Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

Irwin slowly removed the crates of ore from before the door. Each movement added to the pressure building up in his muscles, similar to when he'd been using his Vaelite card. Now, however, it was more evenly distributed throughout his body.

As he picked up a crate, the weight seemingly reasonable to him even though he knew he'd been unable to lift it the day before, he felt a tiny bit of the kinetic energy flow to his back, arms, and legs. It cost him zero effort, and each step he took with the heavy weight added to the same energy again.

I'm going to have to practice with this all over again, he thought as he wondered what would happen if he bumped into something and the kinetic energy was added. He'd be hurting and destroying everything around him.

As he moved the final crate of ore away, he picked up Ambraz. Staring at the tiny Anvil, he finally slid it into one of the slots on his pants meant for hammers. He never used it, and he knew it would be filled with sand and dust, but it was better than putting Ambraz down his pants like the paper.

Grinning at himself, Irwin pulled the door open, feeling the stone start to crumble under his pressure. Sunlight flooded around him, and he stepped out of the smithy.

Any idea about sparring vanished from his mind as he saw the partially destroyed buildings, layers of roots and vines keeping them together. Behind the lines of buildings, he noticed a long tear through the wall, which otherwise, luckily, looked fine.

"By the Flames of Aghos," he whispered, mechanically using one of Scintilla's favorite curses.

"It's fine. We will fix it."

Irwin looked to the side to see Crithann look at him intently while a few Viridians were far behind him at the edge of the square. He knew two of them from when he'd reforged their cards.

"What ha-" he cut off. He knew what had happened. Still, he couldn't help feeling guilty.

"I did this…" he said, turning around and cringed as he saw that most of his smithy had been turned into an unstable mess. Cracks ran through the walls, and the open side had collapsed atop the open smithing area.

"Balarn!"

"He's fine," Crithann said. "He left halfway through… something about your screams."

Irwin grimaced, then guessed he could understand that. He only faintly recalled the pain and the screaming, though, for some reason, the entire process of reforging seemed crystal clear in his mind.

Crithann walked up beside him, and as Irwin looked back, he realized he was looking the previously much taller Viridian almost straight in the eyes.

"Congratulations," Crithann said, putting one of his bark-skinned hands on his shoulder and squeezing. "I've seen many heartcard formations, and although rare, some resulted in even more destruction than this. Don't beat yourself up about it."

Irwin took a deep breath, absently noticing that he smelled distant fires spread out across the city. Without even trying, he had a general idea of where they were and how large they were. Probably cooking fires, he thought.

He realized he was staring at Crithann, zoned out, and his teacher and friend were grinning at him.

"I think you should go and familiarize yourself with your new card. Also, go take a look in the mirror. We will fix everything here. It should be good as new in a few days."

Irwin nodded, taking another look around.

"Sorry for the extra work," he said.

"It is fine. Now go. Scintilla's place should be fine," Crithann rumbled, and Irwin felt the Viridian push his chest softly. "I still need to hand you something, but it can wait for a few hours."

"Alright, I'll come find you later," Irwin said. Taking a final look around, he turned and walked away, not noticing how Crithann was staring at his hands with a frown.

As Irwin walked the short trip to Scintilla's home, he was surprised by dozens of people who came up to him, congratulating him. Nobody mentioned anything about the ruined buildings, even those few who were actively removing debris.

Scintilla's house was almost unscathed, only a single crack line running through the side of the wall beside the door. As Irwin stepped inside, he took a quick look at the top of the doorframe, mere inches above him, and nodded. He had grown at least a hand length.

"Clothes first," he decided. Besides, Crithann had said he should look in a mirror.

As soon as he reached the tiny bathing room and looked in the mirror, he jolted.

Two burning silver eyes gazed back at him from within a face that seemed made of Firesteel. It took him a few moments to stop looking into his own eyes, so different from what he was used to. Raising his hands to his face, he finally realized what had been bugging him before. Where his skin had been a pale copper before, now it was slightly darker, while faint red lines ran across it. Most seemed to join together in a pattern on his chest, below where he felt his heart thud heavily. It reminded him of the tattoos he'd seen on some of the smiths back in Fiverio.

"This is going to take some getting used to," he thought.

Inspecting his own face, he was glad that at least his features were the same. Still… would his mother ever recognize him?

He traced one of the lines with a finger, not feeling any difference in the skin, besides it still feeling like slightly pliable metal, just like when he had been in his Coperion Body mode.

Wait… I lost that, didn't I?

Irwin focused on his new card, and slowly, a set of active skills appeared. A quick look showed him he was right, and he realized he'd not noticed it while reading the card. Did that make him weaker than he had been?

"Problems for later," he muttered.

He turned away from the mirror and picked up one of the casual white shirts Scintilla had gotten him. It fit, though where it had been loose before, it was tighter now. A glimpse at the bed made him wonder if he shouldn't be dead tired now… then again, he had slept.

I wonder how long I actually slept for, he thought before shrugging. Whatever. Let's go and see what this card can do!

--

The sound of water dripping down blended with the soft wind. Irwin sighed as he felt the steam ripple around him, and he willed it further. With little effort, it spread across the entire sandy hilltop he was sitting on, a twenty-foot-high, thick blanket of hissing steam.

"Almost ten times the size," Irwin muttered as he opened his eyes and looked around.

As always, it was almost impossible to truly see anything, the white cloud around him obscuring everything.

So, that leaves only the Vaelite kinetic skill, he thought, going over the other aspects of the card.

His hammer skill had barely changed, though he had been stunned when he managed to create one that was the size of a door. He'd only barely been able to lift it, showing it wasn't something that he could use in combat, but just looking at it had made him grin. If he stood somewhere high and dropped it on something, he wondered how much damage the massive, impossible-to-wield thing would do.

The flame that he had inherited from his first card hadn't changed a lot either, but like his Sweltering Cloud skill, it had become much larger. A single flex of it had covered himself and everything within a dozen feet in a blazing inferno.

So, most of the things stayed the way they were, he thought as he focused on the card. Oddly, the things that had changed the most were the passive effects, and he guessed that was as Ambraz had intended it. From what he could tell, his physical strength now was on par with what he'd had when he was in full Coperion Body mode, and the sprint to the distant hill he was at now had been nothing.

No, with the exception of his Kinetic abilities, which he had yet to try, all of his skills seemed roughly the same, just more powerful.

Well, almost no change, he thought as a slight movement made him look up and to the left.

A fuzzy red shape was descending the hill beside the one he was on. He could barely discern it had a head, two arms, and two legs. Still, if he had to guess, he'd say it was an Ignitzion, as those were the only ones he knew that were hotter than even these surroundings.

He released his hold on the steam, letting it fade away while keeping an eye on the soulforce it had cost. Unlike with his handcards, his heartcard didn't have energy of its own, but it was directly tied to his soulforce. He'd been worried about that, but as he examined his nearly empty Soulforce lake, as he had come to call it, he'd noticed that it seemed unchanged.

Doesn't it absorb the Soulforce? he wondered, deciding he needed to talk with Crithann about this. He felt a tiny bit of weariness, so it had cost him something. That much was obvious.

With him no longer holding the steam together, the always present wind of the desert blew the clouds away within moments.

In the distance, he saw Scintilla walk towards him, a wide grin on her face.

"Hey there," Irwin shouted as he rose and moved towards her.

He wasn't surprised to see her eyes widen as she met his gaze.

"About time you got those," Scintilla shouted as she sprinted the final distance toward him.

As she stopped a few steps away, Irwin saw her hair was brighter and far more fiery than he'd seen before, while heat waves radiated away from her as if she was on the point of exploding.

Those new eyes are going to take some getting used to, Irwin thought.

"So, did you get anything else besides those awesome tattoos?" Scintilla asked as she stepped closer and traced a finger across one of the red lines across his arms.

Irwin grinned. "What, is my even larger steam bath cloud not good enough for you?"

"Depends if it's hotter," Scintilla grinned.

"It might be. I didn't check," Irwin said as he suddenly realized he should try that out soon.

"Well, tell me all about it while we walk back!"

Irwin nodded as he let her drag him along.

Halfway back, Scintilla burst out laughing.

"That big? I don't believe it! Show me!"

Irwin shrugged and took a step to the side while raising his hand. There was a woosh as a massive, door-sized hammer with a handle as long as his leg appeared. Even though he'd seen it before, he was surprised again, and he was barely in time to grab the handle with both hands. Even then, it almost thudded on the ground.

Scintilla began laughing again, hands on her knees as she pointed at the hammer.

“Tha-...ts… so… use- use… use…”

She fell on her ass, laughing harder than Irwin had ever seen her.

Irwin frowned, and then an idea came to him, and he grinned.

"Think it's silly?" he asked, as his smile widened.

With barely any effort, he shrank the hammer to a hand-sized one and hurled it up and away. Just as it left his hand, he changed it back to the massive size, and he watched in satisfaction as the door-sized hammer flew through the air with more force than he probably would ever be able to with that size. There was a choking sound beside him as the laughter turned to coughing, which was drowned out by an explosive boom as the hammer slammed into the hillside over two hundred feet away. There was a slight tremor in the ground where they stood while a massive column of sand sprayed up.

Scintilla was coughing as she stared in wide-eyed amazement at the partially destroyed dune.

Irwin unsummoned the hammer and resummoned the smaller one in his hand, swishing it around while he thought about somehow adding the giant size to his combat routine. If he swung it, the weight would likely pull around, but what if he used that to his benefit?

"Come on, I wanna see if Crithann is up for some practice," he said as he pulled Scintilla up.

She was looking at him oddly, and he raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You need a haircut," she said, very matter of factly.

Irwin looked over his shoulder at the tangled mess and shrugged. His beard could probably grow out now, though he still wasn't sure he wanted it to.

"Sure," he said as he rubbed his chin, feeling the slight stubble. "I guess I'll have to see Gustho when I get back to Fiverio."

"Ghusto?"

"A barber in Fiverion that seems to be able to split himself into multiple copies of himself," Irwin said.

Scintilla whistled, and Irwin began filling her in on some of the new things he could.

When they returned to the city, Irwin saw that the inner area, everything adjacent to Smithing Square, was a bustling mess of people. Cards were glowing as sections of walls were either fixed up or removed to be replaced. He felt a tiny bit of guilt as he saw them all, but all he got were congratulations and worried questions about whether he was alright now.

"Let's go to my place first," Scintilla said when Irwin wanted to turn in the direction of Crithann's house.

Looking up, he saw her look at him with a slightly sad smile. Irwin hesitated, recalling that he had to see Crithann. Then he looked at Scintilla and sighed.

"One moment," he said as he ran to one of the nearby Viridian workers, who looked up as he approached.

"Smith Irwin?"

"Hey, could you let Crithann know that I'll find him tomorrow? I need to spend some time with Scintilla now."

The Viridian looked over his shoulder and nodded. "Sure!"

"Thanks," Irwin said before walking back to Scintilla.

"If it's important-"

"It should be fine," Irwin said with a shake of his head. "If it is, he knows where to find me."

Scintilla nodded.

Curious and also slightly worried, Irwin walked beside her. When they entered the house, he saw a large bag with swords attached in a corner.

"I've got to go tomorrow," Scintilla said as she turned to him.

Irwin blinked, looking at her. Confused, he looked at the bags and then back at her.

"I thought you were going to leave next week?"

"I was, but there is a group of battle-sisters heading back home tomorrow, and they have arranged everything from teleporters to a ship ride across the Portal Gallery," Scintilla said as she sighed.

Irwin nodded, not sure what to say. They had been together for over a year, longer even, and it felt both longer and shorter.

"I'll miss you," he finally said, knowing it was true. If he didn't have to go back, he might not have.

Scintilla's eyes gleamed, and she kissed him before frowning. Her mouth opened then closed, and she looked at him. She seemed to be struggling and not sure what it was about Irwin remained quiet. After a few seconds, Scintilla sighed, and her usual smile returned.

"Let's go and eat! I bought two bottles of something special, so we should party tonight!"

Irwin knew something was going on, but he had no idea what. Still, if she didn't want to tell him, he wasn't sure he should press her.

"Alright," he said as he nodded with more energy than he felt. "Let's make it a great one!"

--

It was as quiet in the room as it was outside, and a silent shape sat on the bed, looking down at the sleeping giant beside her.

Stupid smith, now he's even hotter, Scintilla thought as she raised her hand, almost stroking the beautiful red lines across his skin.

She'd seen an enclave of Firesteel Elementals once back on Ingiz, deep in the Onyx Mountains of her home country. Irwin's lines were paler and thinner than theirs had been, but she was pretty sure he'd make for a great ambassador in talking with the elusive, hidden people.

She felt a tiny twitch in her fiery aura and couldn't hold back a wide smile.

Yes, yes. So impatient!

She inspected Irwin again to make sure he truly was asleep, and when she was sure, she let her fiery aura expand beyond her core. A thin veil of flame illuminated the room, and immediately five tiny deep-red flames shot out. For a moment, they moved around energetically before, one after the other, they reached the side Irwin was lying on.

Scintilla felt tiny queries pushed to her mind, and she smiled as she replied with an affirmation. The flames shrank slightly, and she knew each was carefully observing the sleeping man. Their father, even though he didn't know.

Watching the calm, stubbled face, Scintilla held back a sigh.

I'm sorry, but if I tell you, it might interfere with you saving your people, she thought. But don't worry. I told Greldo, and he promised to tell you when you return home.

One of the flames moved back to her, a thought almost like a challenge pushed towards her.

'I can't wake him, little one. But don't worry, if he can, I'm sure he will come and find you eventually!'

An angry sense of disagreement was pushed at her, and Scintilla almost went against her own instincts. Then she shook her head, impressing on the tiny being that it wasn't the right thing. Not now.

The flames remained in her aura for almost ten minutes, carefully observing Irwin before finally returning back to her core. They were weary now and would need to sleep, but it was something she had to do. She cherished the few memories of her own father that she had, deeply ingrained into her being from a similar moment, and she hoped that those of her daughters who would survive would feel the same.

After she pulled back her aura, she lay down and cuddled up against Irwin.

You better save your people and come find me after, she thought, falling asleep shortly after.

--

Irwin stood beside Scintilla, looking at the group of two dozen Ignitzions, most of whom he'd only seen once or twice. Only one was more familiar, and he waved back at her.

Lasvirish, he thought after a moment, one of the leaders of the Ignitzions.

"If Numilli comes back here, be careful," Scintilla said as she moved her massive pack more to one shoulder.

Irwin snorted. "If I see her again, I'll try and detain her and get some of your people to return her home," he said.

"Might be for the best," Scintilla said, tapping her sword handle before looking up. "I need you to do me a favor."

Irwin blinked, staring at her suddenly serious face.

"Alright," he said.

Scintilla grinned. "You never made me a proper card-"

"Hey! You didn't-" Irwin began, only for Scintilla to talk right over him.

"-and now that you are able to make really good ones, I want one. So, if you come across a sentient sword card, one with a fire-elemental mind, get it and bring it to Igniz?"

Sentient sword card? He tried to wrap his head around that. Was that supposed to be some type of minion card?

"Okay," he said, slightly uncertain.

"Good! Also… and if you don't find one, you still have to come and find me," Scintilla said. "I'll be staying on Igniz for the next five years. That's Portal Gallery time!"

Confused and trying to suppress the sadness of seeing her leave, Irwin nodded.

"After I finish saving everyone, I'll come find you," he said, knowing full well the chances of that happening were slim.

"Good, I'll keep you to that," Scintilla said as she hugged and kissed him.

As he felt her lips part from his, then watched her wave and walk to the other Ignitzion, Irwin felt a sense of loss.

The Ignitzions welcomed Scintilla happily, some slapping her on the back and making jokes that Irwin saw made the fire in and around her hair spark- the Ignitzion equivalent of blushing.

One of the Ignitzions, an older one with hair streaked with pale white, stepped back, and a ball of fire erupted out from around her.

Scintilla was the last to enter it, waving at him a final time. As she moved inside, her aura flared up for a fraction of a moment. A few rapidly moving flames, a dark crimson, moved within it. Then the flame, Scintilla, and a layer of sand atop the stones was gone.

Irwin stared at the empty space for a bit, recalling the time he'd spent with Scintilla, when he'd met her and when they had fought for their lives.

I'll come find you when I'm done, he decided. And if he could, he'd get his mother and brother a card that made them immune to fire, like the one he had, so they could come.

Taking a deep breath, he turned towards Crithann's house. It was time to let off some steam.

--

A day later, Irwin was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He was thinking about Scintilla, his heartcard, and the fact that he would be leaving soon. A soft rustle from his jerkin that hung on the chair snapped him out of it.

"Ambraz, you are awake?" he shouted as he quickly got up.

"Ugh... not so loud!" Ambraz muttered. "Yes, barely. I forced myself. Are we still on Scour?"

Irwin frowned. How did you force yourself awake? Noticing no movement, he hesitated before removing Ambraz from his pocket. The Anvil's wings were hidden, and he lay on his palm. Besides the lips, he looked exactly like an inanimate anvil should.

"We are still here," he said.

"Good, good," Ambraz muttered. "You read the letter?"

Irwin felt his moods slump as he thought about the tiny Emberion. "Yeah."

"Ugh, don't give me that! The card is fantastic, and as sad as it is, the Emberion did ask for something... interesting in return!"

Irwin frowned at Ambraz's callousness. "What?"

"Do you remember that first Earth Titan that we went to?"

"Of course," Irwin said as he recalled the place he'd gotten his Sweltering Heart card.

"Well, our little friend asked that we bring his remains to the chest cavity that we got your card from."

Irwin shook his head, confused. "What? Why?"

"No idea," Ambraz said before yawning. "And you're going to have to do it on your own because I need to go back to sleep."

"Wait," Irwin said quickly as he saw Ambraz's lips slowly vanish. "How do I get his remains? Or are you going to wake up again?"

A soft flash came from Ambraz, and suddenly, a tiny smooth coal lay on his hand. Irwin stared at it stupidly, noticing tiny, closed slits.

"When will you wake up again?" he muttered.

Ambraz grunted. "No idea. Waking like this makes it worse. Days probably," he whispered before he returned to being a simple tiny Anvil.

Irwin stared at Ambraz for a few moments before pocketing him. Then he gazed at the Emberion, surprised at how heavy it was.

Fine, let's get you to where you want to go, he thought.