Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

"Music sheets!" Irwin shouted as he sat upright in bed, eyes wide.

"Wu- what??" Ambraz grunted from his perch, yawning. "What are you shouting for!?"

Irwin slung his legs out of bed, sprinting into the main room. Grabbing his booklet, he flipped to the page with the cards he'd decided he wanted for his final three slots. The first two, the teleportation and a mental cloning card, were underlined, but without hesitation, he scratched the two options he'd narrowed it down, either to increase his soulforce or his soulforce sensitivity.

"A card that works like Vera's diagrams but shows the music notes of the card as we reforge it," he said as he jotted it down. Then he looked up at Ambraz.

"Oh… that's not a bad idea!" Ambraz said, landing on the table.

"Perhaps it's easier to get, and it would help us find out why I keep failing with these two," Irwin said, jabbing his finger at the two elusive cards. "Someone must have tried this, right?"

"I've never heard of one, but that doesn't mean it's not possible… I'm sure I can find something about it! Go and practice. I'll ask around!"

Irwin grinned as Ambraz rushed out through the small tube that allowed the Ganvil easy access to his room.

"That way, I can play the sheets and see how my play is wrong," he thought.

A quick look outside told him it would be hours till he needed to reach class, and deciding he could just spend his time wisely, he pulled out his soulstrum guitar.

Ambraz didn't return when he started hearing people walk and chat in the hallway.

Irwin finished a simple set of chords that Rosetta had told him. It was roughly the equivalent of putting his finger on the piano on the far left and just moving it along to the other side. Simple, but he still couldn't do it as quickly and smoothly as he wanted, especially when he started changing the power in the soulstrings. Still, he was rapidly increasing his ability to find the chords he needed without looking, and he couldn't wait till he got even more time.

When we are on the way back, I'll have all the time I need, he thought.

As the sounds died down, he let out a content sigh, unsummoned his soulstrum guitar, and headed to the first class.

--

Irwin was distracted as he struck the piece of Gneisian Ore. His thoughts moved from cards Ambraz would hopefully find to their imminent departure.

It felt like he'd only been here for such a short time, even though he knew it had been months. His knowledge about card categories and typings had greatly expanded, and he learned a lot of reforging tricks, but there was still so much more to learn! He had barely learned the basic categories.

Perhaps I can get some of those books along, he thought.

Although he'd skipped a year on all card-reforging, he was only average with any of the theoretical classes, and he really wished he could stay for another year or more.

Then again, he missed his family, and the longer he was around Inigtzions, the more he wanted to see Scintilla again.

I just hope I'll have enough time to reforge the final cards and slot them, he thought, thinking about the handful of cards left in his room.

He still hadn't managed to reforge either a short-range teleport or the mental cloning skill- though reforging Greldo's new shadow clone utility card had given him a few ideas.

As he struck the Gneisian Ore, then flipped it over sideways again, he hummed.

Greldo's new card had extra layers in the music that he hadn't seen in others yet, and he and Ambraz had concluded that it had to be the way cloning cards worked. There was a certain logic to the cards that he was slowly starting to recognize, with fire and metal cards being the easiest to grasp. He had been able to add fire to cards that had a category close enough that it made sense. Now, if only he could figure out how to give some card the cloning-

"Irwin, hang back after class!"

He blinked, startled by the sudden voice. Still, his hammer struck as true as ever, and only after that did he look up. Vera stood to the side, raising an eyebrow. When he nodded, she turned and walked.

I'm pretty sure I don't have another lesson, Irwin thought, wondering what she wanted.

Then he stilled. Should he ask her about his idea for a card that created music sheets? Perhaps she would have an idea. He hesitated, then decided to first see what Ambraz could come up with.

A short while later, the lesson ended, and he waved at Pasilha, mouthing 'later'. When everyone was away, Irwin walked up to Vera, who was tapping an anvil, seeming distracted.

"Brazardian summoned me. He said you are going to leave soon and to give you the Gneisian Ore when you do," she said, looking at him quietly. When he didn't say anything, she sniffed. "He didn't say where you were going, but he did say there was no other way."

Irwin nodded but remained quiet. As much as he liked Vera and valued her teachings, there was no reason to tell her any more if even Brazardian hadn't. Still, his mood was boosted by the prospect of being allowed to take the Gneisian Ore along. He would need months more to finish purifying it, and although Ambraz was close to his fourth rank, he still needed a bit of a push.

"Right, well, then don't tell me!" Vera said, unable to hide her annoyance. "You haven't gone to see the Dean yet, have you?"

"No, I was really busy, and… well, he probably has a lot to do," Irwin said with a shrug.

He knew it wasn't the real reason—well, not completely. He had been busy to the point that he'd completely forgotten about the Dean.

"Well, go and see him today so you don't forget," Vera said, crossing her arms. "He specifically asked for you to see him."

Irwin nodded. "I will."

"Good, and make sure you come to tell me before you leave," Vera said.

Irwin agreed and quickly said his goodbyes, then left the classroom. He was halfway down the hall when Ambraz zipped toward him, landing on his shoulder with a wide, content smile.

Irwin stopped and looked at his companion. Ambraz remained quiet, though his smile widened even more, the corners of his metallic lips almost touching the sides of his anvil body.

"So, you found something," Irwin said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh yes!"

Irwin tapped his foot. "So… are you going to share?"

Ambraz burst out laughing, then began talking excitedly.

"Apparently, it's not as unheard of as we thought. The thing is that very few people are interested in them, which is great for us! I've managed to get us seven cards that have potential just by flying around all morning. Ester at the Greenbark Card Center will be picking them up, and we can go grab them in a few hours!"

Irwin knew he was grinning almost as maniacally as Ambraz by now.

"What rank are the cards, and how big do you think the chances are we can make one with the seven cards?"

"Kid, unless you deliberately fail, you might have to choose which one it's going to be."

"Alright, lets go and see the Dean, then we can go and pick up our cards," Irwin said.

"The Dean? What for?"

Irwin quickly told Ambraz what had happened.

As they reached the central hallway, Irwin was surprised to find Narios pacing around the main corridor. As soon as he saw Irwin, he strode forward.

"Is it true that you are leaving soon?" he asked, eyes wide.

"News really travels fast here," Irwin muttered.

"Yeah, the teachers were talking about it earlier," Narios said, crossing his arms. "Can't you stay? You still have a long way to go with your soulstrum guitar, and Rosetta really enjoys having someone else play the same instrument."

"I can't," Irwin said, feeling a tiny pang.

He'd only seen Rosetta twice, and both had been short encounters, but he'd learned a lot. The calm, quiet woman had shown him how to properly form the soulstrings and explain how to best strum them. If he had to do all that by himself, it would be a lot slower.

Wait… if I can get that card, perhaps I can put the music she plays onto a paper, Irwin thought.

"Ugh, well, that's a real shame," Narios said, his shoulder slumping slightly. "She's going to be annoyed for months."

Irwin looked at him, wondering which part bothered Narios more: Irwin leaving or Rosetta's reaction to that. Then again, he hadn't told Skylar and the girls yet, and he wasn't looking forward to that either. He had only known them for a few months, but he'd been with them for a lot of that time.

"Anyway, how long do we have? We should go and see her at least once more," Narios said.

"Days or weeks," Irwin said, knowing it was far more likely the former.

Narios looked at him and grimaced. "That fast, huh? Fine. We should go and see her tonight. Are you free?"

"I need to meet with the Dean first," Irwin said. Then, I need to pick up some cards in the merchant district."

"Alright, we can do that as we move to Rosetta. Were you going to see the Dean right now?"

"I was planning on it. Well, if I can find him."

"Alright, let's go. I know where he is," Narios said, turning and walking deeper into the building.

Irwin quickly caught up, having to take small steps not to outpace the much shorter teacher.

They continued deeper into the building to an area Irwin hadn't been to before the central teacher's rooms. It was a large lounge area, currently empty, with a staircase leading up.

"He's still up there," Narios said, pointing at the stairs. "If he is expecting you, just go there. I'll hang back here, and we can see Rosetta afterward!"

How does he know? Irwin wondered.

"Alright. I'll be right back."

As he climbed the solid metal stairs, he felt a tiny bit worried and looked at Ambraz, who was sitting on his shoulder.

"Don't worry," Ambraz said, sounding as calm as ever. Even if he knows about your ammolite soulcard, there's not going to be any problems—not with Brazardian here. Besides, from what I heard about Salwek den Valarn, he is as loyal to this academy as any Ganvil."

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"You know of him?" Irwin.

"Yeah. He used to be a powerful warrior, and he's one of a few carded that became a smith later in life. According to the rumors, he has six soulcards, at least half of which are meant for fighting. That makes him easily one of the most dangerous men in this part of the Langost Branch."

Irwin swallowed as he imagined having six soulcards. With just the one he had, he was already able to fight evenly with lower-ranked combat carded that had two or three. Part of that was due to his ability to take his opponents by surprise with the versatility and raw physical power his soulcard gave him and a healthy helping of luck, but even then... What if he had six soulcards, or better yet, what if he had them all?

Even if I live that long, who knows what else roams the Portal Gallery, he thought, tempering his own desire.

He remembered his battle with Doomblade fervently. That had been very difficult, and there were bound to be many carded around far more powerful or those that would counter him. He wondered what would happen if he'd come across a diamond carded focusing on ice and teleportation.

As he thought about that, he felt his annoyance grow at his inability to find a proper teleport card. Perhaps he should just pick a fire one, after all? Those were reasonably easy to find.

No. First, let's check those cards Ambraz has found us and see if that won't help.

With what he had learned over the last few months, he knew that his first card had been dangerously spread out across different categories and types. If he hadn't had Ambraz's help, and if the base card, his hammer, hadn't been Ammolite, things might have gone differently. No, for his next card, he wanted to focus solely on things dealing with soulforce and sound.

A desire to turn and run to the city to get the cards to see what he'd get almost made him stop, but he powered on.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he arrived at a short corridor ending with a door that was partially open.

"Come on in, Irwin."

The old, cracked voice momentarily reminded Irwin of Gelwin, but when he entered, he saw that the Dean looked nothing like the ancient sorcerer. Though old, wrinkled, and with patchy hair, the man didn't look like the sitting corpse that Gelwin had resembled. He wasn't sitting either but stood in the center of the room with his arms clasped behind his back, radiating power. A muted gray Ganvil sat on his shoulder. Its lips curved in a tiny smile as if he knew something nobody else did.

"So, I almost thought you were ignoring me," the Dean said as his steely gray eyes sparkled with humor. "Did you really need to be reminded to come see me?"

Irwin kept quiet, not sure how to respond to that.

"Well, I guess you have been kept fairly busy," the Dean said as he walked forward. "Let's start by getting something out of the way."

He stepped forward with his hand held out. At the same time, the door behind Irwin closed with a soft thud.

Now what? Irwin thought.

He hesitated, then grabbed the Dean's hand, and the power contained in the smaller, wrinkled hand caused his eyes to widen. It was as if he had grabbed metal wrapped in old leather.

The Dean smiled at him for a moment, then squeezed.

Irwin quickly returned the strong grip, initially matching it. But the squeeze continued to increase in power, and soon, he felt a growing awe as he looked at the old man. Within a moment, his kinetic energy shot up, and he didn't hesitate to pump it into his hand.

A dull boom came from their clenched hands, and Irwin felt a tiny stinging in his hand palm.

Dean just raised an eyebrow, still increasing the pressure.

Irwin's hand, which had been able to slam through rock walls and knock out four-horned Galubs, slowly felt like it was about to shatter.

"Hey, he needs that hand!" Ambraz snapped. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The Dean blinked. "Ah, right! Sorry, it's just been a while since someone was able to hold on so long. I had hoped it would continue for a bit.

Irwin wanted to curse, but he held back, afraid the man would start increasing the strain again. As it was, his hand felt like it was caught in some massive vice.

The Dean relaxed his grip but didn't release Irwin's hand.

"Not bad. I'd advise you to not get complacent about your physical strength. It might be enough to beat around most regular carded, even those with a few soulcards, but if you come across some of those that really know how to build their soulcards, you are going to come up short."

Irwin nodded. He hadn't expected this one bit.

"How strong are you?" he blurted, hoping the man was going to release his hand soon.

"Hard to say. I could shatter even those Copperion bones in your hand," the Dean said with a calm grin. "But don't worry—I won't. Now, let's go somewhere we can talk freely."

Irwin was about to ask what that meant when he sensed a gentle grip wrap all around him, squeezing slightly around his soulcard. It resonated subtly and softly.

'He wants to draw you into his soulscape!' Ambraz snapped. 'I… I think you should just go.'

"How?" Irwin asked, not caring who answered.

'Here, like this,' Ambraz said, and Irwin felt a resonance from the Ganvil. It matched the one Irwin felt squeezing him, and Ambraz vanished from his shoulder.

'Wow! Come in here, kid! You've gotta see this!'

Irwin focused on his soulcard, letting it resonate ever so slowly with the grip. There was a moment of blackness, and then he appeared in midair, feeling a gentle, warm breeze wrap around him.

"Welcome, Irwin!"

Irwin looked up, then around, barely believing what he saw. He'd always heard that his own soulscape was big, but he had a hard time fathoming his surroundings.

A soulscape barrier hung hundreds of feet above him, and he could only see the edges all around. A lake, half as large as his own but nearly filled, sparkled in the middle. Metallic and stone-like trees stood and grew around it, most seeming to originate from a section with a single massive tree. Its canopy almost reached the soulscape barrier, the leaves gleaming like greenish metal. Dozens of odd pillars stood on one side, and what looked like a sleeping giant of metal lay far in the distance.

"What do you think? Pretty decent for someone whose first card wasn't Ammolite, right?"

Irwin looked at the Dean who was hovering beside him. He looked younger than he had before, perhaps mid-forties and his heavily muscled hands and arms were clasped before his chest.

"It's incredible!" Irwin said honestly. "I thought soulscapes weren't supposed to be this big?"

"Nonsense. My old teachers would say I was slacking if they saw this," the Dean said, shaking his head. "No, this is pretty good for someone with a diamond-rank starting card, but I'm sure yours will be twice as large when you get six soulcards."

Irwin nodded, glancing at the soullake thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that's the price of having a lower starting card," the Dean said, sounding uncaring. "Even if I'd get only ammolite cards after that one, my soullake won't ever grow again."

"There are ways to grow it, right?" Irwin said.

He thought back to when he sang with the chaos whales, and he'd been purifying the purperion. On both occasions, his soullake had grown.

"Sure, if I can find some mythical metal or card from stories," the Dean said with a grin. "Now, tell me, did you find your first card? Was it a growth-type card?"

"Growth," Irwin said, hesitating only a moment.

"Just like mine, then," the Dean said. "Well, from what I can sense it's a very good card! Metal, fire, steam and… kinetic energy?"

Irwin stared at the Dean stupidly. How did he know all that?

"Ah, right- you never came across another at our rank," the Dean said with a grin. "Well, you know how you can sense the general things of other people's cards, right?"

"Yes, I can sense their resonance," Irwin said.

"Right, well, that only works with cards at or below your own rank. Seeing as I have more cards than you, I can roughly sense what you have."

"Why isn't it general knowledge that there is another rank above diamond?" Irwin asked.

"Well, mostly because it's useless, as even diamond cards are usually unobtainable for most people," the Dean said. "But there's also the little trouble that the Noble Families, the Guilds, and the Underworld don't want it to be common knowledge."

Irwin frowned. He'd not heard the term, The Underworld before, though he had an inkling what those were.

"Why not?"

"Because as it is, they have people with ammolite cards, and this makes them able to hold on to their power," the Dean said with an ugly grin. "Never underestimate the desire for people with power to keep it."

"So… how did you get yours?" Irwin asked.

"Simple. I was a rather successful Portal Gallery explorer in my younger years and actually found a few ranks two and three worlds. On one, I encountered a rather annoying demon that killed half of my crew. When I finally killed it, it was kind enough to drop a diamond rank growth card with an active skill. Those are the rarest growth cards, well, those and weapon summons."

They are? Irwin thought, picturing his hammer and his soulstrum guitar.

"Well, I guess you have seen more than one? Then count yourself lucky," the Dean said with a laugh. "It's the reason so many people still move to the fringe branches in the hope of hitting gold. In reality, only a few people ever find one. Perhaps one every few years? When they do, they still need to slot the card. The thing is, the Guilds pay a premium for any combat viable cards with growth on it."

"Why just combat?" Irwin asked, surprised. "Wouldn't having a utility card with an active ability or a summon as your first card be fine if it ends up at ammolite rank?"

"Sure, but if they do that, people will probably start connecting the dots," the Dean said with a grin. They still buy those, of course, and as most people never want them, some circulate. Just like the instrument you purchased not too long ago."

Irwin's eyes narrowed as he looked at the Dean. "Have you been spying on me?"

"Of course! I spy on every smith that has bonded with one of the Progenies! Do you have any idea how powerful those can become?" the Dean said, laughing softly. "Don't be angry, young friend. I only kept track of your purchases, which is why I know you have been looking for some very, very rare cards."

Almost unwilling, Irwin felt his curiosity pique at that.

"You know where I can find a card with mental cloning?" he asked.

The Dean looked at him for a bit, then began lowering himself to the ground.

"Before we get to that, let's discuss why I called you here first," he said.

Irwin followed after him, and as he landed, he saw that the stone ground was rising and reshaping into a table with two chairs. The Dean sat down and waved him to the other chair.

"So, in addition to answering any questions you have on your ammolite card," the Dean said, "I also have a request for you."

Irwin sat down, curious what he could do for someone like the Dean, who was stronger, a better smith, and had more knowledge than him.

"I had a chat with Gynerigon a while ago, and I heard that you are going to be leaving to your own world," the Dean said.

Did Brazardian tell the other Monarchs about us? Irwin thought, gritting his teeth.

"Brazardian didn't rattle on us! There's no way," Ambraz snapped at the same time.

"Now, I don't know much about your world, but Gynergion said it is very far away and heavily defended. Is that true?"

The Dean looked at him calmly, and when Irwin didn't respond, he laughed.

"You don't have to be afraid. I am not asking with bad intentions. I ask because I need you to take four people with you and offer them sanctuary in your world for a few decades to a century."

A century? Irwin thought, shaking his head in wonder.

"Who?"

"A very promising young smith and his sisters and my grandson," the Dean said. His seemingly permanent smile faltered, and he sighed as he leaned back in the chair. "Gynerigon told me that the rumors of a war raging on the other outskirts of the Portal Galery are true, and both of us worry that the odd things that have been happening on our own outer fringes might indicate something similar happening here."

Irwin felt a tiny twinge of worry as he thought about Eluathar. "If that's the case, why would you want anyone to go to the outer fringes?" he asked.

"Because there is no information or knowledge anywhere of a new world found beyond Fiverion," the Dean said, smiling innocently. "If it isn't, that means it's not connected yet, and any chances of it being found are suddenly far smaller."

"Even if that were all true," Irwin said slowly. "We have no idea what is even happening beyond the central branches. Whatever it is, it could just find worlds even if they aren't connected to the network."

"That's true," the Dean said. "But if that's the case, we might all be doomed."

"Ugh! Aren't you being just a bit too doom and gloom there, you old fogey?" Ambraz snapped. "Even if there is a war somewhere, they will just send in the Heglirons fleets to take care of it!"

"Old… fogey…" the Dean said in surprise. "I don't think I've ever been called that, but I guess I do qualify by now."

"Yes, yes. Now, how about you tell us why you really want us to take those brats?" Ambraz snapped. "And don't go on about some war that might happen here."

Dean was quiet for a long time, then snorted. "Gynerigon warned me about you. I guess he was right. Well, first off, I do think that war is dangerous. Underestimate it at your own risk. But you are right. There's a second reason."

"You dooooon't say," Ambraz said mockingly.

Irwin barely managed to hold back his grin.

The Dean ignored the Ganvil, focusing on Irwin. "You have heard about those Smiths Guild worlds being attacked?"

"We have," Irwin said, suddenly feeling no desire to laugh anymore.

"Well, more attacks have happened, and the Smiths Guild is moving all of its most promising smiths to their most highly defended worlds. As well-defended as Granvox is, they have demanded these four to be moved… and both Gynerigon and I fear they will be captured en route."

Irwin slowly started to get what was going on. They couldn't stay here, not with such a strong force of Smiths Guild people already here, and the paths leading further to the central worlds were likely dangerous. Still, if he brought four smiths to Eluathar, that meant they wouldn't be allowed to leave. And what if they had single-use message cards?

"I can see you are hesitating," the Dean said. "I don't know exactly where your world is, but I can assume there is good reason for you to hesitate, so let me offer this. I have in my own collection a few cards that you should be able to reforge into a mental cloning or similar card. If you help me, I'll let you have them."

Irwin almost said yes, but then he held back. If the Dean had those, wouldn't Brazardian have them? Perhaps he could just ask the Monarch.

"I'll need to think about it," he said slowly.

"Understandable," the Dean said. "Though I ask that you tell me if you agree in two days from now. If you don't, I'll need to make alternative plans."

"Of course," Irwin said.

"Good. Then, if you have any questions, ask!"