Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

Irwin hummed as he lay in bed, content to remain there for a while as he enjoyed the calm. A week had passed since their encounter with the Oculithar, and Earila was at the helm, with Greldo and a few others keeping an eye out. He'd spent most of that time unwinding, eating double portions of anything Boohm made, and talking with the smiths they had rescued.

I wonder if Sesnanser is anything like what I remember, he thought.

Greldo and Sibil would be heading forward when they reached the stable corridor end in a few days. As he thought of the slight, pale-skinned, dark-haired woman, he grinned. Greldo had been spending more and more time with her, and he was wondering if it was about time for him to start teasing his friend with it.

A rustle came from the narrow Ganvil passage, and Ambraz flew in, hovering around before rushing toward him.

"Finally awake, kid!? Hou'dor says they could do with a few more days, but overall, they are feeling much better," Ambraz said, landing on his chest.

"Good," Irwin said as he swung his legs out of bed and headed to his small bathroom area to clean up.

"I was thinking that we could try reforging another card to Ruby today," he said as he was shaving the metallic stubble from his chin.

"About time," Ambraz said, landing on the top of the mirror. "You do mean without my help, don't you?"

"Yes," Irwin said, cleaning up and checking to see if he'd missed anything.

Looking at himself, he realized just how much he'd changed.

"I wonder how old I am now," he muttered as he examined himself, trying to gauge his own age.

"It's been almost six years since you found me," Ambraz said. "Based on your planet, Giard's time, that is."

"So, almost twenty-two," Irwin said, turning away and walking to the crafting area. "How old do you think I will become?"

"If you don't get any more cards, probably close to a thousand years," Ambraz said offhandedly.

Irwin stumbled, staring at his friend and companion, not sure he'd heard that right.

"You- what?" he asked.

Ambraz's lips curved in a smile. "Kid, why are you surprised? You have the body of a Firesteel Elemental, who are known to live for thousands of years, and soon, two-"

'Ammolite-rank soulcards!' Ambraz's voice moved to his soulscape before switching back quickly.

"What did you expect?"

"So… how old could I get if I fill up on soulcards?" Irwin asked, staring at the table, while thoughts about his family and friends, then of Gelwin, ancient beyond words, passed through his head.

"There's a bit of a diminished return with that, but I'd say anywhere between two and four thousand. Which, before you start going all starry-eyed, isn't all that long in the grand scheme of things!"

Irwin shook his head, the numbers slightly dizzying. "It sounds long to me," he said.

"Kid… when I reach my sixth rank, I'll be technically immortal," Ambraz said.

Irwin blinked, his thoughts moving to Gelwin again. "I thought it was incredibly hard to live that long?" he said.

"Oh, it is, and I'm not saying I'll be around forever," Ambraz said with a snort. "Besides the fact that living that long might get boring, though I'm still on the fence on that one, there's still-"

"No, I mean, Gelwin," Irwin said as he interrupted Ambraz. "Didn't Daubutim tell us that he needed to use all his cards to find a way to live that long?"

"That's because you fleshies aren't meant for it," Ambraz said with a snort. "Even if you could make your body into a full elemental type, it's your soulscapes that give out at some point. Old Beardyface used some clever tricks to clone all of him, including his soulscape."

Irwin felt his mouth fall open as he looked at Ambraz.

"That's possible?" he exclaimed.

"Yes, but Gelwin had to use each of his soulcards to focus specifically on it, and it resulted in his soulscape and power being lower than what you have even just now. Then again, he didn't have your special soulcards, so… who knows what could happen!"

Irwin shook his head, walking to the table and sitting down.

A soft thud came from the side as Greldo appeared. He sat down, his face pale, and looked at a suddenly worried Irwin. "We have another problem."

"Sesnanser?" Irwin asked.

Greldo sighed, shaking his head. "It's a mess. There are dozens of ships and way more people than when we were there. Tens of thousands, and they are in deep shit. The Galubs and Nyzir managed to invade the world. From what I've heard, they have either killed or chased away everyone near the exit portal and claimed the world as their own. The people in what's left of the town are out of food, and they have been attempting to raid the world, but they keep failing. From the general feeling I get, they are close to giving up."

Irwin grimaced, but seeing Greldo look at the wall, he knew there was more.

"It gets worse… there's a half dozen Chaos Whales circling what's left of the barriers, and a few of the ships have been trying to kill them for food. I don't think it's any surprise that they aren't having a lot of success, but…"

Irwin's mind was reeling, and he couldn't believe there was something else.

Greldo was staring at the table.

"But what?" he asked.

"Coal saw something that looked an awful lot like that bloody tentacled menace. It looks like it's hunting those whales, who seem to be trying to reach the portal.. for safety, maybe?"

Irwin looked at Greldo, seeing the same look he knew he had. Weary disbelief.

"How damaged is the barrier around the harbor?" he asked.

"It's pretty bad. If that thing causes those Chaos Whales to panic, they might crash through," Greldo said.

"Or those ships hunting them draws its attention…" Ambraz muttered. "That means we can't wait as long as we wanted to. If we reach it only to find the barriers destroyed and a small Oculithar there, we will have to head back."

Irwin's hands clenched the edge of the table.

"No other route we can take?" he asked.

"None that I could see," Greldo said. "Worse, the corridor beyond Sesnanser is close to being destroyed. It wouldn't surprise me if that tentacled monster did that while chasing some ships."

"How broken?" Irwin asked, wondering if they shouldn't just turn back right away.

"I think you can navigate us through, but it won't be easy."

Irwin didn't add that even if they managed to get to Eluathar, they might not be able to return along the same way.

"I'll go and warn Hou'dor that his relaxing week is going to get cut short. We might have to get all the smiths up the deck to copy what we did before," Ambraz grunted.

"What if we start doing that now and slowly build the ambient soulforce?" Irwin thought out loud.

"You would have to keep switching out so there's always someone working, but perhaps it's doable," Ambraz said.

"What about getting some of those rank zeros out and having them bound to the Viridians?" Greldo asked.

Ambraz hovered in the air for a bit, then sighed. "Not bad, kid. I'll think about it. It would hamper their potential right out of the gate, but if we can't get back… I'll think about it."

Ambraz flew up and out of the narrow pathway meant for the Ganvils to navigate the ship, leaving Irwin and Greldo behind.

Irwin looked at his friend, who was tapping the table, pain and weariness in his eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Greldo shook his head, leaning back and rubbing his eyes.

"These people were looking as bad as the worst we saw on Giard, Irwin. Starving, hopeless, and some-" he stopped talking, shaking his head. "It brought back some memories I'd rather keep buried."

Irwin wanted to say they would stay and help, but he knew there was little they could do that wasn't too dangerous. They could try to assault the exit portal with all the potential dangers that it brought. Worse, if they headed there, the people might try and steal all their food.

Greldo must have picked up on his worry as he shook his head quickly.

"I'm not saying that we have to do something. I just wish we could."

Irwin sighed, leaning his head back as he tried to come up with an idea. Time flowed as he came up with and rejected dozens of ideas to retake the world or take the people along. Just as he decided to do something else, he blinked and turned to Greldo, who'd been zoning out in front of him.

"How was the temperature there? And the trees?"

"Those were still there," Greldo said, shrugging. "Why?"

Irwin got up and ran to his closet, drawing out the massive stacks of sorted cards that dealt with growing plants. He quickly flipped through, humming as he did. When he was ready, he returned everything but the ten cards he had taken with him and placed them on the table.

"Alright, these ten we can miss back home, and if I reforge them as I did with the others, I should be able to force them into some very abnormal paths," he said.

Greldo raised an eyebrow, but Irwin barely noticed.

"It would mean they can't be reforged higher than emerald ever again and might cause some issues for when whoever gets them needs to get their heartcard, but…" Irwin looked up. "I can make these so the wielder can manipulate vegetation to bear fruits and nuts. Can you head back there and see if you can figure out who would be the best to hand them to?"

Greldo looked at the cards, then whistled.

"Sure, but seriously… do you remember when we were impressed with a simple common card?"

Irwin barked a laugh, his mood growing now that he knew he could at least do something for the people stuck in Sesnanser. He didn't know if there were any of those who had been there when Zender and his siblings were there, as most had fled or been killed before, but perhaps- his train of thought stopped, and he looked at Greldo, whose smile slipped away.

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"What?"

"You need to check if there aren't any raiders there or captured cardsmiths."

Greldo blinked, then shook his head, seeming ready to say something. Then he stopped and sighed. "I want to say there's no chance… but you are right. I'll do it right now. You want to wait for that, or…?"

"No. I'll start now," Irwin said. "Even if there are some raiders, there is no way that all of those people are."

"Alright, I'll be back as fast as I can," Greldo said. "I'm going to have to leave Sibil here. She is drained and needs rest. I'll leave one of Coal's clones to keep an eye on here, though I don't think there's much to worry about."

"Be careful," Irwin said, getting a wave as his friend vanished.

Fine, let's do two things at once, he thought as he walked out of his room and headed to Esther's.

A short while later, he was on deck with Esther, Selene, Montain, and their Ganvils. They stood around Hou'dor, Ambraz sitting on his friend.

"I might have a few cards like these," Montain said as he stared at the card Irwin had given him. "Though I'm not sure I can reforge them to what you have in mind."

"That's fine, just bring them here," Irwin said.

Montain turned, running for the cabin.

"It feels like a bit of a waste to give so many cards to people we don't know," Selene said, arms crossed. "I can understand wanting to save them, but who says it's even going to be enough?"

"You are right, and I'm sure it isn't enough," Irwin said. "But I don't need them, and it's at least something. Now, let's get the ambient soulforce up. We need to rotate in shifts. I will do two. Selene, you go after me, then Montain, and finally Esther. If you regain your soulforce earlier and are sure you will have enough for your shift, do what you can."

Ambraz flitted forward and landed on the ground in his working form.

"Listen up, kids. We will do this for one day, and if we can't get the soulforce up high enough to help Hou'dor and the others before we reach the broken section, we will awaken some of the rank zeros and bind them to the best of the Viridians," Ambraz said.

"Esther, can you figure out who the best are?" Irwin asked, looking at Esther.

"Yes, I have some idea already," she said.

"Alright, let's start," Irwin said as he focused on the card.

--

Greldo hovered a good distance from Sesnanser, not liking what he was seeing.

So they did follow us after all, he thought as he glared at The Ruby's Revenge.

Coal sent him a wave of angry desires.

'We can't attack them. Zirt can see us through the shadows, and Sibil told us they have skill dampeners.'

He kept looking at the ship for a while. It was docked at what remained of the Sesnanser docks, and to his surprise, the locals hadn't attacked it for their supplies. Instead, the overfull port looked quiet as it had when he first came.

How long have they been here? he thought as he quickly glanced around.

There was no sight of the ships hunting the Whales, although those were still circling the corridor, their shapes large even this far away.

Coal sent him a message, and he quickly looked up and to the side, but besides the raging storm, purple lightning rippling around, and lighting up areas, he saw nothing.

Keep an eye on it, he said, hoping the Oculithar would remain there and not become another problem.

He continued watching The Ruby's Revenge, but nothing happened. They had either been here for a while or had just arrived and were still in the process of talking with the local leaders.

Hesitating for a few moments, he flew around the town so nobody from the ship could spot him. Then, he carefully flew towards the town. He slowed down, and he and Coal looked around for anything dangerous as he moved to the nearest building. Only when he was hidden within the shadows of the ransacked town did he feel somewhat safe.

Floating along the debris and garbage lying everywhere, there were signs of the Galub and Nyzir attacks everywhere. Some buildings had been patched up, while others were still little more than ruins. Among them all were the people. Some lay on the ground while others stumbled along, all with sunken cheeks and dirt-stained faces.

I'm glad I can't smell from inside the shadows, Greldo thought as he headed to the most populated area.

It didn't take him too long, as the town was tiny compared to the number of people seeking refuge in it. Hovering through the shadowy alleyway, he reached what had once been the town's inn. It bordered the central square and the exit portal building, which was surrounded by badly constructed fortifications.

The people hanging around them, glaring at the building, looked marginally better off, probably because they had more powerful cards or needed less food.

So, if there were raiders here, where would they be, and where would they keep their prisoners? Greldo thought, examining the inn.

'Go and see if there's any nullifiers there,' he told Coal.

He sensed the agreement, and a moment later, he saw one of Coal's clones create a weak trail as it moved toward the inn.

Greldo waited patiently, constantly keeping an eye on his surroundings until Coal told him it was safe.

He moved low across the ground, dodging anyone lying or standing around just in case they were more sensitive than they seemed. When he reached the backside of the inn, he entered through a narrow crack into a backroom. Crates were pushed together to create makeshift beds, and dozens of people lay on them.

Hearing no shouts, Greldo quickly moved through the entire building, finding no smiths or signs of prisoners anywhere. Only when he reached the top floor did he find something of interest. A pale man with matted blond hair sat at a table, glaring at the paper in front of him. There was nobody else in the room, which told Greldo that whoever it was, he was definitely one of those in control.

He hung near the side, curious to see what was on the paper. He flew behind the man and gazed over his shoulder. Greldo felt his heart skip a beat as he read the short message. Dictated to Merchant Ulaan, it had orders to have all of its ships ready to attack a ship whose description Greldo instantly recognized—the Sonata.

They don't know we aren't on there anymore, Greldo thought.

He hovered back just as a muffled curse came from the man.

"These bastards… filthy, little worms," the man Greldo presumed was Merchant Ulaan growled. "We are starving, and what do they do? Help us? Bring us food? No… no! They… THey!"

The man grabbed the paper, crumpled it, and hurled it to the side.

"Do their bidding. Again! These…”

Greldo was hiding in the shadow below the table as the man got up and hobbled to the side, his leg dragging after him. He moved to the only window in his room, staring out at the town. His shoulders shook, and a soft moaning came from him.

"First, those demons, "he spat. "Then this storm, and now this… do the gods want us dead that much? What did we do to anger anyone?!"

"Ulaan, there's nothing we can do but agree," a soft voice came from a corner of the room.

Greldo froze, his heartbeat speeding up while he felt Coal ready to act. He watched as a spindly man with long purple hair bound in a knot walked toward the table.

How did I not see him? Greldo thought as he replayed when he entered the room. There wasn't anyone here!

He watched as the man, who he recognized as a Yuurindi, sat down at the table.

"If we do what they say, we will lose more men," Ulaan whispered. "How are we going to get onto Sesnanser? If only they would help us break through the exit portal."

"You know they won't," the other man said, his voice empty. "But perhaps we can get some supplies from that ship they want."

"This? How? The biggest ship we could hope for would be a large merchant vessel, and they wouldn't need our help with that. This is either another Currant Hunter or some other combat vessel."

"What other choice do we have? They will make us if we don't," the Yuurindi said.

I wonder who he is, Greldo thought. From what he knew, there weren't any other adult Yuurindi here when Rindiri and her kids had been here. Had this guy appeared after that?

"We can try to ambush them," Ulaan said, turning around and staring at the Yuurindi. "Hadirun… even the strongest of us are weakening too fast. If we don't act now, we will be doomed. If we can capture that ship, we will get their supplies, and perhaps then we can take down one of those Storm Feeders. It's our only chance."

"You would risk their anger?" Hadirun hissed. "I know that ship, that captain. Nralt is a monster, cold and calculating. He has four soulcards! Even if the two of us were at our best, how do you suppose we deal with him?"

"Overwhelming numbers," Ulaan said. "Even if half of us die, at least the others can live."

There was a silence in the room, and Greldo stared at the two men. What should he do? If these people attacked the Currant Hunter, they would fail. He had seen the power of those aboard, and the people here were too weak now. They could help them, but what if this was a trap?

He started talking after I just entered, and I didn't notice that other one… were they waiting for me?

He hesitated, then asked Coal to scout the rest of the building and the surrounding ones as he waited.

"Go and tell the others to get ready," Ulaan said.

Greldo saw Hadirun grimace.

"I will, but Ulaan… if this fails-"

"We will be dead, as we will be, if we don't do anything soon," Ulaan said, still looking out of the window. "What do we have to lose."

Hadirun sighed, then walked to the corner, and Greldo watched carefully, not daring to move out of fear the other could be a shadowwalker.

As Hadirun reached the wall, he seemed to meld into it, vanishing from sight.

Okay, not a shadowwalker, Greldo thought. But then what? Some way to move through stone or wood? He knew there were cards like that.

There was a message from Coal that there were no oddities, and he gritted his teeth.

I can't head back to talk with Irwin, so either I do something now, or this chance is gone.

He waited for Ulaan to turn back to his desk and sit down. His face was listless, eyes red from crying.

Dammit, Greldo thought, ordering Coal to stand by. Then he moved to the far wall, away from where Haduran had vanished and next to a place that would allow him to vanish into the shadows. Then he stepped out of the shadows.

"Perhaps I can help," he said.

Ulaan gasped, rose, and turned in one move, a small black crossbow in his hand.

Greldo stepped into the shadows, moved a few feet to the side, and waited.

"Wait, I…" Ulaan shook his head, and the crossbow vanished as he raised his hands. "Please, you startled me, come-"

Greldo reappeared, ready to move at the drop of a hat.

"Hi."

Ulaan swallowed as he sat down, carefully lowering his hands and putting them on the table.

"I don't know who you are… but you can't be from the ship. Haduran said there weren't any shadowwalkers there. Are you-"

"I'm someone that might be able to help," Greldo said. "But for that, I need you to not attack the Ruby's Revenge until we are ready."

"We? Is relief coming, finally? Did the merchant guild finally come?" Ulaan whispered, leaning forward, hope blazing in his eyes.

"Not exactly," Greldo said. "But we might be able to help. But not if you get yourself killed."

Ulaan's hope faded, and Greldo saw retaliation dawn.

"You are from the other ship- The Sonata…"

“Also no,” Greldo said. "But we do have issues with The Ruby's Revenge. How about you take a deep breath, and we see if we can help each other."

--

"Zirt, that stupid Merchant wants to speak with you!"

Zirt looked up at Darkix, who was still as annoying as ever.

"What for?"

"How should I know? Probably to agree to the captain's orders?"

My orders, Zirt thought, but he held back his anger as he got up and looked around.

"Fine. Let's see what he has to say then," he grumbled as he walked towards the gangplank.

"Zirt… where are you going?" a dangerous snarl came from the door.

Zirt froze, his two hearts slowing to a crawl as if he were being watched by a predator from the depths. Turning, he saw Nralt standing at the cabin door, glaring at him.

"I am sorry, captain," he said. "The merchant has requested my presence, and-"

Nralt's head spun to Darkix. "What was his exact message?!"

Darkix took a step back. "He said he wanted to speak to the captai-"

"AND WHO'S THE CAPTAIN?!" Nralt roared as he dashed out of the door and closed the distance between him and Darkix faster than Zirt could follow.

The next thing he saw was Darkix lying on the deck, his neck a bleeding mess, while Nralt stood above him, both his hands now sporting elongated talons that were dripping with blood.

"I. Am. The. Captain!" he bellowed, glaring at Darkix, who was clutching his throat. "I am the one you report to! Me!"

Zirt remained frozen, knowing the worst he could do now was to draw attention to him. His hopes to finish this fast had died with Darkix, but that didn't mean all was lost.

A creak came as one of the crewmembers took a step back, and Nralt blurred through the air, reaching him and grabbing the smaller man by the neck. Raising him up, he looked at him with his triangular, silver eyes.

"Who is the captain?" he hissed.

The man was clutching his hands, trying to pry the taloned fingers away while croaking to get an answer out. Nralt's head blurred forward, and he bit out the crewman's throat before dropping him to the ground. Chewing twice, he swallowed before looking around with eyes swirling in their sockets.

"I will go to the merchant. You all will ready the ship for a battle! As soon as those map thieves come, I'll show them who the captain is!"

Zirt watched as Nralt turned and stalked toward the gangplank. Was he really just going to leave? That would be-

Nralt stopped and turned, his crazed eyes locking onto his.

"Zirt. With me!"

"Yes, captain," Zirt said, hiding his disappointment and anger.

He walked forward, sharing a quick glance with the others.

Now you all better not just leave us here, he thought as he followed his completely insane captain.