Latest / Dad’s Bedtime Stories / Cards of Power Super Story - Chapters 1-4 - Audiobook for Kids

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Cards of Power Super Story - Chapters 1-4 - Audiobook for Kids · Dad’s Bedtime Stories

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Hello, friends from across the nation, around the world. I'm Martin,
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: and you are listening to Dad's Bedtime Stories. It's become
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: a bit of a weekend tradition to do a compilation
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: episode on a Saturday, and I thought, what better than
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Cards of Power for this compilation episode, or even better
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: than that, the Cards of Power novel. That's right. Today,
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: I'm going to put together the first few chapters of
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: the Cards of Power novel, and if you're interested in it,
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: I've been finishing this novel on a different podcast called
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Dad's Anytime Stories. So if you like what you're hearing
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: and you want to hear the rest of the story,
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: you can go check that out. Dad's Anytime Stories, available
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: anywhere you get your podcasts. The local looks similar except
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: it's blue and Yeah. That's about all I have for
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: you today, So we'll start with the story after a
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: special word from a possible sponsor. Now it's time to
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: close your eyes, get as comfy as you can in
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: that bed, and imagine yourself doing what the kid in
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: the story does. Chapter one, Choosing Day, Carter woke to
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: the soft light of the morning and a single undeniable
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: thought today was choosing day. It was the day that
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: every young person in the land waited for, the day
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: they received their very first magic card, and for Carter,
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: it was finally his turn. The possibilities filled his mind
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: even before he left his bed. What kind of card
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: would he get? Maybe one that let him fly, or
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: one that granted super strength, Perhaps something rarer, like a
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: magical companion, or a creature he could summon in battle.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: Every card was different, and each one had its own
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: unique magic. He jumped out of bed, rushed through breakfast,
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: and dressed faster than he ever had before. With hardly
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: a glance at the clock, he darted out the door
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: and made his way straight to the center of town
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: where the ceremony would take place. A group of children
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: had already gathered, some talking nervously, others standing quietly, all
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: of them filled with anticipation. Carter found a spot among them,
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: his heart beating fast. Then the crowd parted and a
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: tall wizard stepped forward. He wore long robes and carried
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: a heavy wooden staff topped with a glowing gem. His
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: beard flowed down to his chest, and he had the
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: kind of presence that made people stop and listen. Welcome
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: young ones, the wizard said. His voice was calm and deep.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: Today is an important day. Today you become cod holders.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: The group erupted and cheer. But before you can receive
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: a cod, the wizard continued, you must be given your cod.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: Col Carter hadn't heard this part before. A cod cause
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: what allows you to store and activate your CODs, the
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: wizard explained. It becomes part of you, deep inside your being,
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: and lets you connect with the magic you collect. The
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: wizard stepped forward and tapped his staff on the stone
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: ground three times. A soft light bloomed from the gem
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: at the top, and a collection of glowing orbs floated
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: out from it, one for each child. Carter watched as
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: the orb nearest to him drifted forward. It stopped just
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: in front of his chest, then gently moved toward him.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: As it touched his skin, a tingling sensation passed through
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: his body, followed by a warm, steady glow that spread
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: through his arms and legs. Something had changed. He could
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: feel it, as though a new sense had been added,
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: something quiet but powerful, something that hadn't been there before.
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: The core is also what allows you to create new cards,
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: the wizard said. When you explore the world, You'll come
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: across wild magic, creatures, forces, sometimes even storms of pure energy.
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: If you learn to understand them, and if you have
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: the strength of will, you can capture that magic and
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: form it into a card of your own. Carter listened carefully.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: It sounded exciting, but also a little overwhelming. He was
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: supposed to go out into the woods and find wild
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: creatures and magic and just just turn them into cards. Still,
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: this was the way things were done, and now the
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: wizard said, smiling, it's time to choose your first god.
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: With a wave of his hand, a spread of cards
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: floated into the air and hovered above the crowd. They
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: grew larger, clear enough to read, each one with its
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: own illustration and description. Carter looked up and scanned through them.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: There were cards that granted flight, swift wings that looked
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: like energy made solid. Others gave strength or healing powers,
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: or armor formed from rock or metal. And then there
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: were the creature cards, magical companions known as pet cards.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: That is where Carter's eyes stopped. Each pet card featured
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: a different kind of creature. One had sharp spines and
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: an icy breath. Another was covered in vines and moss,
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: able to summon plants at will. A few looked like
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: birds or cats, or strange floating things with glowy eyes,
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: but one card stood out. It showed a small, dark
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: scaled dragonling with glowing red veins running down its limbs
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: and across its wings. Its description was simple dragonling primary ability,
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: fire breath. But Carter didn't choose it for the ability.
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: Something about it just felt right. He couldn't explain why,
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: but he believed it could become something powerful. Maybe not
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: right away, but someday. Knew there. The wizard called out,
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: it's your turn. Which cod will you choose? Carter stepped forward.
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: I I choose the fire Dragonling. Oh, a fine choice,
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: the wizard said with a nod. The card rose up
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: in the air, sparks flickering along its edges. At the
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: same time, Carter's card core began to glow as the
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: card floated towards them. The sparks grew brighter, and then,
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: with a sudden flash, the cards shot forward and merged
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: with his core. He could feel it. The fire Dragonling
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: was now a part of him. He could sense it
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: in the same way he sensed his arms or legs,
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: a living presence waiting just beneath the surface. One by one,
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: the other children made their selections until all had received
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: their cards. Very good, said the wizard. Now go out
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: and explore the world, But do be careful. Many cardholders
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: believe they can rely on only duels to find their way.
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: But if you ask me, dueling is a foolish path.
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: Carter frowned. Duels. What were duels? Before he could ask,
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: he turned and accidentally bumped into someone standing behind him.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: There was a thud, a yelp, and then a loud splash.
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: Carter looked down in horror. The man he'd bumped into
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: had fallen face first into a pile of dog poop.
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: The crowd burst out laughing. The man, however, did not no,
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: I challenge you. The man snapped, rising to his feet
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: with a face full of anger and unfortunate smells. To
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: a duel. Carter froze a duel. The man stared at him,
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: still brushing the poop off of his face. The crowd
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: had mostly stopped laughing, but a few giggles lingered in
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: the air like unwanted background music. Before Carter could say anything,
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: the Wizard's voice rang out again. Who oh, yes, he said,
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: I forgot to explain about duels. Knew I should have
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: read the whole script. Any ways, your card call allows
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: you to accept duels with other card holders, but be warned,
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: once you accept, you're bound by the rules of the match.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: Whatever terms you agree to you must follow. Carter turned
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: back to the man, who was clearly still furious and
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: still a little smelly. I say we play for cards,
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: the man growled. Whinner gets their choice of cod from
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: the loser's deck. Carter's mind raced. That seemed like a
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: terrible idea. He hadn't even had time to figure out
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: how his own card worked yet. Okay, he said, without thinking. Immediately,
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: a voice echoed in the sky. Duel accepted. What do
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: you mean duel accepted? Carter asked, the sky, or perhaps
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: the magical system that governed duels, you said okay, the
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: voice replied. It sounded faintly smug. Carter sighed, But then
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: a thought struck him. The one who accepted the duel
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: set the terms. That was something. At least my terms,
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: he said, quickly, are one card each, one on one?
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: The angry man grumbled. Toms accepted. Light began to pulse
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: from both of their cores. Carter took a breath and
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: focused inward. He could feel the fire Dragonling card waiting
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: just beneath his awareness. All he had to do was
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: call it forward. A bright beam of light shot from
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: his core, and the fire Dragonling appeared in front of him.
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: It was smaller than he expected, about the size of
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: a housecat, with smooth black scales streaked with glowing red lines.
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: Its wings fluttered as it landed softly on the ground,
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: looking up at Carter with wide eyes and what might
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: have been mild amusement. Dragonling attack. Carter called out. The
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: dragonling blinked, then it sat down, licked its paw, and
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: casually wiped it across the top of its head. It
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: looked remarkably unconcerned. The crowd chuckled again. Having done much
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: train in have you, the man said, He smirked, and
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: then called out, I summon my body of stone. Cawed.
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: A deep rumble echoed through the air. As the man's
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: core glowed, light burst forth and wrapped around his body,
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: hardening into thick, jagged stone. It formed a suit of
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: granite lake armor, covering him from head to toe. With
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: a grunt, the man reached down and hunched the earth.
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: He lifted a massive sphere of rock from the ground,
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: perfectly round and clearly very heavy. He raised it above
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: his head and aimed directly for Carter. The fire dragonling
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: looked up at the man, sighed. Carter was almost sure
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: it was a sigh anyways, and then opened its mouth.
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: A blast of fire erupted. Not a spark, not a puff,
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: A full column of flame burst out, hot and wild
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: and roaring, like a dragon ten times its size. The
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: fire struck the stone covered man with force, and the
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: granite armor began to glow red. Then it cracked, Then
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: it exploded. The man flew backward through the air and
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: landed flat on his back with a thud. There was
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: a long pause. The crowd stared in stunned silence. Then
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: once again, the mysterious voice returned. Battle one choose one,
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: cad Carter's eyes widened. He watched as the man's cardcore
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: lit up. From it, a series of floating lights emerged,
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: each one transforming into a glowing card suspended in the air,
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: like options on a magical menu. Carter stepped forward and
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: read through the cards carefully. There were a few healing cards,
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: a couple of defensive ones, but one caught his eye.
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: Power Wings. According to the description, the card would grant
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: him a pair of wings made of pure energy. They'd
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: let him fly through the sky like a jet, hover
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: and midair, and even perform some aerial maneuvers. He reached
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: for it. As soon as his fingers touched the card,
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: sparks flickered around its edges. His core appeared again, glowing brighter.
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: This time, the card dissolved into energy and flowed into
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: his chest. Immediately he could feel it. A second card,
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: a second presence inside him, just waiting to be activated.
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: He didn't wait. Carter focused on the new card and
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: with a single thought, triggered its power. A tingling sensation
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: ran down his back. Then, too glowing blue wings of
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: pure energy unfolded from his shoulders. Stretching out wide and
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: humming gently, he rose into the air without effort. The
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: sensation was unlike anything he'd ever felt. He wasn't just floating,
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: he was flying, really flying. The wings responded to his
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: thoughts forward, backward, left, right. He moved in perfect sink,
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: as if he had been flying his entire life. He
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: tested them, spinning and looping through the sky. Then, with
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: a burst of curiosity, he imagined flying faster. He shot forward,
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: faster and faster, wind whipping past his face, trees blurred
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: below him. He felt the press rusher build, and then
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: suddenly boom, A sharp crack echoed through the sky. He'd
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: just broken the sound barrier. Eyes wide, Carter slowed down
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: and hovered, scanning the land below until he spotted the
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: familiar rooftops of home. He angled his wings and descended,
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: landing gently in front of the door. With a thought,
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: he reabsorbed the wings into his core. They shimmered once
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: and disappeared. Back inside, everything felt strangely quiet. His body
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: was tired, more tired than he expected. The duel, the flight,
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: the weight of the day, and had all caught up
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: with him. He climbed into bed and pulled the covers
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: up over his shoulders. His muscles relaxed, his breathing slowed.
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: Carter let himself fall asleep. Chapter two, Magnus the Dragonling.
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: Carter woke up with a strange feeling. Not the kind
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: of strange that comes from forgetting what day it is
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: or realizing you left the window open overnight. This was
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: something deeper, A low rumbling sensation like a stomach ache
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: that had gotten confused and ended up in the wrong
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: part of his body. It wasn't his stomach, though, it
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: was his card core. Something inside it was shaking. He
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: reached inward with his mind, and sure enough, the sensation
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: was coming from his Fire Dragonling card. It felt like
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: the little guy was trying to break free. Carter summoned
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: the card and it materialized in front of him as
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: a large, glowing rectangle. The illustration of the fire Dragonling
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: stared back at him, magma vanes glowing across its dark
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: scaled body. The card began to shake hard. Carter hesitated
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: for a moment, then let it do what it needed
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: to do. The card exploded into a beam of light,
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: and when the glow faded, the fire Dragonling stood in
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: his room, small, dark, and oddly adorable. It stared at
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: him with glinting eyes, then calmly licked the back of
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: its paw and ran it over the top of its head.
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: Well thanks for finally letting me out of there, the
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: Dragonling said, casually. Carter blinked. You you can talk, of course,
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: I can talk. How do you think I'm talking to you?
• 22:15
  Speaker 2: All?
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: Right? Good point, Carter murmured, Still, processing can all magical
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: creatures talk now depends on their intelligence level, the Dragonling replied,
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: and I am very intelligent. Carter opened his mouth to respond,
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: but only managed a huh. The Dragonling raised an eyebrow,
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: or would have if it had eyebrows. Let me explain,
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: it said, You're not the first person to choose me
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: as their companion. In fact, I've been through this twice already,
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: but I have never evolved, not once, so people keep
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: thinking I'm just a beginner card Man, putting me back
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: into the pool for the next choosing day. Carter stared, wait, what,
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: how does that even work? Well, the Dragonling said, settling
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: into the story. The first time I picked man was
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: this really angry kid. He just wanted to fight everything,
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: and that's exactly what we did. We tore through the
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: beginner area, fought wild Magic's left and right. I got
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: stronger fast. Then we reached the intermediate and advanced zones,
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: and he started using me less and less. Eventually he
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: traded me, in the Dragonling's voice, flat and slightly, and
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: then I ended up in a wizard's pocket. Carter didn't
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: know what to say. The second kid was a bookwarm,
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: the Dragonling went on I'm always researching, always reading. Took
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: me everywhere, but rarely used me. I got smarter. He
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: even learned how to talk from that one, but no evolution.
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: Eventually he traded me too, and then came you. Oh,
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: Carter said, unsure whether to feel honored or sorry. Well,
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: nice to meet you. Nice to meet you too, But
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: if we're gonna work together, we need to set some
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: ground rules. Uh sure, Carter said, Like what, First, the
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: Dragonling said, flicking its tail, I don't want to be
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: stuck inside that card all the time. It's fine for naps,
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: but it gets cramped and honestly, it feels a bit
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: like prison. Carter nodded, I can do that. Second, the
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: Dragonling continued, I'm not your servant. I can be your
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: friend and trust me with my knowledge and power. That's
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: a pretty good deal. That's fair, Carter said, I don't
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: want a servant. The reason I picked a magical creature
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: card was because I always wanted a little magical creature
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: as a friend. The fact that you can talk, that's
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: even better than I expected. The Dragonling stared at him
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: for a moment, then gave a satisfied nod. Well, then
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: I guess it's time we got moving. Uh what do
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: you suggest we do first? Carter asked, Well, we need
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: to head to a beginner forest. The dragonling said, that's
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: where you'll find wild magic and creatures that are actually
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: at your level. And I'm weep as that, obviously, but
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: you'll catch up. Carter grinned, I think there's a beginner
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: for us nearby. Let's go. Oh and by the way,
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: Carter added, do you have a name or should I
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: just keep calling you fire Dragonling? The dragonling paused, no,
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: no human has ever asked me that before. My name
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: is Magnus. Magnus it is, Carter said, let's go. The
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: two of them headed outside. As soon as they reached
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: an open area, Carter reached inward again, focusing on the
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: car that granted him flight, the power Wings card. A
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: surge of energy passed through his body, and, with a
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: tingling sensation in his shoulder blades, glowing wings burst from
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: his back. They lifted him gently off the ground. Huh,
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: do you need a ride, Carter asked, glancing at Magnus,
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: Or do those little wings of yours actually work? I
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: can't believe you'd ask such a thing. Magnus huffed, I
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: don't need a ride from a human with rapid wing
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: beats more like a hummingbird than a dragon. Magnus lifted
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: off the ground and zipped into the sky. Follow me,
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: he called. Carter took off after him, the wings responding
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: instantly to his thoughts. They soared higher, leaving Carter's house
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: far behind. As they crossed forests and fields, Magnus guided
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: them into a mountainous region until the trees below became
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: spaced out and the terrain opened into wide meadows surrounded
• 28:14
  Speaker 1: by rocky peaks. This, Magnus said, circling down is one
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: of my favorite beginner areas. They landed in what looked
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: like a trailhead parking lot, complete with a small log
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: cabin and a wide wooden gate. A sign arched above
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: in bold letters beginner Forest. They passed through the gates
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: and followed a winding path. Other cardholders, most of them
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: around Carter's age, had already set up campsites nearby. Some
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: were dueling each other. Others faced off against wild magic
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: and magical creatures. Some cardolders wielded personal power, lightning from
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: their fingertips, bursts of fire, icy wind. Others relied on
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: summoned creatures to do the battling. Up ahead, something sparked.
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: A cluster of people ran towards Carter and Magnus, eyes
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: wide with panic to not go in there. One of
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: them shouted, that thing is way too strong for this area.
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: Carter looked past them and saw bolts of lightning flashing
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: in the distance. Another cry rang out, Uh, do you
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: think we should go battle that thing? Carter asked, and
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: I'd have no problem, Magnus replied, it's you I'm worried about.
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: You don't even have protection against lightning. I should have
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: picked armor instead of wings. Carter muttered, Actually, Magnus said,
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: your wings might be just what we need. Follow me.
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: Without another word, he shot into the sky. Carter summoned
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: his wings again and followed. They flew high above the mountains.
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: To protect against that lightning creature, you need one of
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: two things, Magnus explained. Rubber armor, which is useless against
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: almost anything else more rock armor, rock grounds electricity and
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: has the added bonus of looking very cool. Okay, where
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: do we find rock armor? And there's a lot of
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: wild magic around here, Magnus said. Most beginners can't fly,
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: so some of the magic goes untouched, we'll find something.
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: As they passed over peak, Carter spotted it, an unusual
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: pile of stones, shifting and reshaping itself far below there,
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: Magnus said, exactly what we need. They landed a short
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: distance away. Do we attack it? Carter asked, ian cud
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: Magnus said, but this one seems calm. Try to win
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: it over. Approach slowly, Let it sense you wild magics
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: can feel your emotions. Stay calm, send good energy. Carter
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: nodded and walked forward. Extending his arm. He focused on
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: peaceful thoughts, curiosity, friendliness, a desire for connection. The rock
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: creature shifted as he approached. First it formed a stonehenge
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: like circle, Then it coiled into a rock serpent, then
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: a pile of balanced boulders. Finally, it gathered itself into
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: a large stone formation and bowed. And you've done it,
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: Magnus said. Now reach out, focus on the energy and
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: imagine it forming into a card. Carter closed his eyes.
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: He could feel the strength of the card, grounded, unshakable.
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: He pictured that energy forming into a glowing card in
• 32:42
  Speaker 1: his hand. Light gathered into a sphere, and his palm
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: growing brighter and brighter. The creature dissolved into the light,
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: which flattened into a single card, Rock Armor. This card
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: allows you to murder merge with Stone. At the beginner level,
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: you can summon rock Armor to protect your body. As
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: your bond deepens, your control will grow. Carter held up
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: the card Merge with Stone. Huh, I wonder what that
• 33:20
  Speaker 1: could do? He activated it. The card burst into light
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: and wrapped around his body, forming thick, jagged armor. He
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: felt unstoppable. Nearby, a tree grew from the rocky soil.
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: Carter walked over, grabbed the trunk, and without much effort,
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: ripped it out of the ground. He spun it once
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: over his head and hurled it into the sky. The
• 33:51
  Speaker 1: tree yarked and then disappeared into the forest far below. WHOA,
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: the arm was perfect. I won't deal with that lightning
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: creature tomorrow, Carter said, looking up at the setting sun.
• 34:09
  Speaker 1: Time to find a place to sleep. Back at the
• 34:13
  Speaker 1: forest gate, Magnus suggested he release the armor. It shimmered
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: back into a card and returned to his core. Carter
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: summoned his wings one more time. He and Magnus flew
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: above the mountains and gently descended to the log cabin.
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: Near the entrance. Inside, a clerk handed on a key
• 34:40
  Speaker 1: without a word, It read Room three. He found the
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: door unlocked. It stepped inside, with Magnus close behind. The
• 34:52
  Speaker 1: room was simple bunk beds, a small desk, and Quietness.
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: Curled up on the bed and began licking his paws again.
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: His purring was soft and steady. Carter climbed into the bed,
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: pulled the covers over himself, and closed his eyes. Chapter three,
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: The Lightning Rabbit. Carter awoke to the soft rustle of
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: movement across the room. Magnus, his fire dragoning stretched with
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: a contented sigh. After learning that Magnus didn't particularly enjoy
• 35:33
  Speaker 1: being trapped in his cart all night, Carter had let
• 35:36
  Speaker 1: him stay out, curled up like a warm, purring rock
• 35:40
  Speaker 1: lizard beside the bed. He climbed out of bed and
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: opened the door to their small guest cabin. The scent
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: of breakfast met him immediately, eggs, toast, something vaguely maplish.
• 35:55
  Speaker 1: All in the main lodge, a full buffet had been
• 35:58
  Speaker 1: set up complete eat with cereal fruit and an impressive
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: variety of pastries. Carter grabbed a plate and began collecting
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: food as he sat at the table. Magnus landed in
• 36:12
  Speaker 1: the seed across from him, balancing a full plate on
• 36:15
  Speaker 1: top of his head. With a deft swipe of his paw,
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: he slid it onto the table. They began eating in
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: comfortable silence until Carter looked up. Magnus, Can I ask
• 36:29
  Speaker 1: you something? Sure, Magnus replied, his snout halfway into a croissant.
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: In school, they taught us the basics about getting our
• 36:40
  Speaker 1: first card, how the forests work, how to level up
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: and get stronger. But how does it actually work? Magnus
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: wiped a few crumbs off of his chin. Ah that's
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: a good question, all right, here's the rundown, he said back,
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: looking uncharacteristically serious. Most of the places humans live these
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: days are completely safe, hardly any wild magic left. But
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: the forests they're different. They're full of wild creatures and
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: powerful magical energy. Some forests are more dangerous than others.
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: Carter nodded, already sensing where this was going. In the
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: old days, the wizard's counsel let adventurers go wherever they wanted,
• 37:36
  Speaker 1: Magnus continued, Beginner expert didn't really matter. You could waltz
• 37:42
  Speaker 1: into a high level forest if you felt like it.
• 37:46
  Speaker 1: What happened, Carter asked, Well, a lot of adventurers didn't
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: come back, Magnus said bluntly. So now each forest is
• 37:58
  Speaker 1: surrounded by a magical no one gets in or out
• 38:03
  Speaker 1: except through the official gates. I didn't know that. Most
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: people don't, Magnus said. And here's the important part. And
• 38:14
  Speaker 1: if you want to move to the next level, you've
• 38:17
  Speaker 1: got to defeat a guardian. Cardholders tasked with battling challengers
• 38:23
  Speaker 1: to ensure they're ready. They're powerful, sure, but their job
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: isn't to destroy. They are just there to make sure
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: you're ready. Carter looked thoughtful. So we should probably work
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: on getting stronger exactly, Magnus said, polishing off a muffin.
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: Let's get to it. They left the cabin and headed
• 38:49
  Speaker 1: back into the Beginner forest. The trees were tall and
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: bright in the morning sun, and Carter could hear birds
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: chirping somewhere high above. Thinking, he said, now that I've
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: got the rock armor, maybe we could check out that
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: lightning creature from yesterday. I was thinking the same thing,
• 39:11
  Speaker 1: Magnus said, If I had to guess, it's probably a
• 39:17
  Speaker 1: lightning rab or something similar. Carter raised an eyebrow. Are
• 39:23
  Speaker 1: they hard to fight? No, definitely for most people, Magnus said,
• 39:28
  Speaker 1: with a confident grin. Not for me, though Carter was
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: still getting used to Magnus's unshakable self assurance. They followed
• 39:38
  Speaker 1: a dirt path deeper into the woods until they reached
• 39:41
  Speaker 1: an area where bolts of lightning had been flashing the
• 39:44
  Speaker 1: day before. As they approached, another adventurer ran past them,
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: smoke trailing from the edges of their cloak. Carter turned
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: to Magnus. I think it's time for the rock armor.
• 39:59
  Speaker 1: He reached in ward, feeling the card in its core.
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: It appeared before him, glowing with power. As he activated it,
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: the card dissolved into energy and wrapped around him, solidifying
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: into stone. He stood tall, encased in powerful rock arms, legs, hands, everything.
• 40:22
  Speaker 1: The armor didn't just feel like protection, it felt like
• 40:26
  Speaker 1: strength itself. He stepped forward, the ground shaking slightly with
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: each footfall. Around a bend in the trail, the trees
• 40:37
  Speaker 1: opened into a clearing. In the center of it sat
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: a small bunny, adorable really, he except its eyes were
• 40:45
  Speaker 1: sparking with electricity. The rabbit turned towards them and growled.
• 40:51
  Speaker 1: It began to charge its legs, twitching with energy. Then
• 40:56
  Speaker 1: it launched into the air, surrounded by a sphere of
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: crackling lightning. With a flash, the electricity shot forward. Carter
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: crossed his arms just in time. The lightning struck him,
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: but his rock armor absorbed it completely, the energy flowing
• 41:14
  Speaker 1: down through the stone and discharging harmlessly into the earth.
• 41:19
  Speaker 1: So this is what you meant about grounding, Carter said,
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: impressed exactly, Magnus replied, Now, let me give it a shot.
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: Magnus flew into the air and began circling the rabbit.
• 41:35
  Speaker 1: The rabbit fired bolts of lightning in every direction. Magnus
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: twisted through the air, rolling left, dodging right, even looping
• 41:45
  Speaker 1: in mid air like a dancer with wings. Then he
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: dropped to the ground and faced the rabbit. The two
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: stared each other down, sparks danced across the rabbit's fur,
• 41:57
  Speaker 1: Smoke curled up from Magnus's nostrils. They both charged. At
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: the last moment, the rabbit leaped into the air and
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: fired a bolt of lightning. Magnus swiped it aside with
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: a paw, rolled three times mid air, and blasted a
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: stream of fire from his mouth, but the rabbit summoned
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: a shimmering shield of electrical energy. The fire hit it
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: and fizzled out. The two faced each other again. This
• 42:30
  Speaker 1: one's better than I expected, Magnus admitted, I might actually
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: need your help. I need a distraction. Carter was already
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: scanning the area. He spotted a large boulder buried in
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: the ground nearby. On it, he said. He ran to
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: the rock, drove his stone fingers into its surface, and
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: ripped it up from the earth. With a deep breath,
• 42:58
  Speaker 1: He hurled the boulder towards the rabbit. This rock armor
• 43:02
  Speaker 1: was pretty amazing. It landed with a crash just beside
• 43:06
  Speaker 1: the creature, startling it and sending it leaping sideways. The
• 43:11
  Speaker 1: rabbit's focus shifted to Carter, and it fired another bolt
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: of lightning. Carter braced himself and again the energy was
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: grounded by the armor. Meanwhile, Magnus shot into the air again,
• 43:27
  Speaker 1: circling the clearing. He opened his mouth and released a
• 43:31
  Speaker 1: stream of fire, which formed itself into a ring surrounding
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: the rabbit. The flames rose higher and higher, glowing brighter
• 43:41
  Speaker 1: and hotter. The rabbit spun in all directions, bolts of
• 43:46
  Speaker 1: lightning flying outward, but the fire hemmed it in, closing tighter.
• 43:52
  Speaker 1: The rabbit stumbled, then, with a final weak spark, it
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: collapsed on the ground, still breathing but unconscious. Magnus extinguished
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: the fire. Smoke rose gently from the scorched earth. Now
• 44:10
  Speaker 1: it's year turn, Magnus said, hovering beside Carter. Carter approached
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: the rabbit. His stone feet thudded softly on the earth.
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: He knelt beside it and released the armor, watching as
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: it dissolved back into the cart and returned to his core.
• 44:30
  Speaker 1: He reached out with his hand, focusing inward. The rabbit's
• 44:34
  Speaker 1: energy was different, fast, sharp, tingly. He imagined it gathering
• 44:41
  Speaker 1: in his palm. A soft glow appeared. It grew brighter,
• 44:46
  Speaker 1: forming into a ball of light and sparks that hovered
• 44:50
  Speaker 1: just above his skin. The rabbit disappeared completely as the
• 44:56
  Speaker 1: energy coalesced into a single, storm like sphere. Carter focused again.
• 45:03
  Speaker 1: The energy flattened and solidified, forming a floating card with
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: a glowing border and a familiar image on its face,
• 45:13
  Speaker 1: Lightning rabbit. His core lit up. The car flew into it,
• 45:19
  Speaker 1: becoming a new part of him, a new sense he
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: could feel control and one day master, the clearing grew quiet.
• 45:31
  Speaker 1: Good job, kid, Magnus said. They spent the rest of
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: the day exploring the forest, watching battles, talking to other adventurers,
• 45:41
  Speaker 1: and discovering new paths. As evening approached, Carter felt the
• 45:47
  Speaker 1: weight of the day settle into his limbs. He summoned
• 45:51
  Speaker 1: the power Wings card one more time. With a gentle hum,
• 45:56
  Speaker 1: The wings appeared, lifting him smoothly into the Magnus let
• 46:02
  Speaker 1: out a long yawn as they reached the tree tops
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: near the edge of the beginner area. I hate to
• 46:10
  Speaker 1: admit it, he muttered, but I'm exhausted. Carrying all that
• 46:15
  Speaker 1: coolness around really takes it out of you. Carter smiled.
• 46:21
  Speaker 1: Want me to return you to the card for the
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: ride back. Magnus hesitated, then gave a tiny knod. All right,
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: just this once, but don't get used to it. Carter
• 46:34
  Speaker 1: shuckled and summoned Magnus back into his card form. The
• 46:39
  Speaker 1: little dragoning shimmered into light and vanished, returning to the
• 46:44
  Speaker 1: warmth of the card core for a well earned rest.
• 46:49
  Speaker 1: Carter flew quietly through the air, watching the sunlight fade
• 46:54
  Speaker 1: from the tree tops. He followed the trail back to
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: the lodge, opened the familiar door and climbed the stairs
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: to his room. Key in hand, he found the door
• 47:07
  Speaker 1: marked three, entered and closed it behind him. Sleep came quickly.
• 47:15
  Speaker 1: Chapter four, a new ally, Carter woke up in his bed.
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: The sunlight streamed in through the window, casting soft golden
• 47:26
  Speaker 1: lines across the floor. He sat up, rubbed his eyes,
• 47:31
  Speaker 1: and glanced around the room. Everything was just as he'd
• 47:35
  Speaker 1: left it. But then he felt something, a tapping, not
• 47:42
  Speaker 1: on his shoulder or the door, but deep inside him
• 47:46
  Speaker 1: from his card core, the place where all of his
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: magical cards were stored. He focused on the sensation. The
• 47:56
  Speaker 1: tapping was coming from the fired dragonling car card Magnus
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: wanted out. Carter reached inward, summoned the card, and watched
• 48:07
  Speaker 1: as it appeared before him, glowing with energy. The light shifted, reshaped,
• 48:14
  Speaker 1: and then formed into the small black scaled dragon with
• 48:18
  Speaker 1: glowing magma vanes. Ah. You finally let me out of there,
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: Magnus said, stretching, and it was getting pretty cramped. Good
• 48:29
  Speaker 1: morning to you, too, Magnus, Carter replied with a smirk.
• 48:33
  Speaker 1: What do you think we should do today? Wow, Magnus said,
• 48:38
  Speaker 1: I think we should do the same thing we do
• 48:41
  Speaker 1: every day. Head back to the beginner training area and
• 48:45
  Speaker 1: try to get more power. All right, Carter said, I
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: guess we can do that. After breakfast, Carter stepped on
• 48:55
  Speaker 1: to his front lawn. He closed his eyes and reached
• 49:00
  Speaker 1: the power wings card inside his core. A tingling passed
• 49:05
  Speaker 1: through his body, followed by a shiver up his spine
• 49:09
  Speaker 1: and a flash of light. Two glowing wings burst from
• 49:13
  Speaker 1: his shoulder blades. He hovered gently off the ground, and
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: Magnus flapped his smaller wings, lifting off beside him. Together
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: they soared into the sky, passing over rooftops, city blocks, highways,
• 49:30
  Speaker 1: and forests until the familiar wildlands came into view once again.
• 49:37
  Speaker 1: For now, Carter was only allowed in the beginner area.
• 49:41
  Speaker 1: The other regions remained off limits until he gained enough
• 49:45
  Speaker 1: power to defeat one of the gatekeepers, but that was
• 49:48
  Speaker 1: a problem for another time. As they neared the forest,
• 49:53
  Speaker 1: Carter noticed something new, a glowing dome surrounding the area,
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: like a massive protective bubble. That must be the magic
• 50:02
  Speaker 1: that keeps everything else out, he said, yep, Magnus replied,
• 50:07
  Speaker 1: that's exactly right. They landed outside the beginner area and
• 50:12
  Speaker 1: the familiar dirt lot beside the small wooden chalet. After
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: passing the hotel style lodge, they followed the winding forest
• 50:22
  Speaker 1: trail into the woods. They moved past familiar paths and landmarks.
• 50:29
  Speaker 1: Maria's Carter had already explored so far. He'd collected the
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: rock armor, the lightning Rabbit, the wing card, and of
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: course Magnus, but he was still hoping to find something new,
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: maybe a water type to round out his deck. Eventually
• 50:49
  Speaker 1: they reached a new area, one Carter hadn't seen before.
• 50:54
  Speaker 1: A broad clearing opened up in front of them, dotted
• 50:57
  Speaker 1: with lakes and ponds of every side. Other card holders
• 51:02
  Speaker 1: were already battling creatures in the water, magic flashing and
• 51:07
  Speaker 1: splashing across the surface. Carter scanned the area hopeful. Then
• 51:13
  Speaker 1: Magnus stopped in mid air. His expression changed. Hey, I
• 51:19
  Speaker 1: think I know that guy, he said, pointing toward the
• 51:23
  Speaker 1: largest lake in the center. A blue dragonling hovered above
• 51:28
  Speaker 1: the water. It looked a lot like Magnus, same shape,
• 51:33
  Speaker 1: same wings, but its scales were shimmering blue instead of black,
• 51:38
  Speaker 1: and its energy radiated cold instead of heat. The dragonling
• 51:44
  Speaker 1: was engaged in a fierce battle with a massive water
• 51:47
  Speaker 1: serpent trading blasts of water that struck with the force
• 51:51
  Speaker 1: of a fire hose, but neither seemed to be doing
• 51:55
  Speaker 1: much damage. The blue Dragonling changed tactics. It flew high
• 52:01
  Speaker 1: into the air, summoned a cluster of water, shaped it
• 52:04
  Speaker 1: into jagged ice spikes, and hurled them at the serpent.
• 52:09
  Speaker 1: The spikes hit directly, but still did little to affect
• 52:14
  Speaker 1: the beast. Magnus shook his head. Now, man, you can't
• 52:19
  Speaker 1: fight water type with a water type and expect much.
• 52:23
  Speaker 1: They're basically immune and ice attacks barely tickle. Also, I'm
• 52:30
  Speaker 1: sure I know that dragon, you do, Carter asked. I
• 52:35
  Speaker 1: think so, Magnus said, And it looks like he needs help.
• 52:40
  Speaker 1: But aren't fire types weak against water types? Yeah, Magnus said,
• 52:47
  Speaker 1: But at least I can do something. Watch this. Magnus
• 52:52
  Speaker 1: shot toward the lake with incredible speed. As he reached
• 52:56
  Speaker 1: the edge, he opened his mouth and sprayed a wide
• 52:59
  Speaker 1: plume of fire, circling the entire area in a spinning blaze.
• 53:05
  Speaker 1: He flew in tight loops, creating a wall of fire
• 53:08
  Speaker 1: that surrounded the lake. Then he flew above it, focused
• 53:13
  Speaker 1: his energy downward, and the fire grew hotter, higher, more intense.
• 53:20
  Speaker 1: The heat became so powerful that the surface of the
• 53:23
  Speaker 1: lake began to evaporate, steam rising into the sky in
• 53:28
  Speaker 1: thick clouds. Carter watched in awe when the flames died down.
• 53:35
  Speaker 1: The lake had nearly vanished, leaving the dragon laying and
• 53:39
  Speaker 1: the serpent standing in a muddy, steamy basin. Now, Magnus said,
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: watch this. He summoned a cluster of fireballs, spinning them
• 53:51
  Speaker 1: around his head before launching them into a wave. Each
• 53:55
  Speaker 1: fireball exploded against the serpent's body, sending plume of flame
• 54:00
  Speaker 1: into the air. At the same time, the blue dragonling
• 54:05
  Speaker 1: flew high, wings, humming with energy. Then it shot forward,
• 54:11
  Speaker 1: streaking through the sky. With one fist extended, it slammed
• 54:15
  Speaker 1: into the serpent's head with a thud, sending the creature
• 54:18
  Speaker 1: crashing to the ground, knocked out but unharmed. Then a
• 54:24
  Speaker 1: voice called out from nearby, good jobbies, ling. Carter turned
• 54:30
  Speaker 1: and blinked. Standing beside him was something he'd never expected
• 54:35
  Speaker 1: to see outside of textbooks, unevolved Terranosaurus Rex wearing the
• 54:41
  Speaker 1: robes of a cardholder. My name is Rex, the dinosaur,
• 54:46
  Speaker 1: stead extending a massive clod hand. Nice to meet you.
• 54:52
  Speaker 1: Carter hesitated, then shook the hand three times, just like
• 54:57
  Speaker 1: a normal greeting. Nice to meet you, too, oho, he said,
• 55:01
  Speaker 1: that dragonling of yours, it looks a lot like mine.
• 55:06
  Speaker 1: Magnus flew down and landed on Carter's shoulder, while the
• 55:09
  Speaker 1: blue Dragonling did the same with Rex. Oh where are
• 55:14
  Speaker 1: you from anyways? Magnus asked, you look familiar. That's because
• 55:21
  Speaker 1: we grew up together, the blue dragonling said, with perfect clarity.
• 55:26
  Speaker 1: Carter's eyes widened. You can talk, of course I can.
• 55:32
  Speaker 1: The dragonling replied, I'm a very smart dragon, just like Magnus.
• 55:38
  Speaker 1: Although if I were really smart, I wouldn't be with
• 55:42
  Speaker 1: this meanie. Don't listen to him. Rex said quickly, I'm
• 55:48
  Speaker 1: not a meanie. I am the nicest owner he's ever had,
• 55:52
  Speaker 1: and he better remember it. Something about Rex's tone made
• 55:57
  Speaker 1: Carter uneasy, say. Rex added, would you be up for
• 56:05
  Speaker 1: a battle? You mean like a duel? Carter asked, yes exactly.
• 56:13
  Speaker 1: Rex said, winner gets one card. Carter hesitated, I mean,
• 56:20
  Speaker 1: I guess I'll duel you if I get to set
• 56:22
  Speaker 1: the terms. Very well, set your terms, Rex agreed, one card.
• 56:30
  Speaker 1: Each winner gets one card from the loser's deck. Deal accepted,
• 56:37
  Speaker 1: Rex replied. Carter's core pulsed with light. The dual contract
• 56:43
  Speaker 1: had been made and the terms were binding. I'll go first,
• 56:49
  Speaker 1: Rex said, a'sling attack. The blue Dragonling flew into the air,
• 56:56
  Speaker 1: gathering streams of water into a swirling vortex round him,
• 57:01
  Speaker 1: a miniature tornado of water. Let me guess, Rex laughed,
• 57:07
  Speaker 1: you've forgot I have a water type and you've got
• 57:11
  Speaker 1: a fire type. Carter smirked, yeah, but I didn't say
• 57:16
  Speaker 1: I was using magnus. He reached inward again, feeling for
• 57:21
  Speaker 1: the card. With the electrical tingle. The Lightning Rabbit card
• 57:26
  Speaker 1: rose to the surface, and he summoned it into the air.
• 57:30
  Speaker 1: The little rabbit appeared, already sparkling. Carter nodded, Lightning Bunny attack.
• 57:38
  Speaker 1: The rabbit began to crackle, sparks turned to arcs, then,
• 57:43
  Speaker 1: with a high leap, it launched a massive ball of
• 57:47
  Speaker 1: lightning directly into the swirling water. Electricity exploded through the vortex,
• 57:54
  Speaker 1: traveling along every strand of water straight into asling. The
• 58:00
  Speaker 1: Dragonling spasmed, then dropped from the sky and landed softly
• 58:06
  Speaker 1: on the grass. The voice, strange voice that came from nowhere,
• 58:11
  Speaker 1: returned winner choose your card. Rex's chest lit up and
• 58:19
  Speaker 1: his deck fanned out in front of Carter. Images and
• 58:23
  Speaker 1: names displayed like holograms. So many options. Carter muttered, Hey,
• 58:31
  Speaker 1: Magnus whispered, get that Azling guy away from this weirdo.
• 58:36
  Speaker 1: He seems all right, but Rex, I'm not so sure.
• 58:40
  Speaker 1: Carter nodded, good point, and we could use a water
• 58:45
  Speaker 1: and ice type. He reached out and selected the card
• 58:49
  Speaker 1: with Aasling's image water slash ice Dragonling accepted. The card
• 58:56
  Speaker 1: shot out from Rex's deck and flew into Carter's core,
• 59:00
  Speaker 1: merging with it. A new sensation formed, cold, powerful and sharp.
• 59:07
  Speaker 1: Well played, Rex said, turning away. Perhaps we'll meet again, maybe,
• 59:15
  Speaker 1: Carter replied, watching him disappear into the trees. Satisfied, he
• 59:21
  Speaker 1: summoned his wings once again. Magnus returned to his perch
• 59:26
  Speaker 1: on Carter's shoulder, and they rose into the air, floating
• 59:31
  Speaker 1: gently back towards the forest's entrance. At the lodge, Carter
• 59:36
  Speaker 1: checked in. The attendant handed him the room three key.
• 59:40
  Speaker 1: Once again. He unlocked the door, stepped inside, and found
• 59:46
  Speaker 1: the same cozy bunk beds waiting. Magnus leaped onto the
• 59:50
  Speaker 1: bottom bunk, curled up and began his usual grooming routine,
• 59:55
  Speaker 1: licking a paw, rubbing his head, then settling down with
• 59:59
  Speaker 1: a soft per carter followed, slipping into bed beside him.
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 1: He let his head rest on the pillow, letting his
• 1:00:08
  Speaker 1: breathing slow.
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 2: New York much more than n no, no no more,
• 1:06:34
  Speaker 2: a new un.
• 1:15:05
  Speaker 1: M m.
• 1:20:50
  Speaker 2: More than thre nan more union no no no more,
• 1:35:02
  Speaker 2: and no more th.
• 1:40:03
  Speaker 1: M m.
• 1:44:03
  Speaker 2: M never m m m m