After hitting the dummy for what felt like forever, Boyd calls a stop to the exercise. "Great you all did well enough. Congratulations, now line up so you can receive your pay."

The group falls into place and Boyd hands four shards to everyone present. Stopping when he gets to Ozlo. "Boy, how about next time you show up a little early and get to know your fellow conscripts eh? You can't be a stranger to your fellow men at arms. Besides, a boy your age could use a few friends. "

"Yes Boyd."

"Great, now take your shards and go back to Burgin. I'm sure he'll have some food and drink waiting on you, and you look like you could use it."

"Yes Boyd." Following Boyds command, Ozlo heads back to the forge making no unnecessary stops.

As Ozlo walks in the door, Burgin puts down his hammer and slides his apron to the side while he takes a seat on a nearby stool. "Boy. Are you ready?"

"Hmm?" Ozlo asked confused.

Gesturing to Ozlo's pants, Burgin says. "That's four shards clinking around in your pocket I take it?"

Not making the connection yet, Ozlo simply states. "Yes sir."

Pointing upstairs, as Burgin had a habit of doing when speaking to Ozlo. Burgin said. "Great, great... Now go get your other shards, we need to have a talk."

Still not connecting the dots, Ozlo runs upstairs to grab his shards and quickly makes his way back down to the table, almost tripping over the final step.

"Slow down lad, you could hurt yourself. Here, have this. "Burgin hands Ozlo a sandwich and a glass of water and looks at him knowingly. "Go on now, the food isn't going to eat itself."

"Yes Master-" Ozlo starts to say, but is swiftly interrupted by his master.

"Enough of that, no master talk while eating. Go on, eat."

Ozlo shovels the food into his mouth, only stopping occasionally to take a sip or two of water and going back to the food. Once finished Ozlo rubs his full stomach and leans back in the chair. "Ahh. Thank you Burgin."

Once again gesturing, Burgin points at Ozlo's small coin-purse. "You're welcome lad. Now sit down, we need to talk."

"Alright..." Ozlo replied.

Doing his best to explain slowly and clearly, Burgin started off with. "So, you have more than ten shards."

"Yes." Ozlo replied.

"And have you decided what to use them on?" Burgin asked.

"No..." Ozlo stated.

Burgin sat down in the chair opposite Ozlo and stared directly at the young boy, causing him to flinch a bit from the direct eye contact. "I can't make this decision for you boy, so you're going to need to make up your mind. Do you want to make a new card, or do you want to go buy one? Worse case scenario if you make a new one, we can sell it or dismantle it."

"Dismantle?" Ozlo asked curiously.

"Yeah, dismantle. You take a card and break it into pieces. It isn't particularly efficient seeing as how you only get at best half your shards back. But if you're like me, and have a tendency to draw cards like "Summon Fork" or "Spitting Expertise" which are impossible to sell, you'll break them into pieces." Burgin gestured with his hands when he spoke of dismantling the card, hammering it up and down so Ozlo could get the idea.

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"Yes sir..." Ozlo replied.

Growing impatient, but doing his best to not show it. Burgin said. "So... Go on lad, you've had all week to think on it."

Ozlo thinks, he really thinks. Usually he's so detached from what's going on around him that he can't muster up the effort to make even the most basic of decisions and just does what he's been told. But today, Ozlo makes the decision for himself. "I should... I should listen to Burgin. He's right, making a card might be a slight gamble, but I could get real lucky."

"I'll make a card." Ozlo confidently states.

Burgin gives Ozlo a small smile. "Great decision lad, now you do know HOW to make a card right?"

"Uh... You uh..." Ozlo started, but is soon interrupted once again by his master.

"I'll take that as a no. Alright, pay close attention. You see those ten shards there?" Burgin said, gesturing to the sack of shards on the table.

Following his finger, Ozlo stated. "Yes."

"Take them, put them into a small pile." Burgin said.

"Ok..." Eager to comply, Ozlo piled ten shards into a small area on the table and patiently awaited further instruction.

Burgin continued. "Now place your hand over them, it's easier if you use your dominant hand."

"Dominant?" Ozlo asked confused.

Thrown off by the question, it took Burgin a moment to compose himself, lest he respond with a witty remake and confuse the poor boy any further. "Are you right or left handed?"

"Mother Patricia says left handed children die an early death to stupidity and are better off just learning to do thin-" Ozlo started to go off on another tangent, when Burgins firm voice stopped him. "Boy."

"Sorry... I'm right handed." Ozlo replied.

Burgin held out his hand and placed it over an imaginary pile of shards to Ozlo could get the general idea. "Great, put your right hand over the pile. And imagine, visualize them merging."

"Uh... Ok." Ozlo does as he's asked but nothing seems to happen. Try as he might the shards just sit there shimmering like always.

Burgins voice came out calm and smooth, coaxing Ozlo through the process. "Relax, this part can take a while, and there's a reason you can't do it all day. It puts a bit of a strain on your soul and you being a few weeks past fifteen... Well, it won't be quick. Just give it some time."

Ozlo waits patiently, doing his best to visualize the shards merging and condensing into a card when suddenly there's a dim flash under his hand.

"There you go, keep it up. Don't move your hand." Burgin said.

Burgins reassuring voice guides Ozlo to completion and soon enough, a common card forms under his hand.

Slapping the table Burgin stands up excitedly. "There you go Lad! You did it! Now ahem, take a look at your card, go on. Read it out loud." Burgin regains his composure and takes a seat once more.

Ozlo did as he was instructed and read the card allowed for all present to hear.

Graceful: Rank common, growth/utility.

This card will make the user more nimble and reduce clumsiness of it's holder by 10% per level.

Note: May every step you take be purposeful and with elegance.

Current Level: 1

Required Soul Shards to level 0/10

"Good job boy, and I think you should keep that one. Lord knows working around fire and hot metal you could stand to be a bit less clumsy. Go ahead and slot it."

"Yes sir..."

Doing as he asks, Ozlo absorbs the card into himself. "That feels... Strange."

"Burgin, I feel different."

"Of course you do boy, you just slotted a card. How do you feel?"

"Full? Like, bigger, on the inside."

"Ah, that would be your soul expanding a bit to accomodate the card lad. Happens to everyone, and should be safe enough. Just remember, don't try slotting too many cards in a short period."

"Why?"

"Because they'll fly out of you, probably hurt a metric fuckton, ahem, alot, in the process."

"Got it. Too many cards hurts."

"Not too many, too many in a short amount of... Boy. A thought just occurred to me."

"Oh?"

"You've been growing more expressive, even a bit smarter as of late, and I know it's your card taking effect."

Ozlo thought to himself. "Is Burgin right? HAVE I been growing more expressive? I never really thought about it. Actually, I never really think about anything. I just do what I'm told so I don't get in trouble with Mother... With Burgin"

"So how would you like to level it up a bit prematurely eh?"

"What?"

"Normally I wouldn't offer to do this, and normally I would tell you to turn anyone down offering this but. Let's make a deal boy. You'll be much more useful to me with a few levels on your card and I'll be much happier if you weren't also underfoot."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going to give you a few hundred shards. Enough to level your Scholarship up to 4 and your Graceful to 3. Sound good?"

Ozlo couldn't quite understand what was going on here. "Why would he just give me a few hundred shards? That's... That's enough to buy a horse. Maybe two..."

"You're going to just give them to me?" Ozlo asked.

"No not just give, think of it as an investment, a loan. I'll give you the shards, and you being more useful to me, can work them off. I'll of course require you to continue your apprenticeship at least until you're payed off of course. But that's a given. So, are you in boy?"

"I... I guess. "

"Great, wait here."