Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

Irwin looked at Scintilla, feeling bad for her. She had moved the others up, but now she sat in the corner, vomiting loudly.

"Let's go," Numilli whispered excitedly.

Irwin let out a weary sigh, staring at the other Ignitzion. "Perhaps we should give Scintilla a few moments?"

"But we were in a rush, right?" she said, turning to her cousin. "Can't she just… do that as we walk?"

Scintilla looked up while wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, glaring at Numilli.

"I'm fine," she grunted, getting up.

As she staggered, Irwin lunged and grabbed her around the waist, keeping her standing. Scintilla looked at him with a smile.

"Thank-"

Irwin saw her gaze land on the white ichor and blood covering his arms, and he barely managed to direct her to the side as she managed to vomit out an impressive amount of food for someone who'd been doing the same thing for a minute already.

"Sorry," he said.

Scintilla just shook her head, wiping her mouth. "It's okay, I'm alright now."

She shivered, and Irwin grimaced, slowly guiding her deeper through the wyrm-dug tunnel. Numilli was walking ahead, constantly looking back, while Greldo took up the rear.

A short while later, Scintilla could again walk by herself.

"This corpse feels… bigger," Greldo muttered.

"It is," Numilli crooned happily. "It's weird how it's this big and only just tried to create a soul skill."

"Yeah. Weird," Greldo muttered.

"There's nothing ahead?" Irwin asked, recalling the massive wyrm they had found near the card in the other body.

"Don't hear anything," Greldo said. "But with how much hotter it's becoming, we should be there soon."

They continued ahead, and the tunnel curved left until it ended in the distance. Hesitating for only a moment, Irwin caught up with Numilli.

"I'll go in the lead," he said, stopping her and pointing behind him. "We don't know what is…" he trailed off as he saw her look at him with wide eyes, seeming ready to cry.

"What?"

"You're not going to steal the card again, are you?" she whined.

Irwin shook his head. "No, I won't," he said before looking at Greldo and the others. "Remember, this heartcard might make us go crazy again. So, when we reach it, everyone stays outside the heart's room and lets Numilli grab it."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Greldo muttered.

Numilli hesitated, then reluctantly moved back. Even his remark hadn't really made her trust he wasn't going to sneak off with the other card.

She's so odd. I wonder if absorbing this thing will fix her, he thought as he continued to the end of the tunnel.

A few steps away, he slowed, any thoughts of Numilli gone as he realized what he was looking at. A massive tunnel drilled by a wyrm that had to be so big it could swallow him whole. Looking in either direction, he saw nothing around, and as quietly as he could, he jumped a foot down onto the curved and dusty ground. The ceiling was too high for him to reach, and he shared a worried look with Greldo.

"Hear anything?" he whispered.

"Nothing."

Irwin nodded, then turned left, the direction from which the heat emanated. Far in the distance, he saw the tunnel end, and worried and confused, he began walking towards it. The closer they got to the end of the tunnel, the more confused he became.

"It just ends…" he muttered, staring at the rocky, bulbous…

By Gelwin's balls, he thought, his hair standing on end as he realized what he was looking at wasn't just a wall. It was the side of a massive wyrm, covered in dust and with rock-flesh debris piled up against its bottom.

"It's… dead?" he whispered, looking at Greldo.

His friend was frowning, sneaking forward and hovering a hand above the rock's body. After a moment's hesitation, he pressed his hand against the surface. He instantly yanked it back, took two steps back, and looked back at them.

"It's alive!"

A soft tremor ran through the surroundings, dust falling from the sides of the wyrm. Irwin had an odd feeling of disorientation as the wall seemed to slide. Then, the tremors increased while a distant screech followed.

"It's wrapped around the heart area," Numilli shouted as the rumbling and screeching continued. "We need to find a way inside!"

Irwin gritted his teeth as he backed up, staring at the mass of dusty, stone-like flesh moving sideways. How, exactly, were they supposed to do that? An idea instantly popped up in his mind. There was just one big downside to it.

Even if they smell it, they can't reach us that fast, he thought as he focused on his card of flame. Besides, we killed so many that they would have smelled it already.

"Backup and get ready to go inside and absorb that card," he shouted. "Grel, don't get too close!"

Greldo looked at him, eyes widening in panic before he dashed past him. As soon as nobody was there, Irwin took a deep breath and stepped forward as a massive gout of flame projected from his hand. It struck the side of the wyrm, which shivered, then-

Lights burst out everywhere, and there was a moment of disorientation before he felt a dull pain in his face and realized he was lying on his back. His ears were ringing, and white spots flashed across his vision as he blinked stupidly at the ceiling.

"What… just happened?" he muttered, stunned when his own words sounded like they came from a great distance.

Shaking his head, he pushed himself up and looked up. The wall was rushing sideways, far faster than before, then a thinner tail-end shot past, and suddenly, there was a sight of a chamber beyond. He felt a surge of fear as he saw the heart hanging in plain view. As he stared at it, he felt a tiny bit of hunger, but nothing compared to before. Was it because he was too far away? He had no idea.

Some of the fear of going crazy faded, heat radiating from the heart washed over him, and with a soft crackle, his hearing returned in full force. It had been a while since he'd so obviously felt his regeneration. Shaking his head to stop himself from getting distracted, he focused on the room. Dozens of tendrils thicker than his upper leg hung from the ceiling, many attached to a smooth-sided round object. Dark red, it glowed dimly while the air around it was shimmering from the heat it ejected. Dark, shadowy tendrils seemed to erupt from its surface.

A pained moan made him look up, and he saw Greldo slowly roll over, looking around in confusion. His eyes passed across the heart, and Irwin tensed up, only to relax when nothing seemed to happen to Greldo.

"Grel, you okay?" he said, his voice a croaky groan.

There was no reaction, and he saw his friend look around with foggy eyes that kept rolling around. More sounds came from the other side, and he found Scintilla and Numilli there, both moving as they seemed to wake from a stupor.

Gotta get to the heart before that wyrm returns, Irwin thought as he forced himself to his feet.

Greldo must have seen his movement because he looked over, shaking his head softly.

"Ir- win… My ears," Greldo shouted, putting his hands on his ears.

Irwin grimaced at the hard shout but nodded, pointing at his own ears to show he'd had the same problem.

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There was no time for anything but hurry now. The ground was still rumbling slightly, and he heard distant scraping sounds, which had to be the wyrm. Wherever it had gone, it was still around, and he had the feeling it was probably not interested in giving up the heartcard.

Moving to Scintilla, he saw her eyes were closed, and with a grunt, he picked her up, as always surprised by how little she weighed. Holding her in one arm, he moved to Numilli, grabbed her in the other arm, then turned and paced to the heart. At the same time, he focused on his Sweltering Heart, making the steam swirl around the two Ignitzions.

As he closed in, the heat grew, and with it, the hunger! As it did, his control over his cards began to unravel, and he quickly stepped back. Immediately, the hunger lessened.

Shivering at what had almost happened, he turned to Greldo and shook his head.

"Go back," he mouthed, glad to see his friend jump a few steps back.

Knowing he probably had very little time, he focused on the two Ignitzions, seeing they had awoken at some point. They were both blinking, their eyes unfocused. Fast yet carefully, he put Scintilla on the ground before holding Numilli up in two hands, shaking her and staring into her face, willing her to wake up. If she could just absorb the bloody card and then teleport them away, that'd be lovely!

The grinding sound began to close in.

"Snap out of it," he hissed, shaking her again. He sighed in relief as he saw her blink and focus on him.

"Can you hear me?" he asked, hoping she'd healed enough from his steam.

"Ugh, why are you whispering?" she shouted, causing Irwin to grimace.

"Your ears are damaged. Stop shouting," he said, slightly louder.

She blinked. "What?"

"Not now," Irwin said as he shook her slightly. "The card is behind you! Go absorb it, then get us out of here!"

That seemed to get through to her as her eyes widened with joy.

"Really? Let go!"

Irwin quickly put her squirming shape down. He watched, slightly worriedly, as she turned and almost hungrily ran forward, arms outstretched at the heart. As she did, something in her face changed, and her eyes seemed to turn almost icy cold.

What…

Someone grabbed his hand, and he looked down to see Scintilla struggle up. She seemed barely able to stand but was trying to pull him back.

"What is going on?" Irwin asked as he allowed her to pull him back.

A wave of heat, more intense than any he had felt, washed over him, and he looked up to see Numilli, hand on the heart, leaning forward. She seemed almost ready to bite into it, the tendrils that had been small, close to the surface, reaching out as if to hug her. They stretched out, some rippling around, and then the heat that had been blazing around them vanished.

Irwin shivered as he felt the heat around him seemingly drawn towards the heart, which had stopped glowing red and was now rippling with dark tendrils of shadow.

A pulling sensation came from his core, and he felt a cold begin, starting at his skin and trying to pierce deep inside.

"Ir- win-, h- … elp!"

Irwin blinked, staring down to see Scintilla's skin darken, the previous fiery color fading, while her eyes dulled.

"What the.."

"Kid, get them out of here," Ambras shouted from his position on his shoulder. "She isn't just trying to fill her heartcard! She's begun the process of turning it into a bloody soulcard before her own heartcard is even full! It's drawing in all surrounding soulpower!"

Irwin's eyes widened and he took one look at Numilli who had turned into a dark figure wrapped in shadows, seeming to suck in all life and warmth. Then he grabbed Scintilla, pulling her in his arms as he turned and ran to the tunnel they had come in. Greldo stood on the edge, his fur puffed out and his breath coming out in tiny puffs.

"Why do I get the feeling she tricked us," Greldo asked, his eyes blazing.

"I have noooo idea," Irwin hissed as he jumped in the tunnel. "Let's get out of here!"

"And how do you suppose we do that?"

Irwin shook his head as he sprinted forward, noting tiny cracks in the stone all around. The dust that had been there seemed pale, and a soft cracking came from behind him. It reminded him of the ice that sometimes expanded over the moat around Malorin.

Feeling Scintilla shiver against him, he wrapped her in his arms and let his flame ripple around him. As soon as it appeared, he felt the cold on his skin lessen, but he also felt a massive drain on the energy in his card, unlike any he'd ever felt before.

"I'm sorry," Scintilla said, her teeth chattering. "I didn't know she was doing this."

"She isn't really going to hurt you, is she?" Irwin asked.

Scintilla hugged him tighter, and he felt how weak the heat in her body had become. She didn't answer him, and he hissed. As they jumped out into the large room, a dull rumble came from the side, and looking up, he saw a massive wyrm head shoot out of the wall far to the side and a bit higher. It continued on and out, its upper body curving down and slamming into the ground, causing the stone to crack and shatter, splinters shooting everywhere.

The wyrm didn't slow. Instead, it began speeding up, rumbling at the distant wall, slamming into it in a screeching collision almost like metal on stone. The entire body shuddered, then continued digging into the distant side of the corpse.

Irwin took one look up, then at the wyrm, then at Greldo.

"After it?" he said.

"If she ever gets back, remind me to scream at her," Greldo hissed as he nodded.

They ran forward, the ground around them rumbling as the wyrm continued on and on, almost seeming without end. Just when they reached the other side, the wyrms' tail end appeared, and they waited as the final part of it began vanishing into the new, massive tunnel.

A loud, sharp cracking sound came from the other side of the cavern. Irwin looked up to see the entire wall turn a pale white as a layer of ice seemed to cover it.

"That's not good," Greldo said.

"Ambraz, what is going on?" Irwin asked, slightly panicky. "Why is everything turning into ice?"

"She's using the already drained energy of a heartcard, no matter how massive it is, to try and break through some bottleneck in her soulcard. The problem is that her own heartcard isn't full enough, and the extra energy isn't enough. All the force and heat in the area is now drawing towards her!"

"Is that normal when you create a soulcard?" Greldo asked, his voice raising an octave as a chunk of ice-covered rocky flesh slid down on the other side of the cavern.

The wyrm vanished beside them, and they turned and ran after it, ignoring the cloud of dust that billowed in its wake.

"Hell no, hairy! But remember what happened with that other heartcard? Earth Titans drain heat from their surroundings deep below the ground, and apparently, their heartcards still have some of the ability!"

"Fantastic," Greldo shouted before looking at Irwin. His breath was coming out in large plumes. "You okay there? I can summon Coal to carry her?"

Irwin shook his head, watching the wyrm steadily disappear in the distance.

"Kid, you need to hurry… that heat draining? Well, it's increasing rapidly!"

Irwin swallowed and cast a glance over his shoulder. The edges of the tunnel behind them were covered in frost, and pale clouds hung behind them.

"Grel, can you ride Coal?" he asked as he focused on his Vaelite card, which immediately began gathering the kinetic energy his feet created as they slammed into the ground.

"But- oh, right! Yeah!"

Irwin nodded, about to ask him to carry Scintilla, when he glanced down at her. She was shivering violently, her eyes closed, and her face pressed against his chest. Even the tiny corona of fire that surrounded Irwin didn't seem enough to keep the cold from harming her.

Guess I'll have to do it myself, Irwin thought as he took a deep breath.

There was a soft blur, and then the heavy thudding of Coal appeared beside them.

He looked up to see Greldo swing himself on the massive hound's back, holding onto the thick hair behind its ears.

"Go, don't wait up!" he shouted.

Coal seemed to understand as he began speeding up instantly, rapidly outpacing him.

Irwin focused all his attention on running. He hadn't had that much practice yet, and now he had to run with Scintilla. He angled forward and let the energy erupt from his foot. With a soft bang, he was pushed forward. His balance was slightly off with the extra weight, and he landed oddly but managed to keep his balance and let the new energy burst from his other foot.

Within moments, his speed was increasing, the dusty air ticking against his face.

"Faster," Ambraz shouted.

Irwin focused, knowing he could go much faster, but not without falling. He was at the edge of what his balance could hold. He felt the energy of his flame drain. He'd hoped that as they ran further, it would become less, but he only felt it increase. Far in the distance, Greldo was becoming a tiny spec.

A loud cracking came from the wall to his side, and looking up, he saw frost began to cover it.

"The end of the corpse is ahead," Ambraz snapped. "You have to keep up until you're out. I'd bet my shiny steel top layer that this drain won't expand far beyond it!"

"How far," Irwin shouted back, keeping all of his focus on his running.

"Maybe a hundred feet? It can't be too far, or they would have drained everything dead if they surfaced!"

Irwin gritted his teeth. He wanted to see how Scintilla was doing, but he couldn't risk it, so he continued on, his energy running lower and lower. Finally, after what felt like hours but couldn't have been more than a minute, the walls ahead changed from rocky flesh to true, much more uneven rock. Loose boulders and debris layered the ground, and the dust was gray.

Greldo stood a good distance beyond it, waving at him.

"-ry! St..- ere!"

Irwin didn't catch any of it, but he could only hope it was good news.

He sprinted out of the tunnel into true rock, watching the ground and trying to pick spots that weren't covered in dangerous debris. The first three steps went miraculously well, then his foot slid sideways, and his balance was gone. Feeling himself falling forward, Irwin wrapped Scintilla in his arms and rolled on the ground, stones trying to dig into his coperion skin and failing. Before he even really came to a stop, he scrambled up, pale steam hovering everywhere, slowly sinking down while the stones turned white.

"You're almost there," Ambraz hissed.

Irwin nodded, running as fast as he dared to Greldo, who stood nearly a hundred feet away.

With his first card draining to the point of being nothing but fumes, his head throbbing, and the world turning fuzzy, he finally stumbled across an almost perfect line. The snow and ice stopped as if it wasn't allowed beyond some invisible border, and he felt the temperature shoot up. He took two more steps, then landed on his knees, looking at Scintilla. She wasn't shaking anymore, lying perfectly still, her normally beautiful golden red skin dark and dull.

"Scintilla?" he whispered, his voice a dull croak.

"Shit! Is she…"

Greldo sat down next to him, shaking his head. "I- I couldn't come back! It was so cold that even Coal couldn't stand it!"

Irwin just nodded, barely paying attention as he held Scintilla in his arms, trying to force more energy from his flame. The fire burned shakily around him, and he focused it on her. His weary mind took a few moments to realize he was forgetting something, and he quickly called upon his Sweltering Heart. Superheated steam began flickering around him, and with all his will, he focused it towards Scintilla. Within moments, an almost cocoon-like thing hung around her, the heat causing shimmers in the air.

Seconds turned to minutes, and he felt his fear grow.

A shudder ran through Scintilla, and then he was relieved when he heard her suck in deep breaths of steam.

"Thank Gelwin," Greldo said, sitting down beside him.

Irwin looked up, staring at his friend, who looked back in relief. Realizing he was still holding his flame up, he finally dropped it, hoping the headache would lessen now they had reached an area where it wasn't constantly being drained.

They silently sat there as Scintilla's breathing slowly returned to normal until Irwin was pretty sure she was sleeping a healthy sleep.

"So… any idea how we get back up?" Greldo finally muttered.