A Summoner Awakens [A Card-Based GameLit Progression Fantasy]

Chapter 12 [Essence Limit]

"I can't believe it," Aurora repeated for the fourth time since she'd summoned the small eel. "You actually managed to Tame a Plagued Beast, and we're only on the Third Floor... Do you realize how lucky you have to be to--"

"Ahh, that's right," Rowan interrupted Aurora and fished two Cards from his Deck Box. "You still haven't seen these."

Nathaniel stiffened slightly as Aurora's arm grazed his when she walked between them. He quickly moved to stand on Rowan's opposite side to see what it was the man had removed from his Deck. Their information filled his vision at a glance--an Effect of his Discerning Eye.

[Card Name: Luck]

[Class: Enhancement]

[Rank: Holy]

[Level: 4]

[Essence: 0/1,000,000]

[Description: Increases the drop rate of all Cards within the Tower. The Wielder must deal the final blow.]

[Effect: Drop rate increased by 20% of existing rate]

[Card Name: Tame Creature]

[Class: Summon]

[Rank: Holy]

[Level: 3]

[Essence: 0/100,000]

[Description: The Wielder attempts to cleanse a Plagued Beast of its affliction in an endeavor to befriend or capture it.]

[Effect 1: The Wielder casts Tame Creature before injuring the target. If successful, the target creature is cleansed of its Plague and becomes a Summon. The Summon dropped cannot be of a higher Rank than the equivalent Rank of the targeted creature, but it can be lower. The probability listed below this Effect is applied after the likelihood of whether or not the targeted Beast will drop a Card.]

[Pure: 50%]

[Blessed: 14%]

[Holy: 1.4%]

[Sacred: 0.14%]

[Angelic: 0.0014%]

[Cooldown: 22 hours]

Ahh, his Luck, and Tame Creature Cards. Not going over each other's Decks until reaching the Fifth Floor will help us train individually as we get used to the more formidable Plagued Beasts. My grandfather would likely agree with him on that point. Nathaniel smiled inwardly as he recalled the Grand Elder's words. "If one can not stand alone, they have no place in a group. Each member of a Party is a pillar, and if one falls, the rest will surely crumble."

"This is..." Aurora's voice brought Nathaniel out of his musings. He glanced at the beautiful young woman and felt his cheeks growing warm. She was bent over slightly, observing the two Cards after having activated whatever inspection-type skill it was that she owned.

"Where... How..." Aurora stumbled over her words for a moment before regaining her composure. "I won't ask where you got it, but this... with your Origin Card... Do you have any idea what someone would do to..."

Her voice trailed off, and her face turned solemn. The tiny eel--Ivy--that was slithering on her palm curled up as if sensing its owner's mood turn sour. "Rowan... you know what would happen if word got out, right?"

"I'm aware of how dangerous it is, yes," he said, waving his cane as if to show it wasn't too big a deal. "So I plan to keep that information in the Party--for now, at least. Now, why don't we settle down for a warm meal?"

...

"You're really going to eat him?!" Aurora asked, a look of horror on her face as her new Summon peeked curiously from around her shoulder. Nathaniel observed the creature. It was slightly longer than before since Aurora had decided to spend the thousand Essence it took to bring it to Level 2. It had also gained a new Skill--one that Nathaniel felt would be devastating once it reached a higher Level.

[Card Name: Eel, Electrostatic]

[Class: Summon]

[Rank: Pure]

[Level: 2]

[Essence: 0/10,000]

[Name: Ivy]

[Description: The Wielder Summons an Eel companion. All mental Foundations must be of an equivalent Level or higher than the Level of the Summon.]

[Duration: 30 minutes]

[Cooldown: 30 minutes]

[Skill 1: Shock. The Eel releases a charge of stored energy, ending a bolt of electricity toward its target.]

[Skill 2: Discharge. The Eel releases a pulse of electricity in a sphere around it. Discharge causes no damage, but all enemies within its range have a chance to become paralyzed. Allies are not affected.]

[Note: This Summon's Duration is halved on land and doubled in water.]

Eventually, when Discharge has some real power behind it, it can help turn the tides of a battle. With that alone, this Summon is almost worth using a Promotion on... Nathaniel watched as the eel sprung from Aurora's shoulder and snatched the piece of raw meat that Rowan held in his hand--a piece of its former body. Aurora's face turned pale, and Rowan began to laugh.

Well... it would be a great Card to use a Promotion on... if it wasn't for Rowan. There's no telling what he'll be able to Tame in the future with that Origin Card of his, and Promotions don't start to become Floor clear rewards until the Tenth Floor. Even then, they are only rewarded on every fifth Floor and only if the Ascension Trial is passed without missing a single achievement. I wonder if Rowan knows...

He glanced at his compatriot. His... friend. The man was an enigma, and though Nathaniel had an inkling of the truth, he wouldn't push Rowan into talking about it.

If what Rowan said at Eden's Teahouse was true...

"Nathaniel!" Rowan called from the opposite side of the corpse.

"Yes, Rowan?"

"Was there a frying pan mixed in with your baggage?" he asked. "I think I can put together a fine meal with this."

"I do," Nathaniel nodded, his stomach already grumbling. Over the last month, he and Aurora had come to learn that Rowan's cooking was just as advanced as his swordplay. "I'll fetch it out and get the fire going while you finish here."

***

Nathaniel set out to handle his tasks while Aurora attempted to wrestle the raw meat from Ivy's maw. I observed the goings on for a moment before getting to work myself.

First, I positioned the corpse so that it lay in a straight line, flat on its stomach. Then, I unsheathed my sword and cut a clean line from the base of its neck to the tip of its tail, nearly splitting the giant creature in half.

This next part... I grimaced before pulling out one of my throwing knives and carefully removing the eel's spine. Of course, with it being so large, it wasn't nearly as clean or as easy of a task as preparing a Crazed Beast of the same type. Still, even though I wasn't fond of the filth, the work brought back pleasant memories.

It's a shame you can't be with me, Dad. Before he began his late ascension and after Mum passed, we spent hours in the kitchen. He'd taught me a fair bit, and we'd hardly ever eaten the same dish twice.

My hands moved on their own, gently pulling at the spine and making sure that nothing was left. Once it was clear, I separated the head and cut the meat into multiple strips. In the end, there were several dozen filets ready for seasoning.

Well... it's not perfect, but it's not like I have a frying pan large enough to fit the whole thing, do I?

For the next few minutes, I seasoned each cut with the few herbs and condiments I'd brought along. Then, once everything was prepared, I took my place by the fire and used the cookware Nathaniel had provided to get started.

"Where'd you learn to cook the way you do?" Aurora asked, sitting in one of the chairs Nathaniel had placed around the fire.

"Ahh," I smiled warmly. "My father taught me before he passed away."

"It sounds like he was a good man," she replied. Then, more cautiously, she added, "You... don't talk about your mum much. What was she like?"

"Well... I don't really remember her," I lied. Of course, that had been true... for a good portion of my life, but once I'd gained the first Effect of my Origin Card in my previous life, I remembered her clearly. She was a beautiful, kind woman, but she was always sickly and passed away while I was very young.

It was silent for a moment. Nathaniel had stopped what he was doing to watch me, and after a bit of awkward silence, Aurora spoke again, "I'm sure she was a remarkable woman. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"Don't be." I glanced up at Aurora, who was digging through her bag for her pack of rations. "You know, you should really consider leveling your Vitality and Endurance to Level 3 as soon as we earn the Essence. In fact, that should be the first thing we do once we get back to the shop unless we earn enough Essence between now and the time we leave."

"I thought you wanted me to focus on getting my Will to Level 4 so Precognition wouldn't affect me so harshly?" she asked.

"That is a priority, but I think your physical aspect is more important." I gestured to the meat I had searing in the pan. "Plagued Beast meat is a powerful supplement. Where protein is excellent for the body, the Plagued Energy within the meat of Beasts is good for the soul. Unfortunately, your Foundations are too low to partake in this sumptuous meal, so you're missing out on many benefits."

Nathaniel nodded in agreement. "What good will it be for us to earn ten million Essence if your soul can't even handle a million?"

"Sure, we could purchase higher Rank Cards with that wealth, but you still wouldn't be able to push them over Level 2 or 3. A Wielder with ten Level 5 Pure Cards will always defeat a Wielder with ten Level 3 Holy Cards." His eyes flicked toward me, and he added, "Well, almost always."

That's the most Nathaniel has said in front of Aurora since she joined us. I chuckled, "He's right. We need to up your limit; to do that, your physical Foundations should be first. In fact... before we settle on doing this, we should have our limits tested. If your capacity is too low, it probably would be better to level your Will first."

I tapped my chin thoughtfully. It's a shame she fractured her soul from pushing Precognition to Level 4. I'm sure it's healed by now, but had she not done that, the path forward would be much more straightforward.

Come to think of it, I wonder what my Essence Limit is.