With a small amount of Ichor, Wyatt pressed the tip of his finger against a hole on the front face. His natural Ichor of silver hues mixed with the gold of the Archangel and became something more muted, like a soft yellow instead of vibrant gold.
Click.
The lockbox popped open to reveal the card holder within. The seven mandatory cards filled seven out of the fifty-two slottable spaces within the card holder. He clicked the side of the thick and translucent rectangle.
With a hiss, the card holder popped open, expanding out to allow insertion or removal of cards. Later, he’d have to get an enchanted retriever to recover expended Cards so he didn’t have limited options when he fought.
For now, his seven Cards would need to be enough. Wyrin and Illia couldn’t be added, not until he got his own permanent card holder, and he couldn’t until he got his license to delve within Riacore.
Two weeks, or twenty five-and-a-half days to go.
Of those days remaining, Demer’s regulations mandated at least four days off for every nine days worked. This time would allow him time for individual study, which he didn’t need for classes, so he would probably reteach his body how to be comfortable moving in ways he wanted. On top of that, he had plenty of things he needed to look into.
That gave him the first step of his plan—kind of. His list of unknown factors already looked like an insurmountable mountain he needed to climb without having any legs. If their research revealed anything, then things would be dicey the second Wyatt’s identity as the Double Awakened got found out.
She walked beside him, chewing on the inside of her cheek like she tended to do when deep in thought, but he didn’t break her train of thought. Maybe she could figure something out he was overlooking.
They reached the end of the hall, turned the corner, and stopped. Two others waited at the door to the classroom, Malcolm and Luka. He remembered the duo well and waved.
Annabeth crashed into his back, not expecting him to stop. “Oof!”
He caught her for the second time that day and chuckled. “Are you going to make a habit out of this? If you do, I’ll start thinking you’re a damsel in distress.”
She shook him free and looked him up and down. “You don’t look the hero type.”
“Hurtful,” he said, clutching his chest and feigning pain.
Lightly smacking his arm, she looked past him to the duo of students then back to him. With a glower, she hissed, “Why didn’t you tell me others were here?”
“Makes things more amusing this way.” Poking her reddening cheeks caused her to smack his arm again. “Hey now, if you hit the same spot, it’ll bruise.”
“Hush, you.” She looked past him again, her eyes continuing to shift back and forth while she played with her card holder. She whispered, “Hey, do you have your seven core Cards? Pretty sure today’s the first day Instructor Monaya is letting us run sims through NaviSys.”
Rolling his eyes, he flicked the card holder and then raised them in front of her face. “Sure do.”
“Are you sure?” She eyed his Cards skeptically.
A sign on the doors read, “The basic requirements for attending Application of Fundamentals hands-on lessons are as listed: one offensive card, one defensive card, one personal enhancement card, and no fewer than seven cards in total'.
Having seen that sign every day, he’d prepared in advance. Intuitively, he knew his small deck contained two attack and defense spells, an active enhancement, one for manifestation, and one for utility.
Each had a value tied to his Ichor Holds and could be activated, if need be. All the Card types were defined by their effects, and the rank determined the limit of achievable power it could output.
His two Legendary-rank summons weighed in his pocket, reminding him to be careful while within Demer’s grounds and his motive for receiving his permanent dungeoneering license.
Two weeks, Wyatt. Two more weeks, he thought to himself as his heart beat like drums in his ears. Two weeks, and then I can add them back to the deck. Until then, I can’t reveal them. I’m not in a position to take that heat.
But that meant two weeks of surviving without his two trusted summons and resisting the constant urge to slip them into his card holder. That alone grated on his nerves, however, he also felt excitement.
The reward for surviving without them for two weeks and then being able to slot them into the deck would be very satisfying, indeed. He’d relied on them for a long time, ever since he permanently merged them with his Ichor to evolve them from Epic to Legendary.
Without the two Cards in his card holder, he couldn’t tell if he had the reservoir capable of activating their base forms—let alone their merged form of Illiawyrin. He wouldn’t know for at least two weeks, though he had hope now.
The one big bonus of being a fragment of Gabriel and finally being a whole entity—which, he had questions, so many questions—was that Ambrosia didn’t taste like poison anymore. The only way to increase one’s Ichor Hold, aside from his unique situation, required an extensive amount of Ambrosia consumption. Before, he only ever consumed enough to push his Ichor Hold capacity to the level he needed to be capable of using thirteen cards at a time, including Iliawyrin’s merger.
The stuff made him retch in the early days. Only the expensive, high-quality stuff had been tolerable. If he found anything to be grateful about in this life, a second chance to experience the wonders of the worlds, that one change made all the difference.
He wouldn’t have to cause himself distress just to improve. Now, the chance to transcend his previous limitations existed. All those that became legends in his last life, he could overcome even their peaks.
Especially now that the Angels and Devils would want a piece of him anywhere he went. I will attain the power to be free of all of this, to find freedom in this life. He smiled down at Annabeth as they stepped into the class. I won’t lose you again.
His attention drifted to the instructor waiting for them within. She was hard to miss at the center of the chamber she called a classroom.
Instructor Monaya’s scowl bore into all the students. Like a hawk, her eyes scanned every small detail as she screened the class from the center of the simulation chamber. She looked between the four of them and then past Wyatt, but he paid her little attention.
Everything around him was as fascinating as the first time he’d seen it. The chamber contained a magical script with hundreds of glowing stones interconnected and pouring their energy towards a large NaviSys module in the center of the room.
The sounds of hushed muttering reached Wyatt’s ears. The crowd of fifty or so students stared at the module in awe. Wyatt turned away from the ceiling to look at the module.
Instructor Monaya’s hand smacked against the translucent dome, interacting through some unknown means with the module. The entire world around them came alive as the stones hummed a quiet tune.
The chamber of stone and gem disappeared as a large illusion overtook everything. The chamber expanded outward, and a soft breeze blew. A plethora of monsters spawned atop pillars next to the module and where Instructor Monaya stood.
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"Quiet!" she roared, her voice amplified and carrying over them with a gravitas that brought many to their knees. A combination of Cards she carried made the profound effect silence the whole class and drew their attention to where she stood. Her hawk eyes, yellow and slitted, looked over all of them and dared them to argue with her commands. “Line up! Ten long, five deep. Do it, and do it now!”
She waited until absolutely sure everyone repositioned into orderly lines and for everyone’s attention to be solely focused on her.
Wyatt stood at the front closest to her, so he didn’t need to move. Annabeth took a few steps from his side and assumed the formal stance they’d been taught the first day—legs pressed together and arms behind the back.
The students obediently fell in line, but Wyatt watched the instructor. She wore her displeasure at their disorganized manner and the time they took to form up on her face. His heart raced as her eyes locked on his glasses.
She looked almost curious and amused for a split second. Had he not seen her features subtly shift himself, he never would’ve believed the incident happened.
Then she looked elsewhere, and her displeasure deepened. “Today is a big day, but all of you can’t even fall in line when ordered!”
The pressure she exuded weighed on Wyatt’s shoulders like a mountain. His legs shook, but he remained standing. Others weren’t as fortunate, many finding out that the ground felt just as hard as it looked.
“I won’t tolerate laziness in my class. Those who do not move when commanded will find themselves getting far more practice than the rest.” With a flick of her wrist, one of the platforms lowered. The statue-like creature moved, shaking its previously stiff limbs as if adjusting to its new body. “Anybody found lacking will be required to prove themselves worthy of such languid behavior. Everyone who is still standing, move aside. Those on the ground, prepare yourselves for combat!”
Wyatt did as she said, turning to the right and moving to the far wall. Unfortunately, he and Annabeth had made up the frontlines as everyone fell in around them. Nothing Instructor Monaya said was new to any of them, and she’d gone over the procedures in the weeks leading up to their practical applications lessons plenty of times.
As much as he wanted to be by Annabeth’s side, the line dividing the class prohibited such. Nobody around him had fallen, so he needn’t bother himself like many others. Instead, he got to watch as the illusory creature reared up and slammed forward with its triangular, shield-like head and slammed into the restriction field around it.
He’d seen the creature too many times to not know its capabilities. The Terror Brute, an amalgam creature crossbred between a Hulking Centipede and a Shield Bull, had plates as hard as steel running down its entire back. As long as three tall grown men, its legs could launch it forward in a flash.
The triangular shield-like face was notorious for being near-impenetrable with any Card less than Rare-rank.
His mind showed him the future versions of each trembling student who stood together in a huddle. Wyatt looked at each one, cataloging who they were now with what he knew they’d become.
Of the fifty students, seven stood before the Terror Brute. Their hands shook as they pulled their card holders up in front of them as if it would stop the Terror Brute from trampling them underfoot.
Wyatt looked towards Instructor Monaya, his lips thinning to a line. The cruel satisfaction on her face as the group shook made him uneasy. As if she heard his thoughts, she glanced towards him. “Care to join them?” She grinned, gesturing for him to move to the middle. “Feel free.”
Wyatt involuntarily shuddered. Even if they had ten times the number of the class, none of the students would have the firepower required to punch through any of the armored plating. If it weren’t a simulated version, he never would’ve considered the offer.
When Wyatt looked towards Annabeth on the other side of the simulation chamber, he could see her shake her head no. Next to her, Malcolm and Luka whispered to one another.
Malcolm, known in the future as Dreadnought, looked excited. Luka, on the other hand, looked like he wanted nothing to do with the Terror Brute. Rightfully so, as the man didn’t have any of his highly offensive, wide range destruction Cards yet.
The two made for a terrifying team in the future, but everything started here, today.
Wyatt thought about how things played out and grinned, thinking over the Cards he had available. Not only did he consider his current Cards, he thought about the two summons in his pocket and contemplated the changes in which his Double Awakening had.
I haven’t looked, but I’d bet a year’s tuition that all of my Cards have changed. Knowing they’d join, he could curry favor with the two and Instructor Monaya. He hadn’t missed the look of disappointment at his refusal. What better time to test things out than now?
Before Malcolm could volunteer himself and Luka, Wyatt stepped forward. “I will participate.”
Annabeth shot him a questioning, scathing look, pointing at her eyes and her own deck, then back at him. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what she was trying to tell him, but he needed the practice. Too much had changed, and he didn’t know his baseline capabilities, and that felt far more dangerous than the potential looming threat of Devils and secret organizations.
Not knowing what his cards did could kill him the moment he faced an Incursion or took his first trip into Riacore. The simulation chamber was perfect for the kind of practice he needed, even if he did risk showing off his Double Awakening.
He just wouldn’t think of the worst case scenarios if he were to be found out.
After a few seconds of laughter, Instructor Monaya nodded. “So be it, Mr. Callaway.”
“We’d like to join too,” Malcolm said as he stepped forward, dragging Luka towards the center.
“I didn’t really want to,” Luka grumbled. Now that Malcolm dragged him forward, he didn’t have much of a choice. The tall and thin man rolled his eyes and lined up quite the distance away from Malcolm. “I’ll do what I can, I guess. Just do your thing. Keep it distracted.”
Wyatt approached the group, standing away from them, and noticed the Terror Brute’s eyes focused on him. The entire time they watched and waited for Instructor Monaya to release the creature, the Terror Brute kept its eyes locked on Wyatt.
More specifically, it looked towards his pocket.
The uneasy feeling the simulation creature could sense his summons made him clench his fist and unleash his control over his Ichor. The radiant energy activated his passive enchantment.
Body Reinforcement floated up around him and settled over his chest. The minor effect didn’t seem like much, only boosting his stamina recovery, lightening his body, and hardening his skin by a small amount. However, he’d still had the card fifteen years in the future, albeit an upgraded version.
Against the Terror Brute, any advantage would matter. The rest of his deck, he gripped in his hand and waited. The passive effect could remain indefinitely, but aside from the manifestation card, he could only use the rest once.
Immediately, he noticed the effects of Body Reinforcement was not what he remembered. His body felt light and powerful, energy coursing through him in ways he hadn’t experienced until the card had gone from Common-rank to Rare-rank.
Well, this is unexpected. He looked down at the Card where it stuck to him, and the details didn’t change. The effect, though, made him aware that something changed within him. Could it be the new Ichor used to fuel the Card?
Regardless of the answer, he didn’t have the time now to figure anything out. Instead, he activated his manifestation card, Alacrity Cloak, and a billowing cloak settled around his shoulders. Rather than the sleek silver cloak he’d worn for so long, a cloak of gold-sewn silver settled across him. The weight settled across his shoulders, far heavier than he was used to.
Its effects invigorated his body, and he knew he could move far faster and his cards would have a slightly boosted efficiency. An enchantment-typed manifestation, and a damn cool looking one at that.
Two of seven Cards used, and he still didn’t feel prepared to face the Terror Brute. But how he felt meant little to Instructor Monaya as she tapped the module and freed the restrictions holding the creature in place.
The explosive power of the Terror Brute’s many legs propelled the massive creature in his direction. Card activations caused the air to buzz and hum as Ichor materialized different magical attacks into being.
With him, Malcolm, and Luka joining the group, ten people faced off against the Terror Brute. Wyatt only had a split second to see Instructor Monaya’s piercing eyes following each and every movement. Scorn for all the wasted Ichor and useless attacks flashing forward through the air warped her face.
He couldn’t help but agree.
Of the ten person party, only the trio who joined after the fact held their Ichor in reserve. Many of the abilities fizzled out as their casters lost concentration and control over their Ichor, causing the various Cards to fail their activation.
A few succeeded. Of those, only a low powered fireball hit the Terror Brute. The creature didn’t even notice as it charged him.
This… is going to be fun. Wyatt waited until the last second before throwing himself forward at an angle past the Terror Brute and kicked off the ground with one of his three charges in his utility card, Quick Step.
The change to Quick Step came in the form of a lingering boost of speed, and he pushed himself for all he was worth. Blazing across the earthy ground on a wide arc around the chamber allowed him to regroup with the two only competent members of the ten person group.
“Coming in hot!” he shouted towards Malcolm, skidding past him as he came to a stop.
“Get ready!” the other man shouted as two Cards flickered into the air and one seeped into the ground. “We take it down here or wake up in the infirmary. Got it?”
