Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

Okay, I guess you will sleep a bit more then, Irwin thought as he looked at Trimdir.

The older smith was lying in a makeshift bed in the Smithy, still fast asleep. His face retained a bit of the pallor he'd had, but he had stopped shivering and shaking. Lilinethe had said he was physically alright, and with Irwin's assurance that his new heartcard and soulforce were fine, she had left with the message that Trimdir should just need rest.

As Irwin watched his teacher sleep, a soft chatter sat on the edge of his awareness. As it grew, he focused on it, part of him splitting off and appearing inside his soulscape.

Sixty-eight rank-zero Ganvils were streaking around through the air, exactly half of the number they brought. They were all rank zeros, all created by Brazardian, and they were shouting at each other excitedly. The day before, Ambraz had awoken them, explaining what would happen. The Ganvils had been so excited they hadn't been able to keep quiet for longer than a few minutes ever since.

Half to get started should be fine, he thought.

Until they actually found a way to get more cards, even just the over a hundred and thirty Ganvil-bound smiths they could make would burn through the cards he had brought.

We really need to get a steady supply, he thought, his mind momentarily moving to his still failing attempts at directing the ambient soulforce in the hopes of creating soulcards from it.

Irwin observed them for a moment before looking at a flat area near the foothills of his mountains.

There, the other Ganvils slumbered. Half were the same dull dark gray with a blue sheen that those awake were, while the others were either a pale silver or a slightly more coppery gray. Those last two types were the rank ones and twos that Ambraz and Brazardian had managed to reroute just before they left. They were all offspring from the generic pool of purified soulforce, and some would never become more than rank two, but even a rank two Ganvil would increase the abilities of a smith beyond what they could perform alone. Ambraz had decided to let those rest as most had more knowledge and personality, and it would be harder for them to find the proper smith to bind to.

They and the rank zeros were going to remain here for at least a few more months as Ambraz and Yougyn traveled around, finding more potential smiths. With how long it would be before they could create new rank zeros, they had to make sure the ones they had were bound to the best potential smiths they could find among the Giardians.

Irwin thought for a bit longer before he walked out of the Smithy. Endil was waiting there, wringing his hands while You'gyn sat on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. You might have less official training, but your potential is as high or higher than any of them," the Ganvil whispered reassuringly. "You're purifying is only behind Irwin, Trimdir, Montain, and Esther! Even Selene can't do it that well, let alone those Viridians."

"He is right," Irwin said, walking to Endil and putting his hand on his shoulder. "You will do great, and Ester and I will train with you as much as we can!"

"I… are you really sure Esther can't do it?" Endil asked.

"She will assist Dean Trimdir with leading the academy, and she will teach type and category theory," Irwin said as he guided the anxious smith away from the Smithy and toward the Academy. "Montain will teach card reforging, while Selene isn't interested. Dahlia will be teaching the smiths that bond with Ganvils what that entails and how to optimally use their abilities. None of the others are anywhere near good enough, so you will be teaching purifying."

Endil nodded, taking a deep, weary sigh. "What will you do?" he asked.

"While Ambraz and I are here, we'll be helping Trimdir, teaching soulforce and soulscape classes and practical forging for the musical type of smithing," Irwin said. "We will also be working on teaching Trimdir, you, and everyone that could how to make heartcards."

Endil paled, his hands clutching his belt in a death grip. "Is that anything like what you did to Trimdir?"

"No! Not even close," Irwin said. Nobody had asked him about what had happened yet, though he had heard that the sound of both the song and Trimdir's pain had caused a lot of worry among those who heard it.

He quickly shook his head. "Trimdir was… a special case. I might have to do that again sometime, but not anytime soon, and I will only be teaching it to Trimdir and Esther."

"Good… so it's not meant to hurt that much?" Endil asked.

"No. It's definitely a difficult process, but it's not meant to be like that," Irwin said.

Endil remained quiet as they continued to the Academy building, and when they reached the square, Irwin stopped. A group of people stood in front of the building, roughly split into three.

The largest group were the Giardian smiths -he'd decided to call them that for now- all of whom were talking excitedly. There should be close to a hundred if Trimdir had been right.

Irwin saw at a glance that most had only three or four cards, but those did have a topaz card, and some even an emerald one.

The second largest group were the Viridians, who had all moved to New Malorin, more than happy to live in the forest-surrounded city. They had immediately started helping the foresters, rangers, and farmers with the flora. Irwin had asked if they would be willing to join and help, even if the chances of a Ganvil picking them were very small. Having been practicing smithing for years before, they had jumped at the choice. Now, they were looking around with weary optimism, the horrors of the last year still visible in their hunched shoulders and scars.

The final, smallest group stood before the gate, towering over all the others and staring at Irwin as he approached. Montain, Esther, Selene, Dahlia, and Hind.

"Is Hind also a smith?" Endil asked as they began making their way through the throng of people.

"No, she is here to teach them how to fight," Irwin said.

"Wha—why?" Endil exclaimed as he looked up. Then his eyes narrowed, and Irwin could almost see him realize what he and the others had.

"You think trouble will find us?" Endil whispered.

"I know it will," Irwin said as he looked ahead. "I just don't know when it will arrive."

Halfway through their walk through the group of smiths, silence began to spread. Before he reached Montain and the others, the square had turned so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"So, you ready?" Irwin asked, glancing at Esther.

"It would have been better if Trimdir had been awake," she said. "It didn't occur to you to wait with that till after today?"

Irwin grinned. "Oh, it did. But after today, none of us will have any time to rest for a while, and Trimdir didn't want to wait that long."

He turned to the crowd of people, letting his eyes scan across them. He'd learned how to deal with talking to groups of people when they saved everyone from Giard, and he'd spoken to many as a captain. This, however, was the first time he'd have to do so as a senior smith. For a single moment, he felt worried that he might not be good enough for it, then he sensed the soulforce of all those present, and the worry faded.

He might not be as good as the teachers at the Granvox Academy, but he was far better than those standing before him- meaning he could teach them, even if only for as long as he was here.

"Welcome, everyone, to the opening of New Malorin's Volcano Cardsmithing Academy, which we will call The Volcano Academy from now on," he said, adding some kinetic energy to his vocal cords to cause his voice to reverberate around the square. "You will be the first of the smiths in this new world, and I expect you all to work your hardest!"

There was a loud cheer from the Giardian smiths, causing the Veridians to look at them in surprise.

Irwin looked at his countrymen, not surprised by their cheering. He'd heard from Trimdir that most were from the poorer towns and places, and they all knew what coming here meant. They would be the first wave of smiths, and their and their future families' lives would be radically different from what they would have been back on Giard.

He let them cheer for a bit before raising his hand, causing them to fall quiet.

"You have all seen that we have some new friends. I am sure you have heard a bit about them, but to be sure," he said, pointing at the Viridians. "These are Viridians, and they have been smiths for a few years longer than all of you. You have undoubtedly heard rumors about the things happening in the Portal Gallery and how our fellow smiths are being abducted. The Viridians here were amongst those, and in the process, many, if not all, of their loved ones and friends were killed."

Irwin knew his words were hard and might cause many of the present Viridians to think back to those horrible times, but they were needed. He had to make sure that all smiths in the Academy would work together from the start as well as he could. For hundreds of years, all those who looked different from his people had been demons out to kill them. Although those present would have heard, or perhaps even seen, the Frozir and Da'xi, those two species were either exploring the frozen ice or out exploring the surrounding Portal Galery.

Not this time. The Viridians would be staying here, and although he'd not heard anything bad yet, he and Trimdir had decided on his current course: create the idea of a common enemy.

Silence returned, and he saw steely stares in the eyes of his fellow Giardians. Some frowned, but he saw more than a few sympathetic looks at the Viridians. He waited a moment before he continued.

"I don't think I have to tell you that I expect you to be welcoming to them. They currently have no other place to be and will likely be here for a very long time," he said, glancing at the Viridians. "If you have any questions for them, you can ask them later today."

One of the Viridians, a woman called Varidia, nodded at him. He had seen her a few times on the ship but only spoken to her a few days ago when he'd told the Viridians of their plans. According to Hind, she had been one of those hardest hit by the attacks, having lost multiple of her offspring and her partner. Even then, she'd slowly taken up the mantle of leading the Viridian smiths.

"Behind me are your teachers," Irwin continued as he gestured at Esther and the others. "I'll let them introduce themselves later, but each has skills none other in this world has, and you need to learn them! Treat them with the utmost respect!"

There were nods all around, including from the Viridians. He saw the unbridled excitement on their bark-covered faces. It wasn't surprising to him. They had made it clear when he spoke with them that they had until then had to make do with teachers that weren't all that good- definitely not those capable of going to the Granvox smithing Academy.

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Which is why those aren't here, Irwin thought.

He waited for a few more moments, noticing the people's almost hungry stares. He knew what they wanted, what they were waiting for. Rumors had been spreading ever since he had returned.

"Now… it is time for the main event," he said. "I'll leave this to Ambraz."

He took a step back, and Ambraz flew from his shoulder, landed before him, and changed to his largest size.

"Alright, you brats, listen up!' he said, his deep voice echoing across the square and probably far beyond. "On nearly every other world, Ganvils, which is what I am, are rare as the rarest diamond-rank card. All smiths everywhere want nothing but to bond with one and improve their skills! That means that those here that will bond with one are going to be the envy of all others."

The silence stretched as looks of awe and desire filled across all those smiths present.

"In a moment, sixty-three Ganvils will appear, and they will start flying between you to check on your potential. You will find out later how the bonding process works, but if you are not chosen, don't worry; you won't have to leave right away. There will be another opportunity in the future. If you are chosen, rejoice… but also prepare for the most intense few years of your life as we hammer you into the best you can be!"

Irwin held back from rolling his eyes at Ambraz's theatrics, especially because the smiths present seemed to be loving it. They were watching Ambraz with sparkling eyes.

Right, time to get them ready, Irwin thought.

The part of him that was in his soulscape coughed, causing the rank zeros to stop their constant chattering and fall quiet. Like the smiths in the real world, they focused on Irwin with wide smiles on their faces.

Irwin inspected them for a moment, realizing he didn't really know any of their names.

All of them were solely created by Brazardian, but unlike Ambraz, they weren't called 'braz. Unlike him, they were created in bulk, an event that barely ever happened. Still, as they were made solely by Brazardian and had higher average potential than the regular Collective ones, Brazardian had given them the name partial 'zar. The other part was either given or taken by the Ganvils themselves.

I wonder if there's one that will be called Zar'zar, Irwin thought with a grin.

"Alright, you all know what to do," he shouted. I'll move you out in a minute, and you will find a lot of smiths. Pick the one you think fits you best, and make sure to ask if they want to be bonded to you."

Not as if they would reject it, Irwin thought, but it was better to be safe.

The Ganvils muttered an excited agreement just as Ambraz continued.

"Alright, can you get them out here?"

Irwin focused on his soulscape, then on the Ganvils before him. Compared to the slumbering ones, they stood out like tiny bright nails, and as he shoved them out, he felt a slight relief. Although he could hold them, it was a constant drain, and with them gone, he felt an almost literal weight lifted from him.

A rustling like the leaves in a forest during a storm came across the square as the over sixty Ganvils appeared mid-air. They were smaller than Ambraz, and all of them a pale gray with a slightly blueish hue to it.

For a moment, they hung there, seemingly stunned by their surroundings. Then they rushed forward and began flying among the smiths.

The silence on the square was shattered by a sudden chatter and shouting.

"Do you think they will all bind?" Hind asked as she walked up beside him.

"Definitely," Irwin said. "Brazardian has told them how things usually go, and they know they are luckier than most. The smiths already knew this, too, and Ambraz's little speech just now hyped them up even more. I expect they will be bound within a few minutes."

"I see," Hind said, sounding surprised.

It soon became apparent that Irwin's guess was spot on, as within five minutes of them appearing, all Ganvils were nestled on the shoulder of a very happy smiths. With only sixty-three Ganvils, a third of the smiths present were still alone. Irwin saw that many were looking at the larger group with desire and sadness.

The Viridians stood to the side, also unbound, their faces harder to read, but Irwin guessed they would probably be disappointed too.

I'll have to talk with all those not chosen later, Irwin thought, as he felt a tiny headache pop up.

He stepped forward, raising his hands.

"Alright, all those bound to a Ganvil, walk towards Dahlia," he shouted, pointing at the human-like smith. "She will explain what you can expect and be your teacher for the next few days. Esther will help her, while the rest of you will be split up into two groups and follow either Montain or me!"

It took a while to get those bound calmed and the groups sorted, but eventually, Irwin walked into the massive building with a group of a few dozen smiths in tow.

The Academy's central area was round, made up of gray rock with very faint swirling patterns and a beautiful black-stone central dais. The dais, four-foot-high and large enough for a small building, was empty. It was meant to hold a Volcano Tree, which one of the Viridians said she could grow. Benches ringed the dais, and hallways led away from the central area. Curved stairs on each side of the room led either up or down, and everything looked new and fresh.

All through were small nooks and crannies for the Ganvils and tunnels in the ceiling for them to navigate the building.

Irwin moved towards the left-most stair leading up, wondering how the first day would go.

I wonder how fast they will learn, he thought.

--

Three weeks and a day later, Irwin walked into his brother's kitchen, rubbing his head, which felt like it would split apart from the headache he was feeling.

"You look tired," Greldo said.

"I am tired," Irwin replied as he slumped down on the chair. "I didn't think teaching classes for a few weeks would be this exhausting! I'd almost prefer sailing through the storms again."

"Well, you should be done soon, right?" Greldo asked. "Daubutim has been asking for your presence for weeks now, and if you make him wait any longer, I fear he will just come and abduct you."

"I'll be done in a day or two," Irwin said.

He leaned his head back, letting everything that had happened in the last few weeks play through his mind.

"Two of the Viridian smiths should be able to teach for the foreseeable future," he said. "Between them and Endil taking care of the musical part, it should be fine."

"After which, you will be reforging heartcards for a week," Greldo said.

"Yeah," Irwin said, shaking his head miserably. "I really thought I'd have more time for my own smithing by now. Did you hear anything new from the exit portal?"

He asked out of habit even though the answer was always 'no, the storm is still there', but when Greldo remained quiet, only frowning, Irwin leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table.

"What?"

"Xi'kroak took The Ruby's Revenge along the outer edges of the storm, and they sighted multiple Chaos Whales around the edges," Greldo said, tapping his finger on the table absently. "Most of them looked injured, and Xi'kroak said they were attacked by Oculithar."

For a moment, Irwin felt a sense of joy and wonder, wanting to take The Concerto out and listen to the Chaos Whale song, but then reality returned.

"Great," he said. "Which means that there's at least one or more of those tentacled horrors nearby. How far was this from Sesnanser Corridor?"

"Half a day, but Xi'kroak followed them for a while. They moved near the corridor, remained there for a few hours, then continued on. Xi'kroak said they looked or sounded afraid…"

"I wonder if Rindiri will be able to return on her own," Irwin said, looking at the table and thinking about his first mate.

"Let's go with unlikely," his friend said, mirroring Irwin's own thoughts. "She would need a ship capable of traveling through the storms for weeks, which is unlikely without Ganvils."

"You are right," Irwin said.

They were quiet for a while, both lost in their own thoughts, until Irwin felt his endurance trump over his headache and weariness. Feeling the headache abate, he got up.

"Let's go out and eat a bit," he said. "You can tell me how your own efforts are going."

Greldo perked up as he rose, nodding. "Yeah, let's do fun things!"

For the rest of the day, they talked about the Shadow Scouts, a group of rangers and guards who had gotten cards that allowed shadowwalking.

"I still can't believe you bought so many of those cards without me knowing," Irwin said before drinking deeply from the Spiced Ale they had ordered.

"You had your own things to do," Greldo said. "Besides, with Boohm's skill, I was able to make so much money in each world that it wasn't all that hard. What surprised me more was how difficult it was to find them."

"Don't be too surprised," Ambraz snorted. "Any card that allows people to shadowwalk is snatched by a guild, family, or other organization as soon as they appear on the market. You should be surprised you actually managed to find so many!" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Part of that is because Irwin reforged them into that," Greldo said, rubbing his stubbled chin. "Most of them just had shadow affinity, and it was a guess if they could be reforged."

"Because your guesses were better than they had any right to be," Ambraz said. "Even I only recognized what some of those could be after they were reforged a few times."

"He is right," Irwin said, ignoring Greldo's smirk. "How did you determine the cards you wanted?"

Greldo took a drink, his eyes going hazy for a moment. "It's a… feeling," he said. "It's hard to say. When I look at those shadow cards, I somehow sense how much they are like the ones I have. Also, Coal sometimes tells me."

"That Hound of yours is more useful than I had thought," Ambraz said. "Kid, perhaps you should get one for one of your future cards."

Irwin sniffed. "Yeah, sure. I'll put it in the book for after the next three we already have planned out."

"You have your cards planned out?" Greldo asked. "I thought you just went with whatever you wanted…"

"What gave you that idea?"

"Well, first you wanted a fire movement skill, then you wanted something to allow you to read cards, then you wanted something to visualize those songs of yours," Greldo said, raising fingers as he counted. "And you ended up with a guitar and that sound-based movement."

Irwin laughed, focused on his second heartcard, and summoned his Tablatures book. "Well, I did get one of those," he said.

Greldo looked at the book, raising an eyebrow as he accepted it and flipped through.

"Well, it's good to know you are actually thinking about your cards," he said when he handed it back. "That said, how long do you expect to take for your soullake to fill?"

Irwin's second self, which had been practicing the guitar while floating high above the soullake, looked down. There was barely enough soulforce to cover his ankles, but at least the entire lakebed was now filled. Although he'd only absorbed a handful of cards, between purifying the Gneisian Ore, constantly reforging during the storm, and the increase in his passive generation from his soul clone, it was filling up faster than he'd expected. Not that that meant a lot…

"If I don't find anything special or use a ton of cards? Probably two hundred years," Irwin said nonchalantly.

Greldo's hand froze on its way to his mouth, a bit of the ale spilling over the edge.

"How…? How big is your soullake?"

Irwin shrugged. "It grew a bit. But don't worry, you might get your second soulcard sooner than me, but I'll be right behind you!"

"My soullake is a quarter full now," Greldo said, looking at him worriedly. "Right behind you doesn't mean a hundred later!"

Irwin laughed and shook his head. "When we reach the central branch, I'll be using all my resources on cards to fill my own soullake."

He didn't add that he had some ideas on metals he might be able to find on Igniz. From what he had had learned, there were caverns filled with lava far below the surface that were rich in ultra-rare metals. Although most people couldn't get there, he had an idea. But that was for much later.

They continued chatting for a good while longer before leaving.

Another few days passed, and it wasn't until the fourth that Irwin finally finished, knowing he'd not have to head back to the Academy for a good while.

Early the next morning, he was eating breakfast with Greldo and his mother.

"You are not going to leave without returning here first, right?"

Irwin reached out and took his mother's hand. "Mom, I won't. Greldo and I are just going to talk with Daubutim, then scout around for adjacent portals. We will be gone for a few weeks, a month at most, and I'll not be leaving for at least half a year."

His mother looked at him, then reluctantly nodded.

"Just be careful," she said.

There was a rumbling from the staircase, and a moment later, Drum rushed into the room.

"Uncle Irwin!?" he shouted before noticing Irwin. He promptly ran to him and climbed in his lap. "You will not be gone long, right?" he asked, a childish worry in his voice.

"A month at most," Irwin said, smiling as he ruffled his nephew's hair."

"That's forever!" Drum shouted in dismay.

"I'll be searching for places to find more cards," Irwin said seriously. "Perhaps even guitar cards."

Drum was quiet, biting his lower lip. "Okay… but bring me a gweetar, alright?"

"I'll do my best," Irwin replied, giving the small boy a one-armed hug. "You be nice to gramma."

Drum's eyes widened. "I'm always nice!"

Irwin's mother laughed softly, and Irwin and Drum looked up to see her smile at them.

"When you leave again, you have to bring my other grandchildren home with you," his mother suddenly stated, staring at him.

Irwin blinked, ignoring Greldo's barely contained laughter.

"Mom, I don't know if-"

"Irwin Roddington," she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I will not die of old age before seeing all my grandchildren! Just put them in your soulscape or something, but bring them here! I'm sure we can find a volcano if that is what they need!"

Irwin could see from the glint in her eye she was only partially joking.

"I'll see what I can do," he said.

"How old do grammas become?" Drum asked, tears welling up in his eyes. "Do they die really fast?"

"No, no!" Irwin's mother said. "Gramma's live longer than anyone!"

Drum rubbed his eyes and sniffed, then frowned. "That's weird," the little boy said, looking at Irwin. "Is that true?"

Having no idea what to say, Irwin rose and handed Drum to his mother.

"I'm not sure, its one of the many secrets of Gramma's," he said. "Perhaps you can get the answer?"

Drum's eyes turned wide, and he focused them on Irwin's mother, who rolled her eyes.

"I'll bring you something nice when I return," Irwin promised his mother as he took her hand and squeezed it before heading out.

"Don't forget to say goodbye to your brother before you leave," she shouted after him.

Irwin closed the door and turned to Greldo.

"Stop laughing, you," he said. "Or I'll tell my mother how many girlfriends you've had while we traveled."

Greldo coughed, then walked away, hands on the back of his head. "No idea what you are talking about," he said. "Those were all just friends, nothing else."