Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith-Chapter 309: Purple fart

Irwin sensed his soulforce drain rapidly, as if someone had pulled a plug and let it drain away. Gritting his teeth, he pulled both of his selves together, stepping around the fire and using his willpower to shink the fire.

"Impressive strength for someone with only one soulcard," the purple being said, its voice betraying no worry as its area of influence shrank slightly.

Irwin didn't reply, happy when he felt Tang's black flame wrap tighter around him offsetting the force he felt from within, taking much of the burden.

"Do you know what this thing is?" Tang rumbled, standing beside him, eyes narrow and entirely focused on the thing puppetting Zarzir.

"No. It's a lifeform that seems to belong beyond the Portal Gallery barrier, inside the chaotic space," Irwin said as he recalled some of the things he'd heard when fighting the first of the beings and what he'd later learned from Daubutim- both of which were sadly very little.

"So much knowledge," the being said sarcastically. "It almost makes me want to give you some information out of pity."

Irwin didn't respond, keeping his focus on shrinking his flame. Every tiny bit cost more energy, and he knew he was never going to be able to burn it without help- more help than Tang was currently providing.

"How did you kill the first one?" Tang said.

"I burned it to nothing," Irwin said.

"Hah, you must have found a tiny partition," the purple being laughed. "If you were able to burn any of my kind with this little power, good riddance!"

He is talking but not doing anything else, Irwin thought, wondering if the thing was just faking it or trying to buy time.

Not that there was anything he could do to speed things up, not unless someone gave him a lot of extra soulforce.

"Ambraz?"

Ambraz vanished from his shoulder, repairing his soulscape.

"I can drain some of the cards and give the soulforce to you, but I'll need to sleep for a few weeks if I do that, and I'm not sure it will be enough," Ambraz said, sounding worried. "The soulforce within that thing is chaotic and powerful."

One of Irwin's selves moved back into his soulscape, causing the slight shrinking he had managed to stop.

"Well, if you have another idea, that would be great," he said.

"Not really… Fine! Bring the cards into the small house. There are plenty of useless ones, and I'll start consuming them."

Irwin's second self joined his first in his body and sent the cards in his pockets toward the others in the tiny abode Ambraz was starting to build. It wasn't done yet, as apparently, building something in a soulscape took a lot of focus and time.

Focusing back on the purple flame, he saw a wide grin on Zarzir's face, which had started warping slightly- the mouth turning too wide and the skin cracking slightly.

"If you stop now, I promise I will leave you a few of your own wishes when I take over your minds," the thing said.

Irwin was about to start compressing his flame again when he thought of something. If whatever it was thought he was weakening… perhaps it would be inclined to talk and distract him.

"What are you?" Irwin said, trying to sound strained, which wasn't all that hard.

"Now, why would I answer any of your questions?" the purple thing crooned.

"Because the only name I've heard for you so far is purple fart," Irwin said.

There was a moment of silence, then a soft grin.

"You are too young to draw out my ire with such a simple and cheap taunt," Zarzir's body said, but as it did, Irwin saw its lips had pursed.

"So you mean to say your race is called Purple Fart?" Tang said.

If it wasn't for the constant strain on his almost drained soulscape and his need to keep his full focus on the purple being, Irwin might have laughed at the dryness of the remark.

"If you must know, we are called Wizteriaz," the purple thing said, letting out a weary sigh. "Not that it will do you any good, as-"

"Thought as much," Tang rumbled as he stepped forward and stuck his hands into his black fire, through it, then through Irwin's, and into the purple mist. A second layer of flame exploded from his hands, rippling through the suddenly turbulent purple mist. "I'll scatter it into tiny parts. Destroy them one at a time," Tang said, sounding strained.

Although he had a dozen questions spinning through his mind, Irwin ignored them all and focused his flame on one small section of purple mist that floated just beyond the reach of the rest.

"Don't think you can do away with me that easily," the purple Wizteriaz snarled.

The purple mist began drawing closer around what remained of Zarzir's body, seemingly abandoning the tiny sections.

What is it-

Before Irwin could finish his thought, the purple sections exploded with blinding flashes, shaking the room and causing Tang to groan. The purple fog that remained around Zarzir's body began glowing, actively pushing back against the black fire.

"I'm not some tiny fraction," the purple entity growled. "I have been growing fat on Zarzir and the rest of those stupid fools. After I break out of this pathetic hold, I'll take you two and everyone here before spreading across this world. When my mind reaches critical mass, not even those Guidar you all fear can stop me. I'll wait for this stupid storm to pass and continue across the rest of this succulent branch!"

Irwin tried to ignore the constant shouting and wrapped his flame around Tang's. Within moments, he sensed that the explosions had severely weakened the massive Fiz'rin, far more than the missing parts had weakened the Wizteriaz. Even with their combined efforts, he felt his and Tang's flame being pushed back by the thing they were trying to contain.

"We need to burn him before he can get free," Tang growled, his eyes burning like dim coals.

Irwin didn't bother answering.

Come on, Ambraz! What is taking so long?

He had no idea what the Ganvil was doing and was almost at the point of sending one part of himself to check, no matter what that might cost, when a pulse of energy -pure soulforce- exploded within his soullake.

He had no time to wonder why Ambraz had done it there as he felt the soulforce in his soulscape rapidly refill. He funneled it all into his flame just as another pulse of energy, more powerful this time, rippled through his soullake. The soullake was filling up faster than he could move it into his flame, and as another pulse came, then another, his flame began growing, then condensing in tandem with the pulsing.

Irwin heard the Wizteriaz shout something, but he ignored it. It was becoming more and more difficult to channel the rapidly blooming power, and at one point, all he could do was funnel it from his soullake into his flame, which was now so large it was filling the cavern. The Wizteriaz's screams were a dull background echo, and he barely realized when Tang's flame vanished.

What is he doing?

Irwin wanted to go into his soulscape to tell Ambraz to stop, but he couldn't. He needed both his selves full concentration to keep the massive energy and the rippling flame under control. The only saving grace was that the flame wanted nothing more than to burn away the Wizteriaz.

--

"He always does these things," Boohm rumbled, arms crossed and staring at the entrance of the quarry. Flames roared out of the hole, causing some of the rock to split as it rivaled the heat of an active volcano. He would know, as he'd been in many. Still, he could sense the heat deeper inside, and he didn't blame Tang for getting out when he could.

"What? Burn hotter than pressurized lava?" Tang rumbled from where he sat on the ground, face pale and the glow in his eyes dim.

"Not that specific," Boohm shouted. "Just.. odd things, really. Sing with Chaos Whales, reforge cards that nobody thinks are possible, fight above his weight class, those kinds of things."

"Will he be alright?"

Boohm glanced at the Viridians, who had backed up a lot further than he was.

"Probably," he said, suppressing the tiny worry trying to worm its way into his mind. "The captain has yet to disappoint!"

"And where did he get the energy from?" Tang asked. "He was almost drained when this happened, and now he is projecting more soulforce than I've sensed in a long while. So much that we need to make sure no earth titans come to check."

"No idea," Boohm said happily. He couldn't sense the soulforce, but if what Tang said was right, he was pretty sure everything should be fine.

A deafening scream rippled through the quarry, likely audible throughout the massive cavern. The fire surged, and the heat from the flames made him slightly uncomfortable. Boohm took a few steps back and almost stumbled as a tremor ran through the ground. Cracks and fissures ripped across the ground and the nearby walls of the quarry as the tremor continued to increase in strength. The trees in the distance began swaying, leaves rustling loudly.

"Well, that's probably a good thing," Boohm shouted, forcing a smile on his face.

As if to prove him right, the flames slowly receded, though he could sense the intense heat in the cave, telling him it wasn't safe to enter yet.

They all waited quietly, and the Viridians eventually moved closer to him and Tang.

After what felt like hours to Boohm, though it was barely ten minutes, he sensed the heat within the quarry rapidly decrease, and a few moments later, heavy footsteps came their way.

Irwin appeared in the cave's opening, his face and clothes -what was left of them- covered in black ash and a shimmering layer of crystalized sand. His eyes were drooping closed, and he staggered, grabbing hold of the side of the cave.

"Captain?" Boohm asked as he stepped forward.

"I'm fine… just need to sleep."

He'd barely finished his words when his eyes rolled up in his head, and he began falling forward. Boohm jumped and grabbed his captain around the waist, a massive weight then hanging over his shoulder.

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"You weigh as much as an anvil," Boohm grunted as he rose and turned to Tang. "Think you can give me a hand here? I'm not sure the captain would enjoy sleeping in this place."

--

Irwin woke with a start, sitting upright as he looked around, his mind filled with a torrent of flames and rapidly fading dreams of a cave with crystal walls.

"Everything is fine!" a familiar voice said, and he sensed a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back.

He looked back, managing to get a glimpse of a squarish room of smooth black rock with a single door and a large window before his gaze landed on Scintilla. She was rubbing her eyes while looking up at him with a weary grin.

"You really enjoy going too far, don't you?" she muttered. "It's good to see that nothing has changed."

Finding nothing dangerous or wrong, Irwin lay back on the bed of white sand, some trickling over the black stone edges and onto the ground a foot below. His other self was still deep asleep, making it feel as if he was still half asleep, but luckily, there were no dreams. Ambraz's presence was a small but bright beacon, and he could sense he was fast asleep, just like his children.

I wonder why he used so many cards, Irwin thought as he recalled the intense overabundance of soulforce that he'd had to channel into his soulcard, powering his flame and later his kinetic energy when his flame wouldn't take anymore.

The result had been a cave that was turned into a crystalized, gleaming pit that reflected the light in a multicolored rainbow, with holes going a dozen feet up to the ceiling and just as far into the ground.

"You okay there, pretty eyes?"

Irwin looked to the side, looking into Scintilla's big, flaming eyes.

"Yes… but I could do with some rest," he said. "And you need a sixth card so we can get you your first heardcard."

"Did you manage to find a sentient sword then?" Scintilla asked, her eyes gleaming slightly.

Irwin grunted as he recalled she'd asked him to find one, then thought back to all the cards he'd seen and all the cardshops he'd been to. The few sentient weapons he'd found were axes, staves, and bows, with the sentient part always being in the wood.

"Never seen one, sorry," he said. "I think you are going to have to come along and find one for your second one."

Scintilla sniffed, then leaned forward and kissed him. "Well, at least you tried," she said. "I hear you have a big stack of cards. Can I pick one?"

"If there are any left after what Ambraz did," Irwin muttered.

They lay together, quietly enjoying each other's company for a few more minutes, till Scintilla prodded his side.

"How are the embers?" Scintilla asked.

"They are asleep right now," Irwin said after a quick check. "The biggest one is actually speaking whole sentences now!"

"What? That's… very fast," Scintilla exclaimed. "We will need to prepare then, as she will fully solidify her form soon! Maybe even within a few weeks at this speed!"

"What do we do when she does?" Irwin asked, staring at the ceiling.

He'd never actually thought about that part, just somehow imagining taking them home to his mother, but how would that work? They would need to learn things, so how could he just bring them away from here and all their people?

"Did you mean what you said?" Scintilla asked, causing Irwin to look up and see her slightly worried gaze.

"Which part?" he asked, eyebrows up.

"That you want to be… together?" she said.

"With you? Definitely," Irwin said. "But… is it fair to bring our kids? Here, they would have everything they would need. Their people and everything. Friends, schools, a home."

Scintilla frowned. "Normally, my people leave their children with their family, and the grandmothers and great-grandmothers raise them, but… If I leave now, I will do so against the wishes of the Bladematriarch and the others. That means I won't be able to return, perhaps ever. That's bad enough, but now there is the storm, and the war and everything with the invaders happening."

Irwin saw her eyes glaze over as she stared at the dull, black ceiling.

"If I leave them here, that means I might never see them again, or only after they become adults!"

"Not happening," Irwin said, feeling his anger grow. "I will not let my children stay here without their father and mother."

"And you can't stay…" Scintilla said hesitantly.

"Not for as long as it would take for them to grow into adults," Irwin said, shaking his head. "Although my people are relatively safe, there are too many things I need to figure out. Not in the least what those invaders are doing here, and how they relate to the Guidar… also what those Wizteriaz are up to, and if there are more taking over people."

"Boohm told me about those," Scintilla said before frowning. "Loudly."

"Yeah, he has a big voice," Irwin said. He knew he should get out of bed, talk with Boohm and Zender, and figure out what they should do now, but feeling Scintilla pressed against him, his weariness gone from the rest, he just didn't want to.

"How long could you keep them in your soulscape?" Scintilla asked.

"As Embers, indefinitely," Irwin said. "If they grow stable? No idea."

"Then perhaps we can wait for the first to solidify and ask us for a name before we decide?" Scintilla asked. "That way we can see if you can bring them along even after they solidify."

Irwin hesitated.

"It won't take too long," Scintilla said. "Two weeks, three at the most."

"Alright. We can wait that long… though we have another issue when we return to the surface."

Scintilla raised an eyebrow, pushed herself upright, and sat next to him cross-legged. As she did, Irwin realized she was wearing only a small cloth underwear and nothing else. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of her limber arms and legs, toned with just the right amount of muscle and her bare chest, and swallowed.

Scintilla grinned mischievously, trailing a finger along the side of his leg. "Tell me about the issue, or…"

Irwin reached for her, and she laughed, leaning back. "Nope! Issues first!"

They mock-wrestled for a few moments before Irwin pulled her onto his chest, kissed her, and sighed.

"The Bladematriarch is slowly going insane. From what Ambraz could sense, she is turning Addled."

"By the Flames of Aghos, did you tell my mother?" Scintilla hissed as she sat upright on his chest, worry etched on her face.

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"I did, and she seemed to already know it," Irwin said. "She wasn't the only one either."

He slowly told her everything that had happened since he'd arrived, including his encounters with Gi and Bri.

"If we can, we should leave and take our children," Scintilla said, her lips pulled in a tight, angry line. "They are all still playing these stupid games, and I don't want any of us to get caught up in it. If you can bring me into your soulscape, I can teach them everything they need."

Irwin saw the flaming anger, and to his surprise, he even felt her soulforce ripple around as if agitated.

Am I getting more sensitive or is it because it's her? he thought before focusing on what Scintilla had said. The thought of bringing them all felt like the best idea to him.

"Won't they miss being with people their own age and their own world?" he asked.

Scintilla hummed, then leaned back onto his chest.

"Show me your soulscape?"

Irwin nodded, waking his other self, who had been slumbering still. As he did, he pulled on Scintilla, feeling only a moment of resistance before she was pulled into his soulscape.

Irwin zipped through the skies of his soulscape, arriving in front of Scintilla as she appeared in midair. He was just in time to see her eyes widen as she looked around, her mouth falling open.

"This is… insane! What kind of soulcard do you even have? Even my mother's soulcard isn't like this!" she shouted, sounding excited.

"Yeah, she was pretty impressed with it," Irwin said, hovering before her.

Scintilla's head snapped around, eyes narrowing. "You showed my mother before you showed me?"

Irwin quickly hovered back a bit, raising his hands. "I needed her permission to bring our embers here!" he said quickly.

Scintilla continued looking at him for a few more moments before sighing. "Fine, but you better not tell me you showed her your steam bath!"

Irwin blinked, realizing he'd totally forgotten about that. "No, I didn't," he said as Scintilla's eyes widened.

"Good… I want to be there when she does that the first time and see her face. It's going to be so good to see her surprise," Scintilla said before looking around and froze. "Is that a house!?"

Irwin followed her as she shot through the air towards the house that bordered the mountain and the lake, with a stream of Pyroflux moving alongside it.

Scintilla landed on the ground so hard that Irwin heard her groan, and she pushed herself up.

"It's so hard moving yourself with your mind," she muttered before walking to the small house.

It had two parts, each with a roof that was really unnecessary, two floors that Irwin sensed weren't fully finished yet, and a door with a small porch before it. The doors, floors, and windows were all higher than average to account for Irwin's stature.

What happened to a small hut? he thought, remembering what Ambraz had said he'd make.

"How did you get this in here?" Scintilla exclaimed as she ran up to the door and pulled it open. "Did you just draw it inside?"

Irwin blinked, wondering if he couldn't just do that. Perhaps it was easier? He knew having foreign beings in here was taxing, but he'd not really had any trouble with anything inanimate yet.

Scintilla didn't wait for an answer but walked into the house, followed by Irwin.

The initial room was almost empty, but as he walked in, Irwin froze. It was nearly an identical copy of the main room in Bronwyn's new house, including the kitchen and a staircase up. Ambraz stood on one side, no face visible, still deep in slumber after whatever he had done, while a table stood beside him. Cards were arranged on it in thick stacks and Irwin noticed that there were fewer than there should have been, making him wonder exactly how many Ambraz had used.

The only other thing there was the piano, which stood on the other side of the room. As soon as she saw it, Scintilla let out a small yelp of surprise and walked towards it.

"A piano! How did you know?!" She laughed happily as she sat down, pressing the keys a few times before she started playing a simple yet elegant song.

Irwin stared at her in wonder. When had she learned to play the piano? He'd never heard her say anything about that!

"After reaching their sixth sword, every blademaiden is to take up one additional skill," Scintilla said as she continued playing with a wide smile. "We can choose from cooking, painting, singing, or an instrument. Because I don't want to cook, couldn't paint to save my life, and can kill someone with my singing, I decided on this!"

"Pianos are pretty rare," Irwin said as he walked beside her, amazed as she began playing a more complex song. Seeing and hearing her play caused a smile to grow on his face, and he had to hold back from summoning his Soulstrum guitar.

"My mother is a Blademother," Scintilla said with a grin. "Although it wasn't all great, it did come with some perks!"

After she finished the song, she looked at the piano wistfully before stepping back.

"Okay, so you are going to have to tell me why that's here because it's clear you didn't get it for me!"

Irwin laughed and followed her as she walked to the table filled with cards.

"You have been busy," she muttered, picking up a stack and flipping through them. "You have more cards here than I think my family has… I guess I don't have to worry about our daughters' cards in the future."

"No, that you don't," Irwin said, feeling a sense of accomplishment as he realized that he would be able to, at a minimum, provide everything that his children could need.

Except for safety, a tiny part of him whispered, causing his joy to fade while a steely resolve joined it.

Perhaps not, he thought, crossing his arms and staring at the cards. But I'll make sure they will be strong enough to handle the troubles they might face.

"Irwin?"

Irwin looked up to see Scintilla staring at him, holding one card.

"Can I have this one, and can you reforge it to emerald or ruby for me?"

Surprised at the sudden change, Irwin looked at the card, which was a staff weapon at amethyst rank.

"Lavatree Staff," he said, recalling he'd picked it and a few just like it up a long time ago. They were some of the few he had that came from his trip to Granvox, most of the others having been handed out back home.

"Don't you want a sword?"

"Yes, but perhaps you can reforge it to become a sword?" Scintilla said, staring at him intently.

Not sure what he was missing, Irwin nodded slowly as he pondered the idea. He could probably do that, though he wasn't sure how hard it would be.

"Probably… but why?"

"Because Lavatrees have a very rare subspecies called Plasmaoaks, and besides being as hard as any metal, they have a very small chance to become sentient," Scintilla said, her eyes gleaming. "It is said that the smiths of the main branches can reforge weapons into it!"

Irwin looked at the card, getting curious. Just reforging the card into another weapon, as long as it wasn't too high to start with, was usually doable, though it did mean other things couldn't change, but perhaps he could, with Ambraz's help and both his selves, do two things?

"I can try, but we have to wait for Ambraz to wake up," he said.

"No problem," Scintilla said, holding the card close for a bit before reluctantly putting it back on the table. Then she walked to him, smiling as she kissed him, and her eyes began to glitter.

"Say… does this house already have a bed?"

Irwin swallowed as she pressed up closer to him.

"No idea, but I'm sure we can find out," he said, grabbing her and carrying her to the staircase.