Irwin's Journey 435: Memory Storage

"If you were there for five days, the time dilation is definitely still working," Greldo said.

Irwin yawned, tired from walking and sitting in a desert for five days. It had been one of the most boring things he'd ever done, and at one point, he'd almost wanted some Wyrms or other things to find him.

"How much soulforce did you leak while there?" Dahlia asked, handing him a flask of something that smelled spicy.

"Barely any," Irwin replied, taking a quick sip. "At this rate, I can be there for decades before I need to get out. But that is if I don't use any skills. Before leaving, I tried all of them a bit longer, and if I am required to use them to fight seriously, I'll probably cut down my stay by years or more each time that happens."

"Good, so don't fight," Greldo said. "Or just use those beefy arms of yours for something besides smithing."

Irwin snorted, about to retort, when Dahlia spoke up.

"And reforging cards?" she asked.

"Worked fine," Irwin said. "It's a bit harder without Ambraz, but I guess it will be good practice."

"Did it generate any soulforce?"

"A bit, but not enough to offset the soulforce drain. Perhaps if I attempt something more, like creating a heartcard, but I'll have to see if there are even people left."

"What about slotting a handcard?" Greldo asked.

Irwin shrugged. "It's hard to explain, but I feel that would be no problem. 

"So, any idea on the exact time dilation?"

"None," Greldo said with a shrug. "You were gone roughly as long as before, so unless you want to keep going and staying for longer periods…?"

"No thanks," Irwin said. 

He had a few things he wanted to discuss, a few things he wanted to try, but before that, he wanted Greldo to explain something. 

"So, you said you thought we should change the plan?"

Greldo nodded. "Even if the time in the world is so fast you can remain there for a year, the portal is going to remain hovering open here for days. I'd actually wanted to go with you, but then there's nobody here to prevent someone or something from entering."

Irwin frowned. "You think the Guidar or their Chained are going to show up?"

"They might," Greldo said. "We have no idea if they know how to open a closed portal, and do we really want to let them onto a world with such a time dilation?"

"Or an Oculithar," Irwin said, nodding slowly. 

Greldo was right. They had expected the harbor to be here, perhaps riddled with the Oculithar plague, but at least there to defend things.

"You are right. So…?”

"So we are going to stay here until you return," Greldo said. "Also, I think you should see if you can move someone from Eluathar."

"That was one of the things I was going to do," Irwin agreed. "I already know that moving something to and from my soulscape while I'm on Scour is not a good idea. I might be able to do that one time in the event of an emergency, but I'm not exactly sure what it will cost."

As he spoke, his otherself stepped out of his Soulscape. Like the first time, it felt like all sensations that came from it suddenly moved in slow motion. 

Hours passed from their point of view before Irwin turned from his position at the ship's railing.

"Alright, Brecca has volunteered," Irwin said, before smirking. "Well, more like she said that she would fight anyone who would also want to come. It took a bit longer because Mom was not happy with it."

"She is warming to the idea of you adopting a daughter for her?" Greldo asked.

"Definitely," Irwin agreed as he moved to the center of the deck.

He focused on his soulscape, sensing how his otherself very slowly prepared to bring Brecca into his soulscape. 

Here we go, he thought as his otherself pulled Brecca into his soulscape.

Pain, just like when he'd arrived on Scour, lanced through his head. It lasted for only a few moments before vanishing, before both his otherself and Brecca appeared inside his soulscape.

"Irwin?"

Irwin shook his head, only now noticing that he'd fallen to his knees. Pushing himself up, he sat down, deciding standing might not be the best idea.

"I'm fine," he grunted. "Brecca made it into my soulscape, but it took a lot out of me. I'm going to bring her here; get ready."

He focused on the sense of Brecca, and as he pulled on her, his otherself shoved her out.

Instantly, the pain returned with a vengeance, and at the same time, he felt like something was being stretched to the point of snapping. At the same time, his soulforce seemed to wrap around Brecca, creating a tunnel through which she raced toward him. The sensation only lasted for a split second, and the pain made it fuzzy. 

Then, something landed on the deck beside him, and the sensation was gone. In its place, the pain rapidly increased as he felt his mind go fuzzy.

He slumped forward, faintly hearing shouting from a great distance. 

'Kid! Kid?!'

'I'm… fine,' Irwin tried to groan, not sure which of his two selves even spoke. 

'No, you're not! Your soulforce is almost completely drained! Move a body back to Eluathar!'

Irwin blinked. Move a body back? But wasn't he already there…? The hazy confusion deepened as he tried to focus on Ambraz's words, but it felt like his mind was being pulled apart. 

A sense of being shoved caused the sensation to increase, and for a moment, he felt like he was in three places at the same time. His soulscape, the deck of the Nocturna, and his own home on Eluathar. Screams mixed together, some from his children and Scintilla, others from Greldo and Brecka. It lasted for a few moments; then, his mind shut off.

--

"Irwin!" Greldo snapped, shaking his friend to no avail.

He grunted and turned to Brecka, who sat a few feet away, holding her head and looking at Irwin.

"Brecka?"

"I don't know," she said, her voice coming out like a forced crack. "He said pulling me into his soulscape was alright, just slightly painful, and that I should prepare. A moment later, it was like I was shooting through a really thin exit portal corridor, and the next moment, I slammed into the deck here. It feels like someone tried to beat up my mind. Is he…?"

"He's alive," Greldo said, though he didn't feel too sure. "Let's just wait and see."

Like there's anything else we can do, he thought.

--

Irwin felt fuzzy as if he was spread out across a vast distance. He still heard faint shouting, but it was impossible to make out what was said. Instead, he felt tiny tendrils of soulforce moving everywhere, through his mind as it seemed to be spread out. At the same time, he felt like he was being contained by something. 

A tiny part of him was screaming at him to pull himself together. That he wasn't ready, that-

"Youngling! This isn't the time!"

The voice rumbled through Irwin's mind with such strength that it wiped away the fog like a storm did sand. 

Irwin's thoughts cleared up rapidly, and he realized his soulscape was… doing something odd. Like it was trying to grow into something else. Then, the pain hit him like a tidal wave. It made all he'd felt before feel like nothing, but it also did something else. Whatever had been happening reverted, the spread-out feeling rapidly leaving him, crystallizing into three, then two parts of him. 

Through the haze of pain, Irwin sensed Soulforce began pouring in from one of his selves while a trickle came from the other. Where it touched, it seemed like a balm on the pain. Tiny spots first, then larger swaths, and slowly, he felt a sense of normalcy return.

"You aren't ready yet," a voice rumbled as if from an immense distance. "Five cards, then come and see me."

Irwin recognized the voice and the power behind it, but before he could even think about it, voices rang through him. 

"Irwin!"

He sat upright with two bodies, and for a moment, his mind seemed to bounce back and forth. Then, it slowly returned to normal, with one part slowing down. 

"I'm… fine," he grunted in two places at the same time. "Rest."

--

Ambraz hovered above the soullake, staring around his bonded smith's soulscape. The distant fog had been wiped away, revealing the barriers covered in cracks. Long fissures ran away from the edges and inward, one having split a part of the mountain range, creating a canyon with jagged cliffs on either side. 

"Alright," the Ganvil muttered, slowly pulling back his own control. "I guess I'm not dead yet." 

He'd done what he could to keep Irwin's soulscape together, but it had felt like using thin cables to keep a mountain from splitting apart. It had helped, but how much? He had no idea.

The horrible sensation that had been coming from Irwin continued to fade as the soulforce that flowed from mainly his Eluathar body began to refill the completely empty soulscape. 

If he'd been on a lower-ranked world, he'd be dead now, Ambraz thought, watching some of the cracks in the distant barriers close and turn into nothing but pale scars. 

Hours passed, and when things completely settled, the kid had fallen asleep, both of his selves surrounded by friends and family. 

Ambraz lowered himself to the edge of the soullake, shivering as he realized that he'd used up every single bit of purified soulforce he'd had left after his failed experiment. The shiver came again as he landed.

No, let's not think about that now, he told himself, shoving away the memory of the block of Aurorium moving and then shattering. Some things were better left to rest.

Knowing he was fooling himself into thinking he could keep that horrid moment in the recesses of his mind forever, he quickly focused on what had just happened.

"So, moving Brecka caused some sort of… pathway," he muttered as he recalled the tiny portal the no longer fully Onyxian had been pulled through.

"Then what?" 

He had no idea. He'd felt his bond with Irwin fade, a horrible sensation he hoped he'd never have to go through again, and then Irwin had managed to stop it. How? No idea. Still, it was a good thing he did. If things had been left to continue for even a few minutes more, his soulscape would have simply shattered. As it was, the damage would take months to repair itself.

"We really need some sort of guidebook on this," he muttered, wondering if he could get the brat to reforge some cards soon. He'd not felt this drained in ages. Debating if moving was worth it, he finally shot up into the air and towards the distant house. It took him longer than normal to reach the odd construction, which had cracks running through its walls and a partially collapsed roof. Shooting in through the gaps, he saw that the library shelf had survived largely intact. Cards lay strewn everywhere, and he scanned them before finding a few largely useless ones. 

"A snack should make me feel better," he muttered, hovering a few cards forward.

-- Eluathar --

"I'm really fine now," Irwin said, hugging his children while looking at Scintilla. "I am sorry I scared you."

"And Brecka is really fine?" Zan asked one arm around him, the other around Silv'am. "And Ambraz?"

Irwin smiled, hiding the lingering pain so as not to worry them. "They are both fine. Though I'm afraid Brecka won't be returning anytime soon."

He hugged them for a while longer before looking at Scintilla. Like more time as of late, she seemed to understand him wordlessly and walked forward.

"Little ones, let's leave your father alone for a while. He needs to rest. Besides, you were in the middle of practicing with my Bladesisters! Next week, you are going to show Nisziz and the others if you are worthy of your first blade and, thus, your next card!"

The children took some more convincing but eventually relented and headed out, leaving Irwin with Scintilla.

"So… what happened?"

Irwin leaned back against the wall he'd been propped up against.

"Not sure. I moved Brecka into my soulscape, and that went fine. Nothing odd, just a little pain and fatigue, as could be expected. Then I moved her to my other body, and everything went wrong. It's hard to explain, but it felt like I was my soulscape, and it was being stretched and changed. My soulcards almost shattered, and then…"

Irwin blinked as he remembered the deafening voice.

"I think that Titan, or whatever that thing we left in the gas giant is, somehow felt what I did," he said. "It shouted that it wasn't the time and that somehow shook me out of it."

Scintilla moved to sit beside him, leaning against his chest, and for a short while, they just sat there.

"I don't like this," she finally said. "I don't like how I can't help and how you keep doing dangerous things without me. I'm used to fighting with this-" she held out her hand, summoning Leafbrand, her heartcarded sword. "-but I don't think it's enough for what is happening and what is coming."

Irwin watched the sword and sighed. He'd still not helped Scintilla fill her soulscape, not only because he didn't have the time for it but because a small part of him worried she would do dangerous things. Knowing she was with their children, protecting them if he couldn't, gave him a sense of security. That meant he didn't have to worry like he had when they were heading to Eluathar without him. 

He sighed, hugging her closer.

"Do you have an idea what kind of cards you would want?" he asked.

Scintilla gave him a kiss as she unsummoned Leafbrand.

"Yes, but tell me, how far are you with your idea for the Yuurindi?"

Irwin blinked at the sudden switch.

"The first experiments are hopeful," he said. "I should have a few dozen cards that will allow Rindiri and the first group to become close to my Volcano Titan subspecies and-"

He stopped talking, glancing down at Scintilla. 

She stared at the distant wall, her eyes glittering.

"You can't be serious," he muttered.

"Why not?" Scintilla asked, glancing at him. "It will remove many of my weaknesses, and you said it yourself. I'll not be fully changed."

"You won't be an Ignitzian anymore," Irwin said, shaking his head. "Why would you want to do that?"

Scintilla grinned as she looked up, jabbing a finger at his nose. "Just kidding, Hotstuff. Though it's good to see you like me as I am!"

Irwin snorted, then hugged her close as he felt relieved she'd not pushed for the idea. Changing Rindiri and all of her remaining people was one thing, but his own family?

What if one of my children would ask me? 

Irwin shook the idea away before sniffing.

"Bad Ignitzian," he muttered, planting a kiss on Scintilla's fiery hair. "Now, seriously, tell me what cards you would want."

Scintilla laughed, pushing herself to her feet. 

"Not sure yet," she said, flexing her arms and resummoning her blade. She made a few mock slashes as she continued talking. "But whatever it is, I want more physical strength and speed so I can make better use of Leafbrand. Also, an improved dash ability! There's a card I remember one of the Blademothers had, which allowed her to create flames that burned for a long time. She was able to teleport to them, and that sounds like a good ability. Also-"

Irwin quietly listened as she continued to list dozens of cards, some so rare he'd never even heard of them, others beyond anything he knew he could forge.

As she continued, he leaned back, trying to ignore the incredibly fast memories that rushed in from the part of him that was with Greldo.

-- Exit Portal near Scour --

"Alright," Irwin said, cracking his neck as he looked at the others. "Brecka and I are going to Scour, and this time, we are going to scout around. If things get dangerous, Brecka is going to head back because I can't safely move her into my soulscape."

Brecka muttered something that Irwin ignored as he focused on Greldo.

"If we aren't back in a week, set out."

Greldo closed his eyes and sighed.

"Fine," he said. "But I expect that not to happen."

"I'll do my best," Irwin said, putting a hand on Brecka's shoulder. "Ready?"

"Definitely," she said, her flaming eyes gleaming with excitement.

Irwin shared one look with Greldo, knowing his friend wanted nothing more than to come with him. Sadly, it wasn't a risk they could take. One, because without Coal's scouting, the others could get jumped, and second, because if something went wrong, they would both be in deep shit.

Irwin snapped his fingers before shooting across the sound waves, pulling Brecka with him. Normally, moving someone along with him made it much more difficult, but Brecka's soulforce resonance was so much like his that there was much less effort on his end. They appeared within the empty room, and as he did, he was stunned to see a mountain of sand, with far more spilling out constantly. Counterintuitively, part of it was flowing back in from some other sides, which was likely why the room hadn't fully filled. Still, he'd seen a little when he had arrived back, but now it was flowing to the edge of the room, into the corridors.

"I… think we need to make a hole here," he muttered. 

He turned to exit, knowing Greldo would be listening.

"Grell, I'm going to make some noise! Don't be alarmed."

There was no response, but he didn't need one. Instead, he turned to the mass of sand and looked for a spot that was reasonably clear. Walking forward, he summoned his hammer and used his foot to create some space, which failed before turning to Brecka.

"Cover your ears."

Brecka nodded, and Irwin looked at the same. He struck down, causing a loud boom and an explosion of sand that wafted everywhere. It took a few more strikes before he managed to create a cracked hole through which the sand could rapidly drain away.

"Alright, let's go through," he said, staring at the portal. "If we end up deep in the sand, just hold your breath and wait. I'll use my voice to blow it away."

"I'll make sure to plug my ears before I move through," Brecka said, her eyes glinting. "Also, did I mention how excited I am?! You and Greldo told a lot of stories about Scour, and I'm incredibly curious to see it!"

Irwin held back a sad grimace.

"Let's just hope there are still some people left."

He turned and jumped into the portal, followed by Brecka.

--

Sjeeklin walked through the opulent, beautiful hallways of his estate. Sprawling across a few square kilometers of his own private property, it was filled with the bounties he had collected over the eons. 

Not that he remembered most of it. 

He quietly walked towards the deepest chambers of his estate, passed the intricate rune patterns that would attack anyone but him and his most trusted aids when detected.

"Lord Sjeeklin, I have not found an answer to your question," a soft, cool voice said. "Why do the other Guidar not do what you do?"

Sjeekin glanced at the quiet and beautiful woman who walked beside him: Kalidara, one of his many mistresses. The oldest still living one, and the one he trusted over the others. Enough to bring her here, but not enough to remove the Chains he'd personally placed around her soulscape. Or enough to allow her through the final rune barriers.

The gleam of a rune-lantern caused her dull orange skin to gleam slightly while her well-toned limbs and figure became visible in her almost translucent, thin gown. A stray beam of light glinted from the pale horns that poked through the golden carpet of hair that draped down her head. The entire image caused a slight desire to grow within him, a rarity among his kind, he fully knew. One gained from a special skill he'd learned to love greatly.

He shoved the desire down.

Not now. There will time later, he promised his more basic desires.

"The answer," he said, his voice like the first that crept across the frozen planet above, "is that they fear the loss. They fear they will become less, not realizing that having too many memories is baggage. Most of them are nothing but useless filler. Worse, some actively harm someone."

As he spoke, they walked through a small hallway that ended in a giant room, his bastion. So deep below the ground that even the Frost Gnawers couldn't reach it as they bore through the metal-rich soil above. 

Dozens of balconies circled the oval room, intricately carved chairs leading to them. Innumerable images sat side by side, all with numbers and engravings on their sides. They covered roughly a third of the room's balcony walls, the first two lowest filled completely, the third row seemingly unfinished. 

"Wait here," Sjeeklin ordered.

Kalidara bowed as he walked forward and through a glowing red barrier that separated the final hallway from the room. Passing through it, he felt the pulsing power held within and within the walls all around him. 

Even one of those worldskilled wouldn't be able to break in here, he thought as he moved the familiar route to the third balcony. As he reached it, he moved to the next empty area.

"Mindless," he muttered as he placed his hands on the wall. 

Focusing on one of the skills he'd stolen many eons ago, so long he had only a few key memories from time, he focused on the last few years of knowledge. With ease born from innumerable previous times, he moved what he remembered onto the wall, rapidly removing a few key highlights while leaving an indication of which image to find the memories should he ever need them. With them went many of the memories of his pleasures, a trick he had learned by accident thousands of years prior. All he left of those were faint memories, just enough to fuel his own desires. 

It took a short while, and when he finished, he felt as he always did after. Clean, fresh, and young. 

Ahhh, Jieldinis, if you had only listened to me, he thought as he walked away, feeling his libido growing with every step. You would have been able to shoulder the eons with far greater ease!

As his mind conjured images of his imminent pleasure with Kalidara, it grew with the knowledge he was another step closer to his goal. 

I will find you, Galadin, and when I do, you will provide me with all that I need!

--

Irwin stepped onto the sand, pushing away a slight swell that had built in its stagnant attempt to flow into the portal. It wasn't as bad as he'd expected, the portal seeming able to drain away a mass of sand. 

A soft thud came from his side, and Brecka appeared beside him. Her jaw-long black hair mixed with threads of molten metal gleamed in the sudden sun, while her dark metallic face reflected Irwin's face back at him.

"That was really weird," she said, shoving forward and through the sand. "I've never seen a stream of sand flow through an exit portal before!"

"Neither have I," Irwin said as he looked around himself. "Now, before we leave, I think I need to build a small barrier around this. High enough so we can find it again."

As he said that, he knew that was mostly for Brecka, as he himself could find it from its mere soulforce signature.

"How?" Brecka asked, looking around. "There's only sand…"

"Move away a bit, and I'll show you," Irwin said.

Brecka shrugged and forced her way through the sand, her massive physique barely held back by the mass of sand.

Irwin focused on his first soulcard, and fire ignited to life around him. Within moments, it grew up as Irwin began turning around, causing a whirlwind of fire to spin around him. The heat was more than any normal fire, and within moments, the sand began to swirl up and melt. 

It took only a handful of minutes for Irwin to finish what he wanted: a dozen-foot pillar of dull, glowing glass. 

Irwin clicked his tongue and moved out of the top opening, reappearing a few hundred feet away, next to Brecka.

"Right…" she muttered, watching the slowly stooping pillar that was rapidly hardening. "Who needs stone if you can make an ugly tower of glass?"

Irwin grinned as he turned around.

"Come on, let's see if anyone is still here or if this turned into a world of trees."