Irwin's Journey 480: Growth spurt

"Are you alright?" Irwin asked, staring at his friend.

"Yes. Just give me a moment," he Daubutim said, the bursts of red lightning in his eyes increasing, the light from them around so bright that it was lighting up the entire room.

A few moments went by, but it quickly became clear that Daubutim wasn't going to respond. Still, from the constant storm, Irwin at least knew his friend wasn't having one of his episodes. 

"Don't worry, he has been handling too many things at the same time the last few months," Lisbeth said, smiling gently as she looked at the noble. "I think he is already planning how this will allow him to do more. He was worried about asking you to spend longer stretches on Scour, and this will at least partially relieve that weakness.

Irwin stared at his friend, wondering what he would have asked of him had he been less of a friend. 

"Hotstuff… what you told us, would it mean that you can be here more…  or less?" Scintilla asked softly.

Irwin turned to Scintilla, noticing she looked worried. He reached out and grabbed her hand, smiling as he squeezed it.

"If the pressure lessens as more portals close, I'll be able to move here more often," he said, happy to see her smile, and sad he had to add the next bit. "However, if it takes as much soulforce as I think, I won't be able to stay for two days each time. Initially, perhaps half a day, though that should also increase."

Scintilla's smile froze, and she frowned. "What would that mean? Will you be here twice a week?"

"I don't know for sure," Irwin said, humming thoughtfully.

Her question was important as it would definitely not work if he could only be here for an hour, even if it was twice a week. Pushing against the pressure, he tried to sense how much difference there was compared to before. 

"We would have to test it once to see," he said after a few moments. "The faster I can speed it up, the more time will have passed on Scour, and the more portals will have been closed."

"Can you even leave that long? Won't the same thing as before happen?"

"No," Irwin said, shaking his head. "I'll leave a way to measure the time so I can keep track, and allow Rindiri, Flowrishin, and Rinbus entry in my room. I'll explain what they need to do to wake me, probably what Daubutim suggested, a flag on the wall or something."

"At which point you will need to return at a moment's notice," Lisbeth said calmly. 

"Not necessarily," Irwin said. "I will need to keep an eye on it constantly, yes, but when the flag, or whatever we choose, appears, I can just stop speeding up time. I will still need to head back, but that will at least give me minutes. Right now, it is only one to twenty, roughly. So, one minute here isn't that big of a deal."

"Unless an emergency is happening," Daubutim said, as he leaned forward, the glow in his eyes diminishing. "You need to tell them to use flags of different colors for the urgency. Use the card colors. Amethyst means, come back as fast as you can, without dropping everything. Then yellow means, drop whatever you are doing."

Irwin nodded. "Good idea. So… did you come up with something?"

"Yes. For one, I think you should just stay as long as you can this time," Daubutim said, sending Scintilla a smile, before focusing on Irwin.

"After that, however, I think you should immediately prepare Rindiri and the others, that you might be gone for…" Daubutim hesitated, something Irwin rarely saw him do. "Eight months to a year at most. If you can even speed up the time dilation long enough to make that happen. Start with little jumps. Also, I will replan who comes with you, because you should keep one spot open for Brecka. Keep that up for a while, perhaps a hundred years in total."

"That long?" Irwin said, raising an eyebrow. 

"I think I see where you are going with this," Lysbeth said slowly. "You want to create stability."

"Exactly," Daubutim agreed. "First, have people get used to you being gone for a year at a time at most. Then, slowly extend the time to two years. This all depends on whether you can even do this."

"You shouldn't do the exact same amount every time," Scintilla said

Irwin was surprised to see that she was holding her sword and was playing with the hilt. It was something she did when nervous, but she hadn't seen her do it in years. He understood what she meant, though.

"You think someone might start planning things in the time I'm gone," he said, noticing Daubutim and Lysbeth nodding in understanding.

"Yes," Scintilla said. "If I were one of the Grove Ladies, and I wanted to perhaps grab  a lot of cards, or some of your smiths, I'd aim for a window like that."

"She is right," Daubutim said, his eyes flickering rapidly. "I think you should decide how long you stay there, and here each time you return, and make sure it's different."

Irwin leaned back as he pondered things, and they continued talking till deep in the night. When Daubutim and Lysbeth finally left, Scintilla didn't wait a moment, but pulled him towards their bedroom, eyes glistening.

--

"We will be fine, even if you are gone for a year. Just make sure you don't stay gone for hundreds of years again," Flowrishin said.

"I agree," Rinbus said, hesitating before he continued. "But it would be best if I could get more shadewalker cards. That way, I can expand my operations faster. Silverleaf's Shadewalkers Guild is set, but I only have two people in Trunkle so far."

Irwin pulled one of his many ledges out of his soulscape and flipped it open, already fearing what he would see. 

"I don't have many left," he said, turning to Flowrishin. "Do you have any idea how many we got from the closed portals?"

"A few dozen at most," she said, sounding absolutely sure. "If we need more, you will need to reach out to Hilbarin. He should have enough."

Irwin sighed, rubbing his head. The headache from the squeeze hadn't fully left yet. Knowing he would need to add another thing to his plate wasn't helping it any either. 

"Is Nimlarel here or still scouting for more Ancestral Coperion?" he asked.

"She returned a day ago and was waiting for you," Rinbus said. "She says she found a larger amount, but there's a diamond-rank portal beside it with a large burrow."

Ah, Irwin thought. That meant if he cleared it out, he might find some more cards. Although shadow cards were rare everywhere, he would likely find some. Enough for Rinbus to set up the next charter of his own small guild. 

"Alright, let's do that first," he said. "If we need more, I'll go to the Oxarite Empire. Is there anything else?"

"Rindiri will be here soon," Flowrishin said. "She is having an issue sourcing enough wood. The surrounding Grove Guardians are acting up."

Great, Irwin thought. 

It didn't take long for others to find out he was back and start gathering things for him to do. On the one hand, it cost him a lot of time, which he'd rather spend on practicing cardsmithing, completing another cardseed. On the other hand, he was in full control of everything.

The next day passed in a similar manner, though he did get to do some smithing. One of the Grove Guardians was willing to let Rindiri have an entire tree, one of the larger ones, if he got a heartcard. 

Another day later, he cleared out the burrow around the diamond-rank portal, after which Rinbus moved the first amount of ancestral coperion into his soulscape. It would take months to get it all, but as Irwin pulled the Centi into his own soulscape and watched him put the first batch with the rest, he couldn't help but be impressed. 

As the days flowed by and the things he had to do vanished, time turned into an easy monotone of smithing, teaching, and delegating things.

Almost half a year after he'd returned, the time finally came for him to return to Eluathar, and Irwin found himself in his own private chambers with Rindiri, Flowrishin, Rinbus, and Nimlarel. 

A large panel stood on one side of the room, currently pale white.  Sheets of yellow and red cloth lay beside it, ready to be hung over the wooden panel in case of an emergency, while a set of ten empty squares would be filled by any of the others to indicate the passage of months. The final change was the large windows that now decorated the ceiling of the roof, allowing the sun to flow through. Combined with those on the opposite walls, he would be able to see the shadows change in the room based on the position of the sun.

"Give this to Zender, please," Rindiri said, handing him a neatly folded letter. "And this one to Earilla."

Irwin took both letters and put them in his soulscape. 

"I'm asking them if they want to come here again, because it might be that I'll be here much longer," she answered his curious look. "I also explained a little of what is happening…"

Irwin saw the tiny bit of sadness in her eyes.

"You don't have to stay here," he said quietly.

"I do," Rindiri said, her tone showing she brooked no argument, not even from him. "My people… our people, need me here. Even if there are only thirty of us. Besides, I need to keep an eye on those woodshapers. They have been trying to give their own twist on the ship designs, and although those are good for on Scour, they would make the ships far worse within the Portal Gallery."

Her fiery eyes that had turned purple when he had filled her soulscape a few years ago, almost sparked as she said it.

Irwin felt a tiny stab. He knew Rindiri didn't mean to criticize him, but it felt like it. The worst thing was, he knew she was partially right. He just couldn't bring himself to stay here for a thousand years without his family, or even a hundred. Perhaps if they had been adults…

"I will try and persuade them," he said, already knowing Zender would likely stay behind. The boy he had found had turned into a strong-minded young man, and with his own family to take care of, Irwin highly doubted he would risk it. Irwin couldn't blame him; it was the same reason he didn't want his own family here. 

Rindiri smiled faintly at that, likely thinking the same thing.

"Alright, I'll be off. Good luck, and make sure to put up the canvases if anything happens," he said, walking to his large Ignitzian Sandbed. The others said a soft goodbye, wishing him luck before leaving the room.

Irwin lay down, staring at the ceiling for a moment before closing his eyes and increasing the resonance of his soulcards. It took him far less effort than the first time, and a few moments later, he knew the time dilation had changed to roughly a twentieth of Eluathar's. He moved his otherself into his soulscape, now having both there, leaving nothing behind but his body. 

-- Irwin's Soulscape --

"No, he can't," Ambraz said, sounding exasperated. "Eluathar is far too stable, and he'd have to be a million times as strong as he is to change its time dilation by even one day."

"Only a million?" Brecka asked, wiggling her eyebrows. "I'm sure brother can manage that."

Irwin snorted as he appeared beside them in one of his giant bodies.

"Perhaps in a million years," he said, shaking his head at the silly conversation the two were having. He knew Brecka was making Ambraz annoyed on purpose, something she'd been doing a lot the last few years. As his mind skimmed that, he suddenly thought about what he'd said. A million years… what if his body were a million years older? He stared down at himself. His soulscape grew with physical size, right? What if he put one of his giant bodies on Scour when he let the time flow? Wouldn't it grow?

But I will need to bring my small body in here if I do that, he thought, crossing his arms as he frowned.

"Brother?"

Irwin blinked, noticing both Brecka and Ambraz had stopped their bickering and were focused on him. Brecka looked worried, and he could sense the same from Ambraz.

"I'm fine," he said. "But I need to head back quickly and warn Flowrishin about something."

He vanished, returning in his body as he heard the others ask his otherself what was going on. He let his soulforce senses flow outward and felt Rinbus nearby, in the library.

"Rinbus," he shouted, his voice loud enough that he knew the shadewalker would hear him.

Rinbus almost vanished from where he was, and Irwin felt him rush through the shadow, appearing in his room only a moment later.

"Guildmaster, are you alright? Did something go wrong?"

"No, no," Irwin said, waving his hands. "I'm sorry for startling you. I just need you to tell Flowrishin and Rindiri that there will be a tiny change."

As he spoke, he pulled one of his giant bodies from his soulscape while at the same time pushing his smaller body inside. Like changing the time dilation, it was far smoother than years ago, as he'd had plenty of practice each time he had to clear out a burrow.

"I'll be leaving my giant body here," Irwin said, his voice so deep it caused some loose things to rattle on the shelves. "I just wanted to be sure none of you would be startled."

"I… will warn them," Rinbus said, clearly curious what Irwin was up to.

"It might make me a bit stronger," Irwin said. "If it works out, I'll explain it to you when I am back."

Rinbus seemed more curious than before, but simply nodded, and after another short goodbye, Irwin was back in his soulscape, in his small body this time.

His otherself had already explained things to Ambraz and Brecka, and as he appeared on the library shelf beside his not-a-sister, they both turned to him.

"Kid… you need to think about something more," Ambraz said, flying up to him. "It's a bit excessive, and it might… Well, if it fails, you might lose one of your bodies. But I think it's worth thinking about it?"

Irwin frowned, staring at the Ganvil.

"When you go after Greldo and reach the gas giant, you should send one of your giant bodies deep inside and… leave it there."

Irwin's eyebrows shot up, knowing immediately what Ambraz was implying. He didn't mean that he should leave the body there forever, but leave it there for a few weeks of portal time. The deeper it could go inside, the stronger the time dilation would be, and it could age for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.

What he didn't understand was Ambraz's warning.

"What do you mean, I might lose it?" he asked.

"Your body ages and thus increases your soulscape size and stability," Ambraz said. "But, it will go really fast. There's no saying what the effect that will have on your soulscape, and it might decouple your body."

Irwin walked to the table and almost absently sat down, pondering what Ambraz had said. After a minute, he shook his head to clear it.

"Let's talk about this later," he said. "For now, let's focus on the time dilation part."

He focused on his body in Eluathar, and as he moved to it, he felt the pressure clamp tighter around his soulscape. Still, he again felt the tiny difference compared to the first few times.

-- Eluathar --

Irwin kept his eyes closed, feeling the bed below him. He focused on the body he had on Scour and began slowing the resonance of his soulcards. Instantly, he saw the shadows move faster across the room. It wasn't excessive, but that wasn't what he was going for. He constantly monitored his soulforce, speeding up the time dilation a bit more. 

It took him ten minutes to get a good read, and by then he'd lost a tenth of his soulforce, and his headache was already as bad as it usually was after a few hours.

Returning his soulcards' resonance to their previous strength, and with it the time dilation, he pushed himself up on his bed. An excited shout from outside told him at least one of his children had heard him, and he smiled as he pulled Brecka and Ambraz into the room with him. It cost him another chunk of soulforce, but he could already sense the Ancestral Coperion bleeding its stored soulforce back out. Between that and the tiny regeneration he could manage this much split apart, he knew his soulforce would refill in half a day.

"It's so good to be back," Brecka said, looking around with a grin. 

It widened as the door was shoved open and Zan and Ti rushed in. 

"Auntie Brecka!" 

Two tiny whirlwinds rushed forward, hugging Brecka for a moment before rushing to Irwin.

"Dad, Mom said you are only going to be here for one day! Does that mean you can't play with us?" Zan asked, her eyes big and almost tearful, while Ti, calm as ever, was staring at him.

"Yes and no," Irwin said. "Though I do have to talk with Zender and Earillla."

Zan blinked, clearly confused, but Ti let out a relieved sigh, nudging her sister.

"He will play with us, even if he has to leave sooner," she said, before turning to Irwin. "Heatmom said you might be back again in a few days?"

"If all goes well, I will be," Irwin said.

"That's good," his calm daughter said, her smile widening.

A loud commotion came from outside, then the others, with Mia in the lead, sprinted into the room. 

Zan gave him a quick hug before struggling to get free and moving to Ambraz, who was talking with Silv'am. She was just in time as Mia, Glow, and Flux slammed into Irwin, moments later followed by Soot.

As his children prattled in his ear, Irwin grinned. This time, only a tiny part of him was still busy with what he would be doing the next morning.

--

"Ready?"

"Yes. I'll keep an eye on the outside and your soulforce. Go for it, kid."

Irwin took a deep breath and began slowly weakening the resonance of his soulcards. Instantly, he felt the pressure increase, the headache that had grown over the night increasing with it. With his attention split across his soulcards and his giant body, lying on the ground on Scour, Irwin saw the shadows speed up, moving across the floor. Within half a minute, they were moving across the room in rapid succession, starting on one side of the room and ending on the other as days passed in mere seconds.

"You're down to half your soulforce," Ambraz snapped.

Irwin didn't respond as his headache went from bad to worse, to eye-bleeding. At some point, he lost track of the days, only focused on staying awake and conscious.

A shout almost got lost in the pain, and he gritted his teeth as Ambraz shouted again, both in his ear and in his mind.

"That's it! Stop!"

Irwin roused his soulcards, allowing them to resonate at their heart's content. He was only just in time, as he felt one of his selves slip into unconsciousness. Just as his otherself was about to join him, he managed to split a part of him into an Aura Clone, and a moment later, he was hovering in his soulscape, with most of his two selves unconscious.

"Okay… You need to stop sooner," Ambrz grunted. 

Irwin didn't react, sensing he had only a sliver of soulforce remaining, though the Ancestral Coperion was flowing to replace what was lost.

"How long?" he asked, his voice gritty.

"There are nine squares filled," Ambraz said, hovering beside him. "So, nearly a year. Not bad, though you need to slow your resonance. The time dilation is too weak now."

Irwin nodded, forcing his focus on his soulcards and barely managing to weaken them until they were roughly resonating at the strength he usually had them at while on Scour.

"I'm going to need to rest a bit," he muttered, lowering himself to the ground and sitting on a rock on the edge of the mountain range that made up his first soulcard's territory.

"That's fine," Ambraz said.

Irwin lay down, trying to stay awake with at least this much of himself.

"I definitely need to stop sooner," he muttered.

"I have one good bit of news, though," Ambraz grunted. "Your soulscape definitely grew. Only a little, that's for sure, but it did grow."

"That's good," Irwin said, absently.

He remained on his back, nearly asleep for a long time. When his soulforce had refilled some and one of his selves fully woke, the aura clone dispersed.

Irwin groaned as he stood near the edge of his soullake, gently prodding the boundaries of his soulscape. He could sense the growth Ambraz had spoken about, perhaps a few feet. Not a lot, but his giant body had only been there for barely a year.

I wonder what would happen if both my bodies are out there, he thought, trying hard to ignore the pounding headache.

"You okay?"

Irwin looked up to see Brecka walk over, face pale and looking worried.

"Fine. We are going to have to stay here for a day or so."

"That's okay. Your soulscape was shaking, and I could see the barrier above," Brecka said, looking straight up at where the thick yellowish clouds of volcanic gas flowed gently in the constant wind. "There was something behind it… Lots of somethings."

Irwin felt his skin crawl, and he looked to the side, where Ambraz stood.

"She's right," the Ganvil muttered. "I'd wanted to wait to tell you later, but I guess it doesn't matter. It looked like an Oculithar, but… different. Smaller and black. They pushed against your barrier a few times before drifting off into one of those soulforce nebulae."

"Different Oculithar?" Irwin asked, frowning as he tried to sense beyond his barrier. It took him a few moments, and when he managed, he sensed nothing there—just a vast space filled with swirling masses of chaotic soulforce.

"There's nothing there now," he muttered, turning to where his house stood in the distance. "Let's go inside. I need some food and a drink."

In the end, Irwin underestimated the pressure on his soulscape, and he had to remain inside for almost two days before he was ready to switch himself back out. Brecka and Ambraz would need to wait for another day, though neither minded overly much.

As he stood in the center of his private quarters, he looked and saw that Ambraz was right. The large wooden panel was as white as before, and all but one of the squares had been filled. He didn't hesitate and let his soulforce senses rush out, scanning the area around him. He didn't expect problems, but he'd been wrong before.

Dozens of soulforce signatures pinged in the rooms around him, then hundreds. He recognized Flowrishin and Lejingi, as well as a few of the others. There was no sign of Rinbus or Nimlarel, but he did sense a few of the apprentices he'd brought from Silverleaf. To his surprise, it seemed Rubini was teaching a class, at least, she was alone in a room with a dozen younger and weaker soulforces.

"Well, it seems everything went all right," he told Ambraz as he looked around the room. His bed was an instant draw, and he hesitated before shaking his head. It would be best to warn people he was back so they didn't walk in.

Alright, let's see what happened while I was gone, he thought, walking to the door.