Irwin's Journey 486: Minute conversation

Author note: A little mistake in my previous chapter. I'll change a bit of how Nimlarel's discussion with Irwin went either tomorrow or the day after. As some of you noticed, she shouldn't ave been there for the big timeskip, so I'll change it so she references the fact that things had changed so dramatically when she returned. Thanks for pointing it out!

----

"You are really sure?" Irwin asked, looking at Lejingi.

The two were standing in the slightly cluttered front room of the Jaust Smithsguild Charter. It was nestled in the deepest cave-building in Jaust, one they had shaped themselves only six years ago when they had arrived. It led to a balcony that offered a view of most of the odd town, including its wooden gangways, stone outcroppings, and dug-out squares.

"Yes, Guildmaster," the Inixian said with a half smile. "My sister will be fine without me, and this place…"

She looked around with a smile on a face that belied her age. 

"Then," Irwin said, with a slightly relieved smile. "I'll ask you to become this charter's Guildmaster."

He gestured around and to the back, where corridors led deeper into the building. Dug out by stone shapers, its walls were smooth, and fake columns held up a ceiling that needed no holding up. Light-bulb plants grew from narrow alcoves in the wall, around the columns, then up into the ceiling, where they would move through and into the second layer above. 

Irwin spread his soulforce senses out, detecting the group of apprentice cardsmiths who were there now, learning from Teacher Rubini. He knew the young Onxyian was one of those who didn't want to remain in Jaust, and hummed.

"I'll call in the other teachers later today," he said. "I know three of them would like to leave, but Flowrishin said there are teachers in Trunkle, and one in Silverleaf who would love to come here for a few years and experience something new."

"Don't worry, Irwin," Lejingi said, smiling widely. "Even with three or four fewer, we will be fine. I will contact my sister tomorrow. From what I know, she will likely want to join me here, and I know that a few of my old apprentices have been requesting to see me. They likely have more questions."

Irwin grinned, happy that Lejingi had finally stopped calling him Guildmaster all the time. It had taken the softspoken Ignitzian almost a year to get used to it, but it had been worth it. As soon as she had, she'd been more at ease around him.

"Blademother Nilish is going to be angry with me for a while," he said. "Probably complain that I stole her only high-level cardsmith."

"She will be fine," Lejingi said. "The Flamerock Smithsguild is doing fine. Besides, with you tutoring the most promising cardsmiths a few times a year, she will see far more progress than if I had stayed."

Irwin shook his head. "Don't say that. You did a great job, and some of your apprentices are among the best cardsmiths for their typings on all of Scour."

Lejingi smiled but shook her head. "No, but thank you for the kind words. After having seen the growth of some of your people's smiths, I know full well where we stand."

Irwin held back a grimace, knowing she wasn't the only Ignitzian who thought like that. Even the usually stubborn Oxarite teachers had been starting to notice the discrepancy in how fast some of the Crathan cardsmiths improved. Only the best, like Flowrishin, and a few of his own old apprentices were able to keep up. 

"I'll go and talk with the others," Lejingi said, nodding at him. "You are leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes," Irwin said, still thinking about what she'd said.

I wonder if she has realized that not all Crathans are the same, he thought.

He watched her walk away as his mind drifted off to one of the times he'd returned to Eluathar over the last three years. It had been two years ago, just a year after they had begun building this charter.

-- Two years prior --

Irwin stared at Daubutim, not sure he had heard it right. 

"Tell me that again?" 

Daubutim nodded, calmly repeating what he'd just said.

"There are six cardsmiths who would like to accept a Crathan card," he said.

"Galadins…" Irwin muttered, still in disbelief.

"Correct," Daubutim said. 

Irwin leaned back in his chair, pulling Scintilla closer.

"Why do you seem so surprised by this?" she asked, cocking her head.

Irwin thought about it for a while, then shook his head. He couldn't come up with a good reason. He had changed into one himself, the first one even. Why wouldn't others be fine with it?

"I… don't know," he said. "There are still thousands of Yuurindi left, and… I just expected them to want to stay the way they are?"

"Most do," Daubutim said calmly. "But not all. Those who answered the request I put out at the Academy all already have either fire, heat, or flame cards, and in some cases, versions of your original Coperion Body card."

"They do?" Irwin asked. 

He tried to recall how things had been when he was teaching there and failing. To the people on Eluathar, barely a few months had passed, but from his perspective, it was closing in on twenty years. He knew there had been smiths who had tried copying some of his cards, but from what he recalled, that had been mostly his hammer and his flame. Not that they had ever found another flame like the one he had. 

"Yes," Daubutim said calmly. "They had before you left, but it increased over the last three months. What is more important is that you are sure you can bring six."

"I can," Irwin nodded, prodding his soulforce and the ever-increasing pond of ancestral coperion that now existed in his soulscape.

"Good. From this moment, you will likely get three Yuurindi and three Galadin every time," Daubutim said, causing Irwin to exhale softly.

"So there's more?" he asked.

"Yes," Daubutim said. "Now, before you leave, you said you had made a little headway with the body split card?"

Irwin nodded, holding out his hand and summoning four cards wrapped in a folded paper. They were the culmination of this year of practice, all ruby-ranked body-splitting cards. He had created more, but his attempts to take them to diamond rank had shown a fifty-fifty failure rate, something he didn't have enough cards for to practice on at the moment. 

"The paper tells you what they do," he said, handing it to Daubutim, noticing his friend's frown.

"They are far harder to make than I had thought," Irwin said. "Still, I am improving. I only managed two in the first half of the year, then six in the second."

His friend nodded, not asking where the other four were. He merely glanced at the paper, then held up his hand and caused a slight burst of red lightning to incinerate it. 

"It's best if as few people as possible know what they do in detail," he said softly.

Scintilla grinned, staring at the cards. "So, is one of those for me?"

Irwin turned to her, staring into her beautiful, fiery red eyes. He had helped fill her soulscape, something that took surprisingly little soulforce compared to simply being on Eluathar, which meant that both her hands were clear of cards. He knew she could have slotted the cards he had left with her during his visits, but he had guessed she was waiting for this moment.

"No, I've got something special for you," he said, pulling out another card from his soulscape. 

"Diamond," she crooned, taking the card and inspecting it. 

Irwin nodded, knowing what the image on the card was, as it was nearly the same for all body split cards. A faint, shadowy outline of a body with one or more beside it.

"It will give you one body," he said. "A perfect clone that you should keep in your soulscape at all times. If something happens to this one-" he tapped her nose, causing her to smirk at him. "Your mind will move into the other one, and you will have a moment to react to whatever…" he hesitated.

"Killed me," Scintilla said, her eyes flaring up. "What about leaving it here? Like you do?"

"That's for if you have to leave," Irwin said. "But you only have one mind, unlike me, and from all my experiments, that cardseed-" he shook his head, recalling the times he had attempted it. "-it is unlike even this one. I can't say when, or even if I'll ever be able to create a cardseed of that."

"This will already be invaluable," Daubutim said, examining the cards before causing them to disappear, likely in his soulscape. "I want to ask you to focus on these for the next few times. Make as many as you can, because we will need thousands if not more."

"One for each elite soldier," Irwin said, using the term Daubutim had.

"Exactly," Daubutim said. "Also, although ruby-rank is great, if they work at emerald-rank…?"

"They do," Irwin said. "It will just take longer for the killed body to regenerate within the wielder's soulscape."

"That's the only difference?" Daubutim asked, seemingly surprised.

"Until Emerald, they don't clone the entire body," Irwin said. "After Emerald, there are some paths they can take. There's a reforge that will give them the ability to create multiple bodies, but there's a significant downside. Most won't regenerate the dead bodies, and those that do? It will take the same amount of time for a regular body to reach adulthood."

"What other options are there?" Scintilla asked curiously.

"The best I have found is a single full copy. But it's also possible to only copy parts of your body." He raised his hand, and another card appeared, merely an emerald rank, and with an odd image that showed a beating heart that seemed to be superimposed upon itself.

"This one clones only your heart within your soulscape," he explained. "I have no idea how it would work, but the description says you will have multiple hearts. If your own gets destroyed, a cloned one is put in its place. They regenerate within seconds."

"That's disturbing," Daubutim said, staring at the card emotionlessly. "Also, it feels rather useful or very specific. What if you created a card to clone every part of a body, and someone slots them all?"

"I don't know," Irwin said thoughtfully, staring at the card. "That would only work if we could get a set of cards that encompass the entire body, though. No… I think going for a powerful regeneration card and slotting multiple of those would probably work better."

"I will think on it," Daubutim said. "Anything else?"

"No," Irwin said. "A clone-type card, be it body or soul, is a highly limited thing. There are dozens of small differences in how the clone works, how fast it is, but-"

"Could you have a clone with its own cardslots?" Scintilla asked curiously.

Irwin's mouth shut with a snap as he pondered the question. 

"I… don't think so," he said slowly, frowning as he did. "It would require the clone to be a fully independent entity, I think?"

'It's possible,' Ambraz grunted. 'There are rumors and whispers about cards like that, and don't you remember beardyface? He had something like that.'

Irwin frowned. He had forgotten about that part. "Ambraz says it is probably possible, and there are people who are rumored to have them," he said, looking at Daubutim. 

"Gelwin had one," Daubutim said, showing again that where others forgot, he never did. At least, not as far as Irwin knew.

"Think you can get me one?" Scintilla asked, her eyes gleaming.

Irwin stared at her, and it took him a while to figure out why she would want one. "You want to give your clone a Crathan card?" he muttered, as a host of ideas suddenly flowed into his mind.

"Definitely," Scintilla said, her eyes glistening. "That will let me move from here to you and see you more often. You can just bring one of my bodies along in your soulscape!"

'Does any of this even work?'

'Only some of it,' Ambraz replied. 'Slotting that card will change her cloned body, but it could cause issues with her soulscape because of card resonance. Also, neither of the bodies will count as the original, so the first one to get a heartcard will reset the handcards of the other.'

'What? How does that even work?' He exclaimed in confusion. He absently noticed that Scintilla and Daubutim were watching him, likely understanding he was talking with Ambraz.

'Remember how your soulclone card stopped working both when you forged them into your heartcard and when your soulcard finished? If it's the card that has the Crathan card, both her bodies will become Crathan.'

'Yes, but what about after that?' Irwin asked. 'If her second soulcard has a split body, and she then gives one a Crathan card… It won't reset when she creates another card, right?'

'It will. Each time she adds that card and makes a heartcard for that clone, it will cause her to change… The only way to do this is to give her a Crathan card each time after she finishes her soulcard. Then, when she reaches her last set of cards, she can't change them into a heartcard.'

Irwin leaned back, rubbing his chin. It wasn't ideal, but it did give him a few ideas.

'Could I do something like that?'

'Not with your current bodies. They have locked handcards,' Ambraz said. 'Also, if you add another body split card, I don't know exactly what will happen. It's possible you get four more bodies, or just two. Or perhaps only one."

Irwin thought about what he'd just learned before slowly explaining all of it to Scintilla and Daubutim.

"That's fine," Scintilla said, smiling. "You can easily create more Crathan cards. Besides, maybe I'll really like that body and choose to keep it!"

Irwin snorted. "You do know that would mean you would need to lay eggs like the others, right?"

Scintilla blinked, and Irwin saw her turn a pale shade of gold. Then she quickly shook her head. "Right, never mind about that. Let's make sure I never finish the wrong heartcard."

“Right… by accident…” Irwin said, raising an eyebrow.

Scintilla blushed, then thudded him in the chest. "Whatever. See if you can get me one of the bodyclone cards that allows me to slot different cards in each!"

"I will," Irwin said, feeling his mood increase.

"If you can create more of those, that would be good," Daubutim said calmly. "It would allow us to experiment with different types of full-body transformation cards we still have locked away."

Irwin hummed, nodding slowly.

--

"Kid? You okay?"

Irwin snapped out of his memory, realizing he'd been standing in the main hallway for a while now, staring dully forward.

"I'm fine," he said, seeing Ambraz hovering before him. Pur'am was flying slow circles around his father, seeming bored. 

"When is Brecka coming back?" the younger Ganvil asked.

"Later today, because we're leaving tomorrow," Irwin said.

"Does she have to come with us? Can't she stay here?" Pur'am asked, his lips lowering in a frown.

Irwin didn't bother answering that, though he felt hilarity flow from Ambraz. Both of them knew exactly what the problem was. Of everyone around, Brecka seemed to have the easiest time dealing with the Ganvil, even going as far as to give him 'time-outs' in her own soulscape, to the absolute horror of Pur'am.

"You still sure you want to go forward with your plan?" Ambraz asked, drawing Irwin's attention to what they had discussed over the last half year.

"I am," he said, feeling only slightly worried about the idea. "We need undisturbed time to create the body-clone cards, including the one Scintilla wants. We've lost another half year… besides, if we succeed, the chances are good that I can see Scintilla far more."

Ambraz didn't say what Irwin knew he was thinking, that if he continued practicing until he was ready, it could mean not seeing his children until he was ready.

"You don't have to do this," Ambraz muttered. "Besides, each time you go back, you bring more Crathans."

"I know," Irwin said, feeling his resolve strengthening. "But we both know a half year isn't enough time. Not anymore. We need a year, perhaps two, of undisturbed focus. Besides, the slight resonance issues we keep getting linger for months, disturbing our progress."

As he said it, Irwin felt like a fool. How had he not sensed the tiny fluctuations before? Each time they returned from Eluathar, he'd needed months to return to the level he had when he left, and he'd never tried to figure out why. 

Ambraz let out a weary sigh. "You are not wrong, kid, but stop beating yourself up about it! Neither of us realized… It's just that it feels like a step back. You finally reached the point of seeing them every five or six months."

"I know," Irwin said. "And after we get a hundred of those cards, and the one we need for Scintilla, we can move back and forth a few times. The amount of Ancestral Coperion will allow us to bring many of the Yuurindi that are ready here."

"At the cost of a few weeks of merchant time," Ambraz grunted. "Still, you're right. It will be more efficient. I just wish there was another way."

Irwin shrugged as he walked out of the Smiths Guild, across the balcony, and to the railing. The depths of Farrel's Fissure were dark and empty to most, but he could see the tiny pinpricks of soulforce move about, like ants. Those were the inhabitants of Tepis, the town at the bottom of the fissure. He would need to go down before he left to get the ore samples he had ordered.

He remained standing there for a few hours, enjoying the knowledge that he would not have to deal with teachers, apprentices, or annoying people who wanted him to create heartcards or give out free handcards. 

"Brother!"

"Oh no… she's here," Pur'am rumbled. "Dad, can I-"

"No. Stay put."

"Ugh…"

Irwin waved at Brecka, walking up the ramp that led to their section of the balcony. She moved to stand beside him, smiling widely.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," she said, rubbing her hands, her silver eyes gleaming brightly.

Irwin rolled his eyes as he looked at her. "You know the change won't be that big for you, right? You are already halfway there."

"So?!" she asked, shaking her head. "I'll be the first-"

Irwin raised an eyebrow, and she shut her mouth with a sigh. 

"Sorry," she muttered after that, leaning with her arms on the railing.

"It's fine," Irwin said. "You are right, though, because of your first soulcard, things might be a bit different."

"I still don't care," Brecka said, shaking her head. 

"I don't know what all the fuss is about. It's not even a growth card," Pur'am muttered from the side. 

Brecka slowly tilted her head till she was looking at him.

"You say something?"

"No!" Pur'am said, mouth tight. "I'm sure you will be a great Crathan. Now, can we go and do something? I'm hungry!"

"You ate a card this morning," Irwin said, even to this day surprised at the absolutely bottomless belly of the now rank-one Ganvil. 

"A small one," Pur'am exclaimed. "It wasn't even topaz!"

Irwin and Brecka shared a look, then they pushed off and headed into the Smithsguild.

"I'm going to miss this place," Brecka said with a sigh. "It's nice being surrounded by so much rock."

"Blackglass is surrounded by way more," Irwin said.

"Yes, but it's so big that it's harder to sense," Brecka muttered, walking to a wall and patting it. "Here it's all really close. It's comforting and reminds me of back home."

Irwin hummed. "You could create a small hamlet in one of the sidewalls? We need more metal, and that's one way to get it."

Brecka's eyes brightened, and she nodded. "That's a great idea! I know there are a few in Blackglass that are interested in mining."

They continued talking about it until it was time to eat. After a feast where everyone congratulated Lejingi and asked when Irwin would be back, Irwin had a short night's rest. The next morning, as he walked into the main hall, he saw Nimlarel with two young boys on her arms. Looking a bit over two years old, both were looking around curiously with big, burning eyes. 

"Uwncle Iwwin!" one of the two suddenly called, his high voice slurring the words.

Nimlarel whispered something to them, but the boys both shook their heads.

Irwin could guess what she said. Something about calling him Guildmaster. 

I hope they never change, he thought, walking towards them while sensing Brecka coming out of her own room.

"Slaun, Flaiyen," he said, brushing their steaming-hot short metallic hair. "Have you been good?"

"Nwo," Slaun said, shaking his head. "Flaiyen dwopped his pwate!"

Irwin raised his eyes wide, looking at the other boy who was staring at his brother as if he were the biggest traitor in the world.

"It's a plate, and you shouldn't say that!" Flaiyen said, frowning as if he was deciding what he was going to do about it. 

"I can't believe how fast they are with learning to speak," Irwin said.

Nimlarel smiled at her sons, putting a quick kiss on their heads, which caused them both to frown.

"Mom, can we look around?" Flaiyen asked, his eyes sparkling.

"Not today. We are leaving as soon as the others are here," Nimlarel said.

"But we have nwever been here," Slaun complained.

Nimlarel was saved from answering as Brecka came bouncing into the hall.

"Little Ores!!" she shouted, causing the boys to start fidgeting. "Auntie Brecka!"

Nimlarel sighed, then knelt and let them go, causing the two boys to sprint, somewhat awkwardly, across the room and straight into Brecka's wide-open arms.

"How have you two been!? I've missed you," Brecka said, lifting them with ease and putting one on each of her shoulders.

"Flaiy dwopped his pwate!" Slaun said. "He hawd to cwean it up!"

Flaiyen crossed his arms, scowling at his brother.

Irwin and Nimlarel watched for a short while, till Lejingi arrived.

"Guildmaster," Nimlarel said.

"Oh, please don't say that," Lejingi muttered, shaking her head. "I'm already wondering if I made a mistake!"

"It's been only two days," Irwin said in disbelief.

"Yes, and I've got a pile of paperwork this high," she complained, raising her hand roughly at her waist.

Irwin held back a grin, knowing part of that was because he'd let some of the work pile up. 

"I'm sure you will be fine," he said. "Remember to use the connection runes if you need anything."

Brecka came walking over, the two boys looking around from their new, higher perch with curious interest.

"Pur'am is in my soulscape," she said.

"What did he do this time?"

"He tried to sneak out yesterday evening," Brecka said.

'You coming?' Irwin asked.

'Almost there.'

The four of them talked for a few minutes till Ambraz arrived, landing on Irwin's shoulder.

"I'll see you during next Bonding Day," Irwin called out to Lejingi just as the shadows wrapped around him.

He pulled in his soulforce senses just when the movement hit them, but by now he'd gotten mostly used to the discomfort. They arrived on the square in front of Nimlarel's restaurant, Fiery Shadow. Her and Rinbus's home was on the top floor, while Irwin and Brecka lived next door.

Taking a deep breath, Irwin looked at the small smithy, feeling a sense of calm come over him. 

"Let's go and fill up your soullake," he said, glancing at an excited-looking Brecka.

And after that, all I need to focus on is forging cardseeds.

--

Umbral waited with the others, staring at the Guidar as he fell ever deeper into his disgusting meditation. Even from this far, he could smell the mental weakness from the horned monster. 

How we ever lost to them… he thought.

Time passed, and finally, the three of them sensed the control over their chains weaken to a minimum. As soon as it did, they locked eyes, using a technique ancient even when their people were still at their strongest. Tiny eye movements, jerks of facial muscles so small that most wouldn't notice, and even vibrations of lips conveyed a conversation only eight still alive would be able to follow.

'Kimdi will not approve,' Zeit, the oldest and most powerful of their small cluster, said.

'Kimdi is not here, and one of us has to go. It is best it is the weakest,' Umbral said.

'It is not. If you die, our chances of ever getting vengeance become even smaller,' Zeit replied, the growing glow in his red eyes showing how angry he was at Umbral moving ahead of him.

'Umbral wasn't wrong,' the third one, Nabr, said. His face, as always, showed no emotion, something Umbral had always respected in the man. Where the other species thought none of them were expressive, it was just too little for them to notice. But Nabr, he had always been different. Umbral had once asked him if he'd cut his facial tendons, causing the first sliver of an emotional reaction. A tiny smile.

'It doesn't matter anymore,' Umbral said as he focused on Zeit. 'You two need to survive, and if there is truly an ancient still alive, even all three of us might not be enough.'

'Ridiculous. The last died eons ago, when our own ancestors were but hunters across the barren plain,' Zeit said. 'If there is one still alive, he will be either old and weak, or came here from one of the lower Portal Webs.'

'How?' Umbral asked, wishing Zeit was as smart as he was strong. 'You know it is nearly impossible to move through the World Portals. Ever since Yilda raged, the Portal Gallery has grown to unstable.'

'That was when we were put to sleep,' Zeit snapped. 'Who says it is still like that?'

'Me,' Umbral replied. 'What Yilda did will not be undone by a mere few hundred thousand years.'

'Calm down,' Nabr said, drawing both their attention. 'Umbral, if you find an Amnathair, you will have a chance, one none of us thought we would have.'

'Only if this is not a fluke, a figment of the Filthy Ones' imagination,' Umbral said. 'But you are right. If he is there, there might be Oculithar here.'

A ripple of emotions, too faint for any but their own kind to perceive, moved across their faces. The mere thought of seeing one of the Soulforce Singers, the only ones with skill enough to lull them to sleep and then to break their bindings, caused two emotions to war within all three of them. 

Hope, and vengeance.

'We will see,' Zeit finally said. 'The filthy one said they have finally captured the teleporter. It will take weeks or months to chain him, but when they do, things will move fast. You must prepare.'

Umbral held the other's gaze.

'I will,' he said. 'And I will either die, or return unchained.'