Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

"It's almost light. Do you think they are going to stay reforging without sleep?" Greldo asked, looking at the Ganvil sitting on the table.

Coal had alerted him to the other's arrival, and he'd been having a soft conversation ever since.

"Probably," Des said. "Am was pretty upset."

"He didn't seem like someone to get upset easily," Greldo said, thinking back to his interactions with the grumpy Ganvil. He was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Des. Apparently, they were brothers or something similar, but besides the coloration and looks, he didn't see the resemblance.

"Am has always seen himself as the oldest and the one to look after us," Des said, sighing. "Brazardian used that to have him practice and work twice as hard as the rest of us, and I'm sad to say Hal and I were perfectly fine letting him."

"Couldn't you just come with us?" Greldo asked.

Des was quiet for a bit, then sighed again. He'd been doing it a lot since he arrived.

"No. Besides the fact that Brazardian would have a fit, he's not wrong. Our species was nearly wiped out. We need to take any and every precaution to prevent that from happening again."

Greldo wondered what the Ganvil knew about Eluathar and if that colored his opinion. Perhaps he didn't think they had a chance to survive out there?

He might be right, he thought, picturing the massive ports and worlds they had been to. Even if Eluathar was special and had immense potential, it was just one world right now.

One world hidden away, Greldo thought. With dozens or more adjacent worlds to reach.

His keen ears picked up distant footsteps moving towards them. It took him only a moment to recognize Irwin's heavy thud, almost like someone hitting the ground with a mallet.

"They are coming," he said.

Des didn't respond, and the two of them silently waited as the footsteps became louder. Soon, they both heard someone enter the hallway, and Irwin walked into the room, Ambraz sitting on his shoulder. Both looked weary, but neither seemed surprised at seeing Des and Geldo up.

"So, decided to come back for a little sleep?" Greldo said.

His friend didn't respond but walked forward, slumped on the chair, which creaked dangerously under his absurd weight.

"Something like that," Irwin grunted before removing something from his pocket. "You might want to slot this and practice a bit. Cloning cards are really something."

Greldo looked at the red-bordered ruby card that was held out to him. Even after all this time, he was still surprised at having a card handed to him that was probably worth enough to live a hundred comfortable lives, as if it were nothing. From two poor-ass kids in the slums of Malorin to giving each other gifts fit for kings…

"Why do you sound like you have experience with this?" he asked, reaching out and taking the ruby card.

Irwin sighed, leaning back. "Because I do," he muttered, placing his right hand on the table. It had two cards, both clear enough that Greldo knew they were emerald or higher. Knowing Irwin, probably higher.

Greldo looked at his friend, surprised at how tired he looked. His absurd endurance usually made it look like he never got tired.

"How many cards did you reforge?" he asked softly, staring at the card in his hand. It shimmered softly, and the countless shadows around the central canine-like image appeared to be moving.

"I… don't know," Irwin said, shaking his head. "Fourteen?"

"Twenty-three," Ambraz muttered. "Twenty of which shattered."

"That's absurd! No smith with only a single soulcard has enough soulforce for that," Des exclaimed.

Neither Irwin nor Ambraz responded, and Greldo hesitated before getting up.

"Alright, I'll go and slot it and practice. Anything I need to know before I do?"

Irwin looked at him and winced. "Yeah. Tell Coal to start with one shadow-clone."

Greldo nodded, glancing at his friend's fifth card.

"You going to get a sixth before we leave?"

Irwin grimaced, then shrugged. "It depends on how I feel tomorrow."

"Well, go and sleep!"

Greldo grinned, then vanished into the shadows.

--

Irwin was drained. He wanted to sleep if he could, but he also didn't want to leave Ambraz with Des—not yet. He could almost feel his companion's annoyance as both Ganvils remained quiet.

Irwin's gaze drifted to his right hand and the fifth card slotted in it. A victorious grin came to his face as he looked at his new card. Although he'd worked around the first iteration of his mental cloning card, it had been too troublesome, and when he and Ambraz had managed to create this… well, the choice had been quickly made.

Card: Dual Soul Fragment

Type: Ruby, Reforged by Irwin Roddington

Owner: Irwin Roddington

A unique card created in a flash of weary enlightenment. Splits off a small bit of the soul and mind, which can both think and act at the same time while remaining the same person. The small soulseed ages and grows over time, increasing in ability and power.

Passive: A tiny portion of someone's soul and being is split off, allowing the person to use each to think and act independently.

Passive: Increased soullake capacity based on the soulseed's age. Current capacity (10%)

The description floated into his mind while he sensed the tiny second part of him resting inside his mind. Both of his selves were weary from the exertion, but the small piece was still too young and small to handle its own creation. It was an odd thing to feel part of you asleep. Ambraz said the card was something he'd never seen or heard of before, and his assumption was that its creation was likely only possible due to Irwin's own existing soulcard and abilities.

"So… wanna come along anyway?" Ambraz said.

Irwin jolted and blinked, realizing he'd almost fallen asleep in the chair.

"I can't," Des said, sounding annoyed. "You know I can't, so stop asking! No, I'm here because Brazardian wants you both to come and see him."

"What… now?" Irwin grunted, feeling his weariness seemingly worsen.

The Ganvil, who looked so much like Ambraz, sighed as he rose in the air. "Yes. You need to move all of the rank zeros and some others into your soulscape."

Irwin closed his eyes, feeling his mind teeter. Then he forced himself to his feet. It wasn't any physical weariness that he felt. It was his soul and mind that could barely take anymore.

"Fine, let's get it over with. I need to sleep," he said.

There was no talking as they headed to Brazardian's chambers, but as they entered, Irwin stopped in stunned surprise. Dozens of small Ganvils were flying around, whispering excitedly, while others were perched everywhere, including atop Brazardian's massive form. Their voices were slightly more high-pitched than that of Ambraz and Des but not at all childlike, while the soft soulforce resonance that came from them sounded weaker than that of any other Ganvil he'd met.

The rank zeros!

As he looked around, he saw a small group of other Ganvils on the side. Both from their demeanor and the ripples of soulforce leaking from them, Irwin knew that they were not rank zero but likely rank one.

"It took you long enough," Brazardian said. He sounded drained but content. "Seeing as that we can all do with some rest, I'll keep this short."

Is there ever a time when you don't? Irwin thought.

"Irwin, I need you to take all the rank zeros in your soulscape. They will go into hibernation as soon as they arrive, so the drain on your energy should be negligible."

"And them?" Ambraz asked as he indicated at the small group of rank ones. "I thought you said that we-"

"We will get to that later," Brazardian said, cutting him off.

"Fine," Ambraz muttered, turning to Irwin. "Kid, I'll go into your mindscape and help."

He blurred, then vanished, and a moment later, Irwin felt him resonate softly.

'All of them are rank zero, so they are still roughly resonating in the same way. Sadly we will have account for the minute differences. Let's get this over with.'

"Little ones," Brazardian boomed. "Do as we discussed, line up before Irwin, and wait your turn quietly."

It took a while before the young Ganvils did as asked, but eventually, Irwin looked at the first one.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi! Can I start now?" the Ganvil asked enthusiastically.

Irwin nodded, and the Ganvil began resonating his soulforce much louder. It took Irwin a few moments to follow, then he sensed the familiar push against his soulscape wall. With Ambraz's help, he 'allowed' the Ganvil inside, and it vanished from before him.

He absently listened to Ambraz tell it to come to where he was, and a short while later, the Ganvil's presence turned weak and faint.

'Next,' Ambraz said.

This is going to be a long night, Irwin thought, pleasant images of his bed drifting further out of reach.

Almost two hours later, he leaned back against the wall as the final rank zero vanished.

"Finally," he muttered.

"Good job," Brazardian boomed. "Let's wrap this up so we can rest for a few hours."

That'd be great, Irwin thought as he pushed himself up.

For a moment, the world seemed to spin, then it reasserted itself as Ambraz appeared on his shoulder.

"Almost done, Kid," he whispered.

Irwin nodded as he walked to the group of eleven rank-one Ganvils.

"These are all Ganvils that either should have been on a ship in the last few days or tomorrow. I plucked them away and explained that they will be going with you," Brazardian said. "All of them were bound for adventure or their own things, but none had someone waiting for them. So, their absence won't be missed- at least not for a long time."

A soft snort came from one of the Ganvils, but none of them seemed willing to speak their mind around the Monarch. Irwin didn't blame them.

"Between them, they should have enough knowledge to help train the rank zeros," Brazardian said. "Take them into your soulscape."

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Irwin nodded, repressing a weary groan.

It took a bit longer to take the rank ones in, as each had a very unique resonance, but he did have a lot of practice by now. When the final one vanished, Irwin realized that there was a slight strain on him. One that was beyond his weariness from reforging too many cards at the edge of his ability.

"So, that's it?" he asked hopefully.

"Almost. There's one more thing," Brazardian said with a hum. "You can come in now."

Irwin looked in surprise as four young people entered the room. They were led by a young man with dark gray skin and spikey hair that looked like jagged stone, who was at least as big as he was. Two girls, probably no older than sixteen, followed him. The three looked a lot alike, and Irwin guessed they were likely related.

All four had a Ganvil on their shoulder, and Irwin instantly knew they were, at best, rank two or three.

Montain and his sisters, Irwin guessed.

A slightly older woman, closing in on twenty, with the gleaming silver eyes of someone who was working on their heartcard, followed them. She was staring at him, her dark golden, metallic eyebrows lowered. A silver-colored anvil sat on her shoulder, lips in a quirky smile.

"Irwin, these are Montain, Esther, and Seleen. They are among the most promising smiths of their generation, and I'll need you to take them into your soulscape until you are a few days away from Granvox," Brazardian said. "They are going to be coming along with you, and if possible, hide away."

Irwin watched the three, noticing a look of interest in Montain.

"They know that might mean for a good while?" he said after a moment's hesitation.

"We are aware," Montain said with a voice like gravel rolling down a hill. "The alternatives are worse. The Dean told us what those were-" he shuddered. "-and I prefer this."

"You will have to find something to do while inside," Irwin said. "There's not a lot there, though."

"It's fine," Montain said. "We have had very little rest, and a few days of doing nothing sounds fine. I heard your soulscape is large, so perhaps I can use it for some practice."

Practice what? Irwin thought.

Still, he nodded, then steeled himself for more tiresome activities. "Ambraz?"

"On it."

It took far more effort to get all three of them in, and eventually, only the final woman remained.

“I’m Dahlia den Valarn,” she said. "My grandfather asked you to take me along…"

"The Dean," Irwin said.

"I'm not sure yet if I'll come along with you all the way or if I will make my own way, but I'll need to get out of here. If it's not too much bother, I'd request you allow me entrance into your soulscape."

Irwin blinked as he looked at the young woman, surprised by the gentle and courteous words. After the entire day, he'd not expected it.

"Dahlia, you know what your grandfather said," Brazardian rumbled, a slight warning in his voice.

"Yes, and like I told him, I'm old enough to decide my own path," Dahlia said.

Irwin wanted to say something, but a yawn was all that came. With a sigh, he nodded.

"Fine, let's get this finished so I can rest," he said.

Another weary bit of work later, the final person but him, Ambraz, Des, and Brazardian, was gone.

He could hear them whispering in his mindscape, and he hoped he wouldn't be held awake by it.

If I have to, I'll just tell them to be quiet and sleep, he thought.

"Irwin."

Irwin looked up, realizing his head had fallen on his chest again. He really was too tired.

"You can go and rest in a moment. I have one more thing for you," Brazardian said. "Ambraz has told me the directions for your final card and your troubles with it. Besides the cards you are all taking-" the Monarch sighed, seeming annoyed about something. "-I also have some from my own collection for you. One of these should be reforgeable to what you want."

Even the weariness couldn't stop Irwin from looking up with growing interest.

A small spectral hand, gleaming metallic and translucent, appeared from beside Brazardian, moving towards him. Irwin stared at it in curious wonder.

How… is this something Ambraz will be able to do? he thought. Then his eyes fell on the stack of cards it was clasping.

"I would suggest you use those you manage to keep for one of the people back home," Brazardian said. "These cards are… hard to come by. Most here use fire-based short-range teleports."

Irwin nodded as he accepted the cards. The top one was topaz, higher than his usual base materials, and it showed an odd ripple effect with a figure.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome. Now, leave. I need to speak with my two offspring before they leave."

Irwin glanced at Ambraz.

"Go, I'll be there when you wake."

Taking a deep sigh, Irwin turned, noticing how the entire room seemed to spin. It took all his power to remain standing, then headed forward. As he forced himself to keep walking, weakness threatening him, a sudden nostalgia hit him.

This is how things used to be, he thought, as he recalled his childhood.

--

Irwin woke feeling odd and incredibly refreshed. He looked up to see the roof of one of Ambraz's servant quarter rooms. He'd taken the first empty one he came across and slammed into the bed, and by now, he felt a lot better.

A soft chatter came from somewhere nearby, almost like a whisper, and it took him a moment to remember the smiths he had in his soulscape.

As he thought of them, his mind split in two. Unlike his first attempt, he felt no nausea or oddity. Instead, the larger part of him was in bed while the other part hovered in his soulscape. It was as if he was juggling with two hands, feeling both parts of him. Though not completely equally.

I wonder how it will grow, Irwin thought as he flexed the smaller part of himself.

It held an exact copy of his soulforce, but it was tiny, while his main soulforce was slightly less than it had been a whole day ago.

"Awake?"

Irwin looked up in the room while he had his other part move around his soulscape, taking a look at what the smiths were doing. Oddly, if he focused on one, the other still acted, and he could sense a second part of him controlling it.

Okay, this might be better, but it's still going to take some getting used to, Irwin thought.

"Yes," he said as he got up. "How long did I sleep?"

"It's a few hours past the light, so I couldn't let you sleep any longer," Ambraz said, landing on the bed next to him.

Had he only been with him shortly, Irwin wouldn't have noticed, but he heard the weariness in Ambraz's voice. His friend and companion's soulforce was also jittery.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"He wouldn't budge," Ambraz said.

"Yeah, I didn't think he would," Irwin said.

He rose and headed to the small dish of water and the metal mirror. It was quiet as he shaved, washed his face, and, with a second of hesitation, most of his upper body. A few moments later, he walked out of his room to freeze at the door opening.

Three Coals, all shadowy as if not well illuminated, stood in the room. One was looking at the door that led outside. The other two looked at him, heads cocked slightly.

"Hi…" Irwin said as he walked inside and looked around.

There was no sight of the others, but he heard a soft groan followed by a thud. A few moments later, Greldo walked out of his room, rubbing his head. When he saw Irwin, he smiled.

"So you did come back."

"Of course. So, it worked?" Irwin asked.

Greldo looked at the three shadowy Coals and grinned. A moment later, the shadow hounds vanished, replaced by the real Coal.

"We are going to need some practice with this," he said. "But let's just say that if we encounter another group of pirates, they are going to be in for a surprise."

"I don't doubt it," Irwin said with a grin.

"So, tell me how it works. How many can Coal… summon? Make?" Irwin asked, not a hundred percent sure if he had made the card.

"Six or seven now," Greldo said. "It depends on my soulforce, so I was going to ask you for some cards to increase that."

"We will have to see later," Irwin said with a nod. "I have some left, and they usually merge well with nearly anything."

They continued chatting until the others began waking up and joining them. Zender was the last one, and the boy, who was rapidly turning too large to be called that, looked around with bleary eyes and a yawn. He looked around until he saw his mother, then sat down beside her.

"So everyone knows?" Irwin asked.

"Mom told us," Zender said, looking to the side. "I want to go with her, but she won't let me."

"You're too young and have no soulcard," Rindiri said, staring at Zender, who looked at the table with a mix between anger and hopelessness. Rindiri's face softened, and she put a hand on Zender's.

"Zender. I need to get our people, and I can do that best if I can move as fast as I can. Don't worry. I've been roaming the Portal Gallery for a very long time. Nothing will happen to me."

"There's Smith worlds being attacked and raging storms," Zender said, looking up. "I can help!"

"I'm sure you can," Rindiri said, but her face turned stern again. "But you will go with the Captain."

Zender looked at her for a bit, then nodded.

During their exchange, Earila had been looking from her brother to her mother and back. When they stopped, her shoulders sagged.

"Alright," Irwin said, getting to his feet. "Let's grab our stuff and get ready. Does anyone know where Boohm is?"

"He didn't sleep here," Greldo said, his grin widening. "I'm sure he will meet us at the harbor."

Irwin matched his grin, and he knew they were going to have fun pulling some details from the Onyxian.

As they gathered their belongings, Irwin's attention moved to his other, as-of-yet smaller self. He had been talking with Montain and his sisters. They had been asking nonstop questions about how he managed to get his soulscape and soullake as big as they were.

He told them they were heading to the harbor and asked some things about where they were from.

An hour later, they reached the exit portal, and this time, there was nobody to lead them back. The wall with guardian Ganvil's was quiet, and only a few had visible lips, showing they were awake.

Irwin looked at the portal. It felt like it had been only days since they arrived, and now they would be leaving already. A look back at the city, made him wonder if he'd ever see Skylar and the others again. He hoped so.

Still, it's not like we are leaving with empty hands, he thought.

They now had hundreds of cards, Ganvils, and a handful of smiths. All they had to do was safely return them home.

"Let's go," he said, stepping into the portal.

The trip lasted as long as it always did, and when they arrived in the room, a few Ganvils were sitting nearby. Large and quiet, Irwin nodded at them as he and the others walked out.

Little happened during their trip until they finally reached the harbor. Irwin was walking ahead, following Ambraz's directions, when Greldo tsssked.

"Company."

Irwin looked to where Greldo was looking and saw a familiar figure walk towards them, eyes locked with his. It was the Fiz'rin Hind whom he'd met when they arrived. Irwin knew he hadn't really thought about her after they had met, somehow the meeting with Brazardian and everything after having wiped her from his mind. Now that he saw her, he recalled Ambraz had told her that her soulcard was broken - created from a misformed heartcard.

Hind's eyes were filled with barely hidden hope, and she stopped in front of them.

The resonance of her soulcard hit Irwin like a wave of out-of-tune music, with the ripples chaotic and jagged lines.

Did it become worse, or did I become more sensitive? Irwin thought, holding back a grimace.

"Hi," she said. "I hope you remember me?"

"Hind," Irwin said with a nod. "We met when we arrived."

She nodded, her eyes widening. "Do you have some time to talk?"

Irwin hesitated, then nodded. "I need to head to the dock, but we can chat as we move."

Hind nodded, stepped aside, and then fell in stride with him.

"How did you find us?" Irwin asked, looking at her.

"I.. I… Listen, you wouldn't happen to know how to fix soulcards, would you?" Hind asked, staring at him, not answering his question.

"Her soulcard is way worse," Ambraz said in his soulscape. "It might actually shatter, causing her to become addled if this continues."

"I don't know if anyone can repair your soulcard," Irwin said honestly. "It's not something I've learned."

Hind's shoulders sank, the hope in her eyes dulling.

"Then I'm doomed," she said, her pace slowing down until she stood still.

Irwin stopped, the others following his lead.

"They won't let me on the planet, and none of the smiths here can help," Hind said absently. Then she looked up, pain and resignation in her eyes. "I won't even have the time left to return home."

Although he barely knew her, Irwin felt a stab of sympathy for her. She was the only Fiz'rin he'd met and looked more like him than anyone else he'd seen in a long time. He glanced at Ambraz.

"Is there anything we could do?"

"I… don't know," the Ganvil said hesitantly. "I don't think even the Monarchs could fix this."

Hind looked up, a tiny sliver of hope in her eyes as she stared at Ambraz. "If you know anything, anyway, please let me know. I'll do whatever you want."

Irwin focused on her, for the first time really looking at her soulcard, listening to the malformed song and watching the ripples of soulforce that sometimes moved from her. It felt like a song played on a broken instrument, an instrument so out of tune that no matter the skill of the one wielding it, it would never be as beautiful as it should be.

"There might be a way we could hold her soulcard together long enough for her to head home," Ambraz said. "But… she'd have to come with us, and we'd have to go to Igniz. Which, I might remind you, would be a detour of at least a few weeks."

Irwin nodded. "Listen, tell me where you are staying. I'm going to see if I can think of something, and if I can, I'll come find you," he said.

Hind nodded, but her eyes were hollow. "Sure… I'm staying in the Crumpled Tankart, a small inn. If you ask anyone, they can point you to it."

Irwin could see she didn't expect him to return. Sadly, there was little he could do about that. He was about to walk away when she looked up.

"Right, I… I had someone look out for any smith that came out of the portal," she muttered. "That's how I knew you were here. You might want to be careful, though. I wasn't the only one paying for that information."

Irwin glanced at Greldo, then back at Hind.

"Thank you for warning us," he said. "I hope to see you again."

"Me too," Hind said as she began walking away, her feet dragging.

"I'll move into the shadows in a moment and see what's going on," Greldo said, stepping close to Irwin. "Also… she looks like a good sort. You sure you can't help her?"

Irwin shook his head, not knowing how he would even go about it. He only knew how to reforge cards.

I wonder what Ambraz's idea is, he thought as he continued head. But first, I'll need to see the cards Brazardian gave us and pick my final one.