Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

It was quiet in the room as everyone watched Relinda.

"I was walking with a few others back to the smithy when a dozen of them just jumped out from behind a building and out of the shadows. They grabbed us, and before we could even resist, they knocked us out. When we woke up, we were in a large underground area below the desert."

"Where was it?" Crithann asked, staring at her intently. "Can you point it out on the map?"

Relinda nodded, not looking up. "Probably, or at least close to it."

"What did they want from you?" Irwin asked, leaning forward.

This time Relinda looked up, staring at him.

"What else? To reforge cards. They kept us all there, forcing us to work or be beaten and punished. Some were taken away and never seen again."

Probably through the portals to fulfill those quotas, Irwin thought.

"The best of us," Balarn said softly.

"Says you!" Relinda snorted.

"We are still here, aren't we?" Balarn asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"What the heck do you mean?" Yogog asked.

Balarn sighed as he looked at Irwin before turning away.

"After they caught me, right from inside the smithy, I was brought to one of their leaders. He kept asking me questions about Irwin, wanting to know how fast he really was, and how high his success rate was, and many other things. At first, I didn't want to answer, but they were… persuasive."

What? Why about me? Irwin thought. Was it because of his high success rate? Or Ambraz?

Balarn looked at him, his hand raised to his shoulder as if he wanted to grab it. Then he sighed and lowered it, glancing at Irwin before continuing.

"Either way, I didn't tell them everything I knew, but they were incredibly curious when they heard you had Ambraz," he said softly.

Irwin took a deep, worried breath. He didn't blame Balarn. Whatever happened must have been horrible, and besides, he was still safe. He did need to figure out how they knew about him and what was the exact reason they were asking questions about him.

"Anyway, after being there for a few days, I quickly noticed that the smiths doing better than average were taken away and didn't return. It wasn't too obvious, which was why most didn't notice. Still, I told the others to fake mistakes as much as they could get away with, and those that listened to me are still there."

Relinda hissed, but she kept quiet otherwise.

"Why didn't everyone listen to you?" Irwin asked in surprise.

"We got as many cards as we wanted and were instructed to try and reforge them as high as we could," Yogog said with a bitter smile. "Many smiths never get the chance to have a nearly unlimited amount of cards, so they thought to use it. To become better."

Irwin leaned back, staring at Balarn. He could fully understand what he meant, if not for himself in the last few months, than from when he was back on Giard. Cards back there had been even more rare.

It was quiet around the table, the non-smiths having quietly listened until now.

"How did you get free?" Crithann asked. "And why were there so many of my people there? Those weren't smiths."

Balarn shared a look with Relinda before turning to Crithann.

"Try to remain calm," he said, pausing. Only when Crithann gave him a frowned nod did he continue.

"The Imps forced the people they found to remove their cards…"

"What?! They could die from that!" Crithann snapped through gritted teeth.

Balarn nodded, a look of pain on his face. "Yes. I am so sorry… but it gets worse. They- They also killed the heartcarded they captured, hoping for their cards to drop."

Crithann let out a startled shout as he half rose from his position. A wave of immense pressure surged out of him, and Irwin grimaced as he felt his cards begin to shudder. He heard groans of pain and surprise from around the table. Crithann's eyes were sparkling, silver light shimmering like stars as his bark-covered face finally showed a strong emotion.

Pure hatred.

Irwin noticed that the others were all struggling to stay seated, eyes rolling around oddly.

"Crit... hann..." he croaked.

The towering Viridian looked at him with a deep growl, and for a moment, Irwin thought he was going to snap. Then he blinked, and the sparks and silvery light vanished.

The pressure lasted for a few moments before slowly fading, though not completely. Like a blade almost drawn, the pressure remained in the background.

A soft moan came from the side, and Irwin saw Greldo struggle to pull himself back into a seated position.

The sound of something snapping rang out while a long crack appeared on the table, originating from Crithann's hands. Everyone remained quiet as the pressure moved up and down for a while before Crithann managed to regain control.

Irwin worriedly looked at Greldo until he got a nod, then turned to Balarn. The smith was breathing raggedly, blinking as he did.

"You okay?"

Balarn nodded, and there were a few minutes of quiet as everyone regained themselves. Crithann said nothing in the meantime. His eyes were radiating cold.

"How did you free yourself?" Irwin finally asked as he looked at Balarn.

Balarn quickly turned to him, seeming more than willing to turn away from Crithann.

"Well, it was Relinda's plan, really," he said, turning to the other smith.

She was staring at Crithann, her face pale, but at the mention of her name looked up.

"It was a great plan," she said smugly, raising her head. "We timed critical failures with over thirty smiths, throwing the cards at the guards and the tunnel entrances. After that, we managed to remove the card-dampeners, and those with sand and earth manipulation cards created a new path out. We used more card explosions to close other tunnels so we could get to the others and then left!"

Balarn let out a weary laugh. "Well, it was a bit more difficult than that, but it's the gist of it," he said.

"How did you know to come this way?" Irwin asked. He couldn't imagine their tree was detectable from far away, so either they had escaped nearby, or there was something else going on.

"We decided to head to the nearest town but found it empty and raided," Balarn said.

He hesitated, looking at Crithann, who remained emotionless, and only then continued.

"Taking what little food and water we could find, we headed out to the next one, then the next. We found each empty until three weeks after we fled, and we reached a town in the middle of evacuating. They told us they were heading to Grianfál. We decided to join them, but as we closed in, the Viridians began sensing a new grove, and we diverted course."

It was quiet as everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Irwin looked at Balarn.

"What happened to Monyque and the others?"

"I don't know," Balarn said with a shrug. "They hadn't returned when things started, and by then, all teleporters had been relegated to searching for portals or bringing groups of carded to close them. I wasn't able to get one to send them a message."

Irwin sighed and listened to some others ask some questions. After another while had passed, he thought of something.

"Have you heard that the exit portal has been taken by the Imps?" he asked.

Balarn blinked, then cursed.

"No, but I guess that shouldn't surprise me," he said before closing his eyes.

The conversation stopped after that, and after a short discussion with Crithann, Irwin brought Balarn and Relinda to the small building beside the smithy.

He settled them in some of the empty rooms, a luxury only there because of the smithy beside it. Then he returned to the main smithy and his own room. Lying on the bed, he thought of all that had happened.

With two dozen smiths here, we will be able to reforge far more cards, he thought. At the same time, he wondered if they would have to worry about the imps sending more here to recapture the escapees.

As his mind kept spinning, moving from the Imps asking questions about him to the pressure Crithann had exerted, sleep wouldn't come. Instead, he was just lying there, his mind a fuzzy mess.

"Watch out!"

Ambraz's scream jolted him wide awake.

Without even thinking, Irwin triggered Coperion Body as he sat up. Two blurs were moving from the shadowy part of his room, and he could barely roll away as something struck the bed.

There was a hiss of anger, and then something struck his arm.

Irwin looked up to see a pale Imp staring in surprise at a bent piece of metal in his hands. It was two fingers wide and probably as long as his hand.

"Card-dampeners! Don't let them put them around your wrists," Ambraz shouted as he flitted around across the ceiling.

Shouts of anger and worry came from below, followed by something slamming into a wall so hard the building shuddered.

Irwin ignored all of it as he jumped at the nearest Imp, keeping an eye out for the things it was wielding. His first instinct was to burn it with his flame, but he held back.

We need answers! If he killed it, how would they get those?

The Imp moved back faster than Irwin could move, but he was already working his cards. A thin fog rippled around the edges of the room as he used a trick he'd practiced for a whole different situation.

One of the Imps had backed up, but as it touched the swirling steam near the edges, it jumped forward, clasping its neck while its eyes bulged out. Irwin jumped at it, ignoring the other one as he pulled the steam closer around him.

A dull thud came from his door, followed by a shout.

"Irwin!"

"Stay outside!" Irwin roared as he saw the door swing open.

It was jolted back, taking a host of steam with it that caused surprised curses.

Irwin grabbed the Imp's wrists before it could stumble away. With a hard clench, he felt the bones snap below his powerful grip, and the Imp dropped the daggers on the ground. The pain bloomed from his shoulder as something sharp pierced his skin. Gritting his teeth, he kept his grasp on the Imp as he moved forward and into the thick mist. The Imp's eyes widened as he gasped for air, and Irwin turned to look for the other one. By now, that whole room was filled with steam, and it was in the center, one dagger left, a hand covering its mouth, and panic in its bulging eyes.

Irwin looked at the Imp in his hands, which had slumped into unconsciousness. Dropping it, he put his foot on its chest before looking at the other Imp and swinging his hand forward, summoning his hammer midswing and releasing it. It flung through the air, hitting the unsuspecting Imp, which was slammed away and knocked into the wall, where it began shuddering on the ground.

“Is Scintilla there?” Irwin shouted.

"I'm here!"

"The room's full of steam, but you can come in!"

The door swung open, and Scintilla jumped inside, sword ready.

"I'm going to drop the steam! Hold that one, and don't kill it!"

Scintilla blinked then a predatory grin covered her face as she lunged forward.

As soon as she had a sword point on the unmoving Imp's throat, Irwin immediately released his control over the steam.

"Let's get them outside before they suffocate!" he said as he grabbed the Imp and headed for the door.

"I'm coming out with an unconscious Imp," Irwin shouted at the door. "Don't kill it and get Crithann!"

"Ready!"

Irwin moved out as soon as he heard Greldo's voice, and as he stepped out, he saw his friend, Yogog, and some Viridians who he knew lived in the adjacent building, all with weapons and bloody wounds.

"Alright! Let's head to Crithann and get these things inside some sort of cell or prison," Irwin said as he cast a worried look at a long bloody tear in Greldo's bare arm.

"You are alright?" Greldo asked as he moved aside to let him pass.

Irwin saw his eyes move to his back, and he suddenly recalled the thud and the pain. Then he realized the pain was still there, though dull and distant.

"Yeah- but could you pull that thing out?" he asked.

He ignored the worried glances the others shared. Greldo moved to him, grabbing something he couldn't see, which he knew was probably the dagger.

"Ready?"

"Get it out," Irwin said.

There was a tug, then the pain increased sharply. It lasted for a short while, then turned back to the dull pain of before.

"You're bleeding, but it's not too bad," Greldo said as he stepped back.

"I'll fix it after I can get my hands free," Irwin said as he walked ahead, down the stairs and into the downstairs room. Two of the tables had been shattered, and Coal stood to the side, staring at two unmoving, torn-apart heaps of Imps.

"They jumped us while we slept, and if it wasn't for Coal, I'd probably be dead," Greldo said as he followed him.

A weary sigh came from one of the Viridians. "We were sharing a room, and our friend screamed as he was gutted. It was the only warning we had."

"They must have followed Balarn and the others," Greldo whispered as they walked outside.

Dozens of Viridians were standing around the square, talking worriedly. As they moved out, Crithann was just thudding into view on the other side of the square.

"Irwin, are you alright?" he shouted, his voice booming out and causing the surrounding Viridians to quiet down.

"Fine," Irwin replied as he raised the Imp in the air.

He could faintly see its chest move, showing it was alive.

"Stop resisting!"

Yogog's angry growl made him look back, and he saw Scintilla walking out. Yogog was beside her, having taken over the Imp and holding it in a headlock. The Imp's eyes were flickering around as he struggled to get free.

"We've got two prisoners. Could you get Lasvirish?" Irwin asked as he stopped before Crithann.

The soulcarded leader of the town glared at the Imp, then nodded.

"Follow me. I've got a place we can hold him," he grunted as he headed back the way he came. At the same time, he called for someone to go get Lasvirish.

A short while later, they followed him inside his central tower and down a staircase Irwin hadn't noticed before. It was situated at the back of a side room, and the path down was barely wide enough for Crithann.

It led to a dark, spacious cellar with stone pillars holding up the ceiling and shallow basins of water all around. Pale white leafy plants covered the water, with bright red flowers in the center.

"What are these?" Irwin muttered as he followed Crithann to the back. A few small, doorless rooms sat there, filled with bags and boxes. One of them was empty, and Crithann moved towards it.

"Give me a minute," he grunted as he began pulling out boxes and bags and placing them along the side of the wall.

When he finished emptying the room, he directed Irwin to come inside.

"We need a door," Irwin said as he frowned at the opening.

"I've got it handled," Crithann rumbled.

A short while later, three Viridians came and created vein-like bindings that wound up and around the two imps, locking them in place. The ends were fastened to the ceiling, and another pulled out a massive slab from the stone wall, which was obviously large enough to cover the door opening.

Lasvirish had joined them, and they were all standing outside, staring at the Imps dangling from the ceiling.

"Lasvirish," Crithann rumbled.

The Ignitzion woman nodded as she walked toward the only one of the two Imps not unconscious. It was glaring at her, its mouth a tight stripe while ruddy blood covered parts of its pale, exposed neck and face.

Lasvirish spoke a string of words that almost sounded like wood or something else cracking and popping as it burned streamed from her mouth.

The Imp grunted, snapping something back that Irwin was pretty sure wasn't something pleasant.

Lasvirish stepped forward and slapped it across the face, causing it to swirl around. Then she grabbed it and held it still before asking something again.

The Imp didn't respond, merely glaring at her.

Lasvirish continued talking, but the Imp remained silent. After a few more attempts, Lasvirish turned to them.

"This won't work," she said. "He doesn't want to talk."

"Perhaps we should give him some reasons to talk," Greldo growled as he stepped forward.

Irwin looked up to see his friend grow a hand length while short dark fur sprouted across his exposed skin. His face elongated into a canine-like snout, and he leaned forward, growling so low and deep that Irwin felt his hairs stand on end.

"Tell him I'm going to eat him, starting from his feet, if he doesn't answer us," Greldo said, his voice no more than a guttural growl.

Irwin saw that the Imp was looking at Greldo, its jaw set, but a tiny bit of panic had appeared in its burning yellow eyes. He couldn't blame it, even he felt his skin crawl as Greldo's lips pulled back, showcasing lines or razor-sharp teeth. He'd never seen Greldo act like this, as far as he could recall. The worst thing was that he had no idea if his friend was merely acting or serious.

He wasn't the only one.

Lasvirish was staring at Greldo with wide eyes, then nodded and spouted something, stumbling over her words. The Imp looked around wide-eyed but remained still, even when Lasvirish snapped something again.

"All of you, back up from the room and stay out of sight for a few minutes," Greldo said, his voice even lower than before, almost a whisper.

Irwin looked around, then swallowed as he saw the same uncertainty he felt on many faces. Only Crithann and Yogog barely blinked. Instead, Crithann hummed.

"Leave him for a bit," he rumbled as he turned and began pulling the other Viridians with him.

Irwin took a deep breath and then pulled Scintilla with him. He had to trust Greldo, and although the idea of torturing the Imp made him uncomfortable, he also knew that he'd have killed the same Imp if he hadn't needed the answers.

A minute later, all of them stood at the other side of the large, puddle-filled room. For a short while, there was no sound from the other side, then a startled scream rang out, followed by another.

"Is he really doing what he said?" Lasvirish asked, looking around. "I… I know we have to get answers… but-"

"If he hadn't opted to do it, I would have," Yogog snapped. "His teeth just make things a bit easier."

Lasvirish and the Viridians looked at him wide-eyed, and Yogog snorted, ignoring another scream.

"What do you think we are doing here? These bloody Imps came here to abduct Irwin, me, and some others. It was a targeted attack, and they weren't afraid to try and kill Greldo and some of the others. You've heard what they did to Balarn, Relinda and-"

Yogog stopped talking, looking around while his eyes widened.

"Where is Balarn?" he hissed.

Irwin was moving before he knew it, sprinting toward the staircase up, and as he thudded up he summoned his hammer. A red blur of fire shot past him, disappearing from view within moments, but he didn't stop.

Outside, he continued running, and Yogog caught up within moments. They ignored surprised and worried shouts from the surrounding people and rushed to the smithy. They reached the building beside it where they had brought Balarn and Relinda, kicking open the door as they ran in. The single-story building's main room was trashed, a table crushed while blood smears covered parts of the walls and ground.

Scintilla stood in the room, sword bare and a look of stunned surprise as she looked at a shape in the corner of the room. A pale Imp lay there, the side of his head crushed in.

Irwin felt his anger and worry skyrocket as he knew what had probably happened.

"Dammit," Yogog roared as he sprinted to one of the rooms, yanking open the door. The bed was partially broken, and blood glistened on the leafy mattress. There was no sign of Balarn.

Gritting his teeth, Irwin ran to the other room, but Relinda was gone too.

As he ran back out, Yogog met him in the small main room, his eyes glowing with fury, and his lips pulled back in an angry snarl.

"These bastards! Alright, let's go back, we need answers!"

They left the building and rushed back. When they reached the center building, Lasvirish just walked out. Her face was pale, and her hands were shaking softly.

"Are they-" she began before falling quiet when she saw the look on Yogog's face.

"I wouldn't go in there," she whispered as they passed her, but none of them even showed any sign of slowing down. Just as he walked down, Irwin realized something, and he looked up.

"Shouldn't you be there to translate?" he asked, not able to keep the anger from his voice.

"That Imp speaks PGL," she muttered.

"Of course it does," Yogog snarled as he ran down.

When they reached the cellar, a soft whimpering came from the far room while Greldo and Crithann came walking toward them.

"We've got trouble," Greldo growled, baring his now bloody teeth.

Irwin blinked at the sight, then the words sank in.

"What?"

"They let them go on purpose," Crithann said as he stopped before the others. "There is an army of Imps coming here. We need to prepare to defend ourselves because-"

A dull horn blow came from upstairs, and they all froze.