Irwin's Journey 414: Gifts, suprises, and shocks

Scariander hummed as he felt the presence of the ancient one's offspring pass over him. One of the calves was prodding him in his side to get his attention, sending a barrage of questions in the form of rudimentary concepts and images. The core of the question was whether it would learn how to use its presence like that.

Scariander hummed again as he responded, trying to keep the detailed meanings to a minimum so the calf would understand. Over the last few soulforce ebbs of the great realm, he had begun understanding why the tiny soulfragment users talked in such a simple, compact language. Initially, it had confused him why they would lock the meaning of their communications within a medium only meant for song.

His time with The Golden Lightning That Saves In The Storm had shown him the efficiency of such a simple language. Still, he wondered if he would ever learn it. Condensing all his nebulous thoughts into such a crystalline structure felt… alien.

Basil.

The thought, the single, simple word, felt like a tap that reverberated through his body. It was the only word he'd managed so far, which made him slightly annoyed. Golden Lightning himself had learned to communicate with him almost as well as a yearling… simple, and with meanings too condensed, but enough for them to even have conversations.

A soft hum came from a short distance away, accompanied by a wave of soulforce resonance. 

"Are you sure we should stay here?" 

The message was accompanied by a slight worry, an undertone of solid acceptance in his response, no matter what it would be, and tiny nuances to explain the other was curious, not doubting him, looking for a conversation, and not prodding.

How the shard manages to understand each other's reasoning while speaking is a miracle, Scariander thought. 

He knew that even his own internal thoughts would be impossible for one of the soulshard users to fully understand.

"Yes, Seglassinder," he responded, his response tinged with a powerful certainty. "The storm will end soon, and when it does, the Oculithar will once again spread out. You have felt it… the ancient one is waking, its presence resonating through the great realm, but it is different from our memories."

Scariander sighed as he felt a sense of fear coming from the only other adult in their pod, and he focused on Bechlachin. She was slightly away from the pod, especially the calves, so he could shield them from her turbulent emotions. They were constantly projected outward and had been ever since she had arrived here. Losing all of her pod, her own calves, and the continuation of her lifesong had broken her.

He turned to the group of young ones, projecting a sense of calm and protection. 

It took him a short while, but eventually, their pod began humming together, connecting their emotions, feelings, wishes, and hopes into a single beautiful song. Scariander's voice was woven throughout, keeping it positive and hopeful, evening out the constant worry and fear.

When they finally stopped, much, much later, the young ones huddled close to him as they fell asleep. Their tiny minds had grown again, and they would continue for as long as they sang with the pod. Hopefully, he could make up for the lack of others.

I wish we could find more… a healthy pod needs far more, he thought, his senses spreading out.

The offspring of the ancient ones weren't in the constructions anymore, having left through the portal.

Scariander focused on the spiraling soulforce, humming in such high frequencies that he could barely perceive them. If only they had been here before it settled. They could have gone inside the outside realm, away from the Oculithar. Even if it would change them, him, that would be worth it.

Scariander's mind spread out like a cloud, his thoughts becoming fuzzy as he connected to the ebb of the great realm, searching for more of his kind as he had ever since he came here.

--

Mia sprinted through the enormous house, laughing as she saw her next target- a chair so tall she'd have to jump to reach the edge.

They had been playing in Irwin's giant smithing area for most of the day, tired of listening to the adults constantly talk. Only Ti wanted to stay, while Zan fell asleep on their father's shoulder.

"We'll get you!" a high-pitched voice came from behind her.

Not yet! she thought as she focused on the edge and jumped for it. Her fingers almost slipped from the smooth surface, then she had a grip… only to lose it as her momentum carried her forward, below the chair, causing her fingers to slip from the smooth surface. Letting out a startled cry, she spun midair and barely managed to avoid slamming into the crossbar below the chair. She grabbed the wood, feeling a slight bruise on her arm as she scrambled up before rubbing her arm.

Glow, Flux, and Soot had slowed down and were looking up at her.

"You okay?" Flux asked, reaching out and tapping her toe.

“I am,” Mia said, sulky. 

She'd thought she could get away, but now Flux had won. Again. That made it twice in a row.

Still, atleast Soot joined this time, she thought, smiling at her younger brother. With Zan safe with their father, he'd finally felt safe enough to leave her alone. 

Well, it's not like anything can happen here anyway, Mia thought, looking at the window high in the wall of the giant-sized room. The beautiful red-lined clouds of soot and steam that drifted above lazily would continue on, almost forever, she knew. 

I wonder if my soulscape will become this big, she wondered.

"Dinner is ready!"

Mia's eyes widened, and she jumped from the crossbeam, landing beside her brothers.

"Let's go! First one there gets a point!" Glow said, already racing ahead.

Soot was a step behind him, reacting instantly.

Mia and Flux shared a look before sprinting after them.

They raced through the room, down the stairs that felt like a mountain, and through the door that their father had left slightly ajar. 

Outside, Irwin's giantself was sitting on the ground, talking with Trimdir, who seemed incredibly excited. Scintilla and Esmee were busy nearby, putting food on a table that had definitely not been there before. Uncle Bronwyn was sitting there together with his and Uncle Daubutim's children.

I still don't understand what uncle means, Mia thought as she ran towards the table. How come it was Uncle Bronwyn because he was dad's brother, Uncle Ambraz because he was dad's bonded Ganvil, but also Uncle Daubutim and Uncle Greldo? Were they also bonded somehow?

As she thought about Ambraz, she noticed him perched to the side, seemingly observing what was happening. As she saw him, Mia had an idea, and with a wide grin, she sped up and changed course.

"Uncle Ambraz, can you make us something?" she shouted as she raced towards him.

She didn't notice that Irwin and the others looked over, instead focused fully on Ambraz.

The lips on the side of the Ganvil's surface curved up in that familiar smile she liked so much, and Ambraz let out a deep, rumbling laughter.

"What would you like, little one?" 

Mia stopped beside him and leaned close, her voice becoming a whisper.

"A small table for us so we can sit by ourselves," she whispered. "With chairs that can swing back and forth."

Ambraz grinned, and Mia watched as something flickered in the corner of her eye. She looked to find a low, wide table with odd chairs to the side standing a few paces away.

She jumped forward, quickly followed by her brothers, and a few moments later, they were laughing as they pushed their chairs back and forth, swinging from copper-colored chains. Zan woke up, joining them as soon as she saw what was happening, leaving only Ti, who was perched on their father's shoulder, talking with him.

Sadly, the fun only lasted for a few minutes as grandmother walked towards them, plates in her arms.

"Alright, sit down quietly now before you spill the food," she said, smiling at them. "Ti, enough asking difficult questions! Come and eat!"

Mia smiled as her sister rolled her eyes before sliding from their father's shoulder and arm, only for him to bob his hand up, causing her to sail through the air with a startled giggle.

That looks fun!

As food was piled on her plate, she frowned. "I can't eat this much, Grandma!"

Her grandmother smiled, rustling her hair quickly before taking her hand back with a grimace. 

"Sure you can, little one. How are you going to become big and strong like your father otherwise?"

Mia wanted to roll her eyes but held back, instead looking at her grandmother's hand in worry. She was rubbing it with her other hand, and Mia knew she'd probably burned herself.

"Are you okay?" she whispered.

"Oh, I'm fine! Don't worry. I just keep forgetting those pretty hairs of yours are like a stove."

Mia knew she wasn't telling the whole truth, but before she could ask, her grandmother smiled and bobbed her nose with a finger.

"Now, enough of this. Eat well so you can play again afterward! Irwin said he redirected some of the underground Pyroflux to a stream nearby so you can swim."

Mia's eyes widened, and she turned to where her father was sitting. He was looking at her, his head hovering high above them even while sitting.

"Really?!"

"Yes, but there's only very little remaining," he said. "So don't expect to-"

Mia let out a whoop as she turned to her siblings, who were looking at each other with gleaming eyes. 

Food! Mia thought, quickly starting to dig in.

--

Irwin grinned widely as he saw his children declare war on the massive amounts of food his mother had placed before them. It was unclear to him if they would win, but it would definitely be a valiant attempt. 

"How long till we reach the end of the corridor?" Bronwyn rumbled from the side.

Irwin focused on his otherself, currently hurtling through the corridor toward Eluathar.

"We aren't even halfway," he said. 

Bronwyn whistled. "This is so much nicer than just falling for that long. If I have to get back here again, can you bring me?"

Irwin snorted, shaking his head as he turned to Trimdir.

"So, what were you saying about the mines?" Irwin asked.

"We found some Aurorium after you left," Trimdir said, smiling as he accepted a filled cup of drink from Esmee. Irwin blinked at that, sharing a quick look with Bronwyn. The corner of his brother's lips quirked up, but he quickly shook his head.

Right, talk about that later, then, Irwin thought.

"More Aurorium?" he asked, frowning. "Not in the mines… right? From the Oculithar?"

"Yes," Trimdir said, taking a sip. "We put it all in the mines, thought spread out as Ambraz had told us. Anyway, I've gone there a few times, experimenting with tiny chunks. You said you wanted to use them to create cards, and I was curious if I could do something like that."

Irwin leaned forward, eyes wide in surprise.

"I didn't have nearly as much success as you told me about," Trimdir said, rubbing his chin. "But I did manage to find out how much soulforce we need for each ounce of Aurorium."

Irwin's eyebrows shot up, and he wasn't surprised when Ambraz landed on his shoulder quietly.

"So, seeing I didn't have a good way to measure soulforce quantity, Hou'dor and I decided to try and make one," Trimdir hummed. "We did the following. I took the tiniest bit of Aurorium we had found and filed it down to exactly one ounce, then together we filled it by constantly flooding it with soulforce. It took us about a week to fill that first ounce of Aurorium, but there was something odd. Filling it wasn't linear, at least not exactly. The closer I got to filling it, the more soulfore it seemed to need. So, we decided to do it again, and-"

Irwin's eyebrows rose as Trimdir continued talking, and when he finally finished, he saw that everyone except for the children was now staring at his old teacher in awe.

Ambraz was the only one who didn't seem at all surprised, taking it in stride.

"Great! So, extrapolating that means that a hundred grams of Aurorium takes ten times the amount as it should," the Ganvil exclaimed excitedly as he began flying around. "Not a hundred times one gram, but a thousand."

"Maybe," Trimdir said, with a slight frown. "Hou'dor and I were contemplating getting the Chaos Whales to help fill a larger chunk to see if the same holds true for something even bigger, or if we see it increase more for even larger chunks. However-"

"You weren't allowed to bring it through the exit portal," Esmee said, putting down a plate of food in front of Trimdir. "Can you two stop talking cardsmithing for a while? You can do that soon enough."

Irwin wasn't sure what he expected after the beratement, but seeing Trimdir just nod and smile as he accepted the plate wasn't it.

"I agree with Mom," Bronwyn said as he leaned forward, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. "How about you tell us what cards you wanted to give us?"

Irwin could almost feel the eyes of the older children lock onto him. 

Drum was sitting slightly apart from the others, while his sister, Celeste, was sitting with Daubutim's children, Destric and Ludica. 

"Well… I guess we could do that now," he muttered, pretending to be undecided. "I do still need to reforge them before anyone can slot them, though."

"Can you show us?" Ludica asked, her eyes sparkling. "I heard you play music and sing while you reforge?"

Irwin hadn't planned on that, but as he saw all eyes on him, all filled with the same look that seemed to say 'show us!', he sighed.

"Well, I can do a few," he said as he gently put Scintilla to the side before pushing himself up and to his feet.

As he towered over everyone, he scanned his otherself, finding he was still far from the end of the corridor. Anoying, because if he had been at the end, he could have waited a bit before using the soundwaves to rush to an empty spot and change his body around.

I forgot how long this travel time was, he thought, wondering why high-ranking worlds had this.

Whatever. I wanted to see what they changed anyway.

"Dad, did you also bring us new cards?" 

Irwin looked at Zan, who was staring at him intently, just like the rest of his kids.

"Yes and no," Irwin said as he quickly scanned their soulforce resonances. "I am going to have to reforge those more, and you are all still a bit too young for your next card."

Scintilla crossed her arms and nodded.

"You know what I've told you," she said. "You all need to atleast earn your first blade before that!"

"Ah, come on. That's an Ignitzian thing," Soot muttered. "Can't we do it like they do it here?"

Irwin held back a grin as he saw Scintilla's eyes narrow angrily. He had the feeling this discussion had been going on for a while.

"No, Soot," he said, shaking his head. "Your soulforce is still growing rapidly. Until it finishes, in about a year, I would imagine, you will have to show your mother you are able to earn your first blade."

Soot crossed his arms, sniffing as he glared at the table before him. Zan reached out and touched his shoulder, and Soot sighed.

"Fine, fine," he muttered.

This is going to be an interesting time, I just know it, Irwin thought. 

Besides his joy at seeing his children, he suddenly felt a great relief, too. What if he'd missed all this? He'd never fully understand them.

"Irwin?"

Irwin blinked as he saw his mother smile at him. "You don't have to do it now if you don't want to."

Irwin smiled back. "Don't worry, Mom. It's no problem, I was just pondering a few things."

He turned his attention back to the four teenagers, Drum being the oldest. He scanned his nephew, nodding as he sensed the three cards he already had. They were the ones he'd left with Bronwyn when he'd left the first time, and from what he could sense, they were fully integrated. Drum had even completed his fullhand, showing just how strong-willed he had become.

"Drum," Irwin said, causing the teenagers to perk up. "I've missed a lot of your birthdays, so how about we try to make up for that a little now? Do you remember what you asked me for when I left?"

Drum frowned, then shook his head.

Although Irwin wasn't surprised, he did feel a tiny pang of sadness. He masked it with a smile as he raised his hand, causing his Soulstrum guitar to fall into his hand.

"Let me see if I can refresh your memory," he said.

He took a step back and flowed some soulforce into his soulstrum guitar before very gently pulling the string. As a clear sound spread from him, he made some minor adjustments to make sure he wouldn't blow up anyone's eardrums. Then he recalled the last songs he'd played for Drum over a decade ago.

A happy tune began echoing out, and Irwin instantly saw Drum frown, as his eyes got a distant look. 

Songs are more than just sounds, Irwin thought, recalling what Narios Litvech, the teacher in the academy who had helped him become a better musical-type cardsmith, had always said.

He hummed, then began singing the words of the old children's song, watching everyone.

The older people were smiling with a wistful look, while Zan seemed to be bouncing up and down to join him, and only the fact that she didn't know the song seemed to be stopping her.

When he finished the song, Irwin instantly moved into another one, then another. With each one, he thought he saw a look of understanding grow on Drum's face.

Almost ten songs later, he finally lowered his soulstrum guitar, making it disappear.

"Nooo! More!"

"Dad, another one!"

"That was really awesome."

The children, even the older ones, began complaining, wanting more, but Irwin ignored them, his attention on Drum.

"I… won't pretend I remember this," Drum said slowly, frowning deeply. "But something… I know what I asked you. I asked you for a card to summon an instrument, didn't I?"

"You did. I think your exact words were to bring you a gweeetar," Irwin said, grinning widely.

Drum groaned, his face turning slightly red. Then he nodded.

"That makes sense," he said, his eyes drifting to the table. "I don't recall it, not really, but at the same time… I do. It makes no sense… But I know you aren't lying."

Irwin nodded as he sat down and crossed his arms.

"So, my question is. Do you still want a music card? I have plenty of lute cards, and there are a few I can probably reforge into another soulstrum guitar."

Drum looked conflicted, glancing at his father. Bronwyn had been quietly watching things and now hummed thoughtfully. 

"Your cards are your choice," he said. "And if your uncle offers you something, you can be sure it will not get in the way of what you want… but you might want to explain your goal."

Irwin raised an eyebrow as he looked at his nephew. 

"I… want to become one of the Ranger Scouts," Drum said hesitantly. "We were taught in school that there are hundreds of portals to other worlds from Eluathar, and those all have portals of their own. I want to go through them and scout them."

Irwin nodded slowly, though he noticed a worried look flitting across his mother's face. 

He has two body-improvement cards, he thought, examining Drum again, this time focusing fully on his cards. The third one was a physical resistance and regeneration card that he'd not given Browyn for Drum specifically. Still, the three had so little typing that no type would show up when checked, which was good. That meant they would be easier to combine, and he was free to give Drum anything he would need.

So, he wants to explore dangerous places, Irwin thought. 

He knew the best cards for that would be shadow cards, especially shadewalker ones, and he had plenty of those. That said, not everyone wanted them, and it would mean Drum would be somewhat locked into a direction. He'd need atleast two or three soulcards with mainly shadow to become truly powerful, and-

Stop, don't go planning his entire future set of cards for him, Irwin scolded himself.

He saw that everyone was watching him, Drum looking a bit worried. As he saw his nephew, Irwin thought about music cards and got an idea.

"How about you tell me what types of cards you were thinking about?" he asked.

Drum nodded, his eyes lighting up. "I was hoping for one of those nature-movement cards," he said. "The ones that allow you to move through forested and vegetated areas really fast. Perhaps one that lets you teleport from leaf to leaf? Also, a bow… but one that I can also hit with!"

Irwin blinked while Bronwyn groaned and put his head in his hands.

"Drum, remember what we talked about," Bronwyn muttered. "A bow is to shoot with, not to whack people on the head! You've already broken a dozen because of that… idea of yours."

Drum crossed his hands, his face growing stubborn in a way that instantly reminded Irwin of both Bronwyn and their mother.

"It's not a stupid idea! Having multiple summons means losing out on a lot of other utility abilities, and if I don't have to bring other weapons, I don't have to switch them! A bow is a piece of wood with a string. If the wood is strong enough, it should be fine."

Irwin blinked, then barked a laugh as he pictured Drum whacking a Galub or something else over the head with his bow when they got too close. Then he thought of something… who said he had to whack him with the wood? He wanted a melee weapon and a bow in one. 

He rose back to his feet and began pacing left and right, not even noticing the confused stares of the others. Ambraz said something, but he wasn't paying attention.

What if I make a bow with a soulforce string like my guitar… if I make it really powerful, he could just strike things with that, Irwin thought, as an idea began playing through his hand. Wasn't there one of the cards he'd found that only had one string?

--

Trimdir had his arms crossed, watching Irwin stomp back and forth, seemingly lost in thought. Every step he took caused a tremor in the ground.

"Is he alright?" Drum whispered to his father.

"He's fine, just thinking," Bronwyn replied. "Just give him a minute. It seems your idea might not be as silly as some people said. Also… I never said it was a stupid idea."

Drum sniffed, looking at the table. "I know, but Brett and Dihlir did, and-"

"And I'm not one of your friends," Bronwyn said calmly. "So I'd not say that. Now, just wait calmly."

Minutes passed by, and Irwin stopped and blinked.

"Ambraz."

The word was spoken calmly and without force, but Trimdir saw the Ganvil's lips curve up as he shot forward a moment later, changing into an immense anvil.

I wonder if he is also using that giant-sized reforging technique Dahlia told me about, Trimdir thought as he leaned forward. He couldn't wait to see how much Irwin had improved.

Irwin seemed lost in his own world, as a massive stack of cards appeared in his hand. As he rustled through it, Trimdir shook his head.

And here we've been rationing our cards, only letting the top ten percent have even a single card per week to practice on, he thought. With Irwin's cards, they could finally allow more than just the best to attempt multiple reforges per week, which would hopefully help them locate more promising smiths. As it was, they only had a hundred cardsmiths who were able to actually reforge cards monthly, and most potential smiths never even saw a single card. Those only learned the basics of purifying metal before being sent away to practice it until they reached the minimum requirement. 

No. Most cards were still reforged by himself and the best teachers, so none but the worst were wasted, if he could even call it that. They needed more than a hundred smiths! So many people still needed cards, and they would only get more and more. If they really were going to have a war, they needed an army of people ready to fight, which was why he and the others had been trying to force any card that could into one that would benefit fighting. That, combined with the mandatory guard and ranger training everyone had to do, would-

A deafening slam was accompanied by the return of Irwin's humming.

Trimdir's attention snapped to his student, and his eyes widened as he saw the soulforce that had been hovering around lazily start to congregate above Ambraz. A moment later, he heard a surprised yelp and a look to the side saw Bronwyn vanish while Irwin's small version appeared to the side. His guitar appeared a moment later, and a powerful howling song began playing from it.

"Alright, everyone, back up!"

Trimdir saw Scintilla smiling and shaking her head, waving the others towards the house. She raised her eyebrow as she looked at him, and Trimdir shook his head before turning his focus back on Irwin.

The soulforce he sensed was condensing in an area around the card, more and more pouring in. Irwin raised one hand and tossed another card at the golden fire that was raging above Ambraz.

He… what…

Trimdir shook his head in disbelief as he felt the soulforce resonance split off again, then again, becoming so complex he could barely fathom it. 

It's just quartz… isn't it?

The song's howling increased while the yellow and red clouds began pulling towards them, circling above their heads like a funnel.

Ten minutes later, Trimdir watched as the card flashed twice before its border turned a brilliant purple. He felt slack-jawed and was about to speak… ask questions when Irwin slammed his hammer back down, causing the image to snap back into focus above.

A faint outlining of… a bow? He didn't know for sure.

From Quartz to Topaz… in a single go?

Minutes turned to hours, the song and reforging, the minute details and intricate changes to the soulforce causing Trimdir to finally sit down where he'd stood as the card's borders flared twice, before settling on a red so deep it reminded him of blood.

"..."

Irwin hummed, his hammer raising, a look of intense rapture.

"Kid, that's enough for now!"

Trimdir shuddered as Ambraz roared a warning so loud it somehow blew away some of the soulforce that hung like mist in the air.

Irwin hesitated, then frowned. "It's for Drum."

"It has the growth element," Ambraz said back. "Look at the card. It will be best if he raises it up himself. It will make him more in tune with the card than he otherwise would be."

Growth card? 

Irwin nodded, his hammer vanishing. "Of course. You are right, I got a little carried away."

"A LITTLE!" Trimdir roared as he scrambled to his feet. "How did you… The cards! What… You… you…”

Irwin grinned as he took the card.

"Well, I did tell you I'd learned a few things?"

Trimdir stared at him, then at the card, trying to come up with the proper thing to say and failing. He'd not felt this much like shouting at someone in a long time. He took a deep, shuddering breath.

"No more waiting," he grunted. "Explain to me what you just did!"

Irwin hummed, then shook his head. "Not yet. First, I need to show Drum his new card!"

As he spoke, Irwin's small self took out a small booklet and tossed it on Ambraz. There was a blinding flash as Trimdir felt his mouth go open and closed. As Irwin took up and opened the book, he almost felt himself being drawn there as if by force. 

Card: The Wraithstring Crescent

Type: Ruby, Growth, Reforged by Irwin Roddington

Owner:  -

The wielder of this card can summon The Wraithstring Crescent, a weapon that blurs the lines of what is known and accepted. With a string that is powered by the wielder's soulforce, it can be used as a bow and a crescent sword. 

Passive: Increased agility and coordination

Passive: Increased speed [Increased when holding The Wraithstring Crescent]

Active: Summon The Wraithstring Crescent

Trimdir stared at the page before shivering as he looked at the man who had once come to his smithy as a scrawny, determined kid, surprising him with his willpower.

"... How…?"