Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

“That much is broken…” Vrishia said, her previous calm gone.

Greldo didn’t reply but waited as she let the reality that they were at a minimum cut off from the central words sink in. The other people in the inn were looking at him quietly, and he wondered if they all believed him or not.

After a few moments, Vrishia put her elbows on the table and sighed. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

“I’m afraid you are going to have a problem,” she said, causing Greldo to fully focus on her. “The only ones who have any information on the state of the corridors and branches are the captains of the Currant Hunters. Theirs are the only ships equipped to travel through the storm, and rumor has it they are able to move to some of the other worlds that are still holding on. They have taken command of the docks district, and there’s a rumor floating about them making a new map to navigate the gallery. The thing is, that’s all they are. Rumors. Ever since the battle, they have been unwilling to share any information.”

Greldo rolled his eyes. “Of course they are,” he muttered.”Let me guess, that ship Zirt is on has something to do with that?”

“The Ruby’s Revenge is the most powerful ship in dock, and Captain Nralt is the most senior of the captains. He is in command,” Vrishia said with a frown. “Though ever since the storm came, he has been acting erratic- going as far as to attack his own crew. He was the main reason for the battle between the captains and people on Tulpil.”

Greldo leaned back, thinking. He had no interest in knowing what kind of battle had happened. Probably some struggle for control of the exit portal. What was more interesting and worrisome was that the Currant Hunters were able to navigate the storm-riddled Portal Gallery. That meant that they might run into them, and although he knew that they would be way better equipped to handle them with The Concerto, they couldn’t risk being followed.

Though… I wonder what would happen if Irwin teleported aboard and went nuts, he thought. From what he knew, teleporting to soulforce concentration was something that was almost impossible to block or nullify.

He grinned as Coal suggested a way to get the map.

We could just attack them, but remember those nullifiers? They are bound to have those, he replied.

“Is there any way you could help me get that map?” he asked.

Vrishia frowned, shaking her head, and Greldo quickly added: “My Captain will definitely repay the favor.”

He didn’t like promising something in Irwin’s name, but he knew his friend well enough to say that he’d agree with this decision.

“Even if I knew who your captain was and would want to take the risk of angering The Currant Hunters, there’s nothing I can do,” Vrishia said, shaking her head. “There is a tentative peace right now, with everyone afraid that the people on world might stop sending supplies if we cause trouble. Still, it's a fragile thing.”

Greldo ignored the implicit question about Irwin. There were still people hunting him. He wasn’t surprised that the people in the port town were doing their best to keep on Tulpil’s good side. The only steady supply of food would be from the world, though it did make him wonder.

“Why aren’t you all on Tulpil? Wouldn’t that be safer?”

Vrishia’s face turned sour, and a mutter of annoyance ran through the Inn.

“They stopped allowing people through the exit portal shortly after the storm began encircling us and ripping apart the corridors,” Vrishia said. “The entire harbor is stuffed to the brim with more people than it can handle. It’s why many have stayed on their ships, and it is the reason why so many followed Nralt when he tried to take the Exit Portal.”

Greldo nodded, wondering if it was time for him to get You’gyn awake. The Ganvil was supposed to be with him to help in these situations, though he wondered now exactly how he was going to do that.

“Did you hear anything about Fiverio?” someone shouted, breaking the silence.

Greldo looked up, but before he could even answer, the people in the Inn, who had been quiet before, started baraging him with questions. Most were about worlds that he’d never heard about or calls if he’d seen this or that ship. Still mixed in, there was one other question that kept coming up.

“I don’t know about any of those worlds,” Greldo said as he got up and looked around. “But the last thing I heard about the rumored war was that it was still years away from us and that they sent the Hegliron’s fleets there.”

There was a shocked silence.

“All of them?” someone whispered in awe.

“I don’t know about all of them,” Greldo said, trying to recall what he did. “But at least more than one.”

A chatter filled the large inn room as people started talking excitedly.

Greldo focused on Vrishia. “Do you know if there are any other ships that might know about the situation beyond where we are?”

“There might be, and I can start asking around,” Vrishia said. “But I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Sorry.”

Greldo thought for a bit, then made up his mind. He knew who had the information he needed. Now he just needed a way to get it.

“It's fine. I’ll go and look around a bit,” he said, nodding at Vrishia. “Thanks for the information.”

Before Vrishia could respond, he stepped into the shadowrealm. Shock ran across Vrishia’s as she looked around, and then she mouthed something.

‘Wake up You’gyn, it’s time to see if he has any useful help to offer,’ Greldo sent to Coal.

With a final look around, he moved through a small crack between two shutters and back out into the city. There was no sight of any other shadow walkers, and he moved along the perpetual shadows that were cast by the buildings.

The itching annoyance that was You’gyn in his soulscape suddenly strengthened. Then he sensed it move around a bit.

‘So, we made it here alive?” You’gyn said.

Greldo frowned, wondering if the Ganvil expected him to answer the rhetorical question, which he didn’t even know how to. Then he sensed Coal’s annoyance and a nasty grin came as he felt what his friend was doing.

‘Hey, no biting!’

Let’s find a place where I can get him out of my soulscape.

Greldo flew through the shadowy harbor city, peeking into the buildings to find an empty room or cranny and quickly finding that everything was either populated or in use. After almost an hour, he hung before a small building wedged between two larger ones, watching two young women walk away after closing a door that led to a room barely the size of a bedroom.

Coal appeared in the shadows beside him to keep watch and warn him if they returned. When the women were out of sight, he entered their room, feeling somewhat awkward as he looked around. Seeing nothing, he stepped out of the shadows.

You’gyn appeared almost immediately, and Greldo held back a happy moan when the constant painful itch left his soulscape.

“Quiet,” Greldo whispered before the Ganvil could speak. Then he quickly explained what had happened.

“It's always those bloody Currant Hunters,” You’gyn said, flying around, seemingly looking for a perch. Finding none, he landed on Greldo’s shoulder. “Well, all of their ships are equipped with nullifiers, so you can forget sneaking in through the shadows.”

“I thought as much,” Greldo grunted. “So, you wouldn’t happen to know this Nralt really well?”

“Please… I know of Nralt, and he’s one of the nastiest pieces of work among those filthy, warmongering mercenaries,” You’gyn muttered. “They passed by us a few times, and each time, they acted like they owned the place. Even had the gall to order me around! That Zirt is even worse…”

Greldo grunted. “Alright, so any good ideas?”

“We need to figure out if they have a map and where it is,” You’gyn hummed softly. “If we can find its location, I might be able to sneak in and bring it out.”

Greldo looked at the Ganvil in surprise. He’d expected him to want to stay back and not do anything dangerous. He had very little interaction with You’gyn, mostly ignoring the Ganvil during the journey so far.

“What? Don’t act all surprised! I have good ideas,” You’gyn hissed.

“Sure, now we just need to figure out where that map is,” Greldo said.

“Well, you’re a shadow walker, right? Go and walk around! There have to be crewmen of those Currant Hunters that are out drinking and eating. Just grab one and force them to tell us?”

Greldo stared at the Ganvil, and slowly, a grin spread on his face. “I think the two of us might just get along really well.”

“We will? Wait, you agree with me?” You’gyn whispered, then his lips curved up. “Of course you do! It's a great plan!”

Greldo snorted as he stepped into the shadowrealm, bringing the Ganvil along. It would cost way more energy than when the other was in his soulscape, but for what they had to do now, it was the better option.

Now, let's go and find some of those crewmen, he thought.

--

Sibil sat in the corner of the Bleeding Compass Inn, glaring at the watered-down drink before her.

How dare he hit me, she thought, picturing Nralt’s angry face.

The Captain had gone ballistic when she told him about that stupid hairy punk, and only Zirt had been able to calm him enough to prevent him from doing something rash. Not that Zirt was any better, that low-life scum. If she’d known this was how it would be, she’d never have agreed to join them.

And now I’m stuck, she thought, raising her drink and sipping from it.

The thin ale barely had a punch, closer to water than what it should be. Still, it had cost two of her remaining soulshards.

“Look at that, if it isn’t our resident shadow rat?”

Sibil jolted as she heard the familiar voice. She looked up, annoyed at how she’d let someone get this close to her without noticing.

A massive Loydin was smiling at her smugly while a few others hung behind him.

“Milzer, what do you want?”

“I heard you got the captain angry?” the Loydin said, his shit-eating smile widening. “Zirt had to help you out? You do know that means you owe him now… right?”

Sibil’s eyes narrowed. She hadn’t known Milzer was one of Zirt’s. When had that happened?

“Perhaps you should evaluate Zirt’s offer,” Milzer rumbled as he leaned closer, very slowly reaching out and grabbing Sibil’s drink, pulling it from her grip. “With how insane Nralt is becoming, you are going to need friends!”

Milzer rose to his full size, his head almost brushing the ceiling, then downed her drink in a single gulp before putting the mug back down.

“You have one day.”

Sibil swallowed as she watched him stalk away, quickly followed by three others.

I should have just stayed home and joined the Portal Miners… Why did I ever think joining the Currant Hunters was a good idea?

As she leaned back, she wondered what she should do now. Perhaps she could just hide like some of the other shadowwalkers were doing? It meant she’d be constantly on the run, hiding and stealing food, but at least she wouldn’t have to head back to her tiny room on a ship filled with lunatics.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Who am I kidding? If I do that, and the Portal Galeries finally recover, how am I going to get home?

She remained seated in the corner, staring at the table without seeing it and trying to think of a solution until a waiter came telling her to get a drink or leave.

Sibil rose, wondering what she should do, then froze. A shadowy blotch moved from where it had hidden just out of her sight, hovering before her. The way the shadows warped and bent around it, more powerful than any she’d seen since leaving home, told her exactly who it was.

Why is he here? What does he want?

She glared at the shadow trail as it floated away before stopping. If that punk had just come and seen Nralt, she wouldn’t have been the one to be punished and pushed into a corner. Now he wanted her to come and talk? Sibil hesitated, then pushed her anger down. It wasn’t like she’d have done anything different had she been in his shoes. Besides, if he had come, the chances were big that Nralt would have just gutted him.

Fine, it's not like it can get any worse.

She stepped into the shadows, following the reason for her worries.

--

Greldo floated into a small room. The inhabitants were currently in the process of getting blindingly drunk and wouldn’t return for at least a few hours. Stopping before the tiny, cluttered table, he stepped out of the shadows and watched the shadowy trail hover behind him.

“Let's have a chat,” he said as he sat down.

Coal was hovering nearby, as were a dozen of his shadow clones, ready to pounce if they had to.

The shadowy trail vanished as Sibil appeared. Her eyes darted from Geldo, to where Coal was, then back while Greldo examined her. The left side of her face was a mass of bruised red and small cuts, swollen enough for her eye to be almost completely closed.

She got hit pretty hard for something this minor, he thought.

He’d found her while following a few drunk crewmen and had learned a few things about her. For one, she belonged to a small group of new crewmen that had joined only a few months before the storm cut them off. Second, she and the other new crewmen hadn’t been able to earn their spurs and were now seen as second-rate members, being forced to do all of the nasty, unwanted jobs. And thirdly, where the other new crewmen had bonded together over their shared misery, Sibil was alone.

As he watched her interaction with the big Loydin called Milzer, a plan had begun growing. He was going to bribe some of the unhappy crewmen to have them get the map, and his first choice was going to be Sibil. If he was going to hang around that ship, the best thing would be if the other shadowwalker wasn’t going to rat him out.

As the silence stretched on, Sibil’s eyes narrowed angrily, and finally, she seemed unable to hold back.

“What do you want?” she snapped angrily, her hand hovering near a dagger that was strapped to her upper leg.

“I want to offer you a deal,” Greldo said as he calmly looked at the other shadowwalker. “Nralt has something I want, and if you help me get it, I’ll give you a thousand soulshards and an amethyst card.”

Sibil’s eyes widened, and her mouth fell open.

“Are you crazy? The Ruby’s Revenge has dampening field runes, and Zirt can see shadowwalkers!”

Can he now… Greldo thought.

“I know,” he lied. “Which is why I’m not asking you to steal anything. I just need you to tell me where they keep the updated maps and any other information they have about the state of the surrounding Portal Gallery.”

Sibil stared at him quietly, then sat down opposite him.

“That's all you need…?” she said, eyes narrow.

“Well,” Greldo said. “I also need to make sure you don’t tell anyone when I’m hanging around that ship and create a distraction.”

“If they catch me helping you, I’ll be dead,” Sibil hissed.

“Which is why I’m paying you well,” Greldo said, staring at her.

He didn’t add that even if she agreed, he’d still sic one of Coal’s shadow clones on her, but she would find out soon enough.

“Are you stupid? If you do this and then show up, Nralt will know it's you and slaughter your entire ship,” Sibil said.

“Well, unless he has four soulcards or more, I’d like to see him try that,” Greldo said. The words barely left his mouth when he knew he might have underestimated Nralt.

“He has four and is working toward his fifth,” Sibil said, getting up and seeming ready to leave.

“Okay, well then, it's a good thing we won’t be coming here,” Greldo said quickly.

Sibil hesitated, then seemed to make up her mind as she stared at him.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

Greldo saw a tiny sliver of hope in her eyes, telling him exactly what she really wanted. She wanted to get out of here, just like over half of the people here. He wasn’t really planning on taking her along, though, but if he had to…?

Well, it's only fair that someone besides Irwin drags someone aboard, he thought.

“Somewhere safe,” he said.

Sibil swallowed, staring at him as if trying to read the contents of his mind. Greldo projected his best ‘I’m a hundred percent sure of myself’ face.

“I’ll help if you bring me along,” she blurted, to no surprise of Greldo.

“I wasn’t planning on bringing any strays,” Greldo said. “With a card and enough soulshards you should be able to buy yourself a ticket on-world.”

Sibil snorted, shaking her head. “Not happening. Some of the captains tried, and even they didn’t have enough wealth for that.”

“Seriously?” Greldo asked, somewhat surprised by that.

“A short while after this whole mess started, a few of the captains tried to take control of the exit portal… it didn’t go too well,” Sibil said. “It's why most of the crew stays inside the dock-district.”

“Well, how about I give you two thousand soulshards…?” Greldo said, deciding to try a bit more.

Sibil shook her head. “Either you take me along, or I won’t help you!”

Greldo stared at her, trying and failing to come up with another way to get her help. He could try to force her, but that might make things worse… and if he tried to get the other shadowwalkers he’d seen to help, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t have the same result. Besides, Sibil knew the Ruby’s Revenge.

Wait, she doesn’t just know the ship. She was also sent out to find me! he thought.

Slowly, an idea formed, and he absently hummed one of the songs Irwin liked to play as he thought for a while. He ignored Sibil, who was staring at him intently.

“Fine… but I’ll need more than just the information and a distraction then,” he finally said as he leaned back. “If I take you along, you are going to help me get those maps.”

“Are you crazy? I just told you neither of us can get anywhere close there,” she said. “They will find us and enable the nullifying runes.”

“Who said we need to get close,” Greldo said. “Here’s what we are going to do-”

--

Irwin stood at the prow of the ship, staring at the distant chaos storm. Three days had passed since Greldo had gone, and his worry grew with each passing hour.

“He will return,” Hou’dor said.

Irwin hummed, hoping that Hou’dor was right but not responding as he continued to stare out into the distance.

Part of him was practicing the Galadin music on his guitar. He had finally managed to adapt the easiest of the songs to play on his guitar, changing the few parts he, for some reason, couldn’t get exactly right. The plan had been to use the song to forcefully reforge a card, but he had a hard time focusing. If he hadn’t had his Soul Clone, he’d have barely managed to get anything done.

Which was why he was on the prow - just as he had been for the last few days.

“Speak of the devil, there he is,” Hou’dor said, just as something thudded on the deck beside them.

Irwin spun around to see Greldo drop to his knees, breathing raggedly. His armor was torn in the front and on the sides, and blood dripped from thin lacerations that covered his face, arms, and hand. He rushed to his friend.

“Grel! What-”

“No time to chat. Get us out of here,” Greldo grunted. “Just go back and take the other route. Use these maps-” he struggled to pull a thick wad of paper from within his vest and drop it on the ground. “Now… I’m going to take a rest. Oh, right- this is Sibil. She’s going to come with us for a bit. Keep an eye on her.”

Irwin caught him just as he slumped down while a young woman with as many wounds as Greldo thudded on the ground next to him, eyes closed, breathing raggedly. Before he could react, You’gyn appeared on the ground, his wings fluttering listlessly and his lips pursed.

“What the…- You’gyn, what happened?” Irwin shouted.

“This crazy brat stole maps from a four-time soulcarded, who might just be crazy enough to come after us,” You’gyn said, his voice weak. “I don’t think… I can- Ugh, no… energy… Watch out for… the Chaos Wha-”

You’gyn’s lips vanished, and he went inert.

Chaos Whales? Irwin thought, wondering what those had to do with all this.

“You’gyn?” he snapped, worried and angry at the same time.

He looked from Greldo to You’gyn, then at the young woman.

“Don’t bother. I don’t know what You’gyn did, but he has no soulforce left. It's going to take a week or more before he wakes back up,” Ambraz said.

Irwin held back a shouted curse, his mind spinning as he gazed at the chaotic storm that raged before them. Would someone seriously attempt to reach them through that? And what did You’gyn mean, look out for the Chaos Whales?!

Better not risk it, he thought.

“Boohm, get up here,” he roared before looking up at the sail where Zender said. “Get these maps to your sister and tell her to find us a path home. Then, turn this ship around and get ready to go back in the storm. I’ll be up here before we go in!”

Zender had been staring at Greldo worriedly, but as Irwin spoke, his worry faded, and he nodded.

“On it, captain!” he shouted just as Boohm ran up on deck.

Montain, Selene, and Esther were one step behind him. All of them looked at Greldo and the new woman with equal measures of surprise and worry.

“What in the blazes happened to him?” Boohm shouted. “And who’se this?!”

“I have no idea,” Irwin said as he picked Greldo up and turned to him. “Grab her and put her in an empty room! Don’t let her out of your sight!”

“On it, captain!” Boohm said, cradling the young woman and heading back to the cabin.

Irwin walked after him, feeling blood from Greldo’s wounds dribble on his arms.

“Esther! Get clean water, bandages, and medical supplies,” he said, getting a nod from the Granitian as she turned and ran ahead of him.

“Are we going to be under attack soon?” Montain asked, following Irwin.

“Maybe. You and Selene stay here and prepare for the worst. Hou’dor, you and the others also prepare. We will be heading into the storm again!”

There was a round of 'yes, captain', as Irwin stepped inside the cabin, walking down the stairs.

Now, what did you do this time? He wondered as he looked at Greldo.

Ten minutes later, Irwin was back on deck, standing in the small map room beside the helm.

“Barely one in ten of the corridors is still traversable,” Earila said. “See here? This is the storm behind us, where Greldo moved through. It is deemed gone, and from what I understand from those notes, it's unlikely it will ever recover. It's likely it will disintegrate soon.”

They stood before a set of roughly drawn maps that now decorated one of the walls. The paper was crumpled and covered with bloodstains and scribbles, but they also showed a large section of the surrounding Portal Galery. A tiny ship representing The Concerto was pinned in the bottom left. The position it was in was designated as unpassable, but there were three corridors they should be able to reach.

“So, at least they don’t think they can come here,” Irwin said. “Good. Still, we can’t ignore Greldo’s warning. It might be a while before he wakes, and we can’t waste the energy to wake You’gyn.”

He followed the three corridors, nodding as he saw that two might get them on the route beyond Sesnanser. Sadly, neither showed anything beyond. There was also one path that led almost to Fiverio, with a section of a few miles being unpassable. A note on the side read: Visible confirmation that Fiverio is not completely gone. Signs of life seen.

“I think we should take this route, Captain,” Earila said

She pointed at the furthest one. It led along a wider sidebranch, and it was likely better able to survive the storm due to its size.

“I agree,” Irwin said as he examined the route.

It meant they would need to go back through the storm and then on through a sidebranch they had passed inside. Then, another few hours till they came to the section that would lead further to the outer branches.

“Alright. Go back inside and make sure you are ready if I need help.”

Earila nodded, and she took one of her Faerits, petted it, whispered something, and then handed it to Irwin.

“Be careful, Captain,” she said, then she vanished from where she stood, and another Faerit appeared.

It looked around, seemed to nod at the one Irwin was holding, and then vanished.

I need to get Daubutim as many teleport cards as I can, Irwin thought.

He imagined ships like The Conerto filled with teleporters to defend their new homeworld as he moved behind the helm. Ahead of him the deep chaos storm beckoned, and with it hard winds that would try to slam them into the barriers again.

“Hou’dor! You ready?” he shouted.

“Go for it, captain!”

Irwin pressed the runes in the center of the helm, and the ship shot forward.

Here we go again, he thought.

--

Zirt stood motionless in Captain Nralt’s cabin, watching the older Emnonriz jabbing a curved dagger into the unmoving body of the crewmen.

“Failures, fools, all of them,” Nralt hissed.

Zirt didn’t move, trying to ignore the gnashing of Nralt’s teeth or the pressure emanating from the four-soulcarded monster before him. As the blood pooled onto the priceless deck, he wondered how he was going to clean it in the future- after he’d done away with the old bastard.

“Zirt… I want them found!” Nralt snapped, turning to Zirt.

“Captain, you heard him,” Zirt said, gesturing faintly at the body still bleeding out. “That shadowwalker left from where he came, and even The Ruby can’t follow them there.”

“They stole our maps!” Nralt roared as if that was a counterargument while stalking forward until he was standing an armlength from Zirt.

“Only the first drafts,” Zirt said carefully, praying to the gods of the depths that the old shark wasn’t going to attack him. “We have the real ones, so they won’t have all the details we do. If we assume they are on the other end of that dead-corridor, we know where they are, so-”

“Then get me a path that will intercept them! If that shadowwalker is from that Smith’s crew, I want them!”

Zirt winced, wishing he could find a way to dissuade Nralt, but one look told him it would result badly if he tried.

“Yes, Captain,” he said.

“Good! Now move! I expect us to be heading out within the hour,” Nralt snapped, glaring at Zirt. “And remove this Cachi’ik from my quarters!”

Zirt hesitated, but one look in Nralt’s eyes showed he didn’t mean for Zirt to call someone to do it. So he nodded, stepped around Nralt, and grabbed what remained of the man, lifting it in his arms. Trying to ignore the blood and gore, they turned and walked away.

Perhaps I put too much poison in his drink, he thought as the door was slammed closed behind him.

No. He shook his head. Any less and Nralt would have shrugged it off or, worse, detected it. He just had to hang on until it was to the point where the old fool couldn't think anymore, and then the others would help him get rid of him.

A small voice cried that he had made a mistake, but he crushed it with ruthless efficiency. There was no mistake. He had to take the chance this storm gave him.

Taking a quick breath, he steeled himself, trying to project a strong sense of order. When he felt ready, he walked up the deck to the edge and hurled the remains overboard, ignoring the looks he got.

“Get ready! We are leaving on an intercept course within fifty minutes!”