Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

Irwin woke up with a start, shooting up and looking around the room. It had taken him ages to fall asleep the other night as Daubutim and Indoutor hadn't returned yet. Their beds were still empty.

Still not back?

What could be wrong? They only had to go there to answer some questions, right?

A soft groan came from Greldo's bed, and he saw his friend lying on the edge of the bed, his face slightly bruised. Still, even in his sleep, he had a content smile on his face.

Lamia's bed was empty too, and Irwin pushed himself up and out as he looked at the beds with growing worry.

"Greldo," he said, moving to his friend, then stopping. Greldo's eyes had opened, and he was looking at Irwin.

"What?" he whispered, blinking blearily.

Was he not asleep but pretending? Irwin thought.

"Daubutim, Lamia, and Indoutor still aren't back yet."

He stared at their beds and saw they weren't slept in, though Indoutor's was hard to be sure of as it was a mess. The tower lord still didn't know how to properly make his bed or refused to do so.

Greldo groaned as he pushed himself up, rubbing one of his arms with a pained look before looking around. When he noticed the empty beds, he rose and moved beside Irwin. Irwin saw him examine his long braid before nodding.

"Congratulations," Greldo muttered. "So, I guess you are going to head out today?"

"Yes, but… where are they?" Irwin asked. He couldn't help but think of Hult's threats. He had said one day, right?

"Let's go outside and see if someone saw them," Greldo saw as he yawned widely.

They walked out, and when they reached the central area, they found Ichela already there. It was early, but she seemed to always be behind her counter.

"Have you seen Lamia or Daubutim?" Irwin asked as she raised her hand in greeting.

"Not since yesterday," Ichela said. "Why, what's wrong?"

"They didn't return yesterday," Irwn said as he felt his worry grow. "Daubutim went to the central registry to answer questions about some trouble we had yesterday, and I have no idea where Lamia is."

Ichela grimaced. "Well, any investigation from the Grinwron Trade Federation takes a lot of time, and they are only serfs. It's possible they are held there because the Detector wasn't ready for them or had more important things. You are going there in a few hours, so you can just check if they are there then."

Irwin felt his relief grow a bit.

"But I haven't seen Lamia since she ran after Balarn yesterday."

"What?"

Irwin felt his blood curdle as he turned to Greldo.

"I'll go and search for her," Greldo said, already turning towards the door.

"What about Hult?" Irwin hissed as he ran after him.

"Hult? Just like he counters you, I want to see what he can do against Coal," Greldo said.

"He will shoot those straws at you!"

Irwin was surprised when Greldo cast him a self-assured smile. "No worries. Let him try."

"At least ask for someone to go with you," Irwin said.

Greldo snorted but didn't complain as Irwin ran with him to the private smithing area. A minute later, they came back out with Balarn, who had a worried frown.

"I didn't notice her follow me," he grunted as they ran out of the main building and headed towards the side one. Irwin hadn't been inside yet, but he knew it was where most of the permanent residents stayed. The central building's quarters were mostly for new or visiting smiths.

"Wait here," Balarn said as he used he swiped the rank insignia attached to his beard across a metal plate beside the door. It opened, and he rushed inside.

Half a minute later, he came out with Gawarn in tow, who was looking confused and slightly tired.

"Brother, what is going on?" he asked.

Balarn turned to him and then pointed at Greldo. "You are going with him and searching for Lamia, that new junior smith. You've heard about those dead serfs? Well, it's possible that whoever is responsible is from the same world they are. You know I can't leave yet, so go with him!"

Gawarn's brown eyes sparkled hungrily. "Seriously? Some barbarian carded came from that silly farming world?"

Irwin frowned as he stared at Balarn's younger brother.

"No worries, Irwin!" Gawarn said loudly as he grinned. "I'll have your lady love back in no time! Follow me, serf!"

Irwin saw Greldo flinch, then glare at the smith's back. Still, he didn't say anything, but after a few moments just jogged after them.

"Will he be alright?" Irwin asked.

"Don't worry. Gawarn might not be a heartcarded yet, but as lackluster as his smithing skills are, I wouldn't want to fight him," Balarn said. "I've heard a bit about.. Greldo, I think his name was? Anyway, your friend has left a big impact in the fighting circles."

Irwin nodded, barely caring. What if they couldn't find her?

"Listen... If they can't find her, you still can't go out. Tensor has told me to keep you here no matter what."

Irwin blinked in surprise. No matter what? What did that mean? It almost sounded like he was-

"No, no, it's not like that," Balarn said with a frown. "Tensor is just worried about what might happen."

Then why do you seem uncertain, Irwin thought as he stared at the older smith. After a few moments, he headed towards a bench that gave him a free view of the entrance.

--

"You are pretty fast for a serf," Gawarn shouted as he sprinted through the streets.

And you are stupid for a smith, Greldo thought, but he kept his words to himself.

"Where are we going?" he asked. He had been planning to head to the underground contacts he had made, seeing if they knew anything. If someone went missing, they would probably know something even if they weren't involved.

"To a friend of mine who works with this district's guards," Gawarn shouted with a wide grin. "If anything happened, he would have heard. Bit of a nosy one!"

Greldo didn't respond as he nimbly dodged around a group of loudly talking green-skinned, leaf-haired girls. As he passed them, he saw one wink at him, and if he had the time, he'd have stopped for a chat. Now all he could do was wink back and follow Gawarn.

It didn't take them long to reach a corner building with two entrances and a sign above it that showed a sword and shield. A couple of guards lounged at the entrance, enjoying the morning sun. One rose as he saw them run towards them.

"Eej, Gawarn! What's wrong? You piss off your brother again?"

Gawarn let out a laugh as he stopped before the smaller man. Then again, Greldo thought, compared to those bloody smiths, everyone looked small. They made him look like a child sometimes.

"Geofal! Noooo, it's nothing like that," Gawarn said as he grinned widely. "Listen, did you hear anything about some trouble yesterday at the end of the day?"

The smaller man's eyebrows shot up, and he bobbed his head up and down.

"Yeah, I heard some of your fellow smiths were involved!"

"Well, it's worse! One of our junior smiths, a quartz-ranked one called Lamia, is missing. Easily recognizable. Tall with a nice figure. She's got a busted arm that she's got plastered against her torso. Make her breasts pop out more. You wouldn't have missed her," Gawarn said with a mocking grin.

Greldo sighed, then couldn't hold back a snicker. He wondered what Irwin would say if he'd been here. He'd probably shown one of his deep frowns. Still, he could understand. Irwin seemed to really like Lamia, and he never did have many friends. Neither did I, he thought with a weary sigh.

"She is missing?" Geofal responded after a shocked silence. His smile was gone, and the other guards had gotten up. "When's the last time someone saw her? And where?"

Gawarn blinked, then scratched his beard helplessly.

"She followed Balarn when he ran to find the others during the trouble you were talking about. She should have been headed to the second intersection from the Golden Gloves street to Gustho's. Must have been half an hour before dark," Greldo said.

Geofal stared at him intensely, then nodded, lips pressed together.

Greldo knew most people didn't really enjoy talking with serfs or being reminded they were even here. Not because they somehow hated them but because it was so easy to become one in Fiverio. They just didn't want to be reminded of their own potential future.

"Alright, I'll send out a word to the other district watches to see if anyone has heard or seen anything. Let's go and see if we can find anything," Geofal said before turning to the other guards. "I'll go with them. Can you take care of the rest? With Gawarn along, we should be fine."

The tallest of the other guards nodded and moved inside. "I'll contact the others," he said without looking back.

Geofal and Gawarn immediately began moving out, not waiting for Greldo, who just snorted.

--

Where are they, Irwin thought, his arms crossed across his chest.

The other three topaz-ranked smiths had gathered outside, each accompanied by a heavily armored warrior serf, while they themselves were also armored. If he hadn't been so worried, he would have long since realized he had forgotten a crucial thing. He had no idea what Scour was for the world and what he was supposed to be doing there. But that could wait for when they were on the ship.

If Balarn hadn't remained here, he would have long since set out to try and find them. Part of him knew that was probably a good thing. He still had no idea what to do if he found Hult or, more likely when the sorcerer found him. There wasn't a single part of him that even contemplated handing over Ambraz. Not because he didn't think Lamia wasn't worth it, but because he knew it wouldn't work. Ambraz wouldn't agree and might even leave, deriving his entire world of a chance, and worse, he didn't believe that Hult was going to let Lamia go if he got what he wanted. More likely, he'd kill her if he hadn't already and try to kill Irwin.

Perhaps Uxin'tar has her, he thought. The ancient sorcerer had said he kept an eye on her, and perhaps he'd meant that literally? Whatever it was, it would be better than her being with Hult. The mere idea made his anger flare up.

Gnashing his teeth, he was about to suggest to Balarn that they could go out with all of the smiths when Gawarn and Greldo appeared at the entrance.

"Did you find her?" he asked as he headed forward.

His bottled-up anger made his voice almost an angry command, and he saw Greldo flinch before shaking his head while Gawarn's face dropped. The burly smith stopped before Irwin, fidgeting.

"I am sorry, Irwin. We looked everywhere, but she never arrived at Gustho's, and nobody had seen her since she left. There were some signs of a battle in that Golden Gloves intersection, but those could have been from when you were there," Gawarn said, shrugging helplessly.

Irwin clenched his hands in fists, feeling helpless and furious at the same time. If only he'd been strong enough to kill Hult when the horrible sorcerer attacked him! Then this wouldn't have happened! Slowly a cold, detached feeling crept up on him. He had never wanted someone dead, but he promised himself that if he saw Hult again, he would find a way to end him.

"Irwin, calm down… I'll keep looking until I find her!"

Greldo's worried voice snapped him out of it, and Irwin looked up to see his friend stare at him.

The door behind them shot open, and Irwin spun on his heel as Tensor came out. Instead of his usual dark leather apron and bare arms, he was covered in dark silver chainmail with a pitch-black chestplate atop. The image of a warhammer sat in the middle.

As he stepped forward, his silver eyes flashing brightly, Irwin felt his card resonate, something they had never done before. It lasted for only a moment, but it managed to shake him out of his anger. Still, something must have shown because Tensor stopped, frowning at him.

"What is wrong?" he asked, turning to Balarn.

The other smiths had turned quiet.

Balarn stepped forward. "Lamia, the junior that came with Irwin, has vanished. She was last seen yesterday night. Gawarn went to look for her but didn't discover a trace of her. Everything seems to point towards the one responsible for the missing serfs."

Uxin'tar, Irwin thought, his anger growing again.

Tensor's eyes narrowed as he turned to Gawarn. "Have you alerted The Central Registry?"

"Yes, Tensor," he said, bobbing his head up and down. "Geofal, that's a friend of mine that's a guard in the district, has also alerted all of them."

"Alright. Then we will head to The Central Registry now and put some more pressure on this case. Also-" and he turned to the quartz and amethyst ranked smiths that were walking out of the foreign area. "I want you all to be extra careful! Don't go out on your own until further notice."

There was a stunned silence, then the smiths began nodding and muttering their assent.

"Irwin, I take it Ambraz is with you?" Irwin nodded, padding his pocket where the anvil was still sleeping from their hard work of the last week.

"Good. Did you choose your guard?" Tensor asked as he turned to Irwin.

Irwin blinked, feeling like he'd been slapped. He'd completely forgotten about that, and then he looked around. Daubutim still wasn't back!

Tensor's face fell, and Irwin could see a slight annoyance on the other's face. Then it disappeared, and he pointed at Greldo.

"Bring him for now. I've heard about his exploits, and there's no time to find someone better now. There was a message from the charter responsible for Scour. It is now required to bring at least one guard."

Irwin turned to Greldo, who frowned, then shrugged and stepped up next to him. Irwin nodded gratefully while Tensor turned to the others: four smiths, three men, and a woman.

"It's been five years, and we have grown from two to five topaz ranked smiths! Last time we only managed to gain a tiny bit of profit, but this time I expect good results!"

The smiths lined before him grinned while their eyes shone brightly. Except for Balarn, there was one more smith with silver eyes, showing he had a heart-card. Yogog, the short, wider smith with the charcoal skin that Irwin had seen the first day they arrived. The others were a tall youth with pale brown eyes that seemed almost yellow and a beard that seemed barely able to hold his ranking plate and a woman that rivaled Balarn in height and had a short black braid with her ranking plate attached to the top in a way Irwin hadn't seen before.

"Let's head out!"

Irwin followed the others, ushered to walk behind Tensor and Balarn, Greldo beside him.

"So…" Greldo whispered. "When were you going to tell me I'm supposed to come with you on this trip? It would have been nice to prepare!"

Irwin forced a grin back as he looked around. Would Hult be watching them as they left? Or-

He looked straight up, staring at the slightly cloudy sky, trying to see if there was a bird anywhere. Scanning around, he was startled when Greldo touched his arm.

"He isn't up there, or he's hiding. I've been looking all day."

Irwin sighed, then nodded.

They continued on, walking through the crowded streets until they reached the final area before The Central Registry.

As they walked up to the door, Irwin took a few more looks up and around, but there was no sight of Hult, Lamia, or Uxin'tarr.

I will come back here and find you, he thought as he gnashed his teeth and followed the others into the massive building.

A milling mass of people filled the area, and Irwin began searching for a sign of Daubutim or Indoutor. Though he was taller than he ever had been, he quickly found that he was merely above average amongst the present crowd, meaning he had a hard time looking around. It also meant that Daubutim wouldn't stick out like he used to.

"Why is it so busy here?" Greldo muttered, barely audible above the busy chatter.

"Because the ship is here, of course," one of the smith's guards said.

He was a slender man with a long blade on his hip that walked beside the female smith. He was a head shorter than her and probably half her weight, but from the way he moved and held himself, Irwin knew he was probably a dangerous adversary with his blade.

Tensor led them to the main stairs that sat in the central pillar, where a dozen silver-eyed guards stood. They were blocking anyone from going up, but as Tensor moved towards them, one stepped forward and bowed his head.

"Honorable Smith Tensor," the guard said. "The Grinwron Trade Federation would like to give their best wishes to your smiths. As you have such a large ensemble this time, Lord Tomeron has managed to secure them with an additional room on the ship for their convenience."

Tensor nodded. "Tell Tomeron I'm grateful for his well-wishes and the room."

The guard nodded, stepping aside to let them through to the massive marble staircase.

Irwin gritted his teeth. He still hadn't seen Daubutim! Wasn't he even going to be able to say goodbye? Who knew how long he was going to be away?

"Tensor," he called out, causing the smith to turn and raise an eyebrow.

"My other two… serfs haven't returned from here since yesterday. They were supposed to"

"I know," Tensor said, interrupting him. He turned to the guard that had spoken to them.

"Can you quickly check why the serfs.." he turned to Irwin, who quickly gave Daubutim and Indoutor's names. "- Haven't returned to my smithy?"

The guard nodded, then turned and sprinted toward the central area where long lines of people stood, waiting for the busy counters.

"Irwin, I need you to focus on getting to Scour and what you have to do there. If something is wrong, I'll take care of it when I get back," Tensor said.

Irwin nodded, internally confused. Focus on getting there? Weren't they just going to take a ship?

They only had to wait for a few minutes before the guard came running back.

"Honorable Tensor," he said as he grimaced at Tensor. "Due to the ship arriving, the Detectors have been too busy scanning the new arrivals. They are being held in a cell until tomorrow, when they will be checked and set free. I am sorry, but due to another serf dying tonight, there is nothing I can do."

Scanning for what? Irwin thought absently as he gazed at the guard.

"Can you pass a message to Daubutim for me?" he asked, causing the guard to turn to him and nod.

"Tell him to be careful and that he can use the soulchips I've left for him with Ichela."

The guard's eyebrow rose, but he nodded. "It will be done, honorable Smith."

"I'll make sure he gets back," Tensor said. "Now, let's head out."

Irwin took a final look at the busy room before following along with the others up the staircase.

"Don't worry," Greldo whispered. "We won't even be gone that long, right? Hult won't harm Lamia because he needs her, which gives Daubutim time to find her. He's resourceful, and that weird mind of his will probably come up with something."

"I hope you are right," Irwin said.

They continued up the stairs, which continued for a long time. When they finally reached the top, Irwin hissed in surprise.

A towering black portal with blue lightning bolts around its edges stood in the center of the room, while two squads of guards stood on either side. As they watched, a group of people exited from it, immediately called to the side by a group of official-looking people who escorted them to a side area.

"By Gelwin's balls, what kind of portal is that?" Greldo grunted.

Irwin just nodded, his friend's words barely registering as he followed the others to the towering portal.

"Never ceases to amaze, doesn't it?" Yogog grunted as he moved beside Irwin. "I remember the first time I saw a Portal to the Gallery. Was just a wee lad and had the same expression as you!"

Irwin and Greldo didn't respond but kept walking forward. When they reached the portal, Tensor turned to them, staring at Irwin and the other two non heartcarded smiths.

"The first time going through one of these is always a special experience. Whatever you see inside, don't worry too much. The spatial corridor doesn't allow anything inside except from the two ends."

Irwin swallowed as he saw the other's stoic gaze and nodded.

"Alright. Follow me," Tensor said as he stepped into the portal.

Irwin almost expected a flash, but there was none. One moment Tensor was there, then he was gone.

"So dramatic! Let's go," Yogog exclaimed with a loud laugh, following Tensor.

The other smiths hesitated, then began walking forward, and when it was his turn, Irwin swallowed. The surface of the portal didn't reflect but seemed to suck in the light, and as he reached out to touch it, he felt a jolt pass through him. Everything turned black for a fraction of a second, then he was hurtling through a wide tunnel of translucent, silvery light.

His stomach roiled as he flailed his arms about. Trying to calm his pounding heart, he looked around.

Stars and nebulas glowed behind it, and between them, he saw tiny specs move about. As he continued falling or flying, he wasn't sure which, he slowly relaxed. Staring ahead, he saw no endpoint, just a seemingly never-ending tunnel.

I wonder how we don't smash into the other side, he thought.

He continued falling for what felt like days when he saw a black dot appear in the distance. It increased in size rapidly, then he realized he was falling toward it. He let out a startled yelp and put his hands before his face just as he hit the surface.

There was a slight jolt, and then he stumbled forward across a dark, scratched wooden surface.

"Keep moving," a thunderous voice shouted.

Irwin looked up to see Tensor and the others walking ahead towards an exit out of what seemed like a wooden building. Dazzling sunlight shone from behind it, making it impossible to make out anything else. He took two steps when he heard a startled gasp.

Turning, he saw Greldo stumble out of the portal, his face pale as a sheet.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Keep moving!" the thunderous voice came again, and Irwin noticed a guard tower over them from the side. He had a bone-white helmet covering his face, a single horn protruding from the top.

"Let's go," Irwin said as he pulled Greldo forward.

"Yeah," Greldo croaked. "Did you see that? Those… things?"

Irwin frowned. "I just saw tiny specs moving about and loads of stars," he said.

Greldo shivered. "Be glad."

They hurried after the others, following them out of the building onto an enormous dock. A city spiraled up around an enormous tree to the left while ships hung in the air to the side.

"Welcome to the Portal Gallery," Yogog said with a loud laugh. "Let's go find our ship!"