Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith-Chapter 319: Names

"Alright, let's start with Zender, as he seems ready to explode," Irwin said as he stood in the center of his smithy.

"About time we do this," Ambraz grunted. "We need more strong people."

Irwin looked at his companion in surprise, especially because of the slight feelings and emotions he got with the comment.

He's worried about Mia and the others.

Ambraz's growing bond with his children was both surprising and welcome, as it meant the resonance between them was growing stronger.

If one of them has a talent for cardsmithing, I wonder if that means they could work with Ambraz.

"Captain?"

Irwin snapped out of it. He'd been staring at Zender, who was now fidgeting. It had been a while since he'd become this distracted, but as he sensed his otherself fully occupied with Mia and the others, he guessed it made sense.

"Nothing, just thinking about something," he said. "Now, let-"

Footsteps rushed up to his door, and a moment later, there was a quick knock.

"-see who's at the door," Irwin said, rolling his eyes and getting a laugh from Earila.

Zender was already moving, pulling open the door with a look that said 'why are you disturbing us?!'. His look of righteous indignation wilted as he stared at Dahlia.

"Sorry for disturbing you," Dahlia said, raising an eyebrow.

"We are on time!" Juul'rish piped from her shoulder, her crystal clear voice causing Irwin to ponder asking her to sing.

"Dahlia? Is something wrong?" Irwin asked, focusing on the ship but sensing no odd swaying or rapid acceleration that might indicate they were fleeing. There were also no extreme soulforce fluctuations anywhere that might indicate trouble.

"No, everything is quiet up deck," Dahlia said, staying at the entrance, looking inside, and visibly hesitating. "But I heard you were going to reforge cards for Earila and Zenders, then create them a heartcard, and I would like to watch."

Irwin didn't even hesitate but beckoned her inside. "Of course. But as you know, I'll need to do their normal cards first, and only after they have gotten used to it can we safely do the heartcard."

There was a sad sigh from Zender, and Earila seemed to wilt slightly.

"Don't worry, it will only be a few days, and we will probably stay here for a while longer," Irwin said, smiling at both of them. Their intense desire for cards reminded him of himself and Greldo long ago.

As he reassured them, Dahlia walked inside, and Juul'rish flew up to one of the small Ganvil-sized recesses in the wall.

"Before you start, can I ask a favor?" Dahlia asked, staring at him intensely and continuing before he could say yes or no. "Can you tell me how you made Scintilla's card? It is unlike any I have sensed before, and the fact I can even sense it that strongly…!"

"I can, but let's do that after I help the kids," Irwin said.

"I'm not a kid!"

"Not a kid!'

Zender and Earila shouted at the same time.

"Sure you are, just like Irwin and Dahlia are kids," Ambraz said, causing Juul'rish to let out a high-pitched giggle.

Irwin grinned, then focused on Zender. "Alright, let's get this started. First, let me see your current cards again."

Zender's mouth closed mid-complaint, and he raised his hands, causing three to hover above one and a single one to hover above his right one. When he saw the stunned looks of those around him, he shrugged and grinned widely.

"What? I practiced!"

How long to do it that smoothly? Irwin wondered, feeling slightly bad for not helping him earlier.

"Alright, let's see," he said, focusing on the four cards.

The power and complexity ranged from the simple amethyst first card to the much more complex last and emerald card. Beyond this, there was something he immediately noticed with the first fullhand. Where the cards usually blended well, creating a cohesive total, Zender's first card remained slightly apart from his other two.

"Alright, so your first card is a typeless, amethyst card," Irwin said slowly as he inspected the cards, speaking out loud for Dahlia's benefit. "It has trouble meshing well with the other two, while your third card is topaz, and your third is emerald. Both have the overlapping Silfzeron typing."

He focused on the fourth card, nodding to himself as he saw the much smoother resonance. He'd made three of Zender's four cards, but he could clearly see the difference in his skill.

"Your fourth card, Glowing Flesh, is a body improvement card. It will probably help mesh the first card and the other two."

Looking up, he examined Zender.

"Do you know what kind of cards you want?"

"Something to make my whip stronger after I get a heartcard, a way to resist heat like you do, and the cold of the permafrost regions," Zender said in a rushed voice. "I want to become a captain and explore the Portal Gallery when I'm grown!"

Dahlia let out a soft laugh, which Irwin ignored. He inspected Zender's cards while his other self finally excused himself from playing with the kids and moved into the house to dig through their available cards.

"If you want to become a captain, you might want to think about a short-range teleport or intangible movement card," Ambraz said.

Zender nodded excitedly. "I know, but I don't have enough room for that many things… right?"

Irwin crossed his arms, thinking for a bit.

"You can only hold an Emerald soulcard," he finally said. "Anything higher will cause your body and soulscape to be under too much stress. Even if-" he continued, interrupting Zender, who was looking at the green bird on his shoulder. "-your resonance becomes somewhat stronger, you would need to become ten times as stable to hold the soulcards you could at ruby rank."

Zender's mouth snapped shut, and his eyebrows shot up.

"You- I-... what?" he said before shaking his head and stepping forward. "Do you mean that if I have an emerald soulcard, I can have more than one?"

"Yes," Irwin said as he inspected Zender's resonance. "They won't be as powerful as they could be, but taking into account that you should stabilize some more over the years, you should be able to hold four emerald soulcards eventually."

"That's awesome!" Zender shouted, jumping up and almost dancing around Earila. "Did you hear that, sis? I'll be stronger than Mom eventually!"

Earila nodded, but her smile was slightly crooked. Irwin knew she had already determined something. Zender's genes were better than hers, and his stability had increased. The chances of her getting an emerald soulcard were much smaller. It was one of the reasons Irwin had decided to do Zender first, as he could then talk with Earila privately as the enthusiastic boy ran around to play with his new cards.

Zender was too excited to notice his sister's worry and instead turned to Irwin.

"When are we starting?!"

Irwin barked a laugh as he held out his hand. A small stack of cards appeared, and he began riffling through them.

"Seeing as you won't be having the individual cards very long, we are focusing fully on the eventual heartcard," he said. "I've got a few options here."

Zender was jumping up and down in excitement, but as Irwin began calling out cards and their effects, he slowly calmed down, focusing on the card choices.

It only took him a short while to choose two cards, and Irwin wasn't surprised by either of them.

"Alright, so you are going with Stable Flame, which I'll increase to give you more control over your existing fire and the Summoned Weapon buff that will allow you to teleport to the point of your whip?"

"Yes!"

Irwin grinned, then pocketed the other cards and walked to Ambraz.

"Let's get you some cards then," he said.

--

"Scint, are you sure it wouldn't be better to leave your embers on Yuclan? Your sister will protect them, and they will be able to learn our ways much better."

Scintilla looked up, slightly distracted from listening to the beautiful song Irwin was creating as he worked. It had been too long since she'd been able to enjoy it, and some of her fondest memories from Scour were when she'd lay on a bench in the smithy as Irwin worked.

"I know, but it's not going to happen," she said, trying to focus on Nisziz instead of the song. "I don't think I'll be returning to Yuclan anytime soon."

"So? It is fine to just leave them there to grow up, right?" Nisziz asked, shaking her head in confusion.

Scintilla sighed as she knew exactly what Nisziz meant. It was perfectly normal for her people to leave their embers with others to be raised, sometimes never seeing them again. The problem was that she knew that Irwin and his people did things far differently. They bonded to their children like Ignitzians did to their bladesisters, and after having been with her Embers for this long, she didn't blame them. Perhaps if she'd left right away, instead of sticking on Igniz, she might have… no, she knew she would have felt the same.

"It's hard to explain," she said.

"Is it because of Irwin? Listen, I know you love him, but you can't let him decide everything. He’s not a Ignitzian,” Nisziz said.

"It's not just that," Scintilla said, now fully focusing on her old bunkmate. "I don't want to leave them there and risk never seeing them again."

Nisziz blinked, then opened her mouth to say something, and Scintilla quickly continued.

"I've been around them for too long, and I want to see how they grow," she said quickly. "Besides, with three of them being… different, I don't want them growing up without their heatfather. And I'm not splitting them up."

Nisziz opened her mouth, frowned, and closed it. She put a hand on Scintilla's shoulder, squeezing softly.

"You are sure it's what you want and not what he wants?"

"If he hadn't found me, I would have remained with my embers, and if I'd had to flee, I would have brought them along," Scintilla said.

"Fine, Bladesister," Nisziz said, smiling and pulling her in a hug. "I just want what is good for you."

Scintilla returned the hug before pushing Nisziz away. "Now be quiet. I want to enjoy this!"

Nisziz snorted, then nodded. "Fine, I'll go and make sure the others don't bother the first mate too much."

Scintilla held back a laugh as she thought about the few of her sisters who had been hanging around Greldo. Unlike Irwin, the shadewalker showed little interest in the Ignitzians, though she had noticed an interesting moment between him and Dahlia.

I'll have to ask Irwin about that when he is done, she thought.

--

"Make sure you practice them properly," Irwin shouted after Zender as the boy sprinted out of the room, calling for Greldo.

Irwin shook his head and looked at the ceiling. "Grel, make sure he doesn't hurt himself or damage the shop, okay?" he said, knowing Greldo would be hearing it.

There was a soft howl from above as if to answer him.

"Thanks, Coal," Irwin said before turning to Earila. "Alright, do you know what you want your last two cards to be?"

Earila hesitated, then nodded. "Can I get a card like Greldo that gives me some of the features of my Faerits?"

Again, Irwin wasn't surprised. He'd spoken with Greldo a few times since returning and told his friend what he had planned. Greldo had immediately said that Earila would likely want something like that.

"I have only one of those, and it's already Topaz rank," Irwin said as he held out a card. "That means I can only change it a little bit, and only along the lines of what it already has."

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Earila took the card and looked at it. "What does it do?"

"It will give you one of the characteristics of your summons and some of their physical attributes."

"Will I get fur?" Earila asked, seeming intrigued by the idea.

"I don't know," Irwin said. "The problem with these types of cards is that the end result is hard to tell."

Earila nodded, holding the card. "Can you make it so I get the same effect as they get that makes them ethereal and faster?"

"I can try," Irwin said, taking the card back and already thinking about what he'd have to do to make that happen. "And your second card?"

Earila hesitated, then sighed. "Can you add a card that can fix what is wrong with me?"

Irwin blinked and was pulled out of his thoughts about what to do with the card. He knew what she meant; her instability caused by her own genes. Crossing his arms, he focused on her soulresonance, which was weak and unstable, even compared to Zender's. He knew there were cards to stabilize a soulscape, but many of those started with the assumption that there was a certain stability already.

"Ambraz?" he asked, not sure where to even begin.

"I might have an idea," the Ganvil said immediately. "Do you remember those music cards you got to give to Drum?"

Irwin thought about the few music cards he had. Drum had wanted a soulstrum guitar, and although he'd left a few of them with Bronwyn, he did take the ones Drum had hated back with him.

A few moments later, his otherself pushed them out of his soulscape and into his hand.

"Alright, what did you have in mind?" Irwin asked, looking at the cards.

"You will see," Ambraz said, letting out a soft laugh. "Give them to her, and let's see which one she likes."

--

Zender was pacing through the hallway, waiting for Irwin to finish. He'd finally calmed down enough to find that he'd completely ignored Earila.

I wonder what she picked, he thought, raising his hand and causing a flame to ripple above it. He could roughly change its shape and move it across his palm, though nothing compared to what he'd seen Irwin do. Not that he minded. He felt the nearly unending pool of heat in his body, knowing just what he would be able to do with it with more practice.

The haunting song that was resonating through the ship faded into a happy, simple tune, and for a moment, he thought he heard another sound mixed with the strings and singing. Then it was gone.

He waited for half a minute, then knocked on the door.

"You can come in, Zender!"

Zender grinned at the Captain's shout and quickly opened the door. Earila stood in the center, looking at her hand with a wide grin.

"So what did you get?" Zender asked, moving closer and trying to get a glimpse of the image on her hand.

Earila covered it with her other, then stuck out her tongue. "You will just have to wait and see!"

There was a slight ripple of light, then she was gone. One of her Fearit hovered in mid-air where she'd just been, stared at him, then dashed away in a translucent blueish streak.

"Captain?" Zender asked, looking at Irwin and blinking sweetly.

"Go ask your sister," Irwin said, and Zender sighed before turning and running away, shouting a 'thank you, captain' before vanishing.

--

"I have a few questions."

Irwin turned to Dahlia, who had been quietly observing everything that had happened.

"Alright, ask away."

"Why did you not reforge the low-rank cards they had?" Dahlia asked, seeming confused.

"Because their soulresonance is too weak, but used to be even weaker," Irwin said. "They bonded with those cards when they were much weaker, and if I were to meddle with them, there is a chance it would cause a chain reaction that leads to death."

"I don't sense anything wrong with their resonance… It's just a bit softer," Dahlia said. "What does it sound like to you?"

Irwin hesitated, then began to sing softly, bending his voice at odd points and trying to mimic what he heard. It wasn't exactly the same, but he saw Dahlia's eyebrows shoot up.

"That… sounds horrible," she said.

"Is that also why you didn't reforge Earila's cards to Emerald?"

"Yes. Her central card will be her second instead of her first, meaning it's already going to be more difficult. However, right now, it's also the only emerald card she has, so that will compensate for that," Irwin said.

Dahlia stared at him quietly as if pondering the next question.

"So, you are really going to create their Heartcards?"

"I am," Irwin said, wondering why she would doubt that. "Though we will have to wait for them to get used to their cards and to combine them into a single hand. Which reminds me... I remember that there was a higher-year course that taught Smiths to help ease the burden of creating a fullhand. Do you know how to do that?"

"I can do it, but it's very difficult," Dahlia said. "I can help them and show you, though I can't do it well enough to remove all the pain. Also…”

She hesitated.

"What?"

"Some of the pain is relegated to the smith helping," she said, seeming to steel herself. "But it's fine. I've dealt with it before."

"Can you teach me how to do it?" Irwin asked.

"Yes, but not without showing it to you a few times," Dahlia said. "It's fine. I… thank you for letting me watch. It was very interesting, and your ability to bring in nuance is incredible. The only ones I've seen doing that are some of the teachers and my grandfather."

As she spoke, Dahlia moved to the door and, when she reached it, turned to look at him. She seemed to want to ask a question, then shook her head.

"Thanks again!"

She turned and left, leaving Irwin to stare at the closed door in mild confusion. Ambraz shrank to his small form and flew to his shoulder.

"Juul'rish told me what's up. It seems she wants you to watch her reforge some cards and help her improve," Ambraz said softly. "But she is conflicted. Juul says it's because she feels she shouldn't have to ask."

"I see… Well, maybe after she helps me with Zender and Earila, I can help her in exchange," Irwin said.

He remained in his room for a while, most of his focus on his soulscape, sensing the ever-increasing stability from Mia, Flux, and Glow. Finally, a few hours later, he sensed a tipping point close in. Jumping out of bed, he ran out of his room and towards the practice room where Scintilla was training with Nisziz.

As soon as he rushed into the room, Scintilla and Nisziz moved apart, lowering their sword.

"Is it time?" Scintilla asked, slightly out of breath.

"Yes," Irwin said.

Nisziz shoved her sword into her scabbard. "Everyone, get the others and meet us in the galley!"

Irwin watched the Ignitzians turn and sprint away, shouting for the others.

"They are going to prepare the celebration for their Coalescence," Scintilla said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away. "Come, let's head to your room!"

"Shouldn't we go to the galley?" Irwin asked.

"No. The initial moment should always be with family. Normally, it's with a grandmother or aunt, but this is fine too," Scintilla said, dragging him through the hallway back to his cabin.

As soon as they were in, the fire around Scintilla spread until it covered the center of the room.

"Come and use your flame to heat the place up," she said. "Then pull all three out! They need to be in the real world before they fully set!"

Irwin did as asked, though he tempered his flame slightly to prevent himself from burning parts of his room.

As soon as the flickering flames rippled around them, he warned the three and pulled them out. He immediately saw the difference, as their lower halves, which had been writhing masses of gas and flame, were now constantly flickering between that and two rough leg shapes. Every second, they flickered into another shape, roughly the size of a five-year-old human, before returning to their previous shape.

"Heatmother!"

"Dad!"

Mia dashed for Scintilla, hugging her and laughing loudly. "I'm so close. I can feel it!"

Flux and Glow landed on Irwin's knees, both positively glowing.

"You two ready?" Irwin asked.

"I can't wait!" Glow said, raising his two fists in the air.

"Definitely," Flux agreed, his hands clasped together as if to hold himself in place.

As he did, his shape flickered, and he began burning brightly.

"Awwwww, Flux's going to be the oldest," Mia cried from the side, but Irwin didn't listen.

Instead, he watched as the shape of Flux grew until it was the size of a five-year-old, as his legs shaped. His hair grew slightly longer and spikey, and as the brilliant light faded, Irwin saw a small boy sit on his knee, grinning madly. His eyes were like his own had been before he got his heartcard, cloudy pools of deep red with bright golden and yellow swirls. Irwin recognized a lot of himself in the young face, though Flux was a lot less skinny than he had been at that age. A gentle and still weak soul resonance came from him, and Irwin saw six cardslots appear on the backs of his hands, flash twice before fading slightly.

"I, Scintilla, recognize Flux as my oldest Coalesced Ember," Scintilla said, sounding incredibly happy.

Irwin looked at her, and she blinked before stuttering. "It's an Ignitzian thing, and there's nothing like it for heatfathers, sorry. The chances that one is around for the Coalescence are so small that-"

"It's fine," Irwin said, interrupting her worried rambling. As he turned to Flux, seeing the expectant look in his eyes, his mind spun as he tried to come up with something. After a short moment, he came up with something that, although feeling odd, did exactly vocalize what he was feeling.

"Welcome to the world, my son."

Scintilla's eyebrows shot up while Flux let out a whoop. The boy jumped forward only to land on his feet, stumble, and fall flat on his face.

Mia and Glow burst out in laughter while Scintilla scooped the stunned and confused boy up.

"You have never walked before," she said. "And you can't swim in the air. It will take a bit of time for you to get used to it."

"Owke," Flux said, a lot less exuberant now.

Before anyone could say anything, Mia began glowing only moments later, followed by Glow.

Scintilla put Flux beside her.

"Be quiet and watch," she whispered.

Flux nodded while Scintilla and Irwin focused on their other two embers. Mia coalesced a few moments before Glow and Scintilla immediately engulfed her in a massive hug.

"Heatmom! Stop squishing me!"

"I, Scintilla, recognize Mia as my Coalesced Ember," Scintilla crooned, ignoring the struggling girl.

Irwin glanced at them, feeling happy, before turning to Glow. His eyebrows shot up as he looked at the boy solidify from a gaseous, flaming shape into a young male version of an Ignitzian that very strongly resembled Flux.

He immediately knew that anyone who didn't know the two would say they were brothers, though there was atleast one strong difference. Where Flux had short, spikey hair of flaming red with a few golden threads of fire, Glow had longer, dark-red, almost black hair that gleamed like metal. Red flames rippled along the tips and up to the base while his thick black eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He seemed more solid than Flux and Mia, and even his skin looked slightly more like Irwin's.

I guess it's because Glow was reshaped by my resonance, Irwin thought as he grinned at Glow.

Glow looked at him, then at Flux, and finally let out a relieved sigh.

"Glow, welcome to the world, my son," Irwin said.

"I've got the same eyes as you and Flux," Glow piped before taking a gentle step forward. He managed to stay on his legs before he swayed and fell on his ass.

Flux laughed while Irwin turned to Mia.

"Hello, Mia," he said, smiling as she reached for him. "Welcome to the world, my daughter."

As he held her, Irwin saw Scintilla move to Flux and pull him onto her lap.

"You might not be my ember, but you still need someone to teach you our ways," she said, gently caressing his hair. "I'd love to be the one to do that. Is that alright with you?"

Glow nodded so hard his hair flicked around, a few sparks flying into Scintilla's face.

"Good, then welcome to the family," she said. "Now! It's time to celebrate your Coalescence. Usually, we do this on Igniz or another world, with many other Embers, but we still have something planned!"

Scintilla rose, holding both boys, keeping one on each hip, while Irwin kept Mia.

"Do we have to walk?" Flux asked, looking worriedly at the ground.

“No, little one,” Scintilla said.

Before she could say anything else, a voice came from above.

"So… is everything done? Can I come out?"

Irwin looked up to see Ambraz perched in one of the more hidden alcoves.

"Uncle Ambraz!" all three young Ignitzians shouted.

"Right, right! I'm here, you little brats," Ambraz said as he flew down and spun around Scintilla before landing on Irwin's shoulder. "Let's go!"

Mia poked at him, her eyes wide.

"I can feel you better now," she said. "Your resonance is almost the same as Dad's… how come?"

Ambraz grumbled and spluttered, seeming lost for an answer.

"I'll explain later," Irwin said. "Let's go!"

They walked through the corridors towards the galley, and as they entered, a loud cheer erupted. Everyone except for Greldo was there, staring at the three little Ignitzians. Dahlia stood with Earila, Zender, and Boohm, while Helm and Hind stood a bit to the side. Gi and Bri were jumping up and down, their eyes locked onto Flux and Glow. They weren't the only ones, as Irwin saw all Ignitzians staring at the two boys in stunned awe.

Nisziz stepped forward, looking at them before turning to Scintilla.

"They are boys… You didn't tell me this was going to happen!?"

"Of course not," Scintilla said. "Where would be the fun in that?"

Nisziz snorted, poking her in the shoulder, before looking at the two young boys. Both watched her curiously, though Flux had frowned when she'd poked Scintilla.

"So… the first male Ignitzians in many hundreds of years," Nisziz said. Then she turned to Irwin and Mia. "And you are the one I hear who went down to search for her sisters all on her own, even though there were Earth Titans all around?"

Mia nodded, seeming slightly taken aback.

"It feels like we have just gained a whole lot of potential," Nisziz said, turning to the others. "Now, let the feast begin! Bring out the food, and let's start the most important part of the day- helping you find your full names!"

Irwin turned to Scintilla, who was grinning at him.

"Explain?" he asked.

"Oh, embers solidify while having short names, and during the Coalescence feast, the older ones help them choose their full names," Scintilla said while giving Flux a quick kiss.

"Wait… so what was your ember name?" Irwin asked, raising his eyebrows.

Scintilla's eyebrows turned slightly ruddy, and she sniffed, whispering something.

"What was that?" Irwin asked.

"She said, Tia," Greldo said as he stepped out of the shadows and grinned at Irwin. "Earila is behind the helm for a bit, so I can join in on the fun."

Irwin grinned back at his friend while Scintilla grumbled from the side. Greldo ignored her, plucking Glow from her arm and tickling the boy before laughing.

"Alright, let's go and see what Boohm has made for dinner!"

--

"The ship broke free from the Currant Hunter and managed to heavily damage the other fridge before getting away. The Deadpact mercenaries managed to kill one of them, but both they and the Currant Hunters lost many more," Youritz said as he rose.

Rindiri held her tongue as she watched Castibal stare into the distance. He'd only said one more thing when Youritz had said that a fight had commenced. Don't. The warning that had accompanied the one word had been enough to keep Rindiri from acting on what she knew would have been the best.

Such a great opportunity wasted, she thought.

"Alright, let's head back," she said, barely able to hold back a snarl." Dagger, take over. I need to rest and eat."

Dagger dropped on the deck beside her.

"Sure thing, captain!"

Rindiri didn't react but turned and walked away. Halfway to the door leading down, Youritz caught up to her.

Neither spoke until they were halfway to the galley. Then, Youritz slowed.

Not sure what he wanted, Rindiri stopped and looked at him.

"The Deadpact ship was disabled, and all of their crew slaughtered," Youritz whispered, his voice barely loud enough for her to hear.

Rindiri froze, then nodded for him to continue.

"Their ship glided down, and it's hanging a few feet from the ground. From what I could see, it's not broken and just needs a new sail…"

Rindiri took a deep breath, staring at the ground. She wanted to ask him why he'd lied, but she already knew why. He didn't trust Castibal.

"The Currant Hunter?" she whispered.

"Fled before they could see what would happen to the Deadpact ship," Youritz said with a small smile.

Rindiri nodded, then began walking to the galley. Her anger and worry were slowly fading as new plans grew in her mind.

We need to find a way to return here without needing Castibal, she thought as she walked into the galley.