Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

He didn't even look in the room, Irwin thought as he quickly followed the guard, his boots in hand.

It took him only a few moments to sense another of the changes the body tempering had brought him, as he had a much easier time keeping up. He was still out of breath by the time the guard stopped in front of an intricately crafted door with a beautifully crafted handle, but at least he'd not had to ask for a break.

I wonder if anybody is going to figure out something is different, he thought.

There was also something else that he knew… he needed a thicker coat. He couldn't recall if the tower had felt this cold. Luckily, it was nothing compared to the cold he'd felt before, and he was pretty sure that a coat would be enough. Perhaps he could buy one with the coppers Bronwyn had gifted him?

"Alright, put on your boots and go inside. Oh, and make sure to act like you are talking with the most important people you've ever met, who can make or break your life in an instant. Because you are," the guard grunted.

Irwin looked at the boots, his shoulders dropping. "They don't fit after I combined my cards," he finally said honestly, getting a surprised grunt from the guard.

"... that won't do," the guard grumbled, moving towards Irwin and sticking out his hand. "Give them."

Irwin handed his boots over, unsure what was happening, and the man stepped away, raising his left hand. There was a bright flash, and a long, gleaming sword appeared. Irwin swallowed, afraid he was going to get gutted, but the guard just held out the boots. With a single, quick slash, he expertly slashed away the front toe area, which clattered to the floor.

Irwin's mouth fell open as he accepted the boots.

"Now, put those on and make sure to use their titles when addressing them!"

"I will," Irwin said, still startled. He sat down and put on the boots, staring dumbly at his dirty toes as they stuck out from the open end. As he got up, he wanted to thank the guard, but the man was already stomping away, his sword gone. He'd been brusk, but in the end, he had helped without complaint.

I guess I'll need to find a way to determine who is and who isn't nice here, Irwin thought as he sighed.

It was almost the same as back in school. Some people looked gruff but were willing to help, while others looked and talked nice but would find you after school to beat you up.

"Are you coming in, or are you waiting for an invitation?" a loud roar came from behind the door.

Irwin flinched and looked at the polished wood, wondering if he should knock, then swallowed and opened it.

He stepped into a large room with a heavy-looking table and half a dozen chairs that stood in front of a library that had more books than Irwin had ever seen in one place before.

There had to be hundreds!

The shelves were packed with leatherbound, wood-bound, and some sort of gleaming metal-bound tomes, ranging from two fingers to a hand width in thickness. The leftmost shelf had a wooden sign with a word and the image of a flexing man on it. Irwin took two steps towards it when someone loudly cleared their throat.

"Are you interested in books, Irwin?" Lady Yrinta asked, staring at him from one of the padded chairs to the side of the library area that he somehow hadn't noticed. A round table stood between it and another, two open books on it.

Irwin felt his ears burn as he saw her and Mouldir look at his feet before turning to look at him. The tower master had a pulsing vein on his forehead that seemed like a snake trying to free itself from his skin.

"Sorry," he said, his voice cracking. "I-"

"Yes, books are nice. Great. Now, sit your ass down and tell me how you managed to finish number eighteen!" Mouldir boomed as he jabbed his finger at a small stool opposite the two sorcerers.

Irwin froze, then rushed towards it, his mind spinning. He'd forgotten to come up with a good reason for closing the portal! What should he tell them? Speaking about Ambraz was a no-go, so what should he do? As he reached the chair and sat down, he decided he'd simply tell them about the tower, the tunnel, the massive lair, the chain, the amulet, and the snake in the lava. He'd just leave out everything about Ambraz or anvils!

As he finished his thoughts, he looked up to see Lady Yrinta examining him with a raised eyebrow.

"You are allowed to speak about this to us," she said with a smile. "But I do suggest you don't lie. We will send another group in as soon as training portal eighteen reopens, and they will verify what you tell us. We have a few that are up for their reward."

"Wait, they will still get a card?" Irwin blurted out, confused. Did that mean he would get cards for all of the training rooms he'd clear? Wait… could he even clear more?

"Yes, the next group will validate your claims and find a route to clear the room. For this, and the first clear, there is a reward of one common card," Lady Yrinta said solemnly. Beside her, Mouldir seemed to be fuming.

"Don't ignore me, brat! How did you clear that thing? We've had people attempt it for years," Mouldir said, almost shouting.

"Leave out the tunnels, Imps, the Orcs, and all that," Lady Yrinta said, frowning at Mouldir before throwing Irwin a reassuring smile.

"I… Yes, Lady Yrinta," Irwin said.

He took a deep breath and focused on what he wanted to say.

"We made it to the central cavern beyond those tunnels, and-"

Slowly, he told the story, answering their questions on how they'd overcome the mass of Imps in the city. Both Lady Yrinta and Mouldir shared a look, and then Lady Yrinta frowned.

"I know we said we didn't need to know about how you moved through the caverns, but can you explain how you managed to force those Imps to leave their city?

Irwin had hoped they wouldn't ask too many details, and he forced himself to shrug.

"We killed any lone or small groups we came across, then ran and hid if we found large groups. When they split up, we did the same thing, and when they finally stormed the caverns, we lured them to the Orcs and released those," he said, praying they wouldn't ask how they had killed the Imps.

"Guerilla tactics," Mouldir said, eyes wide as he leaned forward. "Who of you came up with these tactics?"

Irwin blinked, then tried to recall. After a few moments, he shrugged. "I don't recall exactly," he said honestly. "A bit Greldo and a bit me, I think."

Mouldir let out a burst of laughter, then waved his hand. "Your group is definitely going to be among those we train! Now, continue!"

Irwin nodded and hoped they would stop asking so many questions during the final bit of his story. When he recounted the part where he had to flee due to his poor health, wandering through the hallways and eventually finding the dead end, the tower Lord almost rose from his seat. The massive man gripped the armrests so hard the wood groaned in complaint.

"Do you remember how you got there?" he asked, eyes narrow as if he suspected Irwin was holding something back.

"No, Lord Mouldir," Irwin said quickly.

"Do you think you can find that dead end again if you went in again?" Lady Yrinta asked, surprising Irwin with the warmth in her voice.

"I don't think so," Irwin said as he felt the blood drain from his face. They weren't going to force him back in right away, right? He'd hoped to get some rest and a chance to learn some things! Besides, Ambraz wouldn't want to come with him… where would the Anvil go?

"Calm down, kid," Mouldir grunted. "It's fine if you don't want to. We've got a full party that can enter, and-"

"And what? We had those ruins turned inside out, maps and all," Lady Yrinta interrupted him. "Nobody found anything remotely like what Irwin just told us."

"Maps?" Irwin whispered, only just able to keep the anger he felt rushing up from his tone. They had maps and still sent him and the others in blind?

"Ah! Perhaps the kid can recognize it on the maps!" Mouldir shouted, seeming not to notice Irwin's anger. Instead, he jumped up and stomped to the door, yanked it open, and called into the seemingly empty hallway to bring him the maps of training room eighteen. He slammed the door shut and nearly ran back to his chair, sinking in and waving at Irwin.

"Continue!"

Irwin nodded and told them how he had walked down the long, curving path, his flame and the molten rock lighting his way. He wasn't going to tell them he had night vision, as his common wasn't supposed to give that. When he got to the massive cavern with molten rock everywhere and the insane temperature, both sorcerers shared a look.

"So, it's one of Gelwin's elemental practice portals after all," Lady Yrinta said. "The Imps were a giveaway, but as nobody found any…" She turned to Irwin. "Irwin, your card is a flame, you said?"

Irwin had been wondering what she meant by elemental practice portals and was surprised by the sudden question. "Yes, Lady Yrinta, it was only a finger long back then."

"Perhaps…" she mumbled, then shook her head. "No matter. That's for another time. Continue."

Irwin did as ordered, talking about the giant snake but leaving out that it had sniffed him, finally telling the first real lie.

"Behind the Imp was a rock, and around it hung a chain with a red multi-faceted gem," he said.

He made sure not to look away, which was the telltale sign of lying. He knew because his mother always chastised him for that. And for scratching his nose. He instantly felt an itch, and it took more willpower than he had thought to resist scratching it.

"No guards?" Mouldir asked, confused.

"Yes, a big imp with wings like the one above but bigger. About three times as high as me," Irwin said.

"And… you beat it with your flame?" Mouldir asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, the snake ate it," Irwin said with a shrug.

"It what now?" Mouldir shouted. "Who are you kid-"

"Lord Mouldir, calm yourself," Lady Yrinta snapped, glaring at the larger man

Mouldir snorted but crossed his arms and said nothing.

Lady Yrinta turned to Irwin. "How did the snake come about eating it?"

"The Imp attacked me, and I fled to the narrow ledge… and…" Irwin hesitated. Should he tell them he was about to kill himself out of fear of being tortured?

"Spit it out," Mouldir said.

"I poked it with my flame while jumping back in the lava…" Irwin said.

"Why would you do that?" Lady Yrinta asked, this time with a sad, knowing smile.

"Because I didn't want the Imp to capture and torture me," Irwin said softly.

"Understandable," Lady Yrinta said, turning a withering glare at Mouldir. "So, what happened then?"

Irwin hesitated again, wishing he could find some logical way to tell this, but there just wasn't.

"The snake caught me on its back and put me on the land," he said, realizing how ridiculous it sounded.

Mouldir seemed ready to explode, but one look from Lady Yrinta calmed him back down.

"I see… and then you destroyed the gem and finished?"

"No, Lady Yrinta," Irwin said, scrambling for more ideas. "I couldn't damage it and decided to remove the chain so I could put the gem in the lava. It took a long time, but eventually, I melted one of the links with my flame, and the portal suddenly appeared…"

"Oh! So it was the chain," Mouldir said, standing up and pacing around the table, his fists clenching and unclenching, causing soft plopping sounds.

"I get the feeling you're not telling us everything," Mouldir said after a while, turning a glare on Irwin. "But the others can go in to validate what you said. If I find out that you lied to me..."

A knock on the door interrupted him, and Irwin was relieved when a guard moved in with arms full of rolled-up maps, distracting Mouldir.

The man grabbed the maps, waved the guard away, and spread them on the nearby table.

"Get over here," he said, beckoning Irwin.

Irwin walked to the table and looked at the incredibly complex but highly beautiful map. One part represented the three pillars with the attached buildings, each with dozens of floors. It took Irwin a few minutes to figure out where they had entered the city, and he pointed at the building he thought he had entered.

"I think I entered that one," he said, staring at it for a bit longer before nodding with more certainty. "Yes, it's that one. The Imp jumped from the top!"

"That matches with the report," Lady Yrinta said as she tapped the long letter attached to the map.

Irwin looked at the letters, noting they were different from those on the card pages he had seen but just as unreadable. He looked away, slightly annoyed and, for some reason, feeling bad that he couldn't read them.

"Can you read, Irwin?" Lady Yrinta asked softly.

Irwin looked at her, glad to see no ridicule in her eyes.

"No, Lady Yrinta."

She was quiet for a while, staring at him before nodding firmly.

"Alright. I don't think you've lied, and after the group has confirmed what you did tomorrow, find librarian Bellemui. I'll tell him to expect you. He is teaching a few dozen others how to read and write. If you are to become sorcerers, we can't have you being illiterate."

Irwin smiled as he looked at the hundreds of books around him. Perhaps if he could read, he would be allowed to look at them?

"Get that out of your head, kid," Mouldir snapped. "These books hold knowledge you're not ready for and probably never will be. Now, go away! You need to sleep, and we need to discuss what you told us." The burly tower lord jabbed a finger at the door, which opened, showing a guard.

"Bring him to his room and make sure he stays there," Mouldir snapped before turning to Irwin. "If I find you have lied, expect a very annoying conversation and many times of being tossed into training room eighteen! Alone!"

Lady Yrinta glared at Mouldir, but didn’t say anything.

Irwin swallowed as the much taller man stared him down, then nodded and quickly backed up to the door.

"Good luck, Irwin," Lady Yrinta said.

"Thank you," Irwin whispered before quickly stepping out and closing the door.

The unfamiliar female guard looked at him for a moment, then beckoned him. "Follow me then. You aren't the only one tired," the woman said in a pleasant, soft voice. "Though after getting chewed out by Mouldir, I think you deserve a rest."

Ten minutes later, Irwin returned to the hallway with his door, smelling a slightly burnt scent. He didn't look at the door he knew it came from, hoping he didn't have to explain what he had done to the fireplace. The guard sniffed, looking around in confusion before stopping at his door.

"As Lady Yrinta said, good luck tomorrow," she said before nodding at him and walking away.

Irwin sighed in relief. He opened the door, finally realizing how tired he was. A soft snoring came from the others, and he saw they were all fast asleep. To his surprise, Twintin's bed seemed empty, and it took him a moment to find two shapes in Rachel's bed, and he nodded as he walked to his own.

As he sat down, a soft rustling made him look up to see Greldo stare at him, rubbing his eyes and raising himself on an elbow.

"You okay?" his friend whispered softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Irwin said as he raised his hand with a grin. "Managed to combine my cards, but I'll show you tomorrow."

Greldo yawned, gave him a thumbs up, then lay back down. A second later, soft snoring came.

Did he wait for me? Irwin wondered as he looked at Greldo, only his unkempt hair sticking up from his pillow and below the blanket.

Kicking off his mutilated boots, he hesitated but only took off his coat and dropped it in a pile before climbing below the blankets. As dirty as his pants and shirt were, he was slightly cold and didn't want to make it worse.

As the blankets wrapped around him, he had a nagging feeling he was forgetting something, but then his head warmed the pillow and his body the bed, and he didn't think of anything anymore.

--

Lady Yrinta slammed the door to her room shut, glaring around the large, luxurious chamber as if searching for something to blame. Then her eyes widened as she saw a tall woman at a table, looking up with a raised eyebrow. She looked like a younger, tanned, and scarred version of Lady Yrinta.

"Tanya! When did you return?" Yrinta asked, a smile managing to banish her angry scowl.

"An hour ago, but don't be too happy. I'll need to leave for another few weeks first thing tomorrow. They have found another uncommon portal nearby," the younger woman said. "Now, why do you look like you are ready to kill someone?"

Lady Yrinta walked to the table and sat down.

"I wouldn't mind wringing Mouldir's neck," she said wearily. "Did you hear what that fool decided?"

"I did," Tanya said with a weary sigh. "Sis, I know you don't like this, but... we desperately need more people to close those common portals. It's as if for every single one that we close, two open back up!"

"I know that," Yrinta said with a weary sigh. "But he is sending them in without any training! We might gain a handful of groups that survive if he sends them out in under a month, maybe less, but what does he think will happen to many others? We have already gotten a dozen that are nearly catatonic from the pressure! We only have three carded able to remove traumatic events, and we can only hope they are fast enough before there is permanent damage to those poor kids' psyches."

“I know,” Tanya said, placing her hands on the table. “Did you tell him your plan?”

Yrinta snorted. “I did. He refuses to split up working groups to babysit new groups. Told me to just send the new groups to the areas with weaker portals. As if there’s any guarantees to that.”

The two sisters looked at each other for a while, then Tanya shook her head, a weary scowl appearing on her face.

"Has there been any news on Uxin'tar's whereabouts?"

"No. That horrible old man is nearly impossible to track when he decides to leave. Let's just hope he loses himself somewhere and never returns!"

Yrinta could see from her sister's weary face that she believed it no more than Yrinta did herself.