Author note: Sorry guys, but this is the last for this weekend. Took me way more effort and time than usual and I'll be at my parents tomorrow. Normally I need only about 3 to 4 hours to do a full chapter including edits, but this one was closer to double that. Just don't have time tomorrow. Glasses doing a bit better, at this pace it should be good next week. Also - before I forget - As many of you who have been here for a few years know, I'll be off to my inlaws over the summer, which is in two week. I usually do my best to write the regular chapters, but there's always a chance I don't manage. That said, I am also pondering about using those two weeks to write a short story. Not sure yet. If I do, I'll be sure to let you all know. Finally - (what, more? leave us to the chapter fool! - yes, yes, sorry) - Right, NaNoRiMo got somewhat killed last year, for those of you who noticed. I did that many years, and I'm pondering doing something similar. Not sure yet, but if I do, it will probably be something along the lines of a full 120K word story. Just in case I do, how about you guys spitball some ideas of what you would like to read. I know most of you want more Irwin's, but I could do with something else for that. A new story has less baggage meaning writing is much easier and flows better.Now, on to the story!
He really does look like us, Smirk thought as he walked ahead of his brethren towards the towering giant that stood beside the out-of-proportion anvil. A flash of his ancestral memory showed him a young boy bonding a Ganvil, then it faded.
"Smirk, do you think he really is the ancestor?" Noarms asked softly. "He looks and feels like it, but… Shouldn't he be long dead?"
"Don't you feel the connection?" Smirk asked as he met the gaze of the much taller person.
"Perhaps he's like us? Just bigger?"
Smirk didn't respond, wondering about it for only a moment before deciding for himself that it likely wasn't the case.
I just hope he can tell us where to go and what to do now, he thought, casting a quick glance at his brethren before focusing ahead on the thing he'd felt appear hours ago and that felt like the condensation of the creator.
---
Irwin stood beside Ambraz as a group of almost a hundred metallic beings came trudging to him. They all looked similar, but to his surprise, none were truly identical. Slightly different faces, slightly different lengths, and even non-identical coloration. That said, he knew that if anyone saw them besides him, they would ask if they were all brothers or siblings, and… probably how they were related to him.
Just looking at the group that looked like shorter versions of himself made him wonder what exactly his Aura Clone ability had turned into. He could faintly sense the ability still existed, though greatly changed from what he recalled.
I'll have to see what exactly happened now, he thought, staring at the beings and wondering if they even counted as clones still.
He also wondered why they seemed to have gone through a great battle. Many had badly healed wounds, with some missing an arm, or in one case even two, scarring across faces, missing hair, and missing eyes.
The one in the lead had one milky eye and a burn scar that had partially melted the left side of his face, causing his lip to quirk up in a perpetual grin. At the same time, a sharp intelligence hid behind the working eye.
They stopped a few dozen feet from him, staring at him curiously, with even the tallest being a full head or more shorter than him.
"Hello," Irwin said as he stared at them, feeling slightly odd at looking at what were, likely, clones of himself… sort of.
"Hello… are you the ancestor?"
Irwin's mouth fell open at the question, and he stared at the smaller, almost-clone of himself, not sure how to even react to that.
Well, if they are my clones…
"I am Irwin," he said, hesitating as he wondered what to add. Noticing a sudden excitement in those standing before him, he waved his hand around. "This is the world that grew from my soulscape, and from what I can tell, you are what my Aura Clone soulcard changed into."
"Is that why I feel a connection to you?" the one with the grin asked.
Irwin stared at him, focusing slightly on where he felt the ability in his new worldcard… worldskill. He wasn't sure which. For a few moments, it didn't do anything, then a faint connection, almost similar to what he had with Ambraz, appeared, and the eyes of the being before him widened.
"You are the ancestor," he said, and Irwin felt a wave of relief as the other's shoulders sagged slightly. "We have been wandering around, not knowing what to do, where to go. The creator finished a day ago, and those of us that survived… well-" he sighed, scratching his chin in a way Irwin knew resembled what he himself did sometimes. "We have these memories of you, some more than others, but it's really confusing."
"Memories?" Irwin asked.
"Ancestral memories. Anyway, the others call me Smirk," the other said, his other side of his lip curling up in a full grin. "We know a lot and so little, but now that we have found you, I am sure things will work out."
Irwin stared at Smirk, then glanced at the others, a group of over a hundred, perhaps two hundred beings that were all looking at him in relief.
"Yes," he said slowly. "I agree. Things should work out now. How about we start with getting you a roof over your head?"
Smirk let out a weary sigh, his hand lowering to his stomach. Then he shrugged and waved at those behind him. "We can start chopping down some of the trees, and-"
Irwin shook his head, looked around for the best spot for a small town, then decided it mattered little, and focused on the beach a few hundred feet away. A swirling mass of soulforce rippled towards them as he focused on how he always made soulforce constructs, and his eyes widened in surprise.
It's different, he thought, sensing how the entire world, and everything he saw, was created of incredibly intricate soulforce resonances. As he tried to shape the soulforce into matter, he sensed the sand of the beach and the stone below it resonate with him. He didn't hesitate but focused on it instead, pulling the matter up while shaping it to his will.
It was like doing something he had done a million times, but a tension or resistance that had been there was gone. With incredible ease, he shaped the rock far below the sand, growing it into pillars a little above the sand before flattening it into a large platform of ruddy stone a hand's length above the beach. He could sense the metal in the stone as he worked, pulling more from deep below and shaping them into a few buildings big enough to house all of them. The pyroflux sea flickered beyond, and, with a sense of curiosity, Irwin pulled up more stone, extending the low platform into the sea to create a dock.
Feeling a sense of joy as he shaped the world around him, Irwin made a forty-foot circular tower with some balconies that gave a good view of the small town and the forest. When he finished, he felt an incredible desire to continue, and the only reason he stopped was the chatter from behind him. Turning away from the tower of partially glittering metal-infused redstone, he saw the not-clones watching him.
I need a name for them, he thought, as Smirk walked towards him.
"Well, that was one way of showing you are the ancestor," Smirk said, while many of those behind him walked excitedly to the houses.
How are they all so different if they are essentially my clones? Irwin thought. Perhaps… they aren't really clones?
"Smirk," he said, wondering if he should help them get some better names. "You said something about the creator… who is that?"
"It is the one that formed the world from his own body and mindscape," Smirk said, looking around. "I can still sense him in everything, though he is faint and sleeping now. He went to sleep when you arrived."
My otherself?
Irwin focused on his soulforce senses, trying to detect the other part of him, but all he got was the same odd diffused feeling for a few moments.
"I don't think the creator can be here when you are here, ancestor," Smirk said.
"You might be right," Irwin said, looking at Smirk. "Why do you call me ancestor?"
"Because all of our memories from before are bits and pieces of yours," Smirk said. "I have the most from what we have been able to tell, and I have witnessed the time you were at the tower and at the first academy. Also, a few of the adventures you had on the desert and volcano world."
"Scour," Irwin said, eyes widening. "How much did you see?"
"Sometimes only flashes, sometimes minutes," Smirk said.
"Is that why you are all able to talk and know things?"
Smirk nodded, his gaze following the one without arms as he moved around the square. "Yes. I believe we gained the basic knowledge from you. It is why all of us know about forging cardseeds, though we have not been able to attempt it."
Irwin's eyes shot wide, and he was about to ask more when a deep rumbling sound came from Smirk's stomach.
"I… when is the last time you ate?"
Smirk grimaced, which looked odd with one corner stuck up differently. "Never."
Irwin grunted and was about to move food to where they were, only to realize all of it was gone, as was everything else.
Wait, my cards, he thought, looking up and reaching out. To his surprise, his senses shot above the clouds with ease, but at some point they slowed before striking what felt like a barrier.
What now?
He hesitated, then shook his head. That would have to wait. Instead, he looked at Smirk's hand, smudged and dirt-covered and covered in dried-up blood. There was no sign of any cardslots, which would have surprised him. From what he could sense, Smirk and the others were more like soulskilled. Still, it would have been useful if he could have slotted cards.
Is this how soulskilled are born? he thought, pondering if all soulskilled were born on a world made by a soulskilled. Then he shook his head. If that was true, where did the original soulskilled come from?
Pushing his own confused curiosity away, he scanned around for a certain type of tree he hoped had survived.
It didn't take him long to find something that resembled what he was looking for, hundreds of miles inland. Stretching his will, he moved four of them to where they were, and with a flash and rumbling of soulforce, four towering trees suddenly hovered above the beach. Dark dirt tumbled from their massive root networks, and Irwin focused on an empty area near the other trees, creating four large holes in which he put the trees before returning the soil. All four of the trees were laden with golden-red fruits that seemed to hiss softly, golden steam floating from them.
"What are those?" Smirk asked.
"A variant of Puari, I think," Irwin said, plucking a fruit with his will and floating it towards him. The fruit was as hot as he remembered Puari, though those were purple-reddish. Curious, he sniffed the fruit before putting his thumb along the back line and peeling it open. A fresh, spicy, and sweet scent wafted out, and Irwin carefully dipped his finger in to taste.
"Sweeter than Puari, but definitely Puari," he said, taking a small slice and chewing on it.
I guess it makes sense with these growing on trees instead of vines, he thought, as he examined the tree while swallowing some of the spicy and hot fruit.
He felt nothing odd, and giving Smirk a quick look, he decided that they were so much like him that they should be fine eating them.
"Here, give it a try," he said, handing the opened fruit to his not-a-clone.
By now, dozens of the others were watching from the side, and the rumblings of many hungry stomachs came from most of them.
Smirk used his finger to scoop out some of the pale golden flesh, eating it quickly. His eyes widened as he quickly scooped out more, and a moment later he had cleaned out the fruit, even nibbling on some of the outer shell.
"Everyone, go and get some fruit," Irwin said as he waved at the others, before turning to Smirk, who was eyeing the trees with a clear desire as the others ran to them.
Irwin moved two more fruits to them, handing one to Smirk. The smaller version of himself… so perhaps a smaller Crathan? - frowned.
"I need to ask you some more questions, so I'll get you the fruit," he said as he opened his own fruit. "Your names… You all gave yourselves those?"
"We did," Smirk said around a mouthful of fruit. "We know about names, and why they are useful, but well… we couldn't all call ourselves Irwin."
Irwin blinked at that. "You thought about it?"
"Some of us have very strong memories of being you, especially those with a lot of your earlier life," Smirk said as he glanced at the not-a-clone without arms. "No-arm especially. It took a while to make him understand. The thing is, we aren't all… smart. Some of us are a bit simpler than the others."
Irwin hummed.
"Does that mean you also don't have a name as a group?" he asked.
"Ah, no, we do. The creator calls us Craths, after the world," Smirk said.
"Wait, what? My otherself called this world Crath?" Irwin exclaimed, causing Smirk to shrug.
Smirk cocked his head, then frowned. "Your… otherself? Thumbless mentioned that he has memories of you being more than just one mind, but with him being the only one who has those Ancestral Memories and he himself being somewhat… different… we didn't believe him."
"It's true," Irwin said as he looked at the Crath.
So Crathans and Craths, he thought, trying to compare the two based on what he saw. The Craths were smaller than the Crathans, even the tallest being barely as tall as the smallest Crathan, and they were a bit stockier. Looking at how they were moving around, laughing, and helping those who had only one arm, or none, Irwin understood what Smirk meant. They were… simple, for lack of a better word, which made him look at a few that stood out, clearly smarter than the others. Scanning them with his senses, he noticed that the amount of soulforce they were projecting didn't match that, however.
So, it's not the smart ones who are the strong ones, he thought.
"You said you know how to create heartcards," Irwin said as he pulled a chunk of metal from the ground, far below, shaping it into a simple anvil while adding a hammer atop. "Could you show me?"
Smirk's eyes gleamed immediately as he quickly finished the rest of his fruit and walked to the anvil.
"Yes, Ancestor. It would be my honor…"
Irwin frowned at that, but Smirk didn't notice as he picked up the hammer and closed his eyes. Soulforce rushed towards him, while the other Craths turned quiet. Many were moving closer, fruits forgotten in their hands and looks of desire in their eyes as they looked at the hammer and anvil.
I guess they do resemble me, Irwin thought, understanding the desire they seemed to have.
Minutes slowed by as the soulforce continued gathering, now above the anvil. At some point, a shimmering barrier appeared. Smirk took a deep breath before he began singing softly, causing Irwin to jolt.
That's the Chaos Whale song, he thought, a sudden worry making him spread his senses.
As a hammerblow coincided with the song, he spread further, searching for Luath.
Wait, in the sea?
Moving towards the nearby sea, he continued down into the depths, noticing that even his own senses were slow and bogged down due to the dense Pyroflux and the similar soulforce density. As he reached the bottom, he spread his senses, finding fishes and even something that resembled swimming wyrms, but nothing-
His senses flashed across a deep cavern, and something connected to him, almost in the same way Ambraz had. Immediately, a yawn resonated through his mind, followed by a sense of joy.
"I am here!"
Irwin grinned as a wave of relief made him focus his attention on the enormous being that slowly swam up from the cavern at the depths of the pyroflux sea.
"Are you all right?" Irwin asked.
"Yes, just a bit tired," Luath said.
Irwin hummed happily, then froze. Part of him was still looking at Smirk working, while another part of him was here… not two selves, just a split attention? He had been able to do that before, but as he focused on both things happening, he knew it hadn't been this good. Only with both his selves..
So, I guess I had to surrender that, he realized suddenly, knowing it was still part of his worldcard, but it was now the thing the Craths called the creator.
Still, as he slowly tried to spread his attention across two, then three things, he realized he could do multiple things at the same time. Not as well as he had, but if he had to, he could move two-
Where are my other bodies?!
"Are you feeling all right?" Luath asked.
Irwin sensed his summons, if he even still was that, and continued to swim up from the depths of the golden abyss.
"Yes, but a lot has changed, and I just wondered where my other bodies are," Irwin said.
"One is in the center of the world," Luath said, while Irwin sensed him yawn massively. "From what you told me just after the world was finished, the others are gone. You said you might not recall, which I guess is true. The other, you said, half of you would be drawn into the world, but he should be able to keep one of your giant bodies free."
Irwin frowned, staring down at the sand below his feet and trying to pierce as deep as he could. It took all his attention, and at some point, he couldn't hear the singing Smirk or talk with Luath, but eventually he felt something resonate with him far below him. It was still an immense distance away, separated by a dense layer of molten metal and heat, and… something living?
Are those Wyrms?
Irwin scanned them from a distance, realizing he was right. Then he felt something slam into his awareness, and he was shoved back up and into his body, taking a staggering step back.
"Irwin?"
"I am fine, just… found my other body," Irwin said as he sensed the connection strengthen rapidly.
Why is everything like this, he thought. Was he going to need to find every part of his old things like this?
"Ancestor?"
Irwin looked up at Smirk, realizing he had stopped, a brightly gleaming card in his hand, the hammer in the other. A single look was all Irwin needed to recognize one of his own cardseeds.
"Is that Copperion Hammerhead?" he asked, eyes wide.
"Yes, Ancestor," Smirk said as he walked forward, holding out the cardseed.
Irwin accepted it and examined the card, sensing that it was a slightly rushed, but otherwise fine card, probably about eighty-nine percent.
How long did it take him? he pondered, knowing his distractions might have taken longer than it seemed.
"Not bad," he said, nodding at Smirk, who was staring at the card longingly. "Do… you want it back?"
"If I can have it?" Smirk asked, causing Irwin to frown.
"You can," he said, handing the card back. "But why?"
"I… to eat it?" Smirk said, cocking his head.
Irwin blinked, staring at the being that looked a lot like him and apparently wasn't at all like him.
"You can eat cards?"
"Only those we made ourselves," Smirk said before looking around. "Well, those any of us made."
"I… you can have it," Irwin said.
Smirk's smile widened as he quickly turned and walked to the Crath that had no arms, holding it out and placing the card before him.
"Eat."
"But, brother, I-"
"Eat!"
The armless Crath sighed, then nodded, and in a single bite the card vanished. Irwin looked closely, sensing the soulforce diffuse while the Crath let out a soft sigh. It then looked at its left shoulder, where the badly scabbed wound began shuddering, the scabs flaking off. A moment later, a small stub grew from the shoulder before stopping.
"A few more and you will be good as new," Smirk said, turning to Irwin. "Can I keep the hammer and anvil, Ancestor?"
Irwin nodded, still confused about what he'd just seen. Still, noticing the looks of awe and desire in the other Craths, he focused on the platform between the buildings and drew up more metal. A few minutes later, a circle of ten anvils stood on the square, hammers atop.
"You can use these," he said.
"Thank you, Ancestor," Smirk said.
Irwin nodded, then turned to the sea as he sensed something the size of a building speeding towards them. Far in the distance, a bump of Pyroflux rushed towards them.
"Ancestor?"
"It's fine," Irwin said, his eyes gleaming as an enormous Chaos Whale exploded out of the sea, causing waves of Pyroflux to surge away, while a scattering of drops burst apart, catching the sunlight. "That's Luath."
"You grew," Irwin said as the Chaos Whale burst out in a deep hum. It was easily half again as big as it had been, now likely dwarfing Sarha.
"Yes, but not as much as Exarg," Luath said as he flew towards them, leaving behind a rain of Pyroflux.
Irwin smiled as Luath hovered above them before slowly lowering himself down. He looked at the Craths, then at the trees. They should have enough food from that for now, and with the houses…
"I am going to look around, and I also need to find something," Irwin said, knowing he technically had multiple things to do.
"We will be fine, Ancestor," Smirk said, smiling widely.
"Good. Also, when I return, I will help you with names," Irwin said, staring at what were either clones or something else he could summon, knowing he had so much to figure out. Could he summon more? Could he even summon clones at all anymore? If he couldn't, what had that part of his skills turned into? He had added that part to the song.
"You would have our gratitude, Ancestor," a dull voice said, causing Irwin to stare at Noarms, who was looking at him gratefully.
Yeah, I guess anything is better than Noarms, Irwin thought.
He floated up in the air and onto Luath's back.
"Where to?"
"Up there," Irwin said, pointing at the sky. "I left something there, and I need to see if it's still there."
Luath let out a humming laugh as he flew up. Slow at first, he began speeding up until he moved at a speed that would have blown Irwin from his back if he couldn't hold himself there. Even then, it took a few minutes to pass the clouds of misty Pyroflux and then beyond. As they flew higher, Irwin sensed a dense barrier of soulforce, and as the sky above darkened, he slowly began to make out the stars.
Right, we are in the real universe now, he thought, as they reached the edge of where his soulforce senses would go. Looking at it, he saw a thin mist of soulforce slowly seep out of the barrier, forming a very thin, expanding cloud. His soulforce senses allowed him to faintly stretch within it, but no more.
"Right… let's hope my cards are still here somewhere," he muttered.
"They are over there," Luath sang, and Irwin felt a mental nudge.
"You can feel them?" Irwin asked.
"Yes, look," Luath sang again, this time rushing below the barrier until Irwin saw a distant shape of a giant anvil perched against the barrier. As they closed in, he began feeling the Ancestral Coperion shell and even the cards within, and before they reached it, he pulled them inside, through the barrier, with no effort. As soon as they were inside, he moved them beside him, feeling a sense of relief.
"How did you even sense that?" Irwin asked, focusing on the massive chunk of copper, and moved it towards the nearest mountain range he could find. He'd have to create a new smithy there, but that could wait.
"It's easy, just stretch your senses out into the void, and it glows," Luath said.
Irwin stared at the Chaos Whale beneath his feet. "What? You can sense beyond the barrier?"
"What barrier?"