of yet another sneeze. Placing her fingers under her nose, Sydney's breath hitched a few times before she finally gave in.

"Ahh... Haah... Huh-Ngkk! Choo..."

Despite Sydney's sneeze being much smaller and more restrained than Maren's, the curse still cost her the same 100 life per turn. She allowed herself a moment of relief in the aftermath, rubbing her fingers under her large nose quickly but gently. Meanwhile, Maren eyed her opponent's life bar. Sydney had taken some damage, but her life bar's color gradient was still healthy. Although it was still early in the game, Maren decided to shift gears. If she couldn't break Sydney's willpower, she would need to take a slightly different approach.

"Din's Fire," said Sydney, catching Maren off guard. She placed her card down on her playmat, and while nothing seemed to happen just yet, Maren already knew what to expect. Sydney leaped forward to attack again, and this time her Ultima Weapon wreathed itself in fire as she swung it. Maren recoiled as the sword passed through her, and with its added fire damage the strike cut away 450 life.

"You're going to have to work for this one, Master Sato," Sydney taunted, returning to her side of the stage. She wrinkled her freckly nose and reached for a handkerchief, but before she could bring it to her nostrils, a seductive elf woman appeared beside her. Sydney could only smile and roll her eyes as Maren's Treacherous Temptress plucked the handkerchief away, intent on holding it herself. She lovingly placed one arm around Sydney's shoulders and then gently guided the young lady's nose into the handkerchief.

"Hhh-! Huh-Knxx! Thahhnk... Hngxt-Choo! Thank you," Sydney breathed, her many curses compelling her to sneeze as she began her turn. The Temptress tenderly wiped Sydney's nose and then quickly backed away to allow the player to draw a card. After eyeing her hand for a few seconds, she sacrificed one card and then placed another on her mat.

"Reading Steiner."

Maren folded her arms and waited impatiently as duplicates of the cards in her hand appeared in front Sydney. To her surprise it didn't take long for Sydney to finish perusing the cards, and before the copies had even faded, the cafe manager made another play. Leaving both a new card and her Ultima Weapon behind at her playmat, Sydney balled up a fist and sprang forward.

"Master Sato!" she shouted, her glasses flashing in the stage lights, "Let's see you Grit Those Teeth!"

Maren's eyes bulged behind her own glasses and she fumbled with her cards. Grit Those Teeth was a fairly simple physical attack, but it dealt extra damage if the user was cursed. Combined with the magic from Din's Fire, it could end up being devastating. With no time to think, Maren pulled a card from her hand and flung it onto her playmat.

"Infringing Feather!" she cried out, taking a step back even though she knew she had played the card on time. A long white feather appeared in mid-air between the players, and then it rushed toward Sydney and stabbed at the underside of her nose. Sydney's determined facial expression went slack as the feather tickled her nostrils, and she stumbled to a halt just in front of Maren.

"Ah-Ahh-Ahhh... Ah-Knx! Choo... Haa-Knnt! Hih... Hhh-! Huh-Nkkt! Choo!"

Sydney's first sneeze blew the feather away and she managed to press her fingers under her nose in time for the second and third, but her attack had still been interrupted. Maren let out a sigh of relief as her opponent stepped away, but Sydney still managed a smirk when she arrived back at her playmat. Upon seeing it, Maren twitched, realizing she had just been tricked. Some of the green drained from her life bar as she kicked herself for falling for such an obvious ruse. After using the Reading Steiner, Sydney knew every card in her hand. Now Maren was dreading something even more powerful, and this time she wouldn't be able to stop it.

"That was sloppy, I'll admit," said Maren, tugging at the cuff of her jacket. "I shall redouble my efforts."

If nothing else, Sydney's Even Flow card had succeeded in accelerating the game. Maren played another Hay Fever card as well as Inconvenient Allergy. She knew they would have no effect on Sydney, but they were still curses as far as Fortitude was concerned. Perhaps it was good luck that she hadn't yet drawn the last card she needed for her finishing move, but if Sydney was as experienced as she seemed, she had likely already predicted Maren's plan anyway.

"I think we about have each other figured out," said Sydney, smiling pleasantly as the Treacherous Temptress wiped her nose again. "I can read you like a book, though I doubt you'll be a step behind like that again. Truly you are a worthy opponent."

"I know!" Maren replied with a smirk, haughtily sliding a finger under her nose. "Now, less braying, more playing!"

"Very... Hehh... Eh-Kngxt! Choo... Very well," sighed Sydney, drawing a card. She quickly placed the same card down on her mat, and then a small headset materialized over her left ear. Maren folded her arms and chuckled as she stared at the red eyepiece that had appeared in front of the left lens of Sydney's glasses.

"Hey! What does it say about my-"

Before Maren could finish, she staggered back as Sydney's Ultima Weapon slashed through her again.

"Critical hit," Sydney said with a taunting whisper. Maren bristled, her fury mounting when she realized the attack had dealt a whopping 700 damage. When her turn began and she drew back up to five cards, she decided it was now or never.

"Sticky Spores, third time's the charm!" said Maren, playing the last curse she had at her disposal. Yet another torrent of green fluff forced its way into Sydney's nostrils, though this time she had the Temptress to help her weather a brief sneezing fit.

"Eh-Gkk! Hah... Ha-Knnxx! Choo... Huh-! AAEEShhooo!"

Maren grinned as Sydney finally failed to stifle a sneeze, even as the Temptress held a handkerchief under her nostrils. Gently closing her eyes behind her glasses, the cafe manager feebly blew her nose and then began to breathe through her mouth as her nasal passages remained blocked.

"Here, this should help you feel better," Maren teased, sliding out what might be her final card of the game. "Purge Curses!"

A whirlwind of white mist suddenly surged around Sydney, obscuring her from view and forcing the Treacherous Temptress to step back. Maren occasionally caught sight of her opponent through the fog, but she couldn't see well enough to tell how Sydney was faring. She could, however, see the life bar hovering above the other playmat. Purge Curses stripped away every ailment Maren had bestowed upon Sydney, dealing heavy damage for each one. While the exact numbers remained a mystery to her, Maren couldn't help but cackle as the life bar shrank with each passing second.

Eventually the whirlwind dissipated, revealing Sydney on her hands and knees. Her hair had come loose from its bun, hanging around her head like a frazzled curtain, and her thick glasses lay upside-down on the stage beside her. Maren was so entranced by how defeated her opponent looked that she hadn't noticed that Sydney wasn't down and out just yet.

"Hahh!"

Sydney's chest heaved and her head reared up, her freckly nose peeking through her hair. Her breath hitched again, further shaking away her hair and revealing the rest of her face, and then she suddenly thrust downward with an enormous, uncontrolled "AaeeeSHHHHOOO!!!" A mound of green gunk splattered on the stage in front of Sydney as she sprayed out the remains of three doses of Sticky Spores. The last traces of the slime coated the underside of her nose and dripped from the edges of her nostrils, but this didn't last long before the Treacherous Temptress knelt just behind her.

Maren had been worried that Sydney still had a fighting chance, but she was filled with renewed vigor as she spotted a dagger in her Temptress's right hand. Holding the handkerchief with her left hand, the elf allowed Sydney to wetly blow her nose, but once they finished, she grabbed Sydney's face and hauled her back to her feet. Maren's Treacherous Temptress raised her dagger above her head, and Sydney managed to toss out one last card before being literally stabbed in the back.

The Temptress and what was left of the Sticky Spores vanished as Sydney collapsed back to her hands and knees. Maren raised her arms in victory, but before she could let out a whoop, she realized the game hadn't ended yet. Turning back to Sydney, Maren watched in horror as her opponent stood up, slipped her glasses back on, and revealed the card she had played.

"But It Refused."

Knees and elbows splayed, Maren staggered back and gave a terrified gasp. Sydney sacrificed nearly her entire hand, and then she gripped the hilt of her Ultima Weapon and held up her final card. Maren's blood ran cold as she read the words "Limit Break." This was a maneuver Maren might have described as a "wombo combo." But It Refused allowed the user to survive a lethal attack with a single life point remaining, and Limit Break dealt extra damage based on how much life the user had lost previously. There were few singular attacks more powerful than what Sydney was about to unleash.

All of reality seemed to fade away as Sydney gripped her sword with both hands, rings of orange energy pulsing out around her feet. Frozen in defeated silence, Maren simply waited for the inevitable as Sydney shot toward her in a single bound, leaped straight into the air, and then brought her weapon down with all of her strength behind it.

Letting out a cry of agony, Maren fell to the ground, barely able to steady herself. She remained still for a few seconds, her eyes squeezed shut in terror, but after a moment she realized nothing had happened. Opening her eyes, Maren discovered that the game was still going, and she had miraculously survived with less than 100 life remaining. She was about to leap to her feet with a cheer, but she froze once again when she saw Sydney standing above her, Ultima Weapon held over her shoulder.

"I suppose you've beaten me, Master Sato," said the cafe manager, her voice surprisingly soft and genuine. Sydney still had a single life point left, but she already knew Maren would defeat her in the next turn, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She extended a hand down to the customer, smiling warmly. Maren blinked, still feeling shocked, but she accepted her opponent's hand and returned to her feet. After briefly glancing at her cards, she pushed one up to stand above the others.

"Good game?" asked Sydney, sticking the point of her sword in the floor. Maren paused, but after a second she smiled and nodded.

"Good game."

Maren calmly placed a Forehead Flick card at the top of her playmat. Sydney staggered back as the tiny spell snatched away her last life point, but she quickly recovered and stepped into the middle of the stage. With seemingly no effort at all, she gathered up her hair and styled it back into its usual bun as she gave the Fortitude system time to shut down, and then she grabbed Maren's hand and hoisted it into the air.

"Congratulations, Master Sato!" Sydney cheered, bowing to Maren and then to the audience. "Any remarks for the fans?"

Maren squirmed, suddenly feeling rather shy. She blushed and fidgeted for a second before pushing her glasses up her nose and gazing out over the audience.

"I... I guess there really is such a thing as a free lunch!"

The rest of the patrons had already stopped paying attention, their silence leaving Maren feeling even more awkward. Sydney gave a friendly laugh, placing her hands on her hips.

"Well, what are you going to do now?"

Maren held up a finger and opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, her stomach suddenly growled. With her finger still in the air, Maren put on a nervous smile and glanced back and forth.

"Can I play you again for dinner?"

"Sorry, Master Sato," answered Sydney, shaking her head. "Only once per customer."

"Eh, I figured," Maren said nonchalantly, waving a limp hand at her host. "But hey, do you maybe want to go get some coffee sometime?"

"Maren..."

"You have that nerdy tomboy look going for you."

"Maren."

"Pretty big turn-on, if you ask me."

"Maren, I have a boyfriend."

Maren blinked.

"Sorry," Sydney apologized awkwardly, biting her bottom lip. Maren's smirk became a regular smile, but her eyes were obviously struggling not to cry. Silently stepping off the stage, she made her way to an empty booth and sat down to wallow. Sydney followed and sat across from her, clasping her hands together above the table.

"I meant as friends," Maren whimpered, staring at a spot on the table. Sydney gave an amused snort.

"You did not."

Maren looked up with tears in her eyes and gave Sydney her best "everything's fine" smile. Barely able to take the situation seriously, Sydney chuckled and shook her head.

"Look, Maren, I can tell you're short on cash and I can tell you need a job."

Maren made an indescribable noise and then swallowed hard, her throat feeling tight.

"If you can maybe find it in you to be a little more mellow, how would you feel about working here? We could always use another maid, especially a good Fortitude pla-"

"Oh my god!" Maren shrieked, lunging across the table. She grabbed Sydney by the lapels of her waistcoat, pulled her in close, and then pressed her lips against the manager's big, freckly nose in an impromptu kiss. This finally regained the cafe's attention and applause broke out yet again.

"Please give me a job!" Maren pleaded, starting to sob with joy. "I'll do whatever demeaning tasks you give me. Anything! Anything!"

"I knew it!" shouted a familiar voice, prompting Maren to yelp and scramble back into a normal sitting position. She looked up to find Christa and Yuko watching from over the wall at the end of the booth, the latter jabbing her finger so close to Maren's face that she had to cross her eyes to see it.

"I knew you don't have a job! Dummy!"

Maren blinked, and then she sucked in a deep, unflattering snort that erased any and all signs that she had ever been crying. Assuming her normal haughty attitude, she tapped her fingers against her temple and shook her head.

"Don't make me laugh! I do have a job! Right here!"

Sydney cleared her throat, prompting Christa, Yuko and Maren to silently turn to her. She pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and gently dabbed at the bridge of her nose, cleaning away the spit Maren had left behind.

"How many of those do you have?" asked Christa.

"Enough," Sydney replied, neatly folding the handkerchief and then using it to wipe the underside of her nose with a sniff. After folding the silk square a second time, she turned her eyes back to Maren with a stern but calm expression.

"Technically you don't have a job just yet."

Maren grinned nervously.

"Well, when can I start?" she asked, tugging at her collar.

Sydney put on a smirk of her own, lowering her head so that her glasses flashed at her new employee.

"How about tomorrow? You can start with exactly what you would have been doing today if you lost. I hope you like dirty dishes!"

Maren tried to think up a word of protest, but she quickly deflated and simply smiled gratefully. This peace was short lived, however, as Yuko guffawed and shoved her finger in Maren's face yet again.

"Ha! I'm going to be your senpai!"

The maid drew her hand back to place on her hip, but in doing so her elbow bumped against a tray of condiments and seasonings perched on the wall beside her. Yuko continued to laugh obliviously as a set of pepper shakers fell onto the table, releasing a cloud of black powder that engulfed everyone nearby.

"Ahh! Ahh-Ahhh! Ah-CHHyeew!"

"HA-KSHHT!"

"Hih... Hih-! Huh-Knxx! Choo..."

"Heh... Heh-Hehh-Hehhh! HeyeeeSHHOOOOH!!!"

-----

And that's all, folks! This is probably going to sound conceited as all hell, but I've honestly really come to love this little world here. Maybe I'll do more with this setting in the future if the right inspiration strikes. But in the meantime, I hope you all had fun! Thanks for reading!

[Oolia]

Seriously, how long did it take you to make up the cards? They're so fun and creative! Not only is it entertaining as a story by itself, but it also seems like it would totally work in a real card game, which amazes me to be honest  Nice job!

Edit: Whoops, I didn't reload the page since yesterday night, so I commented before reading the last part! I love how it ends. Such a sweet, perfect ending to a fun story that made me all warm and fuzzy inside  I had a blast, thank you so much for writing this!

[Kiaory]

If you do write more in this universe, I, for one, will not be complaining. This was an awesome fic. 

There are a lot of analyses and comments I'd want to make if it weren't nearly midnight, but they basically boil down to two thing:

1) this is an awesome premise, and it makes me want to go out and write something similar. (Not that I would without your permission, of course.)

2) This pic kept surprising me. there were a couple times I though I had it all figured out, and then it went in a whole new direction. When I started reading the first part, I thought "Oh, it's gonna be a game where the object is to make you opponent sneeze. That's cool". But no, it turns out to be a realistic game in which the MC happens to have a sneezy deck. And after I finished reading the first part I thought "Oh, it's about the 'oh no, not [insert sneeze causing thing here' moment in a setting where anything can appear and people can suddenly develop allergies to random stuff". Then the second part came along and proved there was more to it than that. 

(hmm, I guess I ended up writing most of what I wanted to say anyway.)

PS: there's an old yu-gi-oh fanfic on here called It's not just a game that seems to have some stuff in common with this. I'm a little curious, was it and inspiration or just great minds thinking alike? 

[Blah!?]

@Oolia I'm really glad you liked it! The cards as well as the game mechanics in general were basically made by frankensteining several different card games together. I knew from the beginning that I didn't want to use a real card game, partly because I wanted to be able to bend the rules and also because I didn't want to misrepresent something that someone else had already made. As it stands, Fortitude is basically a combination of Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic The Gathering and this digital card game called Scrolls, developed by the same people who made Minecraft. Sacrificing cards to increase your maximum mana was taken directly from Scrolls, and otherwise the mechanics were more or less taken from all three games evenly.

Coming up with the cards was sometimes easy and sometimes difficult. Lots of them are references to other media, and the "Ponder" card was taken verbatim from Magic The Gathering. Additionally, literally all of Sydney's cards are references to something, and that was actually the theme I wanted her deck to have.

@Potato I'm beyond flattered that you enjoyed this as much as you did. If you want to take a crack at Fortitude, by all means, go for it. I really enjoy your writing, so I'm curious to see what kind of stuff you can come up with. In fact, if anybody wants to write something in this setting, please go right ahead, though I'd appreciate it if you ran your ideas by me first.

As for that story you linked, that was absolutely a big inspiration. That was one of my favorite things back in the day, and I can't believe it's almost 10 years old by now. I didn't want to emulate it exactly, but I'm sure I wouldn't have written this if I hadn't read that first.

[Sneezingnonstop]

Oh my god, words literally can't describe how amazing this is! I'm still gonna try though haha.

1. These characters are simply amazing and I feel like they would totally exist in an amazing anime.

2. I love all of these cards!!! I have half a mind to try and make them with some Yugioh template.

3. The plot and sneezes were ssoooooo good! More of the sneezes, but overall I loved it!!!!

4. I love Maren!! Truth be told I hope to see her again even though I know this is the end of the story.

5. Just amazing job with your writing! This is written so perfectly!!!

Thank you again for such an amazing story

[Pilgrim]

All these characters were a delight. Part 2 was my favorite, maybe because I just like seeing bad things happen to tsunderes. I'm definitely going to try my hand at a fic in this universe, I think you have something  really inspirational and special with this game. Then again I am the big card nerd who wrote a 10-part yugioh fic (which I see has been linked here somehow, dear god why) so maybe I'm just particularly captivated by that aspect. But actually I would still read a non-card story about Maren and her maid friends. Great work dude, I'm glad you finally found the required vigor to finish it!

[Kiaory]

On September 2, 2016 at 1:56 PM, Blah!? said:

If you want to take a crack at Fortitude, by all means, go for it. I really enjoy your writing, so I'm curious to see what kind of stuff you can come up with. In fact, if anybody wants to write something in this setting, please go right ahead, though I'd appreciate it if you ran your ideas by me first.

You know, when I first wrote that this fic made me want write something similar, it was intended more as an illustration of how fascinating I found the premise than a declaration of intent. However, I seem to have bitten by the idea bug, so I thought I'd run a concept by you:

Spoiler

Way back in the first part of Heart of the Cards, you mentioned that an attack card that causes somebody to be swarmed with puppies could actually increase somebody's willpower if they happened to really like animals, which is presumably contrary to the intended function of the card. So my idea is that a sneeze fetishist (the main character) realizes at some point that making their opponent sneeze actually increases and restores their own willpower. At first they're embarrassed, but eventually they realize that, hey, this is actually a really useful advantage in a game, and they decide to build a deck around the concept. The story focuses on them trying out their new deck against a friend who knows about their fetish.

Concept dialog:

"Hey! Stop enjoying my minion sneezing! (It's an ice sculpture how is it even doing that...)"

"Ummm... nope! ;p"

or:

"If my sneezes are healing you, all I need to do is hold them in as long as possible so you don't see as many right?"

*sweatdrop* "That... is not actually helping you..."

 

[Blah!?]

I've never really been a fan of stories where a character actually has the fetish, but I don't mind if it's handled properly. I don't think I've ever seen it played for a more comedic angle before, so it could certainly be an interesting thing to try.

Again I can't tell you how glad I am that I've inspired people, so if you like that idea, by all means go for it.

[Via]

15 hours ago, Potato said:

You know, when I first wrote that this fic made me want write something similar, it was intended more as an illustration of how fascinating I found the premise than a declaration of intent. However, I seem to have bitten by the idea bug, so I thought I'd run a concept by you.

 

I, for one, wholeheartedly support this. It's an awesome idea, and I'd love to see you write it!

[Kiaory]

On September 6, 2016 at 9:16 AM, Blah!? said:

Again I can't tell you how glad I am that I've inspired people, so if you like that idea, by all means go for it.

 

On September 7, 2016 at 1:03 AM, Subsiss said:

I, for one, wholeheartedly support this. It's an awesome idea, and I'd love to see you write it!

Thank you both so much, I really appreciate your support. Hopefully I'll be able to make something you'll both enjoy. ^^'

@Blah!?: If it's not too much trouble, could you possibly answer a couple questions about the world where Heart of the Cards is set? More specifically, is there a name for the holographic playing field thingies that let you play the game? And, also, is there a word for a person who plays fortitude?

[Blah!?]

To be honest I never really thought about this kind of stuff. In hindsight I suppose I probably should have. I guess one thing I did have in mind all along is that Fortitude isn't just some niche passtime for nerds. Most players are pretty casual and don't take it too seriously, but tons of people play the game. Based on that I figure there might not be a unique term that for any of that stuff, but if you refer to the playing field as just an "arena" and the players as "duelists" or even just "players," people will probably know what you're talking about.

Hopefully that helps, and feel free to ask about anything else you need.