Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

“Are you sure that’s ours?” Irwin asked.

He and the others were staring in awe at the ship. Easily double the length of The Sonata, its smooth hull was dark with a slight metallic gleam to the gray wood. With a single main mast, angled back with a massive sail, Irwin wondered if Zender and Earila could even keep it clean with the two of them. The smaller front sail looked similar to the one on The Sonata.

“Aye, that’s your ship!”

He glanced at the young man who had led them along Brazardian’s private dock. Burly, though nothing compared to the smiths, and with intense blue eyes that gazed lovingly at the ship before them.

The others stood nearby, staring in awe at their new vessel. Rindiri had a look of conflicted desire, but she said nothing. A dark, nearly black metal Ganvil sat on her shoulder. Zir’dor, a friend of Ambraz, who was over four hundred years old and without a smith. He’d been more than happy to leave Granvrox for a mission, having been excused from his guard duties because of it.

“Number three! The smallest of the four Lord Brazardian commissioned for his Prodigies and my favorite of the batch,” the young man said.

Irwin saw his eyes gleaming as his gaze raked across the ship's sleek and deadly form.

“The Shipwright had to drain himself dry each day to get these done in time, but they are worth it. This one is as fast as a Scout class, half the size of an Escort, and able to house forty crew with ease!”

“Must you bellow so loud?”

A familiar, deafening voice made them all turn to a line of crates on the other side of the docks adjacent to the buildings. Boohm got up, rubbing at his face, looking at them.

“Ah, captain! It was late the day before, so I decided to find this place and just sleep here,” Boohm said, wandering over. He had a small bag in one hand, and a larger one lay behind him.

“Weren’t you with-”

“No, no! Boohm said, interrupting Greldo with a shake of his head. He looked around before lowering his voice to what had to be a whisper in his eyes. “I was by myself. Just got my stuff and am ready to leave. Which we are, right? Leaving?”

Irwin looked at Boohm, wondering what had happened. He didn’t believe the loud man had done something bad, so what did that leave? He frowned and noticed a tiny flicker of worry in Boohm’s eyes.

“Yes, we are going to leave… why are you so-”

“Good, good! I’ll go and find the galley then,” Boohm said with a nod as he walked towards the wide gangplank.

Irwin watched him walk away, then turned to Greldo, who had a big grin.

“What's going on?”

“I think Boohm might have bit off more than he can chew,” Greldo said as his grin widened to a predatory one. “Don’t worry.”

“Okay, Irwin nodded before walking to Rindiri.

She stood a few steps away with her children, both looking at her, seeming ready to argue again.

“Captain, please take good care of them,” Rindiri said. She glanced at the ship, then hummed. “Before I leave, I think you should name your new vessel. That way I know what to look for.”

Irwin’s mouth opened and closed as he was caught off guard by the request. Part of him wished he could call it The Sonata again, but he knew that wouldn’t work. Still, as he looked at the ship, he knew he wanted to stick with his theme—something that made sense for the deadly, sleek vessel.

“Concerto,” he muttered, recalling a word he’d learned from Skylar. “Yes… that will do.”

“The Concerto?” Rindiri asked, seeming somewhat surprised. “I don’t think I know what that word means…”

“It’s when dozens or more musicians play a single song together,” Irwin said, nodding, knowing it would be a good name.

“The Concerto,” he said, with more certainty this time.

“I like it,” Rindiri said with a nod. Then she turned to Earila, staring at her. “Remember what I taught you. Besides Irwin, you have the highest tolerance for cold, so I expect you to work hard,”

Rindiri turned to Irwin, removed a small booklet from her pocket, and handed it to him.

“Captain, I’ve had her memorize most of the area between us and where we need to go, including a few extra paths. Those and a lot more are here.“

“Thank you,” Irwin said as he accepted the book, looking at it as realization set in that he would need to navigate without Rindiri’s going forward. Although he was sure of himself, he did know he’d probably miss her on many occasions.

Zender had been fidgeting, and as Rindiri turned to him, he visibly steeled himself.

“You have grown a lot since we left Sesnanser,” she said, stepping forward and putting a hand on his shoulder. Zender was almost as tall as her now, and he grabbed her hand, eyes going misty.

“Take care of our sister and The Captain while I’m gone. If Ib asks…. Tell her I’ll try to remember what requirements she gave me for a future partner.”

Zender snorted while Irwin grinned as he imagined that conversation.

“Do you want me to look for a partner for you?” Rindiri asked, a gleam in her eyes.

“No, no!” Zender said, shaking his head quickly. “I’m sure I’ll be able to find someone.”

“Then, be good, and until I see you again!” Rindiri said.

“Captain. Permission to leave for an extended time?”

“Granted,” Irwin said, feeling a pang in his chest.

“Alright, I’ll see you in the future,” Rindiri said, waving at her children before turning and walking back to the regular dock.

“Take care, Lord Ambraz,” Zir’dor said before he shot after her and landed on her shoulder.

“Do you… do you think she will be alright?” Zender whispered, looking after Rindiri.

“If anyone can get your people to safety, it's her,” Irwin said. “Besides, I gave her a few presents before she left.”

Zender looked at him in surprise. “Cards?”

“Perhaps,” Irwin said.

He put a hand on Greldo’s shoulder. “Now, let's go and see what The Concerto looks like inside.”

“So, that’s the name you have gone with?” the young man asked. “Would you like me to register it for you?”

“Yes,” Irwin said. “Do you have all the information?”

“Yes, it's all done. The only thing left was the name,” the young shipwright said. “I’ll show you around the ship, then get right on it.”

He ran forward across the gangplank.

“How long till we leave, you think?” Greldo whispered beside Irwin.

“Half a day,” Irwin said, faintly recalling what Brazardian had shared with him. “We are leaving together with two fleets- one filled with smiths heading to some secret world, the other a merchant’s fleet going to Suiderfuix.”

“Alright, then I’m going to sleep for a part of that,” Greldo muttered. “Using those shadows is pretty draining. You said something about cards that increase my soulforce lake?”

“Yes, let's see the ship, and then we can take care of it. I need to do some smithing.”

“You going to get your heartcard then?” Greldo said as they walked onto the deck.

Irwin was about to say he was when he stopped.

Ethereal Strings isn’t even diamond yet, he thought while looking around the much larger, smooth deck.

It was close, with most of the growth having come from the cards he’d reforged while playing on his soulstrum guitar, but he wanted to get it to Ammolite rank.

“Not yet,” he said. “I need to do a few things before I can. But it shouldn’t be too long.”

“Good, then I’ll beat you to it, and you won’t ever catch up,” Greldo said with a grin. “Now, lets go and see what the rooms look like!’

A short while later, everyone was gathered in the much larger galley. With three long tables, each with a single large chair at the head and benches along the sides, it had room for over thirty people in a single go, and the kitchen area was meant for more than a single cook. Boohm had already stoked up the oven and had started making things that smelled incredible.

“My room is almost the size of what we had in Ambraz’s servant quarters,” Zender said, grinning stupidly. “And there’s a shower area!”

“Which you need to make sure you don’t overuse,” Earila said, frowning at him. “That man said it takes a while for the water to be filtered-” she stumbled over the unfamiliar word. “-and we can’t get new water unless we reach a harbor.”

“Yes, yes,” Zender said with a grin. “But, still! A shower!”

“Imagine if they saw your room,” Greldo said with a snort.

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Irwin grinned as he saw the slight jealousy. He couldn’t blame Greldo, as his own room was fit for a king. Large enough to have a private sitting area, a place to forge, and a massive bed, he even had two large portholes so he could look outside.

“Well, at least you got the second in command’s room,” he said, accepting the plate with steaming food Boohm handed to him.

For the next good while, they ate and chatted, but no matter what Irwin tried, he couldn’t get Boohm to tell him what had happened. Greldo just kept grinning, and when they finished, Irwin snorted.

“Alright, let's go and get you a card,” he said to Greldo.

The kids perked up at that, looking incredibly curious.

“Greldo, what are you going to get?” Zender asked, leaning forward.

“I’ll show you later,” Greldo said. “Now, go and help Boohm clean up, then explore the ship until you know any nook and cranny. Make sure there’s no tracking runes, then check the sails.”

As they walked away, Irwin looked at Greldo with a raised eyebrow.

“What? With Rindiri gone, someone is going to have to keep them in line,” Greldo said. “Unless you want to tell me that you aren’t going to be reforging or practicing most of the trip?”

“You won’t hear me complaining,” Irwin said as they reached his new quarters. The light that streamed in through the large portholes and from the runic lights in the ceiling made it light and roomy, and he liked it already.

A few moments later, they were sitting at the low table, three cards spread out on the table.

“Each of these will increase your available soulforce,” Irwin said. He pointed at one of the cards, which looked like an odd symbol, a cross between art and rune.

“But they don’t work the same. This one increases your soulscape size, which will increase the speed at which your soulforce regenerates, which in turn is what will allow you to use your soulcard abilities.”

He moved to the next, which showed a similar thing.

“This one will increase the density of your soulforce, which is the only way to increase your available soulforce without increasing your soullake. It will give you more useages of your skills, but it also means it will take longer to refill. The final option is increasing your soullake size, which is probably the rarest out of the options but not necessarily the best. It will also increase your available soulforce, and the power behind your moves, but less so than the second option.”

Greldo looked at him, nodding slowly. “I see that academy did teach you something. Okay, so why did you even show me the last option?”

“Because it will increase in effectiveness with each next soulcard you get. When you get four soulcards, it will be twice as useful as the other two cards.”

“So a quick boost now, or a slower one with better potential,” Greldo said. “Which one would you take?”

Irwin pointed at the last card. “This one. I only have a couple, and they are hard to get and hard to reforge. They will also increase your sensitivity to soulforce, letting you get a better read on enemies’ cards.”

Greldo hesitated, then took the third card. “Can I take two?”

“Of course, but it will mean your next heartcard will be focused a lot on soulforce improvement,” Irwin said.

Greldo took the first card and nodded. “That’s fine. I’ll need to practice with them for a while anyway. What about you? Shouldn’t you get a last card?”

Irwin laughed as he picked out another stack and placed them on the table. “Oh, I will, but I need to reforge one first.”

“Going for another Ruby?” Greldo said. “Since when did the two of us become so rich that we slight the lower things.”

“Since I can make them,” Irwin said as he rose and flexed his shoulders. “You leaving or staying?”

“What, and lose the chance to hear you sing?” Greldo said, leaning back and crossing his arms.

Irwin nodded as he focused both of himself on the same task. He’d warned the smiths inside of what might come, and they had been very interested to hear him play while reforging.

One of him positioned himself in the center of his cabin and summoned his hammer, while the other moved to the area in front of his empty soullake and summoned his soulstrum guitar. Ambraz changed to his working shape.

Irwin -both of him- felt a slight tension as his parts weren’t exactly equal, but he’d practiced the night before and knew it wouldn’t matter for what he was planning. When he was to create a heartcard, things would be different, though.

“Let's start with this one,” he said, putting one of the soundbased short-range teleport cards atop Ambraz. It was amethyst and one of the lowest he had. It was also one of the three that Ambraz had the highest hopes for.

“Remember what we said, kid,” Ambraz said. “I’ll hum the start. You follow along when you can. Then I’ll do the beat, you the melody, as we start forcing it. We are aiming for tiny steps, or it will just shatter again.

Irwin didn’t answer, and he waited till Ambraz began humming. As soon as the Anvil did, one of him put his fingers on the snares, and hesitantly first, then faster as the simple song repeated itself a few times, he began to follow along.

Unlike the previous night, when he’d been weary to the bone, both of him were fresh, and the resonance of his soulcard was smooth and strong. With a wide smile, Irwin struck the card, causing the image of what he hoped would be his final card for this heartcard to appear.

--

Greldo leaned back, listening quietly to the soft song that resonated through the large cabin. Almost hauntingly, the metallic humming was accompanied by a steady beat. Irwin’s song, deep and vibrant, sang a worldless song, while Ambraz’s hum created a deep beat.

If he keeps this up, he can just charge people to watch him reforge and earn more than with the cards, Greldo thought.

He looked at the two cards in his hands, both of topaz rank, and wondered if Irwin was going to make them Ruby. He hoped so, as he’d begun noticing just how powerful of a difference higher rank cards were. Not just because their abilities were more potent or stronger when used but also because of the number of times they could be used.

Perhaps he can help me get a Diamond one later, Greldo thought as he leaned back, enjoying the song.

--

Irwin stared at the card on Ambraz’s smooth surface, a brilliant ruby edge showing his success, and he shook his head.

“You look almost sad you succeeded,” Greldo said.

“We wasted dozens of cards,” Irwin said. “Trying and trying… and now I just succeeded. I should have waited!”

“Bah! Kid, you needed the practice! Without it, who is to say you would have succeeded?” Ambraz snorted. “Now stop admiring it. Slot it and go work on the other two. You still have to talk with Hind.”

“What plan do you even have?” Irwin asked.

“Simple, we are going to forge a card that will patch up that broken song of hers. If we can make something like… a plug, it will hopefully stabilize the song.”

Irwin hummed thoughtfully as he realized what Ambraz was getting at.

“But she said she couldn’t slot anything,” Greldo said.

“That’s because her soulcard is resonating in a way that nothing can match,” Irwin said. “Anything that could would also need to be fractured… or-” he raised his hands, fingers spread. “Imagine this her soulcard, with holes where the notes should be rounded and in tune. Now, imagine a card that could fit the holes perfectly. Her soulcard wouldn’t just accept it, but probably not even allow it to be unsloted again.”

“That sounds difficult and pretty much like a permanent solution?” Greldo said, turning to Ambraz. “Didn’t you call it a way to keep it stable?”

Irwin had no answer to that and looked at Ambraz.

“First off, I don’t know anyone that can reforge a card to perfectly ‘fit’ the problem. But say we manage. The real problem isn’t her soulcard anymore. It’s her soulscape. It has been damaged so heavily that its barrier is leaking.“

Irwin winced while Greldo cursed under his breath. “How come she is even alive?”

“Dunny, Kid. Perhaps her soulcard has a high regeneration,” Ambraz said.

“So… how are we even going to make that card?” Irwin asked.

“Simple, I memorized that horrid song - not like I could forget it if I wanted to, and I’m going to resonate it while you create a music sheet for it. Then we are going to see if we can figure out how to fill in the blanks.”

Irwin’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s a great idea.”

“Of course it is,” Ambraz said, sounding incredibly smug. “Now, let’s see your last card. Then you can slot it, and after that, we will reforge those two cards.”

Ambraz flashed, and a moment later, his small form flew to the table just as Irwin put his book down. A second flash and Irwin quickly grabbed it, flipping it to the last page.

Card: Sonic Shift

Type: Soundwave, Ruby, Reforged by Irwin Roddington

Owner: Irwin Roddington

A specialized card that allows the wielder to move along sound waves as long as they are strong enough. If the waves are interrupted or diffused too much, the wielder is deposited at the spot of the interruption.

Passive: Increased movement speed in places with lots of audio waves

Active: Teleport across soundwaves up to a hundred feet

“Gelwin’s balls,” Greldo muttered, looking at Irwin. “So, what? Are you going to be singing in battle now?”

Irwin nodded absently as an idea bubbled up. It took a few moments for it to crystalize, then his eyebrows shot up.

“Ambraz, do you think we could augment this to work with soul resonances when we create my next heartcard?”

It was quiet as Ambraz’s lips turned into a surprised O, then into a grin.

“Well, we are definitely going to try, that is for sure,” he said. “If we can make soundwaves and soulforce resonances the cornerstone of that next card, things are going to get interesting.”

Irwin grinned as he got up and stuck out his hand. “Right, hand me those so we can get them up and running.”

--

Hind gazed at her full glass, deaf to the chatter around her. The Crumpled Tankart was filled to the brim with small-time traders, merchants, and what had to be crooks. Usually, that would have bothered her, but now her mind was empty. Even the ever-increasing pain that caused her nights to be short and horrible seemed distant. Images of Igniz, the ever-burning birthplace of her people, played through her mind.

A dull shout and a shattered glass on the wall a few feet away finally made her snap out of it. She looked up, but the rowdy men were already being tossed out by the massive Onyxian barman.

I’m going to die here, all alone. Father was right. I should have stayed home and made the best of my final years, she thought.

A weary sadness settled around her, and she looked at her glass. She hesitated, then downed it in one go. The burning liquor from her homeworld, so expensive it had cost a month of wages, felt like a trickle of nostalgia as it flowed down her throat. The pain from her soulscape increased- not because of the drink, she knew, just a coincidence.

I think it is time to find the guards and tell them I’m about to turn into an Addled.

She pushed herself up just as a familiar shape thudded through the door of The Crumpled Tankart.

The Smith, she thought, as she watched the man who looked so much like her Uncle Lava look around.

A tiny tinkling of hope came, and she wished it hadn’t. Why couldn’t she just accept it? It wasn’t like there was some mysterious way to fix what was wrong with her.

But perhaps he knows a way to get you home, even if it is to die, a tiny voice whispered.

Irwin, that was his name, spotted her and came walking her way. There was a conflicted look in his eyes, and she sat down, the hope dying as fast as it had come.

“Hind… you don’t look too good.”

Hind felt a jolt of hilarity at that, gallows humor making her speak before she could catch herself. “Yeah, you try having your soulscape turned to molten slag and see how you look.”

The Smith’s eyebrows shot up, and Hind wanted to kick herself. Then she decided it didn’t matter anyway.

“Listen… you-” the Smith’s eyes narrowed, and he sat down. “Never mind, there’s no time.”

He took a card from his pocket and placed it near her hand. As soon as it appeared, Hind heard and saw nothing else. It was as if the entire inn went silent; she didn’t see anything but a fuzzy wave from the card as he grabbed it with his hand. A sense of intense desire she had never felt from her broken soulcard came, and before she even knew what she was doing, she shoved the card into her hand.

It hovered above it, then vanished inside. A soft shiver ran through her body. Then, her mind went blank.

--

Irwin stared stupidly at Hind, who had slotted the card with a frenzy, only to go unconscious, her heavy body thudding into the table loud enough to be heard over the constant chatter.

He looked around quickly, but nobody was looking their way.

“Is she okay?” he whispered to Ambraz, who was sitting on his shoulder.

“She better be. She just took a card that required a whole lot of effort without even a thank you!”

Irwin didn’t respond as he focused on the knocked-out Fiz’rin.

“Now what?” he muttered, more to himself than to actually expect an answer.

“Grab her and get her to the ship. She wanted away, and we can leave her at the nearest port with ships heading for Igniz,” Ambraz said. “I’m too curious to see if my plan worked!”

Irwin sighed as he looked around.

Right, and nobody is going to look at us oddly if I pick up and carry her away, he thought.