Irwin's Journey 401: Another step forward

Irwin took a step back, staring excitedly at the card that slowly crystallized on Ambraz's back. The quartz border shimmered before setting, and he knew it was a success. 

"It worked," he said, grabbing the card and letting out a soft laugh. "Two cards from one!"

"One, and more of your own soulforce than most people will ever have," Ambraz said, but 

"It's… ninety percent?" he asked, trying to sense the card's resonance.

"Ninety-one," Ambraz said, turning into his small form and flying to Irwin's shoulder.

"This changes… a lot," he whispered before starting to laugh uproariously. "Who am I kidding? This is fantastic!"

"I do need to learn how to do it with other soulforce," Irwin said, trying to dampen the excitement slightly. "Unless we want over half of everyone back home to have either fire, metal, sound-"

"-Soulforce resonance, music, utility summons, or steam-typed cards?" Ambraz interrupted him, almost shouting. "Even if that would be what we end up with, do you even realize how many types that still leaves? Your steam one alone would allow the people who start with those to add so many other types!"

"Fine, you are right," Irwin said as he took another card from his pocket and held both up. 

One showed a simple metallic lute, the other a small hammer wreathed in flame. Both were simpler, less powerful versions of his own cards. 

"So, now we just need to figure out how to make them actually good," he said. 

Ambraz flew from his shoulder and slammed into his cheek. "You brat! Do you even know what you have done?"

Irwin blinked, rubbing his cheek and raising an eyebrow. "Turn one card into two?" he asked with mock confusion, knowing full well what Ambraz was getting on.

"Sure, sure. Just make fun of me," Ambraz grunted. He glowered at Irwin for a moment; then, his metal lips curled up in a grin. "Can you imagine if you manage to get them to a hundred percent? With a single card as a seed, you could create a dozen new ones. Two dozen if you have to!"

Irwin took a deep breath, then exhaled explosively. "It is great," he agreed, his mind spinning. "But what we need to find out is if we can teach others to do this. By myself, I can only create a dozen cards per day, and as extensive as my type-breadth is, I can't make healing cards, no nature-based cards, and although my steam is compatible with those and with water, I can't make any of those either. If I'm the only one doing this, we have another problem. If I'm only splitting cards, creating new ones, who is going to reforge them up to one hundred percent, Ruby or beyond? Who is going to make the Heartcards?"

Ambraz landed back on the ground, letting out a weary sigh.

"Yes, yes. You are right, of course, but those are only problems because of this stupid war that's brewing. Besides, if we could get a teleporter between Mudball and home, you could use that Gas Giant's time dilation."

Irwin shuddered at the prospect of having to reforge cards for years and years in a high-time-dilation world.

"Let's just see if we can teach others," he said. "I'm sure Trimdir and Dahlia can learn this."

"That would be for the best," Ambraz said. "For now, you need to practice more. You're only able to create the simplest cards, losing out on over ninety percent of your potential."

The Ganvil flew back to his working spot in Irwin's captain's quarters and turned back into his large form.

"Let's see what happens when you split a card made like this," Ambraz said. "There shouldn't be any difference, except maybe that it's more inclined to move in a certain direction."

Irwin put the hammer card back in his pocket and placed the other on Ambraz's back.

Half an hour later, a cloud of roiling soulforce, contained in a powerful shield, hovered above Ambraz's back. It was suffused with Irwin's soulforce while a new card crystalized on Ambraz's back. 

Irwin examined it, and it took him only a few moments to notice something. The card's resonance song sounded… simpler but also purer. It was as if the typings that weren't utility and fire had lessened. 

"Irwin, feed some more soulforce in it before it fizzles! It's losing critical mass!"

Irwin focused on the wrapped chaotic soulforce. Ambraz was right. It was as if there wasn't enough soulforce, and the chaos was slowly winding down. He forced more of his own soulforce into the containment shield, and like fire given new fuel, the chaos within increased with an explosive whoomp.

With the chaotic soulforce left, Irwin focused back on the card. It proved they could split the original chaos soulforce of a handcard into multiple cards and split it again after. But there was something more…

"Ambraz… are you seeing this?" Irwin whispered, raising the card closer to his eyes, which was a somewhat useless act as his eyes weren't the most sensitive way for him to sense the card's resonance.

Ambraz didn't answer immediately, and when he did, he sounded slightly confused.

"See what?"

Irwin frowned, then shook his head.

"Let me try something," he said. "Just put that out; I need you to shatter this card."

Ambraz muttered something about wasting things but did as asked. He opened his mouth, and the chaotic soulforce was sucked into his mouth through a funnel-like part of the shield. When it was gone, Irwin instantly put the new lute card on Ambraz's back.

Ambraz shattered it with ease, and a new shield-covered cloud of chaotic soulforce appeared.

Irwin hummed a nonsensical tune as he focused on his soulstrum guitar and his flame. A few moments later, he shoved soulforce into the shielded container, and as the chaos within began increasing, a stray thought flitted through his mind. 

It's like a forgefire!

Grinning at that, the thought caused another to bubble up in his mind. Was this why cardsmiths still acted like smiths? Most didn't need to be in a smithy, except those using the fire-smithing way. What if he wasn't the first to do this? Ambraz was helping him with the shield, but technically, other smiths could have filled that role! 

"Kid?"

Irwin shook his head, focusing on the chaos.

"Right, let's forge another card," he said, summoning his hammer.

--

Ambraz watched as Irwin shaped the card's resonance, pulling the half-formed card together with a grace that belied his towering, muscular stature. 

He's becoming better at a staggering rate, the Ganvil thought, smoothing out the minute mistakes that he saw, knowing the both of them were still unable to even sense all of them. As he became more sensitive to the soulforce, he'd begun to realize just how complex it truly was.

As the card began coalescing, he split his shielded container in two, keeping the mass of chaotic soulforce that they wouldn't need in one, feeding it enough to stay alive as it were. The other one began rapidly calming as the soulforce was either absorbed into the forming soulcard or rejected. 

It took some effort to funnel the parts not needed back into the initial shielded container, but he'd begun to learn that none of the chaotic soulforce was truly useless. At a minimum, they could use it as some instigating force.

As Irwin sang softly, the energetic sound of the soulstrum guitar rippling out, Ambraz focused on the new card.

He sensed it was different from the previous one, but he didn't understand what Irwin wanted him to see.

Or hear, he thought.

Although his own senses were sharper than Irwin's, his bonded smith had an uncanny knack for hearing the songs within the resonance. 

Ambraz listened to the song, but besides hearing some of the tiny inconsistencies, he didn't notice anything odd. 

It's going to be nine-two, he thought.

As the card finished, his curiosity grew, and as soon as Irwin took the card, his full focus on it, he turned into his smaller shape, flying to his shoulder.

"Now, tell me! What's so special?" 

Irwin frowned and looked up.

"It's purified…" he said.

What is? Ambraz thought, examining the card again.

"What do you mean? It's barely ninety-two percent…"

"That's not it," Irwin replied. "The two types! They have purified. There's less contamination from other types!"

Ambraz focused on the card again, this time ignoring the main types and focusing on the others. It took him a few moments, but then he found what Irwin was referring to, and he couldn't stop himself from letting out a startled shout. 

There were still some left, tiny leftover typings from the chaotic soulforce it was born out of, but the kid was right! The two main typings, fire, and utility, were, for lack of a better term, purer than they had been!

"That's… Try again!" Ambraz shouted, shooting back to his spot on the ground. He drained the still present chaotic soulforce, not even caring how wasteful it was, and prepared a new, empty shield.

What would happen if we continue this? he thought, his mind abuzz. It would probably make it harder to sideways reforge for one, but what would a pure card even look like?

He could barely wait to see what would happen.

--

"Think he is going to come out of his room for the next stop?" Greldo asked, leaning against the Concerto's mast.

He tried to tune out the constant excited shouting, followed by another round of reforging.

"I doubt it," Rindiri said.

Greldo looked at the small harbor ahead.

"Well, it's not like he needs to be here this time. This is what… the thirteenth stop?"

"Fifteen," Dagger said, sitting with her back against the railing. "I never thought I'd get sick and tired of earning more soulshards."

Greldo grinned at the shady Yuurindi. "Come now, Dagger! You are just saying that because you lost our match last time."

Dagger snorted and rolled her eyes. "There was no way you could predict that merchant would make that deal for tens of pounds of whispersteel ore and those two cards!"

"Says you," Greldo said. "I'm just that good."

Dagger snorted. "You are letting this whole shadow lord thing get to your head."

A few months ago, Greldo would have gotten annoyed at that. Now, he just rolled his eyes.

"Weak, Dagger… weak."

Dagger seemed ready to continue when Rindiri cleared her throat.

"Could the two of you get everything read? I want to get everything we need and be gone within a few hours. We still have seven stops left before we reach the backwaters. From there, we can finally rush home."

At the mention of home, Greldo wondered how Eluathar would have changed. When they returned, over ten years would have passed on their world… People like Daubutim would be in their thirties.

I wonder if he has as many children as Irwin thought, he thought, his mind wandering to Dahlia. He hoped they had made it back safely by now. The Concerto was far slower than they were, but it had been close to one and a half years now. What had they estimated for the return trip… a year? Two? 

He couldn't recall.

"Well, let's get this done with. Do we have enough of those pamphlets left?"

"Hundreds," Dagger said as she got up and cracked her arms. "Wanna have another match?"

"Sure! What do you have in mind?" Greldo asked, noticing that a few of the surrounding Yuurindi were moving closer. He knew there were bets running on their little matches.

I've gotta put some more soulshards on myself to win, he thought.

--

Basil shook awake as he felt a sense of intense urgency from Scariander.

"Wuh…" he grunted, pushing himself upright in the bedding that covered one side of the supple leather bag.

Scariander sent him a wave of emotions and images, jumbled and chaotic.

"What do you mean, there's another problem?" he grunted, grabbing a water bag while climbing out of his temporary living.

A single image of a small ship appeared in his mind, as seen from behind. It was accompanied by a sense of fear, being hunted, and trying to keep up. The hate that followed after was so intense that Basil almost roared. It took him a second to regain himself, but when he did, his mind was sharpened.

Oculithar, he thought, his own anger growing. 

His emotions and Scariander's seemed to blend and mix for a moment, as they did when they battled.

He hated Oculithar!

Basil didn't know whose thought that was, nor did he care. Scariander's desire to hurry increased, and another feeling was transmitted. 

They were close.

"We better be," Basil grunted, sidestepping along Scariander's back, holding on to the chain. 

Reaching the head, he saw something he'd not yet seen - the other end of the sprawling Portal Gallery Section that housed Eluathar. It was closing in with astounding speed, which wasn't surprising, seeing as Scariander was moving over ten times as fast as any of the ships Eluathar had. 

"Please tell me you aren't going to bring us out into the storm," Basil said, feeling his own anxiety grow. 

A rumbling hum, so deep he felt his bones start to resonate, rippled from Scariander.

"Great. Just great," Basil grunted. "I only have this one spot to sleep, and all my food is in there! If we go in there, I'll-"

The rumbling came again, and the image of the ship came. With it came a sense of… wonder and a song: high-pitched and almost at the edge of Scariander's perception, it triggered something in the old and rugged Chaos Whale. 

Ship, save.

The feelings and emotions were so condensed and sharp that they were nearly as understandable as words.

"Fine!" Basil snapped, trying to unpack the ideas that accompanied the two not-words. He wasn't sure if Scariander meant the ship was safe, should be saved, or would be safe. It felt almost like all three. 

Holding on to the chain, he summoned his armor while Scariander began humming. A glow filled him as his soulcards resonated along with Scariander's hum, almost greedily absorbing the immense soulforce of the Chaos Whale. The thick armor on his body thickened, and the shoulder plates and some extrusions grew out.

Scariander sent a concerned emotion that translated roughly to - everything will be fine.

"Fine! But I'm not sleeping in your mouth again," Basil rumbled.

Scariander's humm incorporated a hacking sound, and Basil grinned at the Chaos Whale's equivalent of a laugh. 

Then, they reached the barrier and pierced through.

This is going to suck, I just know it.

--

"Stop those things! I can't keep up like this!" 

Scintilla spun on her heel, glancing at Nim'dor before scanning the area around them. Dahlia's constant hammering came from nearby as she worked as hard as she could.  The barrier was shuddering under the assault of dozens of thin tentacles as Oculithar, a quarter the size of the Concerto, dashed in and out of the storm to attack them.

Blademaidens that had ranged attack were lashing back at the incoming attackers while Zender stood on the tip of the sail, balancing as he struck out with his whip, which was able to stretch to insane licks, managing to block some of the tentacles before they struck the shield. 

On the stern, Helm stood with his arms outstretched, constantly switching position as ripples shot from them, blocking incoming tendrils even more efficiently than Zender was.

Everyone was doing their best to stop it, and it just wasn't enough. They had been fleeing for a week, and half of the Chaos Whales had died by now, with the only good thing that the giant Oculithar hadn't chased them. She had no idea why, though, perhaps because they were going to be killed by its offspring either way.

We need to stop these things, she thought.

Looking back, she saw what remained of the Chaos Whales swimming close together. They were under as many attacks as the Concerto, and if it wasn't for their numbers and the few adolescent ones, they would have all been swarmed by now. Instead, the larger ones were body-blocking and squishing some the small Oculithar if they got too close, trying to keep them away from the smaller ones.

Scintilla grimaced. As much as it pained her, she wished the Oculithar would focus even more on the Chaos Whales so Nim'dor had time to recover.

A soft roar came from Helm, and she saw a disk-like, silvery shield appear between the entire back of the ship and three incoming small Oculithar. 

As they slammed into it, their tendrils ready to circle the edges, the shield darkened, the silver almost turning physical, and then it exploded in a burst of energy shrapnel.

"Good!" Scintilla shouted, only to see Helm drop to a knee, his face a rictus of pain and stress. He was still moving his hands around, and shields blocked some of the tendrils, but it was clear it had cost him dearly.

"Scintilla, prepare! I'm not sure how long I can keep this shield up," Nim'dor groaned.

I need to get another card, Scintilla thought, wringing her hands. There was nothing she could do right now unless she wanted to risk rushing outside and trying to go on the offense but with the storm there…

A cracking sound from above coincided with a roar from Nim'dor, and Scintilla looked up to find one of the smaller Oculithar had crashed through the barrier. It was reforming behind it, albeit slowly, but the Oculithar let out a lilting screech as it rushed for them.

Scintilla didn't even think - she summoned Leafbrand, focusing on the heat aspect. The next moment, she was tearing through the air so fast that the Oculithar seemed just suddenly to appear before her, and she slammed Leafbrand into its body. A second later, a dozen blade-wielding Ignitzians appeared beside her, slashing at the body of the Oculithar. 

They barely got in a single attack when tentacles lashed out, pulling back to the body like a tangled mass of hair. 

"Cut those tentacles off," Scintilla shouted, fire dashing out of the way of three tentacles and appearing at the base of one. She chopped down with all the force she had, but her blade only cut a few inches into the tors- thick tentacle. 

Dashing to the side and dodging a swirling tentacle that would have swiped her off the body and into the storm, she jumped back and chopped again. 

A pained cry almost made her turn around, but she held back. There was nothing she could do but continue, and she struck down at the same spot.

It felt like it took hours, but it could have been barely more than half a minute when she finally slashed through the base of the tentacle, causing it to drop away, writing and flailing as if it was angered by the act. The body of the Oculithar spun around, tossing her away as a deafening scratch left a beep in her ears.

Scintilla looked at the Oculithar to notice that three of its tentacles had been chopped away, and a few of the other Ignitzians were still dashing around in trails of smoke or fire, slashing at the others. Behind them, the barrier was cracking in multiple places as three more Oculithar seemed to smell their chance.

It's too much… Scintilla thought, feeling her anger bubble up. Her children were here! She couldn't just-

A deep bass rumbled through the storm, momentarily drowning out all other sounds. The Oculithar responded instantly, those at the shield surging back, all turning in the same direction, moving closer together. Whatever they had planned was too late, as one of the largest and most scarred Chaos Whales Scintill had ever seen burst through a chaotic thundercloud, snapping up one of the Oculithar in its mouth and nearly biting it in two. A tiny, plated, sword-wielding warrior stood on one of its fins, one hand holding a chain that seemed attached to the Chaos While, while he pointed his sword at another Oculithar.

He looked almost ridiculous next to the giant Chaos Whale, then a bolt of golden lightning, nearly as thick as some that were in the storm, rippled from the tip and exploded against one of the Oculithar, blowing a crater inside its body, goo and pale white ichor spraying out.

The scarred chaos whale didn't stop but barreled forward, slamming straight into the grouped Oculithar, ripping two apart, and hurling the others aside.

Scintilla gazed in stunned amazement at what was happening, completely losing track of her own precarious position. Then she passed through the barrier into the storm. The temperature plummeted, and chaotic soulforce rippled around her. She almost panicked. Then she triggered her ability, fire dashing back to safety, heading for the ship. She landed on the deck together with some of the other Ignitzians, many of whom thudded onto the deck, covered in bruises, blood, and, in two cases, with a broken and snapped arm.

"Who is that?" some of them shouted, and Scintilla wished she knew. 

"Basil and Scariander," Zender roared, waving his arms in triumph.

Right, that was the one, Scintilla thought, faintly recalling the story Irwin had told her and the children.

For the next minute, they watched as the Oculithar were decimated by the much larger and furious Chaos Whale. They tried resisting for half of that, then fleeing after, only for the enormous Chaos Whale to rush after them, disappearing into the storm.

Scintilla looked at where they had gone before turning to Zender, who'd landed on the deck beside her.

"I hope he returns," she muttered, looking around. The Oculithar were all gone, while the remaining Chaos Whales had returned to circling them. At the wheel, Earilla was looking at her, mouthing now what?

"Let's wait for them to return," Scintilla said, loud enough for everyone to hear as she looked around. "Get the wounded below deck and start healing them!"

Many of the blademaidens were bleeding, and as she finished counting them, she grimaced when she realized six were gone.

She shouted for those still healthy to search for their missing sisters, but as she gazed at the chaotic storm, she knew that if they weren't already on the ship somewhere, the chance that they would survive was close to zero.

Almost fifteen minutes later, she started to get very worried. There was no sign of that giant Chaos Whale, and she was starting to worry that the Oculithar could come back. She was about to order them to start heading forward when the Chaos Whale broke through a lightning cloud and moved in a calm position forty feet from their side. The armored warrior still stood there, his sword now gone.

"Can he teleport or fast move?" she asked, looking at Zender.

"I don't think so," the metallic-looking Yuurindi said, walking to the edge. "I'll go and get him onboard."

He waved at the warrior, then held up his whip and flashed it across the gap. It wrapped around the warrior's gauntletted hand, and a moment later, he flew back across the gap, slamming into the deck. He stumbled a few steps before finally catching his balance.

"Thank Yilda, solid ground!" he shouted.

The armor vanished, revealing a man with a finger-thick pepper and salt beard and tired lines etched into his face. He had matted brown and gray hair and piercing silver eyes that showed his soullake was very close to being full.

"Zender! It's good to see you," the man said, looking at Zender with a smile before giving Earilla a quick wave. Then turned to Scintilla. "Unless I'm mistaken, this is the Concerto, right?"

"It is," Scintilla said. "I'm Scintilla, Irwin's heat mate, and I'm temporarily in command, though Zender is acting captain."

Basil's eyes widened, and he looked at Zender. "So, besides growing as tall as me and finally getting some skin on your bones, you actually made captain! Good on you!"

Zender smiled. "It's just till Irwin is back."

"Yeah, so where is he?" Basil asked.

Scintilla sighed and stepped forward. "How about we move to the galley and talk about this while we have something to drink? That way, you can explain to us how you got here?"

"Sure! Just let me tell that scarred lug I'll be staying here," Basil said as he walked to the railing.

He was quiet for a while, but when he walked back, the enormous Chaos Whale slowed down and began humming at the group of younger ones, of which only sixteen were left. 

"Alright! If you have anything to eat that's not rations, I'd love some," Basil said as he turned and walked to them. "But before that, I take it you know the route back?" At this, he looked at Earilla, who nodded. Her face was drawn and pale, but she showed no indication of wanting to be relieved from the wheel.

Scintilla walked down while Zender began chatting with Basil, asking about how things were back home.

"Well… we've been having some issues," Basil said with a grimace. "But I'll tell you later."

Scintilla sighed.

I hope whatever they are, they are resolved when we arrive. I could do with some calm.