Chapter 18.2 Training Dummy
Irwin woke feeling warm and comfortable. It took him a few moments to realize that he'd been woken up by a whispered conversation. He stretched his slightly sore legs and rolled over on his other side with a content sigh.
His body felt better than it had in a long time, and he was a two-carded!
He could hardly believe it. A week ago, hoping for one had seemed like a miracle, and now he had two. Better yet, one was comparable to a high-rank body-improvement card, meaning he would grow beyond his previous small-statured, weak-bodied, bleak future. He became excited just thinking about it as the previous night’s happenings returned to his mind, and he remembered how much he had already grown in a single night. If this continued, where could he end?
If we survive the training and the real portals, at least, he thought. Slowly, the content sensation faded as he realized he'd be forced to enter portals in less than a month.
"Irwin, you awake?"
Greldo's soft call made Irwin wonder if he should answer or pretend to be asleep.
"We need to head downstairs for breakfast, and after that, find the eastern training rooms."
Irwin took a deep breath, clenching his left fist as he focused on both of his cards. Their presence felt like a faint body part, a finger or toe, that he could move if he wanted to. His flame card -he couldn't get himself to think of it as Fire-Sensitive Body- was the clearest of the two. Almost like a finger, easy to flex and point, while his new card was more like his ear. He could move it if he focused only on that card, but it still wasn't easy.
He sat up and pushed the blankets from his body. The cold air of the room seemed to engulf him, and he shuddered, pulling them back.
That's going to take some getting used to, he thought, when another struck him. Another benefit of being a smith! He'd get to stay close to a roaring fire most of the day.
As soon as he thought about smithing, he thought about card reforging, and he realized what he'd forgotten the evening before.
Ambraz!