SNAP CRAFT | Ch. 37 - Flame Feeding (Patreon)

“What are you doing?”

Kai almost dropped the flowers he had picked up. “Hi Clara, you startled me.”

“Who are the flowers for?”

Kai faced her squarely and went back to making his bouquet. “Why are you asking me questions you know the answer to?”

Clara walked over and squatted next to him so they would be at eye level. She was surprisingly agile for someone her age. “You know she burns them?”

“W-what?”

“She burns them, Kai. Why don’t you give the girl some rest?”

Kai stopped for a moment and tried to imagine Ariel with a face full of anger throwing all the flowers he’d been leaving in her window into the fire. Should he stop? But how was he going to make her forgive him if he did? “No.”

“No? You’re going to ignore the advice of someone five decades older than you?”

“Yes.”

“And a woman on top of that? Who knows about how a girl’s heart works.”

This last point made him hesitate, but Kai stayed his course. “Yes. I have to listen to my heart in this one.”

“Ai, ai, ai. You stubborn fool.” She stood up and paced. Kai wondered what she was thinking about.

“At the very least, stop taking those. They stink when they burn. Get roses and lavender instead. At the very least, it will smell nice when Ariel throws them into the fire.”

Clara walked away. Kai felt his mouth go dry. Should he listen to Clara’s advice? He shook his head. No! A man had his pride, and he would keep showering his affection on Ariel until she forgave him. He peeked over his shoulder to see if the old biologist was still around, and once he was sure the coast was clear, he dropped the flowers he was picking up and started looking for roses and lavender.

*

[Arabian Oryx] + [Fire Axe]

[Arabian Oryx] | Hp: 2→1

[Fire Axe] | Hp: 3→2

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Oryx Lumberjack].

Foreseeing how much he would put the little mutant oryxes to work, he made two more.

[Arabian Oryx] + [Fire Axe]

[Arabian Oryx] | Hp: 1→0

[Fire Axe] | Hp: 2→1

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Oryx Lumberjack].

He threw the used-up [Arabian Oryx] card into the graveyard pile and picked up the other one. These cards had done so much for him! One had to appreciate these cards with high hp.

[Arabian Oryx] + [Fire Axe]

[Arabian Oryx] | Hp: 4→3

[Fire Axe] | Hp: 1→0

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Oryx Lumberjack].

He threw [Fire Axe] to the pile. He had [Water] and [Ash], two ingredients that combined, produced [Lye]. He would decide if he wanted to heal up the [Fire Axe] card to create more lumberjacks if required.

Now, Kai began to chop down the [Acacia Tree].

[Acacia Tree] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Acacia Tree | Hp: 3→2

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 6→5

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Acacia Branch].

[Acacia Tree] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Acacia Tree | Hp: 2→1

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 5→4

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Acacia Trunk].

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Acacia Branch].

[Acacia Tree] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Acacia Tree | Hp: 1→0

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 4→3

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Acacia Bark].

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Acacia Bark].

Sadly, he only got one trunk from the tree. He got down to chopping it up.

[Acacia Trunk] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Acacia Trunk | Hp: 3→2

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 3→2

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Acacia Log].

[Acacia Trunk] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Acacia Trunk | Hp: 2→1

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 2→1

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Acacia Log].

[Acacia Trunk] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Acacia Trunk | Hp: 1→0

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 1→0

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Acacia Log].

With a new stack of cards created from the [Acacia Tree], Kai kept feeding [Fire].

[Fire] + [Acacia Branch]

Fire | Hp: 9→12

Acacia Branch | Vp: 4→0

[Fire] + [Acacia Branch]

Fire | Hp: 12→15

Acacia Branch | Vp: 4→0

[Fire] + [Acacia Bark]

Fire | Hp: 15→17

Acacia Bark | Vp: 3→0

[Fire] + [Acacia Bark]

Fire | Hp: 17→19

Acacia Bark | Vp: 3→0

With this, Kai got [Fire] back to its peak value. But he was only getting started! He still had plenty of cards to copy, chop, and burn.

[Fire] + [Acacia Log]

Fire | Hp: 19→20

Acacia Log | Vp: 2→0

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Ash].

[Fire] + [Acacia Log]

Fire | Hp: 20→21

Acacia Log | Vp: 2→0

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Ash].

[Fire] + [Acacia Log]

Fire | Hp: 21→22

Acacia Log | Vp: 2→0

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Ash].

Kai held the [Fire] card, turning it over under the light.

Fire (Rare)

Useful for creating and destroying.

Hp: 22

Vp: 22

Since [Fire]’s victory points were the same as its hit points, the card had become a beast, and his victory points had climbed immensely, thanks to it. But before Kai went on a craze, it was time to crunch some numbers.

He had [Elm Tree], his last available tree card. He had to figure out how many common and uncommon cards he could use as fodder to keep copying [Elm Tree] and feed [Fire]. From his calculations, he had 12 uncommon cards he could use to make more elm trees. For now, he settled with sacrificing [Flint Stone] and [Water], two cards that were already spent and couldn’t be used in crafting anymore. Unfortunately, each offered one victory point, so this move would set him back two points.

Copy successful! You’ve exchanged [Flint Stone] and [Water] for [Elm Tree].

After making one copy, Kai started chopping down the [Elm Tree].

[Elm Tree] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Elm Tree | Hp: 3→2

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 6→5

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Elm Branch].

Elm Branch (Uncommon)

A branch taken from an elm tree.

Hp: 3

Vp: 1

New recipe added to your recipe book.

[Elm Tree] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Elm Tree | Hp: 2→1

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 5→4

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Samara].

Samara (Common)

Winged fruit that spins as it falls.

Hp: 2

Vp: 1

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Elm Trunk].

Elm Trunk (Uncommon)

A thick piece of wood harvested from an elm tree.

Hp: 4

Vp: 0

Wow! Elm tree trunks were fantastic for generating logs! His [Fire] card was about to get huge.

As Kai grabbed the new card, he remembered playing with a maple tree that gave off fruit like this. Kai and Alex had enjoyed seeing the fruit fall like helicopters. At the recollection of such a bittersweet memory, Kai found himself missing Maia’s annoying trivia. He wiped a tear off the corner of his eye and kept going.

New recipe added to your recipe book.

[Elm Tree] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Elm Tree | Hp: 1→0

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 4→3

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Samara].

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Elm Trunk].

He grabbed the two [Elm Trunks] and turned them into logs.

[Elm Trunk] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Elm Trunk| Hp: 4→3

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 3→2

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Elm Log].

Elm Log (Uncommon)

Sturdy timber suited for construction.

Vp: 3

Hp: 1

[Elm Trunk] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Elm Trunk| Hp: 3→2

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 2→1

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Elm Log].

[Elm Trunk] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Elm Trunk| Hp: 2→1

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 1→0

Kai threw [Oryx Lumberjack] to the graveyard pile and grabbed a new one. It's a good thing these cards had such high hp.

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Elm Log].

[Elm Trunk] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Elm Trunk| Hp: 1→0

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 6→5

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Elm Log].

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Elm Log].

[Elm Trunk] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Elm Trunk| Hp: 4→3

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 5→4

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Elm Log].

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Elm Log].

[Elm Trunk] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Elm Trunk| Hp: 3→2

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 4→3

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Elm Log].

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Elm Log].

[Elm Trunk] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Elm Trunk| Hp: 2→1

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 3→2

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Elm Log].

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Elm Log].

[Elm Trunk] + [Oryx Lumberjack]

Elm Trunk| Hp: 1→0

Oryx Lumberjack | Hp: 2→1

Crafting successful! You’ve crafted [Elm Log].

After harvesting all the resources from the [Elm Tree] card, Kai continued feeding them to the fire.

[Fire] + [Elm Branch]

Fire | Hp: 22→24

Acacia Log | Vp: 3→0

[Fire] + [Elm Log]

Fire | Hp: 24→26

Acacia Log | Vp: 3→0

[Fire] + [Elm Log]

Fire | Hp: 26→28

Acacia Log | Vp: 3→0

[Fire] + [Elm Log]

Fire | Hp: 28→30

Acacia Log | Vp: 3→0

As soon as [Fire] reached 30 victory points, the card started glowing. From a faint red glow, it burst into a white flare. The light dimmed, and Kai reached for the new card.

[Fire] has been upgraded to [Blue Fire].

Blue Fire (Legendary)

A very hot fire that can melt almost anything.

Hp: 1

Vp: 1

Kai held [Blue Fire] in his hand and frowned. Was this even an upgrade? The card had sucked up 29 hit points to transform. His victory points had significantly shrunk with the transformation.

What was this supposed to do for him? He had been neck to neck with his opponent, and all of a sudden, they had a considerable lead. Should he continue down this road?

This card had to have something over a regular [Fire Card]. There was only one way to find out. He had to experiment with it. He finished burning all the logs he had harvested from the tree.

[Fire] + [Elm Log]

Fire | Hp: 1→4

Elm Log | Hp: 3→0

Elm Log | Vp: 1→0

Kai stared wide-eyed! [Blue Fire] could now absorb cards’ victory points, too? It was a slight difference, but it would make upgrading it easier. It was as if Daisy was inviting him to keep making it grow.

He finished feeding all the [Elm Logs] to [Fire], and then he made another [Elm Tree] copy.

Copy Successful! You’ve exchanged [Acacia Branch] and [Acacia Branch] for [Elm Tree].

What a cheat. He wasn’t even worried. He could keep going! He still had a whole forest to burn. His only limitation was time, but not even 10 minutes had passed. He pressed on.

Although Kai could create an endless supply of trees, he hit a snag with the lumberjacks. To fully harvest the resources he could get from one single elm tree, he needed to spend two [Oryx Lumberjacks].

First, he used all the water he had left to make [Lye].

[Water] + [Ash]

Ash | Hp: 1→0

Water | Hp: 2→1

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Lye].

[Water] + [Ash]

Ash | Hp: 1→0

Water | Hp: 1→0

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Lye].

Then, he used [Lye] to heal his [Fire Axe].

[Fire Axe] + [Lye]

Fire Axe| Hp: 0→2

Lye | Hp: 4→0

[Fire Axe] + [Lye]

Fire Axe| Hp: 2→4

Lye | Hp: 4→0

Sadly, [Lye] wasn’t too great for healing metals, but that unlocked the possibility of making three more [Oryx Lumberjacks].

[Arabian Oryx] + [Fire Axe]

[Arabian Oryx] | Hp: 3→2

[Fire Axe] | Hp: 4→3

Crafting successful! You've crafted [Oryx Lumberjack].

With this, he made three more [Oryx Lumberjacks]. Eventually, they were spent, too. Now, without more [Arabian Oryx] cards, to make more [Oryx Lumberjacks], he had to resort to the [Photocopy Machine]. He sacrificed the used-up [Oryx Lumberjacks] to make new ones.

Copy Successful! You’ve exchanged [Oryx Lumberjack] and [Oryx Lumberjack] for [Oryx Lumberjack].

This way, he managed to create several [Oryx Lumberjacks], enough of them, to harvest seven elm trees fully. Whenever he finished using up an [Oryx Lumberjack], he used it as fodder to copy a fresh [Oryx Lumberjack].

After going through seven elm tree cards and fourteen [Oryx Lumberjacks], [Blue Fire] hadn’t stopped growing.

[Blue Fire] + [Elm Log]

Fire | Hp: 163→165

Acacia Log | Hp: 3→0

Kai checked the scoreboard and the timer. He had been at it for 30 minutes, and half of the crafting round was gone just like that. Somehow, despite all the points that [Blue Fire] was generating, he still wasn’t able to surpass his opponent! What kind of recipes were they doing on the other side? How were they generating so many points?

Kai didn’t give up, though. Now, he was just feeding whole trees to [Blue Fire], waiting for something to happen.

[Blue Fire] + [Elm Tree]

Fire | Hp: 165→168

Elm Tree | Hp: 3→0

Elm Tree | Vp: 1→0

He started a little assembly line. He used up his spent uncommon cards to make new elm trees while [Blue Fire] fed on them. Eventually, he was done with that pile of fuel, too.

[Blue Fire] + [Elm Tree]

Fire | Hp: 188→191

Elm Tree | Hp: 3→0

Elm Tree | Vp: 1→0

The card was now a monstrous beast. Did it never stop growing? Kai had already gone through all the timber lumberjacks he had. But that didn’t mean he was done. He grabbed the two cards he’d captured in the rainy neon city. These had to be good for burning up.

[Blue Fire] + [Fuel Dispenser]

Fire | Hp: 191→199

Fuel Dispenser| Hp: 4→0

How explosive! [Fuel Dispenser] gave double points to [Fire]. He threw in the other one.

[Blue Fire] + [Fuel Dispenser]

Blue Fire | Hp: 199→207

Fuel Dispenser| Hp: 4→0

As soon as [Blue Fire] hit the 200 mark, the card shone brilliantly. Kai couldn’t stop laughing! He had funneled so many of his resources into making this card evolve. It had to be a monstrous card that would turn the tables and ensure he passed this round.

Kai reached for it as soon as [Blue Fire] stopped glowing. Sure enough, it was a mythic card. He gasped. The stats were horrible!

[Blue Fire] has been upgraded to [Red Star].

Red Star (Mythic)

A powerful, nuclear ball of fire.

Hp: +00

Vp: 0

What a piece of trash! He watched in horror as his scoreboard went down by 200 points, wasting all his effort. He collapsed on the ground. How was he going to make a comeback from this? This filthy mythic card had just sucked his points dry!

This card also works as an upgrade. You’ve unlocked [Solar Breeze].

Kai was lost as to what to do. Between being blocked by the opponent and prevented from photographing lightning and now the catastrophic turn of events with [Red Star], his hopes were dim. He took a deep breath. Maybe there was a reason why Daisy put this card’s victory points to 0. Its effects had to be very powerful. He just had to keep doing his best.

Besides, at least, in the middle of all of this, he had made more than 60 [Ash Cards]. That was already 120 points right there! Kai turned to the only thing that he had left to do. It was time to try the recipes he’d found in the library.

The recipes hidden in the snapping arenas were one of the most outstanding discoveries that Kai had made so far. Not only had they given him access to the ingredients he needed to create the legendary [Scrapdroid] card, but it had also taught him a little more about how Daisy thought and how Snap Craft worked.

For instance, these recipes he was about to try taught him much about photographing abstract concepts. Hopefully, the resulting recipe would be worth it. Kai started by grabbing the ingredients needed to recreate the recipe.

2x Sadness (Common)

Feeling of loss and sorrow.

Hp: 1

Vp: 2

2x Loyalty (Rare)

Unwavering commitment and attachment.

Hp: 1

Vp: 6

2x Affection (Uncommon)

Expression of tenderness and kindness.

Hp: 1

Vp: 3

2x Knowledge (Uncommon)

Acquisition and understanding of information.

Hp: 1

Vp: 3

Each of these cards representing emotions and characteristics only had one hit point, making them one-time use cards in crafting. Even if he wanted to heal them, he didn’t know how. Kai proceeded to follow the recipe.

Ch. 36 - Vicious Timing

INDEX

Ch. 38 - Black X