N:Era: Off the Track: Part 5: Packing Up, Shacking
Part 5: Packing Up, Shacking Up
Cyras: 60000 Soul Points.
Rosod: 60000 Soul Points
Rosod said, "I'll start the game by playing Psyche Tower. That gives 6 Psychic Tower. I end my turn." While brief, this was a standard start of the game, before anyone really had Fighters they could play.
Cyras said, "I draw. I play Burning Tower and gain 6 Fire Tower. I pay all six to Call Fire Starter." She put down a wolf in a robe of flames, her first fighter. Fighters couldn't attack the first turn they were Called.
Fire Starter: 6000/2000/6/2
"Fire Starter lets me draw a card. Next, I end my turn." At the end of the turn began the build step, where each Fighter gave the owner Tower. Cyras' tower went from 0 - 2 Fire.
Baynana said, "I'm betting on Rosod. She's smarter."
Lilu said, "Don't just blurt that out!"
Ahmond put a paw on Lilu and said, "Be gentle. She's just a little direct and honest. That's okay."
"Not in this case."
Rosod said, "I play another Psyche Tower. Now I have 12 Psychic Tower."
Baynana said, "You know, they once played this game in Sweetpunk."
"Sweetpunk?" Ahmond asked.
"That's a comic book," Lilu said. "That's all she blabs about."
Rosod said, "Oh don't insult anyone Lilu, or else you'll get Cyras angry." That shot was supposed to hurt Cyras, but the fox remained calm.
"I think you still misunderstand the lesson. I don't care if you're negative. Same as how I don't care if Lilu pulls pranks. But there's something said about being capable of showing sympathy, empathy, and niceness. And also knowing someone else has feelings."
Rosod said, "I end my turn."
Cyras said, "I draw. I'll play Earth Tower, so I gain 6 Nature. Next, I play Song of Earth by paying 2 Nature, so now I can play two Tower cards this turn. Burning Tower is next for more Fires. I attack with Fire Starter."
She quickly slammed down another card.
"Scrappy Weasel's ability. I can return Fire Starter to my hand, and Weasel attacks as a mimic. By mimicking Fire Starter, I can use Fire Starter's ability, meaning I draw a card on the Call of Weasel."
Scrappy Weasel: 4000/3000/4/2
Rosod hummed.
Rosod: 60000 - 56000.
"And next I play Fire Starter. Again I draw. I end my turn." Her Fire Tower became 4, and her Nature Tower 2.
Ahmond said, "Cyras played a combo that let her draw three cards so far. She's really keeping up that advantage."
Rosod said, "I play Divining, so I mill the top three cards of my Stack. Next, I pick one I like, and I play Haunting Melody." A ghost on a b-flat appeared.
Haunting Melody: 7000/4000/7/3
"I'll follow up with Psycho Slayer. By paying 3 Psychic Tower, I can attack this turn with all Fighters I played this turn."
"I attack and she brings 2 Note Tokens."
Note Tokens 3000/3000.
A token wasn't an actual card, but instead represented the idea of a real card that could attack. Rosod denoted them with two candy wrappers.
The rules of battle in this Towers match were:
-All Fighters attack at once.
-Fighters can only attack if they're in the front row.
-Fighters in the back row cannot attack or be attacked unless there are none in the front row.
-Only three Fighters can be in either player's Front Row.
-Cyras must Block as many attacks as possible, with Fighters in her front row, by putting Fighters to meet each Fighter.
-If a creature excels another's Shield with their Strength, that creature is defeated, and that player takes damage equal to the difference.
Cyras had to block the attacks and only had two Fighters. With a grunt, she put forth Fire Starter against Haunting Melody and Scrappy Weasel against a token.
As Melody had 7000 Strength versus the 2000 Shield of Fire Starter, Cyras took 5000 Damage. However, Scrappy Weasel inflicted more damage against the token, but both defeated each other as their Strengths met each others' shields. Rosod lost 1000.
The last note token wasn't blocked and hit Cyras.
Cyras: 52000
Rosod: 55000.
Lilu said, "I hate Haunting Melody. Honestly, I hate anyone who makes all of these tokens or replicators."
Baynana asked, "How do you stop one?"
"Usually you have to stop the replicator, but by that point, they'll already be a swarm. This game has very few mass measures."
Cyras said, "I pay 2 Nature Tower, and that evolves Song of Earth. Now all my Fighters gain 1000 Strength and 1000 Shield. My turn, I play another Nature Tower. I play Warden of the Verdant."
(1000- 2000/7000 - 8000/6/3)
Her wooden shield Fighter appeared.
"I end my turn. Song of Earth's boost ends."
Cyras gained 3 Nature Tower for 3 total.
Rosod said, "My turn. I play Psyche Tower."
Ahmond muttered, "She has twelve tower now."
"I play Superboost Psionic Knight."
5000/5000/6/2
Her next Fighter was a giant boombox with arms and legs and a sword. "All Fighters of mine gain 2000, 2000."
7000/4000 - 9000/6000
5000/5000 - 7000/7000
3000/3000 - 5000/5000
"I attack with all."
Cyras said, "Verdant blocks the Note." However Verdant didn't have the Strength that will defeat Note.
Cyras: 45000
Cyras: 36000
Rosod said, "Two more Note Tokens in my back row. I gain 4 Tower." Now she was at 17.
Cyras said, "Well I play Burning Tower, and now... Burn Wyrm."
10000/10000/10/4.
Lilu said, "Cyras' ace Fighter."
Cyras said, "I instant a card, and end my turn. Burn Wyrm inflicts 5000 damage to both of us." Instant a card meant putting the card face down in the Instant Zone so she could play on her opponent's turn or her own.
Cyras: 31000
Rosod: 50000.
Rosod said, "For 4 Psychic Tower, I play Sleep Disorder, which puts Burn Wyrm to Sleep. Now he and Verdant can't defend. All my Fighters attack."
Cyras: 26000
Cyras: 17000
Cyras: 10000
"I gain 2 more Note Tokens as Haunting Melody attacked. I now have seven Fighters. Burn Wyrm inflicts damage."
Cyras: 5000
Rosod: 45000.
Ahmond said, "Looks dire."
Baynana said, "Cyras has lost this. She can't win without getting rid of Burn Wyrm."
Cyras said, "I play Wyrm's Breath. One of my Fire Dragons destroys any Fighter with less Shield than their Strength, and I take 5000 damage for each. I play my Instant, Reverser."
Lilu said, "That's how she beat me at the tournament, by flipping the damage back."
"So you take 35000 damage Rosod."
Rosod: 10000.
Rosod said, "No way..."
Cyras said, "Warden of the Verdant and Burn Wyrm attack."
Rosod: 0.
Rosod crumpled her face in her paws. "I can't believe that I lost. Against someone who barely knows how this game even works."
"I play the game every day."
"I don't see any of you playing anymore. I thought you all stopped after Lilu lost in the tournament."
"We just play over at the palace," Cyras said.
"Wait, Lilu and Ahmond are allowed over at the palace?" Rosod asked.
Cyras saw a glint in Rosod's eyes as the weasel looked away, ashamed, and wondered about something she never thought about before. Rosod lived beyond her scope. And she, Rosod's.
She was about to ask Rosod if she wanted to join N:Era. She was already a major player and part of the team but was never officially on the payroll.
However, Rosod got out of her seat. "I'm gonna sleep."
Somewhere in the darkness, Cyras wondered what she lost.
***
Owlis told Kryyk, without staring at him, "You are an ascended."
They entered another drawing room, with all four seasonal cousins upon the wall. "This is the Hall of Legends, and we're in the room of the four seasons."
Pushing a button on a project, Owlis put a movie on the ceiling. Kryyk saw rain falling down, and thought he would get wet until he realized this was an illusion. The room flooded with hologram water.
"Before there was only chaos. Then, Time, the first fox, stepped down."
A clock's hands spun. "Our parents were the cycles, and when I was born, there was the possibility of something different. Before, grass would always grow and flowers would bloom randomly, but I let them wither. Ryvoh created a period of growth and life. Snofall created a period of ice and sleet, and Sumhyr created a period of heat."
"In the beginning, there was only darkness." A figure swam through the ocean, before arising. "In the beginning, there was only Despair."
The room went dark before a flash of lightning occurred. "I slayed through Despair, and from that, we came together, the cousins of Fall." Her portrait lit up purple. "Spring." Ryvoh's portrait lit up pink. "Winter." A white light fell on a white fox. "And Summer." A fox with gold fur was lit up.
"We created Wysdom. From this point, we ruled over four distinct regions of Wysdom. I ruled the central world of Wysdom, however, Sumhyr would rule over the lands of the West. Ryvoh would rule the lands on the east known as Rosaberg. And Snofall ruled over Wyrmhome. At one point, we soon ended up ruling the entirety of Voto and Vytyl. This eternal kingdom could not be forever, and we began reducing ourselves. Now we are simply six kingdoms and Lavandar."
Kryyk tilted his head. "So you're Ryvoh's cousin, meaning you're... my cousin."
"Cyras is your first cousin, once removed," Owlis said at Kryyk. "All of us are Ascended, the nature gods. I am unaware of both of your aspects, but when you were born, you were stolen away.
"A kingdom is lost. Right in the wilds that you've trekked your entire life. Sumhyr originally owned the seventh kingdom, but that fell during a civil war."
"A war?" Kryyk asked.
Visions of thousands of warriors filled the room. Kryyk was seeing beyond what he could ever envision as he saw wolves trampling over each other, and being thrown down in battle as spears flew.
"I dislike war."
Lightning strikes fell, smiting dozens, as an illusory Owlis stood over a cliff.
"So I end them as quickly as possible."








