The days after the incident with the evil Card Holders and the Behemoth were filled with intense training for Xavier, Glut, and most Combat Card Holders. The defensive measures in the settlement were improved, and more Scouts were deployed to ensure that no more evil Card Holders or monsters could get close to Haven.
The Scouts found more human survivors searching for a safe place to hide, but taking them in was not a unanimous decision anymore. The opinion of Haven’s residents was divided. The majority was against accepting more survivors into Haven. They were afraid that something like the last incident would happen again. The minority was also scared of another incident, but their hearts were still in the right place. They knew from reports that the survivors were wounded and malnourished. If Haven didn’t accept them, the survivors would die.
It wasn't easy to decide what was the best for Haven. Was it okay to throw their humanity aside to ensure that no more enemies could infiltrate the settlement and strike them from within?
Xavier didn’t think so, and his parents believed the same. They could always observe the newcomers or search for Cards that allowed them to discern whether the survivors needed their help or not. A Card that forced the target to speak the truth would be the best before accepting newcomers. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a Card like that. However, they did have a Card that allowed one of Haven’s residents to read the target’s mind.
The only catch was that the target had to accept the invasion of another mind into their head, but it was possible. The Common Card had many conditions, but once all of them were met, it was possible to find out the survivors’ real intentions.
Haven’s residents demanded that the Mind Reading Card should be used on every newcomer until they found a better Card. If a newcomer resisted their attempts to read their mind, they would be rejected. Some even suggested that they should be expelled and considered enemies if they dared to stay close to Haven after resisting the Mind Reading Card. Still, Silvia and Zora Vador rejected that proposal. They knew that not everyone was comfortable letting their minds be read by a stranger. Most wouldn’t want that. Some people valued their privacy and personal space a bit more than others so they would rather die than allow someone to read their minds.
Xavier didn’t involve himself in Haven’s politics and idle gossiping. He trusted his Mother and Grandmother enough to focus on growing stronger instead. They didn’t need another blabbermouth to join the political discussions. After all, there were more than enough blabbermouths present at all times.
Xavier and Glut’s Foundation changed a lot in the last few days. They attacked the Kobold Camp a few times, killing more than a thousand Kobolds with fireballs and sharp blades. A dozen Onyx Blades broke into Xavier’s hands, but that was a small price compared to the gains he made.
Foundation Orb
[Star of Vitality – Basic 150/500]
[Star of Strength–Basic 180/500]
[Star of Agility– Basic 250/500]
[Star of Dexterity – Basic 130/500]
[Star of Perception – Basic 150/500]
[Star of Energy – Basic 350/500]
[Star of Wisdom– Basic 220/500] – [+5] [+2%]
—
Glut
Unique Monster
Descendant of the Ancient Spirit Arcaes
Healthy(Happy)
972
Xavier and Glut were an extraordinary team. The massive increase in Glut’s Foundation was proof enough. However, the most significant cause for Xavier’s sudden growth was the new Cards he procured from the evil Card Holder’s Card Decks and the Kobolds they’d exterminated.
Foundation Boost
Uncommon - Level 3 (13%)
Augmentation
Active
Requires Energy to be used.
Effect – Boosts the User’s Foundation evenly.
–
Potency of the boost depends on Card Level and consumed Energy.
Poisonous Touch
Uncommon - Level 2 (85%)
Weapon Enhancement
Active
Requires Energy to be used.
Effect – Applies a poisonous touch to the targeted object.
–
Potency of the poison depends on Card Level
Healing Energy
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Rare - Level 1(96%)
Utility/Spell
Active
Requires Energy to be used.
Effect – Converts Energy into Healing Energy.
The wielder can store a small amount of Healing Energy in his/her energy pool.
–
Potency of Healing Energy depends on Card Level
Storage capacity of Healing Energy depends on the Card Level.
After what felt like eons, Xavier got his hands on a Healing-type Card. He felt awful about relying on others for healing all the time. Minor Regeneration was a good Card, but it worked only passively. It didn’t heal him quickly enough mid-battle. However, the best was that Healing Energy was a Rare Card. Xavier managed to form a Rare Card with enough Rare Card Shards. The resulting Rare Card was Heavenly Strike, a Card Xavier would have linked to his Card Deck if his Father hadn’t offered him Healing Energy for it.
His Father was not a fan of Healing Energy. It didn’t suit his Card Deck. Heavenly Strike, on the other hand, was perfect.
Xavier was happy with Healing Energy. It fit perfectly into his Card Deck, which had 31 Cards linked to it at this point. Satisfied with his new gains, Xavier checked his Cards and how much they’d progressed to plan his next moves.
He started with the Cards that provided the best passive gains.
World Energy – Class Card
Minor Regeneration
Common - Level 14(4%)
Nightvision
Uncommon - Level 9(2%)
Spell Mastery
Uncommon - Level 14(53%)
Lesser Danger Sense
Common – 7(91%)
Minor Physical Resistance
Common – 6(11%)
Breathe
Common – 4(69%)
Climb
Common – 2(9%)
His Passive Cards weren’t too special, but their prowess, combined with his other linked Cards, was extraordinary.
Dash
Common - Level 13(33%)
Judgment
Rare - Level 6(76%)
Meditation
Common - Level 13(83%)
Air Bullet
Common - Level 20(MAX)
(Upgrade Requirements have been met)(2/3)
Whispering Energy
Uncommon - Level 7(4%)
Coat of Fire
Uncommon - Level 11(90%)
Card Set – Tamer – Class Cards
Rare – Set of 4
Level 21
1)Eve of Evolution – Rare (+)
Level 4
2) Nourish – Rare
Level 8
3) Taming – Rare
Level 5
4) Borrow – Rare
Level 4
Camouflage
Uncommon - 4(1%)
Shadow Blade
Uncommon - 8(58%)
Thunder Step
Uncommon - 9(35%)
Energy Blade
Uncommon - 8(91%)
Armor Break
Common – 9(25%)
Pierce Armor
Common – 9(85%)
Stun
Common – 7(53%)
Elemental Aegis
Common – 6(34%)
Glide
Common – 1(0%)
Pet Boost – Class Card
Uncommon – 5(31%)
Foundation Boost
Uncommon - Level 3(13%)
Poisonous Touch
Uncommon - Level 2(85%)
Healing Energy
Rare- Level 1(96%)
Xavier had yet to use all the linked cards, but he would be fine without having to rely on breath, climbing, and glide. The Common Cards were merely placeholders for other Cards. Xavier would replace them in the future, even though they could be helpful in tricky situations. It was just that Xavier had so many Cards to rely on that he never really thought about experimenting with Glide. It could be valuable in battle, but experimenting with exotic Common Cards might as well become the cause of his doom. A single mistake, and he would be dead.
But, something that was certainly not going to be his doom was the Unknown Egg.
Xavier would often wonder about the egg and wanted the hatchling to be healthy and fine. Hence, he kept using Nourish all the time. After seeing Glut’s power and how formidable their team was, he was eager to find more Soulbonds. He also tried looking for a third, but with the current atmosphere in Haven, he could not afford to venture too far away from their home in search of more companions like Glut. Hence, he decided to focus on the Unknown Egg for now. His gut feeling told him that the hatchling would also turn into a trustworthy companion and help him increase his combat prowess significantly in a short amount of time.
And the weird dream involving darkness and blurred outlines of people had turned into a recurring one. He would often wake up sweaty and panting for breath, clutching his heart as a seed of darkness took root inside him. It was just a nightmare, a weird and unexplainable one, but no matter how much he reassured himself, a small part of his brain worried about it.
The dream felt too real, and sometimes he feared turning into something dark and ominous. Xavier had not shared it with anyone yet because he just tried discarding it as a figment of his overactive imagination. But when a third blurred outline showed up, he began to question his sanity.
The third figure was a woman, but he could not see her face or other features, just like he could not see more details of the other two people. He feared that their numbers would slowly increase and turn him into one of them- dark and ominous.
Stop worrying like a kid!
Xavier chided himself and shook his head to discard thoughts of the nightmares. He had a positive thing to focus on. The Unknown Egg.
He kept staring at the black egg's surface and wondered when it would hatch. It had a rough, uneven surface, with some spots visibly darker than the rest of the shell. Xavier gently picked it up, letting the pad of his thumb caress the shell as if asking the hatchling to show up.
He was getting restless.
“Can’t wait to meet you, buddy.”
Xavier murmured, and as if in response to his words, he sensed movement within the egg. Unsure if it was again his imagination running wild, he held the Egg at eye level and peered at it intently.
Sure enough, he saw a faint crack appear on the surface. It was small and almost invisible, but it was definitely there.
The Egg cracked...it was about time to hatch it!