Arthur was very aware of the hive’s adult dragons streaming through the mid-air newly opened portals that led to the eruption. And that every moment he held his class here on the ground meant that many fewer dragons helping out.

It meant possibly that many more people being killed by scourgelings.

It also meant that good cards and shards were being lost.

Arthur's first instinct might be to save, but for many dragon pairs... this was an opportunity to gain wealth. Those dragons and riders were glaring at him as if he were holding them there to keep them poor.

Or maybe it had to do with Willard and Morrice.

Ignoring them, Arthur put on a calm facade and waited, as if with infinite patience, for the class to organize on the ground in preparation for a double-diamond formation: One diamond on top of the other.

Cressida and Joy were to take Morrice’s old position at the head of the bottom diamond. It would allow Joy, who had no direct combat cards of her own, to be protected.

It would also allow her to lead the way.

As usual, Brixaby grumbled a little at that. He was the Legendary-ranked dragon here. He felt it was his duty to lead everything.

His grumbles quieted when Arthur pointed out that Cressida and Joy were part of Brixaby's retinue. That meant, in a way, he was leading.

They also had a quest card which had already hinted at what they were about to face.

Arthur had pulled Cressida aside and asked her about it as soon as he told the class to start forming up.

Cressida’s mouth pulled in an expression of distaste. “The quest said to locate Noble Woodmours personal card library and protect it at all costs. It has a nice reward, too,” she added with a sigh, “Ten Rare shards and one free attribute point.”

Arthur’s eyebrows rose. He hoped he and Brixaby would be able to get in on that quest. The Counterfeit Siphon card that linked them together had allowed them to join a quest or sometimes get one of their own when Joy or Cressida were actively holding a quest.

Sometimes it worked, sometimes they got nothing at all.

It was annoyingly random, but that was a meta card for you.

“Valentina told me to guard any card stashes from roving scourgelings,” Arthur said. “Your quest likely came from that. So, why do you look like you’ve just been told to suck a rotten egg?”

Cressida glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention. Of course, they were. The two of them were the highest ranked in the class having a private discussion. Everyone was watching and trying to look like they weren’t.

Noticing this, Cressida took a half-step closer to him and lowered her voice. “I haven’t had personal dealings with the Woodmours, but from what I’ve heard from my family… they are not kind to their renters.”

His mood immediately darkened. “How so?”

“They were granted rich, arable land, but rumors say renters – the people who turn and toil the fields – regularly starve to death. That shouldn’t happen. Even my father, Lord Icehouse, ensures his tenants are fed and our fields are frozen over for fully half the year.”

With some shame, Arthur realized he had never thought deeply of the plight of the Common folk outside of border villages where he'd grown up. Even the poorest in the inner kingdom had a leg up on people trapped at the border. After all, they could leave and their land wasn’t actively trying to poison them.

Clearly, he had been wrong.

And he wasn’t too happy to hear the quest was nudging them to protect some rich jerk’s library.

But…

“There has to be a reason,” he said. “None of the card caches in the area can be allowed to fall to the scourgelings. So why this one?”

Cressida winced and he knew she was thinking about the scholar’s library. "I don't know. That's all the quest said."

“Come on, come on, come on, we’re all formed up! Hurry!” Joy called to them, literally dancing from foot to foot.

She was right. It was time.

Arthur clapped Cressida on the shoulder. “If you get anything else—” Like a better quest, he did not add, “or if his quest updates with more details, let me know.”

He glanced around and saw that Shadow was nearby. The Rare dragon had slunk in so quietly that Arthur or Brixaby – who was buzzing around the still grounded formation, making adjustments to ensure everyone was perfect – hadn’t noticed.

He went to Shadow who gave him a nod and bent to allow Arthur to climb onboard. The dragon didn’t mention Brixaby’s little trick. Arthur suspected he was embarrassed about it.

With Instructor Agatha taking up a mirrored position in the back to watch for stragglers, and the two lone purples watching the rest of their class jealously, Arthur made the signal to take to the sky.

By this point, most of the adult dragons had already gone through. Their class joined a line of purples and blues with wolf heads emblazoned on their chest straps. These were teams of the Lobos, the rescue and evacuation group. Many of them were already on their second or third round bringing evacuees to the hive.

Not everyone saved could be brought to the hive, and not everyone brought was allowed to stay. But newly orphaned children, craftspeople who just lost their guild or workshop, nursing mothers, and people of means or with important political connections were usually always welcomed.

In return, the Lobos were given tokens by the hive. This was their pay and recompense for the fact they could not kill scourgelings and harvest them for shards and cards.

It wasn't a bad life. Arthur had guilty thought that if Brixaby had been a Common purple instead of a Legendary one... he could have been happy in the Lobos.

Two shimmering green dragons held open the edges to a rip in the sky. Arthur signaled the double-diamond forward to the rip, with he and Shadow in the lead and Brixaby holding onto his shoulder.

He felt Brixaby’s claws tighten as their linked Counterfeit Siphon card picked up the portal spell.

New Counterfeit Spell obtained: Spatial Portal

Remaining Time: 11 hours 59 Seconds