Pellin stared at the gigantic smith and captain, wondering if he was sure about what he'd just asked.

  He wasn't the only one, it seemed.

  "Uh… Captain? Are you sure you want us to use all our abilities like that? Wouldn't that put a lot of pressure on you?" one of the Ignitzian blademaidens asked.

  Pelling grimaced. Isn't she afraid of just asking him like that?

  He watched to see how Captain Irwin's soulscape giant clone would react. He knew the man was far more easygoing than any of the captains he'd seen in the past and very different from the smiths he'd heard about. It was one of the things he'd used when he'd been found, but being asked if he was sure just like this? In public?

  The Captain's eyebrow rose up, but he smiled at the Ignitzian as he loomed over the ship.

  "I'm glad that you are worried for my well-being, Klatzi, but don't worry. The pressure is exactly what I need to test something," he said before frowning and looking around the ships and raising his voice slightly. "Just make sure that you are all ready for when I push the ships back out. Depending on how things go, this might be a bit more explosive than usual."

  What is he even trying to do? Pellin thought, slightly worried.

  He hoped that whatever it was wouldn't ruin the good thing he had going. His gaze drifted across the railing at the town, a few hundred feet to the side. The small room he had within building three's top floor was visible from here, and he could see the blanket he'd hung from the window to air. Compared to the small nook he'd slept in for most of his life, or at least the part he recalled, the room was spacious, clean, free of vermin, and most importantly, officially his. There were no others that tried to fight him for it or went in to steal the few bits of food he'd managed to find.

  Just thinking of food made him want to cry from joy. He'd never been able to eat whenever he wanted, and just that made this place seem like heaven.

  No. He really hoped Irwin wouldn't do something as silly as blowing himself or his soulscape up!

  "Everyone ready?"

  Pellin sighed and focused on his four cards. As he did, the mere fact that he had four made him want to smile. Although he felt sad for all the dead harbors they had encountered, he couldn't help but be grateful that many of those saved had been willing to share cards far more freely than he was used to. He knew that part of this was because they had far more than they needed, but it was also because of the example of Irwin. He'd been reforging cards and heartcards for people to help them resist the plague, which had done wonders for the tension among the survivors.

  I can't wait till I can find the final two cards, Pellin thought as he let the tiny amount of fog ripple around him, obscuring him from view. It wasn't as useful here as back in Urlar's dark harbor, but he knew they would eventually have to return to civilization, wherever that might be.

  As his first card resonated, he began triggering his other two, and the world around him seemed to flicker as he teleported through the steam, moving half a foot left, then a foot right, and repeating it. He already felt the pressure as his card's soulforce rapidly drained, but he continued. All around him, other people were using their own cards, the man on his side summoning a thick, gleaming broom with which he began rapidly brushing the already spotless deck. As he worked, Pellin saw his muscles bulge slightly, the veins on his arms standing out.

  Weird card, Pellin thought, shaking his head.

  What use was it, having a card that focused on creating order and increasing physical strength? It was unusable in a fight!

  Time passed slowly, and soon the first people were running out of soulforce. Pellin was one of them, looking around at those with heartcards as they still continued putting on a show.

  What had to be hours later, he was starting to get tired as he watched the man with the broom still furiously moving across the dock.

  Perhaps he can prepare by cleaning something before going to battle, he thought, shaking his head.

  A pulse ran through the enormous soulscape world, interrupting any further thoughts as violent storm clouds pulled together above the small sea far to the right. Dark and with golden gleaming edges, they looked like the swirling ash clouds above the volcano deep in the mountain region, but then larger.

  "Thanks!"

  The captain's voice still echoed in his ears as the world around them changed, and the ship violently rocked as it reappeared in the small section of the portal gallery that had survived the chaotic soulforce storm that raged beyond.

  A hushed silence came from the people on the ship while some gagged softly. Pellin could sympathize as he felt his own stomach churn from the sudden change.

  "Alright, everyone! Either return to your quarter, or if it's your turn on deck, please remain here and remain calm," a cool voice shouted.

  Pellin and all those around him turned to the high deck where Rindiri stood, hands behind her back as she looked over the mass of people. Rindiri. The navigator that he knew had far more to say than any navigator he had ever heard of. She was more like the second in command, more so than the shadow lord everyone whispered about.

  "Now, people!"

  Her second shout snapped everyone out of their stunned silence, and people began chatting as they rushed towards their cabins. Pellin followed a few of the Yuurindi, holding back his worry.

  I hope that storm was a good sign, he thought, frowning, listening in to the soft, excited, and worried conversations. Most were talking about the same thing he was worried about.

  If the captain did something foolish, like get himself killed, they would all be stuck here… and probably dead.

  --

  Finally, Irwin thought as he stared at the glowing beacon of his heartcard, hovering above his sea-like soullake. Innumerable tendrils of water were rising up from it, connecting to the card and feeding it a constant stream of liquified soulforce at a scale far beyond what he'd seen before.

  Still, as he pushed against the howling winds, holding his position was easy compared to the previous two times he'd been through this. It was definitely not because the storm was weaker, because it was everything but that- the storm clouds raging across the entire roof of his soulscape, condensing in the middle as the raging clouds formed around his heartcard, slowly obscuring it from view.

  The reason he had an easier time was that his own strength had increased so much since the last time.

  Well, for his giant self, that was. His smaller self was holding on to his giantself's hair, flipping around like a hair accessory, teeth clenched.

  I wonder if my soulcones will combine again, he thought absently, as his focus was on sensing the changes in his soulscape.

  Unlike the previous times, he was actually able to sense what was happening, and he could feel the soulforce in his entire soulscape rapidly drain away, filling his heartcard as it went through its transformation.

  It wasn't the only change either. As the heartcard began thrumming with power, seemingly ready to explode, he felt both his bodies change. Both his selves grew, his giantself far more than his smallself, though he had no idea how much for either. At the same time, more subtle changes were happening, as he felt his entire body itch and shiver.

  He had no idea how long it lasted, but at some point, he felt his other two soulcards start resonating with joy, and he knew the end was close. By now, the storm before him had condensed around the heartcard, and he couldn't see anything but swirling black clouds with explosions of red fire and golden gleams.

  A sudden moment of calm came as the storms seemed to hold still, the explosions stopping, almost as if they were holding their breath and waiting.

  Then, a single, blinding golden pulse erupted from the center of the storm, blowing the remaining clouds away and giving a final momentary image of the heartcard before it seemed to dissolve.

  As it happened, Irwin felt something fade away, a presence that he'd never truly noticed until it vanished right then and there.

  He knew what it was instinctively, and as it passed, the tiny fragment forever disappearing, he felt a sense of loss and sadness. The remains of this part of the Titan fragment, whatever it had been, were now truly gone.

  So… it was still there, Irwin thought, shivering.

  After a few moments, he focused back on what was happening in front of him.

  The roaring abated as the storm clouds dissipated; those that remained spread out across his soulscape, many congregating around the volcanic mountain range, hovering in the distance like a dark omen.

  Irwin felt the new soulcard settle with the others, and as it did, he realized the mindboggling changes that had happened with the final pulse.

  Hovering up higher than he ever had before, he looked around, barely believing what he saw.

  His soulscape had grown far beyond his wildest predictions, easily doubling in size, and he now knew how much that should roughly be. One of the people he'd saved had a measuring card, and he'd told Irwin some sizes for his soulscape, which hadn't told him much. After some asking around, it meant it was roughly as big as the Clour Peninsula, back on Giard, which had left him stunned.

  That was before. Now, it had to be at least double that, if not more.

  Hovering high in the air, he could see the distant barrier walls, but he knew that if he looked from below, he might not be able to see them at all. For someone standing on the planes beside his soullake, his soulscape might look like it continued on forever…

  It wasn't just the size, either. He could feel the stability it had, almost like an unshakable solidity that refused to be troubled by interference. He knew it was partly due to the increase that it felt like he could easily hold anything he wanted, but he also knew his stability had grown even more than the size.

  "Incredible," he said, letting out a slight sigh. "We will be fine even if we bring four or five times as many people…"

  And the headache when you reach your maximum should be just as incredible, a tiny part of him said.

  Irwin pushed the worry away and started examining the inner workings of his soulscape.

  Like the previous times, the existing areas that reflected his first soulcards, the enormous volcanic mountain range and the sprawling forest of music trees, had grown to fill up their increased spaces, and as he looked at the distant mountains, Irwin felt a sense of awe. Three mountain peaks had grown to dominate the others, towering above even the volcanoes and their constant plumes of ash.

  But all of this was dwarfed by the single entity that had appeared in the area opposite the mountains.

  An enormous, single volcano stood there, its crater walls rising deceptively smooth all the way up to the edge of its crater. Golden glowing black fog rose in a constant billowing plume from within, creating a dark cloud that rivaled that of the opposite volcanic mountain range, but unlike that one, this cloud glowed with a constant dark golden glow, like a distant setting sun.

  "That stuff is condensed soulforce steam," Ambraz said, appearing next to him. "Can you sense it? That volcano is drawing the ambient soulforce in your soulscape, changing it, and then ejecting it back out. As it does, the changed gaseous soulforce is constantly expanding your soulscape and increasing its stability! It's not fast, but it's constant…"

  Irwin nodded as he closed his eyes and felt the changes that were occurring throughout his soulscape due to the soulforce-infused ash. He even sensed it falling down like barely perceivable rain, doing something to the area bordering its influence.

  "Alright! Your turn! Show me what's changed," Ambraz shouted excitedly. "Pull out that Tablature and show us what you gained!"

  Irwin raised his hand, causing his tablature to appear above it. Then he summoned the tiny representation of his new soulcard, an image of a shadowy, golden-edged figure against the backdrop of a volcano that looked exactly like the one in his soulscape.

  A sense of exuberant joy came from the soulcard as it flew circles around him, and it took Irwin a moment to get it to rest on his Tablatures.

  When he finally managed to have the almost juvenile-like soulcard comply, he quickly flipped it open to the newly filled page.

  Card: The First Volcano Titan

  Type: Unique, Volcano Titan, Soulcard, Ammolite, Amnathair, Fire, Mutated, Forged by Irwin Roddington

  Owner: Irwin Roddington

  A smooth combination of the core essence of beings from eons past, grown with care and unyielding force, has culminated into the first of a new subspecies. Bringing together the essences of beings whose power was based on their size and condensing it down, the being known as Irwin Roddington has become the first of the Volcano Titans. From now till his death, he will increase in strength as he grows.

  ~ Well done… You have become the seed that will see atleast a tiny part of my people return to the world eons after our demise. When you finish your fifth soulcard, come and find me in the place you left me. I will teach you what you need to become truly free. ~

  Passive: Massively increased strength, constitution, and endurance [scales with size]

  Passive: Constant growth. The wielder will grow as he ages.

  Passive: All physical attributes grow with size.

  Passive: Soulscape size and stability grow exponentially with size.

  Active: Kinetic Energy generates intense flames.

  Active: Volcanic Earthquake

  Active: The wielder's soulclone inhabits a body of its own [Toggle] [Mutated] [Unique]

  [Soulcard Passive]: Sense the presence of World Portals [My gift to you]

  Irwin swallowed as he watched the beautiful golden lines that decorated the card's normal description.

  "So…" Ambraz muttered. "I guess that means you aren't really Galadin anymore?"

  Irwin shook his head, feeling a sudden annoyance at the remark. Before he could stop himself, he snorted.

  "I'm not human anymore… that's for sure. But the Galadin aren't a single people. I'll always be a Galadin!"

  Then he blinked, sensing his emotions settle again.

  "Okay… that's going to take some getting used to," he muttered.

  Ambraz let out a barking laugh. "Don't worry too much about it! Now that your card is a soulcard, there won't be any outside influence, and you will learn how to handle these heightened emotions quickly enough. Before, they would have been uncontrollable, but now it will just take some time."

  Irwin nodded along before frowning. "Do you think that fragment of the titan was what kept it under control before?"

  "Probably when it was within your heartcard, yes," Ambraz said. "But we will probably never know for sure. For now, you might want to examine yourself."

  Irwin frowned at that before both of his selves floated slightly apart, and he did as suggested.

  "Oh…" he said, both of his sets of eyes widening.

  His giantself had previously been nearly identical to his smallself, but now that had changed. Where his smallself had changed the least, becoming slightly more rugged and barely perceivable ash constantly floating up from his hair, his giantself had become slightly more blocky. Its eyes were now like looking inside an active volcano, including the constant stream of steam and ash that billowed up from them. Besides this, his shoulders were slightly wider than they had been, his legs thicker, and his hands somewhat larger. It wasn't to the point of being ridiculous, but as he watched his giantself, he knew one thing for sure. That part of him would not be able to pass for a human, even if ignoring its height.

  "Okay… I'm glad my smaller form remained largely the same," he muttered in two voices.

  "Yes, but I wonder which of your bodies is the volcano titan," Ambraz said. "Are they both, and just a different form? Or just your giantself?"

  Irwin shrugged. "I don't know, but let's focus on the more important thing. Is my soulrealm stable enough to hold those chaos whale babies?"

  Ambraz flew to his giantself, grew into a smaller version of his working shape, and landed on his shoulder. The impact barely rocked Irwin while Ambraz let out a contented sigh.

  "One? Definitely. Two? Perhaps. Three? … debatable, but not for long. Any more? No," he said.

  Irwin nodded. It was already way better than he had thought.

  "And if we slot the card?" he said, knowing Ambraz knew which one he meant.

  "During the growth boost, you can bring somewhere between fifteen and twenty… but not for long. Also, there's no way Greldo will be able to bring you along. Even if the size wasn't the problem, your soulforce stability and soulscape power would make it impossible for him to draw you anywhere, even if you try to allow him."

  Irwin grimaced.

  "Well, then, I guess we will have to move across the soundwaves," he said, looking around his soulscape and noticing something else. "Is it just me, or is it back to its best possible state right now?"

  Ambraz was quiet before humming. "It is… interesting. Also, did you notice your soullake?"

  Irwin blinked, then looked down, only to realize it wasn't completely empty. Although there was far less still remaining compared to when his previous soulcard had formed, there was at least a tenth remaining. Based on the growth it had gone through, it had likely still retained a quarter of the soulforce, showing just how much this one had needed.

  "Well, I guess it's going to be a while till we fill that," he grunted. "It took hours of pressure just to get the last percent, and I have the feeling it wasn't even a full percent."

  "Yes, but even then… You won't have to worry about finding cards, even in the worst situation. You can simply pull more and more people, or even Chaos Whales, into your soulscape, and eventually, your soullake will refill."

  Ambraz nodded, though as he thought about it, he wondered just how much his next heartcard would require. So far, each one seemed to have had a far greater soullake. It was a good thing he didn't need the cards like others, or he'd probably have to search for them for the next few thousand years, only focusing on that single goal.

  Humming thoughtfully, he pondered how each of his heartcards had drawn in more soulforce, with his last one having drawn in dozens of times more than his first one.

  Wait, does that mean this new soulcard is more powerful than the others?

  Irwin frowned as he mentally prodded at all three of his soulcards. They had all been Ammolite rank, and he didn't feel like one was stronger than the other…

  "Ambraz, the growth element on my previous cards, does it still work when they are soulcards?" he asked, his frown deepening. "Are they still getting stronger?"

  "Well, yes and no. They are still getting stronger, but that is because of your growing soulscape," Ambraz said. "I know it's hard to believe, but most people see very little to no growth in their soulscape. Their first soulcard locks it in place, and unless they find cards like you did to grow it, it will remain roughly the same for the rest of their name. You, however, have both your second card, which specializes in soulforce and grants a large increase in soulscape stability and size, and now your new one, which doubles down on that. The growth part shouldn't work anymore, though I have to say I don't know for sure."

  Irwin looked around at the enormity of his soulscape, knowing that right now, it was the smallest it would be going forward. As he grew older, it would grow and grow, even if he never slotted another card. As he pondered this, he began to appreciate what focusing on types really meant. He had two soulcards that dealt with soulforce and soulscape growth, and each one seemed to compound on the other.

  "So, this is what happens with people who teleport," he muttered. "Even the best fully teleport-focused soulcard only allows moving between very close worlds, while having two allows this with more ease. But to move across an entire branch, one needs four or more."

  "Exactly," Ambraz agreed. "However, I wonder how efficient we can get this if we purify a card's typing into a single or dual type instead of the myriad we have now. It might mean the card won't give even the smallest body improvement, but I'm curious to see just what would happen if we create six purified teleport cards and create a heartcard from that."

  Irwin floated forward, moving towards where his own house was. The distance between it and the town had increased due to the resizing of his soulscape, and the previously narrow valley within the foothills where it had been built now had room for a much larger compound.

  "Well, it would probably increase the purity of the cards someone needs to consume to fill their soullake," he said, thinking about what Ambraz had said.

  "Yes, very likely."

  The two of them continued chatting as Irwin's two selves reached his home. A short while later, his small self was holding the three cards he was planning on slotting. With a frown, he took out his Tablatures and examined the top card.

  Card: Volcano Titan's Gauntlets

  Type: Ammolite, Reforged by Irwin Roddington

  Owner: Irwin

  The wielder of this card gains the ability to summon a pair of Volcano Titan gauntlets that cover the wielder's hands and lower arms. Reforged by [???], they allow the wielder to damage even the sturdiest of beings.

  Passive: While worn, the wielder's fists are impervious to slashing and piercing damage.

  Passive: Greatly increased grip strength

  Passive: Intricate control over the flames that surround the gauntlets

  Active: Summon the Volcano Titan's Gauntlets

  [???]: ???

  "So this one first," he hummed, nodding as he placed it to the side. Although he'd have preferred something else initially, he could sense how well it resonated with his first and third soulcard. Just this in the mix would help his next heartcard reforging immensely. "And then this right beside it," he continued, flipping the page and looking at the description of the second card.

  Card: Surging Growth

  Type: Diamond, Reforged by Irwin Roddington

  Owner: Irwin

  The wielder of this card gains the ability to temporarily increase their size, both physical and beyond. [Based on soulforce]. As a side effect, the wielder's regular density is increased.

  Passive: Greatly increased density

  Passive: Gains the ability to use growth on any summon

  Active: Grow [17x]

  Staring at it, his lips quirked up.

  "I just thought of something," he said, turning to Ambraz. "When I use this ability, will my steam and fire also increase in size? They aren't summons, but they do increase with my soulforce capacity."

  Ambraz whistled, something he rarely did and which still reminded Irwin of a metal flute.

  "Kid, it's not just that. It will enlarge your Soulstrum Guitar, but imagine what it will do to the power that? The sound you can create might be enough to blow up a castle if you are inside!"

  Irwin grinned, putting the card on the first before he took the third, and frowned.

  Card: Glimmering Shield

  Type: Summon, Ruby, Reforged by Irwin Roddington

  Owner: -

  The wielder of this card gains the ability to summon one or more shields. Each has the ability to block a large amount of damage at the cost of soulforce. Can be summoned at a distance; however, be aware! Every ten feet of range doubles the soulforce drain.

  Passive: Minor increase in physical damage resistance

  Passive: Minor control over the shields even when not being touched

  Active: Summon Glimmering Shields [3x]

  He stared at it for a while before finally shaking his head. As much as it pained him, he sighed as he put it to the side.

  "I… don't think it's good enough. Although I like the idea, it just-" he shook his head.

  "Then do what I suggested," Ambraz said with a hum. "Try and reforge it."

  "It has too little overlap with my current types," Irwin said. "You know it might fail, and if it doesn't, it could become below ninety percent. Surging Growth is already in the nineties, and as much as Volcano Titan's Gauntlets will help stabilize my next heartcard, having two sub-hundred percent cards will make it far too risky."

  "So, then what?"

  "I think I'll keep it for someone back home, or perhaps I can trade it," Irwin said with a weary sigh.

  "Fine. I don't mind, but does that mean you aren't going to use the doubling card either?"

  Irwin flipped his hand, using a small bit of concentration to summon the card from where it was lying on another table. He stared at it and frowned.

  "I don't know yet, but what we have here," he tapped the first two cards. "Will help with most of our current problems."

  After staring at the card again, he placed it beside the shield card, wondering why it was so hard to make up his mind.

  Probably because it's not something you can easily undo, but a part of him snapped back.

  Ignoring it, Irwin picked up the Volcano Titan's Gauntlets card and grinned.

  "Poor Scintilla, she really wanted to see my red eyes again," he said before putting the card above his hand.

  @O Owen, @P Pepperbell, @j jack bizzuk, @R Rui, @W William Vickers, @J Jonathan Evans, @S Sam, @M Marrow, @L LTLlamaTree, @G Gy?rgy Pauleczki, @B Bryan Bernhardt, @E Eric Torres, @I IronFist95, @D Dekra, @J Jordan Lane, @K Kevin Spock, @J Josh Watson, @M MehTy, @M Micha? Radziszewski, @S Seth DeWitt, @J Joshua allen, @C Cupcake Jesus, @A Andrew Green, @I IcyCamo, @? ????? ??????, @L Liam Watts, @N Nick Weis, @l lehmius, @b benhlbrt, @N Nick P, @M Morningfrost, @P Patrick Dinsdale, @D Devendra Ramkarran, @b bird, @S Sengen65, @a anpi, @J Joel Cunningham, @E Emma Crossing, @S Sylv, @R Robert Wang, @V Volipoli, @D Denis T, @C ContraCowboy, @J Julien Flores, @k kaemonawa, @J Joseph Halper, @A Ahmad odt, @C Connor Herron, @G Gabriel F., @A Attherisk, @B Ben J, @W Will Newell, @S Sanaddor, @D Darren Andrei Aton, @C Cory, @D Dave Howe, @M Matthew Gibson, @C Calvin, @L Liam107, @C Corey Lusty, @J Jude Howells, @R Robert Johansson, @A Aldric, @D Djfunfu, @A Alex Han, @T Toknightly, @n nicolas perez, @g gabriel barraza, @M Max Gustavson, @R Russ, @T Theo Chao, @T Trenton king, @A AnWan, @T Tony T, @M Mark Newton, @D DarkRaven, @J Jonathan Ryan-Walker, @S Sebastian K., @I Immutably Empty, @S SubtleStubble, @T TheSoraRyuu, @B Benedict Jung, @R Robert, @s smpx, @V Venetian Secretion, @C Callum Watson, @H Hajakuja, @D Del conn, @D Dominic, @D David Anderson, @J James Snyder, @G Gigih Ramadhan, @K KARNLL, @A Anne Kristiansen, @A Andre Darda, @M MxVz, @M ModdedTech, @R R4wlo, @E Eaglesfall, @i im Panda, @s spencer annable, @S Sheltron5000

  Common = Quartz, Uncommon = Amethyst, Rare = Topaz, Very Rare = Emerald, Epic = Ruby, Legendary = Diamond, Mythical = Ammolite