Irwin's Journey 465: Eb and flow

Irwin kept humming and moving around the sound waves as he zipped through the building and cavern, picking up the loose cards. During his chat with Ambraz, he’d moved more Ancestral Coperion into his soulscape. He could now constantly sense how it slowly absorbed his own ambient soulforce.

Odd, how it ejected all of its soulforce when I moved it in, he thought. 

Perhaps it purged soulforce if the ambient soulforce changed greatly? Something he could test.

He finally sensed the last card, curried beneath a few large chunks of stone, and as he shoved the stone away and picked it up, he looked around.

The hive around him had been reduced to rubble, with only the main pillar having somewhat survived his fight with the larger Titan. Still, it had netted him a stockpile of cards that matched all the cards he'd had previously collected. 

'So, what do you think of the cards we found?' he asked Ambraz as he zipped away across the sound waves, heading back up.

'Most are simple and probably best used for practice or cardseeds,' Ambraz muttered. 'Nine out of ten are either fire, body improvement, metal, or insect-type cards. The rest is a mix of acid, summons, and utilities.'

That matched with what Irwin had sensed as he scanned the cards he'd found.

'That said, you are closing in on twenty thousand cards,' Ambraz said. 'A respectable number.'

Respectable? Irwin thought, appearing halfway in a small cavern and letting out a snorted laugh before vanishing onward back up. 

The rest of the journey back up passed in a blur, the longest part moving through the tunnels and corridors, some of which had collapsed. When he reached the bottom of the massive gorge, he was surprised to see a cloud of dust very slowly settling over small new hills. The pillars of rock that he'd seen were nearly all gone, with only a few of the most massive ones, some of which didn't reach to the top, remaining.

"I guess it might be better like this," he muttered, wondering what would have happened if he'd had to fight after people had built on top of them. That would have been a nightmare.

'Don't worry about it. You have hundreds of stone shaping cards. Just find someone who wants to be a stoneshaper and boost them up to two or three soulcarded. They can create proper terraces,' Ambraz said.

Irwin blinked at that.

'What do you mean, boost them up… to… The Ancestral Coperion!'

'Exactly. You can move someone down, reforge the card while using the soulforce. After that, you can fill their soullake with it.'

Right… because there's enough ambient soulforce, and a direct pool to pull it from, Irwin thought as he clacked his tongue and shot up towards the distant line of sunlight that represented the exit.

So far, he'd only done this when he reforged cards within his soulforce, partially because the control was easier, but also because he had enough soulforce to work with. Now, having a pool of Ancestral Coperion back there, he could use that. 

'How much soulforce is in there exactly?' he asked. 'Enough to fill a ruby-rank soullake?'

'Probably, though it would likely drain a large chunk of it,' Ambraz replied. 'If you go for a ruby-rank stoneshaper, it would probably take a few days to a week in between reforging to replenish.'

Irwin shot up out of the gorge, reappearing in mid-air, as he looked around. He had moved further from the tree the others were than he'd though, but he saw their soulforce signatures in the distance. 

'Alright, let's go with that,' he said, realising just how few of the pillars remained. 'Can you sort the cards we will need to combine into heartcards for that? We want someone who can create multiple pillars across the width of it at the narrowest point with a large platform on it.'

'Already on it,' Ambraz said, as Irwin zipped towards his friends. 'I'll use one of the simple soulscape size-increase cards we have, but you will need to use its seed to create three of them.'

Irwin didn't react as he appeared out of the soulforce on a large wooden platform, growing out of the side of a branch. Brecka, Rinbus, and many of the others stood there, looking at him. Some seemed curious, some slightly awed, but one was clearly annoyed and worried.

"Brother! Are you alright? What happened? Why did you stay down there for so long? It's been over a day!"

Irwin grinned as he walked towards Brecka, who had her arms crossed as she scowled at him. Still, her antics couldn't hide the genuine relief in her eyes.

"I found a few more of those Behemoths than I expected," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I also found something very, very, nice down there."

Brecka frowned, but a curious gleam came to her eyes.

"I'll show you soon," Irwin said. "But for now-" 

He turned to the others, noticing that, except for some of the Ignitzian guards who he could sense on the lower branches, guarding against Insectoid attacks that wouldn't arrive, everyone was present.

"I've cleared out the Desolate Stretch," he said, focusing on Headteacher Flowrishin. "Based on the deal we have with the Elder Council, that means it's now back in the hands of the Cardsmith's Guild. Agreed?"

Flowrishin smirked as she shook her head. "Yes. I hadn't expected things to move even close to this fast, and I'm sure some of the Elders will want confirmation of it, but… I can't sense anything down there anymore. If Vaidara or Nimlarel can teleport me back to Cinder Grove, I can finalize the last proceedings."

"Good," Irwin said, looking around. 

He didn't have time to slow down or wait. There were things to do, starting with getting a high soulcarded stoneshaper to help him safeguard the Ancestral Coperion and create the platforms and pillars. The tree they were on now was technically not even part of the Desolate Stretch.

No. He needed a stoneshaper right away.

Or perhaps two or three.

Most of those on the platform were Ignitzians, and he knew that those rarely wanted to become anything but swordfighters or sometimes metal or fireshapers. Still, the Ignitzians on Scour had been different, so…

"I need someone who is willing to become a stoneshaper. We need someone to create space for us to live, either on platforms or within the sides of the walls. So, I'll offer this one time," he said, knowing that wasn't completely true.  "Whoever is willing will get two soulcards."

There was a rustle of confusion before Flowrishin took a step forward.

"You mean, a heartcard now, and another one after they create their soulcard?" she asked.

Irwin could hear the hesitation in her voice, and he didn't blame her. She knew more than the others, but what he was implying would have stunned even the smiths on Granvox.

"No. I mean, I'll forge their heartcard, fill their soullake, and as soon as they have stabilized, forge another heartcard and fill their soullake," Irwin said calmly.

His words caused everyone on the platform to freeze, as they all stared at him in stunned silence.

"You… can do that?" Flowrishin muttered.

"Me!" one of the Ignitzians shouted, stepping forward. 

Burly, and with three handcards, she had barely spoken when another three stepped forward, shouting. They glared at each other, and the Burly one's almost victorious grin made Irwin chuckle.

"Good. We actually need more than one, so if you are all sure?"

The four Ignitzians stopped glaring at each other, turning to him. One of them, a short and slim Ignitzian with fiery hair that bordered on yellow, nodded.

"I am, though I was wondering…  Can a stoneshaper create swords from stone? Swords that are strong enough not to shatter easily?"

"They can, if the swords aren't too thin," Irwin said, recalling some of the things he'd seen over the years. "Also, it depends on the stone you use."

The slim Ignitzian grinned before looking at two others behind her with what could only be described as smug satisfaction.

"Brother… You can't mean…" Brecka began.

"We have little time, and we need to go fast," Irwin said as he raised himself to his full height. "I'm going to bring all four of our future stoneshapers down and start working on their first heartcards right away. As soon as they have their first soulcard, they will start helping me with something down there. This will give them time to get used to their cards, after which I'll give them their second. It will probably take a few weeks, and in the meantime, I would like the woodshapers to continue expanding our temporary shelter here."

He turned to Flowrishin, who was calmly watching him.

"Can you try to get permission for the Cardsmith's Guild to claim the first line of existing trees around the Desolate Gorge?"

"I can try, but I expect the answer to be no," she said calmly. "The areas around the Desolate Gorge belong to a few influential families."

"Offer them a soulcard," Irwin said calmly. 

'Kid, I thought you were planning not to introduce too many soulcards, especially not to those you don't know?' Ambraz asked.

'With that Ancestral Copperion, we are going to be getting a lot of our allies Soulcards,' Irwin said. 'Besides, in the near future, soulcards will be far less rare than they are now. Let's get as much out of these deals now as we can.'

He heard an appreciative hum from Ambraz, while Flowrishin was nodding slowly.

"I'll try. I do think they will try to negotiate down to only a few trees. I take it your goal is to get this tree and as many around it as a minimum?"

"Exactly," Irwin said, as he glanced at the four excited-looking Ignitzians. "Go and get your stuff. We are leaving in a minute."

The four Ignitzians glanced at Blademother Nilish, who nodded, causing them to sprint away.

"Are you going to create more instant soulcards?" Ninish asked, looking almost hungry.

"Probably," Irwin said. "I might have to leave for a few years in the near future, and I want to get the Cardsmith's Guild as powerful as possible before that."

Ninish frowned, but it only lasted for a moment as her eyes began to gleam. Before she could ask, Irwin snorted.

"Yes, I'll probably help you with a soulcard," he said, before raising his hand. "However, I have other priorities first."

He glanced at Brecka, who had gone through a whole range of emotions in a short timeframe to end up with almost jumping in excitement.

"Nilish, you are in charge while I'm gone," Irwin said. "Nimlarel, I am going to bring you down there with me in a minute, after which I need you to teleport back up here and bring Brecka, Rinbus, and the four ignitzians. Alright?"

"Yes!" Nimlarel exclaimed, grinning.

Irwin smiled back before looking around.

"Alright. I have a lot to do in little time, so I'll be heading out."

He nodded at Headteacher Flowrishin before putting a hand on Nimlarel's shoulder. 

I'll see you soon, he thought, glancing at Scintilla, who was still opening the door far away on Eluathar.

--

"Fine. We will allow the Cardsmith's Guild to lay claim to ten trees on each of the Desolte Gorge's points as soon as the price has been paid."

Finally, Flowrishin thought, making sure her annoyance wasn't visible on her face. Some of these old fools might take offense and try to lecture her… Her! As if she weren't as old or older than they were.

Hiding a yawn behind her hand, she looked around.

Many of the elders of the current council of elders were leaning back in their chairs, and she saw those who had been trying to help her look relieved. She didn't blame them. It had taken over three weeks to negotiate the expansion of the Smithguild's territory. Weeks of sitting, talking, and sometimes holding back her exasperated shouting. Part of it was because a few of the elders who belonged to the noble families had tried to get far more than she was willing to give. A soulcard per tree? How ridiculous did they think they could make their demands? The other part was because all of them were so old that days were like hours to them. She knew the reason she didn't feel like that was because of her constant work at the school with the young ones, and not for the first time, she told herself to remain there for as long as she could.

"Very well," Pryroot, one of the elders who had made her life difficult, said with pursed lips.

Flowrishin glanced at him, knowing that if he was ever going to put in any request at the Card School, she was going to deny it for a few years… perhaps decades. 

"Our families will have the four chosen ready by the end of the month," he said. "As soon as they return as soulcarded, we will give over the twenty trees."

"Send them to the Card School, and we will facilitate their teleportation," Flowrishin said before the man could demand just the same. She could see from his deepening frown that he knew exactly why she'd offered it. Now it looked like she was being generous, instead of bowing to his whims.

"Very generous of you," another of the elders said quickly, echoing what she'd thought. "Now! I think we have all had our fill for now, so I would suggest we adjourn."

A round of thudding came as the elders stomped on the ground in agreement.

Flowrishin saw Pryroot roll his eyes before rising, his eyes still locked on her. "Headteacher, thank you for all your hard work," the man said, surprising Flowrishin because it sounded like he genuinely meant it. "I'll make sure my daughter will thank you and the Tutor profusely."

Ah, that explains it, Flowrishin thought, wondering which of Pryroot's daughters he would send. Most likely the youngest. She'd heard he favored her above the others.

"No need, Lord Pryroot," she said. "A deal was struck, and we will uphold our end."

As she spoke, Flowrishin wondered what Irwin would think of the deal. 

I hope he won't mind…

Besides that, a tiny worry kept nagging at her. What if he couldn't do what he'd said? If she had to return and explain that her life would become a lot more miserable. 

A few hours later, she was walking into the Audumn Estate, where Vaidara the Teleporter had been living. She'd left a few times to bring news back and forth, but had remained behind to be here when it was finally done.

As Flowrishin walked into the courtyard, she felt a wave of stunned surprise, stopping mid-step. Vaidra was sitting in the center with Fireza Dwaelen, while dozens of tiny flying anvils with wings were fluttering about. An enormous black anvil sat a few yards away, its eyes locked on her, while its lips were curled in a constant grin.

"Look! She's finally here!"

Flowrishin grimaced as the powerful voice boomed across the courtyard, while Vaidara and Fireza turned to look at her.

"Headteacher, it is good to see you again," Fireza said, bowing her old head slightly.

"Lady Dwaelen," Flowrishin said, as she walked forward, unable to stop looking at the tiny anvils.

So these are what young ganvils look like, she thought.

With everything she knew of them, she felt a wave of curiosity as she examined them. Irwin had told her that when a cardsmith bonded with one, they would be able to grow a lot in skill.

I wonder if one would want to bind with an old one like me, she thought, before shaking her head.

No. The Tutor had been clear that they lived a long, long time, and she'd already lived through a large part of her own life. 

A soft humming came from the giant Ganvil, and Flowrishin looked at him, bowing her head.

"Worldanvil Frisyuustis," she said. "It's an honor to meet you."

"Yes, yes! I'm sure it is! Now, please tell me everything is done, and we can head to the Cardsmith's Guild?" the massive anvil rumbled, causing a slight tremor in the ground. "Vaidara has been unwilling to teleport me there until you were done."

Flowrishin cast a quick glance at Fireza and Vaidara, who were sharing an annoyed look.

I guess the Tutor was right, Flowrishin thought. This is an odd one.

She wanted to ask him why they wouldn't go to the Card School, but it was clear from the other two that the worldanvil wasn't going to listen either way.

"We are almost done," she said. "I need to discuss a few things with Vaidara, and after that, we will be able to leave."

"Finally! Great! Yo, brats. Gather up. We are finally someplace fun."

A cacophony of excited voices burst out as the smaller Ganvils began flitting around, some landing on Flowrishin's shoulder, asking her dozens of questions.

"Quiet!" Frisyuustis roared. "She needs to do one more thing, and if you all disturb her, we might be here for another day!"

The small Ganvil instantly fell quiet, though the two that had landed on Flowrishin's shoulder remained there. Even without eyes, she had the idea they were observing her.

"Alright," she said, turning to Vaidara, who was shaking her head slowly.

"So, we made a deal with the elders, and-"

She quickly told the other what they had decided, how they would have four people ready at the Card School within a month that would need to be teleported back to the new Cardsmiths Guild.

"That's fine," Vaidara said. "I'll gladly go back here and bring them when they are ready."

Flowrishin hadn't thought anything else, but was still glad the teleporter was willing to help.

"Thank you, then I think it's time to head out," the Headteacher said.

A few minutes later, the world changed into a swirling mist, which lasted for only a few moments. 

As a cool breeze blew away the foggy mist, Flowrishin saw she hadn't landed on the wooden platform she'd left months before. Instead, she stood in the center of what looked to be a rather bustling city, with Ignitzians and Viridians moving around. Most seemed to be busy with something or another, either carrying large crates or seemingly rushing to somewhere important. A distant showed this wasn't the only place either, and she wondered just how big the place had gotten in so little time.

"Lots has changed since you were here last," Vaidara said, looking around thoughtfully and finally muttering- "Things even changed since I was here two weeks ago."

Headteacher Flowrishin nodded, while the giant Ganvil flew beside them, causing an instant commotion on the square. People stopped what they were doing, pointing and chattering loudly.

"Come on. I'd better bring you all to the main Guild hall," Vaidara said.

The others followed her, though Frisyuustis was hovering so high in the air, surrounded by his cloud of offspring, that it was hard to move unnoticed. 

Flowrishin noticed they had gathered a small following when they finally walked out of the streets and onto a massive balcony. It gave a free view of the enormous ravine, the sides rapidly moving away from the narrow end they were on. To the left, she saw a building in mid-construction. It looked like only the front had been made, while the platform behind it was semi-finished. As she watched, multiple Ignitzians were standing near the edge, hands outstretched as large quantities of soulforce flowed around them. Stone from the edges seemed to flow like thick water, moving along the edge of the platform and expanding it by a few inches.

"The Tutor has requested them to focus on the platform until it's half a mile further out," Vaidara said. "Last time I was here, even less of the building was done."

"Why would he build it like that?" Frisyuustis rumbled. "It looks ridiculous! Why not wait till the platform is done and build it then?"

"The Tutor said he wanted as much ready as he could," Vaidara said. She seemed to want to say more, but held still.

"Is there nothing below this?" Fireza Dwaelen asked. She had been looking at the ground worriedly for a while now.

"Oh, there is!" Vaidara said, point forward. "See those pillars? The stoneshapers created a lot of those before they did anything else, and they connected them together like a tree. So, below us are hundreds of small pillars of stone keeping us up."

"Bah. Why didn't he just build into the wall?" the worldanvil muttered.

Before Vaidara could answer, a deep voice spoke up.

"Because I like the view."

They turned around to see that Irwin had appeared out of nowhere behind them. He was wearing a leather shirt that left his arms and shoulders bare, darker pants, and thick leather boots. All in all, Flowrishin felt he looked more like a warrior than a cardsmith.

"Also, up here the sun can reach, which is better for the Ignitzians and the plants," Irwin continued, as he walked towards them. "Still, we will be building into the walls for many things. It would be far too much effort to continue out much more than we already have."

"Well, I presume you made a place for me to live?" the worldanvil asked, seemingly unimpressed.

"I did. Follow me," Irwin rumbled with a faint smile. Then he glanced at Flowrishin.

"Headteacher. I have also prepared living quarters for you. How have my students been doing?"

"They miss you and have been asking when you will return to teaching," she said as she walked forward beside him.

"Well, I'm afraid I'll be unable to teach them for a while yet… perhaps a long while," Irwin said, his smile fading. 

"So you have decided when you will leave?" she asked, not mentioning where he would go.

"Let's discuss this more privately," Irwin said softly.

Flowrishin looked around, noting how many people were moving around. Most were stoneshapers, working on the building, but the group that had followed them to stare at Frisyuustis was still there. 

"That might be for the best."

They continued along the unfinished sheet until they reached the towering building. Even unfinished, Flowrishin was impressed by what she saw, though she was curious about something.

"What architecture is this?" she asked. "I've never seen anything like it."

"It's based on-"

"It's Granvox!" Frisyuustis boomed, his voice drowning out even Irwin's. "This is like a mix of the Golden Friction Academy and something else. Right?"

Irwin hummed happily. "Correct. It's a mix of two academies I was at."

I wonder if I'll ever see those, Flowrishin wondered, surprised by the wistfulness she felt. What was she, a hundred-year-old youngling?

She followed Irwin into the building, which was incredibly hollow, their footsteps echoing in the main hall. Long spiral staircases led up to balconies, some unfinished, and Irwin led them to one of them, up and deeper into the building. Soon they found themselves in a mostly finished section, with an area that had multiple levels and a few corridors leading away. Everything was massive, making it easy for even the large worldanvil to move around.

"This will be the library," Irwin said, waving around. "Those corridors lead to the rooms I have prepared for you and the others. The others lead to classrooms."

A short walk into one of the corridors later, they stood in a beautiful room with wood-shaped and stone-shaped furniture. Part of the back and side were open glassless windows that gave a view of the sprawling forests and the gorge. 

Irwin closed the door and sat down, waving them all to join him. Frisyuustis moved to an empty area beside them, while the cloud of young Ganvils nestled on small ledges along the ceiling.

Curious, I wonder if those were specifically designed for them, Flowrishin, though, before focusing on Irwin.

Now that he was seated, and she had a moment to observe him, she suddenly noticed just how weary he looked. His eyelids drooped slightly, and he kept rubbing his head with the back of his hand.

Did he even sleep the last few months?

--

Irwin stifled a yawn, his head throbbing slightly from the constant reforging he had been doing over the last few weeks. He saw the others watch him curiously, and he hoped he could answer their questions quickly. He still needed to wrap up something, and then he needed a rest. A long one. The only reason he hadn't yet was because his other self was already sleeping deeply. He had even split himself so half of him could sleep, which was a completely odd sensation. 

Let's warn them first, he decided, noticing headteacher Flowrishin's stare.

"You asked if I had decided when to leave," he said. "The answer is… probably. I have found a pattern to the time dilation. I'm not yet sure what causes it, but it almost seems to pulse, growing faster than slower. Currently it's the strongest, and if my observations prove correct, I'll have my chance in a bit over four weeks to leave without as much time passing here."

"That's not possible," Frisyuustis snapped.

'Tell that rusty moron that it is,' Ambraz growled. 'What I wouldn't give to tell him myself!'

Irwin ignored Ambraz, taking a deep breath.

"That's what Ambraz said at first, but our tests are conclusive. Scour is unstable, even with you, me, and dozens, if not more soulcarded here. Before you ask, I don't know why. What I do know is that the pulse seems to be increasing in frequency, though very slowly."

"What? You mean the time dilation is growing faster and slower?" Frisyuustis asked, still sounding annoyed.

"Exactly," Irwin said, hearing Ambraz grumble about wanting to knock the other into a wall. "It's very slow, and although it won't be dangerous any time soon, if it does continue, there might be a time when the time dilation here is equal to the portal gallery… and others where one hour there, might be hundreds of thousands of years here."

"No," Frisyuustis said, sounding annoyed. "Before that happens, if it happens, Scour would shatter. We need to figure out why this is happening! I like this world."

'What he means is that if this world shatters, he's a gonner,' Ambraz said, although he sounded smug, Irwin sensed the intense worry through their connection.

"Which is why before we leave, I'm going to get you-" Irwin pointed at Rinbus, who had been quietly listening. "-cards to consume and strengthen your shadowskill. Also, I need you to gather a group of carded people who can help you find out what is going on. I'll leave you enough shadow cards for hundreds of carded."

Although Irwin framed it as an order, he waited to see how Rinbus would react. The Accenti didn't hesitate for a moment, but nodded.

"I will need teleporters too."

"I'll get you what I can," Irwin replied, glad Rinbus would be helping him. He focused on the others, feeling his headache fade just a little.

"Now, there's a whole lot of things we need to discuss," he said. "Including why you are here and not in the cardschool. So let's start with that."

And I hope we can do it fast, because I need to sleep.