Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

Dead, pain, and anguish.

The tiny being wanted to curl in upon itself. First, it had been alone and stuck, knowing barely anything but the endless passing of time. Faint, very distant memories of before sometimes haunted him. Those were filled with joy and something else, but that was so long ago, almost as long as its moment of ignition.

Then came the pulsing pain as that which bound it screamed out in impotent rage.

The tiny being would have laughed if it could have, but all it could do was scream its own pain. The others around it were no better. Time went from a slow and meandering stream into an explosion of soulforce.

It seemed to last for a long time, but when it finally vanished with a last pulse, the tiny being felt hollow. The meager amount of soulforce that it had managed to scrounge from the binder was gone, only whisps remaining. Although it could still sense things, it felt like everything began distant. Whispers of the others, as their soulforce resonances stopped for the last time, surrounded it until it instinctively knew it was the last one.

Resignation filled it, but it never stopped resisting, latching on to the last of the faint mist of soulforce. The only voice it had managed to remember had told it. Always push on, so it did.

Time continued to slip by when, through the growing darkness, it sensed something!

Another resonance closed in, then touched it, and it felt itself pulled from that which bound it, which had continued to hold it even in death. It wanted to open its eyes, but it couldn’t, and when the other thing drew it, it couldn’t have prevented it even if it wanted to. Not that it did. Nothing could be worse than where it had been!

A blinding flash of pure soulforce, purer than any he had sensed, exploded around it. The soulforce resonated incredibly strong, but also weird. Before it could understand what it was, a nearly forgotten, familiar hotness wrapped around it, infusing it with heat and soulforce. Abundant and malleable, the tiny being felt it flow around, and hesitant at first, it began drawing from it.

As soon as the new soulforce touched the unstable, faint flickers and whisps of the old soulforce that had sustained it, the tiny being sensed them shiver and warp. Unable to hold themselves together, the resonances unraveled, replaced by a torrentuous flood of new, and a sense of well-being filled it.

Time had little meaning as it reveled in the abundance. Gone was the taker, the binder, and the constant struggle for scraps.

With no resonance or soulforce of its own left, the tiny being felt itself being changed into something else, but it didn’t care. As its body, bound for such a long time, finally found the nourishment it had so desperately needed, it grew.

At some point, it had gained enough energy to open its eyes, and as it did, it looked around in awe.

Soulforce suffused everything and anything, resonating together, while far in the distance, something was pushing against a barrier. It felt the chaotic, horrifying mess beyond it, but also the power of the resonance, and looking around, its eyes widened. A being of pure soulforce hung before it, holding an odd object that was like a ripple in the soulforce. Most of the resonance seemed to originate from it, spreading like ripples and bolstering the existing resonances in the glowing soulforce as it continued to crash into the distant barrier like a steady stream of waves.

The single word surfaced in the tiny being's mind, but it didn’t question it. Instead, it watched the being before it. There was something familiar, and as the soulforce strengthened it, filling it with renewed energy, the tiny recalled where it had sensed it before. One of the other embers had felt like this.

It ignored the second word that flitted through its mind, as well as the images and concepts that came with it. Instead, it focused on how the pressure from outside began fading. As it did, the being changed the song, and the previous resonance, odd but comforting, changed into something beautiful. The storm of movement all around started slowing down as a sense of stability and harmony came.

Suffused by the resonance, the tiny being barely noticed how it began humming along, letting its own new soulforce resonate in tandem with what he heard. All around, it saw gaseous clouds form, drifting along lazily, while a splatter of Pyroflux rained down onto the enormous lake. The pure soulforce within glowed golden, far brighter than the tiny streams of Pyroflux that poured along the sides of the enormous mountain range. Shimmering heat came from everything, and the tiny being wanted nothing but to fly around to explore. The horrible pain and the seemingly endless time being stuck caused a desire to move, and as it struggled around the tiny ball of Pyroflux, it barely noticed how the being of soulforce turned to it.

“You look a lot better than before.”

The tiny being froze, spinning toward the origin of the sound. The words were accompanied by soothing calm, though it could sense the hidden streams of pain and worry. Strangely, part of it seemed directed at…. Him.

Something shifted inside the tiny being as it looked at the strong, angular face with the silver eyes of swirling lava. It… he felt pieces of the resonance that now made up his being click together.

With the changes came a wave of knowledge that seemed to originate from all around.

‘Better!’

The word, its first-ever, boomed out of him, and he was worried for a moment that he had done something wrong. Then, the surprise and shock radiating from the soulforce being were replaced with joy.

“Better, huh? Well, that’s great. Do you think you are up for exploring the Pyroflux River and the volcano and its subterranean caves of lava?”

The tiny being felt his interest grow, staring down at the world below. It was massive compared to the grotto it had been bound inside for as long as he could remember, and he nodded vigorously. Something about that and the stability of its body should confuse him, but it didn’t.

A happy laughter came from the soulforce being.

“Alright! Let's go and do that. I’m Irwin, and as soon as you have found a name, be sure to let me know!”

The tiny being blinked, the concept of names flowing into him from outside. As it did, he sensed the origin this time. It seemed to come from the surrounding world itself! Curious if he could learn more, the tiny being thought about itself. A name was something that described him? As he thought about himself, the dark memories flooded in. Locked away, drained, and bound. Surrounded by the others until they all whisked out. He was the last one… the final… glow.

‘Glow,’ he said, sensing more things click within itself. Its form, long a fluid, gaseous mix of heat, flame, and soulforce seemed to set into itself.

A small wave of worry and surprise came from Irwin, then followed by joy.

“Good job, Glow! Well, let's go and see what my little Ember is doing!”

Glow nodded, feeling joy suffuse him as Irwin moved them down toward the world that seemed to beckon to be explored. As they lowered to the ground, he wondered how the others would have liked it here, and a deep sadness filled him. It lasted for only a few moments before vanishing as he popped into the Pyroflux river, feeling the freedom around it.

‘Explore!’ he screamed happily, shooting away.

--

Irwin followed the Ember, Glow, watching its almost set body shoot through the Pyroflux, spin around rocks and boulders, and scream with delight.

He had no idea what had happened, but the tiny, barely thumb-sized being that he’d found had changed more than any other Ember he had taken into his soulscape. Besides the obvious fact that it had grown from that tiny size to be almost as big as Mia or that its body had gone from a gaseous, unsteady form to one that was stable and close to ready, there was something else.

If I’d ask anyone else, they would say it's my child, he thought, watching the powerful soulforce resonance within Glow.

While he was defending his soulscape from the powerful pulses from the dead Earth Titan, he’d had barely any time to see what was going on with the tiny Ember. All he had were flashes of the Ember’s soulforce and resonance seeming almost gone, while a short while later, it was refilling at an almost alarming rate.

Then there was the fact that Glow was very definitely a boy.

I wonder if Tiscian knows anything about this, he thought.

Sensing his fifth Ember rushing up through a lava-filled pipe, he focused on it, wondering if what had happened had changed it to.

Glow shot down from the Pyroflux river into a tube of lava, seamlessly moving from one substance into the other, with Irwin behind it. Irwin chased after him, his curiosity growing as they closed in on the other Ember. They reached each other inside a small magma-filled cave, shooting out of their tunnels and into the wider area.

Glow didn’t even stop but rushed toward the other Ember, shooting out curious thoughts and questions, but Irwin froze.

His fifth child had been the largest of those locked against the wall, and whatever had changed, Glow had had the same effect on… him. Slightly larger than Glow, he was slightly more golden and flame compared to the darker, subdued tones of the other Ember.

‘Large tube of magma can slide down!’ his fifth child shouted across the soulforce.

‘Show me!’ Glow replied.

‘Yes!’

Irwin, who watched the two shoot off, followed them, deciding not to let them out of his sight for now. He wanted to ask his fifth Ember something but decided to let the two boys play first. After, when they were tired and content, he’d ask questions like, how come you two can talk, and where did you learn all these things from!?

As he followed them, he was glad he wasn’t the part that was on the outside right now.

--

Irwin grunted as he crawled through the jagged tunnel of exploded flesh.

“Last one,” Ambraz grunted. “Get ready to hold your breath, and don’t get flooded back down!”

“About time,” Irwin said as he lay down in the tunnel, grabbing hold of some of the ridge. “Ready.”

“If Hou’dor hears about this, he’s never going to stop using it to tease me,” Ambraz grunted. “Here we go!”

Irwin braced himself as an explosion of flesh, gore, and pale fluids exploded out across him. Pyryflux burst along the edges of where Ambraz was wedged shut ahead of him.

“Get closer so I can move into your soulscape before I get blown away!”

Irwin took another deep breath as he crawled forward. Ambraz vanished, and instantly, Pyrflux basted out towards him, the torrent scouring his body as it tried to rip his handhold free. His eyes closed, clamping the ridges of flesh, and digging his toes into others, Irwin felt like he was being punched by a giant. The pressure didn’t ease up for long minutes, but when it finally did, he opened his eyes to see a muddy tunnel of gore-filled Pyroflux leading out into a chamber beyond.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

I wonder what Scintilla is going to say to this, he thought as he dragged himself out.

Hovering beside the hole that Ambraz had drilled into the side of the dead Earth Titan, he saw a long tunnel leading up. Far above, he knew, would be the Pyroflux sea, and he hoped he would be able to use his soulcard skill soon. The horrible dissonance was still coming from the body behind him, but it should stop soon. Right?

He tried swimming up, but his own massive weight made it almost impossible, and without his soulcards, all he had was his body’s strength. After struggling for a bit, he made his way to the rocky side and began climbing up.

It took him almost ten minutes to climb far enough away for him to be able to use his soulcards, and when he finally could, he rushed to create a large pocket of steam. Drawing in breaths of the clean, superheated air, he sighed in relief.

“Being on a ship isn’t all that bad if this is the alternative,” he muttered to himself, in between gulping in the air.

Still, as he waited till his breath was back, he watched the two little boys play in his soulscape. One of the surprising things was how fast their vocabulary was increasing as they constantly chatted during their play. Both also enjoyed Ambraz’s presence, swimming around him or climbing atop, waiting for Ambraz to fly a few feet up, then jumping into the Pyroflux lake. Another thing was that Glow had explained names, and it hadn’t taken his son long to want one. He’d taken a liking to Flux because he said Pyroflux was the best thing ever.

They are very close to being fully formed… It has to be because of the intensity of the soulforce storm during what happened before, Irwin thought.

As he gazed at the steam that surrounded him, he knew it was time to go up. Now, he could finally use his soulcards, which meant going up would be fast. He released his sweltering ability, and the Pyroflux returned around him. Looking straight up, he could see that the tunnel was already collapsing slowly.

He ticked his tongue, creating a loud click, then followed the sound waves up.

I wonder if Tang is still on the seabed.

--

Tang stood on the beach, his legs still in the Pyroflux, and the massive tube of card-forged metal beside him slammed into the surf.

“You are sure it's dead?” Scintilla asked, staring at the massive Fiz’rin.

“Guaranteed,” Tang rumbled. “The pulses you sensed only come from Earth Titans after they die.”

Scintilla crossed her arms, wishing she had a sword hilt to grasp.

“Momaheat, no worry,” Mia said. “Dad is coming back!”

Scintilla looked at the small Ember drifting beside her. She seemed perfectly sure of herself. Scintilla was about to ask how she knew when something flashed in her peripheral vision. Looking ahead, she saw Irwin fall back to the sea and create a massive splash as he landed. A moment later, the shape vanished, and before she could realize what was going on, a large shape appeared a few inches from her.

“Wha-”

Her words were cut off as she was smothered in a hug.

“Everything is fine, I found him.”

Him?

Scintilla struggled futilely for a few moments, then allowed herself to be hugged till Irwin let go and stepped back. His eyes were gleaming, and he looked incredibly…

“Naked!” Scintilla snapped, letting her gaze drift over the powerful, muscled physique of the smith.

Irwin blinked, then looked down.

“Ah, right. I forgot about that,” he muttered, scratching his head.

“Use this.”

Tang threw what looked like the skin of some animal at him.

Irwin snatched it out of the air and bound it around his waist.

“Thanks!”

“How did you kill that Earth Titan?” Tang asked, stomping closer.

Scintilla felt her own interest piqued, and she leaned forward.

“Ah, right! That’s because I cut away this-” Irwin said as he pulled a large chunk of flesh, still dripping with blood, out of nowhere. A pulsing card sat in the middle, and as soon as she saw it, Scintilla felt an incredible desire to jump forward to grab it. Before she could, the entire chunk vanished again, leaving her with a sensation that reminded her of the time they had found something similar back on Scour.

“By the Flames of Aghos,” Scintilla snapped. “Don’t take that thing out where people can sense it!”

“Yeah, I noticed that,” Irwin said. “It didn’t act like that on me, so I’d not expected that.”

Scintilla followed his finger, which was pointing at Tang. The massive Fiz’rin was shaking his head, having moved a few steps closer within the moments she’d last looked at him.

“Don’t… take that out,” Tang rumbled, shaking his head again.

“I won’t,” Irwin said as he focused on Scintilla. “I need to show you something. Can you join me in my soulscape?”

Scintilla blinked, then nodded.

“Dad, me too!?” Mia shouted.

“You two, little one.”

Scintilla noticed the slight worry in Irwin’s eyes, and she quickly allowed him to pull her into his soulscape.

--

Irwin watched Scintilla and Mia vanish, while his otherself began explaining what had happened and showing her Flux and Glow.

After a few moments, he turned to Tang.

“Let's head back to town. I’m sure the others will be happy to hear things turned out alright,” he said.

Tang nodded, then turned and followed him, leaving the massive tube where it stood.

“Are you leaving that here?” Irwin asked.

“It's fine. Nobody but me can carry it,” Tang rumbled. “Besides, we might need it again.”

I hope not, Irwin thought as they walked toward the distant treeline.

Tang must have seen something of what he was thinking as he hummed thoughtfully.

“So, you are going to leave soon?”

Irwin shrugged, not sure how to answer. He had wanted to remain as long as he could, but with all he’d heard, perhaps leaving much sooner was wise. He walked to the narrow Pyroflux channel, thinking about it. While he did that, he found his children among the other embers and pulled them into his soulscape. Returning to Tang, he sighed.

“Yes, I’ll be leaving when I can. Probably in three or four days,” he said. “I want to make Scintilla’s last card and heartcard first. I have no idea what is going to happen after we leave here, but right now, we have some time of quiet.”

“If you are to leave, I would leave as fast as you can,” Tang said, staring forward thoughtfully. “I know some of those Matriarchs, and they are annoying, self-centered, and power-hungry. If they hear of your presence and your ship, they will likely attempt to snatch you up in their webs.”

Irwin watched the Fiz’rin for a while before nodding.

“Is there something I can do to get that purperion mask?” he said. “I was told you are attempting to break free of the limitations of your current card?”

Tang glanced at him, and Irwin felt a slight shiver as he saw a dangerous gleam in the figure that towered over him. It lasted for only a moment before fading, and Tang let out a soft laugh.

“I don’t know if it was Helm who told you that, but don’t let it bother you. I’ve spoken to countless smiths, including a few of those struggling in the diamond rankings, and none were able to help,” he said. “I’ll think on it for a while. I had planned to keep it as payment, but perhaps I’ve let my desire turn into an unhealthy obsession.”

Irwin watched the towering Fiz’rin. The other had never spoken this much in a single time, and his ears were vibrating from the deep, rumbling voice. Still…

“What rank is your soulcard?” he asked slowly.

Tang blinked, then looked at him, his eyes narrowing.

“My first soulcard was amethyst,” Tang said. “It is what gave me my flame. The second card was Topaz, though that caused some issues, and it's what gave me my size.”

Irwin stared at him in stupid disbelief. He’d never seen anyone with a pair of amethyst soulcards that was this powerful. For all he knew, those people were weaker than he was!

“Surprising, isn’t it?” Tang said, letting out a weary sigh. “The thing is, although both of my cards are low ranked, don’t let that fool you. Both were remnants of Earth Titan heartcards.”

Irwin almost swallowed his tongue, and it took him a while to stop coughing. When he finally did, he very carefully prodded the soulforce resonance that Tang was exuding, and he shook his head.

“It feels like you have two topaz or higher soulcards,” he said.

“I know. Sadly, there is no way to fix my juvenile choice. Don’t let it bother you.”

They continued walking in silence as Irwin tried to understand how someone was able to slot the remnants of an Earth Titan heartcard. His old sweltering card, now part of his soulcard, had been like that, but it had almost killed him to reforge it.

“Did someone reforge them before you slotted them?” he asked.

“No,” Tang said, smiling ruefully. “Fiz’rin are part metal and part fire elemental. Our bodies and minds are more powerful than those of humans, as you should know by now. You are closer to us than any other thing I’ve ever seen.”

Irwin thought about when he’d reforged Hind’s heartcard, fixing the balance of her previous soulcard and somehow creating something new. In hindsight, he wondered if any normal human, or most other races for that matter, would have survived that.

“So you just slotted both of them…” he said, as an idea began forming.

Did that mean he could slot the hearcard, which was currently hidden in his soulshape, locked away below the ground and far from the lava so none of the small embers could reach it?

They continued walking quietly, Irwin thinking about the heartcard and what Tang had said. A few hundred feet from the town, he made a decision.

“I have found a way to break and fix heartcards,” he said calmly. “If I manage to find a similar way that can work with soulcards, I’ll come and find you.”

Tang stopped walking, and the sudden lack of his cumbersome gate caused silence to return to the forest.

“How… I thought that was impossible?” he growled.

Irwin turned to look at him, wondering how many of the diamond rank smiths had known about this and merely lied.

“When I saved Hind, it was the only way,” he said. “It's a very finicky thing, and I don’t think most smiths can do it.”

“But some should be able to,” Tang said, his eyebrows lowering in a dangerous stripe. Irwin knew he realized what that meant.

“I don’t believe I’m the only one who can do this,” Irwin said.

Tang took a deep breath, then snorted plumes of smoke from his fist-sized nostrils.

“I should have known,” he rumbled before he resumed walking.

As they reached the town, Irwin saw Zender playing with a few of the younger Viridians while Boohm and Hind were standing near a small eatery, chatting.

“Go and talk with your friends, fix those cards, then leave,” Tang rumbled. “If I were you, I’d leave within two days.”

Before Irwin could thank him, the Fiz’run walked away, speeding up as he disappeared back into the woods. The canopy where he walked shook and rustled for a while.

Irwin stood there for a while, thinking to himself and planning what to do. The hope of some rest faded, but he knew there would be time to rest when he was back on The Concerto. If need be, he could just find a whole section of a Gallery within the storm and rest there.

Or just look for an uninhabited world, a tiny voice whispered in his mind.

“Captain! What happened to your armor?”

Irwin snorted as he turned to Zender, wondering if he could get the other to not tell Greldo about this.

It took him a few hours to talk with his crew, find a new set of clothing, eat, and return to his temporary home. By then, his otherself had brought Scintilla up to speed, and she was now sitting across from him, elbows resting on the table.

“I… hated it when I had to remain behind,” she said, her eyes flaming.

“I know,” Irwin replied, trying not to lean back and snap the chair in half. “But we have our children.”

“I know.”

Irwin sighed, seeing the fuming anger in Scintilla’s eyes. He knew she wasn’t angry at him, but mostly at the situation and the fact that she couldn’t do anything.

“If the situation had been reversed, I’d have hated it too,” he said. “But the alternative would be to leave our children here with your mother.”

“Not happening,” Scintilla said before frowning. “Although it might be safer for them.”

“Perhaps,” Irwin said. “But not if we can get them to my world.”

“But you didn’t want to bring them there right away,” Scintilla said. “So, we would have to bring them along. Unless you changed your mind?”

Irwin put his elbows on the table. “Going back will take too long, and honestly, could be just as dangerous. There are far more whole sections of the Portal Gallery here, and the area around Dimarintsia should be safe.

Scintilla nodded, but her gaze drifted off as she seemed to think.

“I’m going to see if I can get some Blademaidens to join us,” she finally said. “You said your ship is large enough, and it would be good for the young ones after they fully solidify.”

“Just make sure you trust the ones you want to bring,” Irwin said.

Scintilla snorted as she reached out and traced her finger across his arm.

“Don’t worry. If one of them tries something stupid, you can just throw them into the storm.”

Irwin grinned, then saw she seemed to be perfectly serious. Before he could say anything else, Sintilla leaned over the table and grinned at him.

“You do realize you have a sixth child now, right?”

Irwin felt his mouth fall open, and it took him a second to catch up. “Glow?”

“If my mother sees him, she is going to think you shared your what with another Igntizian,” Scintilla said.

Irwin immediately knew she was teasing him, and he put a finger to his chin. “Hmm…. perhaps,” he muttered thoughtfully.

Scintilla barked a laugh and almost jumped over the table, grabbing his hair and pulling her face against his.

Hours later, they lay in a burned mess of wood and splinters, Scintilla curled up against his side.

“You need to make me that card,” she mumbled before falling asleep.