Guide, Stand By - A Beginning Of A Journey

February 4, 2070, Justina High School.

In this ordinary classroom, several students surround a table. The students are watching a card game being played by two people sitting on opposite sides of the table, facing each other.

A play mat is covering the top of the table; on top of the mat are twenty squares facing the two players. With ten squares each for the two players.

“To think you dare challenge me, the undefeated,” a brown-haired, bespectacled girl was shuffling the deck in her hands. Staring at her opponent with a sneer. “I will show you our difference, Eris.”

“You were only invincible in middle school, Lisa!” replied the black-haired girl, who was none other than Eris. “I’ve been practicing during the last semester break!”

“This time I will be the one to defeat you!” she said confidently.

Lisa sighed, seeing her best friend, who looked cheerful without even caring about anything else.

“If only you could put the same feelings into your studies, your grades would be much better.”

Hearing her best friend’s statement, Eris just laughed awkwardly while rolling her eyes upwards, trying to avoid Lisa’s sharp gaze.

“We should focus on our duel,” Eris, without trying to hide her intentions, changed the topic of conversation. “I’ve waited long enough for this day.” Her hands quickly shuffled her deck.

Feeling that it was useless to lecture, Lisa placed her shuffled deck on the table. Eris also put down hers.

Lisa took Eris’ deck and cut it in half. Moving the top half down. Eris did the same to Lisa’s deck. They both put the decks back in their original places, and both players took their own decks.

After placing the deck on the bottom rightmost square of the base. Both players take a card that is located separately. Lisa takes it in her school bag, while Eris takes the card from her skirt pocket.

Both cards have different sleeves than the cards inside the decks of both players. Both sleeves look more personal.

Lisa’s sleeve was pink with rose patterns, while Eris’s was white with bird feather patterns. Both players held out their hands with both cards facing down.

“Guide, Stand By!!!” They both shouted as they turned over their cards simultaneously and revealed the cards they would use.

“Path of Chalice! Guardian Dragon, Tiamatress!!!” Lisa’s card was revealed showing an image of a majestic silver dragon. With such an enormous size that even the tallest mountain was nothing more than a mound of dirt.

“Path of Lantern! Divine Sword master, Seraphiez!!!” on Eris’ card was a picture of a knight wearing full white armor with a sacred aura clearly depicted, his 3 pairs of wings spread wide.

“Wait, Eris! Isn’t that card!” Lisa gasped when she saw Eris’ card. The illustration on the card looked more detailed than the card she had.

Eris grinned happily seeing Lisa’s expression. She was sure that her best friend must have realized the uniqueness of her card.

“What you think is absolutely right!”

“This card is a rare card with detailed illustrations that just came out five months ago,” Eris showed off. “I got it by accident.”

Lisa clicked her tongue. No wonder Eris suddenly played Lantern, a path that Eris had never touched before.

Lisa snorted and then looked at Eris with a scornful look.

“Are you sure you want to fight me with a path you’ve never tried before?”

To which Eris replied with a big smile.

“I told you I’ve been practicing, didn’t I?”

“Besides, I always lose playing Enlightenment against you. You always drain my life points quickly.” Eris said with a slight pout.

“What makes you think this time will be different?” Lisa asked as she placed the card in her hand into the “Guide zone” — a square on the top left of the base.

“A hunch.” Eris answered briefly. She also placed her card in the Guide zone.

Hearing Eris’ answer, Lisa could only sigh. Even though she had been friends with Eris for quite some time, Lisa still couldn’t understand Eris’ way of thinking.

The game that Lisa and Eris are playing is called “Guide Rise”, a game where players use the cards they have to drain their opponent’s life points (LP).

The starting LP amount for both players is 8000. Both players start with 4 cards in their hand, and they will draw one card each time their turn begins.

In the Guide Rise arena, there are 6 plots. With 3 squares in front called the “Battle zone” and 3 squares in the back called the “Support zone”.

The battle zone is where players will summon units who will fight for them. While support zone is where players can use cards that can help them in duels.

“I’ll start first, DRAW!” Eris drew the top card on her deck.

“Generate phase, I generate one Omni Point (OP) from my generator!” Eris placed a blank card on the left side of the table that was not covered by a mat.

Omni point or OP is a point that players need to perform actions in Guide Rise. Whether it is summoning units, using support or using unit skills. Players are required to pay OP as specified on the card.

“Main phase!”

“I call my Guide from the Guide zone!”

Guides are special units that players place in the Guide zone. You can summon them without paying OP, and when defeated you don’t need to send them to the rest zone.

Instead, it returns to the Guide zone and can be called again in the next player’s turn.

“Sword blessed by heaven, appear and show your enemies the punishment of fools who oppose heaven’s will!”

“Divine Sword master, Seraphiez!!!” Eris shouted loudly.

“By paying one OP, I activate Seraphiez’s skill. I draw one card.” Eris drew the top card of her deck. “Turn end.”

“The skill to draw, huh…” Lisa stared intently at Eris’ Seraphiez. “This is going to be really troublesome.” In a card game, the cards in hand are precious ammunition. Being able to draw consistently can easily change the flow of the game.

“Are you afraid?” Eris asks in a mocking tone.

“Scared? Cheap tricks like this aren’t enough to scare me!” Lisa snapped passionately.

“My turn!”

“Generate phase, OP limit increased. I generate 2 OPs from my generator!” Lisa places two blank cards on her left side on the uncovered part of the table.

“Main phase!”

“By paying 2 OP, I summon to my arena. Anemo dragon, Sylpharz.”

“Sylphharz’s skill activates on summon. I can summon a second copy of Sylpharz from the deck!”

Eris tried hard to stay calm. Although it was clear from her face how panicked she was. Seeing that, Lisa snorted.

“Isn’t it too early to panic?”

“What do you mean? I don’t understand.” Eris evaded, avoiding Lisa’s gaze.

“Guide Call!” Lisa continued.

“Dragon protector of life, wake up from your long sleep and destroy those who dare threaten life!”

“Guardian Dragon, Tiamatress!!!”

“Tiamatress’ skill activates when summoned. All my units except Tiamatress gain an additional 1,000 power points!”

“Both Sylpharz in my arena gained an additional 1,000 power points. Making their power increase to 2,000!”

Lisa quickly checked Seraphiez’s attack points. The number listed was 2,500. A smile spread across her face. Her Tiamatress’ power was 500 points higher.

“Battle!”

“I’ll attack your Seraphiez using my Tiamatres!” Lisa shouted.

“Seraphiez!!!” Eris gritted her jaw as she returned her Seraphiez to the guide zone. Units who lost during battle would go to the rest zone. Except for the “Guide,” they would return to the guide zone and players can summon them again later.

During battle, players will not receive any impact on their LP. LP will only decrease when direct damage is being dealt.

“I do direct damage with both Sylpharz in my arena!”

“Turn end.” Lisa ended her turn after landing 4,000 direct damage on Eris. Making her LP only half of its full amount left.

“As expected of Lisa,” Eris wiped the sweat running down her face. “Always an aggressive start."

“But this is all still according to what I expected!” With a grin on her face, Eris began her turn.

“generate phase, OP limit increased. I generate 3 OP from my generator!”

“Guide call, Seraphiez!”

“I pay 1 OP and I draw 1 card.” With full hope, Eris drew the top card of her deck. Seeing the card she drew, she exclaimed happily.

“I use the support card, Heavenly Hymn,” Eris stated with a wide smile on her face.

“When my opponent’s LP is 2000 or higher, I can use this card for free. I designate a unit on the field with the highest power and heal my LP by half of that unit’s total power.”

Eris’ LP increased by 1,500, giving her 5,500 LP.

“Then, by paying 2 OP, I activated Seraphiez’s other skill,”

“I reduce my opponent’s units’ attack points by 500 for every difference in the number of units in the arena.”

“There are 3 units in your arena. I reduce your units’ attack by 1000. This skill is perpetual as long as Seraphiez is in the arena.”

Hearing that, Lisa widened her eyes.

“What! Perpetual power reduction skill?!” Gritting her teeth, Lisa finally realized that Eris wasn’t joking about her training at all. Okay, whatever, Lisa thought. She still had the next turn to turn things around.

“Battle!”

“Seraphiez attack Sylpharz!” Eris shouted loudly.

“Turn end.” At this time, Eris couldn’t inflict any impact on Lisa’s LP. So she reduced Lisa’s fighting power instead.

With Seraphiez’s skill, every unit summoned by Lisa will experience a reduction in attack. And summoning new units will only strengthen this skill.

Even if Lisa intended to destroy Seraphiez, she could only use Tiamatress, who currently had an equal amount of attack. When units of equal power fought, both will destroy each other.

When Tiamatress gets destroyed, her boost effect will disappear, making Sylpharz’s POWER return to 1000.

Lisa could read Eris’ strategy and clenched her fists. She had no choice but to dance to the rhythm that Eris had prepared, unless she drew the card she needed right now.

“My turn.” Lisa drew the top card of her deck.

Looking at the card she drew, Lisa clicked her tongue. What she got was not what she awaiting.

‘Even so, there is still a way…’ Lisa said to herself.

“Omni point limit increase, I generate 4 OP from the generator.”

“Battle!” Lisa immediately carried out her battle phase without hesitation.

“Sylpharz! Attack Seraphiez.”

Hearing Lisa’s statement shocked Eris. Why would she attack with a unit whose attack was lower? It didn’t take long for Eris to find the answer.

‘So that’s it!’ he exclaimed in his heart.

Sylpharz lost the battle and got sent to the Rest zone.

“This way, that annoying skill ends, Tiamatress’s power is back to normal.” Lisa smiled because her plan worked.

Eris clicked her tongue softly, Seraphiez’s skill to reduce the opponent’s units’ attack only works when the opponent has more units than hers, so when the opponent’s units are the same as hers or less. Then her skill will not work.

“Tiamatress attacks Seraphiez!!!”

A majestic silver dragon flying high in the sky looked up above him to see a knight in full white armor flying with his three pairs of wings.

‘Disgusting,’ thought the dragon. ‘How dare that two-legged bird fly above him?’

Then, with the incredible speed of the dragon, Tiamatress. Flying fiercely, brandishing her sharp claws towards Seraphiez.

Seraphiez realized this, trying to fend off Tiamatress’s attack. But it was in vain.

Seraphiez returns to the Guide zone.

Eris could only remain silent as she watched Lisa skillfully overcome her strategy. As expected of Lisa. She was always good at getting out of difficult situations.

“Main phase 2,” Lisa said casually.

“I set two cards in the support zone, turn end.”

Eris, even though she is bad at studying, but it’s different for Guide Rise. Currently, Lisa still has 4 intact OPs. Players can use the set cards on the opponent’s turn as long as pay the listed cost.

Lisa intended to interrupt Eris on her own turn.

Confidently, Eris drew a card, starting her turn.

***

An adult man around 20 years old with gray hair, irritably leaned his chest on top of a table. The man was Nicholas. Today was really a bad day for him.

Woke up late, late for an important meeting, accidentally dirtied the company manager’s jacket, and also being extorted by thugs.

‘What a bad day…’ he grumbled in his heart.

“Customer, may I take your order?” a monotone and lazy voice woke Nicholas from his reverie.

Turning to the source of the sound, in his sight. A girl wearing a cafe employee uniform was standing there.

The girl had snow-white hair and eyes as clear as the sea, staring blankly at him. The girl’s face was expressionless. Her height could easily make her mistaken for a junior high school student.

But Nicholas is a regular customer of the cafe. At least knows that the girl in front of him is actually 5 years older than him. The girl’s name is Liora. Of course, when he first came to this cafe, he mistook Liora for a junior high school student.

“Sis Liora, I’ll order as usual,” Nicholas answered without thinking much.

“Okay,” Liora replied lazily. “A cup of coffee without sugar and yesterday’s frozen sandwich,” even though she didn’t said it clearly, Nicholas could feel the sharp gaze hidden in Liora’s empty eyes.

This, of course. Made him take a deep breath.

***

On a quiet night, on a deserted street accompanied only by street lamps. Nicholas walked leisurely while kicking an innocent can that was right in front of him.

“Ah! How annoying.” He grumbled in annoyance. He kicked the innocent can once more. The can hit a street lamppost and bounced off, hitting Nicholas on the head.

“Ow…” Nicholas rubbed his aching head, what a savage tin can, he cursed in his heart.

Unintentionally, his gaze fell on something lying on the road, right in front of him.

Without thinking, Nicholas grabbed the rectangular object.

“A card…?” Nicholas inspected the card in more detail. He focused all of his attention on the card he had just picked up.

“Congratulations…” until a voice surprised him. The voice came from behind him.

Turning around cautiously, what appeared before Nicholas was a floating polar bear doll.

“You’re being invited to the Desire Battle, Nicholas Nodelza.” The doll spoke his name.