Karadon

      The forest was nearly pitch black as Hunter crept through it, the air stiff and frozen. The bravest of knights didn’t dare venture through this sector of the woods, too cautious of the dangers that lurked in the shadows. Anyone who knew of Hunter’s quest to slay a kitsune would have hastened to prevent him. His dwarven heritage didn’t halt his desire to become a fierce warrior, and the best way he knew to prove himself was to slay the most powerful monster in the land of Karadon.

         A low growl caught his attention, and Hunter froze in his place. His right hand tightly gripped the hilt of his bone sword, and as the roar grew louder, his left hand came to wrap around his right, granting him better leverage. A clawed foot came into view, and the rationally frightened voice in the back of the dwarf’s head told him that perhaps he should back down and find a less life-threatening method to express his manliness. The kitsune’s foot was larger than Hunter’s entire body, a single claw the length of his arm.

         “I am Hunter the Dwarf Warrior!” he announced as loud as he could manage, though it was a squeak compared to the kitsune’s resting growl. “I have an attack power of thirty-seven, and I will-“

         “No, you don’t!”

         Hunter’s speech was interrupted by his sister’s indignant protest. He frowned, narrowing his eyes at her.

         “Yes, I do!”

         “No, you don’t,” his sister, Emery, countered. Her thin fingers pointed to the collection of cards laying face-up on the table before Hunter, dancing across the point bonuses displayed at the top of each card. “See? Even with your Bone Sword, and your new Monster-Stomping Boots, you only have thirty-four attack points!”

         Hunter’s own chubby finger pointed to the fine print scrawled across the bottom of the card displaying a Viking Helmet. “This headgear gives me an extra three-point bonus because I’m a dwarf!”

         “I know,” Emery rolled her eyes, “but you lost your three-point Vest of Ignorance, so you’re down to thirty-four!”

         “Mom!” her brother pouted, turning to the only adult sitting at the table.

         Mom sighed softly. “Hunter, your sister is right. The points you gain from your boots even out the points you lost from losing your vest, so you’re still at thirty-four.”

         Hunter huffed, crossing his arms and glaring down at the board.

         “The Kitsune is a level thirty,” Mom continued, pointing down at the Enemy card. “You still have enough power to fight it.”

         “Nuh-uh!” Emery sang, slapping an Enemy Enhancer onto the table. It gave the Kitsune an additional ten attack points, bumping it above Hunter’s skill level.

         “What?!” Hunter whined. “No fair!”

         “Calm down,” Mom cooed softly, placing a hand on her son’s shoulder. “Do you have any Attack Boosters?”

         The nine-year-old scrambled to thumb through his cards, tongue poking out between his lips as a sign of his concentration. With a triumphant “Aha!” he placed a card on the table, overtop his sister’s Enemy Enhancer. It granted him a one-time chance to flee from a battle while still earning the level point and gaining the enemy’s treasure.

         “Hey!” Emery shrieked, eyes widening in despair. “That’s not fair! You can’t use that on the big boss!”

         “Yes, I can!” Hunter countered.

         “Children, settle down,” Mom insisted. “Hunter can use the Quick Escape because it’s not his final battle. Just because he’s fighting the toughest enemy in the deck doesn’t mean it’s his last fight.” She turned to her son. “Are you sure you want to use it now?”

         Hunter nodded. “Definitely!”

         “I don’t have to fight you to prove my worth!” Hunter exclaimed, aiming his bone sword at the kitsune’s face, which had lowered to growl directly into the dwarf’s face. It roared angrily in response, its fur sticking up as its back arched.

         Hunter withdrew a card from his pocket, exposing it to the monster. A bright blue light emanated from the card, enveloping the shady forest as well as the kitsune. The monster howled in pain, shying away from the card, its movements slow until the light overpowered it, and the kitsune evaporated. Hunter exclaimed his triumph, spinning on his heel and marching out of the forest.

         Somewhere in the distance, in a much brighter section of the woods, an elven princess stood her ground in the face of a rabid unicorn. Both of her thin hands wrapped around the body of her enchanted crossbow, aiming its arrow up at the unicorn’s face.

         “I am Princess Emery!” she exclaimed. “With my attack power of thirty-one, I will slay you and claim your treasure!”

         “Not so fast!”

         A hand slapped the table, placing a Frenemy on top of the Level Twenty-Eight Rabid Unicorn.

         “Ten additional attack points to the Enemy,” Hunter smugly stated.

         Emery’s jaw dropped, and her baby blues narrowed into a glare towards her brother. “Fine!” she shrieked, flipping through the cards in her hand. She threw a card into the pile and picked up the brightly colored die, rolling it onto the space in front of her.

         Mom picked up her card to read its contents. “Fateful Assistance – Roll the die and award yourself attack points of five times the number rolled. Discard after use.”

         Hunter rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. Emery cheered as she rolled a four.

         “Mom, what’s four times five?”

         “Twenty, Emery,” Mom replied softly.

         “Ha!” the young girl shouted. “The Unicorn has thirty-eight; I have fifty-one. I win.”

         Hunter only huffed in response.

         “Your turn, Mommy,” Emery informed her mother after she’d raised her level and collected her reward.

         Mom stood in a dark dungeon, her gem sword glittering in the dim light of the torches that lined the brick wall. Deep in the bowels of this oubliette resided a ferocious undead dragon. She slowly trekked forward, steel-toed stilettos clicking against the cobblestone floor. A low rumble sounded in the distance, informing Mom that she was growing closer to the beast.

         “I will slay you,” she stated, her grip tightening on the hilt of her sword. “You won’t come near my kids.”

         The skeletal dragon emerged, opening its large jaw to release a loud roar. Fire swirled in the back of its throat, threatening to engulf Mom in flames. Mom lifted her sword, swinging it in front of her. It sliced through the dragon’s neck, severing its spine and dropping it to the floor.

         “I win,” Mom stated coolly as she defeated her final fight and earned the winning level point. Hunter stared up at his mother in shock, surprised that she could have beaten him.

         “Mommy wins!” Emery squealed, clapping her hands erratically. Mom chuckled softly before collecting all of the game cards and sorting them into separate piles. Emery collected the die and held it in her hand until it was time to place it in the box.

         Hunter gazed out of the dining room window, sighing softly.

         “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Mom inquired, raising a brow.

         “I wish we could go outside,” he replied.

         Mom offered him a sympathetic smile. “I know, Hunter. I do, too.”

         “When can we?” Emery questioned, tugging at the hem of her mother’s shirt.

         “When the quarantine is over, darling,” Mom explained, patting her daughter’s head. “When the mayor declares that it’s safe for us to leave our homes.”

         They all turned to glance outside, frowning at the sight that met their eyes. A plague had befallen their small town, transforming the once sunny, warm streets into a web of darkness and shadows. In the distance, monsters could be heard roaring, growling, and screaming, urging the townsfolk to remain indoors, lest they risk setting foot into the world of Karadon.