Irwin's Journey 456: All together now

Irwin stepped back, watching Feijia slump to the ground. Her handcards were gone, but in their place sat a singular heartcard. It hummed with power, resonating with a beautiful, energetic song. Irwin watched quietly as the Ignitzian's sleek, fiery body began changing. Her fiery hair darkened as some strings turned a metallic copper color while the others ignited, raining sparks over her shoulders. Her slightly orange and yellow skin, which had looked like a mix between the sun and an old paper, lost some of its glow, but in its place it began to gleam. 

Not as much as me or Brecka, but she definitely got some copperion in her now, Irwin thought, glancing at the pool. It wasn't a surprise, as during his reforging, he'd felt how the ambient soulforce had influenced the eventual heartcard.

'I think any heartcard you make here will have at least some similarity among them,' Ambraz said. 

Irwin nodded as he turned around to see a few dozen Ignitzians lying on the beach, most on their stomach, observing him curiously. A few stood with Feijia, who was frowning and shaking her head. 

Why do I have the feeling I know what they are asking, Irwin thought. 

"That was incredible."

Irwin turned around to look at Blademother Nilish, who was watching him like a hawk. Her statement had been calm, but he could see the excitement in her eyes. 

"You didn't seem strained or troubled at any point during the process," she continued. "How easy was this for you? Am I right in believing that you could simply do another one now, and perhaps another one, and guarantee success?"

Irwin watched her for a moment, knowing what she was implying. She was right, of course, but he wasn't planning on staying here to reforge heartcars nonstop. His goal had been to find a place where he could reforge his own next heartcard, but between Preg's warning and his own bad feeling about it, he knew it wouldn't be. No, he was going to have to wait for a while. Not that it matters, as he'd already come up with a few solutions to many of his problems. And one of them was standing in front of him.

"You asked me what I would want to create your heartcard," Irwin said slowly, crossing his arms to mimic her. "I presume you know who I am?"

"Irwin, Tutor at the Cardschool, showed up under mysterious circumstances," Nilish summed up. "Has a sister called Brecka, and a follower called Rinbus who was part of an Accenti group called the Cult of the Unchained. Unclear how or why that happened."

Irwin raised his eyebrows in surprise at the latter, but Nilish seemed to take his implied question seriously.

"Headteacher Flowrishin Kil'nead has requested the reinstatement of the Smith's Guild on your behalf, which you will lead as soon as you have cleared The Deslote Stretch. It is unclear why you would want that," the blademother said, before cocking her head and ending with: "There are some more oddities, like how you and your sister look roughly like Oxarites, but have many differences, but after hearing what the elder said, I guess that makes sense. I have never heard of Volcano Titans."

Irwin whistled, wondering how she had heard about that so fast. Still, the straight-to-the-point, no-nonsense summary made him look at the Blademother with renewed interest. 

"I guess that makes this easier," he said. "I am indeed going to clear the Desolate Stretch and recreate the Card Guild. I fear that my presence might ignite more wars and other conflicts that I have no interest in. So, as a Blademother, I presume you have some say in things. I want a large enough group of Ignitzian blademaidens to help me guard the Smith's Guild, after I have established it."

Blademother Nilish's eyebrows shot up, and she cocked her head.

"It depends on how large the group must be for me to decide on this by myself," she said. "My own faction has the ability to mobilize about two thousand fighters, though if I move that many away from Flamerock, I would need you to provide the remaining ones with atleast ten more heartcarded."

Irwin snorted. The glint in the Blademother's eyes told him she had begun negotiating for a price. That said, as he thought about what he'd talked about with Preg and what he knew about the potential for more Burrows due to the opening of the exit portal, he couldn't help but grin back.

"Oh, that might be possible," he said, enjoying how Nilish's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock. She had probably expected him to try to reduce those numbers, which he would have, if he hadn't come up with a few things.

One, the Ignitzians seemed the only small faction from which he likely had little to worry about in the way of active conflict. Second, he needed to get Preg to tell him many things, and Preg seemed to have a soft spot for the little flames, as he called them.

Need to remember that term for when I talk with Scintilla, Irwin thought, his grin widening.

And third, if he wanted the Smith's Guild to be able to do without him for a decade or two, he needed to make sure they had a powerful standing army. 

Had she asked before he'd spoken with Preg, he would have rejected her, as he didn't want too many powerful beings in one faction. However, with Preg also stating it wasn't safe for him to reforge his heartcard here, that meant he had only one way to do that. Go out through the exit portal, reforge it in the portal gallery, and return after that. It would also give him the same amount of time as the reforging cost to spend with his family, something that was probably a bigger draw than the heartcard. 

But if I leave, I need to make sure nobody swoops in and causes problems, he thought. He knew he could put someone on the throne of the Empire, or let the Empress keep it and have that person defend it, but he didn't feel like that was the best option. Besides that, he couldn't deny that he had a soft spot for Ignitzians. 

The thoughts had spun through his mind so fast that Blademother Nilish didn't even have the chance to formulate a response. She still looked at him in stunned confusion.

"Now," Irwin said. "If I do reforge, let's say, ten cards for Ignatizians that stay here, and another ten for those that come with me… I expect some guarantees."

Blademother Nilish's mouth snapped shut, and her hands dropped to her side.

"For twenty heartcarded, you can have any guarantee you want of me," she said. "You want guards for your Smith's Guild? If you do what you just said, my faction will help. If you do the same, or even half of that, for the others, they will definitely help you. By the ancient blade, I've heard you have a heatbond with one of ours? If you want more and more children, just speak, and you will have whatever you want."

Irwin grimaced as he shook his head. "No, there's no need for that," he said. 

Blademother Nilish sighed, then smiled.

"I had thought not, but you can't blame a blademaiden from trying, right? It is so seldom that I find someone who makes me feel like a young little blademaiden again."

Irwin blinked, feeling his cheeks heat up. "I am honored, but I have a heatbond and will not take another," he said quickly, before looking around.

Teacher Lejingi was watching him open-mouthed, while a few dozen Ignitzians had risen to their feet, staring at him like a hungry pack of  Skitrats.

"Well, then I think you should go and find the ones that are to get a heartcard, and discuss with the other Blademothers," Irwin said as he cracked his shoulders. "Because I'm going to speed up my plans. Also, as you seem well informed, figure out for me who would be the best candidate to support to lead the Oxarite Empire?"

Blademother Nilish stared at him for a moment, then burst out in laughter, her whole body shaking.

"Why… Why-" she exclaimed, interrupted by more laughter. It took her a few moments to calm down, and when she did, she shook her head, still snickering. 

"Why am I not surprised that you speak so lightly of influencing the Empire?"

She sighed and turned to look at the other Ignitzians. "I'll get you what you need," she said, before turning to the Ignitzians on the beach. "Uhgnizi! Come here!" she called out.

One of the Ignitzians was sprinting towards them before the burly Ignitzian Blademother had even fully finished. She stopped in a spray of black sand, staring at Nilish with a wide grin.

"Tutor Irwin, if you are in such a hurry, perhaps you can get started with my younger sister?"

"I will," Irwin said, as he scanned the younger Ingitzian, who had six cards, not unlike those of Blademother Nilish, but with far less focus on strength and body improvement.

"Good. I'll be back as soon as I can," Nilish said, as she began jogging away.

Irwin turned to Headteacher Lejingi. "Find the other one?"

Lejingi stared at him for a few moments before nodding and running after the Blademother.

"Now, tell me what you want," Irwin said as he turned to Nilish's sister, trying to recall her name. "Ughnizi."

--

Almost two weeks passed in the blink of an eye, with nearly every moment of Irwin's time spent reforging cards or talking with the Blademothers. By now, he'd learned that most of them were a lot older than Nilish, and although all were interested in more Heartcarded, not all were as enthusiastic as the burly Blademther. Mostly because they already had one themselves, and were worried about the reaction from the Empire.

Still, as Irwin walked back into the daylight for what felt like the first time in over ten days, he was welcomed by a group of over four thousand Ignitzians. 

Standing in groups, they were all chatting excitedly.

"We are ready to leave," Blademother Nilish said, as she walked to him. 

Her new heartcard resonated deep within her even larger frame, and she looked like a cross between him and an Ignitzian. Luckily, this wasn't because he'd used his own soulforce, but because of the influence of the Ancestral Coperion. Still, Irwin had wondered what things would be like in a few thousand years. Would he have created a new species by then?

"Blademaster Feijia sends her greetings and hopes to see you again soon," Nilish said.

"Good," Irwin said, as he cracked his neck. 

He was more than a little tired, not in the least because he'd barely slept over the last ten days. Reforging an average of two heartcards per day wasn't easy, even if he didn't have to spend any soulforce. That said, he knew Preg was glad to see him leave. Even the constant stream of soulforce that bled into the pool of Ancestral Coperrion hadn't been able to keep up, and it would take a while to recover. Sadly, the ancient fire elemental snake hadn't been willing to talk to him too much. He'd said he was tired and would talk if Irwin returned in a year or so.

As Teacher Lejingi walked towards him, Irwin couldn't hide a sense of relief that he would be done with constantly making heartcards for a while.

I didn't even get to practice cardseeds, he thought with a weary sigh.

"It will take us two weeks to reach Cinder Grove," Blademother Nilish said. "Try not to cause the downfall of The Empire before then, alright?"

Irwin rolled his eyes before grinning at the Blademother. Over the last few weeks, she'd been his main contact, and as the Blademother who was most willing to work with him, he'd lived at her private estate when not reforging or resting in the central chamber. She had a snappy sense of humor and hated beating around the bush. That said, she had a tendency to oversimplify things, which had caused a couple of issues over the last week, not in the least that she'd had to promise the other Blademothers that she would oversee the other Ignitzians at the Smiths Guild.

Irwin was happy about that, but he knew that Nilish felt sad about having to leave her home city.

"I won't promise anything," Irwin said. "If your information is right, and Lord Sachindrian has sent another of the seven to talk with me, things might get interesting."

"Please don't fight with Rustbeard," teacher Lejingi said, not for the first time. "He is known to have a short temper, but he is also the oldest and most powerful of the seven."

"Just joking," Irwin lied. 

He knew full well there was no way he could be sure of what would happen. However, now that he had a plan that involved seeing his family, if only for a few hours to a day, if he succeeded, he wasn't going to let some old Oxarite stop him.

"Ready?" he asked. 

"Yes," Teacher Lejingi said as she looked back at the city. 

Irwin saw the longing in her eyes, and he felt slightly sad for her. In the end, she had been right, and only had two days to herself during the festival—the rest of the time she had spent reforging nonstop.

"You will have a chance to return soon enough," Irwin said.

Lejingi shrugged, turning to him. "Let's get back to school. The classes will start in a few days."

Irwin put his hand on her shoulder, nodded at Blademother Nilish before disappearing across the soundwaves with a clack of his tongue.

--

Lady Selderine walked back and forth through the restaurant close to the Tutor's home. Her mood had worsened by the day, and now, weeks after her confrontation with the Tutor and the Empress, it was at an all-time low.

How dare he send that old bastard here, she thought, looking at the door in anticipation of Rustbeard's entrance. First, they had been required to move to Cinder Grove, then she'd been relegated to second in command!

There wasn't anyone at the door yet, though a few of the Ignitzian and Viridian patrons of the restaurant quickly ducked their heads.

Why are they afraid of me? I'm the one trying to save everyone, she thought, feeling her anger spike.

It took a few minutes of deep breaths before she managed to calm down. She knew why they feared her, as they were all much weaker than her. It was just like how she'd been afraid of the Tutor when he'd suppressed her and the others with his mere soulforce pressure.

Just when her mood had managed to stabilize, the doors were shoved open, and heavy thuds came from the entrance.

"So, did he return?!"

Selderine shivered as she looked up at the ancient Oxarite that stomped toward her. With a red-brown bears of rust, only a few flecks of silver still there, he looked nothing like any other Oxarite she knew. His short, rusted hair was a tangled mess while his skin had turned a burnished silver through the ages. Had he been anyone else, she would have asked him if he would like a drink and how his day had been. That's how one should treat their elders. But Rustbeard was anything but a normal elder.

"If he has, he hasn't shown up here yet," she said, looking at Rustbeard. 

The gnarly old ore-vein of a man looked back in annoyance, his eyes narrowed.

"Great. So we have to wait here for another boring day? This Tutor had better be as good as everyone says he is, to make me wait here all the time," Rustbeard snapped.

You have only been here for two days, Selderine thought, holding back a sniff. And were allowed to come here at your own pace.

Rustbeard didn't notice her annoyance or didn't care, but walked to the table that had become their second home in Cinder Grove. Two glasses and a mug were already waiting for them, as was a small plate of roots, which smelled almost as bad as they tasted. The old Oxarite slammed himself down in a chair, grabbed one of the roots, and started chewing.

"So, did you learn anything more about this Brecka?" he asked in between bites.

Selderine sat down and took a sip of her drink before shaking her head.

"None of my informants can work that fast," she said. "Besides, she has been staying in the Audumn Estate for the last few days."

"Perhaps I should just go and introduce myself," Rustbeard said, pulling his fingers through his beard and causing soft screeching sounds.

Like always, Selderine was slightly surprised that there weren't any rust flakes falling down. Somehow, she felt that would be appropriate. Instead, the beard was well-oiled and smooth, with the tips sharp enough to puncture any of the soft-skinned Accenti.

"Don't. You remember what I told you yesterday?"

"Yes, yes. The Tutor takes his family seriously, which is a good thing. Every well-respecting Oxarite should. What does that have to do with my introducing myself?"

Nothing if you would act normal, Selderine thought.

"Let's just wait for another day or two," she said.

Rustbeard watched her calmly before shaking his head. "I'm not going to stay here and do nothing. Not if you are right that the Empress already spoke with him and left a good impression. We need to make sure he doesn't decide to join her, and if he does, we need leverage."

Selderine wanted to tell him he was wrong, but he was saying the same thing she had. 

"The Tutor is too strong," she said. "If we anger him, we probably can't deal with the consequences."

"So? He might be, but what about that little sister of his?" Rustbeard rumbled. "I'm not one for abduction, but if we don't replace the Empress soon, who knows what she will do?"

The Empress grimaced, not sure what to say. She took a sip of her drink, and as she thought, the door opened up. 

A group of three people walked in, and as soon as she saw them, Selderine almost choked on her drink. She was bout to rise up, when a powerful hand clamped around her wrist, keeping her at the table.

"Don't," Rustbeard rumbled. "Bluefire made his choice, and not even I want to tangle with Hilbarin."

Selderine nodded as she watched Bluefire follow Hilbarin and an unkept woman to an empty table. Findekon looked at her, then rolled his eyes and turned away, sitting with his back against the wall, giving him a clear sight of her and the entrance.

Little bastard, she thought, as she clenched her fists.

"How dare he show up here?"

"Oh, he probably didn't want to come," Rustbeard said. "But keep calm. Hilbarin is coming to greet us."

Selderine noticed that the older Oxarite was right. Hilbarin, one of the two most powerful of the seven, was walking towards them, his eyes fixed on Rustbeard.

"Hey there, Rustbeard. Did Sachindrian finally decide to send someone useful?"

Selderine glared at Hilbarin, but he completely ignored her. 

"Seeing as one of Sachindrian's people already came to our side, why don't you just join us? I've got some great liquor back home that we could drink."

Rustbeard let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. 

"I've got plenty of liquor, so let me give you the same offer, Hilbarin. If you join us, I'll make sure Lord Sachindrian protects the eastern Mountain Ridges."

"Ah, but we won't need his help if I stay where I am, right?"

Selderine kept her hands under the table, clenched into fists. Did these two seriously think this was a joke? They were talking about the future of the Empire!

"That is true! So, why did Lady Sandrihna decide to come here? Does she think just because she aspires to be a cardsmith that The Tutor will join her side? Except for you, she has no power. Unless you want to count little blue?"

Hilbarin laughed softly. "Ah, you are always so dismissive of Findekon. Don't you recall when he saved your ass seven years ago?"

"Hah, that was just luck. Count the times either of us had to save him from those wall crawlers, and it will be in the dozens," Rustbeard countered.

Seldarine slowly calmed down as she listened to the two continue their usual banter. They only stopped when the door opened again, and the restaurant fell quiet.

"Ah, there she is," Rustbeard rumbled. "As late as she is useful."

Seldarine finally agreed with Rustbeard on something, and she glared at the Empress. The tall, slim woman walked to another empty table, followed by Vaidara the Teleporter. Her guards remained near the door, attention divided between Seldarine, Rustbeard, and Hilbarin.

"Well, I better go back before they think we are working together," Hilbarin rumbled, turning around without another word.

It took a few minutes before the restaurant's previous chatter returned, though it didn't reach the level it had been in before the Empress entered.

"Did you hear about the Havoc Bringer?" Rustbeard whispered from behind his glass.

"Zou? What did she do now? Isn't she still imprisoned?" Selderine asked.

"She is, but she heard the Empress was here and tried to escape. The Empress actually told her to stay in prison until she learned her lesson! Can you believe that?"

Seldarine frowned. She didn't really. The Empress had only a single one of the seven on her side now, and although the Teleporter was a great asset, her combat prowess was weak. Although the Empress herself had some power, she and her two couldn't even beat Selderine herself, let alone Rustbeard or Hilbarin. 

"Why would she do that?" she muttered. 

"I think it's because she is trying to prove a point to The Tutor, and-"

Rustbeard stopped talking, his eyes widening, his mouth snapping shut.

What now?

Selderine looked around, but none of the other two groups had done anything odd.

"What is wrong?" she asked.

"I guess you weren't lying," Rustbeard whispered, now staring at the far wall. "Someone powerful just appeared."

How sensitive is he? Selderine thought, staring at Rustbeard before glancing at Bluefire. As annoying as he was, the smaller Oxarite did have a high sensitivity. She wasn't surprised to see him look at the same wall as Rustbeard. His slightly widened eyes were slowly moving along it, as if following something that was on the other side.

"Well, I guess the show is about to start," Rusbeard said, taking a deep breath.

Selderine stared at the door, licking her lips. She grabbed the small bag on the table, pulling it closer. It held the evidence and information she'd collected to try to convince The Tutor to join their side. She hoped it would be enough.

--

Irwin looked at the door, sensing the group of heartcarded inside. 

"Well, I guess that saves me the trouble of finding them one at a time," he said, turning to Rinbus. "You are sure about what you found?"

"Yes. Hilbarin is the son of House Drigarion, and he would be the best candidate, especially if he works together with Lady Sandrihna."

Irwin rolled his eyes. "When I was young, being a noble sounded like a great deal, but the older I get, the less interesting it seems. Such a load of trouble."

Rinbus shrugged. "There are probably other options if you want me to keep looking, but Hilbarin is powerful, wants peace, and has few to no personal grievances."

"Great, well, then I guess the only thing we have to do is figure out how to get all the people to agree," Irwin said as he put his hand on the door. "Preferably without having to fight them."