“When you said you don’t do anything small, you weren’t kidding.” Jacob stared at the room in front of him, shocked at the scale of the space. It was one of the largest spaces Jacob had ever seen; bigger than any warehouse or production facility he had ever been in, bigger even than the competitive arena international casting tournaments were held in. To call the Production facility a room felt disingenuous. The scale was simply too grand. Rama simply smiled in response.

  The main production facility of the Wonder Corp. factory was housed in a massive stone cavern that seemed to stretch forever. Massive columns of stone stretched from the ground to the ceiling, holding up the seemingly impossible space. High up above them on the ceiling massive stalactites stretched, while stalgmites larger than trees dotted the ground of the cavern. The walls seemed to glow with a variety of large crystal formations, providing a unique iridescence to the space. On every available stretch of ground there was massive amounts of machinery, pumping out tens of thousands of cards as the group stared in awe. Jacob could feel the air vibrating around him from the force of the uproarious sound emanating from the massive production lines, and the air held a strange metallic taste from the production lines. The smell of lubricating oil filled the air, and the magic of card use lay so thick over the cavern that Jacob could feel it on his skin. Everything had a slight rainbow distortion whenever he looked at it, leaving him slightly disoriented at the thick layer of the cards being cast in the room.

  Rama walked out onto the series of catwalks that crisscrossed over the production lines, striding confidently into the room. The group had entered the cavern roughly 15 feet above its ground level, a great web of catwalks extending out in front of them in every direction. On the ground floor below countless machines and bots serviced the production lines, while above them the space was illuminated by dozens of cast Card of Illumination orbs. Ku Do-Yeon was the first to follow, heading confidently out onto the catwalk along with her sister Amaryllis while the rest of the group continued to stare at the room. Unlike the rest of them the two South Koreans seemed largely unfazed by the space, their silence being nearly inscrutable. For the majority of the tour the two had blended into the background, remaining mostly silent, only slipping the facade of their demeanor a few times in the face of emergency or something unusual.

  Jacob hesitated for a moment, then walked out onto the catwalk to follow them. The sound of the factory muffled heavily the moment he placed both of his feet onto the catwalk, as he stepped into the range of half a dozen field equips and spell cards. He could hear the footsteps of Amaryllis and Ku Do-Yeon perfectly ahead of him, as well as Rama’s walking stick as she moved towards the middle of the cavern. Behind him Jacob could hear the group slowly moving to join him, walking out on the catwalk, staring at the machines below. As Jacob walked he looked down, taking in the massive scale of the operation. Thousands of cards moved below, flying between the machines in massive sheets too fast to see what cards were being made. Jacob bumped into Amaryllis unexpectedly, and looked up to see Rama waiting in the middle of the catwalk, watching as the group slowly approached. They gathered in a small cluster in front of her, each bumping into the one in front of them gently before stopping.

  “Every card we have ever made, has been manufactured on these machines.” Rama gestured at the production line below with pride, her voice crystal clear through the sound muffling card effects “This cavern is the heart and soul of Wonder Corp. It’s the space that makes everything possible, and took well over a decade to build.”

  “I’m confused” Stan spoke up “I thought only the machines that fell through the portals could make cards.”

  “That’s correct.” Rama replied smoothly “Sounds like you aren’t confused at all.”

  “So these then are the machines that fell through the portals?” Stan glanced down at the production line, his brow furrowed.

  “They are not.” Rama replied “Most of these machines were custom built for Wonder Corp, though a few were procured from an old playing card company.”

  Stan looked back at Rama, then back down at the machines. A question was clearly on his mind, though he seemed to struggle vocalizing it. Rama chuckled.

  “After the portals opened, and the cards first appeared” Rama glanced up at the ceiling, her tone growing soft “The world dissolved. Everyone wanted to fight over the machines. Back then, production lines like this weren’t possible. Every single card had to be made on the portal machines, every single step of the way. War, famine, disease, all came from the planet fighting over a few simple machines.”

  “All of this is ancient history.” Veronica huffed “We all know all this, what does it have to do with anything.”

  “Some history needs to be reviewed, again and again.” Jacob’s grandfather spoke softly, with a dark expression “Lest we not repeat it. Many of those who fought in those times are still living.”

  “The production line below you is the invention that stabilized the world.” Rama saw Veronica about to reply to Jacob’s grandfather and cut her off before she could speak, avoiding conflict “It took over a year to develop, but changed everything once it was. Some of the greatest minds worked on building the systems below you, perfecting it until it reached a smaller version of what you see now.”

  “To answer the question on your mind.” Rama looked at Stan as she explained “What you see below you aren’t cards. At least, not yet. They’re the shells of cards. The very beginning stages. What those minds discovered through a lot of trial and error was a technique for offloading much of the card production from the portal machines, bringing them in during the very last stages of card production. Material Selection, Printing, Cutting, all can happen on a separate production line before the cards are sent through the portal machines, and made into what you can cast and use to this day. It allowed for the production of cards to increase drastically; the rate of output exploded nearly overnight. What you see is the building blocks of cards, but not yet cards themselves.”

  “Will we get to see the machine that makes them cards?” Stan followed up, the furrow on his brow remaining.

  “Maybe.” Rama gave Stan a cryptic look, lying somewhere between amusement. She looked at him critically for a moment, before turning to the rest of the group. “It’s going to be a few minutes before the next few stops on our tour are ready for our visit, so take some time to look around the production facility. They’ll likely be ready in about 15 minutes; when that time comes we’ll gather at the other end of the facility. Until then, look but do not touch.”

  Rama turned and began walking quickly towards the other end of the room. As she left she tapped her equipper a few times, and Jacob thought he glimpsed for a moment the light outline of text hovering over it. He squinted to see further, but was interrupted by the feeling of his grandfather clapping a hand onto his shoulder. He looked over, and saw the old man’s expression was strained.

  “I saw a bench a couple rows down.” Jacobs grandfather shifted onto his good leg “I intend to spend my 15 minutes there.”

  “Do you need help?” Jacob looked at his grandfather concerned. The tour had been harder than anticipated on the old man, with his current expression meaning he was likely hiding a significant amount of soreness from his prosthetic.

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  “No, no, explore the space.” Jacob’s grandfather took his arm off of Jacob’s shoulders and waved him up “I’m old, I’m not useless. Look around, you won’t get another opportunity.”

  Jacob’s grandfather walked stiffly down the catwalk towards the center of the cavern, where Jacob saw a small platform with a bench and table. The man placed a single hand on the railing to support himself, but otherwise stubbornly moved forward. Jacob shook his head as he watched him; the old man had always been persistent in refusing help, his determination only matched in strength by his stubbornness.

  Jacob glanced around, and saw Stan leaning over one of the railings nearby, staring down at the machines below as the group dispersed. Jacob walked over and leaned against the railing next to him. Stan looked darkly down at the machines, his mind clearly troubled.

  “This factory really is something, isn’t it.” Jacob sighed, looking at the printer below them as it pumped out massive sheets of almost-cards.

  “Never seen anything like it.” Stan said quietly. He didn’t move his gaze away from the printer, watching as hundreds of sheets flowed from it.

  “You say that like you don’t like what you see.”

  “I don’t.” Stan sighed, then turned away from the printer, leaning with his back to it. He smiled at his wife, who was busy staring at a massive cutting machine that was splitting the almost-cards into the right shape. “It’s all so much. So big. I keep thinking to when I was kid, and cards were rarer than a snowstorm in July. We can build all of this, but there’s still so many who don’t have access.”

  “I know what you mean.” Jacob looked around the massive room, taking in the scale of it all. “It’s surreal. A few weeks ago cards were some far off, maybe future. Now we’re surrounded by them.”

  “It’s not really different though is it?” Stan smiled wryly at Jacob “We can look, but we can’t touch.”

  “Probably for the best, last time I touched something I wasn’t supposed to we ran into monsters named after 1970s sitcom characters.”

  Stan chuckled, watching as his wife marveled at the room. She saw him looking and smiled broadly, waving from across the cavern. Stan smiled and waved back. Jacob watched silently, and smiled.

  “Well she’s having fun at least.” Jacob said

  “She came from a different life.” Stan smiled as he watched her “Fortunately she never had to worry about any of this.”

  “You don’t have to anymore either.” Jacob stood up straight and put a hand on Stan’s shoulder to re-assure him “The past doesn’t ever truly leave us, but it is the past. The world outside is a messed up place. Enjoy the moments you get a break from it.”

  Stan nodded, and sighed. He looked over the factory for a moment, then began walking towards his wife, Jacob’s hand sliding off his shoulder as he did.

  “Wise words.” Jacob jumped slightly as Rama spoke. He didn’t know when she had appeared next to him, though he wouldn’t surprised if she had teleported there that the exact instant. Almost every time they had spoken individually had started with a jump scare, and no matter how many times it happened he couldn’t get used to it.

  “You really have to stop sneaking up on me.” Jacob said dryly

  “And give up the fun of seeing you jolt?” Rama smirked, then gestured with her head towards the other end of the cavern “Walk with me, the next room is going to be ready soon.”

  She started walking down the catwalk, and Jacob rushed to catch up. He glanced over at the bench momentarily, noticing his Grandfather speaking to a bot that had stopped by it. Jacob and Rama walked in silence for a second, before he broached the silence.

  “Why did you leave Cascadia?” Jacob glanced around the space “And why here of all places?”

  “Distance gives breathing room.” Rama replied “Same reason every private company is headquartered in international waters.”

  “The other companies aren’t hiding in the depths of the ocean floor. The amount of casting just to keep this place from casting-”

  “Is colossal.” Rama paused, cutting Jacob off. She looked at him seriously, and Jacob felt once more the weight in her gaze. An eternity seemed to pass in her glance; untold ages and sights long gone. She smiled slightly, and began walking again. Jacob rushed to keep up “Cascadia is special to me. It’s where all of this started. But eventually I needed more freedom.”

  “You mean you needed less oversight.”

  “Perhaps.” Rama raised an eyebrow, but didn’t stop walking “Everyone standing in this room has secrets Jacob, I’m not a fool. Nobody is just here for a tour. Everyone has their own ambitions and goals that they hide behind their wonder. Whether those ulterior motives come from their government or their own mind, no one is here fully honestly. Including you. Including me. It’s all a part of the game.”

  “If you know everyone here is lying to you, why open up your factory? Why let any of them in?”

  “I have my reasons.” Rama smiled inwardly as they got close to the other end of the room, which had a suspicious opening at ground level on the wall. The opening curved downwards but was unlit, the curving spiral being quickly swallowed by darkness.

  “I suppose you also have your own reasons for that.” Jacob said, pointing at what was clearly a larger version of a playground slide, descending into the dark.

  “Why bother building the biggest card factory in the world, if you can’t have fun with it.” Rama stopped by the wall, looking at the slide “This tour has been a lot of talking, and a lot of watching. But eventually everyone’s secrets will catch up to them. That includes the secrets of their minds, and the secrets of their cards.”

  “Do you ever say anything straightforwardly?” This time it was Jacob’s turn to raise an eyebrow, looking at Rama suspiciously. He was growing weary of the constant mystery, though he sensed she had far more to reveal before the tour was done.

  “Oh it’s too much fun to keep all of you guessing.” Rama turned to look outwards, and tapped her walking stick on the catwalk. The sound echoed across the room, amplified across the cavern. The rest of the group looked towards them from across the cavern. Rama waved the group over, and they began to make their way to the slide built into the back wall.

  “I enjoy the game we’re all playing.” Rama said quietly as they approached “It’s unpredictable and predictable at the same time. And it’s constantly full of surprises. Much like the cards themselves. You never truly have control; you have to always be on your toes.”

  “I think I’ve been on my toes enough.” Jacob replied. The rest of the group quickly joined them, and Rama gestured grandly once more at the space as they all assembled.

  “Each room you have seen thus far makes up the lifeblood of Wonder Corp,” Rama said boldly “but none of them thus have encompassed it’s spirit. Where we’re traveling next is a different story. This cavern - and the spaces before it - are where magic is made. The next few rooms are where the magic is dreamt.”

  Rama turned without waiting for a response, and launched herself down the slide feet first. She disappeared into the dark, leaving the group behind.

  “Guess that’s where we’re going next.” Stan said. No one in the group moved to follow Rama.

  “There’s got to be another way, I’m not going down that.” Veronica complained “I haven’t been on a slide since I was a toddler.”

  “Suit yourself.” Ku Do-Yeon broke the silence, before walking boldly towards slide. She slid down it without hesitating, and was followed closely by her sister Amaryllis. Veronica grumbled and grabbed her father, who objected slightly. She shoved him into the slide, then waited a minute. Hearing nothing, she huffed once more, then sat on the edge of the slide. She hesitated for a moment, then looked back at the group.

  “Maybe there’s a set of stairs-” She started.

  “Oh for fucks sake.” Stan shoved Veronica with the side of her shoe and she disappeared into the tunnel, her cries of protest quickly disappearing into the void. Stan looked over at Jacob and rolled his eyes, before escorting his wife over to the slide. She quickly launched herself down it, followed closely by her husband. Jacob and his grandfather stood looking at the slide for a moment, contemplating it.

  “So.” Jacob’s grandfather huffed “What did you and Rama talk about this time?”

  “The same as always. More-” Jacob started, before his grandfather cut him off

  “Mystical nonsense, yeah.” His Grandfather looked behind them at the factory, taking it in for another moment. “She’s definitely hiding something, the question is what.”

  “We’re all hiding something.” Jacob said darkly. His grandfather looked at him in concern as he spoke “And Rama knows it.”

  Jacob’s grandfather nodded and thought for a moment, before shrugging. “Either way, looks like our only path is forward. We’ll have to wait to see where it leads.”

  Jacob’s grandfather eased himself down to sit at the top of the slide, then looked back at Jacob. “See you on the other side.”

  Jacob nodded, and the old man launched himself downwards. Jacob watched as he disappeared from sight, then turn to take in the production lines one more time. Despite everything he had seen on the tour the scale was still mind boggling. Every single step of the tour had been full of surprises. And if Rama was to be believed, this was only the beginning. Jacob sighed again, turning away from his brooding to move towards the slide. He sat at its lip, feeling the cold metal below him as he did. He inhaled deeply then pushed off, holding his breath as he was swallowed by the dark.

  Rama knows Jacob is hiding something. After the last chapter, that much is obvious. This story has had a lot of slow build and slow burn, and Rama is still holding so many of her cards close to her chest. Unfortunately for our heroes, that slow pace isn’t destined to continue as they descend deeper into the factory’s depths; conflict is coming rapidly for our invite card holders. More duels are impending, and no one is going to leave the factory unscathed.

  trust in the cards…

  If you had a card factory, would you add a slide?