Irwin's Journey 447: Surprise visit

"It's impossible."

Zou did her best to keep her hands curled around her biceps. If she let go now, she might start strangling the four shadow mercenary leaders standing before her.

"You have had over half a year," she hissed. "You guaranteed me that you would be able to get him drugged and abducted."

"You didn't tell us he has three soulcards," one of the leaders, a tiny five-foot Ignitzian, snapped. "Three!"

"And I've told you that you are wrong," Zou snapped. "There is no way he has three soulcards, you are mistaken!"

"My Reader is never wrong," one of the two Viridians said, looking like he would rather be anywhere but here. He was remarkably thin for one of his kind, but Zou knew he was stronger than he let on.

"There is no way to even get into the district," the other Viridian said in agreement. "Besides the fact that he senses everything, his pet shadewalker is constantly scouting around. We almost got caught twice!"

"I need him or his sister," Zou said, trying to keep calm. "And I need one of them within two weeks."

A weary sigh came from the final figure, a stocky Oxarite and the most powerful of the four. With a long scar across his throat, lips, and nose, he looked like he'd been struck in the face with a blade repeatedly.

"We have told you it can't be done, and that's that," he said, his voice raspy. "As you said, we have wasted over half a year on this, and gotten nothing for it. A new request came in for all free mercenary groups to go to Sleekafik on the southern border with the Bloodrust Desert. Four Burrows erupted within a week of each other. We will be leaving in two hours."

Zou glared at the man, barely believing what she was hearing. 

"That bastard in the north has already taken a dozen villages and two of the mountain rims in the north," she said, spitting out the words. "Our Empress will have no other reason but to strike if he makes another move. We are months, or perhaps weeks, from civil war! I-"

"I don't care," the man rasped. "It is your queen, not ours. She banished me ten years ago, so don't come asking for my sympathy now."

Because you are criminal scum, Zou thought, very slowly opening her hands and dropping her arms by her side. The group of four took a collective step back, while their hands dropped to weapons dangling from their side. With only a single heartcarded among them, there was no way he and the three six-carded could stop her. It wouldn't be easy, as all of them were combat-focused, but Zou knew that if she wanted to, she could rip them apart. 

"If you attack us now, our groups have been instructed to leave within the minute," the Oxarite said, his voice a hazy whisper. "You will get nothing, but they will spread the word of what you did. None of the others will ever work with you again."

"Are you threatening me?" Zou said, feeling her breath quickening at the prospect of ripping them apart from the inside out. "Me?"

"Shouldn't you be doing something more important?" the Ignitzian said, her hand on her blade and her eyes like tiny sparks. "You said there are some weeks to months left."

For a few moments, Zou entertained the idea of attacking them, unleashing her pent-up stress on the four. Then she reigned in her fury. If she attacked them, the chances were almost certain that that horrible smith would sense it."

"You could let Baytim speak with the Empress…."

Zou shivered, then took another deep breath. "Get out," she hissed. "And make sure I never see you again."

The four backed up to the door without a word, and a moment later, she was alone. She moved back to one of the chairs in the small inn room and slumped down. Within a moment, all anger vanished as she stared at her knees.

I failed, she thought. 

Her plan had been great: hire the best shadow mercenary groups to stalk Irwin or his sister, capture one, preferably the cardsmith, and bring them to the Empress. She didn't believe that there was any Oxarite in their right mind who wouldn't help the Empress when she asked them personally. 

She sat there for over an hour, head in her hands, when there was a soft knock on the door.

"What?" she snapped.

"Lady Zou, you asked to be told when the cardsmith would be causing a ruckus again."

The cool voice made Zou sit up straight and dash for the door. She yanked it open to see a Viridian child, barely reaching her waist, with sharp green eyes. He had only a single card in his hand, and was one of the children of the poorer people on the top floors. He and a few more had been willing to keep an eye on things for her, and because, as she'd found in nearly all cities, nobody paid attention to the children, they were able to move freely. 

"A lot of those smiths started looking in the same direction, while Telaila said she saw the Head Teacher in her garden, looking toward Audumn Estate. There are also a few of those people you told us to look out for, moving around the estate, eyes all wide and filled with awe."

Zou felt her mood do a one-eighty, and she quickly dug in her pocket, taking out two simple cards. One had a large leaf on it, the other a pair of water drops seemingly spinning.

"You did great," she said, handing the card to the stunned boy. "At least there's someone I can count on!"

She carefully brushed over his leafy hair.

"Now, I've gotta go!"

"Okay, Lady Zou," the boy said, unable to tear his eyes from the two cards.

Zou smiled, then rushed through the corridor, not bothering to even close the door.

Now I've got you, she thought, running through the Inn. 

As soon as she was outside, she picked up speed, sprinting through the wide, mostly empty streets. She recalled half a year ago, when the smith had done something that had the entire soulforce around the school swirling like crazy. That would have been the perfect moment, when he was so distracted with whatever he was doing. She still wished she could grab him, as it would be the easier of the two options, but he seemed to genuinely love his sister. If she grabbed Brecka and brought her to the Empress, the cardsmith would have no other choice but to come!

--

Brecka smiled as she felt her cards jitter and sing as if incredibly excited. As bad as her soulforce senses were, she even sensed the nebulous pushing throughout the estate.

It looks like brother is actually succeeding this time, she thought.

She got up and began walking through the courtyard, ignoring Baytim, who was watching her with swoony eyes. Why the man liked her so much was beyond her, and she had no interest in him like that whatsoever. Although her initial disdain for him had faded over the months, she just couldn't get around that he was small and weak. No. She had little interest in the whole 'finding someone and creating a family' thing, which her brother had done. Besides, if she were to look for someone to do that with, he had to be big and strong so she could spar with him!

Perhaps when we return home, she thought, thinking about some of the younger Onyxians that had made it to Eluathar.

She raised her arm, glancing at the gleaming dark skin and the taut muscles. She'd lost the bulky, squarishness that she'd had, but she was pretty sure she could charm one of the younger warriors!

A dull thud came from the gate, and she spun around to see the door torn to splinters as it was flung off its hinges and landed in the courtyard.

"What-"

She stopped as a lanky Oxarite with long, almost black hair and burning blue eyes sprinted through the gate.

"AH! There you are!"

"Zou! Don't! Brecka, look out!"

Brecka reacted even before Baytim's warning, summoning her large bat and focusing on the incoming threat.

"So, you are that leaky bucket that wanted to force brother on someone," she shouted, glaring at the incoming woman. 

Zou's eyes widened as a look of anger washed over her.

"I'm going to hit you so hard you will be unconscious for a month," she said, snarling. "Even your brother won't recognize your ugly face after I'm done!"

Brecka blinked at the venomous response.

She had barely a second before the shorter, less muscular woman reached her. But it was enough to tell her two things. One, she moved snappy and fast, which spoke of power. Second, she wasn't summoning anything but flexing her hands as if ready to rip her apart, telling her she was a hand-to-hand combatant. 

Then Zou was in her face, reaching for her arm, seemingly ignoring her bat.

"Don't resist, it will-"

Brecka smacked the hand away while swatting her bat straight at the other's head. 

She felt a sliver of joy at seeing Zou's eyes widen in shock, then the other women raised her arm with shocking speed, and she was the one to be shocked as her bat slammed into the deceptively thin, stopping dead in its tracks. 

Zou groaned and jumped back, waving her arm around as if hurt.

"You hit like a landslide," she growled, her eyes wide. "There is no way you are a handcarded. You have a soulcard! Admit it!"

Brecka raised an eyebrow as she swung her club and began walking forward.

"You don't get to run in here, break our door, and start demanding things," she snapped. "Now hold still so I can hit you!"

She rushed forward, using one of the techniques Irwin had taught her, bringing her club down one-handed, while preparing to either hit or kick. She expected the other to dodge or try to jump in close for a grapple. What she didn't expect was that Zou would snort and strike right at her club.

A boom expanded from them as dust and sand were blown away. Brecka stared in stupid surprise at her club, unmoving as if she'd hit a mountain, while Zou grinned wickedly.

"You like physical combat? I can respect that! Sadly, you are never going to be able to beat me. My soulcard is the perfect counter to any-"

Brecka lunged, dismissing her club as she grabbed for the other's neck. If she couldn't hit her, she'd just strangle her. Zou tried to slap her hands away, but Brecka just ignored them. However, as she put her hands around the neck and started squeezing, it felt like the one time she'd tried to pull Irwin to the side by his arm. The flesh was unyielding and seemed locked into place. She stumbled, slightly out of balance, and Zou struck her face before she could duck. She expected pain and being blown across the courtyard, but instead, all she got was a stinging cheekbone.

"What…? That was weak," she muttered, staring at Zou, who was looking at her in shock.

"What is going on here?" Brecka growled, ignoring Zou's next attack, and trying to move her from her spot, only to fail as she had before. "Why can't I move you?"

Zou didn't answer but began pummeling her body and head, which felt to Brecka like some child slapping her. It stung… a little.

"Baytim, what is going on here?" she snapped, turning to the Oxarite, which was watching from the side. 

His eyes had widened, and he looked stunned.

"Well?"

"Zou's card allows her to lock her position and become nearly impervious to physical pushing," he said. "However, she-"

"Baytim, shut up! If I get-"

Brecka put a hand over Zou's mouth, shutting her up. She saw Zou's eyes widen in shock, and she grabbed her wrist, trying to rip it free. Sadly for her, she couldn't budge Brecka's grip.

"However, what?" she snapped at Baytim.

"Her ability only works for a short while, and it's not absolute," Baytim said hurriedly. "There's a rumor that Hilbarin Deadslate shook her for ten minutes and she fainted."

"Really now?" Brecka said, a hungry grin on her face as she steeled her grip. "Shake you? I can do that! Even if it doesn't work, it should be fun."

Her muscles bulged as she began trying to shake the immovable women around. Although nothing happened, the sudden worry and outrage in the other's eyes were enough for Brecka to continue.

--

Zou felt her soulforce rapidly diminish as the brutish women continued trying to move her from her spot. She felt a torrent of anger at the other, but an equal amount at herself. Baytim had told her! Told her the stupid sister probably had a soulcard, and she'd forgotten. Forgotten!

This can't be real, she grunted as she tried to use her ability to push the other away, only to fail. There was only one way for that to happen; this horrible, monstrous midnight-colored thug had an emerald or higher soulcard. It was the only reason why Zou couldn't move her, which was the second part of her ability and which made her one of the most powerful combatants. She'd ever only lost a fight against Hilbarin and against the Empress herself…

And now…

A tiny flicker of hope came with the horrendous realisation. Although she'd fucked up big time, and would probably, knowing that there was a smith who could create emerald or above heartcards around, and an Oxidite no less, meant they might finally get more people that could hope quell the larger and more powerful Burrows. 

A minute passed, and a horrible additional realisation set in.

She's stronger than Hilbarin…

Zou wanted to open her mouth, tell her to stop, but if she did that, she would be moveable, so all she could do was hope Brecka's stamina would run out first. Sadly, it seemed that the one she'd thought would be easy to subdue just seemed more energetic the more she tried to shake her.

As another minute passed, a horrible realization dawned on Zou. If she didn't release her ability herself, the brute might snap her neck with a single shake if she went unconscious from soulforce deprivation.

I… I have to stop it and hope she doesn't kill me?

The idea was so ridiculous that she barely believed it. Where had these two monsters come from? One was a smith beyond legend, the other more powerful than any soulcarded she knew about!

She'd not truly been afraid since she'd gotten her soulcard, but now she felt a shiver of fear run through her entire being as she prepared to release her ability.

Please, don't kill me, she thought, trying to signal the other with her eyes.

--

Irwin was lost to the world, his entire focus on the tiny little seedling that drifted within the tiny container of soulforce that Ambraz was keeping steady. It was the culmination of years of research done by him, Ambraz, and, crucially, Endil, and he wasn't sure if he could create another again without luck.

"How did you manage to find that exact pressure?" Ambraz asked, sounding as awed as Irwin felt.

"Luck," Irwin said as he took a deep breath, scanning the tiny cardseed. 

It was a single, pure note, one of a near infinite amount of possibilities, with a tiny inflection, a very exact measure of soulforce around it, within the barrier, and even around the barrier. 

It was incredibly close to one of the cards he'd slotted for his second heartcard. His Dual Soul Fragment was the card he probably used more than any other. It had helped him greatly throughout his life, allowing him to double nearly everything he did, push off horrible situations onto it so he could continue acting, and allowed him to be in two places at the same time or focus far more than he ever could with a single self.

And now he was going to create another one. His fourth card for his fourth future heartcard, and one that might help him solve his current predicament.

"Are you ready?" he asked, focusing on the seedling while reading soulforce to inject into the barrier.

"Yes, you recall the song?"

"I do, though I'm pretty sure we will need to change it as we go."

"Of course we will. That's the fun of it," Ambraz agreed. "Now, stop procrastinating!"

Irwin grinned and gently struck on the simple anvil before him, the one he'd been using for months now. A clear tone rang out as he began feeding soulforce into the container, letting the seedling absorb it.

Creating the resonance pattern, the song for the card was far more difficult than reforging a mere quartz card, but Irwin had been practicing for years now. Although he usually used the cardseeds he got by breaking cards he found, there was little difference now that the seedling was there. 

As he struck again and began singing, his mind drifted slightly now that he didn't have to be as concentrated as before. Still, the only thing he could think about the last few… hours? Days? He didn't know. From the moment he'd begun and had crossed the point where the seedling started forming, time had lost its meaning as it so often did during cardsmithing. It had been like walking a bridge as it swung in the storm while giant rocks tried to pitch him off. The tone had been elusive at first, and each push he gave to close in on the correct one had somehow increased the resolution until he was making such minute changes that even he could barely sense them anymore. 

He'd almost thought he'd failed… when a slight push had suddenly felt exactly right. The sensation was like searching for that tiny itchy spot you just couldn't reach and suddenly putting your finger on it. Once he'd felt it, he'd not been able to lose it. Instead, he'd instantly felt what needed to change, a tiny bit more pressure, removing the soulforce around the barrier because it was somehow resonating the outer wall, a bit higher, then a bit softer as he found that even that mattered, and then… it had formed. A beautiful seedline. Flawless. Perfect and with none of the inconsistencies of all his previous attempts.

Irwin's mind returned fully to the here and now as he sensed the deceptively simple quartz card forming.

He struck the final blow before watching the card form out of the roiling chaos of the soulforce within. As soon as the barrier dropped, he reached out and almost reverently caught it before it could fall.

A wave of joyful resonance came from his second soulcard, and he had the almost irresistible desire to slot it right then and there. Instead, he pulled another card from his pocket. One he'd been saving for a very long time. 

"You sure about this? We could always make it again!"

Irwin shook his head as he watched the tiny seedling.

"We might be able to, but it could be years. Besides, if we template it, we can still do atleast one more."

"Who will you give it to? Brecka?"

Irwin frowned, shaking his head. "Not sure yet," he said as he almost absently let his senses spread out. 

He froze as he felt Brecka in the courtyard above, her soulforce agitated and flailing about while another, unknown and powerful soulforce stood before her. 

Irwin shoved both cards into his pocket, clacked his tongue, and moved across the soundwaves before Ambraz could even ask what was wrong.

He arrived beside Brecka, who was making odd shaking motions to an Oxarite woman who seemed to be frozen in place. Her eyes were wide, as she was rolling them around as if to communicate with Brecka. As they landed on him, they turned to pinpricks while her skin paled to silver.

"Brecka," Irwin said, grabbing one of her hands while putting another on the unfamiliar woman's shoulder. She had two soulcards, which was more than a little surprising to him. One was topaz rank, the other amethyst, and both were horrid things that seemed to scream at each other in constant anger.

"Brother! She's Zou, the one Baytim told us about," Brecka said, looking startled. 

She'd stopped shaking, and Irwin felt the woman, Zou, release whatever soulcarded skill she had been using. 

"Stop shaking, you will kill me!"

Irwin frowned as he pulled her up and towards him.

"I'm pretty sure she was shaking you because you shouldn't be here," he snapped. "Now be quiet."

"I… I…” Zou muttered, but Irwin gave her a soft, threatening shake.

"Quiet, or I'll shake you," he said, wondering why that was even a thing. Then he turned to Brecka while Baytim walked over. "Alright, someone explain to me what is happening."

"She broke our door," Brecka snapped, pointing at the wooden shrapnel that lay in front of the gate, strewn into the courtyard. "And she attacked me!"

Irwin narrowed his eyes and looked at Baytim.

"Explain?"

"She probably came here to kidnap your sister," Baytim said, looking incredibly tired. "I guess she somehow found out you were busy?"

Irwin felt his mood sink as he looked at the two soulcarded women. She had a card over Brecka, but they were so horribly made that he wondered if she could even beat someone with a well-made heartcard. That said, the resonance he felt from her first soulcard was something he wasn't familiar with.

"What is that card type?" he asked.

"I can't be sure, but I think it's either local gravity or some form of spatial freezing," Ambraz said. "Whatever it is, the person who made those should never be allowed to make another heartcard ever again."

Irwin fully agreed, and he sniffed.

"So, you are the one who was trying to bring me to the empress?" he asked.

The woman smirked. "Yeah, that would be me," she said. "A fool I was."

"I couldn't agree more," Irwin said, raising her a bit higher so he could look her in the eye. "Care to tell me what you were doing here?"

"That traitor was right," she said, glaring at Baytim. "Every Oxarite is beholden to help the Empress; that includes all of you."

Irwin almost told her that he wasn't an Oxarite, but held back at the last moment. He had enough issues to add that to the public knowledge base. Instead, he stared at her for a few moments.

"That's really great," he grunted. "And what am I supposed to do with you now?"

"I don't care," Zou snapped.

Irwin had the feeling she wasn't going to be forthcoming with anything else, and the fact that she acted like this while she was the one to try something with them made him even more annoyed.

"Oh? Then perhaps I should shatter your soulcards and let you live out your days as a broke-handed?" he asked, unblinkingly.

Zou froze in his grasp before swallowing as her blueish skin paled. 

"Baytim… any idea?" Irwin asked.

"No, but I do have one question for her," the ex-mercenary leader said as he walked towards them. "Zou, did you somehow prevent the Empress from answering my messages?"

Zou's gaze flickered to him, and Irwin could feel her shiver.

"Well?" he asked, when no answer came.

"Your messages never reached her," Zou muttered. 

"What? Blocking messages for the Empress is a crime," Baytim hissed, glaring at her and seemingly having forgotten his previous weariness.

"Just like disobeying me," Zou hissed. "Didn't stop you!"

"That's different," Baytim said.

"Enough," Irwin said, turning to Brecka. "Can you go and find the Head Teacher and tell her what is happening here? I'm sure she has a solution. Perhaps there is some jail we can put her in."

Brecka looked like she wanted to reject, but after a few seconds, she sighed and began jogging toward the broken gate. "Don't let her go!"

"I won't Irwin called back.

"Where did you put my communications tablet?" Baytim asked angrily. "I went back to find it, but it was gone."

Zou shrugged, which was awkward as she was hanging a foot from the ground, held by her shoulder.

"Where is it?" Baytim snapped.

"I broke it, alright?!" 

"What? Why?" Baytim asked, sounding thoroughly confused.

"Just a mistake," Zou muttered before glaring at Irwin. "How about you let me go? There's no way I can flee from you anyway. How did you ever manage to get three soulcarded? I was told two was the limit."

Irwin watched her, then slowly put her down. 

I hope this won't take too long, he thought, as he remembered the new card in his pocket.

Twenty minutes later, they were still standing in the same spot, Zou looking incredibly annoyed, when Brecka came running back with six Viridian soldiers. Irwin was surprised to sense that two of them had a soulcard. They both wore somewhat ornate metal-reinforced wooden breastplates and had roughly the same coloration of red leafy hair. One was roughly the same size as Irwin with a starlike scar on her cheek, while the other was an entire head taller, towering over everyone present like a behemoth. His chin looked like a small dented anvil, and when he spoke, his voice sounded like someone snapping a tree in half.

"Zou Steelshaper! Havoc Bringer, a general nuisance," the behemoth said, a mocking smile on his face. "Never thought I would see you again. I thought we told you that you weren't welcome in Cinder Grove?"

Zou didn't answer, but Irwin saw her roll her eyes as the soldiers closed in.

"Honorable Tutor," the star-scared woman said, ignoring Zou and the giant alike. "I am Grove Guardian Stehlla. Headteacher Flowrishin asked if we could take care of a little pest that managed to sneak into the city. Unless you need that for anything else?"

Irwin shook his head as he picked Zou up and literally handed her over to the towering Viridian. Both he and the woman had single soulcards, but they were of far better quality than Zou's. Still, bad, but the two of them should be able to handle her… hopefully.

"She has a weird ability," he said. "Are you two going to be able to hold her?"

"Oh, don't worry," the giant said, laughing slyly. "I know her card very well, and I was giving mine specifically to counter hers. She won't be freezing herself or anyone for a while."

Irwin nodded before glancing at the other Stehlla as he thought about something. "This one broke our communication tablet. Think you can get me a replacement for a while? I can pay with cards."

"It will be our honor," the giant rumbled before Stehla could reply.

Irwin saw her sigh wearily, but she nodded. "I'll get one brought here by the evening."

"Thank you," Irwin said. "Be careful not to let her go, alright? Next time, I might squeeze a bit harder."

"She isn't going anywhere," Stehla said. "And with the issues in the Empire, she won't be getting any easy out this time. Is there anything else we can do for you?"

Irwin shook his head, and the squad of guards saluted in a way he hadn't seen before, by slamming their fists into their shoulders. Then they turned and strode off, taking a angry-looking Zou away.

"Well… that was not what I'd expected for today," Irwin muttered before turning to Baytim. "Use that tablet to contact the Empress and see what happens. But remember, I'm not leaving here, atleast not for a few years."

"I'll do my best," Baytim said. 

"Brother, you should have just killed her," Brecka said, looking annoyed. "She might escape and return!"

Irwin wasn't surprised by Brecka's words. Onyxians had a tendency to be very no-nonsense with anyone they deemed a criminal. He let his senses flow outwards, easily detecting the soldiers and Zou as they walked away.

"Better not," he said. "Besides the fact that we shouldn't just kill people, her soulcards are easy to detect, and there's no way she can creep up on us again."

"Until you get lost in crafting again," Ambraz said.

"Which is why you will be paying attention," Irwin replied, turning to Brecka.

"Now, I need to finish up something. After that, we should get something to eat," he said. "I'm thinking some spicy meat?"

Baytim hummed happily, while Brecka's anger lingered for only a moment longer before turning into a smile.