Tristan woke up bright and early. He scarfed down a quick [Simple Rations], did a little walk around to loosen himself up, then began reviewing the cards he wanted to forge. He’d decided for now to use Dark cards as his offensive core—though when he worked to reclaim his real deck, Dark would be reset to a more supportive aspect—and use Earth as his support system.

With that in mind, he figured his final Apprentice deck would look something like this:

1) [Apprentice/Dark/Summon] — Shadow Wolf

2) [Apprentice/Dark/Attack] — Dark Spear

3) [Apprentice/Dark/Attack] — Bleeding Hamstring

4) [Apprentice/Dark/Attack] — Murky Spike

5) [Apprentice/Dark/Support] — Nightmark

6) [Apprentice/Dark/Support] — Shadow Dash

7) [Apprentice/Earth/Support] — Wood Shell

8) [Apprentice/Earth/Support] — Stonehold

9) [Apprentice/Earth/Support] — Berry Juice

10) [Apprentice/Earth/Support] — Basic Rations

He would also craft the Apprentice version of [Basic Nightvision] to slot in as needed. This was a solid, mid-range deck with relatively low cooldowns that focused on quick bursts of damage while inflicting status effects on the opponent. He figured this would be more than enough for [[Withering Roots]], which was a good benchmark for him to clear before progressing to Sol and getting off this island.

Realistically, he thought, this is overkill for an intermediate Apprentice Dungeon, but this isn’t a game. Better to be on the safe side.

At the moment, he had the item requirements to forge [Bleeding Hamstring], [Shadow Dash], [Berry Juice], and [Basic Rations]. The other five would require some more hunting, not only for the item requirements, but also for the [Blueprints] themselves.

But before he dove back into the hellscape that was Apprentice forging, he wanted to treat himself to his new equipment.

He pulled all four [Equipment Cards] out and converted them at his feet.

The [Leafsworn Top] was a long-sleeved green shirt that looked as if it was sewn out of leaves. It was fine, aesthetic wise. He preferred something cooler. But he couldn’t be picky, not right now at least. He took off his shirt—it had gotten all scraped and dirty from his fights—and equipped the top.

The size adjusted, fitting him perfectly. Light flashed, indicating the equipment was now added to his [Equipment Page]. Now, the [Armor] effect would remain in place until he traveled a certain distance from it, unequipped it, or returned it to his [Binder].

Next, the [Barkfur Cloak]: a long, blackish gray piece of fur bordered by the same gray wood as the trees he’d seen earlier, topped off by the snarling wolf’s head.

If he was being frank, he thought the item was awesome. He heavily disagreed with the System’s description of it as “a little ghastly.” Smiling, he equipped the cloak, the wolf’s head now framing his own.

The [Goblin Trousers] and [Hogskin Boots] went on next. When it was all done, Tristan found a little pool of water nearby to check out his reflection.

With his wolf cloak, green top, brown pants, and leathered boots, he looked like a typical forest-ranger type. The scar under his eye had faded to a thin white line, and his hair was in desperate need of a good wash. He took care of that quickly, leaving a mess of wet, black bangs dripping over his forehead.

He walked around a bit, seeing how the equipment felt on him. He did a couple quick movements, some rolls and dashes, and discovered a neat interaction; his cloak phased through his arm when he moved like that. It wouldn’t impede him while trying to cast cards.

Then, a thought occurred to him. He picked up a rock and smashed it against his chest with a slight cringe. His top flashed red before fading.

When he pulled up his [Equipment Page], he saw that the [Armor] of the top had dipped by one, but not the rest of his equipment.

He nodded to himself. [Armor] is segmented, not holistic. Each individual piece has its own rating, and once that piece becomes inert, that body part is open to damage. He nodded to himself. It had worked that way in the game as well.

Then, he sighed. There was no more putting him off.

Tristan summoned the [Forge]. Here we go again.

***

In the end, he only managed to successfully forge three out of the four cards. He was having a real difficult time with the different colored hues of black on the Apprentice-rank Dark cards like [Shadow Dash] and [Bleeding Hamstring].

Furthermore, these four cards required the associated Novice card—[Dash] for [Shadow Dash], [Hamstring] for [Bleeding Hamstring], etc.--as an item requirement, which presented another layer of difficulty; he wasn’t inking the image from scratch but building off the image from the previous card.

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He managed to finish [Bleeding Hamstring], but the former he’d failed twice and ran out of [Minor Dark Essences]. The other two Earth cards he managed to forge successfully: the first try for [Berry Juice], the second try for [Basic Rations].

Still,

he thought, looking at what he’d acquired, not bad.

You have successfully forged 1x. [Apprentice/Dark/Attack] — Bleeding Hamstring: Send out a jagged disc of dark energy that applies [Slow]. (CASTS: 5 | CONDITION: APPLIES [BLEED] IF STRUCK ON THE BACK OF LEG / APPENDAGE.)

You have successfully forged 1x. [Apprentice/Earth/Support]: Berry Juice — Create a juice that provides a moderate healing effect. (CASTS: 2).

You have successfully forged 1x. [Apprentice//Earth/Support]-- Basic Rations: Create a meal bar that will satiate your hunger and thirst by a moderate amount. (CASTS: 1)

You have acquired 6x. [Apprentice Forgeshards].

He slotted the cards in, replacing the empty spaces their Novice versions had taken. Summoning the [Basic Rations] was a particularly exciting moment for him, as now the food appeared not as a gross-looking bar, but a somewhat-appetizing looking bar. He scarfed it down and was pleasantly surprised when the rather neutral taste didn’t make him grimace.

The fullness effect was noticeably different. He sighed in satisfaction, feeling closer to full than he had the past two days.

He then tried the [Berry Juice]. The card appeared as a wooden gourd filled with red, berry-smelling liquid, and he drank it down.

A pulse of rejuvenation washed over him, and he sighed again, this time in relief, as the tiny aches and pains he’d accrued while fighting faded away. He used the remaining cast as well.

Tristan grinned. He felt like a new man. On impulse, he grabbed the [Bleeding Hamstring] card, and cast it at a nearby tree.

Before, [Hamstring] was a simple slice of dark energy. Now upgraded, the card was fully circular and rippled with dark, jagged edges that ripped through the air and slammed into a tree, cutting a deep gouge in it all the way to the center of the tree. He whistled at the damage.

He nodded to himself. Good. I’m progressing. But he wasn’t done yet.

It was time to use these new cards and farm some Perks.

He navigated his way back into the Apprentice zone of the forest, his compass always positioned towards the Great Oak towering high into the sky. The brown, warm colors of the trees around him steadily transitioned into a darker, more-foreboding gray.

A few Novice monsters crossed his path, and he dispatched them with a carefully aimed [Bleeding Hamstring].

He found his thoughts turning to the [Withering Roots] Dungeon as he was going to go clear it soon. He tried to remember what the boss was; some kind of giant beetle?

Regardless, it would be an easy fight. He still had to be careful, but he wasn’t particularly worried, especially once he completed his deck.

Speaking of which. A rumbling in the ground alerted him to the presence of one of the monsters he needed: an [Earthen Warrior], a high Apprentice monster that dropped [Earthen Souls].

He turned to his right and watched the monster approach. Again, he was confused at how early into the Apprentice zone he was finding these monsters. He set the thought aside for now, chalking it up to a quirk of the game becoming real, and summoned his deck.

The [Earthen Warrior] was a crumbling, clay apparition fashioned like a knight in armor; in its right hand was a chipped stone sword and in its left hand was a crude wooden shield.

Alright, time to see what you can do, he thought, pulling [Shadow Wolf] from the deck and casting it. He threw the card out, and mid-air it became engulfed in darkness before popping out as as a female wolf formed entirely out of smoking shadow. She was a good size, almost his height on all fours, with wicked claws and fangs a darker shade of black than the rest of her body. Wisps of shadow lifted from her body as she snarled.

The [Earthen Warrior] raised its sword in response.

Tristan oohed at the sight of the beast, his eyes sparkling. God, that’s so cool. I will name you Rommie. He wanted to see how strong Rommie was by herself, so he commanded her to attack on her own.

She burst forward, keeping low to the ground. The Warrior swung the sword as she drew close; Rommie easily ducked under it and slashed out with her paw, carving gouges into its leg before leaping back. The Warrior made a rumbling sound, and it slammed its sword into the ground. Spikes ruptured in a line towards Rommie, who dodged it easily with her speed and ran back in to sneak in another quick attack.

Tristan sat back, analyzing, as Rommie took on the Warrior by herself. Her regular basic attacks were typically lupine in fashion. Get in, strike, get out. Repeat. As an Apprentice Summon, she wouldn’t be able to use her skills of her own volition; that wouldn’t happen until Expert Summons. He had to manually command her to use skills at this stage.

“Rommie,” Tristan said. “Use [Shadow Slash].”

The wolf suddenly dashed forward from where she’d been circling the monster. She raised her paw, and the claws there elongated in crackling darkness; she slashed out, carving three giant rends into the Warrior’s back, clay and dirt spraying outward, before hastily backing away.

The Warrior groaned.

“Good. Now use [Shadow Lunge].”

Rommie skidded to a halt, then disappeared in a shroud of shadow. Tristan gasped in excitement as the wolf appeared beside the Warrior. A moment later, a giant bite mark exploded into being on the monster’s wounded back.

The [Earthen Warrior] collapsed, finished.

You have defeated 1x. Earthen Warrior.

You have acquired 3x. [Stonesword Fragment], 1x. [Earthen Clayshard], [1x. Earthen Soul].

You have acquired 2x. [Apprentice Perkshards].

Her skills had a small cooldown of ten seconds each. She was pretty strong and would be even stronger once he unlocked the [Perk] he had in mind. He kept an eye on her duration, indicated by a small bar ticking down beside her.

Rommie padded over to him, sat on her haunches, and wagged her tail. He grinned, patting her on the head, admiring the almost ink-like consistency of her body. She whined and dropped down on her back, revealing her stomach for rubs.

Tristan obliged; I definitely couldn’t do this in the game, he thought, rubbing her belly as she squirmed on the ground in pleasure.

“Good girl,” he said, recalling her. The duration expired, and she disappeared in a puff of shadow.

He turned to face the forest. Three more [Earthen Warriors] pushed their way through the forest.

Tristan grinned. Now, it’s my turn.