Irwin was sitting in the large captain's quarters, dully staring at the wall. His giantself was asleep in his soulscape while images of what he'd seen played through his mind. Ambraz sat beside him, waiting patiently.

  "The last ones I saw were images of the Titans," Irwin said, reliving the moment as best he could. "They were definitely more vivid but also short-- almost like a single moment in time. I saw how they appeared in a mountainous world, though there was already a sense of belonging to the image- I think it was their home world. Then images of cities being built, with unfamiliar architecture…"

  Irwin hesitated as he tried to recall how they had gone from that into chaos space. Again, he couldn't recall a single portal anywhere.

  "I'm not sure, but I think they just flew up through the clouds to get into chaos space," he said. "Anyway, there were a few images that suggest they were exploring other worlds. One of them had volcanoes everywhere, and it somehow had the same feeling as the first image I saw."

  Irwin rubbed his head, slightly annoyed. Trying to recall all the images in order was giving him a headache. Ambraz didn't say anything, and after a few moments, he continued.

  "Most images after that showed them fighting Oculithar, sometimes with the help of Neamhnathair and-" Irwin felt a name bubbling at the forefront of his mind. One he'd seen before. Seen on a thing that was his.

  "Amnathair! The Titans were Amnathair," he said, but as he did, he realized it felt off. As if his instincts were telling him that wasn't the whole story. He knew Amnathair was one of the types he had on his latest heartcard, but somehow, he knew calling the Titans just Amnathair wasn't completely correct.

  "No, not exactly… I don't know why the name isn't with the images or why it feels…" he muttered, more to himself than to Ambraz.

  He scrambled for a word that would describe the sense he had while thinking about the images of the beings he'd come to think of as titans.

  Because it's like calling everything that looks human, human, he thought, as he frowned.

  "They are kin to Amnathair," he said, and this time it felt right. "Like calling Razorwings just birds, while they are Razorwings."

  He stopped rambling and stared at the floor. The images of the Titans played through his mind like memories of a story he'd been told so vividly that it included images.

  So what was he? Had he gone from being a Galadin human to some form of Firesteel Elemental that looked like a Fiz'rin, and now to something else again?

  But I didn't change that much when I got the heartcard, he thought. Does that mean I'm going to change even more when it becomes a soulcard?

  He wondered why the idea of changing into something so different wasn't scaring him. Why had it never been at the start? Even when he'd turned into his giant self, the only thing that really bothered him was the logistical problems.

  His mind wandered, but he couldn't find a reason, and slowly, his thoughts drifted back to the memories of the Titans.

  "Alright, kid," Ambraz said, ripping him back to reality. "And these were the last images? Of these titans and their world?"

  Irwin shook himself awake, pushing away the memories and his worries about his own existence. Figuring out what he was becoming could wait for now.

  "Yes. There were a few more images of battles and then the one showing the giant portal," he said, focusing back on the Ganvil.

  Ambraz hummed thoughtfully. "And you say you have the feeling the order of the memories might be wrong?"

  Irwin shrugged. "I'm not sure anymore. It was the feeling I had right after I got the memories, but I can't explain why anymore. Looking at them now, they seem to describe some story."

  "They do, but don't forget that sense when you got them," Ambraz rumbled. "Ancestral memories are finicky things. Ganvils have some, but not anywhere as detailed as yours. From what Brazardian told me after waking up to mine, only the moment you get them truly matters. After that, they somehow become part of you."

  "What were you talking about?" Irwin asked, curious.

  "It's a secret among my people," Ambraz said. "Most Ganvils don't even know because only the Progenies, those created by a Monarch, get them. Let's just say it shows the beginnings of our people in a not-so-flattering light."

  Irwin's eyebrows rose high as he looked at his friend and wondered just how Ganvils had come to be.

  "Now, let's focus on you for now," Ambraz said, not seeming intent on saying anything more.

  "If we assume that part of the order is correct, then I'd say the image you saw of the being swimming through the lava is part of your ancestry, just much further away than what the Titans are. If we think back to the message on your card-"

  Ambraz hummed before modulating his voice as if he were reading something aloud.

  "An amalgamation of beings from eons past, this combination has resulted in a never-before-seen burgeoning heartskill. Bringing together the essences of beings whose power was based on size and condensing it down, the wielder of this card will forever become stronger with size.

  ~ For every type of skill, one must be the first. Well done, child of Yilda, on creating the first new subspecies soulforce resonance skill. ~ "

  Irwin nodded thoughtfully. "An amalgamation… So you think I saw a bit from each of the beings my Essence of the Volcano Titan is based on?"

  "Yes. Based on that card and its name, I'd say Amnathair is a species type, like what you said about the birds, and Titans belonged to that group," Ambraz said, only hesitating slightly. "Then, you took part of what makes a titan a titan and something from that volcanic being and created a card that encompasses both… and probably more."

  "More?" Irwin asked.

  "It says an amalgamation of beings… that doesn't feel like it just means two, does it?"

  Irwin frowned as he thought about the description. "You're right," he said. "That thing that’s added to the card also said I created a new subspecies?"

  "No… it said a sub-species soulforce resonance skill," Ambraz said. "I think it's more that the subspecies already existed, but there had never been a soulforce skill for it."

  Irwin quietly pondered that, and as he did, he recalled another idea he'd had months ago.

  "So, what would happen if I create another card like that?" he said. "A handcard?"

  Ambraz shrank to his smaller size and began flying through the room. Ever since he'd ranked up to five, his small size had grown from being a thumb at its smallest to being the size of a fist, and the sound of his wings was a constant dull humming.

  "You're right… Perhaps it might get the Volcano Titan type if you try, but… I wonder."

  Irwin waited as he felt Ambraz's presence through their connection go from calm to excited to confused.

  When it finally ended in furious excitement, Irwin knew that Ambraz had come up with something important. He was proven right as Ambraz thudded down on the table before him and began talking excitedly.

  "Kid! I think we should try creating some handcards as soon as we can, and depending on that, try the following… go into your soulscape and shatter one. Then, you need to hold the card together, and we are going to use the soulforce to forge a new handcard!"

  "That's impossible," Irwin blurted before he could stop himself. Then he blinked. "Right? Handcards are too volatile, and they explode instead of just shattering…"

  "Normally, yes," Ambraz said. "But with my improved shield… if you can fill up the barrier with a massive density of your own soulforce, and then we shatter it, I have the feeling it might give us a moment to reforge the card on a whole different level than what we usually do. Not up, or sideways, but… rebuilding it."

  Irwin felt his own excitement grow rapidly, and with it came the realization that they had the perfect opportunity to try right now! There was no ship in his soulscape, no people. That meant that he could experiment, and even if he created another soulforce storm, it wouldn't harm anyone!

  He was about to suggest it when there was a knock on the door, followed by Rindiri's voice.

  "Captain, there's a group of people on deck requesting to see you."

  Irwin grunted in annoyance. He'd been about to wake his giantself, but knew that if he was going to start trying what Ambraz had suggested, he'd need his entire double focus.

  "Come in," he said.

  The door opened, and Rindiri stepped inside.

  "Sorry for disturbing your rest, Captain."

  "It's fine," Irwin said. "Who is here? The leaders, I presume?"

  Maybe I can give them a few of those letters and send them on their way? he thought. He pushed the idea away. The letter wouldn't answer their questions about what had happened with the Oculithar, and he'd bet one of his few remaining bottles of Ignitzian Liquor that this was what they wanted to talk about.

  "Captain Hyrmine came ahead of them, and she said they are the representatives of Urlar's Council of Shipwrights, the smith of the largest of the local Smiths’ Guild Chapters, and the leaders of the three largest tribes."

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "Tribes?" Irwin asked.

  "It's like a large collection of families that act like a guild," Rindiri said. "It's more common in some areas of the Portal Gallery. Captain Hyrmine said that one of them is the leader of her Ophiydez tribe."

  "Great…" Irwin grunted. "Is she still here?"

  "She is, but she's talking with one of the leaders of the Snaketribe people."

  Irwin blinked and looked at Rindiri. "Snaketribe?"

  "That's what they are called," Rindiri answered. "The tribes here hoard body morphing cards that add snake-like attributes. As soon as their children can, they are handed one. Most have scales. I know of a few other worlds where they do the same with different cards."

  "So they call themselves that?" Irwin asked, not wanting to accidentally use the term only to get angry responses. He'd about had enough of those by now.

  "Yes, it's the accepted term."

  "Alright. Anything on Greldo?" Irwin asked, hoping his friend would be back soon.

  "The Nocturna is still hovering beside the dead Oculithar body."

  "Alright, let them in then," Irwin said. "Bring Nisziz and Youritz with you, alright?"

  Rindiri's eyes gleamed. "They are already waiting outside."

  Irwin rolled his eyes and grinned. "Alright, let's hope this goes better than that talk with Aarth."

  --

  Terlo leaned back in his chair, sipping from his drink. He was glad he'd guessed right on the direction of Irwin and his crew, as it had meant he'd been able to wait for their arrival quietly and missed the Oculithar battle.

  Now he was sitting in a small pub, listening to people’s discussions about what had happened. His attention was mainly focused on two men who were arguing over what they had seen from the deck of The Artriguul, the Portal-Guardian-class ship.

  "I'm telling you that Fiz'rin is a smith," one of the crewmen, a stocky Granitian with pale gray, rocky skin, whispered. "He could manipulate fire, had some weird-ass instrument, and wore the same skirt my cousin does!"

  "Ridiculous," the other crewmen, a dark-haired member of the Snaketribe, retorted. "Smiths aren't that powerful. Everyone knows that! They only focus on cards to enhance their card reforging. Besides, nearly all smiths were recalled! Why would one risk acting like some merchant?"

  "How should I know," the other one said. "Maybe he is trying to get cards now, there are so few others around?"

  Not a bad guess, Terlo thought. Now, continue with that previous part!

  As if hearing his demand, the Snaketribe member sniffed before continuing in a low whisper.

  "Well, whatever. Whoever he is, my niece told me that the tribe leaders went to talk to him, and they brought things from the treasury."

  "Yeah, you said that," the other one whispered, his attention back on what Terlo wanted to hear. "Do you think they are going to bribe him? Or ask him to reforge a card?"

  Terlo did his best not to lean forward.

  "I don't think he's a smith," the other one hissed.

  Now, don't go arguing again, Terlo thought, only just holding back from glaring at the two.

  "I think they are going to bribe him…"

  The two crewmen shared knowing looks that were pissing Terlo off even more.

  Bribe him about what?! he thought, as a vein on his temple started to throb.

  Within seconds, he could see that the two weren't going to go into detail. If he wanted more information, he'd have to act. Taking a deep sigh, he put on his best, most confident smile, grabbed his bottle, and slowly made his way to their table.

  As he stepped to the side, the Granitian glared at him. The other, a gangly Snaketribe member, seemed more curious than hostile, soTerlo focused on the Granitian.

  "Gentlemen," Terlo whispered conspiratorily. "I'm sorry for interrupting you, but I couldn't help but overhear what you were saying. I have this bottle here, and it's just too much for just me. Perhaps we could share it while you humor a few of my questions?"

  As Terlo spoke, he let his soulcard's influence spread, tampering with the soulforce resonance around him. It wouldn't work on anyone too strong, but the two before him clearly weren't. That meant that they should be more amiable to his sudden appearance.

  The Snaketribe member reacted first, his frown turning into a knowing smile as he nodded and gestured at a free chair. His eyes flickered to the expensive bottle that Terlo had wanted to enjoy by himself. He hid his annoyance and sat down, quickly pouring the two a generous cup.

  "You want to know about the merchants that showed up?" the Granitian asked, taking a careful sip before closing his eyes and sighing happily.

  The rugged man's reactions actually made Terlo feel a little better. The man at least had the decency to enjoy the expensive drink!

  "That too," he whispered. "But I was wondering… I've been hearing rumors about bribes going around, but nobody seems to know much about it."

  Normally, he would have been a bit more subtle, but Terlo didn't feel like sticking around the two crewmen. They had definitely not washed up after their shift, and they reeked of sweat and other things he didn't want to think about.

  The Granitian frowned, and he could almost see him struggling against the influence. The Snaketribe member wasn't as tough, and he leaned forward.

  "Every merchant that has arrived so far has been offered a deal to come here instead of heading to the other large cities. If they do so and ignore the requests of Suderfuix, they will be allowed preferential treatment when requesting ships or ship modifications," the Snaketribe member whispered, his eyes gleaming.

  "Specifically Suderfuix?" Terlo asked, hiding his surprise only slightly.

  "Yes," the Granitian rumbled as he finally seemed unable to resist Terlo's influence. "It's not just that. They also have to move their merchandise through Dismarintisa."

  Terlo whistled appreciatively as he poured the two a bit more drink.

  "How did you even figure this out?" he whispered.

  "We've been stationed on the Atriguul for over a year now," the Snaketribe member whispered, grinning. "Guess where the tribe leaders and the merchants hold their meetings?"

  Well, isn't that an interesting little detail, Terlo thought as he grinned at the two.

  "Thanks so much! I love a good bit of rumor," he said, leaving the bottle on the table. "Why don't the two of you finish this? You've earned it."

  "Very generous of you," the Granitian said as he quickly grabbed the bottle to top off his cup.

  "Thank you," the Snaketribe member said, though he only had eyes for the bottle.

  "No, no. Thank you two," Terlo whispered as he smiled and walked away.

  As soon as he was out of sight, a predatory grin came to his face.

  So, someone is preparing a merchant's war against Suderfuix? I wonder how much money this little nugget is worth, he thought as he wandered back to his house.

  He completely forgot about his previous plan to figure out more about Irwin and the others as he began pondering, taking a quick trip back to Suderfuix. It would only take a few weeks to refill his soulcard after all!

  --

  "I'll think about it," Irwin said, keeping his face impassive while his mind reeled.

  Why would they want us to stay away from Suderfuix…?

  "That's all we ask," one of the leaders of the Snaketribes said.

  Irwin nodded as he glanced at the pale, golden-skinned woman called Suien. With dark green, almost black hair pouring along the sides of her smiling face and her figure highlighted by the tight black, scale-covered dress that showed just a bit more than he thought was needed, he wondered if she was trying to seduce him or was always dressed like this. If she was trying to seduce him, she was in bad luck. Her thin lips and sharp features made him think of a bird of prey, ready to attack him, and the way she spoke was too slimy and reminded him of some of the less savory nobles he'd met during his travels.

  He looked at the other four people in the room.

  Beside Suien, sharing her couch but positioned as far from her as he could, sat a man who had introduced himself as Hisarlyl. His face was covered almost entirely in tiny blue scales, and he was dressed in a tight black suit that wasn't able to hide his muscular physique. He'd spoken very little, and his strong, calloused hands had occasionally moved to an empty spot on his hip when he'd glanced at Suien.

  On the couch next to them sat the leader of the merchant guild, a brawny Granitian woman wearing short leather armor that left her left arm bare. Her right arm was gone, and all that remained was a twenty-inch stump wrapped in a black leather case. She'd yet to introduce herself, just like the Shipwrights leader, the only human in the room. With a gray peppered beard and warm brown eyes, the pressure of his three soulcards was the strongest of all those present, Irwin excluded, and he was smiling as he looked around the room.

  The final guest was a Granitian as tall as Irwin, who had draped himself over an entire couch, eyes focused on Irwin. He'd only said his name, Bleak, after which he'd been content to let Suein do the talking.

  "Now… are we done with the pleasantries?" Hisarlyl asked, almost glaring at Suein.

  "Oh, Hisa, stop acting so atrocious," Suien said, her lips pursed in a tight line. "What must our guest think-"

  "I don't care," Hisarlyl said, turning his gaze from her to Irwin. "You are powerful. My card-readers tell me you have only two soulcards and a heartcard, but your pressure is as powerful as a four-soulcarded. What can I offer you to stay here and help guard Urlar from future Oculithar attacks?"

  Irwin didn't instantly respond, examining the man.

  If this had been the first time he'd spoken with the leaders of worlds, he might have been surprised at Hisarlyl's bluntness, but it wasn't. There had been others who'd asked him to stay somewhere, not the least of which was Guildmaster Joulihn back in Suderfuix.

  "I am heading back home to my family," he said calmly.

  Hisarlyl nodded as he rose to his feet. "Very well. Then I don't have any more time to waste here. Thank you for what you did, and-"

  "You aren't going to ask if he's the one who led that monster here?" the kindly looking, brown-haired human asked.

  Hisarlyl didn't react but bowed to Irwin. "If you have any combat-related cards that might be of help, please let me know. I'll offer you what I can for them."

  Without waiting for a response, the man turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

  "For all of the tribes, let me offer my apologies for his behavior," Suein said, her smile somewhat forced. "Hisarlyl feels very strongly, and for all his strength, he sadly lacks decorum and diplomacy."

  "It's fine," Irwin said, looking at the brown-eyed human shipwright. "We did not draw anything here."

  "I didn't think you did," the man said, still smiling. "I had just expected Hisarlyl to ask, and I was surprised that he was just letting it go. He was one of those who agreed with Aarth."

  "Davit, you haven't introduced yourself yet…" Suien said, shaking her head.

  "Ah, my apologies," the man said, his eyes lighting up. "My name is Davitsin. I am the current spokesperson of the Shipwright Guild."

  He seemed ready to continue, but Suein cleared her throat delicately while staring at the one-armed merchant.

  "Oh, don't mind me," the woman said, her voice husky and deep. "I'll just wait till you are all done and gone to have some proper discussions with my fellow merchants."

  She smiled at Suein before looking at Youritz, Rindiri, and Nisziz. Her gaze seemed to linger on Nisziz before she focused back on Irwin, showing no intent to continue.

  "Fine…" Suein said, sounding slightly pained, turning to Irwin. "Could you perhaps explain to me why I got a warning message a few weeks ago to look out for a… merchant called Irwin and provide him with all the support he could require?"

  Irwin was finally startled out of his calm, focusing his full attention on Suein. Besides getting a message of his arrival, she'd clearly hesitated at the merchant, enough to make it clear to the others. Did she know who he was?

  "That depends on who sent you the message," he said slowly.

  "My niece, who is a topaz-rank smith on Suderfuix," Suein said, looking straight at him.

  "Then I have an idea why," Irwin said.

  It took a few moments before Suein seemed to realize he wasn't going to continue.

  "Ah… then perhaps we can discuss this in private later?" she asked, her voice slightly forced.

  Irwin would prefer to say no, but he also didn't feel like exposing himself as a Smith. He was getting enough attention, as it were, and he'd prefer to keep that to himself.

  Sadly, someone else seemed to think differently.

  "Mannn, are we seriously going to do this?" a cracked, rugged voice snapped in as Bleak put one of his legs over the other. "Okay, I am not here to waste that much time. You-" he pointed at Irwin. "-are a smith, and I'm here because the Guildmistress asked me to provide you with support and advice if you would arrive here. Seeing as you are, let me start by saying there's no need to keep it a secret. Everyone in this room, except for Davit, probably already knows, and he would have figured it out within half a day."

  Irwin put his hand on his neck and cracked it to relieve a little bit of tension while staring at the other smith.

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