Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

Irwin rushed forward, using kinetic energy to speed himself up before grabbing the connected anvils. He barely wrapped his hands around them when he felt You'gyn resist.

"What is going on? Let go of me, you-"

Both Anvils vanished from Irwin's grip, and his hand slammed together with a hollow clang. A horrible sensation in his soulscape stopped any confused questions he might have.

'Get in here and let us in!' Ambraz shouted in his soulscape.

Irwin groaned as he sat down where he stood, closed his eyes, and jumped inside his soulscape. As soon as he appeared, he felt and heard a rumbling from a small point of the barrier. He flew towards it as fast as he could, almost sensing the struggle of the two Ganvils near the edge of his soulscape. When he reached the border, he felt both a familiar and a very unfamiliar resonance tangled together.

'Synchronize with his resonance! Then force him in! As soon as you do, keep focusing on his resonance, and you should feel how you can lock him inside here!'

"How are you even talking to me," Irwin muttered, focusing on the two struggling resonances.

It was far clearer than when Ambraz had been there alone. If that was due to the addition of his two new cards or because Ambraz had been quiet, he didn't know. Whatever it was, it made the resonating soulforces sound like two combating songs. Focusing on the unfamiliar one, he began humming, resonating his soulscape gently.

The first attempt failed, as did the second, the resonance both unfamiliar and… odd. The third time, he finally picked up on the oddities, some weird underlying harmonic. He hummed, then sang a wordless song of meaningless sounds, and a bulge appeared on the barrier before him.

Irwin flew to the side as two Ganvils surged inside, both appearing inside his soulscape like foreign entities, even if one was familiar and welcome. He struggled to keep a focus on the foreign entities' resonance, and as he did, he felt his mindscape seem to want to wrap around it, the barriers ready to block the thing from moving away again. Irwin allowed his mindscape to act, and it felt like it clamped around You'gyn like a vice.

Alright, I definitely have to be careful with going into any other person's soulscape, Irwin thought as he shivered at the thought of being locked inside with no way out.

Ambraz shot away from You'gyn and hovered beside Irwin.

"Am'braz, how dare you! Where did… you…” You'gyn's voice petered off.

Irwin could almost imagine him looking around, trying to understand what had happened. It didn't take You'gyn long.

"You brought me to his soulscape! That- Why- You- ARGH! Why is it… how is it this big?"

"You'gyn, you little punk! What happened in the time I was gone that gave you the idea you could act like you're already a Monarch?" Ambraz snapped angrily. He remained close to Irwin, though if that was to guard him or to be guarded, Irwin didn't know.

"Am'braz! They said you were dead! We had a Dirge for you!"

"I'm touched, but as you can see, I'm far from dead," Ambraz snorted. "Now, you rusty brat, how long have I been gone?"

You'gyn's lips drew in a thin, straight line. "I'm not a brat anymore… stop calling me that!"

"How long?" Ambraz snapped.

"Over eighty years! Brazardian actually tried to blame it on Syn'gyn and Gynerigon had to step in and calm him down. There was a big commotion and Brazardian sent out dozens of rank three's to try and find you. They all eventually came back empty handed."

Ambraz was quiet for a few moments, then let out a soft sigh. "So, he sent Ganvils to check on me. That's good."

He seemed lost in thought for a few moments while Irwin watched You'gyn closely to make sure he wasn't going to do anything stupid.

"Well, whatever," Ambraz suddenly grunted. "And for the record, there's no way weak Syn'gyn would be able to do that!"

"I wouldn't call him weak anymore," You'gyn said. "Lots has changed since you were gone, Am'braz. Syn'gyn is now rank five, and many believe that he will reach rank six soon. When he does… Well, Gynerigon has been looking around the outer leaves and is preparing to buy him a world. That should tell you enough."

Buy him a world? Irwin thought, blinking. How much soulshards would that even cost?

"So, he found a smith that was willing to be bound to that metal whiner?" Ambraz said in disdain. "I pity him."

"He bonded to the winner of the Smith's Guild Tournament a few years after you left," You'gyn said, sounding both impressed and annoyed at the same time.

"How did he get the Smith's Guild to agree to that?" Ambraz exclaimed.

"Nobody knows," You'gyn replied. "But Des'braz tried it twice until Brazardian ordered him to stop it and find a smith to bind to. It still took him a few years, but he eventually bonded with some random human."

"Is he still on Granvox?"

"Last I heard, he, Yirta'braz, Glau'hest and Syd'hest are still there," You'gyn said.

"Good," Ambraz said.

Irwin, who had been quietly waiting and wondering who everyone was they were talking about, heard the relief in Ambraz's voice.

"So… who are all these Ganvils you are talking about?" he asked.

"My siblings and You'gyn's siblings mostly," Ambraz said. "Glau'hest and Syd'hest are the progeny of Hestolgro, the third worldanvil on Granvox."

" About that…" You'gyn said.

"What?" Ambraz asked. "Did another worldanvil appear on Granvox? How did they allow that to happen?"

"No, no… it's just. Hestolgron is now seen as the second worldanvil."

Ambraz hovered forward, his lips in a snarl. "What? Did Gynerigon elevate him above Brazardian?"

You'gyn hovered back a bit. "Calm down! It happened about twenty years after you left, partially because you couldn't be found."

"That…. That old rust bucket of a Progenitor of yours used the fact that I went missing to hold another progeny contest?!" Ambraz shouted.

"He did," You'gyn said, sounding uncomfortable. "Listen, I hate to be the one to tell you this… but it gets worse."

"Worse?" Ambraz snorted. "How can it possibly get even worse?"

"Hal'braz… he mysteriously died midway into the contest."

Ambraz froze, his wings still for a few moments, causing him to plummet a few feet.

"WHAT?!" his voice boomed through Irwin's soulscape, while his resonance erupted out almost visibly. A moment later, he shot back up. "Explain!"

Irwin had never seen Ambraz angry before. He'd seen him annoyed and weary, but he could almost feel the roiling emotions from how his soulforce resonated.

Hal'braz… So, does that mean it was his sibling? Irwin wondered why Ambraz had never spoken about his siblings. From how upset he was, it seemed they had at least a reasonably good bond. For a moment, he thought about how he would react if he returned home and found that Bronwyn had died. Feeling an intense fury bubble up, he quickly stopped thinking about it.

You'gyn had been gaping at Ambraz, making tiny stuttering sounds.

"You'gyn! How did Hal'braz die?" Ambraz snapped, his soulforce still bubbling around angrily.

"We don't know!" You'gyn squealed. "But after he was gone, your other siblings lost badly, and Brazardian was relegated to the third spot."

Ambraz growled. "Glau'hest… did he do it?"

"I don't know! He was investigated thoroughly due to their previous entanglements, but…"

"They couldn't find anything on him. That oily, little Rondin! He was rusted to the core from the day he formed," Ambraz said.

A gloomy silence hung over Irwin's soulscape for a while when You'gyn finally seemed unable to stop his curiosity.

"Where have you been? What happened?" he asked.

"I was grabbed by some aberrant soulcarded with the ability to create tiny pocket planes and locked up!" Ambraz snapped. "If I'd known the consequences of that Beardyface's actions, I would have… ARGH!"

"You… got caught?" You'gyn whispered before letting out a dry cackle. "How?"

"He said he had information on a shardworld of Ganvil," Ambraz said, sounding disgusted.

So that's what happened, Irwin thought. He'd never talked about those times with Ambraz, mostly because they didn't come up but also because Ambraz always got annoyed when he tried.

"And you believed him?" You'gyn muttered.

"Let's just say that he knew of some other things that made it more likely than the usual liars that show up," Ambraz said.

You'gyn didn't say anything, but Irwin had the feeling he didn't think it was likely.

"Well… I'd love to say it's good to see you again, but I take it this one is already bonded to you then?" You'gyn said.

Even without eyes, Irwin had the feeling You'gyn was observing him.

"Yes," Ambraz said. "This is Irwin Roddington, my bonded smith."

"I'm jealous," You'gyn said, annoyed. "Especially after what you just did. When did your resonance become this pure and powerful? If what I felt just now was any indication you are on par with Syn'gyn when he was rank three!"

"Not in a million years," Ambraz snorted. "That obnoxious sibling of yours would wish his soul resonance was as pure as mine!"

"I did just tell you that he bonded with the winner of the Smith's Guild Tournament, right?" You'gyn said, and if he had one, Irwin had the feeling he would have raised an eyebrow.

"So?" Ambraz snorted. "I'm sure Irwin would have beaten him if he had been there."

"Right," You'gyn said. "Well, your fantasies notwithstanding, what are we going to do now?"

"We are going to keep you in here until we can come to an agreement," Ambaz said. "I need to get to Granvox without the Smiths Guild knowing we are here."

"Because your bonded smith is going to get dragged away to one of the central worlds, or worse, one of their hidden training worlds?" You'gyn said. "Sure… and what is in it for me? I am sick and tired of being in this little corner of nothing! It is horrible! Even staying in here might be better!"

Irwin grimaced at the idea of having You'gyn remain in his soulscape.

Ambraz was quiet for a moment, then hummed. "What if we brought you with us to Granvox? You could tell that old bossy rustbucket that you were just tagging along to make sure I got home safely."

"After which, he will send me back to this place," You'gyn said.

Irwin frowned as he thought about the problem. You'gyn was far less annoying then he had imagined, and didn't actually seem to have a bad relationship with Ambraz. Not compared to some of the other siblings whom he had already forgotten the names of.

What if we just bring him to Eluathar? It's not like he will be able to leave, and if he binds to someone like Trimdir? I'm sure Trimdir can keep him in check. Then the two of them can tutor the rank zero's Ambraz wanted to bring…

The longer he thought about it, the more enthusiastic Irwin became. Not in the least because it would mean they had a way out of their current predicament.

"Ambraz… how likely is it that we can bring him along after we do what we had planned?" he said slowly.

"Ambraz?" You'gyn muttered, confused.

Ambraz and Irwin ignored him.

"You mean to keep those rank zeros in line," Ambraz said. "Are you sure you want him there?"

"Well… I don't know him well enough, but I think we are going to need someone there to teach them. Trimdir could really benefit from bonding with a Ganvil, but a rank zero might be too weak."

You'gyn inched forward. "What are you two talking about?" he asked, sounding incredibly curious.

Ambraz ignored him, instead humming softly.

"Well… he would have to remain in your soulscape after we leave here."

Irwin could hear from Ambraz's tone that he was warming up to the idea, and that he had started working on You'gyn. The fact that he had to keep You'gyn in his soulscape bothered him slightly, but not as much as it had only minutes before.

"Do you think he is capable enough to teach those rank zeros?" Irwin asked. "Or to keep up with Trimdir or one of the others?"

"Well…" Ambraz said, sounding dubious. "He's not as good as I am, so-"

"What are you two talking about? Who is Trimdir!? What do you mean, bring rank zeros somewhere?" You'gyn shouted.

"Trimdir is my teacher," Irwin said. "He taught me how to purify metal and many other things."

"What? You were already a smith before Ambraz found you?" You'gyn said, sounding even more confused.

"No, you curious brat, but this is a story for another time," Ambraz snapped, interrupting more questions. "If you promise to let us leave here with provisions, we can bring you along to a very good place. There will be smiths to bond there that are better than many you have ever seen."

"You found a new world? Is that where Irwin is from?" You'gyn asked, sounding almost hungry. "One that already knows about cardsmithing?!"

"Something like that," Ambraz said mysteriously.

"I need some proof! Show me that he's not just potential, but actually is something," You'gyn said.

Irwin looked at Ambraz.

"Resonate a bit of your favorite song," Ambraz said.

"The Whale one?"

"Yes."

"Won't everyone outside hear?" he asked just as he was about to start.

"I'll keep it contained," Ambraz said, focusing on You'gyn. "Be good. I'll be outside!"

"Are you telling me that his song can be heard outside his soulscape?" You'gyn asked in disbelief. "What is he, a Ruby rank smith?"

Ambraz just laughed and disappeared, leaving a faint outline of his shape behind. His voice came from the shape a moment later.

'You can begin!'

Irwin relaxed. The prospect of playing the Chaos Whale song always made him happy, no matter the reason. He focused on his soulcard and very slowly began the song, trying even more than normally to make it start like a storm slowly building up and brewing.

A beautiful chime began, already deep but nothing near what it would be, and the clouds of steam seemed to stir while the golden lava from the mountain seemed to speed up slightly.

Irwin barely noticed any of it. Eyes closed, he pictured the time he'd been in the storm, the massive whales around him. As the deep song began growing louder and more pronounced, he felt himself be swept away by it and his memories.

--

You'gyn was staring in stunned disbelief at the tiny soulmarker that was Irwin. The soulshape around him was glowing as the clouds churned and roiled in tandem with the melody, and the golden lava spurted out of the mountain with the beat.

The pure power of it made him forget all about his idea of looking around while Ambraz was gone. Instead, he hung there, listening to the smith sing along with his resonating soulcard and soulscape, creating a song of storm and beauty.

As it continued, and the first climax seemed to appear, You'gyn could barely hold himself.

What kind of ridiculousness is this? He has to be Ruby smith, or higher! How did Ambraz find one that wasn't bonded or locked down by the Smith's Guild or some noble or merchant family?

When the climax was reached, the steam clouds turning to long cloudy lines that rushed across the sky on a soul powered wind, Ambraz's voice shouted from his outline.

"Enough, kid! This is enough!"

What? Do you mean there is more? You'gyn thought.

--

Irwin heard Ambraz's voice but didn't really want to stop. He felt how the song; the resonance of his soulcard, was making his soulscape more sturdy - more real. Never had he sung the song on his own and come so close as when he had sung with the Chaos Whales.

A part of him wished he could reforge cards inside his soulscape, and another part wondered if he could move his own soulforce.

The final thought was what snapped him out of it. What if he did that? Try and move his own soulforce as if he were the ambient soulforce? Could he create a card like that and if he could, what would it cost?

He exhaled as he stopped singing. The memories of the climax faded away while the low rumbling that had begun and seemed to promise more stopped.

Irwin let out a content sigh as he opened his eyes, noticing the way his soulscape was slowly calming.

This was the first time I sang inside here, he thought. I need to talk with Ambraz about this and try again.

Well, he would have to when he didn't have someone else in his soulscape.

Ambraz reappeared.

"Kid, you could have gone a little easier! Do you have any idea how hard it was to contain that?" Ambraz snapped.

"Sorry," Irwin said with a grin, not meaning it.

"I'm in! Deal! I'll do whatever you want," You'gyn shouted. "You just have to promise me that this Trimdir is at least half as good as Irwin!"

Ambraz let out a soft snort. "He is very good. Not as good as Irwin, but few on the Langost branch are."

"He is definitely half as good as I am," Irwin said, recalling how fast Trimdir had learned how to reforge cards. "He learned how to successfully reforge his first quartz card in a few days without the help of a Ganvil."

You'gyn's mouth opened, then closed, and finally, he let out a scream, surprising Irwin.

"You aren't getting rid of me, even if you wanted to," he shouted. "Tell me what you need me to do."

Irwin sighed in relief, focusing on Ambraz. "Can you handle this? I'll go and tell Greldo and the others."

"Sure," Ambraz said.

Irwin took a final look at You'gyn.

I hope Trimdir will even want to… otherwise maybe Endil?

Whatever would happen, he was going to need way more cards for future Smiths.

He closed his eyes and stepped out of his soulscape. He was sitting in the middle of the room and somehow hadn't fallen over.

As he got up, he couldn't help smiling as he recalled the joy of the Whale song.

Walking to his door, he exited into the empty hallway. There was no sign of anyone around, so he closed his door and knocked on Greldo's.

"About time," his friend's voice came from inside. "Get in here and tell us what just happened!"

Surprised, Irwin pulled open the door to see Zender and Earila sit on one bed, Rindiri on another, and Greldo lean against Coal who was lying against the wall.

"You heard that?" Irwin asked, suddenly worried who else might have.

"Don't worry," Greldo said. "I could barely hear it from this room. The chances of someone else hearing it are small, and I didn't spot any shadow walkers."

"Alright," Irwin said, closing the door and remaining before the door. "You'gyn, that other Ganvil came to my room just now, and-"

Everyone listened quietly as he explained what had happened. When he finished, Greldo was shaking his head with a weary grin.

"And here I was worrying I would have to sneak around and find out his weakness or something."

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Rindiri asked.

Irwin thought for a bit, then nodded. "Yes, from what I have seen, he is very interested."

"He isn't just playing you and when you let him out of your soulscape -a trick you are going to have to show me soon- he isn't going to sick all the guards on us?" Greldo added, raising an eyebrow.

"It's always possible," Irwin said. "But-" he stopped talking as Ambraz's voice rang out in his soulscape.

"Kid, I'm coming out. Let You'gyn out."

"Well, we are going to find out now," he said.

I wonder why I didn't hear them talk, but I could hear Ambraz just now, he thought as he felt Ambraz leave his soulscape. He focused on the resonance of his soulscape, much harder now that he wasn't inside, and relaxed his hold on You'gyn. As soon as he did, he felt the foreign entity rush out.

Ambraz appeared first, hovering before Irwin, and a moment later, You'gyn appeared.

"Bah, I prefer the temperature in your soulscape," You'gyn snorted before looking around. "Ah, you all gathered to hear the fantastic news?"

Irwin looked at him quietly, wondering if he would change his mind. He saw Greldo and Rindiri seemingly ready to act if You'gyn tried to flee toward the window.

"Stop looking so worried," You'gyn said happily, flying around Irwin. "We are going to be the best of allies, you will see! Even without a smith, I'm very useful!"

Irwin had no idea what to think of that, but Ambraz just snorted.

"Stop trying to show off," Ambraz said. "Go and take care of the things we discussed."

"No worries! I'll not let you down," You'gyn said. "Just enjoy your stay here for the next two days. Then we can head out to Granvox!"

He flew toward the window, and although Greldo hesitated, he let him pass. A moment later, the Ganvil was gone.

"Ambraz, are you sure he will not trick us?" Greldo asked.

"Kid, there are no guarantees in life, but I'd bet a ruby card on him wanting to leave here more than us," Ambraz said. "Like he said, let's just relax for a few days."

"Can we walk around the base?" Zender asked, eyes wide and glistening.

Irwin looked at Ambraz, who snorted.

"Sure, just don't cause any trouble," the Ganvil said.

"Yes!" Zender shouted before shaking his head and grinning. "I mean, I won't cause any trouble!"

Irwin saw Rindiri dubiously stare at her son, but he wasn't worried too much. Zender didn't seem the one to cause trouble.

After a few minutes of discussing what they would do, everyone headed back to their own room.

When Irwin lay down on his bed, Ambraz quietly landed on his chest.

"Are you alright?" Irwin asked.

"I'm fine," Ambraz muttered absently. "I… It bothers me that I didn't see Hal before he died."

"Did you know him well?" Irwin asked after a few moments.

"Yes, Brazardian created him, Des, and me within a year. For Ganvils, that is almost unheard of. There are only a few known occurrences since Ganvil shattered. Brazardian found a piece of Gneisian Ore, something as rare as Purperion, and absorbed it," Ambraz said. He was talking absently, almost as if he wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying. "It wasn't enough to push him to rank eight, so he instead purified it and used it to create the three of us. It means we were closer... More related, you could say, than most Ganvils. I guess you could see us as true siblings?"

"Was he a lot like you then?" Irwin asked.

"Not as talented, but close," Ambraz said sadly. "He was quiet and prone to being tricked by others. Me and Des always had to look after him. Although there were only weeks or months between us, he was the youngest."

Irwin quietly listened as Ambraz continued talking about his lost sibling.