Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

Irwin and Daubutim walked across the dock bright-eyed and smiling, while Greldo and Bendi followed behind bleary-eyed.

"How can he be this… awake!

"It's his card. You'll get used to it."

Irwin ignored Greldo and Bendi as he looked ahead. Three ships were moored and not the same as he'd seen the previous day. The furthest was their as yet unnamed one. Before that lay the Zura'ix they had arrived with, and closest was the Xi'balak's Tes'sar. The other two ships they had brought in had been taken away somewhere when they slept- he assumed to be dismantled or sold.

Rindiri and Zender were standing at the end of the docks, examining the ship.

"I guess she was curious after all," Irwin said.

Xi'balak was waving at them from his own, and Irwin turned to Daubutim.

"Can you go to him and tell him I need to take care of something for a few minutes?"

"Of course," Daubutim said.

When they reached Xi'balak's ship, Daubutim turned to walk across the gangplank, followed by the others, while Irwin continued to where Rindiri and Zender were waiting for him.

"The ship's nice, but with that sail, it's not going to be moving anytime soon," Rindiri said without a greeting.

Irwin saw from the way she examined the ship that she wasn't impressed. That she didn't say anything worse was a testament that she had no other options.

"I know. I will be joining Xi'balak on a mission that should net us a new sail, perhaps two," Irwin replied as he crossed his arms and looked at her.

Her face was neutral, but Zender was fidgeting slightly, showing he was nervous.

"So, what did the others say?" Rindiri said.

Irwin grinned. "We will be taking you up on your offer on the condition that you join The Giard's Rangers."

Rindiri's eyes widened marginally as a tight smile came to her face. She seemed about to speak, but Irwin quickly continued.

"This also goes for Ibiri, Zender, and those two sisters of yours," he said, looking at Zender at the final part. "That is if you still think they are up to the task?"

"Definitely! Definitely! You won't regret it," Zender shouted as he jumped on the spot.

Irwin grinned before turning to Rindiri, who looked stunned. It took her a few moments before she gathered herself, and then she frowned.

"Are you sure? And how did you figure out I had to bring Ibiri?"

"Did you think I'd let people aboard my ship without learning some more about them and their habits?" Irwin said as he raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I'm sure."

Rindiri smiled widely, and Irwin was surprised at how much it changed her stern face, almost making it pretty. It lasted for only a moment before her stern look returned.

"Alright. How do you want to do this?" she asked.

"You wouldn't happen to have a crystal tablet?" Irwin asked.

"Definitely not," Rindiri said.

"Then let's go and see if we can borrow the one Xi'balak has. That will also allow you to meet the others," Irwin said.

Rindiri's face turned into a nasty grin. "Okay, I'll be curious to see what Xi'balak's face turns into if he finds out you are bringing me.

Curious about that, but not enough to ask immediately, Irwin turned and walked towards the ship.

"You did great, Zender," he heard Rindiri whisper.

Irwin smiled.

So far, things are going pretty well.

--

Balarn dully looked at Monique and the older man who stood behind her.

"Explain this to me again," he said, wishing he didn't have to.

"I have used what little cards I had remaining to buy Selamin's time. He will join Tensor's charter for the foreseeable future so I can go off-world," Monique said.

Balarn rubbed his head. So this was how she was going to keep her contract and head out to find Irwin.

"Alright, and what if something happens to you?" he said.

"I was paid to stay here for at least a year," Selamin said calmly. "After that, someone will have to pay me for my time."

Balarn looked at Monique, who shrugged, looking slightly nervous. "I'll be back before then, or I'll send someone with cards," she said.

Balarn wished he could somehow disallow this, but he knew there was nothing in the contract that would allow him to force her to agree.

"Fine," he grunted, examining Selamin.

He knew the old man, though only by name. He was one of the many smiths on Fiverio who had never managed to get past Topaz rank and, at some point, had stopped trying. From what he knew, Selamin was part of one of the larger charters, though he couldn't recall the name.

"I take it that you will be working while you are here?"

Semalin smirked. "If you have cards, sure."

"There are no more cards," Balarn said. "Just metal to purify."

"Then I'll be waiting till you have some cards," Selamin said with a smile that made Balarn want to smack him. "I'm a cardsmith, not a metal purifier."

Balarn took a deep sigh and turned to Monique, who had taken a step back and was giving Selamin the stink-eye.

"When are you leaving?"

"A ship is arriving in two days," Monique said. She glimpsed at Selamin, then gave Balarn an apologetic smile.

He ignored it and nodded. "Fine. Then I'll go back to figuring out a way to get new cards off-world."

Just as he turned, Selamin grunted and spoke up. "You could send some people into that abandoned farming world. Rumor has it that it still hasn't shattered, and a few adventurous fellows have been going in to try and farm low-rank cards."

Balarn looked at Selemin for a bit before nodding.

"I'll send someone to investigate," he said. "Thanks."

Then he turned and moved away, ignoring the whispered conversation behind him.

So, Irwin's world is still whole… Is that why he was so certain he had time? If that's true, perhaps it's not a bad idea to go there, Balarn thought as his mind began churning.

--

"Honorable Smith Monique, we will be setting out to Sensanser in half a day!"

About time, Monique thought, thinking about the extra day she'd lost. If this continued, Irwin might have reached and even left Sesnanser before she arrived.

No, that won't happen. Besides, I need to somehow convince him to join me, or sis will have to marry that horrifying man!

She shivered, then nodded at Prat, the gruff old captain who was still looking at her, seeming to expect an answer.

Prat's skin was a pale, wrinkled surface, showing he'd not been to any world with a sun in a very long time. Still, the bright silver eyes that almost seemed to be casting light in front of them told her everything she needed to know. This old man had almost fully filled up his heartcard.

"Good. I hope we will arrive without any more delays," she said.

"So do I, miss. So do I! I'll leave you to yer time then," Prat said before nastily scraping his throat and walking away.

Don't worry big-sis… I'll find a way, Monique thought as she stared out across Fiverio's harbor, wishing the ship could leave already.

--

Irwin stood on the prow of the Tes'sar, listening to the chatter on the deck behind him.

The temperature had gone up significantly over the last few hours, and by now, everyone who wasn't a Da'xi had returned from below deck.

The ship angled slightly, causing his weight to shift, and he clutched the railing. A few moments later, the ship righted itself again, and Irwin hummed as he felt the air streak against his face.

Even after traveling for nearly a day, he was still surprised at how fast the ship moved compared to the Zura'ix. It has to be the sail, he thought.

He looked up to try and find a difference between this one and the others he'd seen, but as with the previous times he'd looked, he found none.

"Boss?"

Irwin saw Bendi walking over. He was alone, with no sign of Greldo, which meant his friend was probably still resting in their room.

He shouldn't have drunk that much, Irwin thought before focusing on Bendi. Somehow, the raider seemed to have returned to his usual self much faster, with nothing remaining of the weariness he'd had when they set out. Probably experience, Irwin thought.

"Bendi?" he replied, still somewhat unsure of how he should deal with the ex-raider.

"We will be in sight of the Roaming Shipyard, or what's left of it soon," Bendi said as he pointed to a distant set of trees. "It used to be near the top of a few of the tallest of the Portal Trees. After we see it, we will also be closing in on the area with the heavy fighting, and I'll be able to point out the location of the downed ships."

Irwin nodded as he stared into the distance, wishing he could still use his Eyes of Blaze to check what was going on in the distance. It would have been very useful in this setting, and he wondered if he'd known that if he would have done something different when creating his heartcard.

But at the cost of what else? he thought.

Focusing on his Resonating Heat Vision only showed a distant cluster of heat signatures—probably the trees or something similar.

As they waited, Greldo eventually joined them.

"Those are some tall trees," he said as he stepped beside Irwin.

"I still can't really make them out," Irwin replied. "Anything special?"

"Some seem to be damaged, and I think I can see that Roaming Shipyard thing. Either that or a dozen or more ships have crashed together and landed neatly on a tree."

"You've got some sharp eyes," Bendi said admiringly. "That will be more than a bit useful when we set out. If you take a post atop the main mast, you could warn us from any incoming raiders!"

"Only if we can get a normal chair up there," Greldo said, grinning at Bendi.

Irwin watched them banter a bit more, surprised at how easy Greldo was handling Bendi's presence. Was it because they had gotten drunk together the night before, or was it something else.

Or he is just faking it, Irwin thought as he focused back ahead.

After what felt like a long time, he and the others finally saw what Greldo had seen before.

A sprawling mass of towering trees appeared in the distance. They were not unlike those that had surrounded Fiverio's harbor and much larger than those around Sesnanser's harbor and seemed to grow all the way to the distant edge of the Portal Gallery landmass. He could barely make out a construction on one of the highest points. Behind it was a branch leading off into the distance, narrower than the one they were on.

By the time they reached the edge of the trees, everyone could now see the massive forest stretching along the edge of the Portal Gallery, across the side branch, and a second side branch a few miles further away.

I wonder if there really isn't a portal here, Irwin thought with a frown.

According to what he'd heard, there shouldn't be, but the temperature was as hot as when they were near Sesnanser.

"Why is it so hot if there's no portal?"

"There's a massive heat rune on the bottom of the central ship of the Roaming Shipyard," Bendi said. "It was put there after the larger explorer groups left, and the Roaming Shipyard became more of a small port town."

Irwin frowned. "If they didn't destroy it…"

"I see movement," Greldo whispered.

Nobody spoke as they all tried to see what Greldo did.

Xi'balak joined them a few moments later.

"You can see what's going on?" he asked, looking at Greldo.

"I see movement, but I can't see what they are," Greldo replied, still squinting into the distance.

"Alright, then, let's do what we came here for first," Xi'balak said as he turned to Bendi. "You! Tell us where the ships crashed unless you were lying about that?"

Bendi showed an obviously feigned expression of distress and touched his chest.

"Of course I wasn't! It's two and a half miles that way, below a dense canopy. Two trees there have grown partially attached, and one ship hit it going down. Someone should be able to see the damage to the trunk."

Irwin didn't see anything special where he was pointing, but Xi'balak didn't seem to mind. He turned and began gesturing at his navigator, a sturdy Da'xi. Moments later, the ship changed course again.

"Didn't you want to check the Roaming Shipyard?" Irwin asked as he stepped up beside Xi'balak.

The man's cheek plates moved outward, which Irwiw knew meant he was smiling. "Who says we aren't? One of my crew can fly across pretty large distances, and he left a short while ago."

Irwin frowned as he turned his attention back to the distant Shipyard. He saw nothing, but as soon as he focused on his Resonating Heat Vision, he saw a tiny streak of heat rush low across the canopy. At the same time, he saw hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of tiny specs of heat moving around the Shipyard and the trees surrounding it.

"By the Flames of Aghos," he muttered, leaning forward.

"What?" Xi'balak asked worriedly.

"I've never seen this many Galubs... well, I guess they could be Nyzir too," Irwin said.

I've never seen a Nyzir at all, he corrected himself while dumbly looking at the mass of dots, each that moved probably representing an enemy.

"How many?" Xi'balak asked.

"Over a thousand," Irwin said. "Roughly."

"Roughly?" Greldo snorted. "If it's that many, who cares if it's a hundred more or less! By-" he clenched his teeth, stopping whatever he was going to say, which Irwin guessed would have been something like 'by Gelwin's balls'.

"Alright… I'm going to make sure we get to the spot with the sails as fast as possible," Xi'balak said, his voice heavy with worry. "You will have a short while to get them up here, and if we see them approach, we will have to leave. Do you have a quick way to return to the ship?"

"Yes," Irwin and Greldo said simultaneously.

"Better let me do it," Greldo said with a grin. "If you jump that high, you will probably blow up the ship you jump from."

Irwin blinked, then grimaced. "You're right."

Time passed slowly as the ship approached the area Bendi had indicated. At some point, the ex-raider rushed to the navigator to better explain. Finally, they reached a section of forest that looked no different than the rest, with the only remarkable thing being the two trees that perfectly fit Bendi's previous description.

There was no sight of any ships coming from the distant Shipyard, and the dense brown and red-leafed canopy blocked any sight.

"Are you sure there is no movement?" Greldo whispered.

"I don't see anything," Irwin replied.

"Alright, I'll teleport you and Bendi down to see," Greldo said as he stepped into the shadow of the mast.

Then he turned to Bendi. "You ready?"

Bendi licked his lips, and as Irwin saw him do it, he recalled he'd had the same habit for the longest time, especially when he was nervous.

"Can you teleport us right back out if there are things down there that jump us?" Bendi asked.

"Probably," Greldo said as he grabbed the ex-raider's shoulder.

Irwin put his hand on Greldo's shoulder while preparing his own card's active abilities in case they were needed while triggering one. A long-handled hammer appeared in his free hand, and he gripped it tight, squeezing the handle.

"Go."

A familiar jostling burst out as the shadows deepened and completely engulfed him. It lasted for a few moments, then he appeared in a dark, muddy patch of ground.

A tangled mess of roots, some a dozen feet high, surrounded them, while the tree trunks looked like enormous buildings covered in fungus and mushrooms. The air was damp, reminding him of a swamp and warmer than it had been in the ship.

Irwin slowly turned around, using his Resonating Heat Vision and keeping his hand on Greldo. There was no sign of any movement, but as he nearly completed the circle, he saw the shattered remains of a ship. The mast had snapped in half, but somehow the sail seemed mostly unharmed, just slightly folded to one side.

"Clear," he whispered, releasing Greldo, who looked weary.

Right, teleporting more than three people is his limit right now, Irwin remembered.

"I'll go and scout the ships quickly," Greldo said. "Stay here so I can find you and get us back if needed!"

"We will be careful," Irwin said.

Greldo vanished, and Irwin continued looking around to make sure nothing somehow appeared. Greldo wasn't the only one who could teleport, after all.

"His teleport is only short-range?" Bendi asked.

"No," Irwin said, noticing that Bendi had no weapon. "Get your combat abilities out!"

Bendi grimaced as he looked around. "I already have," he muttered sadly.

"You're a raider! What kind of heartcarded raider doesn't have some weapon ability?" Irwin said in surprise, still looking around.

"I wasn't always a rai- with those guys," Bendi replied, looking annoyed. "My cards are meant for more conversational battles!"

"You mean the odd vibrating I sensed when we caught you?"

"Yes… it's meant to make people like me and be more open to my ideas," Bendi said with a shrug.

"What else does it do?" Irwin asked, shaking his head in disbelief. He was going to have made some regular weapons when he returned. If they ever got jumped…

But I can't because he can't know I'm a smith!

Gritting his teeth, he continued looking around.

"I'm sorry," Bendi said after a while. "I should have told you."

"What rank is your card?" Irwin asked.

"... Topaz," Bendi said softly.

"Then it should have at least another active and passive or two passives," Irwin said, hiding his shock at the low-rank card.

"The way I manipulate people's opinion works through vibrations," Bendi said with a weary sigh. "I use a similar thing to see everything in a few meters all around me."

"That's more useful," Irwin muttered, guessing it worked somewhat like how he used his sweltering card but then without the steam. "And the final one?"

Bendi remained quiet for a while, and Irwin looked to the side. "Just tell me. If I have to protect you, I better know what you can do."

"It's another active… If I get hit, I can redirect the energy into a shout that will blow the person that hit me away, potentially deafening them," Bendi muttered.

"You have no passive effects?" Irwin asked, somewhat stunned. He almost believed Bendi was lying to him.

Right, before we take Rindiri and the others along, they better explain if they can defend themselves, Irwin thought, annoyed that he hadn't asked Bendi this before. Somehow, he'd expected everyone to have at least some useful battle cards.

The shadows beside them blurred, and Greldo appeared. "Alright, the ships are all clear."

Irwin let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, lead us to the nearest one," he said.

"Wait, can't he just teleport us?" Bendi asked, sounding confused.

"He's lazy," Irwin quickly said, mock grinning at Greldo. There was no reason to tell Bendi that Greldo couldn't teleport three people around without a break.

"Damn right I am! You don't pay me enough for this shit," Greldo replied, not missing a beat. "This way!"

It took them longer than Irwin would have liked to reach the deck of the first ship, which had crashed into a root fifteen feet above the ground. However, when they were there, he was in for another nasty surprise. Bodies lay scattered around, mostly humans but with a few Da'xi mixed in. They had started rotting, and the smell was enough to make him sick.

"Alright, let's get this over with fast," he muttered. "Bendi, can you remove this sail?"

Bendi had been walking around, looking at the sail. "Yes, it seems mostly intact. There were a few scuffed areas, but it was still in its solid state, which is good. It would have ripped apart in the landing if it had been in its foldable state."

"Great, explain that to me later and get a move on," Irwin said as he looked around. He saw five or six more ships, many ripped apart during the crash, littering the nearby roots. Some sails had been bent and cracked in parts, but there were a few that looked alright.

"Can you see how many more we can use?" he asked Greldo.

"Sure, but I don't have to," Greldo said with a grin. "I took a quick look around, and four more seemed unbroken, though it seemed especially those tiny triangular sails got smacked hard. I'm not sure how many of those we can use again."

"So five mainsails and a few of the smaller ones? That's great," Irwin said with a grin. "We can have a backup just in case!"

An odd flapping sound came from above, and as he looked up, he saw the sail fold and flap like a robe.

"Help me fold it up!" Bendi shouted.

"Let's hope nothing is around," Irwin muttered as he scanned his surroundings for heat signatures. "Or they will definitely know we are here now."

An hour later, and three ships away from the first one, Irwin was holding a massive stack of folded and packaged dull-black canvas. The sails were heavier than he'd have imagined and so thin that they could be folded into something that would fit in a crate.

"Do you only have strength enhancement effects on your card?" Bendi muttered as he finished folding the smaller triangular sail and stepping back.

"Something like that," Irwin said as he watched Greldo struggle to lift the sail.

"I'll be right back," Greldo muttered before vanishing into the shadows.

He returned seconds later, staring at the one Irwin was holding. "Bah… fine, hand it over," he muttered.

Irwin grinned as he carefully gave the sail to Greldo, who almost dropped it. He vanished again, and Irwin looked around. There was one more ship to go to, and then they would be done.

I wonder if Greldo tripped, he thought as he waited for his friend to reappear. Usually, he just dumped the sails and-

Greldo reappeared, and Irwin immediately knew something was wrong.

"Enemy ships! We have to leave," Greldo shouted as he jumped forward and held out his hands.

Irwin and Bendi grabbed them, and the world spun. A moment later, they landed on the deck, just below the main mast.

"They are aboard, full speed!"

Captain Xi'balak's voice boomed across the ship, and Irwin felt the deck below his feet shudder as the ship almost jumped forward. He turned around to see four ships speeding towards them.

"That's not where the Shipyard was," he said, turning to Greldo, who was swaying on his feet. "You alright?"

"I'll be fine, just a bit much with all those sails," Greldo said.

"Rest," Irwin said as he turned towards the back of the ship.

"Bendi, stay with Greldo!"

"Will do, boss!"

A screeching howl came from far behind them, and Irwin flinched.

By Gelwin's balls, what was that?

He reached the stern and stood beside Captain Xi'balak. Behind them, a cloud of batlike figures was flying from one of the ships towards them.

"What are those?" he hissed.