Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

Irwin stood on the dock with Xi'balak, watching four guards carry off the third and final sail, which technically should have been his backup.

Their return trip had been fast and without further incident, which was a pleasant surprise. Although the three remaining ships had followed them for a few hours, none of them had dared overload their sails to catch up. Eventually, they had turned around and headed back.

That was less than an hour ago.

As soon as they had arrived, Xi'balak had left for half an hour before returning with a contingent of guards to bring the sails away. He'd also been looking at Irwin oddly.

"I am sorry, Irwin, leader of Giard's Rangers," Captain Xi'balak said. "I hope my help makes up for some of it."

Irwin didn't respond but silently crossed his arms. He turned around to watch Xi'balak's crewmen attach the fourth sail to his ship. Rindiri was watching what they did, calling the occasional order, which was obeyed immediately.

He knew that the help attaching the sail was Xi'balak's way to show he was sorry for taking the extra one, but compared to having Rindiri and her kids attach the sail while having a backup in the hull, it felt like a poor trade. Still, it would save them a day.

His mind drifted back to Daubutim, now one-eyed, and he gritted his teeth. For a moment, he felt like walking off and leaving Xi'balak standing before he managed to reign in his anger.

Can't let what happened to Daubutim sour the relations more than they already have, he thought as he took a deep breath and looked at Captain Xi'balak.

"It compensates some, but if you could assist us in getting supplies for a long voyage, that would be better," he said.

Xi'balak's face-plates chitted softly, in what Irwin had learned was a sign of apology.

"Leader Irwin, I am sorry, but there is already a shortage of food here. Sesnanser is still struggling to grow enough crops for itself, and the amount we get is barely enough to sustain us."

Irwin nodded, somewhat confused by the way Xi'balak was addressing him. Ever since the Captain had left to get the guards, he'd started talking far more... formal was probably the right word.

I hope nobody figured out I'm a smith, Irwin suddenly thought worriedly.

It was time they left, but he knew that meant he would have to buy a lot of supplies from the port's merchant without drawing odd gazes from his spending.

"When will you be leaving?" Xi'balak asked.

"As soon as we get everything aboard that we need," Irwin said. He was about to turn and talk with Daubutim when he had another idea. "Is there someone in port that can create a sound nullifying rune?"

Xi'balak's face stilled for a moment.

"Why do-" he blurted uncharacteristically before stopping midsentence. Then he continued hesitantly. "One of the members of The Daran is capable of this."

Irwin frowned. "Do you think he'd be willing to add one of those runes to one of the cabins?" As he spoke, he saw Xi'balak's faceplates chitter again.

That's a no, he thought.

"He won't be back for another month or longer," Xi'balak said. "Perhaps if you could wait…"

Irwin shook his head. "It's fine. It's not that important."

"Then I'll be heading back to make sure everything is handled properly," Xi'balak said. "I'll return in a few hours, so please hold off on leaving until then."

The Captain turned and walked away.

Irwin frowned as he observed Xi'balak walk towards the port.

Something about how he behaves towards me has definitely changed after he went to get the guards, he thought.

He walked towards the gangplank and jumped over the gap, landing on the ship that sank and shuddered from his weight. A surprised shout came from above, but that was all.

"It's a good sail," Rindiri said as she walked towards him. "It probably belonged to one of the larger and faster outrunners."

Outrunners? Irwin thought as he raised his eyebrow.

Rindiri must have picked up on his confusion.

"Those are the explorer-scouts that go beyond what even the regular explorers do. They do quick scouting runs before returning. Based on their rather expensive reports, larger explorer groups set out on longer journeys. Explorer-scouts' sails are better suited for long duration high-speed movement, but are also far more expensive and with have more complex maintenance."

Greldo and Daubutim came walking towards them.

"Do we need anything special for this maintenance?" Daubutim asked, tugging at a thin black stripe of cloth that covered his left eye and hid the gaping eye socket behind it.

"A few things, but nothing too expensive," Rindiri said.

"Any suggestions?"

"Of course," Rindiri said with a smirk. "I have done nearly every job on a ship before I became a navigator, including traveling with two scout-explorers."

Daubutim merely nodded, turning to Irwin, reminding him he was to give the orders.

"Rindiri, can you go with Greldo to purchase what we need and as many supplies as we can afford?" Irwin asked. "Greldo has soulshards."

"Definitely, and I'll bring Zender. The boy has skill in haggling," Rindiri said. "When are we leaving?"

Irwin hesitated for a moment. Should he wait for Xi'balak?

And risk being stuck here? his subconscious shouted.

He shared a look with Daubutim and Greldo.

"There is no reason to stay," Daubutim said, his single eye clear.

"Yeah. I've had enough of this place," Greldo agreed. "Besides, it might get dangerous here soon.

"Then we will leave as soon as we get all the supplies we need," Irwin said.

"Very well. I'm looking forward to finally leaving this place," Rindiri said. "I'll get Ib, Bendi, and the others and return here in a few hours."

"Alright, I'll guard the ship," Irwin said.

Rindiri and Greldo left, and he stayed watching as Xi'balak's crewmen continued rigging the sail.

"Think you can do it if you have to?" he asked Daubutim, who had been observing silently.

"Yes, though the lack of my eye is making things more difficult," Daubutim said.

"What does it feel like?" Irwin asked, staring at his friend.

"It's a bit hot and constantly itching and tingling. If I didn't have as many cards as I do, I would have feared for an infection," Daubutim said dully.

"We'll get you a card to fix that," Irwin said as he tried to recall if there was any high regeneration card in the set he still had. He didn't think so, but he'd have to look later.

"Don't worry. There are more important things to focus on first," Daubutim said.

It took at least another hour before the sail was properly set up, after which the crewmen left with a few parting words.

Irwin looked around. It was just him and Daubutim.

"We need to come up with a name," he said, and Daubutim just shrugged.

Irwin tried coming up with a name as they waited. When Daubutim suddenly nudged him, he had completely lost track of time and hadn't gotten anything better than Safejourney, which he found tacky.

"Greldo is returning in a rush," Daubutim said.

Irwin looked up to see Greldo, arms filled with packages and bags, run across the dock faster than was probably smart. Zender and his two sisters -Trinn and Brinni, were running after him, all carrying large bundles in their arms. The three children had slight looks of confusion.

When they reached the boat, Irwin looked at Greldo, but his friend quickly shook his head before putting all the stuff he was carrying on the deck.

"I'll help Rindiri with the rest. We will be back in ten minutes," he whispered. "Get the ship ready to leave."

Before Irwin could react, Greldo stepped into the shadow of the mast and vanished.

"What happened?" Irwin asked as he looked at Zender, who was far more careful as he put his packages on the deck.

"Dunno, Captain! We were walking back, and he suddenly began acting funny. Told us to hurry, then grabbed as much as he could from Ridiri and Ib and told me and the others to run after him."

Slightly worried, Irwin noticed that Brinni, the smallest of the three, was fidgeting, looking at the ground.

"Brinni, what's wrong?" he asked.

The girl looked up in surprise, then seemed slightly worried.

"Nothing," she whispered, shaking her head.

Irwin was about to tell her to tell him when Trinn, the larger of the two girls, poked her sister.

"Just tell him what you told me," she said before turning to Irwin. "Brinni only got a quartz rank first card, but it's pretty useful! It deals with hearing… or something."

Like Greldo? Irwin wondered as he examined the girl. That meant they'd have to be more careful with what they said.

Brinni seemed to pull in on herself, looking highly frightened at being in the center of attention.

"Captain Irwin won't be angry! Just tell him," Zender snapped as he looked at her.

Brinni hesitated, but when Irwin merely nodded, she finally seemed willing to look straight at him.

"There was some woman walking through town, talking about you. As soon as she came into hearing range, Greldo started acting like that."

A woman? Irwin thought, wondering who could make Greldo act like that. Wait… had someone found them?

"Did you hear her name?" he asked worriedly.

Brinni shook her head. "No, but she was talking to someone that seemed to know you called… Xibak?"

Irwin blinked, then his eyes widened. “Xi’balak?” he asked.

Brinni nodded fervently. "That was it, Xi'balak."

Is that why he acted so odd after we returned? Irwin thought. Still, what woman could that be that knew him?

"Alright, thanks for letting me know," Irwin said.

Brinni nodded, seeming slightly less worried.

"Go down and pick a cabin," Irwin said. "The first cabins are already occupied, but you will see that because there are packs on the beds."

"Can we have a room together?" Trinn asked.

Irwin was slightly distracted as he was looking at the large amount of packages while thinking about the mystery woman.

"Yes," he said, waving them away. "After you find a cabin, come back up and start bringing this stuff to the mess."

The two girls nodded as they ran to the door and disappeared while Zender remained.

"Should I start getting the sail ready?" he asked, sounding uncertain.

Realizing Zender was right, Irwin nodded. "Yes. Do you need help, or can you do it yourself?"

"I'll get Trinn and Brinni," Zender said as he turned and sprinted after them. A few moments later, Irwin heard him shout at them through the door before returning to the deck.

Irwin was about to focus on the supplies when he saw Zender jump up high, grab the edge of the sail, and then quickly and easily climb up as if it were the most natural thing to do. He seemed to be sticking to the surface without any issue. Trinn and Brinni came out a moment later, but they used the rope ladders to climb up.

Alright, let's get this stuff down and hope we can leave before whoever it is finds us, Irwin thought.

--

"Hurry up," Greldo said as he glared at Ib.

The tall girl sniffed as she glared at him from around the supplies she was carrying.

"What's wrong with you?" she muttered. "What's with the rush?"

Bendi let out a soft laugh, which caused Ib to move her glare to him.

Greldo didn't bother with either as he focused on his sensitive hearing. There was nothing, and he sighed in relief as he continued ahead.

I wish I could teleport more weight, he thought as he glared at the heavy supply pack in his arms.

He'd tried it before, but for some reason, it was easier to bring two people along than a quarter that weight in stuff. Daubutim had said that it was likely because people provided some of the energy he needed to teleport.

A few minutes later, they finally walked out of the port's narrow, stuffy streets and onto the main dock. There were three ships at the dock: The Zurai'x, their own, and a smaller, sleek vessel that seemed meant for speed.

I bet that's the ship she came with, he thought before frowning.

Monique… Why would she be here? The last time he'd seen her had been on Fiverio, and she'd been constantly pestering Irwin.

He'd barely thought of it as he heard a soft whisper of a voice in the alleyways behind him.

"-sure he is still here?"

"Yes, honorable smith."

Greldo gritted his teeth, not sure if he should laugh or cry. He knew he was possibly making a big deal out of nothing, but he knew Monique wasn't that good at keeping secrets, and they weren't supposed to be known here. If she came and started talking with them, how big was the chance of her keeping her mouth shut about Irwin being a smith?

Gelwin's balls, why is this happening? he thought before sighing.

"Run," he said, picking up his pace and ignoring Ib's annoyed shout.

They reached the start of the pier when he heard the voices exit the port town. Greldo ignored it as he ran up to the ramp. He saw Irwin standing there while the kids were in the sails, seeming to polish them. Even all but one of the ropes tying the ship to the dock were gone. For a moment, he feared the ship was going to float away or something when he saw that Irwin was holding a rope, keeping the ship from drifting off.

Holding a ship in place just by holding it. Irwin really has too many body improvement cards, Greldo thought as he ran up the gangplank and tossed the armloads of supplies to the deck.

"Greldo, what-"

"Monique is here," he said, interrupting Irwin as he spun around, pointing back from where he had come.

Bendi ran onto the deck while Rindiri and Ib were reaching the gangplank and coming aboard, the girl glaring at him.

"What is wrong with you?" she snapped angrily. "It's like we are being chased!"

--

Irwin almost wanted to laugh as he heard Ib's complaint, but he didn't. He was staring at Monique, who was halfway to the pier, a look of surprised confusion on her face. Xi'balak was walking after her, and he could see she was slowly speeding to a run.

So that's the woman…

"Get us out of here before she comes," Greldo hissed.

Irwin hesitated. Monique was annoying, but she'd been on Scour with them for a long time. If she was here, it had to be important, right?

"She's going to say something stupid," Greldo whispered as he leaned forward.

Irwin's mind spun rapidly, and it took him only a few moments to connect the dots. Greldo was right. If she came and mentioned that he was a smith? That could cause all kinds of trouble.

"Rindiri, get us out of here right now," he said, turning to his navigator. "Bendi, get that stuff in the hold!"

"On it, boss," Bendi said with a sigh, picking up the heavy supplies he'd just put down.

Rindiri had been looking at Monique and him but didn't even bother asking. Instead, she ran to the backside of the ship, which consisted of the steering wheel.

Irwin looked at the rope, then tossed it back to the dock. A moment later, the ship shuddered and began moving forward and up. As it did, he saw Monique's eyes widen in what he could only call surprised anger.

"Irwin! Wait," she shouted. "I'm not here to cause trouble. I just want to come with you!"

Irwin lost sight of her as the ship angled up so steep he had to hold the railing to prevent himself from tumbling backward.

"Damn, this thing is fast," Greldo muttered.

"Irwin!"

Monique's final shout was laden with helpless anger.

"Are you sure that was the right thing to do?" Irwin asked Greldo in a low whisper.

"No, but we will be stuck on this ship for who knows how long. Do you want her along, constantly bugging you to join her family in some form?"

Irwin recalled the trip back from Scour and her nagging. "You still think that's what she wanted?" he asked, remembering what Greldo had told him on Fiverio after overhearing Balarn and Monique talking.

"You think that's why she came here?" Irwin asked.

"Yes, and yes. I at least wouldn't put it beyond her," Greldo said.

Irwin nodded as he kept his grip on the railing. They continued shooting up and away for a long time before finally leveling out. They were higher than he recalled ever being, and Irwin wondered why Rindiri had them up this high.

"Let's go and talk with Rindiri," Irwin said as he let go and walked toward the back of the ship.

As he climbed up the short staircase, he saw Ib looking at her mother in awe. Rindiri's hands were glowing as she held the steering wheel, and the wooden disk in the center showed a ribbon of green and brown with lights.

"So, that was your ex-lover?" Rindiri asked, looking at Greldo.

Greldo made a choking sound while Irwin couldn't help but laugh.

"No, it was someone who used to travel with us and wants something from Irwin," Greldo replied curtly.

"Who would believe that," Ib snapped.

"I don't care," Greldo retorted, glaring at her.

"I'm sure you wouldn't! We just broke like a dozen rules! If we ever have to return there, we will be in so much trouble," Ib said, her voice raising.

"Who says we-" Greldo began, and Irwin saw his friend's eyes start to blaze.

"Enough," he bellowed, his voice booming louder than he'd wanted.

Everyone but Rindiri took a step back.

Irwin crossed his arms and snorted. "You two can discuss whatever you want later. For now, we need to decide where to go. Daubutim will probably be here soon, so let's wait for a moment."

There was a laden quiet as Ib and Greldo glared at each other, and Rindiri was ruefully shaking her head, paying full attention to their direction again.

This is going to be great, isn't it, Irwin thought.

They had to wait for a few minutes before Daubutim arrived. Irwin saw him keep his left hand stretched out to hold to the railing as he approached while carrying a package in his other hand.

"Trouble?" he asked.

"Monique was there," Irwin said. "Greldo suggested we leave before she reached us."

Daubutim was quiet for a bit, and Irwin saw his single eye go dull. It lasted for only a short moment, then Daubutim shuddered.

"Did she say why she is here?" he asked.

"We left before she could tell, but she screamed something about just wanting to come with us," Irwin said.

"She was after Irwin again," Greldo grunted.

Daubutim was quiet again, then shook his head. "We have more important things to do. However, I wouldn't be surprised if she chases us. We should decide what we will do if that happens and she somehow finds us."

Irwin saw that Ib was staring at Daubutim with obvious interest while Zender was hanging upside down on the sail, listening in as well.

"Let's talk about that later," Irwin said. "Now, where do we go?"

"You don't even know where-" Ib began, her eyes wide.

"Ib, be quiet! I don't want to hear another peep out of you," Rindiri said before Greldo could explode again.

Daubutim moved towards Rindiri, and Irwin followed him to see him unwrap the folded parchment, which ended up being a large map that showed a section of the Portal Gallery. At the top left was Fiverio, and not too far below Sesnanser. Oddly beautifully drawn lines representing stretches of the Portal Gallery connected them, moving beyond in a network with most branches ending up as dead ends. The drawing only covered half of the parchment, and those in the middle all looked unfinished. If Irwin had to guess, it was created in such a way that the other half could be filled in.

"Have you been to any of these areas?" Daubutim asked, indicating the edges of the map.

Rindiri's eyes widened, and she clicked her tongue. "I haven't seen a complete map of this end part of the Langost main-branch before! I won't even bother asking how you got it, but to answer your question, yes," she said as she carefully tapped two of the unfinished paths. "I've been here and here."

"Good. Why did your group stop?" Daubutim asked as he rummaged in his coat, coming out with a tiny pencil.

"The temperature here sank so low that even the two Da'xi crewmen we had couldn't survive," she said, tapping one of the paths.

Daubutim nodded and drew a tiny symbol. "And the other?"

"It widened to what looked like a massive branch, which meant it would require far more searching. Also, the temperature was cold, though not as bad as the other one, and we ran out of supplies," Rindiri said as her eyes clouded over.

For a short while, she stared off into the distance, then she shuddered.

"No matter. After that, the crew I was with continued without me, and they never returned."

Irwin frowned while Ib inched forward.

"Was that when I was hatched?" she whispered.

Rindiri nodded. "You and your sixty brothers and sisters."

Irwin heard a sigh from where Zender was listening, and as he looked around, he saw that Bendi had stopped moving things down and was listening in, his head poking over the ladder.

This is going to get some getting used to, he thought.

"They never returned? But they did go back here?" Daubutim asked, tapping the part of the parchment with his pencil.

"Never, and from what the captain told me, that was the plan," Rindiri said.

Daubutim nodded and drew another symbol at that branch. "Anything else?"

Rindiri grimaced. "No. You are all new at this, even if you have this fancy map, but most explorer groups don't share much. Their findings are how they make a living, after all."

"Why did all of those larger groups stop exploring here?" Irwin asked as he looked at the map.

Rindiri laughed before putting her finger halfway on the explored area.

"Usually, they don't ever bother exploring fringe-branches beyond this point. The question should be why they continued as far as they did this time, and I don't have the answer to that. But the reason they normally stop around here is because it gets too expensive, time-consuming, and dangerous to continue. There are thousands of fringe branches on only this part of the Langost main-branch, and even large places like Fiverio are considered fringe-branches by the large families. It's more effective to just find another one and go from there."

So that's why we are going here, Irwin thought. It would be far less likely that anyone would continue and find them.

He stared at the map before looking at Daubutim.

"Where to?"

"We will be going here first," Daubutim replied, pointing at the undiscovered area that sat at the top part of the map. "The last group that went here returned because they ran out of supplies but reported that the branch widened. They also mentioned that their navigator sensed something. They explored the region for weeks but couldn't locate the portal and eventually left when their supplies ran low. After returning, they sold the information and left for another branch."

Rindiri exhaled as she stared straight at Daubutim. "You better keep this map and what you know a secret. If any of the other groups find out you have it, they will do anything to get their hands on it and you."

"Which is why we have such a stringent no-talking clause in our contract," Daubutim said calmly. "Now, do you need to memorize the map, or…?"

Rindiri raised an eyebrow before putting her finger on the map near Sensnanser and slowly tracing it to where Daubutim had indicated they should go while muttering under her breath. When she got there, she frowned and skimmed it a second time before muttering something. Finally, she nodded.

"You can put it away again. I've got it," she said.

Impressive memory, Irwin thought, trying to imagine having to memorize the path along the dozens of splits and branches on the map. Then he looked at Daubutim and smiled ruefully.

Daubutim folded up the map before turning to Irwin. "According to what I know, it will take us three weeks to reach that if we go as fast as we can-"

"Seventeen days," Rindiri corrected him. "This sail is meant for a larger vessel, and we are currently moving at above-normal speeds. This does mean that the ship's hull will likely only last for a few years, but somehow, I have the feeling you won't mind."

"We don't," Irwin said as he turned to his friends. "Let's carry the supplies down."

Greldo and Daubutim nodded and headed down when Irwin thought of something and turned to Rindiri.

"We will take care of this, but I suggest you think of something Ib can do to contribute."

There was an annoyed sniff from Ib, which he ignored.

Rindiri, however, grinned as she turned to her daughter. "Oh, I already have the perfect idea."

Ib took a startled step back, and Irwin couldn't help but grin. "Good! I need to talk in private with my friends. If you need anything, just shout."

Rindiri just waved him away, and Irwin climbed down.

"Oh, one thing! You might want to come up with a name for the ship. It's bad luck sailing like this!"

Irwin stepped on the deck as Rindiri's voice came from above, and he grimaced.

Yeah… a name.