Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

"Damned demons, how did you find this path again?" Greldo asked.

Irwin pushed himself further through the thick, bramble-like undergrowth, just as impressed and confused as Greldo.

Abie looked over her shoulder, her face flat and nearly emotionless but her eyes glittering. She was young, barely twenty, with long light-brown hair braided tight and a thin, lithe body covered in leather that seemed just a bit too big.

"Well, I moved through the trees when I came through here," she said as she gestured up at the nearly interlocking tree branches that covered the canopy above them. "But I don't think Irwin can do that?"

"What climb in trees? We are going to have to find one that can carry his weight first," Greldo said with a loud grin.

Irwin snorted as he continued pushing forward while the others followed close behind him.

"Well, at least we aren't moving that much slower than I was," Abie said from behind them. "A bit more left!"

Sure, because I'm doing the heavy lifting, Irwin thought as he put his hands below a fallen tree and toppled it to the side, causing it to crash through the undergrowth. A few surprised and startled shouts came from behind when branches whipped about.

"How can you even know where to go?" he asked.

"My card grants me the ability to create paths. I can walk them blindfolded if need be," Abi said. "It's only uncommon, though, so I can only memorize two."

"That's still pretty useful," Irwin said.

"It is, and perhaps you can reforge her card for her?" Greldo shouted from the back of their small three-people line.

"If Abi is up for it," Irwin said. "It's going to hurt."

"Definitely!" Abi shouted, sounding incredibly excited. "Can we do it right now?"

Irwin blinked while Greldo began laughing from behind.

"No, I'll need space and time, and you are going to need a day or two to recover," he said, shaking his head. As he pictured trying to reforge a card in the middle of a thick undergrowth, branches poking in his face and leaves getting stuck in his beard, he laughed.

"Alright, perhaps we can do it before we set up camp tonight?" Abi asked, not seeming at all deterred.

"I'll think about it," Irwin said.

He could understand her desire to improve her cards, and if need be, Greldo could safely bring her back. After they arrived, all his friend had to do was focus on some of the more permanent shadows, and he'd be able to return here in the blink of an eye.

A few boring hours later, he was sick and tired of the blocked field of view and constant rustling. When he finally pushed through the canopy and into the open, the gloomy daylight that fell through the sparse forest ahead of him felt like a prize.

"Finally," he said, walking forward.

Greldo and Abi followed after him, and as they headed towards the not-so-distant forest edge, flowing dark-green hills began appearing between the distant trees. A few hundred feet later, Irwin whistled as he gazed at the lush green hills with the occasional pockets of trees on their tops and along the sides.

"Perhaps we should tell your brother to move New Malorin to this side of the forest," Greldo said from the side. "This looks… fantastic!"

"Unless you can teleport the whole place, I don't think that's going to happen," Irwin said, though he did agree with Greldo. Compared to the flat, densely forested land New Malorin was created on now, this might have been a better place to start.

"Well, the current location is closer to the other cities, meaning that if something bad happens, at least we can get help," he said after a bit. "Still, I think we need to convince Bronwyn to create a road through the forest and a town, or maybe even a second city here."

They continued enjoying the distant vista for a while, then began walking towards the nearest hill.

"So, how are we going to find out if there's any metal here anyway?" Abi asked.

Irwin was about to answer when Ambraz beat him to it.

"Don't worry, kid, I'll be able to sense if there's any useful metal if we get close enough," the Anvil said.

Abi looked at the tiny Anvil wide-eyed for a while before seeming to gather the courage to speak again.

"Are you really not a summon?" she asked.

Irwin held back a grin while Ambraz snorted. "You people! Bah! When is Daubutim going to start creating those schools already!"

"We kinda need more houses, food, and other things first," Greldo said. There was an odd shimmering in the air beside him, and Coal stepped out. The charbull-sized hound looked around, sniffed a bit, and then began slowly cantering away, sniffing at certain spots.

Irwin looked at Greldo, who had begun raising his head and sniffing softly.

"What's wrong?" Irwin asked.

"Coal smells something, but it's so old and faint that I can't even pick it up," Greldo said.

"Something dangerous?" Irwin asked as he began looking around.

"Hard to say," Greldo said. "Let's just check the nearest hill first. Maybe there's more there."

Irwin hesitated for only a moment before he nodded. If Greldo couldn't even smell it, that meant the scents had to be so old that whatever had made them was long gone.

It took them a while to reach the foot of the first hill, which looked a whole lot higher when they stood below. A small trail of trees led up to the top, which seemed completely covered in them. By now, Abi was showing the first signs of becoming weary.

"You two stay here for a bit," Irwin said as he looked up. "I'll go check if Ambraz can detect any metal up there, then I'll get back."

"Sure, but you going to have to wait till I'm back, checking for any danger," Greldo said happily just as he walked into the shadow of a tree and disappeared.

Irwin and Abi waited, Abi leaning against a tree.

After a minute or two, she suddenly looked up.

"Say… did they ever discover what those green birds were?" she asked,

"No, there were only a few, to begin with, and those all disappeared shortly after we began building cities," Irwin said.

"Well…" Abi whispered, still looking down.

Irwin quickly walked beside her and followed her gaze. Four differently tinted green birds sat hidden close to the tree trunk, staring at them quietly. Irwin stared back, not sure what to do. The birds had shown no sign of hostility, and a few of the rangers had reported that they had been warned of incoming packs of razorteeth and wandering sixhorns.

"Hey guys," Irwin said as he waved at the birds. One of them blinked, then flew away in a rustle of feathers and leaves while the other three continued staring at him.

Not sure what to do, Irwin smiled faintly. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know of any metal in the ground nearby, right?" he asked, feeling stupid for even talking to the birds.

To his surprise, the three birds began chattering, two looking at each other almost as if they were discussing something while the third cocked its head and looked around.

"What the…" Irwin began, just as the birds all looked beside him as one. Irwin turned around in surprise just as Greldo appeared out of the shadows. His eyes widened as he saw Irwin stare at him.

"How…"

The Irwin looked back at the birds. "The birds can see you… I think," he said.

Greldo moved beside him, and the three birds looked at him. Irwin could almost swear they seemed smug.

"Ah, those things," Greldo muttered. "Yeah, they sometimes appear just before I step out of the shadows. Even had one fly overhead when I was moving on one of my scouting missions a while ago. He actually managed to keep up with me for a short while. Anyway, there's nothing dangerous up there. There was a group of four adult sixhorns and a few smaller ones, but they ran when I showed myself and hit one in the head."

Irwin looked at him, then grinned. "You just appeared next to it and kicked it?"

"Pretty much," Greldo replied. "They ran down the other side of the hill, and I watched them head into a small patch of trees before disappearing."

"Alright, then stay here with Abi while Ambraz and I go and see what's going on," Irwin said.

He cast one more glance at the birds before walking up the hill.

"Still nothing?" he asked after they were halfway up.

"No metal yet," Ambraz grunted. "But that makes sense. It's not like there's metal in every hill! Besides, I can't really sense any simple, mundane metals unless there's a massive vein."

They continued up until they reached the edge of the small forest that covered the top of the hill, and then Irwin walked around it. When they came full circle, Ambraz had detected nothing, and somewhat disheartened, he walked back down.

"So, nothing," Greldo said when they reached the base of the hill again.

"No," Irwin said as he looked back up and then to the side. The day was rapidly ending, with the sun on its last hour before it would be setting.

"While you were gone, I had a better idea," Greldo said as he walked towards him.

Irwin raised an eyebrow.

"How about Ambraz come with me, and I just go through the shadows after it's dark? I can move much faster, and we can check a much larger area that way!"

Irwin blinked, then felt like hitting himself. How could he not have thought of that?

"Ambraz, what do you think?" he asked.

"Sure, although I'm not sure if I can sense the metal while we are in the shadows," he said, sounding uncertain.

"No problem, I'll just dash in and out a bit while we move. How high can we go?" Greldo asked.

"The lower, the better," Ambraz said.

"Alright, that's too bad."

"It's still going to be fast," Irwin said as he looked around. "How about we just make camp on this hill?"

As none of the others had a better idea, they headed back up the hill, stopping when they reached a large, uneven ridge covered in moss and with some trees at the top.

"This will do," Greldo said as he looked around. "I'll be right back."

As he disappeared, Irwin looked around, noting a lot of wood everywhere. "I'll get some dry wood and make a fire," he said. "You just rest a bit."

Abi looked at him with wide eyes, nodding quickly. "Sure. Can we do my card after that?"

Irwin hesitated, feeling slightly bad to dash her hopes. "It's best we wait till Greldo and Ambraz return," he said. "Otherwise, if we need to move quickly or fight, you wouln'td be unable to."

"You're right," Abi said before quickly turning and moving away some branches and debris from the spot they had picked.

When Greldo returned, Irwin had created a fire on the open area beside the ridge, and they had flattened the soil. A few large rocks he'd found stood near the fire as makeshift chairs, and the two small tents they had brought were set up a safe distance from the fire. It was the only thing they had enough of nowadays, with everyone having brought their simple tents with them to Eluathar.

"Alright, there's no sign of anything anywhere nearby," Greldo said as he sat down on the rock.

"Good, then let's eat some nuts," Irwin said, removing a package of food.

"Urgh! I seriously can't stand these things," Greldo muttered. "I can't wait till the first caravan comes with bread."

"You are going to have to wait a few more weeks then," Irwin said. "The first fields are only being used for Cartofs."

"Whatever. Anything is better than these things," Greldo muttered as he held up part of a hand-sized nut.

"They aren't that bad," Abi said as she took a small bite. "Compared to starving."

Irwin looked at her, then at Greldo, who sighed and nodded. "Most things are better than starving," he said as he slowly chewed on his own bland nuts.

After they finished eating, they continued chatting about things, with Abi telling them about how she'd reached Malorin. Eventually, the sun sank below the distant forest line, and Greldo and Ambraz took off.

"Do you think there's metal here?" Abi asked from the other side of the small fire.

"Probably," Irwin said as Abi stifled a yawn. "The thing now is if we can find it. Now, go and sleep. I'll stay awake until they return."

Abi stiffened as she looked at him. "Are you sure? What if something happens?"

"You went here, then back, and without more than a few hours rest, you came here again," Irwin said, waving at the tent. "Don't worry. If something happens, I'll wake you up."

He didn't add that if anything happened that he couldn't deal with, the chances of her being able to help were probably non-existent.

Abi nodded and, after a short while, moved into her tent.

It didn't take too long before Irwin could hear a soft snoring from her tent, and he got up, beginning to pace in front of the fire. He hoped Ambraz could find some metal somewhere because it would increase their productivity immensely.

Though we will still have to dig it up, he thought.

As he moved back and forth in front of the softly popping fire, he thought about the things they would be doing after. His brother had sent a message to Lord Bron, asking him to discuss sending Susin to the other side of the exit portal and have her work on growing the trees below the portal. That would give them a place to build a harbor on the other side, which would improve their safety.

Nuts, fish, and soon Cartofs would mean they had enough food to last the winter. If it came and if it was as long as the ones they were used to, of course.

A long time later, when the large moon was nearly straight above his head, Greldo appeared near the stones. His massive grin and Ambraz's instant flying around excitedly told Irwin all he needed to know.

"So, you found some?" he asked.

"Some? Some!?" Ambraz snapped, far too loud. "There's a massive vein of what you call Degnin Iron with large amounts of Lurast Iron a few hills west of here!"

Irwin couldn't stop smiling widely. This was about the best news they could have, besides the same metal being found closer to the city. But even then…

"Is it deep?" he asked.

"No… well, yes, but not compared to what it could be," Ambraz said as he landed on his shoulder.

"Tell him about the other thing," Greldo said as he sat down on one of the rocks, grinning at Irwin.

"Ugh, I'm getting to that," Ambraz said. "There are traces of raw Paldyrin Iron ore in the same hill. It's really deep, near the edge of what I can sense, but it's definitely there!"

This time, Irwin nearly stood up. "You're sure?" he asked, licking his lips.

"Yes," Ambraz said, his metal lips angled up widely.

Irwin jolted back up and began pacing around again. Paldyrin Iron was the strongest, most durable metal he knew that wasn't special. Swords and shields made of it were as strong as the simplest of uncommon and rare swords, and it was the perfect metal for large structures, gates, and hinges for doors. It didn't rust, and its only real downside was that it was slightly heavier than the other options. Even then, it could be mixed with the other ores to create stronger and tougher alloys.

"This is fantastic," he said as he looked at Greldo.

"You don't have to tell me," his friend said. "With some luck, that means we can get frying pans and pots so people can actually cook stuff again!"

"That too," Irwin said as he nodded. "We can also get weapons for the guards and rangers without soulcarded versions."

"Saws and axes for the woodsmen, which will come in handy because we are going to need to make a path towards New Malorin," Greldo said.

Irwin nodded, and they continued chatting for a while before Greldo went to sleep. Only Irwin remained awake, unable to sleep as he kept thinking about items they could finally make when they had metal, from anvils for Endil to tongs, locks, door handles, and so much more.

When the others woke, he was sitting in front of the fire, which he'd kept going, staring into the flickering flames.

"Don't you need sleep?" Abi asked, snapping Irwin out of daydream of creating a massive metal structure below the portal.

"He's fine," Greldo snapped as he got out of his tent. "His card sleeps for him!"

Irwin grinned as he rose and looked at the others. He'd thought up a plan to speed up the path from the hill to New Malorin, and he wanted to start right away.

"Let's pack up. You need to show me which hill it is," he said.

His enthusiasm proved infectious, and soon, they had everything packed and were munching on some more nuts as they walked down the hill toward the west.

"It's the second one that passed that one. You can just see the tip there," Greldo said, pointing in the distance.

Irwin saw a slightly sharper hilltop sticking out from behind the next hill, trees on one side.

"Good, good," he said, ignoring the curious glances he got from the others.

It took them a while to cross the hill and reach the one Greldo meant. Besides the sharper side tip, there was nothing different about it that would have told it had metal, but according to Ambraz, none of the surrounding hills had any.

"So, the vein seems to start here," Ambraz said, hovering above a grassy area just to the side of a steep slope that ended at an area with trees sixty or more feet above them.

Irwin nodded as he looked at the spot and then around.

"Alright, I'm going to make a bit of a hole here so other people can easily find it," he said. "Back up."

The others did as asked, and when they were clear, Irwin summoned his hammer. Raising it high above his head, he swung it down, enlarging it just before it hit the ground with a deafening boom. Sand, grass, soil, and rock flew everywhere as he created a shallow pit. Staring at it, Irwin suddenly thought of something.

"How much deeper?" he asked.

"If you're asking if you can hammer your way to it, it's still twelve feet down," Ambraz said with a snort.

Twelve feet, huh, Irwin thought as he looked at the ground below his feet. Then he grinned.

"Stay back," he roared as he grabbed his hammer with two hands.

--

"You really could have waited," Greldo said.

Irwin grunted, moving the massive chunk of Degnin Iron to a better spot on his shoulders. He'd managed to find a chunk three times the size of his own upper body, which he could carry. That didn't mean he was having fun. Each step pushed his feet deep into the soft soil, and only halfway through, he was already weary.

Even then, he wasn't planning on leaving the thing behind.

"Well, at least this is going to make creating a road easier," Greldo said with a laugh. "And you already created such a huge pit, so getting the first metal ore will be easier."

Irwin snorted as he shoved the massive block further through the jungle.

When they finally stepped out of the Southern Forest and saw New Malorin's southern gate, Abi stopped being shocked. Instead, she walked past Irwin and glanced at him.

"Any chance you could reforge my card tonight?" she asked. "I've got two days rest now…"

"Sure… come… find… me… tonight," Irwin managed in between gasps, somehow managing a grin.

Besides, he knew that after putting the metal in the smithy, it wouldn't take all that long for his absurd endurance to help him recover.

"At the Volcano Smithy?" Abi asked.

Is there another smithy? Irwin thought, but he just nodded.

"Alright, I'll go and tell Bronwyn what we found," she said enthusiastically before running off.

Irwin continued walking after her while Greldo hummed a song. After half a minute, Greldo sighed.

"Man, you are so slow," he said with mock sadness. "Well, I'll just go and tell your mom we are back… and tell the guards to open the door. Oh! And warn Endil what you are bringing!"

Irwin saw him sprint off, Coal following close behind him.

Sure, I'll just continue ahead, Irwin thought, but as weary as he was, he couldn't stop thinking about his mother's happy face when he gave her a pan and some other utensils.