Chapter 7: EVOLVE
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We stood across each other in a sea of golden grass as high as my waist. Cragmarr projected his voice above the breeze and chirping crickets.
“The first hand of a match, you can mulligan as many cards as needed and redraw—only once. You may discard cards and redraw between hands, but you wager one Zii per card exchanged. Or you can wager one Zii and discard all cards, automatically conceding the hand and losing any rewards.”
“Like folding,” I said with a thumbs up. “Got it.”
“All actions require Zii,” he continued. “Some actions require a wager, contributing to the reward for the player winning the hand. But other actions burn Zii, which is removed from the game. Any burned Zii is inaccessible except through spells and special abilities.”
“Um, I think I get it. But why would I want to discard cards?”
“To cycle your deck to find stronger battle cards and spells. See your spell.”
I opened the one spell card in my inventory:
SPELL: EVOLVE
PVP: Increase any zero (0) on your battle card by plus one (+1) for every burned Zii.
PVE: ???
“Sweet!” I said. “So, that’s what the zero cards are for?”
“There is a spell round after battle cards are played. Watch your notifications. If you place the Evolve spell on any battle card with a zero, you may increase it by up to any number of Zii you burn, whether the attack or defense score. But remember, Em, you have limited Zii. Manage your resources strategically, as some counterspells can cancel yours.”
“This is getting complicated,” I muttered.
“Now, mulligan and fold until you hold a zero-battle card and Evolve spell.”
“Then what?”
He put up his fists.
CRAGMARR [GOLEM] HAS CHALLENGED YOU TO A JINGOZI MATCH [TUTORIAL MODE]
Do you accept? [YES/NO]
In poker, the player “on the button,” representing the dealer’s position, always acts last. They can see what every other player does before deciding how to play their hand. Jingozi featured a similar mechanic, but the player with the starting position (their term for the button) could choose to play first or last.
TUTORIAL MODE: FOLD AND REDRAW AS MANY HAND [COST 1 ZII PER HAND] or DISCARD AND REDRAW AS MANY CARDS [COST 1 ZII PER CARD] UNTIL YOU FIND THE CARDS YOU NEED
I folded three hands and discarded four cards before finding a [6/0] and the [EVOLVE] spell. Cragmarr was in the starting position but opted to go second. I spun the battle card to a [0/6] and charged it with the minimum 1 Zii.
I didn’t expect it, but he raised his wager to 2 Zii. And just like poker, I could flat-call, raise, or fold. After I called, the reward for winning the hand was 4 Zii.
My body flew forward as before. This time, I went for a flying sidekick, which he dodged. Glancing off his shoulder, I somersaulted and landed behind him.
MATCH STATUS:
Cragmarr [Golem]: [7/5]
Ember [Ninja]: [0/6]
Total Current Reward: 4
Spell Round [Starting Position: Cragmarr]
Update: Cragmarr passes his spell turn.
Cragmarr’s card beat mine. But now it was the spell round, which allowed all players another attempt to build the highest attack and win the hand. Again, Cragmarr passed his turn to let me go first. I had four cards left.
SPELL AVAILABLE: [2/2] [6/3] [EVOLVE] [1/6]
I swiped the [Evolve] spell onto my [0/6] battle card and tapped the zero. The score increased by one as I felt the Zii leave my body. If he has an attack of seven, I’ll need more than that. But how much?
Holding my finger down, the number jumped faster until the card reached [11/6]. As soon as Cragmarr passed on playing a spell card of his own, my body launched into action.
SPELL CAST: [EVOLVE] 11 Zii Burned
I attempted a double hammer fist.
My arms transformed into blazing metal gauntlets twice the size of hockey gloves with wicked metal spikes. The armor continued up my arms to form oversized shoulder pauldrons with more spikes. Flames spewed from between the plates.
I let out a guttural war cry.
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Upon impact, the sonic boom pressurized my ears. Rocks and Zii exploded everywhere. I landed on Cragmarr’s chest as he slammed the floor of the Jingozi arena. The armor retracted while debris continued to rain down.
EMBER [NINJA ] WINS THE HAND
- Wagers: 4 Zii
- Cragmarr [Golem]: 6 Zii
- Total Reward: 10 Zii
CRAGMARR [GOLEM] CONCEDES THE MATCH
Do you accept? [Yes/No]
“Cragmarr!” I shouted. “Yes, stop the match!”
Once we left the Jingozi arena, I sprinted towards him as he crumbled onto his back. I tripped over my feet and tumbled down beside him.
He opened his eyes and grinned.
“Now you know how spells work,” he said.
“Oh my God, Crag! I thought I killed you!”
Cragmarr stood up and cracked his neck.
“Look at the match results.”
MATCH RESULTS
Name: Ember [8160]
Faction: Ninja [Field]
Zii: 90
Cards: [Battle] 16 / [Spell] 0
Name: Cragmarr
Faction: Golem [Demi]
Zii: 92
Cards: [Battle] 35 / [Spell] 24
“That doesn’t make sense,” I said. “I won 10 Zii and only wagered two. I should have 108.”
“Think about all the actions up to the hand, Ember.”
He was right because I wasn’t paying attention. I folded three hands and swapped four cards to burn 7 Zii, then another 11 Zii, evolving my attack. Not to mention, my deck had 15 fewer battle cards. Sure, I had won the hand, but at what cost to the rest of the match?
“Win the hand, lose the war,” I sighed.
“Yes,” he agreed. “You could have evolved for 8 Zii, beating my 7-attack score by 1, and still won the hand. But I might have countered with a spell since I still had a turn.”
“Wow. There’s a lot more to this than I thought.”
“Indeed. Remember, Em, Jingozi is a game of strategy.”
“Not a button-masher. Got it.”
“Yes. You did well. Your tutorial is complete.”
QUEST COMPLETE: JINGOZI TUTORIAL
Complete the Jingozi tutorial.
LEVEL UP
Name: Ember [8160]
Faction: Ninja [Field]
Level: 2
Card Deck: 36 [Battle] / 1 [Spell]
Cragmarr taught me a new Zii-Kata pattern to discover my next spell. After two hours, my mind went black. Regaining my senses, my next spell card appeared before me. I touched it.
A red blur of smoke streaked toward me. A shadowy red Ninja materialized and buried a fist into my chest. The impact sent a wave of intense pressure radiating through my body, so overwhelming, blood seeped from my eyes, nose, and ears. I vomited blood, the dark crimson splattering across my attacker. But the blood wasn’t just blood—it was acid. Burning through the ninja’s mask, the acid revealed a face that was the spitting image of mine. I stared into the eyes of my doppelganger before her flesh began to sizzle and corrode, melting away until she was nothing more than a puddle of steaming ooze.
The vision snapped away as fast as it had come, and I found myself on the ground, clutching my chest and gasping for air. My heart pounded in my ears. Cragmarr was at my side, cradling my head. He said something, but it sounded all garbled. I fought to stay conscious, but the world blurred and darkened.
When I awoke with an unbelievable migraine, Cragmarr was holding me in the same position.
YOU HAVE LEARNED A NEW SPELL
Spell: Blood Strike
- PVP: Burn one (1) Zii to attack plus 1 (+1).
- PVE: ???
Level: 2
Card deck: 36 [Battle] / 2 [Spell]
“Does it gotta be like that every time?” I said, wincing.
“I am afraid so.”
* * *
“Plus one?” I said. “After all that? I thought I was going to die.”
I stared at my new spell card, still groggy.
SPELL: BLOOD STRIKE
PVP: Burn one (1) Zii to attack plus 1 (+1).
PVE: ???
Cragmarr doused the campfire.
“Your spells become more powerful with every level,” he said.
“I have a tee shirt that says, ‘I WENT TO VEGAS, AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY SHIRT.’ That’s what this is. Know what I mean?”
“No, I do not.”
“Of course you don’t!” I yelled. “You don’t wear shirts, and I gotta go through that hell twenty-two more times!”
“It gets easier. And you were only unconscious for two hours this time.”
“You’re one of those ‘glass half-full’ guys, aren’t you, Cragmarr?”
“Yes, I am. Thank you.”
* * *
The plan was to head south through the mountains into Samurai territory. The Ninja faction hid amongst Samurai villages, and I was to find them to continue training.
“To win a Jingozi tournament, you must learn the strategies, including the spells, of every other faction,” Cragmarr told me. “Now your tutorial is done, I can no longer assist you.”
I really didn’t like the sound of that.
* * *
After clearing camp, we trekked south for two days, making casual small talk. Cragmarr knew a surprising amount of our history, from the Roman Empire to 9/11, which gnawed at me. How many times has he done this?
I wondered if Ember [8160] meant over eight thousand people came before me. What happened to them all?
We walked for the next day without any more conversation.
I was sick of fish. I’d chew on a little jerky ration every night, pretending it was steak. Cragmarr taught me to forage for wild berries with flavors like energy drinks. A jumbo mushroom tasted like a sponge cake with herbs. He offered to hunt for us, but I declined. The thought of killing and eating a living thing with my bare hands made my stomach turn.
The forest became dense with jagged piles of bamboo stalks, making the path so treacherous that Cragmarr hoisted me onto his shoulders. And the bugs were getting weird—some resembled butterflies made of toothpicks, while others were flying beetles reminding me of miniature attack helicopters.
He set me down on a rock by a river, and after a quick breather, we followed the stream. The bamboo was so tall I couldn’t see past either bank. It was scenic and ominous at the same time.
“Once we enter the mountains, you must go alone,” he instructed. “Complete your quests during the day and light three fires at night before you sleep. That will signal the other factions not to interfere with your Jingozi trials.”
“Trials?” I asked, stopping.
Without breaking stride, he continued, “Yes. The Jingozi will put obstacles in your path—tests. The better you do, the faster you will level.”
“How will I know where you are?”
“You will not know. But I will know where you are at all times.”
“How, exactly?”
“The Golems surrounding you will communicate with me. Some will only observe, while others will be less… friendly. Be careful and trust nothing. You will—”
I jumped in front of him.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, these are your trials,” he said, pointing behind me. “Ember, Jingozi apprentice of the Ninja faction, you start now.”
I turned to see a giant cliff just past the bamboo line.
NEW QUEST: THE TRIALS
Survive 40 days of PVE with no assistance from your tutorial guide. Prove yourself worthy to become a Jingozi apprentice. Earn Jingozi tokens as currency to complete your quests.
Reward: Title of Tier 1 Jingozi Apprentice
[0/40] Days Complete
I burst into tears.