Irwin took a deep breath as he gazed at the back of his hand. He was in the room beside the one they had been given, which had conveniently been empty. At first, he'd wondered about that, but after some more looking around, he'd found theirs was the only occupied room in their hallway and decided it was probably just Jonathan again. After telling Greldo where he was, he'd locked the door from the inside by shoving a bed in front and was now sitting at the opposite wall, at the fireplace.
The fire was crackling softly, the heat slowly warming the stone-cold room.
Ambraz was flying around him, the tiny metal wings a softly whining blur moving so fast he couldn't make out any details.
"I can't believe you got this and have no idea what it does," the Anvil muttered.
"Keep your voice down," Irwin whispered, glancing at the door. "I don't want someone to listen in and ask who I was talking with."
"I can detect any low-ranked being within a few dozen feet around us," Ambraz whispered. "There's nothing besides your sleeping friends."
"Low?" Irwin muttered, confused for a moment.
"Low. Common and uncommon is what you backwater plebs call it."
Plebs? Irwin wondered what that was. Then he took a deep breath. "No, I don't know exactly what my card does. Can you tell me?"
"Ugh, you will have to take it out for a moment," Ambraz said as he hovered lower, the airflow from his wings cooling Irwin's hand.
Irwin stared at Ambraz stupidly, not believing what he just heard. Since when could you remove cards? Worse, what if someone stole it when he had it out?
He looked around, suddenly worried the closed door wasn't good enough.
"Can someone take it after I remove it?" he whispered.
"What? No! Only if you unslot it," Ambraz said. "But don't do that. It will damage the card!"
Irwin blinked, then licked his dry lips. "How do I take it out?"
"Dear elders, you know nothing… Put your other hand over it and will it out."
Slightly afraid, Irwin did as told, thinking as hard as he could to have his first card back in his hand. There was a tiny bit of resistance, followed by a mental click. Accompanied by a bright flash, a solid sense filled his right hand.
"Good, now hold still for a moment. Oh, and remind me to teach you reading so you can use your second card's skill next time!"
Irwin didn't answer, staring at his card in wonder. He'd never expected to see it again, and as he inspected it, he was slightly sad that it looked just as simple as any other common he'd seen while searching for a proper second card. The only difference was the wavy line at the top.
"Do all epic cards look like commons?" he whispered.
"Quiet, let me focus. And, no. Your card has a type that makes it do that, probably a mutation or, if you are really lucky, the growth type. Now, if you are quiet for a moment, I can figure out what it is!"
Irwin nodded stupidly, staring at his card. So it will get stronger after I combine it with Eyes of the Blaze?
"Ohhh my… I don't know where someone found this, but… this is something!" Ambraz whispered, sounding incredibly enthusiastic. "It's called Fire-sensitive Body, and even for a special card, it's something else. I was joking just now, but it actually does have the Growth property! That means you can increase its power and effectiveness through skill and training!"
"What? That can't be right," Irwin muttered. "Bronwyn said it was called Flickerlight!"
"Don't doubt my abilities! I've never been wrong in reading a card, and if I tell you it's called Fire-sensitive Body, then that's its name."
Irwin hesitated to double down on what his brother had told him, then held his mouth. For a moment, he wondered if Ambraz was lying to him, but that made no sense. The Anvil wanted him to become a smith. What use would it have to lie to him? No… perhaps Bronwyn had been wrong? Or had the card Bronwyn had found been swapped out at some time?
Still…
It doesn't sound that impressive, he thought.
"Don't look that disappointed, you ungrateful brat!" Ambraz snapped before taking a deep breath.
"Listen to what it does first. Besides all the passive effects to your body that lower rank cards grant, it increases your resistance to fire by a great deal. It goes so far that while in fire, you get an effect similar to Greater Rapid Regeneration, which is a rare card. It does have the nasty side effect of decreasing your tolerance to cold, but we might be able to limit the trouble from that. Perhaps a thicker coat until we find cards to offset it. I'll think about it."
Ambraz hummed a bit while Irwin's frown deepened. He looked at his card with a growing worry. It was more often cold than warm in this part of the world. Very cold. Especially in the winter. What was he to do now? Stay inside until summer?
Greater Rapid Regeneration sounds awesome, though. I guess that's what happened back in the training portal, he thought as he raised his hand. Wait. Did that mean his regeneration would drop if he was somewhere cold?
"Right, either way. There's more. You get the ability to see in the dark, but best of all, you can summon that flame. It's a pretty handy one, with the ability to drain the heat from other nearby heat sources," Ambraz said before falling quiet for a moment, humming thoughtfully.
"It might also have something else because there's something odd about the card that makes it hard to read. It might be why your brother gave it another name. Perhaps whoever inspected it couldn't see through the oddities. Anyway, my suggestion is to focus on that active flame part of the card when you combine it with Eyes of Blaze. I'm not exactly sure what the combined effect will be, but the flame will likely grow stronger, while the body tempering part of Eyes of Blaze should increase. "
Irwin didn't reply, slightly overwhelmed by the deluge of information Ambraz dumped on him.
"Give me a moment," he muttered.
He leaned back and stared at the door without really seeing it, his card clenched in his fist. It was hard to believe how many effects his special card had, and he thought about the paltry few things he knew about the card-rarities. Commons had almost always only one effect and no inherent benefit. The best commons were thought to be single-type body enhancement cards and the smaller summons. Uncommons had a slight passive effect that increased the strength of his body. They were also the first cards that held augmented weapon summons and summons suited for battle.
Rares… well, he barely knew anything about those except for some rumors. For instance, a rare single-type body-focused card, one that increased strength, was said to make you stronger than any other person. Well, besides carded people who also had similar cards… or better ones, which he knew next to nothing about.
"What would happen if I combined the regeneration part of the card with the body tempering?" he asked.
"Well, first off, I'd call you a fool because it's a waste of that flame. Beyond that… I don't know. If you are lucky, only the benefits of the fire-sensitivity would go up. If you're out of luck, the cold sensitivity also increases, which might become a problem."
"Right… What other options are there?"
Ambraz hummed a bit, seemingly deep in thought, before he continued. "Potentially, you combine the flame with the other effect of Blaze. Though, as just a common, you won't get the eyebeam. You might get some odd ability. I don't know much about combining high-rank cards with low-rank cards... It's not really something that's done much."
Irwin licked his lips, then berated himself for it, and asked something that he'd worried about but kept forgetting to ask. "Can you still reforge a card after it has been slotted?"
"Yes, but after it's been combined with the one beside it, I can only increase what is already there. Before that, I can change some things as long as I stay within the card's normal parameters and typing. If you combine them all into a full-hand it becomes impossible."
Irwin quietly thought for a while, then put his card on his slot and watched it vanish. "What will give me the biggest chance to survive in real portals?"
"What I said initially," Ambraz stated, sounding absolutely sure of himself. "Besides your flame becoming stronger and becoming a more effective weapon, the passive effect of Eyes of Blaze will be improved from being bound to a much higher rank card. It might even rival a normal body improvement card."
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"Okay, let's do that," Irwin said before staring at the tiny Anvil.
Ambraz didn't say anything, and Irwin licked his lips, waiting quietly.
"You don't know how to do that either," Ambraz said, sounding stunned.
Irwin shook his head, not sure what kind of people Ambraz had been with before that they all knew these things. What he did know was that plebs probably wasn't a compliment.
"Hold your right hand over your left hand and focus on your two cards- wait… can you even feel your second card yet?" Ambraz hissed.
"Err…" Irwin looked at his hand and tried to sense the second card like he could the flame. For a moment, he thought he felt something burn in his eyes, then it was gone.
"Practice that until you can feel it. After you succeed, we will continue," Ambraz said, sounding exasperated.
For the next hour, Irwin focused on the second card. It took him twenty minutes to activate it normally by staring at it, which was a weird experience. His eyes became burning hot, and when he put his hand before them, there was a glow on his palm. If he looked at his cards, he saw them like burning red outlines on his hand, now easily able to make out their images. If his eyes hadn't turned into miniature torches, showing he was doing something, he'd have tried using it on the others later just to see their images.
Another half an hour passed before he managed to enable the skill without staring at the card, at which point Ambraz whispered something.
"What was that?" Irwin asked as he stopped trying to use the Eyes of Blaze skill.
"One of your ancestors must have been an interesting person for you to sense and use a card this fast," Ambraz said. "I had thought it would cost you all evening, but you are doing very well. Continue."
My ancestors? Irwin wondered what Ambraz meant by that. He let his mind wander for a few seconds, then pushed the questions away and continued.
Another fifteen minutes later, he could more or less start the skill when he wanted, playing around by illuminating the shadowy corner of the room. He grinned as he saw the two round areas of ruddy light on the wall. His mum would have liked this. It'd have saved candles. Not that he really needed those, as even the darkest corners were easily visible to his red night vision.
"That should be fine. I think you should combine the cards now," Ambraz interrupted him.
Irwin nodded and went back to sitting on the bed next to the fireplace.
"So, as I was saying. Put your right hand over your cards and try to sense them both. As soon as you do, focus on the flame, but only pull up the Eyes of the Blaze. If you don't focus on the eye's ability, you will lose any chance of controlling which ability the merge will enhance."
Hand covering his cards, Irwin had no trouble picturing the flame, but connecting to the Eyes of the Blaze while only focusing on the body reforging part took a little effort. Eventually, he had a fleeting moment where he was able to link them.
"Okay, will them together," Ambraz whispered, seeming to sense he was ready. "Just like with taking out the card!"
Irwin held the two senses and began thinking about merging them, having them as a single thing, and combining them. For a moment, nothing happened, then a burst of light came from both cards, and the faint images of the flame and the eye began pulsing. Lines of fiery red ran towards each other, like spilled ink running across some paper and moving toward the other card's outline. Where they touched, sparks flew up, and a beautiful pattern of thin, intertwining flame tendrils emerged.
Irwin stared at it in wonder when a burning sensation started in his body. Within moments, he felt like he was back in the cavern near the lava, then it faded as suddenly as it had come to be replaced by an intense cold. He started shivering, his teeth clacking together, and he wrapped his arms around himself.
"Wha-t, i..s going o-n," he whispered, his teeth constantly threatening to bite on his tongue and cheeks.
Ambraz was hovering nearby, and the tiny mouth was pursed in a frown. "It has to be the effect of the combination, but-"
A dull, droning noise drowned Ambraz's voice, and Irwin looked around, suddenly terrified.
There was no source, and his body curled in on itself to try and find warmth. As he saw the flickering flames in the fireplace, he felt a tiny bit of warmth come from it. By now, his hands were like ice, and he couldn't even feel his feet anymore. Ignoring the Anvil flying around him, he crawled from the bed and stumbled towards the fireplace. As he got closer, he felt the warmth from it, and he moved within arm's reach from the crackling wood.
Did I accidentally combine the other part of my card? he thought as he stretched out his hands.
Slowly, he felt the blood begin to flow within them, but it was not enough. Not enough heat, he thought. A cold stab came from his chest, and he sucked in a breath. Was he going to die?
No!
Without thinking, he put his hand in the flame, and instantly, warmth flowed into it, pushing away the freezing cold. Realizing what he'd done, he was about to yank it back out when he noticed that there was none of the burning pain that he should be feeling. Not even a little. Instead, his hand was the only part of himself that felt anywhere near good.
Irwin moved closer and put his other hand, followed by his entire arm, into the fire, the warming effect of it spreading rapidly. He was about to step into the fireplace when he saw his sleeve begin to burn, the thick cloth turning black, and he quickly pulled his arms back.
Shivering but without hesitation, he removed his clothes, which took longer than it had ever had. When he was as naked as a newborn, he carefully put his now blue foot into the fire. A sizzling warmth came from it, and the cold seemed to flee up his leg. No longer worrying about the consequences, Irwin stepped forward and kneeled in the fireplace, trying not to disturb the wood and accidentally douse the fire. Within moments, the droning sound left.
"Incredible… Never seen anything like this," Ambraz's voice muttered, and he realized the Anvil had been speaking for a while now.
"Ambraz," he whispered. "What is happening?"
"Ah! You're awake! Summon your flame, quick! Its heat should help even more than the fireplace."
Irwin wanted to kick himself for not thinking of it. He held out his hand, and a palm-length flame erupted above it, an intense heat spreading from the bright fire. At the same time, the fire around him began whirling through the air towards the flame on his hand, which began growing even faster. Before he even had the time to cut off the skill, all the fire in the fireplace had disappeared, while the flame had grown another half-a-hand length. The heat from it was rapidly pushing back any tiny bits of lingering cold that had remained in his body. A soft glow from the corner of his eye made him look up and he saw the stones of the fireplace were turning a dull red from the heat.
"Did I make a mistake?" Irwin asked, looking at the flame. He wondered how much bigger it could get now.
"No. I did," Ambraz said with a weary sigh. "I underestimated the Fire-sensitive Body card. When it bonded with the Eyes of the Blaze, it increased its body tempering by fire ability but also added the cold weakness."
"Does that mean I have to remain like this?" Irwin asked, unable to keep his voice from rising in pitch as he pictured having to stay naked in a room of fire forever.
“No, no,” Ambraz said. "Just until your body has gone through the initial tempering… you will have to make sure not to combine your next card just willy-nilly. When you combine the last card of that hand, this will happen again, but it will be worse."
"Worse?" Irwin thought, remembering his ice-cold feet, the shivering, and the fear of dying.
"Yes, and when you combine them all together in a fullhand it will likely be very bad," Ambraz said, hovering before him. His lips were a thin line, and a soft sigh came from him. "Sorry, kid. If I'd known this, I would have told you to pick the hammer."
"How.. how long?" Irwin whispered as he looked at his arm. He didn't see much change. Perhaps his skin was a tiny bit darker, but that could just be the glow from the now orange stones in the fireplace, which he noticed had started cracking in places.
"I'd say, probably ten to fifteen minutes," Ambraz said, but Irwin heard the uncertainty.
"I thought you were the Anvil of the Gods," he snapped, barely able to keep raising his voice. "How come you don't know these things?"
"Well, yes. An Anvil of the gods," he muttered, whispering the first word.
An? Irwin thought, staring at the tiny Anvil. What did he mean with an Anvil?
Ambraz must have seen the question on his face and snorted.
"What? I didn't say I was the only one."
"..."
Irwin's mouth fell open, and he was about to ask for an explanation when his body started to turn warm, then hot. He quickly moved his flame away from his body, but it barely helped. It was the heat from the now brightly glowing fireplace, and he quickly stepped out, releasing the flame before realizing what he was doing. He flinched, fearing the cold to return, but nothing happened. Instead, the heat turned from burning hot to bearable, and he sighed contentedly.
Finally over, he thought.
"Well, that went almost perfectly," Ambraz said as he hovered nearby, the wind from his wings a cool breeze on Irwin's chest.
A loud knocking on the door made him start and look up in fear.
"Irwin Roddington. Master Mouldir and Lady Yrinta have requested your presence," a deep voice said. "Please stop what you are doing and follow us."
Right, she asked me to come! Irwin thought, cursing himself for having forgotten. What if the guards had come half an hour earlier?
He looked around in a panic, then down, and his eyes widened.
Clothes!
He jumped forward and began picking up the pieces of his undergarments that had been strewn about, glad to see none had any damage. He frowned as he pulled on his pants, which felt snug. It had been baggy before, and as he pulled on his rough, scratchy shirt, he felt the same around his chest. It wasn't too tight, but he knew what it meant. He'd grown enough in a short time that it would be noticeable! As he finished with the rest, Ambraz flew over and into the inside pocket of his now well-fitting coat.
A dull knock came. "Irwin, it is not good to keep the Lady waiting!"
"Yes, coming," Irwin shouted as he picked up his boots and held them next to his feet.
Those will never fit, he thought as he stared at the door.
"Last warning, or we come in."
Irwin shivered and ran to the door, noting his body moved better than he was used to while the pain he'd had before was now no more than a faint muscle ache. He wished he had time to see how much he'd improved, but that would have to wait till tonight. He pulled the bed away, noting it was still heavy but less so, then opened the door.
A guard with a gray beard and an angry scowl looked at him.
"We are not used to people barring doors here," he snapped as he looked at the bed.
"Sorry," Irwin said, wanting to explain but not sure how to. Staring at the guard, who raised an eyebrow, he managed to hold back any response and just shrugged.
"Whatever. Explain to them why you are late," the guard snapped. "Now, follow me!"