Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

Irwin yawned as he leaned back in the chair, staring at the massive auction happening below. Seeing his cards being sold for exceedingly absurd amounts had been fun at first, but after seven days of it, he'd found he could only be surprised and impressed so much. Besides, compared to some of Lord Urdwellan's own cards and some others, the prices he got were only at the bottom of the upper amounts.

Still… I guess I'm almost rich now? he thought.

Well, at least rich by this world's standards. Ambraz had told him that with what he had, he could barely live for four to five years in one of the main branches and their worlds. As he thought about that, Irwin's mind began conjuring up images of massive worlds populated by powerful hand and soulcarded and even more powerful demons, monsters, and other soulskilled beings. Ambraz had told him some stories, and he wondered if he would ever get to see those worlds.

Probably I will if I manage to become a diamond rank smith, Irwin thought.

Which would take a long, long time, he knew. He might be able to reforge emerald cards, but without Ambraz's help, getting them to a hundred percent was still a dream. If he wanted to reach Ruby rank it would have to be the next thing he worked on.

As his gaze drifted around, he wondered if Crithann would be happy. His hand drifted to his side pocket, which held the two most expensive cards he had- his own Vaelite one and the Amethyst Dryadic seedling card he bought on the fifth days. It had been the third Dryadic card in the auction, the first two both being Emerald, and it had cost him far more soulshards than even Driseog had anticipated. At almost three hundred and eighty thousand soulshards, it had easily been one of the most expensive Amethyst cards, period.

I wonder if Crithann is going to repay me for those, he wondered, then shrugged. Even if the other didn't, if he could see Lord Ulderion create a heartcard, that would be priceless.

"And finally, after seven amazing days, the final card of this week's auction!"

The Auctioneer's voice boomed through the room, ripping Irwin from his daydream.

"To make sure none of us forget these great days, we have saved the best for last," the Auctioneer continued, his voice filled with even more energy than it had held before.

With a flurry of his hands, an Emerald card appeared.

Irwin looked at the image of a tiny bird with three eyes and read the card, which was called Psybird- a summon card. His eyes widened as he read the passive effect, and he leaned forward. Mental stability?

"Not bad," Ambraz grunted from his shoulder.

"Ambraz, if Daubutim has a card like that, with mental stability?" Irwin whispered.

"Hmmm… yeah, you are right," Ambraz said with a nod. "It would probably help him with whatever odd thing is wrong with his mind."

Irwin was about to call out a number when the Auctioneer's voice began shouting out numbers in rapid succession. Within minutes, the number had climbed to eight hundred thousand, a number above Irwin's possibility to pay.

"By Gelwin's balls," he muttered, barely noticing he was again using one of Greldo's favorite curses.

"Smith Irwin? Do you have an interest in this card?" Driseog asked.

"Not the card specifically," Irwin muttered, feeling a wave of sadness and annoyance as the card continued to climb. "But that passive effect, Mental stability. You wouldn't happen to know if there are more cards like that in the auction?"

Driseog tapped his chin for a while. "It's not a very common effect, and usually, it's only found on exceedingly rare cards like this one. However, I can add it to the list of cards I'm still looking for?"

Irwin nodded, giving Driseog a grateful smile. "That would be great," he said.

"Good. Well, then, I hope you enjoyed this first week of non-stop auctions! From now on, the auction will continue in the different mission centers. As you know, it will last for nearly a year, and every first day of the month will see another major auction, as we just saw," Driseog said. "I am sorry to say that I have yet to find any of the other cards you requested. I will be exceedingly busy from now on, so I'll not be available for anything. However, I'll send a message as soon as any of the cards appear. Is there a budget that you would like to set for them?"

Irwin thought for a bit, then shrugged as he felt a moment of sadness. "No, you can spend all of the money I made if it's needed," he said. He'd prefer the cards over the soulshards, and he knew he could make more money. "I'll be heading back to Grianfál tomorrow to reforge more cards. Is there an easy way to get these to you?"

Driseog smiled brightly. "I will have Yuul check in on you every four weeks, a week before the main auction day. She is a capable teleporter, and it will be good for her to get around. Would that be alright?"

Irwin nodded, taking a deep breath before letting it out. "That will be fine. I still have something to take care of, so if I am not there, I'll leave the cards with Yogog or Crithann."

Driseog's smile widened, and he got up. "Then I wish you luck in your reforging."

Irwin rose and nodded, guessing Driseog would probably be working through a lot of things. After a final greeting, he left. He walked through the city, which had calmed down slightly, and when he reached the smithy, he saw a familiar figure stomp away towards an alleyway he knew led to a staircase leading to the next level.

Was that Relinda?

He continued through the gate and noticed Greldo prowling the open area. His friend's red eyes were burning brightly while Coal lay nearby, watching him pace.

"Yo, did I just see Relinda?" Irwin asked as he walked up.

"Glad you're not blind," Greldo snorted before taking a deep breath and shuddering. "Yeah. That was her."

"How did she manage to leave and return so fast?" Irwin asked.

"Apparently, Haudur, that's the big smith that leads the charter she was with, wasn't too happy with her news. The few other survivors were to return, but she was told to stay on Scour for twenty years or until she reached Emerald rank," Greldo said.

"Ouch," Irwin muttered, knowing full well how difficult that was for anyone without an Anvil of the Gods.

"Yeah, you don't say," Greldo said. "Anyway, she came here and… well, she wanted to join Tensor's charter. When Balarn told her no, she wasn't too amused, but apparently, there's some kind of rule against smiths moving between charters when they are under punishment. Which she apparently is. Not sure how Balarn knew that, but he said she should have known better."

Irwin grimaced. "Yeah, that would probably piss her off."

"That, something about some fool getting the only card she wanted during the auction and the fact I told her I wasn't interested in continuing our thing," Greldo said with a weary sigh.

Irwin blinked at the mention of the card, then shoved a bad premonition away as he walked towards his friend. "You made up your mind?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. I know she isn't really interested in me," Greldo said with a shrug. "She's probably just trying to get closer to you after seeing those cards of yours sell for more than she might ever make."

Irwin quietly waited for his friend to continue, but Greldo didn't say anything else, merely looking at the ground.

"Well… I'm heading back to Grianfál. Do you-"

"Nah. I'm staying here. I've found a mission center that's got some interesting missions, and some of them pay with actual cards," Greldo said with a quick shake of his head. "I'll go and roam around a bit and return in a few weeks. If you find that card…"

"Don't worry! If I do, I'll make sure to get it ready for you," Irwin said.

"Did you find that card Crithann wanted?"

Irwin grimaced as he recalled the price of the card, then nodded. "Yeah."

"What? It wasn't what you thought?" Greldo said with a frown.

"No, that's not it," Irwin said. "It was just… a bit more expensive.

Greldo barked a laugh, then nodded, and they continued to chat for a bit until Balarn showed up.

After a group dinner that night, Irwin and Scintilla headed back to Grianfál together with Numilli. Yogog had decided to remain with Balarn for a while to help him train his apprentices, and when the three of them appeared, Irwin was happy to see the much more quiet town.

As the teleportation mist evaporated and the beautiful warmth of the sun surrounded him, he saw the shadow of the towering tree and the wide view. Looking around and listening to quiet, he felt a sense of calm.

"We are going to the Earth Titan now?" Numilli shouted happily as she hopped around.

Scintilla snorted but looked at him.

"I need two more days," Irwin said as he thought about the Vaelite card.

"Ahhhh, come on," Numilli moaned, but Irwin just ignored her as he turned to Scintilla. "See you tonight?"

Scintilla's grin widened. "Yes! I'll cook something nice!"

"Can't wait," Irwin said, meaning it.

Walking through the sandy, calm roads, he nodded at a few people greeting him, then noticed Crithann's towering shape leaning in the shadow of his house.

Was he waiting for me? How did he even know I'd be back?

"Crithann," he said, greeting the larger man.

Crithann observed him for a moment, then he nodded and moved inside the building. Irwin followed him, not surprised when they went down into the basement that held the ponds Crithann grew his plants in. A dim glow came from orange bulbs that hung from three-foot-high stalks, causing the area to have a semblance of a nighttime room lit with candles and torches.

"So, you found one?" Crithann asked as he sat down on a low bench beside one of the ponds.

Irwin nodded as he took the card from his pocket, handing it over. Crithann took it almost reverently, inspecting it for a moment before looking up with a wide smile.

"How much was it?" he asked.

Irwin answered honestly, and he noticed Crithann wince before sighing.

"I… can't pay you back that much right now," the towering man said calmly. "I have perhaps a third of that saved away, but after my family banished me, I was left with nothing."

Irwin sighed, then shook his head. He hadn't really known what to expect, and although he felt a bit sad, he knew the experience of seeing a heartcard created would more than make up for the monetary loss.

"It's fine," he said. "I can earn more money, and I'm really looking forward to seeing Lord Urdwellan make your heartcard."

Crithann stared at him for a while, then nodded. "Good. Still, if you ever need something, come to me, and if I can help, I will."

Thinking about having a powerful soulcarded willing to assist him with something made Irwin grin and the slight sadness at losing so many soulshards vanished completely.

"Now… I have another request, but I think it should be easier for you," Crithann said, raising the card. "Can you reforge this for me if I have the exact song required?"

Irwin felt a wave of curiosity, and he nodded. "To what rank?"

"As high as you can make it," Crithann said.

"That's going to be Emerald," Irwin said. "I don't think there's any way we can make another Ruby rank card right now… right?" He looked at Ambraz.

"Damn right. The chances of it blowing up would be ten to one," Ambraz said.

That's not as bad as I'd have thought, Irwin thought. Then, he recalled the cost of the card and quickly shoved the idea away.

"Emerald will be fine," Crithann said. "Even my cousin can't promise a guaranteed success on Ruby Rank. No smith that I know of could."

"Yeah," Ambraz said with a snort before laughing.

Irwin saw Crithann look at him oddly before ignoring him and focusing on Irwin.

"Can you do it first thing? The risk that someone found out you took it to me is… not something I'm willing to make."

"Sure," Irwin said as he looked around, then at Ambraz. "We could do it here?"

Ambraz snorted, then flitted from his shoulder and flew to an empty space before changing to his massive size.

"Thank you for understanding," Crithann said as he handed Irwin the card back before walking to another side of the room. He unceremoniously stuck his hand in the wall and, after a few moments, removed a simple-looking paper.

As he walked by, he looked at it for a bit, a wistful look on his face.

"This is something I got from my mother before she passed away," he muttered. "It- Well, it was in her family for an enormously long time and used to be the thing all eldest children of her line knew. Those were all smiths…"

Irwin frowned as he took the page and blinked. There were odd straight lines with weird symbols on it, and he shook his head.

"What is-"

"Oh! Where did you get an old Galadin music sheet from?" Ambraz shouted. "Put it on my surface, let me see it!"

Irwin blinked, while Crithann just smiled and did as requested. He didn't seem too surprised by it.

Galadins, Irwin thought as he frowned. Weren't those the ones that built the roads back on Giard? It has to be another empire with a similar name, he decided.

Seconds turned to minutes, and Irwin sniffed.

"So, what is on-"

"Hush! You two go play in the corner while I read this," Ambraz said impatiently. "Don't disturb me for an hour or so!"

Irwin stared at him in surprise but followed Crithann, who just grinned. As they sat down, Irwin looked at the Viridian.

"So… what's so special about that paper?" he asked.

Crithann leaned back, staring at him for a few moments before finally smiling.

"What do you know of the ancient history of the interconnected portal gallery?"

"..." Irwin stared at him stupidly before shrugging. "Nothing really."

Crithann looked at him in surprise. "Nothing? Didn't you… I thought it was normal for all worlds to teach the basics in school?"

"Well, the world I'm from wasn't officially part of the Portal Gallery," Irwin said. "Didn't I tell you this?"

"No. I'm pretty sure I would have remembered that," Crithann said as he leaned forward. "Then, how did you get here? How did you become a smith? Are cardsmiths common in your world?"

Irwin shook his head, a stupid grin on his face. "I thought you were going to tell me something," he said.

Crithann sighed, then nodded. "You are right. My apologies. But… I would like to know more about this later."

"Sure," Irwin said.

"Alright, well, due to my… upbringing, I know a bit more than is commonly known. But, as we only have an hour, I'll try and be brief-"

Irwin listened quietly as Crithann began talking about how his world was one of the oldest of the currently connected to the Portal Gallery. Due to the longevity of his people, especially those that soulcarded that ended up as soul trees -something Irwin really wanted to learn more about- the Viridians had a long history of the races that had been there. Though much was lost over the millennia, some things, like legends about the Galadin, were known to them.

"So, they were some kind of ancient super empire that mysteriously disappeared?" Irwin asked eventually.

"Only legends remain, but those say the Galadin people were hunted to extinction by another race and vanished."

"All of them?" Irwin asked in surprise.

"For as far as the legends state. All that is left of them are a few of these ancient smithing songs, most handed down as priceless heirlooms. The ancient royal families of my race's origin world have several, and my mother gave me one when I was still very young," Crithann said as he leaned back. "Rumor has it that they are more common on the main branches, but I can't be sure."

"They are, but not a lot,' Ambraz said, drawing both their attention. "I've heard a few things about the Galadin Empire. One of the legends of our world says that they were the first of the cardsmiths and had a level of skill so far beyond anything we know now that it's laughable. One of the legends is that most of them had the skill to become a cardsmith and that their best would become a diamond rank smith before they were twenty."

Irwin whistled. Definitely not the same as from my world then, he thought. If he recalled right, all those did was build really good roads.

"Anyway, this is a pretty ingenious resonance we have to go through. Listen to this-"

Irwin blinked as Ambraz's deep voice turned deeper as he started humming. At first, the song was deep and mellow, but after a minute, it began higher and faster until Irwin was listening with rapt attention to the beautiful melody. When it was finished, he leaned back, shaking his head.

"So… you do realize I can't just up and learn that?" he asked.

"Yeah, it occurred to me," Ambraz said. "Crithann, you can take the paper back. I've memorized the resonance, and I'll teach the kid."

Crithann stared at the anvil for a few moments before sighing and taking the paper back.

"How long will it take?" he asked.

"Depends on Irwin," Ambraz said. "But I wonder if anyone but him could learn it faster than a year. Besides, I'll have to practice with him on other cards."

"That's impossible," Crithann rumbled. "This is meant specifically for Dryadic cards!"

"Indeed they are, but parts of it and sections will be usable for others, even if the cards end up being unusable," Ambraz said. "Either way, you are going to have to wait."

Crithann let out an explosive sigh, showing more emotion than Irwin had seen from his trainer since the Imps had attacked them.

"Alright. I'll hide the card and wait," Crithann said as he slowly took the card and headed back to the wall.

After he was finished, he took Irwin back out, seeming in need of some time to himself, which Irwin could relate to.

When he finally entered his own smithy, he lay down on his bed with a weary sigh.

"So," he hummed. "Do I slot the sixth card and start practicing, and we find some way to explain why we don't want Lord Urdwellan's help to change it into a heartcard, or do we wait till I can reforge the card for Crithann? Suggestions?"

"Slot it," Ambraz said as he landed on his chest. "Any and all practice you can get in with that card will be useful because Vaelite skills are volatile."

Irwin nodded, propping himself up with his back against the wall and picking out the card. He stared at the image of a vaguely humanoid figure with tiny glitters across it.

"So… this is the best choice for the final card?" he asked. It was partially a rhetorical question, partially a question to himself.

"Yes, and don't be so melodramatic," Ambraz said with a snort. "In a year or two, you will have a heartcard, and you will have lost much of your current versatility, but eventually, when you create your soulcard, you can just start again! You are merely at the start, and this can barely count as the first step."

Irwin grinned as he slowly lowered the Emerald card to his final cardslot and watched it slowly slide into his hand. As it did, he felt tendrils- connections appear from his Sweltering Heart card. How had he forgotten this?

"Wait, what do I merge with Sweltering Heart? Can I merge Growth again?"

"No, you can only merge it with existing abilities," Ambraz hissed. "Take greater fire resistance or endurance!"

Of course! Irwin thought as he focused on the four tendrils he sensed from the card. It took him only a few moments to sense the differences between them, the two greater ones far brighter than the lesser poison and acid resistance. One felt warm, while the other gave him the desire to start running. He grabbed that one and directed it to the waiting and humming card beside it. As he did, he suddenly recalled the pain he'd had when slotting Sweltering Heart. He had barely a second before his body began itching. It began as an annoyance, but within moments, he was scratching across himself, trying to reach the spot that seemed embedded in his flesh.

"Don't scratch them," Ambraz shouted. "It's the card. It will stop soon!"

Irwin tried to comply, grabbing the edges of his bed, which instantly cracked under the pressure.

"It's… too… much," he growled as he dug his fingernails into his lower arms, drawing deep bleeding gauges.

"Use Coperion Body!" Ambraz snapped. "Hurry!"

Barely hearing the anvil, Irwin triggered his Coperion Body, not caring what it might do as the itching continued, seeming to come even from his intestines.

As his weight and size increased, the itching didn't become less.

"It's not helping," he growled.

"Scratch! But don't drop Coperion Body!" Ambraz hissed.

Irwin instantly slapped his hand on his chest and another on his back, his nails screeching like metal against metal as he tried to reach the infernal itches. It didn't help at all, and he wanted to howl in fury.

He heard Ambraz shout something, but he couldn't hear it. Then something smacked him in the face, and he looked up while scratching his cheeks.

"Lie down!" Ambraz shouted.

Not caring what the other was planning, Irwin flung himself back. He was about to roll across the bed when something slammed into his chest, pressing him down into the bed. The weight doubled, tripled, and kept increasing, and suddenly, he was locked between a massive weight, unable to move besides flailing his arms.

He grabbed the edges, trying to push it off, in vain as the itching became even worse. Slowly, he lost himself to screaming and striking the sides of the thing holding him on the bed.