SNAPCRAFT | Ch. 19 - Shadow Mimicry
Added 2023-10-26 13:07:39 +0000 UTCSpring of 346, A.D.
“Do you want some more, Kai?”
“No, thanks, Ariel. I’m full.”
After Alex came back from his seclusion, Ariel couldn’t stop smiling. Kai also noticed that she attributed Alex’s return to his efforts. Whenever his plate came close to becoming empty, she came running to pour him more food.
As for Alex, he was having some sort of philosophical discussion with Trudy. Whatever words were louder than the crackling of the wood related to morals and philosophy.
“What do you think is going on with those two?” asked Kai, trying to find a way to keep Ariel from leaving. His heart raced as she sat next to him instead of going off to serve the others. He froze still as if a butterfly had landed on his shoulder, and any movement would send it flying off.
“I don’t know. But he’s been very active. I found him sleeping in the museum and the library a couple of times.”
“Well, I guess this mood beats him not being here.”
Ariel giggled. “Thank you for bringing him back, Kai.”
“No problem. Anything for you, Ariel.” He regretted it as soon as he said it. It sounded ridiculous! He didn’t even know if it was him who had brought Alex back.
To his surprise, instead of running away, she put her hand over his and smiled. “Thanks.”
Kai gulped and felt his whole body burning. Ariel also flushed and drew her hand away but didn’t leave. To break the awkward silence, Kai tried to think of something fun for everyone to do. “Yo, Alex!” He called out.
His friend turned to him, surprised. “What’s up, Kai?”
“Wanna go for a shadow show?”
His friend exchanged looks with Trudy, and they both smiled. She nodded, dismissing Alex from their discussion. “Let’s do it!”
Everyone huddled together, and Ariel ran off to grab a white sheet. She hung it on the trees with the help of Sunny, and everyone sat while Alex and Kai placed themselves between the fire and the sheet. “Knight and Dragon?” asked Kai. It was one of their best stories and one they hadn’t performed in a long time.
“Cool. I’ll be the knight.”
Kai preferred being the knight, but for once, he was just happy that his friend was there. “Deal.”
*
353rd Daisy Exams, Round of 128.
Capture successful!
Shadow Bunny (Common)
The shadow of a small, adorable mammal animal with long ears and a twitching nose.
Tries left: 7 of 20
1 of 1
Hp: 0
Vp: 3
The point count of the three shadow puppets he had made was disappointing, and for a few moments, he wondered if Daisy had set some limitation on this kind of card. Maybe the thought of a human taking their fate into their hands displeased her. Or maybe there was some synergy in these shadow cards that made them too powerful and, to balance the exam, Daisy had shaved off some points from their stat line. Time would tell what Daisy was thinking.
It was impressive that Daisy considered including these cards in the exam. Could it be that Daisy had thought of every possibility that the humans she brought to the VR environment of the exams could do? How had she known there would be humans who could do shadow mimicry? Or did she make split-second decisions as she watched them go through the exam? Kai shrugged. He would figure out if this strategy was worth investing more resources in.
He still had seven tries and 70 minutes to go. It was time to fully explore the map and see if he had missed any opportunities. When Kai had followed the oryx hoofprints, he had already explored a significant chunk of the map. To fully explore the arena, all he had to do was fill in the blanks on his map.
As he walked, Kai started thinking about combinations he wanted to try in the next stage of this round. Kai had come to this arena with a different approach from when he visited the quarry. So far, he had worried about crafting only when he was in front of the dark table. He kept his mind open to recipes and had some moments of inspiration while in the snapping arena. But he was making too many decisions in the second stage of the challenge.
This time, he would devote more of his time in the snap arena to thinking about crafting. Comparing the point count on the scoreboard, he could see that, despite his best efforts, he was still behind his opponent. His only chance at victory would come during the crafting round.
He looked at every card in his inventory and then thought about the cards left from the previous rounds. With all his cards in mind, he started roaming the map to see if he had missed anything. As he formulated possibilities and simulated the results that merging them would get him, exciting prospects started coming.
After twenty minutes, he was staring at the completely circular shape of the arena that he had explored. Kai hadn’t seen anything else that was different or that stood out, but now he had a comprehensive knowledge of the resources available on this map. There were 50 minutes left on the clock.
In the previous two snapping arenas, Kai had gotten a hold of a legendary card, but he couldn’t see what kind of shot would earn him that. He had tried to locate a second hidden location but couldn’t find anything. His theory was that [Oryx] was the only rare card to be gained here.
After roaming the whole map and finding nothing extraordinary, Kai decided to head back to the oasis in the middle of the arena. That’s where the most resources were, and he was sure he could still grab a few uncommon cards, even if his opponent had first pick at them. As the seconds ebbed away, he analyzed every bit of sand in the oasis, every blade of grass, looking for anything worth more points.
As the last minutes of the challenge approached, he put into place the strategy that he had decided on in case he found nothing else he considered interesting. First, he aimed the card at the sand.
Capture successful!
Sand (Common)
Rock that has been worn down until it becomes small particles.
Tries left: 6 of 20
3 of 4
Hp: 2
Vp: 1
As expected, [Sand] was a common card and not worth much. Still, Kai wanted to unlock as many cards as possible. Perhaps they would be the ingredients he needed to unlock a powerful recipe. He aimed at one of the bushes next.
Capture successful!
Tahara Shrub (Common)
A straggling, branched, woody shrub
Tries left: 5 of 20
3 of 4
Hp: 1
Vp: 2
Tahara… the name rang a bell, but after Clara had drilled him in thousands of Latin names, he wasn't sure anymore. It was better than nothing, and Kai spared a look at the scoreboard above, seeking some comfort. He was still behind his opponent but had reduced the gap between them.
Kai framed another plant that was common in this arena. It was a patch of green woody grass that the oryx seemed to enjoy grazing on.
Capture successful!
Calligonum Shrub (Common)
Shrubs that are diffusely but irregularly branched, with flexuous woody branches.
Tries left: 4 of 20
3 of 4
Hp: 2
Vp: 1
As he guessed, all these cards, taken from the most common elements of the arena, were all considered common and offered a measly amount of points. Even so, Kai was happy to get their cards. From what he’d seen, several upgrades became available after gaining a relevant card. He was going for as much variety and possible ingredients as possible. Who knew? Maybe he could secure the [Photocopy Machine] upgrade soon. If any of them proved valuable down the road, he might be able to make copies of them.
With only four shots left and the clock ticking away, he walked toward the acacia tree and collected more photos from its individual elements.
Capture successful!
Acacia Bark (Uncommon)
The protective outer covering of acacias known for its fibrous texture.
Tries left: 3 of 20
3 of 3
Hp: 3
Vp: 1
Capture successful!
Acacia Trunk (Uncommon)
Sturdy and often gnarled piece of hardwood.
Tries left: 2 of 20
3 of 3
Hp: 3
Vp: 1
The point distribution in these two cards was similar to the one in the [Pine Bark] and [Pine Trunk] cards but with slightly better stats. He ground his teeth at the thought that his opponent had two of these, but as he thought of the shadow puppet cards and the oryx, he calmed himself down. None of these cards were good on victory points, so there was still hope.
After capturing parts of the tree similar to the ones he’d gotten in the pine woodland, it was time to run some experiments. From now on, it was going to be new territory. It was a valuable learning opportunity to determine what parts of a tree could be turned into cards.
Acacia Leaf (Uncommon)
Leaves that look like little green feathers.
Tries left: 1 of 20
3 of 3
Hp: 1
Vp: 2
He studied the new card in his hand. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary about the card. Just like it had been the case with the bark and the branches, his opponent had gotten a hold of two of these cards, too.
Thorn (Common)
A sharp-pointing defensive adaptation that keeps enemies away.
Tries left: 0 of 20
3 of 4
Hp: 1
Vp: 2
Unlike all the other parts of the tree, acacia thorns were labeled as just thorns. That meant that thorns in a rose and thorns of an acacia would get him the same card. That was a piece of information that he did well to remember.
Now that his shots were depleted, Kai thought about his opponent. He knew most of the cards they had. He knew what sixteen of those cards were. Since Daisy revealed to him how many times a card had been collected when he took a picture, he knew that his opponent had two of each of the parts of the acacia tree and two [Acacia Tree] cards. Then, they had two [Sand] and two of each of the shrubs. He did a quick calculation and counted 22 points there.
Provided that he took two pictures of [Footprint] and found the oryx, wasting one shot on it, that still left one card unaccounted for. What if they had found a legendary card? What if they found a hidden location that Kai missed? The only unknown was the remaining four cards. All he knew was that his opponent had 114 points right now. That meant that they had collected cards worth 29 points. Kai had done better than his opponent in the snapping round. It still wasn’t enough to win, though.
Kai slapped both his cheeks with his palms. He shouldn’t be wasting time thinking of what his opponent was doing. He should channel his energies into thinking of different card combinations and warming up to the next stage of the challenge.
The last minutes in the snapping arena quickly passed. Daisy blared a horn, and in the time it took to blink, Kai was back to his base of operations with the long craft table waiting for his decisions.
Kai lay all the cards he had on the table. First, he grabbed all the cards he got in the desert arena. He had secured 38 points in this snapping stage, 9 points higher than his opponent.
2x Acacia Tree (Uncommon)
Acacias are known for their resilience and beautiful, fragrant flowers.
Hp: 3
Vp: 1
Acacia Tree Branch (Uncommon)
An acacia branch with exceptional strength and resistance to environmental stressors.
Hp: 4
Vp: 0
Footprints (Common)
Someone or something has been here.
Hp: 0
Vp: 3
2x Arabian Oryx (Rare)
A creature known as the desert’s unicorn.
Hp: 5
Vp: 2
2x Oryx Horn (Rare)
A gently swirling ivory tower with a sharp point.
Hp: 4
Vp: 3
Shadow Unicorn (Rare)
The shadow of the mythological one-horned horse of legend.
Hp: 1
Vp: 8
Shadow Wolf (Uncommon)
The shadow of a formidable and highly adaptable carnivore.
Hp: 1
Vp: 2
Shadow Goose (Common)
The shadow of a waterfowl known for its sturdy body and distinctive honking call.
Hp: 0
Vp: 3
Shadow Bunny (Common)
The shadow of a small, adorable mammal animal with long ears and a twitching nose.
Hp: 0
Vp: 3
Sand (Common)
Rock that has been worn down until it becomes small particles.
Hp: 2
Vp: 1
Tahara Shrub (Common)
A straggling, branched, woody shrub
Hp: 1
Vp: 2
Calligonum Shrub (Common)
Shrubs that are diffusely but irregularly branched, with flexuous woody branches.
Hp: 2
Vp: 1
Acacia Bark (Uncommon)
The protective outer covering of acacias
Hp: 3
Vp: 1
Acacia Trunk (Uncommon)
Sturdy and often gnarled piece of hardwood.
Hp: 3
Vp: 1
Acacia Leaf (Uncommon)
Leaves that look like little green feathers.
Hp: 1
Vp: 2
Thorn (Common)
A sharp-pointing defensive adaptation that keeps enemies away.
Hp: 1
Vp: 2
He then grabbed all the other cards left from the previous challenge. Their victory and hit points remained unchanged but now featured a small description. Kai had taken some time in the snapping arena to read through them carefully. The incident that allowed him to capture [Shadow Unicorn] was a statement of how much potential the text descriptions had. He hoped to glean some clues to recipes from the description Daisy had used for the cards.
4xGranite Brick (Uncommon)
Durable building material crafted from granite.
Hp: 1
Vp: 2
Pond (Uncommon)
A serene body of crystal clear water.
Hp: 1
Vp: 2
Flintstone (Uncommon)
Hard rock, suitable for various applications.
Hp: 2
Vp: 1
Flintstone (Uncommon)
Hard rock, suitable for various applications.
Hp: 0
Vp: 1
Gaslamp (Uncommon)
A source of illumination used by miners.
Hp: 1
Vp: 2
Bear Bread (Uncommon)
An edible kind of mushroom.
Hp: 0
Vp: 2
Wound Dressing (Uncommon)
Medical aid for treating injuries made from moss.
Hp: 5
Vp: 0
Wound Dressing (Uncommon)
Medical aid for treating injuries made from moss.
Hp: 4
Vp: 0
2x Hallucinogen (Rare)
Potent substances extracted from nature which induce vivid visions.
Hp: 0
Vp: 5
3x Light (Legendary)
A form of electromagnetic radiation that stimulates the sense of vision
Hp: +∞
Vp: 2
2x Big Flint (Uncommon)
Large, durable flint suitable for many things.
Hp: 3
Vp: 0
Big Flint (Uncommon)
Large, durable flint suitable for many things.
Hp: 2
Vp: 0
2x Small Flint (Common)
Compact flint pieces suitable for many things.
Hp: 2
Vp: 1
Spark (Common)
A fleeting burst of fiery energy.
Hp: 0
Vp: 2
Fire (Rare)
Useful for creating and destroying.
Hp: 5
Vp: 5
Pickaxe (Uncommon)
A versatile tool for mining and excavation.
Hp: 0
Vp: 0
Mining Wagon (Legendary)
A rusted mining vehicle with good capacity.
Hp: 0
Vp: 10
Adding the points he collected in this stage with the ones he had left from the previous round, Kai scored 89 points. He looked at his opponent’s score. Even though they had gained fewer points than Kai during the last round, they were still ahead at 118 points. That was a 29-point advantage over him.
Kai tried to remain calm and pulled his eyes away from the scoreboard. He couldn’t spend the whole hour seeing what his opponent was doing. He had to focus on the here and now. It was time to start crafting.
