Irwin's Journey 512: Hurricane lock down

Author note: (again? yes, sorry, hopefully the last :P)
I've been told by my publisher that books 1,2, and 3 will re-release on 2 Feb. It should come together with the first books audio book! Also, I'm rounding off book 4's ending. I had to do a ton of fixing of that one, as so much changed over the last few years that its miracle it made any sense to all of you!
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"I don't think it's going to go over well," Skylar said, staring at the three ships hovering in the distance. "I understand what you are saying, and I agree it's not fair, but they have been killing our people for close to a year. Thousands of our strongest are dead, dozens of ships lost. I fear the current leaders of my people won't just agree to cooperate. They will want some form of compensation."

Irwin sighed, turning to look at Hinmai, who had become the voice for the unchained.

"There is nothing we have," the man said quietly, shaking his head. "And even if there was, we are no more guilty than you are. There was physically no way for us to resist doing what the Guidar ordered. It wasn't just that they would kill those who wished to disobey. That would imply choice. It was physically not possible to do so. The tension in our minds would have prevented dissenting actions. Even dissenting thoughts are difficult and require practice."

Skylar looked at Irwin, who nodded at his friend.

"All he says is true," he said quietly, causing Skylar to grimace.

"That just makes all of this even sadder," the Simlari said. "I know the Etherlord and the Skylords and Skyladies. None will accept just stomaching this."

"Even if they understand that more chained will come, eventually overrunning their defence?" Brecka snapped from the side, hands on her hips. 

Irwin had known she was steaming from what Skylar explained, and it surprised him she'd been able to stay calm this long. 

"News of your fight against Lasther has spread throughout some of the larger worlds. The Etherlord and the others? They will ask you to remain and help us," Skylar said, looking at Irwin with a weary smile.

Irwin stared at his friend, stunned by how much the other had changed. From Skylar's point of view, only a few years had passed, but the joyful, laid-back young man who'd trained and played music with him looked tense and stressed. A few steps aside, Selinda looked horrified, and Irwin wondered how much of this she even knew.

It's probably all new to her, he thought, looking at his friend and feeling sorry for him.

"I'm not going to stay," he said. 

Skylar nodded in understanding, though the sadness in his eyes deepened. Irwin knew he wouldn't be happy with his new words.

"I am not going to Clearsky," he said. "I promised Selinda to get her home, and she's with her people."

The last bit was a technicality, but he just wasn't interested in heading to a place where he disagreed with how things were done.

"I see," Skylar said, rubbing his eyes, the movement causing his unbound hair to float outward in a dark cloud. "I wish I could have shown you my world before the war started. It was so… different."

"What happened then?" Brecka asked before Irwin could respond. "Some rustbrain took control because of the war? Perhaps we can just kick his ass?"

"Rust… brain?" Skylar muttered before seeming to shove the odd name away. "It's not like that. My people aren't very warlike, but we have had a bad history with others trying to take control of our world. Not as bad as some, like the Niox. Still, most of my people never go offworld and have a negative view of the Portal Gallery and its people. They believe everyone is just out to take over the worlds of people unable to defend themselves and turn them all into farming worlds."

Irwin sighed, wondering if there wasn't some truth to that. Although it didn't apply to most people, there were a few powerful groups, merchants, mercenaries, and old noble families who did.

Skylar let out a weary sigh as he continued.

"When the last war was done, a thousand or so years ago, a rule was put in place. There was always to be a large army, no matter the cost, even during peacetime. That's something people didn't mind initially, but after a few hundred years of peace…? It was expensive, and without wars, the warriors got bored and caused trouble. Then there was the problem that every person was forced to have at least one combat-capable card and spend ten years training. Well, you can see how this might cause an issue. The second part of the rule is that when a war breaks out beyond a certain scale, the leader of the army becomes the Etherlord or Etherlady, and is the sole leader of our people until the war ends."

"Seriously, that's stupid," Brecka grunted. "Why not at least create a council or something? Or two or three leaders?"

"Because during the last war, some choices were left to debate for too long and caused untold suffering," Skylar said with a weary sigh. "I… hadn't thought we would ever go through another period like this. My world was beautiful and filled with joy and singing."

"Master, why don't I know any of this?" Selinda asked, her hair dark and swirling around her face like a storm. "I mean, I know some of the older people were complaining about the Army Rule, but before the war, as you said… everything was beautiful! It wasn't like there was a lot of hate towards Gallery people… Right?"

Irwin saw Selinda hesitate as she said that, and he could almost see her start to connect things she'd seen during her life.

"You are young," Skylar said, shaking his head. "You weren't born on one of the Troposphere's upper islands. The larger islands? They are far simpler and laid-back. It's why our smithy is there and why we live there. But I was born on Caleida."

"You were?" Selinda exclaimed, her eyes wide, as if the name meant something.

Brecka was looking at the interaction, jaw clenched, and Irwin knew she wasn't happy with the things she was hearing. Being born as an Onyxian on a world she had spoken about at length with Irwin, he knew there were no nobles or powerful families. Not like on most worlds. The Onyxians favored small councils that governed local areas, while using something they called the Tenebrae to decide matters related to the Portal Gallery.

"I was," Skylar said, turning to Irwin. "Irwin, are you leaving right now?"

Irwin glanced at Hinmai, who was quietly observing everything, before looking back at Skylar.

"Not yet. I need to discuss with Hinmai what to do with his people, because it is clear that they can't stay here," Irwin said. "I'll escort your ship back till you're close enough that nothing will go wrong."

"Thank you," Skylar said, before a glimmer of his old self appeared. "How about we have a chat? I bet you have no idea what happened to the others, and perhaps you can tell me if you can still play that Soulstrum Guitar of yours?"

Irwin grinned back, motioning to Brecka to keep an eye on Hinmai and the others as he followed Skylar into a cabin. Selinda was wringing her hands, clearly wanting to come along, but Skylar didn't offer, and Irwin had the feeling his friend wanted a quiet, private talk.

Let's hope we get some time to reminisce, he thought.

An hour later, his worry proved unneeded as he took another sip, grinning at his friend.

"-and she actually told me she thought it was a good idea! Even in hindsight!" Skylar exclaimed, letting out his loud and familiar laugh.

They had started with their time at the Golden Friction Academy, moving to what Skylar knew about Pasilha and Roubi. He'd known more than Irwin did, and what he knew surprised Irwin immensely. The two Ignitzian cardsmiths had actually managed to reach the Tweelak Main Branch, far beyond Suderfuix. Something he'd only heard about so far.

"You are telling me they snuck aboard a merchant's ship?" he asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "Didn't they realize what would happen? The cold?"

"Oh, they did," Skylar said with a grin. "Which is why Roubi had the great plan of creating heating runes and using the ship to power them. They nearly burned down the ship."

Irwin snorted, then laughed. "Those two idiots. But they made it and are doing fine?"

"More than fine," Skylar said, leaning back as he sipped. "They found their way to the northernmost part, and are living on a world near the entrance to another Main Branch. Their long-term goal seems to be to travel to the Wandering Verge. Currently, they have joined a rich merchant's family as retainer smiths and are teaching in a small charter they partially own. It's a fire elemental world that never saw Ignitzians before, and they are rather popular, if you get what I mean."

Irwin grinned, shaking his head as he recalled Roubi's antics back in the Academy. 

"Oh, I've got an idea," he said.

He drained his glass and put it down while staring at his friend. The change that had come over him within minutes of their conversation was stunning. He'd begun acting like the Skylar that Irwin remembered from the Academy, and he suddenly wondered if his friend had been acting back on deck. Perhaps because of his crew? Or because of his apprentice, Selinda.

I don't think he should stay here, he thought, as an idea that had grown over the last hour pushed to the front of his mind.

"Are you sure it's safe for you to stay here? They don't seem to be very careful with their cardsmiths if they send you out here," he said, slowly trying to find a way to propose what he had in mind.

Skylar's joy faded as he leaned back. "The Etherlord uses what he has, and I'm one of the few two-soulcarded warriors that don't belong to one of the Skyfamilies. He can order me around without much issue."

You keep telling me how beautiful your world is, and then you say things like this, Irwin thought.

"I thought your people had barely any cardsmiths?" Ambraz said, having quietly listened until now. "As Irwin says, this feels like a poor way of using the few they have. Especially with something as important as cardsmiths!"

The Ganvil's voice went from annoyed to downright angry.

"My people have other ways to gain the cards they need, which they prefer," Skylar said with a shrug. "We are a rich world, with many merchants. Until Master came along, we had no cardsmiths and were fully reliant on either purchasing them or hunting for cards. The Etherlord said that a single Cardsmith can't actually help much, and after Master died…"

"Fools," Ambraz said, growling.

Irwin agreed with his friend, and the more he heard, the less he liked it.

"Come with me," he said, leaning forward and holding Skylar's gaze. "If you go back there, it's just going to get you killed. There's no way your presence would be the deciding factor."

Skylar closed his eyes and leaned back. "I wish I could, I really do, but I can't. Besides having to help my people through this period, I need to protect Selinda."

"She can come," Irwin said without hesitation. He wasn't going to leave any Smith behind, especially not on a world that apparently didn't appreciate them. Skylar's shoulders slumped, and it was clear he was going to decline.

"You said she needed more training?" Irwin said, interrupting what his friend might have said.

Skylar frowned, then nodded.

"Well, after we find Greldo, we are going to head to Granvox. The two of you can stay there and learn at the Academy!"

"If it's still free," Skylar said wearily. "The last time we had contact with Granvox, they were one of the main targets of the Guidar."

"They are still free, right?" Ambraz asked hurriedly.

"Yeah," Skylar said, smirking. "They came up with a rather dangerous plan for it, though."

Irwin leaned back as Ambraz flew to the table.

"What did that old rustbrain, Gynerigon, do this time?" the Ganvil asked.

"He has promised the Niox a hundred years' worth of free card reforges if they protect Granvox," Skylar said, shaking his head. "As you might assume, the Niox Mercenary Collective agreed instantly, and for the last ten years, Niox ships have been racing towards Granvox to get both cards and free reforges while pushing back the rapidly increasing Chained Armies."

Irwin whistled, while Ambraz let out a groan. "When this war is over, we are going to have so many problems. For hundreds of years, the rule was to not allow any Niox in Cardsmith Charters and to limit the heartcards made for them so that no one got more than a single soulcard. These rules were even enforced! And still they managed to circumvent them and sparked a dozen minor wars. Each time any of them somehow manages to get three or more soulcards, they try to carve out their own personal empire, even if it means attacking populated worlds. Now?"

Ambraz let out a disparaging laugh.

"They are going to try and take over Granvox, just you look! That old rust bucket will have saved it from the Chained, only to lose it to those Niox!"

Irwin hummed softly as he listened to Ambraz. He pondered what he knew about Niox, which wasn't all that much. All those he'd met had eventually fought him. Add to that the stories he'd heard about when their world had been discovered, and how it required the intervention of one of the enforcement garrisons to stop them from taking over the entire Langost Branch. They called themselves Kraniox Caorthanach, which he'd been told meant the Truthfull Combatants in their own language. They believed armor was for weaklings, as were weapons, and they wore masks because the other inhabitants of the Portal Gallery fled at the sight of their faces. They favored cards that gave them raw power, and their only known weakness was that cards altering the amount of soulforce a carded had didn't seem to work on them.

"What if we were to offer them some of the worlds in Guidar territory?" he asked, slowly. "Preferably those furthest away from us."

Ambraz grunted, leaning back. "Do you have any idea what will happen if they get more than one world? With a single world, they already created armies to rival those of some species with a dozen. We can't just go and swap one problem for another."

"Perhaps," Irwin said, as he crossed his arms. "But the Niox don't bind the minds of those they defeat. Besides, they are limited in their soulforce abilities. I'm thinking that when we get there, we should see if we can get their help in clearing the branch from the Chained. We pay them cards for each living Chained they bring, which we then unchain." 

"Kid… the Niox, even without soulforce abilities, were able to destroy a few of the ships from Hegliron's Second. We are talking about ships dozens of times more powerful than the Caldera."

"Where are those anyway?" Skylar muttered, pouring another drink for them. "I mean, I know of those enforcement garrisons, but why haven't they shown up?"

"Probably defending the Tweelak Branch," Ambraz said. "As far as the central branches are concerned, our Langost Branch is a failure. It's a dead end, with no paths to other main branches."

"But they might have found one," Skylar exclaimed, eyes brightening. "Selinda was with a ship that was fleeing to a potentially new one."

"Yeah, well, if this had happened a hundred years ago, it might have been useful," Ambraz said. "Now I think it's too late. Besides, from all we know, the worlds of the Wandering Verge have their hands full with guarding the Main Branch Corridors surrounding them. The Chained are pushing from all sides, and the only reason we haven't been fully overrun is probably that we are such a small branch."

Skylar looked at Ambraz, eyes narrowing. "How do you know all of this? We have had barely any news from the outside, except some second-hand things from the Granvox, Ignitzians, and Viridians."

He turned to Irwin, eyes widening.

"Wait, did you hear about Igniz?"

Irwin froze. "No. What happened?" he asked, realizing he'd not even asked about the homeworld of the Ignitzians.

Skylar grimaced. "The Guidar have been attacking them for almost as long as Granvox, and the last news we got was that their defences were faltering. Granvox sent a fleet of twenty warships filled with Niox and Ganvils to try and assist. That was a week ago, and I haven't heard anything since."

Irwin thought about the beautiful volcanic world, filled with Ignizians and home to the only Fiz'rin city they knew of. It was the birthplace of Scintilla, and he had many friends there. If the Chained managed to take it, or even if they only managed to take the Exit Portal…

"I'm going to go find Greldo," he said, pushing himself up. He stared at Skylar, who looked incredibly conflicted. "Come with me, Skylar. I'll bring you and Selinda to Granvox, and if that's not safe, there are other Cardsmith Academies. Some are not yet in danger."

Skylar blinked at that, then looked down at the table. Seconds passed, then minutes.

"Irwin is right," Ambraz said. "What is the best thing that could happen if you stay, and what's the worst?"

Skylar sighed. "The best would be that I save some of my people," he said.

Irwin crossed his arms, thinking quickly.

"Are there any other Simlari worlds?" he asked.

"There were, but we lost contact with all of them," Skylar muttered absently. 

"Are any between here and Graboul's Teeth?"

"Graboul's Teeth? That's the mountain range that separates Dimarintsia and Suderfuix?" Skylar asked, the odd question seemingly pulling him out of his confusion.

"Yes," Irwin said.

"I… there might be?" Skylar thought, cocking his head. "Graysky, Clearsky, and Greensky should be roughly in that direction?"

"What is up with your people and naming?" Ambraz snapped. "Do you call all your worlds something with sky?"

"I… yes?" Skylar said with a shrug. "But we don't have that many. Only our homeworld and a few dozen small worlds. None with more than a few hundred thousand inhabitants? They are all rather inhospitable, even to us. My people usually take the small worlds that nobody else wants due to either a lack of usable ground or because they are toxic. Then there are those with low oxygen, where most other species can't survive."

"They are between here and the Graboul's Teeth?" Irwin asked, ignoring the details.

"They should be," Skylar said, looking up, frowning. "What are you implying?"

"If you and Selinda come with us, we can check on those and bring everyone we can to Granvox," he said.

Skylar didn't respond, staring at him quietly, before sighing. "And if we don't come?" he asked, seemingly already knowing the answer.

"I need to get to Greldo, do something important, then head to Granvox and Igniz," Irwin said, holding his friend's gaze. "However, if it means you will come with us and not potentially die a useless death, I'm willing to take a slight detour."

'Some people would call this blackmail, kiddo,' Ambraz muttered, though Irwin sensed the Ganvil agreed.

'We can't save everyone, and we've already lost time coming here,' Irwin said.

'I know,' Ambraz said, humming softly. 'What about the chained?'

'Not sure yet. We left the first group in Graboul's Teeth. Perhaps we can find those, and they can take in these? Otherwise, we will have to see what we do. For now, they are fine in my soulscape,' Irwin said, sensing the nearly a hundred Accenti that now inhabited a tiny town he'd formed in his soulscape. A barrier was keeping away as much heat as possible, but even then, it was hot, and the Accenti had taken to staying inside as much as they could.

"How would you even bring those?" Skylar asked softly. "I know your soulscape is big, but-"

Ambraz's laughter cut him off, while Irwin tried to keep the smirk on his face.

"Big he says," Ambraz managed to croak before laughing again.

Skylar raised his eyebrow, looking at Irwin. "I guess it grew again?"

"Let's just say it will be fine," Irwin said, his joy fading as fast as it had come. "So… what will it be?"

Skylar shook his head, smiling wearily. "If my brother hadn't already taken over most of my family's leadership, I would have had to say no. As it is, even the Etherlord would likely expect me to come with you if it means saving more of our people."

Irwin nodded, looking around the room. Books lined shelves, papers lay cluttered on tables, and he saw bottles of what had to be special liquors in a small bar. 

"What do you want to bring?"

"The whole ship," Skylar grunted, before shaking his head. "But seeing as that can't happen-"

He fell quiet again as Ambraz returned to laughing, his tiny shape clattering on the table, his wings jostling him around.

"You have to be kidding me," Skylar exclaimed. "You can do that?"

"What about your crew?" Irwin asked, not bothering to answer.

"I… If we move a bit closer to Clearsky, we should be able to find one of the patrols," Skylar said as he walked to the door. "I guess I'm going to have to ask which of my retainers wants to join. If none do, there's no use bringing the ship."

"Retainers?" Irwin asked, raising an eyebrow. "How rich is your family?"

Skylar looked back, grin widening. "Ah, so I do get to surprise you! They are among the ten richest on Clearsky. If we had been one of the noble families, things would have been way different in the last ten years."

Irwin followed his friend through the door.

"Go and ask your retainers then, and get us towards Clearsky. I want to head to Greldo as fast as possible."

"I'll hurry, but it will take half a day to get to the area where our patrols are," Skylar said.

"I'll take care of that," Irwin replied, walking on deck. Pointing in the direction Skylar's ship had come from, he hummed. "That way and then the left corridor and straight from there?"

"I… yes?" Skylar asked cautiously.

"Good," Irwin hummed as he looked at his friend. "See you in a bit."

Skylar's mouth opened, but Irwin didn't hear his response as he moved the entire ship into his soulscape. A quick trip through the soundwaves brought him back on the Caldera, where Rindiri seemed as unsurprised as ever.

"What's the plan?" she asked.

"I'm taking the Caldera into my soulscape and moving towards Clearsky looking for a patrol," Irwin said, before quickly explaining what had happened.

"Are you sure it wouldn't have been better to leave him here with his people?" Rindiri asked. "What if something happens? He might wonder for the rest of his life if he could have done something to prevent it."

Irwin hesitated, then shrugged. "Talk with him, alright? I'll move the Caldera beside that ship of his."

Rindiri nodded, and Irwin pulled the Caldera into his soulscape, sensing barely any pressure from the ships and people there.

He fell down for a few moments, pondering what had happened before clicking his tongue and shooting away through the soundwaves.

--

"Master Skylar, what about our family? Our friends?" Selinda asked, sitting opposite him. 

Skylar smiled at his apprentice. He was still incredibly happy that she'd managed to stay safe, but he knew his life would have been easier if she'd been on another main branch entirely. At least then she didn't have to make this choice.

"Selinda, as much as I wish it wasn't so, Irwin sees the airflows clearly. If we return, the Etherlord will just continue sending me on missions, and each time the chances of my dying get larger. Instead, getting you to Granvox will be incredible for your future growth. You have a higher potential than I do, and perhaps you can even reach the diamond ranks!"

"But…" Selinda whispered, looking down. "What about my parents?"

"They will be safe," Skylar said, realizing again just how young Selinda actually was. 

He sighed, rubbing his eyes. After what Irwin had said, he'd realized something that he should have years earlier. Something he would now have to tell his young apprentice, so she would be able to make her own decisions.

If she heads back, I'll need to go, he thought, knowing that if he didn't, she might be used as leverage.

"If the fleet is lost, the Exit Portal will be closed, and the Centural Hurricane moved to cover it," he said softly. "If anyone survives that, they will be in the middle of an army."

Selinda frowned, likely confused why he told this to her. It was common knowledge. Then she froze and swallowed. "Wait, Master… You think…? You think this will happen?" Selinda asked, her eyes wide. "Are things that bad?"

"Yes," Skylar said, glancing at the yellowish sky above the ship. 

The golden clouds reminded him of his Master's soulscape, though that had been a mere fraction of Irwin's. 

"It is the other reason I think we should go. You know how many of our people have advocated to close the Exit Portal, and that was before this war. With how bad things are, I fear that they will convince many more. Eventually, even the Etherlord won't be able to change it. Clearsky will be closed, and it will likely happen soon."

Selinda sank down on the deck, staring at her hands. "So, it's either return home, to my parents, and be locked on Clearsky, perhaps forever, or never see them again?" she whispered.

"If we go home, there is no way we can be sure our efforts can fix what is to come," Skylar said, sitting down beside her. "But, if we stay outside, we get to help and act."

Selinda didn't reply, but remained on the deck, while Skylar remained with her. 

It took a long time before she finally spoke again, her voice uneven, something that rarely happened to their people.

"If we stay outside, even if things go better, we might not be able to return home," she whispered. "They might keep it closed forever."

"It's possible," Skylar agreed, still staring up at the clouds as he had for the last hour.

"If we don't… Cardsmith Irwin won't save the other outposts?"

Skylar looked at Selinda, noticing a slight anger in her eyes. 

"He can't save everyone," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Should he also save the thousands of other worlds that are in the Langost Branch? Which one first? How does he decide? Why should he let his own people suffer and save others?"

Selinda's anger fizzled out as fast as it had come, like the pre-autumn storms.

"I understand," Skylar said, looking back at the sky. "But if you want to prioritize the ones you think should live, you will have to become stronger."

It was quiet again, then Selinda let out a shuddering sigh. "I will go with you, master, to Granvox, to become the best and strongest cardsmith I can become."

Skylar looked at his apprentice, happier than he wished he would be, as it meant he would likely survive the next few years. 

If we manage to stay away from the Guidar, he thought.

"Good," he said, reaching out and rustling her hair, causing it to stand almost on end. "And just in time, because I think Irwin returned."

It wasn't completely true, as he'd seen his old friend on the other side of the ship for close to half an hour, waiting, but Selinda didn't have to know that.

--

"Explain why Cardsmith Skylar and the Skydin aren't back, but you are?" the Etherlord asked, as he stared at the tall woman before him. She was one of the crew of the Skydin that he had placed there to keep an eye on the cardsmith."

"After we left, we encountered a group of three Chained vessels," the informant said, her voice pleasantly hazy. 

She either ignored his request or decided he needed more information. Whichever it was, he just gestured for her to continue.

"We managed to do some damage as we fled, while the Windsquadron staged an attack. Non survived. After half a day, we found a distant ship, the one we were sent to locate. Before we could close in, a giant Fiz'rin appeared mid-air behind us and…"

The Etherlord frowned as his informant hesitated. He had known and worked with her for decades, and she didn't easily become uncomfortable. Now, however, she seemed lost for words.

"Speak."

"The man had an aura card, and he used it to subjugate both the Chained vessels and us," she said. "None of us was able to even move. I wasn't able to see what happened after, but when the pressure vanished and I could, all three ships were gone."

"And where is this Fiz'rin now?" the Etherlord asked.

"Cardsmith Skylar said that Irwin would be leaving, but that if the Cardsmith were willing to join the Fiz'rin, then the man could be persuaded to check on the Graysky, Cloudysky, and Greensky outposts. Cardsmith Skylar asked, but this Irwin refused to come here. The Cardsmith accepted, citing that you would have likely required him to choose our outposts' safety over his own. The Fiz'rin then caused the Skydin to disappear. He said he had moved them into his soulscape."

The Etherlord narrowed his eyes as he stared at his informants. "How many soulcards did you detect?"

"I couldn't detect anything, Etherlord," the informant replied, shaking her head as she again, shamefully, lost her composure. "When I tried to focus on him, his soulforce signature overwhelmed my abilities."

The Etherlord was quiet before nodding. "Cardsmith Skylar did the right thing. Send word to his brother of his sacrifice. Also, prepare to join another vessel. We lost another scouting vessel near the northern corridor, and I need to know if there-"

The Etherlord continued giving the informant her next mission, and as she walked away, he focused on one of the guards nearby.

"Prepare for the harbor to be evacuated," he said.

The guard didn't bother asking if he was sure, but bowed and left rapidly while the Etherlord looked out of the crystalline window.

"With another dozen worlds having fallen, there will be more pressure on us," he muttered. "There is no other option."