Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

"Irwin, wake up!"

Irwin jolted forward, and his head thudded against something, causing a yelp. He let out a startled grunt and looked around blearily, trying to figure out what was going on. He was still in the central hall, and Greldo stood before him, rubbing his head and cursing.

"Derlin's balls, that hurt."

Irwin shook his head, rubbing his own forehead as he realized two tall bearded men were staring at him quietly. They both wore dark brown, almost black pants and boots with simple metallic inlay and a black smith's apron that left their incredibly muscular arms bare.

Smiths! Irwin thought as he looked at the tiny figure of Ambraz hovering beside them, his metal lips curled in a wide smile.

"I… fell asleep," Irwin muttered as he looked around to find Daubutim standing to the side, carrying Lamia.

They had been waiting here for hours, and he recalled that, at some point, he'd closed his eyes.

"Yes. A genius I see! Great… Now that he's awake, can we get moving or what?" one of the bearded men grunted, displeasure visible in his eyes.

Sensing a slight tension in the air, Irwin quickly pushed himself up and followed Greldo to stand in front of the two men. The one who had spoken snorted and shook his head.

"Think you deserve special treatment because you are bound to-"

"Gawarn, calm down," the other man said, interrupting the other.

"Ah, come on, big brother! Look at this guy, he is-"

"Enough, I said," the other said. "They have been through enough!"

Irwin quickly examined the two men. Both were roughly as tall as he was, with black hair. The annoyed man had brown eyes that looked back at him in distaste, while the other had shining silver ones like the guards and Glessile. Their beards were braided from the sides into a single thick braid that ended in an ornament metal piece that only just reached their chests. The symbol of a hammer and an Anvil was engraved on the front, and as Irwin looked at them, he saw that one was pale yellow while the other was purple.

"You are called Irwin?" the man asked warmly. "I can imagine all of this must be incredibly confusing to you, but don't worry! Now that you have found your way to us, the Smith's Guild, all will be well!"

Irwin blinked in surprise at the joyful man's exuberance, then forced a grin on his face.

"Now, I'm Balarn, second in command of Tensor's Smithy! Now, follow me."

Balarn turned around, beckoning them, and Irwin and the others followed after him. As they did, Irwin noticed that Gawarn was looking at them in annoyed distaste before staring in longing at the central pillar.

Balarn led them through the busy area towards what looked like the main exit. A wide corridor led to a pair of massive doors. Two pale blue crystals hung to their sides, and as Balarn approached them, they began glowing.

"Balarn, Topaz ranked Card Smith," a female voice rang out emotionless. "There are four unregistered people behind you."

Irwin started, looking around to find the person that had spoken, but there was nobody. Besides them, there was nobody even near their entrance.

"Yes, yes," Balarn said as he shook his head. "Almost forgot about that." he turned to Irwin, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Add this one to the Tensor Smith's guild members list." Then he moved to Daubutim and put his hand on Lamia's arm. "Add this one to the temporary list. If she manages to succeed in the entrance exam, she will be added to the guild members list. The other two…" Balarn hesitated before turning to Irwin.

"If they can't do anything useful in the city, someone else needs to pay their taxes for them. I can add them to your list, as you are allowed five serfs, but that means you will need to pay for them. That might be hard as a Quartz Rank smith."

Irwin looked back, not sure what to do, when Ambraz snorted. "Irwin is able to Reforge Amethyst cards."

There was a moment of silence as Balarn and Gawarn blinked stupidly. Then Balarn barked a laugh. "Well, if that's the case, it should be fine."

Irwin could see the slight disbelief in the other's eyes while Gawarn was mockingly laughing at him.

"Add the other two as serfs to Irwin's serf list," Balarn said.

There was a moment of silence, and then the massive gem glowed brightly again.

"Irwin, Unranked Card Smith, added to the Smith's charter of Tensor. Please raise your hand and touch the Soulgem."

Irwin licked his lips, then stepped forward.

"This?" he asked as he pointed at the massive glowing crystal.

"Yes," the emotionless female voice spoke again.

Wondering what would happen, Irwin carefully put his hand on the smooth surface. A jolt passed through his hand, and a moment later, he felt something touch his cards.

"You have been registered. Name the temporary charter member and place her hand on the soul gem."

Irwin stepped back, looking at Lamia.

"She is called Lamia, but she is unconscious right now," he said.

"Place her hand on the surface of the Soulgem," the voice dully intoned.

Daubutim moved forward, and Irwin took Lamia's limp hand. As he did, he couldn't help but notice the horrible wound on her other hand.

I hope we can heal her, he thought as he carefully put her hand on the Soulgem. There was another flash.

"Lamia, unknown qualifications, was added to the temporary roster of Tensor's charter. Name the Serfs and touch the Soulgem."

Daubutim calmly stated his name and put his hand on the surface, followed by Greldo.

"Daubutim, unqualified, serf-status, added to Irwin's list of serfs. Greldo, unqualified, serf-status, added to Irwin's list of serfs," the emotionless female voice droned out. Almost instantly, the door ahead of them swung open, and a warm breeze carrying the smell of vegetation and unfamiliar things wafted inside.

"Finally! Let's go," Balarn said as he headed outside.

"A serf…" Daubutim whispered, and Irwin saw him look at his hands dully.

"We can find a way to make you a normal citizen as soon as possible," Irwin whispered. He had no idea how Daubutim felt right now, but it couldn't be good.

"What are you complaining about," Greldo hissed. "Irwin has to do all the work!"

Irwin blinked as he saw Greldo grin at him.

"Move," Gawarn said from the doorway.

Irwin and the others quickly followed after him, with Ambraz landing on Irwin's shoulder. As they stepped outside, a bluster of noise and sounds came from all around them, and they saw the sprawling city they had seen before and around them. Large areas of greenery were in between densely populated areas, one between them and a busy street ahead of them.

"Welcome to Fiverio," Balarn said as he spread his arms out. "I've never been to a farming-world, but I'm pretty sure none have anything like this, am I right?"

So our world… It is a farming world, Irwin thought as he felt a wave of worry bubble up. That meant it was also likely near shattering. He wanted nothing more than to ask Balarn if he knew a way to stop this, but with a single look around at the enormity of the city, he was pretty sure Balarn wouldn't be able to help him with this just like that.

I need to get more information and find out what is going on, he thought as he walked along with the others.

"Three suns…?" Greldo suddenly shouted as he stared behind them.

Irwin turned around, his eyes widening as he saw three burning bundles of fire hanging in the sky.

"What? No, no. Only the center one is a sun," Balarn said while Gawarn was laughing loudly, shaking his head in disbelief and muttering something Irwin didn't catch.

"The other two are the moons Exiral and Foesda. Every month they pass by the sun during the day. I guess you don't have moons like these?"

Irwin and the others followed Balarn as they continued towards the city.

"We only have a moon that is visible during the night," Irwin said as he took a few peeks over his shoulder. "And ours doesn't burn."

"Really? How can its gasses not ignite if it passes your sun? Or are you really far from the sun?" Balarn asked curiously.

Irwin blinked, befuddled as he tried to imagine what Balarn meant.

"Our moon has no gasses to ignite," Daubutim said calmly. "We only see it when it passes due to the sun's illumination."

"No gasses? Ridiculous," Gawarn snorted.

Balarn laughed as he struck his brother on the shoulder. "Calm down, Gawarn. We have never been to another world. Who knows what weird things occur there? Now, enough chatter! Let's quickly go to Tensor's!"

Irwin shared a look with his friends, then they followed behind Balarn.

As they moved closer to the busy street, Irwin felt his hair slowly stand on end at the sight of the large amount of demonic-looking beings walking around. Bloodred beings with arm-long horns and black animal legs, small, nearly round beings with eyebrows that were so long they curved up and angled across their heads, and many others. Although most people he saw were the black-haired, brown-eyed, or silver-eyed type, those that weren't stuck out to him.

Are these demons from shard worlds? Irwin wondered.

"Listen, don't get separated and stick near us! There's a curfew, and you don't want to be out when it starts! If you somehow get separated from us, ask around for Tensor's or the Smith's guild. If not… well, let's just say a shattering world might have been preferable," Balarn said before he began making his way through the busy street.

Irwin and the others stuck close together and followed right after Balarn. The loud hubbub all around made it hard to speak, and the number of people all around made it hard for Irwin to keep his bearings. Still, he couldn't help but look around in astonished wonder at the tall buildings, the hundreds of shops, and the enormous amounts of people.

"Look, Frozir," Greldo said, his head near Irwin's to be heard over the loud chatter and sounds.

Irwin followed the other's gaze to see three tall blue frozir, each with long white hair. They were walking together, heading towards what looked like a shop with hats, caps, and other top wear.

They looked as cold as the others but still different somehow, he thought. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about the three frozir that had been... less upsetting.

They walked for a long time, and eventually, the busy streets became less crowded until they finally reached a street so wide it looked more like an elongated square. At the far end, there was a pale blue river with marble docks and enormous wooden ships with colorful sails.

Balarn walked towards a large walled building with a pale wooden gate. A sign the size of a person hung above the door with odd runes.

"Welcome to Tensor's smithy, Fiverio's largest Smith's guild chapter," Balarn said as he pulled open the door, waving them inside.

Irwin walked in, staring at the large marble building with dark red roof panels across a sandy open area and the large open smithing area to the far left. Dozens of people were walking about, and he saw even more people hammering on anvils, working forge bellows, and lugging crates of ore.

It looks just like a big version of Trimdir's, Irwin thought as he felt a sense of security as he saw the smiths.

As odd as this world was, at least he could understand this!

"Alright, follow me! Let's go and get you to settle. Then I'll see Tensor and find out if he has time today. I'm sure he will be interested in seeing another Godly Anvil," Balarn said.

"Another?" Irwin couldn't help but exclaim.

Balarn laughed as he shut the door and walked across the sandy square towards the building.

"What? Did you think you were the only one who found one? There are a dozen smiths on Fiverio who have one, two of whom are in Tensor's smithy!"

Irwin didn't know what to say and simply followed Balarn. Daubutim and Greldo followed him while Gawarn walked towards a second tall building on the right side of the sandy square.

"I'll head home, brother," he said as he walked away.

"Don't forget to practice your third-stage card refining," Balarn shouted after him, but Gawarn just waved as he jogged away.

"That little brat," Balarn muttered before looking up. Irwin saw his eyes narrow when he found that Irwin and the others were looking at him, but the bearded man didn't say anything, simply walking towards the main building. "Let's go."

"I wonder why we don't hear any sounds from the smithy," Greldo softly said as he followed Irwin.

"There's a rune barrier blocking the sound around each working station," Balarn shouted across his shoulder.

He has really good ears, Irwin thought as he and Greldo shared a worried glance.

The main double door swung open before they reached it, and a man, twice as wide but a head shorter than Irwin stomped out. He was bald, with large silver eyes that stood out in his charcoal-colored face. When he saw Balarn, he grinned widely, his ruddy beard splitting in two. The bottom of his beard was covered in a similar green metal covering as Balarn. His eyes skimmed across the others, and when Irwin saw the man look at him, then at Ambraz, he saw his eyes widen.

"Balarn! What's this, did you find another brother with a Godly Anvil?" the man rumbled in a deep, pleasant voice.

"Yogog, you're back! I thought you wouldn't return for another year?" Balarn shouted. Both men clasped their hands, and Irwin saw the muscles on their lower arms bulge out.

After a few moments, Balarn grunted. "Alright, alright! You win. Let go before I can't work this week!"

The massive Yogog laughed as he released the other Smith's hand. "I've told you, you need to practice your grip strength more," he said before looking at Irwin and the others.

"These four are incredibly lucky! They just arrived from farming world three-five-eight," Balarn said.

"What? Hasn't that shattered yet?" Yogog called out before his eyebrows rose even further. "And since when do they have Anvils of the Gods there? Did a cross-world portal open up?"

Balarn blinked, then turned to Irwin with curious eyes. "Good question! I haven't even asked them yet. I'm sure the boss will ask them. I'll let you know when I find out."

Cross-world portal? Irwin thought. He'd never heard of those before. Did that mean it was possible for non-shard-worlds to have portals to each other?

"Alright! I'll be at Catterbies. Find me there. The first drink's on me!" Yogog said before stomping off.

As the shorter, much wider man passed him, Irwin saw his gaze remained on Ambraz until he was gone.

"This way," Balarn said, and Irwin quickly followed the Smith through the door.

They reached a spacious room that wasn't at all what Irwin had expected. Bookshelves lined the left side, with heavy-looking tables arranged in front of them. Muscular, burly men and women sat around, reading from the tomes and books. A massive counter sat to the right while doors led away at the backend, separated by an angular staircase that led up.

Seeing Balarn move to the counter, Irwin followed after him, noticing a green-haired woman with silvery eyes behind the counter watching their approach. Her hair was bound up in a single long braid that hung across her shoulder, and the end was capped with purple metal, similar to what Irwin had seen on Gawarn's beard.

Is that how they determine the ranks? he thought as he frowned.

"Balarn! What do we have here? Did you finally decide to get some serfs?" the woman asked with a songlike voice.

"No, Ichela! The tall one is going to be our newest Smith, and the unconscious one is going to be joining the upcoming entry exam," Balarn said. He smiled, then turned back to Irwin and the others, beckoning them over. "Come! We need to get you settled as soon as possible!"

Irwin nodded as he walked up to the counter. He noticed that Balarn seemed slightly different than before but just couldn't focus on it.

Ichela looked at him, and as her eyes focused on Ambraz, she began smiling widely. "So! You actually managed to find an Anvil of the Gods and learn card smithing while in a farming world? That's really incredible!"

"Apparently, he can even reforge Amethyst cards already," Balarn added.

Ichela leaned her elbows on the counter, staring at Irwin. "Is that so? Well, I'm going to have to start you off with a simple Quartz reforge, and if you can manage that, I'll get you your entry-level badge. For badge increases, you will have to wait for the upcoming assessments just like everyone else."

Irwin quickly nodded. Even the first badge was good enough for him, as he had no idea what was really going on. Apparently, the badge represented rank, which was probably important, but what he really needed was a moment to sit and recover. His mind was spinning, and it took all his effort to simply stay calm.

"So, I presume the Central Registry added you to our list?"

"Yes," Irwin said.

"Alright, well then, that means that for now, you're stuck with us!" Ichela said with a smile. "I'm sure you have many questions, but before that, I'll need to check if you can actually reforge a card. You have your own anvil… you wouldn't happen to have a hammer too?" Ichela asked as she glanced at his hand.

Irwin raised his hand, and his hammer fell into it with a flash, causing Ichela's eyes to brighten.

"That's fabulous! You actually have a hammer. I wish everyone was this well prepared! It's such a hassle to hand out hammers of a high enough quality all the time. Now, I take it you won't have any cards, so-" she knelt behind the counter and, after a few moments, came back up with a thick book. Opening it, Irwin saw two pages filled to the brim with cards.

"This should do," Ichela said as she took a card, seemingly at random, and handed it to Irwin.

"Alright, reforge this. It's really just a formality, but-" and she shrugged. "Oh, err… what's your name, Anvil?"

Ambraz snorted as he dropped to the ground and changed to his large form. "Ambraz!"

"Good, well, Ambraz, you are not allowed to help him. Alright? Please be aware that I will notice if you do."

"As if the boy needs any help," Ambraz said. "Why would I choose him as my Smith if he can't even do this?"

"I completely agree with you, but you'd be surprised," Ichela said with a wide smile. "Just start when you are ready."

Irwin swallowed as he looked at the card. There was a flower on it with petals that seemed razor sharp. With the sudden silence and focus of everyone on him, he shivered.

No. Calm down! You need to do this. You can do this, he rebuked himself, taking a deep breath. He focused on Ambraz and placed the card on his top. You have done this many times… strike and focus, sense the impurities.

As he brought down his hammer and struck the card calmly, Irwin slowly tuned out all the outside interference. A fuzzy image of a beautiful flower with razor-sharp petals appeared. Dozens of dark blotched and a few bright stars dotted its surface while the cloudy image moved and shimmered.

So many blotches mean it has high potential, Irwin thought as he recalled Ambraz's words.

With full focus, he struck the card again, and he felt the vibrations in his own cards humming softly. The familiar feeling removed the final bits of tension he felt, and he struck again, then again.

Slowly he fell into his familiar rhythm, forgetting completely where he was as he tried to strike at the perfect moment to increase the resonance.

The beautiful chime came far too soon to his liking, and as he lowered his hammer, he gazed at the card. The pale-bordered common shimmered as it turned to a vibrant purple.

Quartz, Irwin thought to himself. Need to think of these as Quartz and Amethyst.

Realizing it was still quiet, he looked up, suddenly worried he'd messed up somehow. Ichela was looking at him wide-eyed and smiling, then seemed to jolt as she realized he was looking back at her.

"Well, that was wonderful! Such smooth, steady blows and such a beautiful tune. I can't recall the last time I've seen such a good quartz reforging," Ichela said as she moved away and began rummaging in a drawer. A few moments later, she came back with a simple white plate the size of Irwin's palm.

"You will have to forge it into something like this yourself, but I'm sure that shouldn't be a problem," she said as she tapped the counter with the purple metal that sat at the end of her braid.

Not sure what to say, Irwin simply nodded, wondering if that meant he'd have to grow a beard. He subconsciously rubbed his chin, noting there was a bit of soft hair there which.

"Don't worry," Ichela laughed. "You can just put it in your hair like me until you can grow a beard!"

Irwin grinned back.

"Alright! Now then, let's get you a room. You will have to share it with the trainee and your serfs until you can earn some coin."

"That's alright," Irwin said quickly.

Ichela nodded happily as she moved around the counter, rummaging in another drawer. She came up with a small metal plate with odd bumps and slits on it.

"Balarn, can you bring them to room sixty-one? It still has extra beds."

"I will, Ichela! Thanks for the help," Balarn said.

Irwin saw him hesitate for a moment before smiling at the green-haired woman and walking towards the staircase. Irwin followed him up, then along a balcony and to a hallway. They stopped at the first door, and Balarn motioned at Irwin.

"You can use the card to open the door," he said as he pointed at a small slot.

Irwin examined the card, and seeing no noticeable top or bottom, he just slid it in. There was a click, and when he tried the door handle, the door opened easily.

"Alright! I need to see Tensor now," Balarn said as he stepped back. Then he frowned. "Wait, you're probably hungry. I'll have someone bring some food and come to find you in a few hours to explain how things will go from now on. Perhaps even take you to see Tensor."

"Alright, thank you," Irwin said.

"No worries," Balarn said with a wide grin. "I'm sure everything must be really confusing for you! Don't worry. We will make it make sense soon enough!"

Irwin watched Balarn walk back to the stairs before entering the room with the others. It was a small room with beds against all walls and a table in the middle with chairs. There were a few shelves but nothing else.

As he closed the door, Daubutim walked past him and placed Lamia on one of the beds before stepping back.

Irwin looked at him, then at Greldo, who stood beside them and finally shrugged.

"I guess that could have gone worse?"