SNAPCRAFT | Ch. 58 - Martial Antithesis

Kai walked down the road toward the sunrise bonfire. He had recently moved into a house near the museum. He had been helping Ariel sort out the artifacts almost every night, and this way, he saved some time with the commute. Had Alfred still been alive, they would have been neighbors.

It had been five days since Seth last taught one of the most impactful lessons in Kai's memory. He had always ignored the cybermonkeys working around the city performing errands for the AI overlord (or overlady, if one cared about its name being of the feminine gender).

Before, he looked at the cyborg simians like a pebble or a tree in the street. They had always been there. They were the presence he ignored and was happy to be ignored by. Since Seth’s last lesson, however, he couldn't look at them the same way. Whenever he saw a chimp sweeping the floor or a gorilla cleaning a window, he couldn't help but shudder thinking of what it would feel like to be a marionette in Daisy's hands.

He was both excited and fearful about what lesson Seth had prepared for today. He wasn’t surprised to find he wasn’t the first to arrive.

“Morning stranger,” he greeted amicably.

“Hey, Kai! Good morning,” Ariel responded with a bright smile.

He took a seat and observed as she effortlessly stoked the fire.

“So, what shocking revelation will Seth bring us today?” she asked as she worked.

“I don't know. I doubt that Trudy and Sophie will like it, though.”

“Really?” she said sarcastically. The flames started gaining vigor, and Kai drew closer to feel their warmth.

“Why do you think Trudy and Sophie dislike him so much?”

“I asked Trudy about this. She says that fueling discontent and rebelling against Daisy is nothing but trouble.”

“Why?”

She looked at him and smiled.

“What?”

“I asked her that, too. She told me to visit Rebeltown, and I would have my answer.”

“Have you?”

She nodded. “Once. A long time ago.”

Rebeltown was just rubble. That was Trudy’s point.

“Do you agree with Trudy?” Ariel asked.

“I can't say I disagree. I mean, Daisy can blow us to smithereens if she wants. But at the same time, it's wrong not to think about it.”

“Would you ever rebel against Daisy?” The question stunned him. He hadn't considered it.

“I don't know. I've never thought about fighting. Nor Daisy nor anyone. When I think of fighting, I think of giving my best in the exams.”

The wood was now popping and crackling, and the flames were burning vigorously. “What if Seth is right, and the exams aren't the best thing to fight for?”

“Are you saying we should boycott the exams?”

Ariel shrugged. “Maybe that’s the best way to live.” She shook the soot and ash off her hands and sat by Kai’s side. “I mean, do we want to bring children into the end of the world? Maybe we should end the cycle,” she stated sadly, looking into the distance. It wasn’t a spontaneous thought. She had been thinking about this for several days. There was a profound, mature sadness in her voice but also resignation and peace.

All that Kai could think of was that she had said ‘we’ and ‘children’ in the same sentence. Did she mean, ‘we’, the sector? Or ‘we’, he and her? If it was the latter, today was the first time she was giving away that she knew they would end up together. Seeing the context surrounding the sentence made it both flattering and depressing.

“Here comes Seth,” she said, pointing east.

Seth arrived with his characteristic wobbling march. He was one of those people whose whole body moved as he walked. He looked like a pendulum, his figure so tall that with each step, he rocked left and right. If the wind blew too hard on one of the sides at the end of each swing, Kai suspected he would fall over.

“Morning!” he greeted jubilantly.

“Hey Seth, what's up?”

“Hi.”

“The old hags aren’t here yet?” he said, taking a seat facing them.

“Nope,” answered Kai.

“Seth, what will the lesson be about today?” tried Ariel. Seth had been keeping the theme of each class close to his chest, but Ariel never gave up asking. To Kai’s surprise, this time, he answered.

“The blight.”

Kai’s mouth twisted in disgust, hearing the plague being mentioned. “Why would you teach a class about it?”

“You'll see, kid. It’s an important one.”

“Why?” he tried again.

“You’ll see.”

*

Kai looked at the clock and saw how two-thirds of the time allotted to crafting was already out the window. He had [Mirror] in his inventory and many ways to copy it. He also had powerful cards to make multiple copies of. He could start crafting them left and right whenever he wanted, and his point count would explode. However, he still had some time, and preferred to keep exploring recipes, trying to unlock as many new mythic cards as possible.

Mythic cards not only kept their points across every round, but they came with an upgrade of their own. The more he could get, the better.

[Pirate Captain] was on the verge of transcending into the mythic realm. He couldn't be sure, but if pirates worked similarly to wolves, he could just push through with quantity rather than improve them by equipping them with tools, weapons, or traits. He decided to make a copy of [Pirate Captain].

[Pirate Captain] + [Mirror]

Pirate Captain | Hp: 3→2

Mirror | Hp: 2→1

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Pirate Captain].

Now that he had two pirate captains, all that was left was to see if anything happened once he merged them.

[Pirate Captain] + [Pirate Captain]

Perfect merge! You’ve crafted [Pirate Commodore].

Pirate Commodore (Mythic)

A pirate lord who commands two pirate ships.

Hp: 1

Vp: 25

This card also works as an upgrade. You’ve unlocked [Pirate’s Den].

Sure enough, he had gotten a pirate Commodore. The illustration on the card revealed a pirate in full uniform with the biggest hat Kai had ever seen. Not even clowns had sported such an exaggerated piece of clothing. He also had a sword on his belt and dark eyes. Even though it was a drawing, Kai couldn't help but feel fear towards the blood-thirsty look of the pirate.

He had managed to create another mythic card. By getting [Pirate Commodore], he had also automatically unlocked [Pirate’s Den]! He wondered what would have happened if he had already purchased the upgrade. Would Daisy come up with another one, or would he just win nothing? Would he get an upgraded version? Now, he couldn't know.

Regardless, it was all good news. [Pirate’s Den] was an expensive upgrade, and with this, he didn't have to worry about any of his pirate cards being obliterated at the end of each round. Maybe that explained why [Pirate Commodore] was the first exception to the rule that mythic cards always possessed infinite hp. It only had one hit point! Perhaps Daisy reasoned that since [Pirate Commodore] came with an upgrade that prevented this card from being obliterated, there was no point in it having infinite hp like other mythic cards.

He studied the card’s stats and found that there wasn’t a ‘max’ text on it. Even though it was a mythic card, it still hadn't reached its maximum value. What was it missing? Could he do anything to help [Pirate Commodore] break through the last bottleneck and reach maximum victory points?

He couldn't create another [Pirate Commodore] since mythic cards were unique. The moment he had one of them, he couldn't have a second one. Was there any other way of making the card progress? He placed all his pirate cards before him and tried to discern whether he had missed something. What was the best way for a pirate to become stronger?

Should he just keep spamming the combo of [Pirate Commodore] with [Pirate Ship]? Maybe treasure was the key. Then it hit him: The conversation with Maia. She had expressed how she disliked pirates and didn't agree that they should be as praised and lauded as they were in human culture. Was there a clue there somehow? It was as if she was hinting that instead of looking up to the vile ways of piracy, one should look up to something better, something more.

Several thoughts converged in Kai's mind and the memory of when he'd been in the neon city melded with Maia's words. There could be a way of making something that, in Daisy’s opinion, was stronger than a pirate Commodore. The key to that was [Illuminating Adult].

He grabbed it and placed it on the table. “Here goes nothing,” he said to no one in particular.

[Illuminating Adult] + [Pirate Commodore]

Illuminating Adult | 3→2

Pirate Commodore | 1→0

Crafting successful| You’ve crafted [Navy Admiral].

Navy Admiral (Mythic)

An honorable official who commands the navy and fights pirates.

Hp: 0

Vp: 28

This card also works as an upgrade. You’ve unlocked [Navy Headquarters].

His hunch was right! Back in the neon city arena, [illuminating Adult] had the power to convert [Radicalized Adult] into [Illuminated Adult]. It was as if this legendary card could purify or cleanse an evil card.

In this case, it had converted a pirate lord into its opposite, a navy admiral! Not only were the points awesome, but it also came with its own upgrade. Sadly, he couldn't see the description of upgrades unlocked by mythic cards. He still didn't know what [Super Trooper] did, and now he had another unknown upgrade: [Navy Headquarters].

It did sound suspiciously similar to [Pirate's Den]. Could it be that it did the same thing as [Pirate's Den], keeping marines and navy officers safe from obliteration? That went in line with the navy admiral also coming with zero hp. Drumming his fingers on the table and seeing the seconds ticking by, Kai decided to operate on the assumption that it would. From now on, he’d assume all his pirate and navy cards were safe.

Still curious about the purifying power of [Illuminating Adult], Kai decided to do one additional experiment.

[Illuminating Adult] + [Pirate]

Illuminating Adult | 2→1

Pirate | 1→0

Crafting successful | You’ve crafted [Navy Seaman].

Navy Seaman (Uncommon)

A low-ranking member of the navy.

Hp: 2

Vp: 2

Sure enough, it wasn't just [Pirate Commodore] that could be converted. The lowest rank of pirates could also become the lowest rank of navy officers. And if that was true, he could equip them with tools or weapons just as he had done with pirates. He grabbed a hammer to see what kind of navy officer he would unlock.

[Navy Seaman] + [Hammer]

Navy Seaman | 2→1

Hammer| 4→3

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Navy First Officer]

Navy First Officer (Uncommon)

A low-ranking officer who fights sea bandits.

Hp: 1

Vp: 5

He unlocked an officer. From now on, he should make as many of these cards as possible. Every single navy officer and pirate card he made would resist obliteration. They would stay safe in the navy's headquarters and the pirate’s den—at least, that's what he believed the upgrades would do. He decided to make a second navy first officer.

[Navy Officer] + [Hammer]

Navy Officer | 1→0

Hammer | 3→2

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Navy First Officer]

Time was still ticking; there were only twenty minutes left. He had 100 points of an advantage over his opponent. He wasn’t yet willing to start copying cards, though. Something was bugging him. Even though these two mythic cards were incredible, neither had achieved maximum value. Why was that?

Wasn’t there anything above a Commodore or anything above an Admiral? If he had learned anything this round, was that he shouldn't stop crafting until cards reached their maximum value. He’d learned that lesson from [Raised City of Atlantis], which became [Guarded City of Atlantis] when he mixed it with [Crabken]. That also happened when he turned the [Illuminating Adult] into a superhero. What about these two? What could he turn them into?

He had already experimented with boosting them, giving them tools, weapons, and traits, and piling them on each other. The only thing he hadn't tried was to put one against the other. What happened when a Pirate Commodore met a Navy Admiral? There had to be some resonance or synergy here. After all, they represented two opposing forces.

There was only one way to find out. The first thing Kai did was secure the healing cards needed to heal both creature cards.

Copy successful! You’ve exchanged [Acacia Tree] and [Cotton Candy] for [Cotton Candy].

[Cotton Candy] + [Pirate Commodore]

Cotton Candy | 4→0

Pirate Commodore | 0→3

Crafting failed.

Kai hadn’t found any use for [Power Outlet]. Therefore, since it was only worth one victory point and had only one hit point left anyway, he might as well use it to get another healing card.

Copy successful! You’ve exchanged [Power Outlet] and [Cotton Candy] for [Cotton Candy].

[Cotton Candy] + [Navy Admiral]

Cotton Candy | 4→0

Navy Admiral | 0→3

Crafting failed.

Now that both cards could be merged, Kai placed them on the table and watched nervously. This was the first time that he was merging two mythic cards. Sure enough, the visual effects were spectacular. In addition to blinding light, the table spat white sparks and golden lightning as the two cards came together. The crafting table took almost a full minute to process the combination.

Once the fireworks were done, the first thing Kai noticed was that neither mythic card had disappeared. Then, his eyes landed on the brand-new card sitting on the table.

[Pirate Commodore] + [Navy Admiral]

Navy Admiral | 3→2

Pirate Commodore | 3→2

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [War]!

War (Mythic)

Organized aggression between two opposing factions.

Hp: 0

Vp: 79

Wow! 79 victory points? That was incredible. War… it made sense. Pirates against the Navy. Two opposing forces.

The cards' stats points, however, were very suspicious. Firstly, it had zero hp. This card would have disappeared after this round if he hadn’t had the [Fridge] upgrade. On the other hand, its victory points were off the chart. This was, right now, his most powerful card.

The number was very odd, though. Why 79 victory points? He compared it with his other cards, trying to make sense of this peculiar number.

“War. Two opposing forces. Could it be?” he mumbled.

He hurried up and tried creating another Navy card. There was yet another weapon card that he could use, and which only required a few steps to unlock.

[Air Rifle] + [Funhouse Mirror]

Air Rifle | Hp: 1→0

Funhouse Mirror | 1→0

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Pneumatic Rifle].

Before he used [Pneumatic Rifle], he stopped himself and thought of the [Accuracy] card that was left. Should he try to merge them?

[Pneumatic Rifle] + [Accuracy]

Pneumatic Rifle | 1→0

Accuracy | 5→0

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Pneumatic Sniper Rifle].

Pneumatic Sniper Rifle (Rare)

High-powered firearm with incredible precision.

Hp: 1

Vp: 9

A new scope was sitting atop the pneumatic rifle, and its stats had improved. He gifted this powerful weapon to his officer, trying to confirm his theory.

[Navy First Official] + [Pneumatic Sniper Rifle]

Navy First Official | 1→0

Pneumatic Sniper Rifle | 1→0

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Navy Lieutenant Commander]

Navy Lieutenant Commander (Rare)

A mid-ranking officer who oversees special departments and smaller vessels.

Hp: 1

Vp: 9

Navy cards were a bit different from pirate cards. By giving them more tools and traits, they just climbed ranks instead of acquiring a specialized usage of a weapon. In this case, he had gained a lieutenant commander, a card with one hit point, and nine victory points. He checked what had happened to his war card.

War (Mythic)

Organized aggression between two opposing factions.

Hp: 0

Vp: 88

Sure enough, it had climbed nine points. He had figured it out.

Ch. 57 - Mind Control Acclimatization

INDEX

Ch. 59 - Error?!”#%