Sitting in the little boat and drifting with the waves, Liam felt more carefree than ever before. Family, duty, etiquette, and decorum had all been left behind. A thrill of abandon welled up in his heart, and even the damp sea air seemed infused with something called "freedom."
This spur-of-the-moment trip had completely freed Liam's mind. His longing for the stars and the sea had driven away the last of the ordinary prince's hesitation and second-guessing.
Still, even as he lost himself in the moment, Liam didn't forget what he needed to do. He looked down at Coral, who was nodding off, then took out his card again.
Unlike last time, the card he drew this time had the same metallic sheen but glimmered faintly gold. The orange gem at its center was especially bright, its light so deep it was almost dazzling.
Feeling his mind resonate with the card, Liam flipped it in his hand and pressed it against the sleeping Coral. The card instantly broke apart into countless specks of light and merged into Coral's body.
The poor parrot had been fast asleep. Suddenly, she felt heat surge through her body, and she... the bird shot into the air as flames billowed from her body, enveloping her completely.
The status panel Liam had checked several times before changed as well.
[Name: Pyros (Coral)] [Status: Creature, Loyalty 90] [Origin: Un'Goro Crater] [Type: Minion, Elemental] [Rarity: Legendary] [Stats: Attack (2), Health (2), Mana Crystals (2)] [Ability: After death, consume 6 Mana Crystals to resurrect as a Phoenix with Attack (6) and Health (6).]
Watching his dopey parrot turn into a phoenix, Liam was at a loss for words. He couldn't help seeing the miraculous card in a whole new light.
"She's transformed already? Is this a case of a barnyard chicken becoming a phoenix? Ha! Kael'thas, bet you never saw this coming. I've got a phoenix for a pet now, too."
Since they were out on a boat, there was no way to test just how strong "Attack (2)" and "Health (2)" were. But looking at Coral, who was barely bigger than an ordinary chicken, Liam could tell Pyros wasn't much of a fighter. Even so, he was quite pleased with Coral's new appearance. Her stats clearly made her a total pushover, but she looked intimidating.
More importantly, Pyros the phoenix could resurrect. Each time she did, her strength increased by a huge amount! Well... she had to die once or twice in every fight first. That was a pretty bizarre design...
But as Liam watched Coral, the dead bird seemed to come to her senses. Her flight suddenly steadied, and the flames around her quickly vanished. She turned back into a big red parrot, though a translucent phantom still floated behind her, bobbing up and down with her movements. It was the phoenix Pyros.
Back in parrot form, the frightened little Coral plunged into the boat and cursed nonstop. "Damn it, damn it, I'm burning up! I'm burning up..."
Liam had never heard Coral speak before. He'd assumed Jeweled Macaws couldn't talk, so when she suddenly started speaking—and using language fit for a gutter rat—he was left sweating profusely, completely at a loss with the foul-mouthed parrot.
"Does she only talk when she's swearing? Or did her first transformation unlock some kind of special talent?" Liam thought, watching Coral thrash about.
"I wonder if she can transform into other things. If I could churn out dozens of Deathwings, I could conquer Azeroth without lifting a finger..."
Liam indulged in the fantasy, though he knew it wasn't realistic. At least he already had a bodyguard with some real strength. All he needed to do now was steadily build up his forces. His dream of having dozens of Deathwings would come true someday.
Once the novelty wore off, life at sea wasn't so interesting anymore. After days of sailing without seeing another soul, with only a parrot who knew nothing but swear words for company, Liam started to feel bored.
So he steeled himself and began experimenting with the Mana Crystals he'd saved up over the past few days.
In the first two experiments, a Fishman Crab became "Sir Finley Mrrgglton," while a slippery Fishman became "Patches the Pirate"—a total pushover of an evil eye. Both experiments had produced weaklings. Liam realized he'd actually been incredibly lucky: the first card he'd randomly drawn had been Pyros, who had enormous potential.
Now Liam was fishing alongside "Nat Pagle," the result of his third experiment. Unfortunately, this Nat Pagle wasn't very generous. The 50% chance to draw a card hadn't triggered, leaving Liam disappointed.
The Legendary cards created by his three experiments had a combined Attack and Health of no more than four. Whether by chance or design, Liam's dream of leading an army of Deathwings to conquer the world had gone down the drain, postponed indefinitely.
As things stood, the only one who could really be of use was Pyros, the "fake" phoenix. Her ability to resurrect was incredibly powerful. Unless they ran into a true Hero-tier fighter, Coral should be able to hold her own.
After spending more than ten days playing with birds on the boat, Liam had gained a basic understanding of this transformation ability.
First, the card's power could only affect creatures that met certain conditions—those that cost one mana—and only one card could be used on each person. Any more, and the host wouldn't be able to withstand it. Fishman Crab, Fishman Tidecaller, Fishman Raider... Well, Liam didn't have many test subjects out on the ocean. Fortunately, he could withdraw these abilities at any time. Don't ask why. "I got curious and transformed a murloc, then nearly had my hand bitten off by the Queen Sharaz it became"... Liam had decided to take that embarrassing story to his grave.
Second, not only could Liam permanently withdraw the power and turn it back into a usable card, but the host who'd been given the power could also control their transformation at will. Even more strangely, Coral gained Pyros's resurrection ability both when she became a true phoenix—her "complete transformation"—and when Pyros merely possessed her in an "incomplete transformation." Liam figured possession didn't simply boost combat power; it also carried over many of the target's abilities.
Last, and most importantly, whenever he used the golden [Prince Liam] card, the "Ghost of Prince Liam" appeared behind him. Whenever the ghost appeared, Liam's strength grew considerably, and an indescribable energy surged through his body. The card must have enhanced his own abilities, but he was still too weak to feel any obvious change.
Over the past few days, Liam had reclaimed many cards from his test subjects. His curiosity got the better of him, and he even used one [Nat Pagle] card for an experiment. That damn fisherman had disappointed him again. Not only did the 50% chance fail to draw a card, but during the 90 seconds it lasted—one turn—it only provided its owner with two "Spotted Yellowtail" before vanishing before Liam's helpless gaze...
Now Liam had only five low-tier Legendary cards left: [Patches the Pirate], [Sir Finley Mrrgglton], [Shifter Zerus], [Chameleos], and [Queen Sharaz]. Unfortunately, few of them could be called combat-ready. Even if he threw them all at an enemy at once, they probably wouldn't accomplish much. He'd still have to rely on Coral to carry the team.
Liam felt like a summoner saddled with a bunch of "garbage" summons. And the worst part was that they all had time limits!
"I need to 'level up' as soon as possible. Otherwise, I won't be able to make use of these powerful cards."
Liam gazed at the distant horizon, where the "tip of an iceberg" seemed to be emerging from the sea.
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