Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

Irwin frowned as he looked at the paper, staring at the lines, not completely happy.

"So I really have to give up my Eyes of Blaze and card reading?" he asked, feeling sad.

"Oh, come on! I've managed to combine nearly all of your physical passive bonuses in the body change, and you complain about that? You are one of the few people who can keep this many passives and actives because of how compatible the cards are not just in type but also in what they change," Ambraz said, hovering above the paper.

Irwin knew he was right, and he couldn't say he wasn't impressed. With a sigh, he went over the rough outlines of the card on the paper.

He was impressed that Ambraz seemed able to merge his Sweltering Heart into his active ability, as well as combine many passives. Still… he finally fully appreciated why so many people didn't go for a heartcard. What if you'd had the cards for twenty years and were dependent on all of them?

It's not that bad, he thought, again feeling impressed with what Ambraz managed.

He was going to lose some flexibility, at least until he would be ready to form his soulcard and get his handcardslots back.

Though, that would take years.

Besides, this is only if my heartcard becomes Ammolite rank, he thought, suppressing a sigh as his eyes drifted to the bottom of the card. There, it held Ambraz's estimate of the card that would come out if they failed, which he guessed was pretty likely. In that case, he would lose both his Eyes of Blaze and his Steam cloud.

I guess it's a good thing that Scintilla and the others are heading back, he thought. He was pretty sure they would be less than amused if he lost that ability. Then again, if he could get to Ammolite.

"And you are sure that if we fail, my hands won't blow up with the cards?" he asked.

"No! That's what we are using the Purperion for," Ambraz said. "If that starts happening, I'll warn you, and you will need to run back. It will hurt, and you will go unconscious, perhaps for a few weeks, but I'm sure Lord Urdwellan won't make you leave if that happens."

Yeah, I'm sure, Irwin thought, recalling the pressure that Lord Urdwellan had exuded when he was last here.

"Now stop procrastinating," Ambraz said as he landed on the paper, blocking some lines. "I know it's annoying to lose things, but this will give you the perfect basis. A powerful body, nearly impervious to heat and poison and all the other things you will need to deal with in the future while leaving you with your hammer. If we have to start again, you might never get the exact start you have now, but even then, we will make due! "

Irwin sighed and nodded. "You're right, and you did great. It's just that I'm going to miss my eye abilities. Especially being able to read cards by myself."

"Yes, yes, but both of those you can get back eventually and in a better form. If you really want to take either of those, it would mean missing out on a combined set of three passive effects. That's just not worth it! Besides, I can read you those cards, and I'll do a better job than those crummy eyes of yours!"

Irwin grimaced at Ambraz's bluntness, then rose from the table, ignoring the paper.

"You are right," he said, meaning it.

Ambraz was right.

Besides, even if he only managed to get a diamond card, his resonance sense would become even better than it was now, which was going to be a massive benefit for when he needed to reforge his own cards in the future.

And I can help more people back home get very powerful, he thought, thinking about Bronwyn.

The name of his brother jolted him, and he gazed at the wall, not seeing it. It had been ages since he had thought about him, and as he tried to picture his brother's face, he realized it was hard. Harder than it should be. Focusing on his first card, he raised his hand. Fire flickered above his palm, rapidly shaping into a young man's face- but it was blurry, lacking details that should be there. With a frown, he tried to dig them up from the depths of his memory. After a few moments, he grimaced, closing his hand and looking up.

It was time to do this and go back home.

"Alright, let's do this," he said, clenching his fists.

"Finally! Now, one more thing. You aren't the only one who potentially gains something from this. If we manage to do this, there is a chance I'll rank up again. If this happens, I'll go into hibernation immediately after we are done. Do the same thing as before. If anyone asks, tell them you saw three overlapping squares!"

Irwin blinked, then gazed at Ambraz. "Is that special for your kind? Ranking up this fast?"

"Fast? For that crummy rustbucket, maybe. But for me? I should have been rank seven by now, perhaps even eight, instead of rank three," Ambras said angrily.

He flitted forward and landed on the open area before the blazing forge. Sand that had collected there over the last weeks since he'd cleaned it out billowed out.

"Close the door so nobody can come and interrupt us."

Irwin hesitated, then decided he was right. If it really hurt, he didn't need people coming in while he was screaming, distracting him even more. He began dragging crates filled with raw metal ore he still had left in front of the door until he knew only Crithann would be able to move it open.

Taking a look at the barricade, he pulled off his shirt and changed into his fire-retardant pants, leaving his feet and upper body bare. He placed three massive stacks of cards on the table to his side, then focused on Ambraz. These were nearly all the cards he had, with only those he would need to rank up his heartcard excluded. Besides, if those cards were going to be the difference, he was going to lose anyway.

Besides, those could act as replacements if the worst thing happens, a tiny part of him whispered in his mind.

"So, no coperion body?" he asked, still worried about that. He was both stronger and more durable in that form, while his precision was far greater.

"No. Using one card while doing this will already be an insane strain. Now, as we discussed, place the Purperion Anvil between your hands and focus on your cards. As soon as they hover up and above it, you will feel the energy begin to drain out of you. Put that tiny Anvil atop me and begin hammering it while following my hum. Don't stop for anything, not for pain, weird flashes, odd sensations, people screaming outside- nothing!"

"Got it."

Irwin took a deep, shuddering breath before picking up the Purperion Anvil. It was tiny, and he had to put his hands flat against each other to touch it as Ambraz had instructed.

"After the first hit, toss one of those stacks my way," Ambraz said.

Irwin flinched at the loss of that many cards right away, but he knew that it was possible he'd lose all before they were done. Any mistake on either of their part would require energy, and he wasn't going to risk losing all that he had worked for just for cards he could replace.

Closing his eyes, he focused on his cards, two sets completely entwined, both one and many. He felt them appear while, at the same time, the energy in them seemed to be draining away as if they were buckets with their bottoms cut open.

His eyes snapped open, and he put the Purperion anvil on Ambraz before summoning his hammer, which responded sluggishly. Trying to ignore it, he brought the hammer down on the Anvil in a single strike. Even with Ambraz's insurance, he almost expected the tiny Anvil to careen through the room, knocked away by the pressure of his beat.

Instead, a deep gong sound erupted out, loud enough to hurt, and he felt his ears pop. Ignoring it, he grabbed one of the stack of cards and threw it in Ambraz's gaping mouth. The gray lips snapped shut, and there was a sound of crunching followed by deep rumblings. For a moment, nothing happened, then Ambraz began glowing like the sun. Irwin knew that if it wasn't for the protection of his first card, he'd be blinded, possibly in excruciating pain.

Ambraz hummed a deep, soothing melody.

Irwin struck again, slightly panicking as he felt the energy in his cards almost fully drained away.

As his hammer struck the Purperion Anvil, energy flooded through the handle and into his body. It came with such force that all of the hairs on his body tried to stand on end, his long and braided ponytail rippling under the tension.

As he raised his hammer, the energy bottomed out almost as fast as it had come, to be refilled as he struck the Purperion Anvil. The emptying and filling were accompanied by a sense of tearing and cracking. Pain filled him, and with each subsequent strike, it increased until he felt his eyes were watering and his teeth ground together.

Still, his mind remained focused and clear, and he continued.

He was going to do this. No matter how much it hurt!

--

The quiet whisper from the crowd of people gathered on the smithing square was hushed as the hum that made everything vibrate grew again, causing things to clatter and rattle. It lasted for a minute before fading back to a more tolerable hum.

"Do you think he's doing something special? Maybe making a ruby rank card?"

"Are you stupid? Listen to that! Does that sound like anything he did before?

"It reminds me of when he created his ruby card over a year ago…"

"What are you talking about? He's only just reached Emerald Rank, right?"

"No, no! That was before your time. He even supposedly helped Crithann make his next heartcard!"

"I've heard rumors he's making his own heartcard!"

"..."

"No way, that's more difficult than a ruby card!"

"Is it?"

"I… I think it is?"

The chatter continued for a few moments before a strangled scream came from the smithy, causing everyone to fall quiet again.

"I really don't think I wanna be a smith, Mom," a young Viridian boy said, his voice loud in fearful silence.

Nobody responded as another strangled scream came, while the hum became even louder.

"I can feel all of my cards vibrate," someone whispered. "Is that supposed to happen?"

Nobody answered him, and the crowd continued to stare at the closed doors of the smithy.

Time passed, and the screams became more frequent while the hum was now so loud that dust was dropping from roof edges, and the distant leaves of the Hearttree were rustling.

"How long will this continue?" someone whispered. "Do you think he will be alright?"

"Of course he will be… I mean. He's a smith, right? He knows what he's doing."

There was a muttered agreement, which stopped when an excruciating scream caused some people to cringe.

--

Irwin's hands were shaking, his hammer heavier than it should be, while he stared at the flattened Purperion spot. It was the size of a coin, and all impurities besides a tiny spec in the center were gone. The translucent images of his cards hovered behind it, having drifted out of the way of his striking by something Ambraz had done.

How much longer, Irwin thought, striking again, willing the tiny spec to leave. It had been there, enduring dozens of hits! Was it going to remain there?

As his mind was rocked by the waves of pain, his hammer shuddered, then the distant connection he had with it vanished. The panic at the loss of connection almost made him miss his next hit. As he hurriedly brought it down, he saw the hammer's surface change- the blackened head flashing as bright as Ambraz, before deep purple lines and symbols began rippling across its surface.

The card's translucent image where it hovered above Ambraz flickered and changed at the same.

"Cards," Ambraz croaked.

Irwin reached out with his free hand, grabbed the second stack, and lobbed the cards in Ambraz's mouth while bringing the hammer down again. As he did, he felt the connection to his hammer return, the resonance different, more powerful, and clearer than it had ever been, even considering that he could barely sense any of his other cards.

"Keep hitting, it's evolving," Ambraz shouted.

Feeling his hope grow, Irwin did as ordered, and each time he struck the Purperion he saw it flash with purple while shrinking. The light, instead of fading or dimming, changed to purple gas that leaked into his hammer, and as it did he felt the energy capacity grow and grow.

Within a dozen hits, the Purperion was a mere grain, while his hammer card held more energy than all of his other cards combined. Just as he thought it was done, the final spec exploded beneath another blow, and a burst of illuminated purple gas exploded up. Some rushed into his hammer, but most sank into Ambraz, and a tiny purple symbol appeared on the previously smooth, dark-gray Anvil. It remained for a moment, then vanished, while a loud, crystal clear chime erupted in Irwin's mind.

"That's it! We did it! Now we do the real work," Ambraz shouted, his voice powerful and enthusiastic, almost as if all the effort of before had been washed from him.

So, is it Diamond or Ammolite? Irwin wondered.

He was weary, dull, and still rocking from the pain and could only grit his teeth as he focussed on the sudden and rapidly changing hum.

"Keep going and just follow my lead," Ambraz shouted.

Irwin nodded, gritting his teeth as the pain continued.

Done with the stupid Purperion, he felt a sense of cathartic release as he could finally strike the images of his cards that had, until then, been hovering above Ambraz. A soft melody sprang up, almost outside of his audible range, but he knew what it was. The beginnings of his heartcard!

Time flew by as he felt like an extension of Ambraz's will, striking when and where the Anvil decreed, forcing his cards to resonate to follow the blossoming song. By now, he was so dead tired that most of his consciousness was nearly asleep, or unconscious, as he continued mechanically striking and striking.

Still, a tiny bit of himself had somehow detached itself from the rest and was observing, quietly and calmly, everything that was going on. It was what saw the empty fiery purple heartslot appearing above the Anvil. It also watched as Ambraz requested the final stack of cards and saw when the cards began rippling as parts of them were drawn into the golden purple card slot hovering above Ambraz.

It was also what mutely watched in horror as the remainder of the cards began turning unstable while the energy levels dropped and the song had yet to finish.

"More cards!'

Irwin jolted back to reality, a sense of odd disembodiment coming over him before an odd deluge of memories screamed at him of the problem they were in.

"There are no more," he croaked, his vocal cords in pain from the screaming he had been doing and his voice sounding like paper being ripped.

"Damn, damn, damn," Ambraz growled, and Irwin felt him do something as another burst of energy came.

For a moment it seemed enough, then the desire for more energy from the seemingly bottomless heartcard rose, and it drew it all into the golden and purple cardslot.

Another burst came from Ambraz, but weaker, barely enough for the next strike.

"Not good! We can't keep this up!"

Irwin felt what remained of his cards start to tremble as he struck them while a sense of hunger came from the heartcard.

It required energy, and with none coming from the cards, none provided by Ambraz, it took it from the only place left.

Irwin's life.

Irwin's knees nearly buckled as he felt something drain him. His fear grew as he struck again, and his vision dimmed.

No, he thought as he imagined his cards fracturing and exploding.

He couldn't stop hitting, or the song would be interrupted, but if he struck again…

As his fear grew to pure panic, a tiny red dot of light moved out of his hair to hover before him. He barely noticed it, dismissing it as a bit of fire. As he brought his hammer down, horrified at what might happen, the tiny spec landed on the hammer, and he focused on it, finally seeing it for what it was.

The Emeberio-

He couldn't finish the thought as a surge of burning hot energy flowed into his hammer, through the hand, and into his body right as the hammer struck the cards.

The song's volume grew to a deafening frenzy.

Suddenly feeling hope, Irwin watched in horror as the tiny spark dimmed. He knew instinctively that it was giving something up that it might never get back, but he couldn't stop.

Not now, when he was so close!

As he brought the hammer down again, more energy came from the tiny Emberion, and the song rose to a crescendo. Irwin felt a tiny bit of sadness as he saw his original cards finally crumble, then he squashed it and struck down with all his remaining power, knowing it would be the last and final strike.

Ripples of light expanded from Ambraz as he felt something hot nestle in his heart.

Irwin's hammer vanished from his hand, and as he felt ready to fall over, he felt sadness as the Emberion, now a dull spark, only visible because all the other lights were gone, fell down on Ambraz's once again dark surface.

"Thank y-"

Irwin slumped to the ground, all the muscles in his body going limp at the same time. As his head thudded on the ground, his consciousness faded, and he heard Ambraz say something, then he was gone.

--

"It's finally done…"

The few people that had remained stared at the smithy in horror. Cracks ran through its walls while Crithann stood before it, arms crossed.

Roots were wrapped around the building, holding it together, while more covered the surrounding buildings that seemed little better. The sound of something crumbling came from further away.

One of the Viridians, a young woman that Irwin would have recognized if he'd seen her, swallowed before waking up beside Crithann.

"Is Smith Irwin alright?" she whispered.

"I don't know," Crithann muttered. "All I know is that he succeeded in forging his heartcard."

"Then he should be fine," the young woman stated.

Crithann nodded but didn't watch as she left.

Probably, he thought, but he knew something odd had happened. He was sensitive to life, and something had died in that building. He just didn't know what.

I'll wait for a few hours. Then, if nothing happens, I'll force my way inside.

--

Irwin woke feeling odd. He felt… heavy, and it felt like something was pounding on his chest.

A loud, powerful thudding.

Boom.

Boom.

His mind was clogged and fuzzy, and he tried to think. Had he fallen asleep, and was Scintilla trying to wake him by hitting him?

"I'm awake," he muttered.

There was no response, and the thudding continued. He frowned and rolled on his back. Why was the bed so hard? Had he broken it again? He tried to recall what had happened, and as he did, something began nagging at him. Something was missing…

Suddenly worried, he instinctively focused on his cards and found nothing in his hands. His eyes snapped open, and as he gazed at the ceiling, which was riddled with cracks, he finally remembered.

Did we fail? he thought as he sadly prodded where his cards had been.

The deep thudding returned, drawing his attention.

It came from his chest, and as he focused on it, a powerful resonance suddenly appeared in his mind. A single, powerful card was sitting in a different spot from where his handcards had been. Feeling jubilant, he was surprised by the familiarity. Still, there was something… new. It took him a few moments to figure out what it was. The card was connected to something else, something that seemed part of his mind. He followed what seemed like a tether to what felt like a massive, empty basin.

He instantly knew what it should hold.

Energy.

Soulforce!

He scanned the basin, which felt odd, partially like the cards did, but much more a part of him. In the center was a tiny bit of energy, and as Irwin sensed it, he also felt the heartcard thrumming in his chest. It was connected to this basin, this empty lake, and seemed to be powered by a tiny bit of soulforce. Even then, as little as these mere drops were, the power he felt from his heartcard was immense.

Sitting upright, he put his hand on his chest, sensing the powerful beating of his heart. Or was it his heartcard? He didn't know. But he wanted to know!

"Ambraz?"

There was no response, and he looked around. The room looked like what he'd expected it would look like if he and Crithann had used it to spar. There was no sign of Ambraz, but to his surprise, his sturdy stone table, although shoved against the far wall, had survived whatever powers had exploded as his heartcard had formed.

He swayed as he got up, a sense of vertigo playing through him that he hadn't felt since he'd first used his Coperion Body. A quick look at something at eye height told him he had grown again. How much was hard to say, but he should still fit through the door. Probably.

Turning to the table, he saw Ambraz was sitting on it, tiny and asleep. A paper lay beside him, lines of text written across it, and as he read the first one, Irwin walked forward, grabbing the paper. He faintly noticed something odd as he did, but the text on the paper distracted him.

'Damn, kid! You bring me more luck than I would have imagined! I've evolved, so I'll be out for a few days or weeks… don't know really. That Purperion was more powerful than I'd imagined.

Anyway, we would have failed. If that little fire elemental hadn't come out when it did-'

Irwin stopped reading as he recalled the action of the Emberion, and panicky, he pulled at his braided ponytail, startled to find that it had unwound, which had never happened. The hairs were a tangled mess, and his ranking plate was barely hanging on by a thread.

He tried to find the tiny emberion, but there was no sight of it. Still, it was small, so perhaps it was just hiding, he thought to himself, trying to push down a sudden sadness.

Irwin refocused on the paper. He'd already seen something interesting below the lines of Ambraz but wanted to finish that before focusing on it.

'- when it did, we would have had to start all over again, which would have been a waste because your hammer evolved to Ammolite! Well, I presume that's what it is. I never actually saw another one before. Anyway, I absorbed the Emberion's remains for now, and I think we should fulfill its final request. Odd, that. It actually managed to send me a mental message, an image. We'll discuss it when I wake up. Anyway, if you managed to get this far without looking at the card's information, then you're weirder than I thought! Anyway, one of the perks of my rank-up, which I took for you, just so you know, is the ability to add a card's information to a paper. It's pretty useless, but it should make you feel a bit better. Now, stop reading this and go check out that bloody card! It's really something, I can tell you that!'

Irwin sighed. Remains meant it was definitely dead, and the seed of sadness grew as he thought about the tiny Emberion. It had been with him for only a year, and he had mostly ignored it, but it had helped him on multiple occasions. Now, it had even saved his heart card.

I wonder what its last wishes are, he thought.

After a while, he finally gave into his building curiosity and focused on the lines below.

Card: Firesteel Elemental Vaelite Heart

Type: Heartcard, Ammolite, Unique Mutation, Forged by Irwin Roddington (And Ambraz, dammit!)

Owner: Irwin Roddington

The wielder of this card has a heart that constantly creates and stores kinetic energy while at the same time greatly changing the wielder's body to accommodate these changes. The user's body becomes similar to that of a Firesteel Elemental, allowing for the wielding of kinetic energy without the fear of ripping the body apart.

Passive: Greatly increased strength, endurance, constitution and regeneration

Passive: Near-immunity to fire, pressure, poison, and toxin

Passive: Resonating heat vision

Passive: Greatly increased resonance sensitivity and control

Active: Summon and manipulate devouring fire

Active: Summon a firesteel hammer of any size or shape. Lasts until dismissed or destroyed. [Soulforce]

Active: Allows the drawing and manipulation of water in the air [Mutation]

"Damn…" Irwin whispered, not noticing he was using one of Ambraz's curses.

How had the Anvil managed to combine all of those passives? He couldn't wait to ask, though he had the feeling it had something to do with the fact that all of it was based around the Firesteel Elemental.

"Irwin, are you alright?"

Crithann's deep voice made him look up.

After a moment's hesitation, Irwin folded up the paper and stuffed it down his pants, which had luckily survived. He was going to read the paper again later before destroying it.

"I'm alright," he shouted, walking toward the door, wondering how much he had changed and what his card could do.

I wonder if Crithann wants to spar.