Responding instantly, Ember lunged low, his small body enveloped in a burst of flame. The puppet’s legs caught fire, the flames spreading up its form with Ember’s precise hits, weakening its structure. The puppet staggered, its movements sluggish as the fire began to warp and melt its outer material.
“Nice work, Ember,” Jalen said, a grin forming. His bond with the salamander allowed for a fluid connection; Ember seemed to sense his intentions, adjusting its attacks without needing further commands. Satisfied with Ember’s work, Jalen turned to the Frost Serpent still coiled around his arm. “Alright, Frosty, let’s give you a shot.”
The Frost Serpent unwound itself and slithered forward gracefully, the temperature dropping with each movement. As it approached another puppet, Jalen directed it to aim for a more precise strike.
“Freeze its joints,” he commanded, voice steady. The Frost Serpent coiled around the puppet’s torso, its icy scales radiating a frigid aura that slowed the puppet’s movements. Frost crept over the puppet’s joints, locking them in place. Jalen could see cracks forming in the puppet’s limbs as the cold weakened its structure.
The puppet struggled to move, gears grinding against the frost that had begun to seize them. With one swift squeeze, the Frost Serpent crushed its way through the puppet, reducing it to shattered fragments of ice-coated metal.
The system’s voice interrupted, cool and detached as ever.
[Puppet Targets Remaining: 8]
“Eight more, huh?” Jalen muttered, a spark of determination flaring in his eyes. Ember and the Frost Serpent were proving themselves, but he wanted to see how the other spirits in his deck would handle these constructs. This was as much a test of strategy as it was power, and he had no intention of just relying on raw strength.
He drew another card, one he’d noted before with interest. The image a water elemental with a black slime complexity.
[Card: Abyssal Shard Summon]
Jalen activated the card, paying the required mana and energy. The air in front of him warped as the chaotic colors of the Abyssal Shard swirled into existence. The shard was a shifting mass of dark, almost liquid energy that fluctuated between solid and amorphous.
“Alright, Abyssal spirit Shard,” Jalen murmured, “show me what you can do.”
As if sensing his intent, the shard expanded, taking on a shadowy, ethereal form as it floated toward one of the puppets. With a sudden burst, it collided with the target, latching onto it like a parasite. The puppet twitched, and Jalen watched in fascination as the Abyssal Shard began to morph, its chaotic energies probing the puppet’s structure before lashing out with tendrils of crackling dark energy.
To his surprise, the shard had gained a lightning-like quality, zapping through the puppet’s form with each pulse. Within moments, the puppet collapsed in a charred heap, the electrical energy frying its internal mechanisms.
[Abyssal Shard Ability Unlocked: Adaptation - The Abyssal Shard randomly absorbs an elemental property based on its target.]
“Adaptation,” Jalen murmured, eyes gleaming with interest. “So, it’s unpredictable but flexible. That could be useful.”
The system’s counter ticked down again.
[Puppet Targets Remaining: 7]
Ember and the Frost Serpent waited, their forms tense and alert, while the Abyssal Shard pulsed with residual energy. The three spirits seemed to sense one another, acknowledging each other’s presence with unspoken understanding.
As the countdown concluded, the system pulsed a gentle prompt across his vision.
[System Tutorial Testing Stage Initiated: Puppets Activated. Objective: Eliminate all targets using your deck to assess card synergy and familiar handling.]
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From the shadows at the far end of the chamber, humanoid figures began to emerge. They were roughly human-shaped, but their movements were stiff, jerky, as if guided by invisible strings. Their bodies were featureless, faceless masses, each a uniform shade of gray. The dull light of the chamber caught on their surfaces, revealing joints and gears beneath a thin skin-like material. Puppets, the system called them—training constructs designed solely to test his abilities.
“Alright, Ember, Frost, this is our first real trial together,” Jalen murmured, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the puppets. “Let’s make it count.”
Ember’s flames flickered with excitement, while the Frost Serpent’s icy gaze remained steady, almost meditative. With a flick of his hand, Jalen activated Ember, allowing the fire spirit to dash forward with a chirp of enthusiasm. The room immediately warmed as the little salamander blazed toward the nearest puppet, leaving faint scorch marks in its wake.
Jalen focused, mentally connecting with Ember to issue a command. “Ember, go for its legs.”
Responding instantly, Ember lunged low, his small body enveloped in a burst of flame. The puppet’s legs caught fire, the flames spreading up its form with Ember’s precise hits, weakening its structure. The puppet staggered, its movements sluggish as the fire began to warp and melt its outer material.
“Nice work, Ember,” Jalen said, a grin forming. His bond with the salamander allowed for a fluid connection; Ember seemed to sense his intentions, adjusting its attacks without needing further commands. Satisfied with Ember’s work, Jalen turned to the Frost Serpent still coiled around his arm. “Alright, Frosty, let’s give you a shot.”
The Frost Serpent unwound itself and slithered forward gracefully, the temperature dropping with each movement. As it approached another puppet, Jalen directed it to aim for a more precise strike.
“Freeze its joints,” he commanded, voice steady. The Frost Serpent coiled around the puppet’s torso, its icy scales radiating a frigid aura that slowed the puppet’s movements. Frost crept over the puppet’s joints, locking them in place. Jalen could see cracks forming in the puppet’s limbs as the cold weakened its structure.
The puppet struggled to move, gears grinding against the frost that had begun to seize them. With one swift squeeze, the Frost Serpent crushed its way through the puppet, reducing it to shattered fragments of ice-coated metal.
The system’s voice interrupted, cool and detached as ever.
[Puppet Targets Remaining: 8]
“Eight more, huh?” Jalen muttered, a spark of determination flaring in his eyes. Ember and the Frost Serpent were proving themselves, but he wanted to see how the other spirits in his deck would handle these constructs. This was as much a test of strategy as it was power, and he had no intention of just relying on raw strength.
He drew another card, one he’d noted before with interest.
[Card: Abyssal Shard Summon]
Jalen activated the card, paying the required mana and energy. The air in front of him warped as the chaotic colors of the Abyssal Shard swirled into existence. The shard was a shifting mass of dark, almost liquid energy that fluctuated between solid and amorphous.
“Alright, Abyssal Shard,” Jalen murmured, “show me what you can do.”
As if sensing his intent, the shard expanded, taking on a shadowy, ethereal form as it floated toward one of the puppets. With a sudden burst, it collided with the target, latching onto it like a parasite. The puppet twitched, and Jalen watched in fascination as the Abyssal Shard began to morph, its chaotic energies probing the puppet’s structure before lashing out with tendrils of crackling dark energy.
To his surprise, the shard had gained a lightning-like quality, zapping through the puppet’s form with each pulse. Within moments, the puppet collapsed in a charred heap, the electrical energy frying its internal mechanisms.
[Abyssal Shard Ability Unlocked: Adaptation - The Abyssal Shard randomly absorbs an elemental property based on its target.]
“Adaptation,” Jalen murmured, eyes gleaming with interest. “So, it’s unpredictable but flexible. That could be useful.”
The system’s counter ticked down again.
[Puppet Targets Remaining: 7]
Ember and the Frost Serpent waited, their forms tense and alert, while the Abyssal Shard pulsed with residual energy. The three spirits seemed to sense one another, acknowledging each other’s presence with unspoken understanding. Jalen felt a surge of satisfaction; this wasn’t just about wielding power—it was about coordination, a dance of strategy and synergy.
Deciding to take advantage of this momentum, he reached for another card a spell card.
The image a salamander spirit swinging it's tail at a fireball.
[Card: Spirit of Flame Tail]
Type: Equipment
Subtypes: Weapon, Flame
Summon Cost: 3 Mana
Activation Cost: 1 Energy
Effect: Summons a versatile spiritual flame, adaptable into three distinct forms.
1.Flame Sword:
A blazing sword, forged from pure spiritual flame, pulses with intense heat. This weapon cuts with ease, bypassing 20% of the target’s armor. Usable by any spirit or entity capable of wielding a blade.
2.Flame Tail:
A concentrated flame ignites at the end of a spirit’s tail, amplifying strike power and precision. Ideal for agile spirits, the flame adds piercing heat to each tail movement, burning through materials and barriers on contact.
3.Hand Flame:
A small, controlled flame held in the wielder’s hand, useful for ranged bursts, quick ignitions, or as a defensive tool.
That's new which effect should I try Ember, Frost attack one each.
“ Abyssal Shard you stand back and watch back I’ll try out this new card.”
The Equip card glowed, flaring with a bright red light that pulsed and shifted, coalescing into the shape of a katana. The blade seemed to pulse with life, flickers of flame dancing along its edge, giving it an intense, almost volatile energy. The weight felt right, perfectly balanced, as if forged specifically for battle.
“Dad can’t be too mad about this, right?” Jalen murmured with a smirk, giving the katana a test swing. The sword sliced through the air, leaving a trail of embers that quickly dissipated, the heat unmistakable even from a distance.
With the katana now in hand, he felt its raw power, the energy of Spirit of Flame Tail surging through the grip. He could sense Ember’s flickering approval nearby, the salamander’s own fire brightening in resonance with the new weapon.
Jalen’s grip tightened around the katana’s hilt, feeling the heat radiate from its flame-etched blade. The spell allowed only a single form, so he had chosen the Flame Sword this time, eager to feel its potential in his own hands rather than relying on Ember or Frost.
Taking a steadying breath, he squared off with the nearest puppet, focusing on his stance. This wasn’t just about cutting down targets—it was a chance to refine his technique, to push the boundaries of what the katana could do. He swung experimentally, testing the blade’s balance, and each movement sent a flicker of flame trailing behind, tracing fiery arcs in the air.
Satisfied with the feel, he moved in for a full strike. The katana cleaved down, bypassing the puppet’s defenses effortlessly. With each hit, the blade’s heat burned through the puppet’s structure, charring the edges of each cut, weakening it with every strike. As he landed a final blow, the puppet crumbled into a heap of seared metal, its joints melted from the sheer heat.