The apocalypse had been compared to many things, hell, a terrible game, a race for evolution, the fury of gods, revenge of the wildlife, a government experiment… The list goes on, but most of all, it had been compared to war.
It was not a war for a country or for beliefs as in days of old, but a war for survival as a species.
It was said that hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.
Among these hard men were many heroes and villains. Of course, it was not so black and white. It was merely the ratio and number of good deeds that warped one's perspective.
Who is a hero? Who is a villain? That could change depending on who was asked.
A drug dealer was a villain to the police, but could be a hero to his family or community for the benefits he brings them.
Nevertheless, it was a stone-cold fact there were many noteworthy figures in the New Age who had achieved amazing feats and discoveries, whose names hung on the tongues of humanity, and whose fame traveled faster than the wind.
Bed time stories, sagas, ballads; their feats and deeds propagated in many ways throughout the New World as humans huddled together for warmth. Those heroic tales kept away the darkness, allowing them to carry on in the face of fear and pain. Of these, the greatest and most impactful were called Numbered Epics. The others were simply the leftovers.
*
16th Epic
Nedallion, Founder of the Truth Seeker Guild
Branches of the Extraordinary Tree
After many adventures through trial realms and mission spaces, the great pioneer and discoverer, Nedallion, found that haphazardly mashing together cards for battle was an ignorant approach. It was the method they had been using so far, but apparently it wasn’t maximizing the full potential of the cards.
Cards were mystical and all-encompassing, yes, but each had a speciality.
Just using them without skill was like adding and subtracting in turns without reason, like giving a clueless amateur tools without technique. Nedallion surmised that natal cards were the nucleus of the Card Master’s extraordinary path.
It was the seed to the great tree that grew with time, nourishment, and adversity. The branches and leaves on this tree had to be carefully chosen for maximum efficiency to create a perfect organism.
The Path of the Elements, for instance, consisted of sticking solely to a single element such as fire, and only using cards of that attribute. This subtly affected the card master's aperture and increased the pace of development of their natal card, invoking new effects and abilities. It was a virtuous cycle where the natal card also had an effect on socketed cards, increasing the growth of these already thick branches.
The physique was tainted with fire, the aperture was tinged with flames, the essence blazed, and the spirit smouldered.
The extraordinary path of the Card Master was a controlled path of evolution for humans. This focused path was further refined and strengthened according to the individual, increasing their combat capabilities.
Forcing a variety of different core cards within your internal system was the equivalent to heading down different roads at the same time, tearing yourself apart.
The Great Pioneer thus concluded that, for the path of card masters, five fingers were inferior to one fist, and the nutrients of five different fruits were inferior to a single carefully-cultivated fruit.
With the evolution of the human as the focus, branches which consisted of socketed cards attached to the stem of the natal card must be carefully chosen.
Thus, branches of the tree sprouted the extraordinary professionals, forming the nine basic professions with their countless internal branches.
*
4th Floor, South Central Mall, E 42 Main Street, Jefferson District, New Roselee City
An ancient altar sprouted up in a department store, spanning several square meters.
The front of the department store was littered with green goblin corpses lightly toasted. The altar stood, unseen from the outside. Inside, several figures repeatedly approached the earthen medallion bearing a yellow light.
One figure stood a distance away in the ruined clothing store, watching as the rest took steps to the medallion. Soon, the first person sucked in the medallion's holy light and joined the quiet Minnie, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. One by one, the first batch of the Blue Flame Stronghold received their awakening from the altar.
Celes took a look at her excited little sister beaming at her like an expectant puppy. She sighed internally. Jasmine only looked this cute when she wanted something.
"So? So? You said to wait until everyone awakened their aperture from the altar. They're almost done, so when are we gonna start?" Jasmine chirped like a baby bird.
‘I guess there's no helping it…’ Celes thought with a sigh. ‘She's as stubborn as a bull when she wants to be.’
"You said you wanted to fight in the frontlines, yes?" Celes asked, almost raising her hands in defeat, catching Minnie hold a hand over her mouth with a small chuckle.
Jasmine nodded firmly in response.
Celes thought for a while before continuing. "Like I said before, we typically fight in teams in the New World. There are some lone wolves, but those are usually the unfortunate or abnormal, so let’s ignore them.” She flipped through cards as she spoke. “Based on your request, you want a melee combat position. There are different branches for that position, but popular choices are Warriors, Berserkers, Heroes, and Paladins.”
She stopped at one blue glowing card for a moment, but then continued her flipping. “It's hard to categorize the different variations under one bracket. But basically you choose a weapon, strengthen yourself to use it, and fight accordingly. Choose a skill and select matching or supporting skills to form a system. Choose a talent and—well, you get the idea. Out of these, talents allow for the most wiggle room; skills and weapons typically force you to fight in a certain manner. These come into play later and determine your rewards from missions, cards you use, and so on.”
Jasmine’s soft blue eyes lit up, eager to make her input. “Okay, so I’ll —”
“I have four options for you,” her sister interrupted calmly, spreading out a collection of cards she had selected from her flips. “The most powerful card I have suitable for you is a sword; Red Steel-grade Crystalline Nature Fang. The next two cards are Green Copper grades; Three Point Biting Fang and Ten Times Strength. You could specialize in several weapons in the future, or you could focus on your body. Lastly, we have the Black Iron-grade Fairy Thorn Maiden Transformation.”
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The name of the card caught Jasmine’s attention. “What does that one do?” she asked, reaching out to take a closer look at it, but Celes held it away from her.
“Normally, with the cards in my hand, I wouldn't give you such a mid-ranked card,” she said, flicking it across her fingers like a magician, a glint of knowledge shining through her experienced sapphire eyes, “but I know how to promote this one to higher qualities. It is one of the most valuable card natures one can have, apart from summoning or brood natures.”
“How does that work?”
“Oh, it allows you to transform into an alien race specialized in controlling thorn-like vines and plants with tough defenses, and a momentary ability to fly —” Celes sucked in a breath before continuing her pitch. “It’s a good all-rounder for a transformation card. Its weaknesses are not the worst. It’s just fire, and even then it has to be a pretty strong fire."
Jasmine blinked slowly. It felt like she had just been bombarded by an eager cardealer ready to make a big sale. Celes cracked a small smirk, leaving her to her mental abacus.
"What about me?” Minnie raised her hand like an obedient kindergartener.
Celes rolled her eyes. "You're a special case. In the past, you were forced to choose a skill from the spell nature, but you always regretted it since your main position was at the base or in the rear, far away from the front lines."
“That does sound like me…” Minnie muttered thoughtfully.
In the past?
A flicker passed by in the pupils of several team members who thought 'sure enough'.
Everyone else was in the dark yet Celes somehow knew exactly what to do. Even fools would be suspicious.
"You also regretted not having Fell's Spiritual Soul Network or Vanquished General's Regretful Map as your natal card. Those were super rare and we only got them by chance later on.” Celes rapidly sorted through her cards. “Unfortunately, I don't have them here either. I do have one of your second choices though, Green Copper-grade Spiritual Link Insignia. We can still wait if you want; we're not in the same rush we were as before."
Fell's Spiritual Soul Network was the card form of a racial skill from a race of beings who existed as souls. The card allowed for the user to connect with the soul's of comrades, transmit thoughts, see through their eyes, regenerate, and many other esoteric wonders once utilised well.
Vanquished General's Regretful Map was a card that allowed one to view a three dimensional image of the battle field from afar. The data would be transmitted directly to the brain, allowing the user to easily grasp the liquidity of the battleground without ever setting foot on it themselves.
Spiritual Link Insignia created a magical emblem inside the mind, capable of splitting off sub-emblems to others and allowing the user to link their thoughts and feelings, transmitting them across great distances.
These were all cards of the spiritual category, rare beyond measure.
"Do you have to ask? I'll take it!” Minnie answered with an excited clap. “I won't sit still and look pretty, watching you do all the work."
Celes smiled. She had expected as much.
With the cards in hand, she would be able to give the team a full set of matching cards without any issue. In total, her arsenal was 149 strong. She had never owned so many cards until around seven years in the future, with countless deaths and bloody exchanges to achieve such. The level of quality within her current collection surpassed anything she had ever obtained until much later.
Owning thirty-two Green Copper cards, she could currently give each member of the team at least 2 matching cards of the quality. Only one or two persons would have a Blue Stone or Grey Ash card.
Celes carefully picked out cards for everyone, giving them detailed instructions before walking to the center of the room.
She hesitated for a bit, bringing out two more cards.
‘I've already shattered and wasted two essence cards to exterminate the goblin horde… Do I really need to do it again when it's not a urgent situation?’
Celes bit her lower lip deep in thought.
‘Better safe than sorry… just one mistake or blemish could affect them for the rest of their lives if it happens.’
There were known cases of things being attracted to fusion of the Card Soul lurking deep within before erupting one day. Many alien races were capable of this, along with parasites, curses, and the like.
Although the Essence Devouring Spirit Worm and Gelahk clan were never once reported in New Roselee City, Celes wasn't so sure since she couldn’t possibly remember every little thing that had occured in the city. Someone could have been killed by mutant bacteria infecting their Card Soul, but deaths were as frequent as catching a cold during the last days.
With the signature Ten Thousand Abyss Crevices stationed at the High Cliffs of the Wailing Winds Region, who knew what might have flown up and sneakily slumbered in the city?
Celes activated two other cards and watched as a ball of light emerged, waves rippling throughout the room before they vanished. One could never be too careful.
*
Far away from the High Cliffs of the Wailing Winds, in the border between the Giant Tree Forest Plateau and the Six-Coloured Desert Plain Regions, a metallic blue RV was parked on a piece of pavement, surrounded by patches of dehydrated grass. Ruined buildings dotted the landscapes like droplets of hail falling on dry earth.
Wriggling brown and black figures noisily attacked a white silhouette. The white silhouette flashed between the swarm of a dozen car-sized insects, maneuvering past their sickle mandibles like an elegant obstacle dash course.
The insects squealed like pigs as their heads were bashed in with repeated hits. They tried to use their powerful jaws to rip the flesh of the enemy, but their prized fangs only grazed against his powerful grey scales.
O’Brien slowed down at intervals, dodging the neon green-glowing fangs.
Their blade like legs anchored them to the ground, unable to reach the figure when he jumped in the air and rained down blows. They could only watch as he lifted their brothers as shields and broke off their mandibles and legs, stabbing them with it.
Their hard carapaces were now cracked from his fists and silver claws, displaying broken off body parts that pierced into them like needles. Whenever they died, their armour withered like poisoned plants and their flesh rapidly decayed like they had suffered from a chronic infectious disease.
The battle raged on for several minutes, concluding with little surprise. They had been cut down one by one.
The slit pupil in O'Brien's amber gold eyes disappeared, replaced by a normal circle pupil, the shining gleam of gold dimming slightly as he undid his transformation. Seeing his scales recede to reveal a body covered in scratches, O'Brien payed them no mind and turned to the corpses of the slain bugs.
The bugs were weak Grey Ash-blooded monsters. In his prime, he could have easily taken these base creatures, but that was in peak physique with his past natal card as a frontline combatant. He had never used claws to fight either, so changing fighting styles was also a factor to consider. It would have been easier if he had used his past fighting style, refined by years of effort and rumination, but unfortunately he could not.
Now he had to struggle to develop a new fighting style based on his current attributes.
"What a joke,” he scoffed. “I know even White Silver quality cards are deemed greatly unnatural by those crazy Paradise Seekers, but still–how the hell did the transformation of a giant dragon turn into just some scales and horns appearing? Am I a horned fish? Where's my giant muscles?! Why can't I soar through the sky?! I feel like a fucking knockoff!"
O'Brien complained bitterly, kicking an innocent rock out of his way.
Starless cards beyond Grey Ash and Blue Stone were unnatural to begin with, but only starless cards could be fused as one's natal card. One could only use cards that matched their current realm, and Grey Ash cards were the other half of the Card Apprentice Realm of Tier Zero. The only reason humans of the New Age could have natal cards beyond the Blue Stone quality was because of the peculiarities of the first card fall. It was one of the many reasons the Genesis Card Fall was also dubbed God's Gift.
"There's no helping it,” O'Brien sighed deeply. “I just have to make do." Despite his complaints, he was quite satisfied with his natal card.
It wasn't even a Strength-type Dragon race to begin with, like the Nine-Headed Jewel Earth Dragon, yet his scales were almost impenetrable. By transforming, his visual acuity increased several folds, along with physical fitness, regeneration, and so on. Of course, such was the standard of transformation cards; the user could gain all the little attributes of the transformable race.
His power increased, similar to the application of a Blue Stone-grade Three Times Strength! His claws also had a corrosive effect that stacked, the longer the battle raged on. The advantages were numerous, despite him only using the castrated version of his natal card.
His complaints were the unreachable envy of the current majority.