Irwin's Journey 366: Bloodcards

"Sorry to make you wait," Lord Harborth said.

Irwin just nodded, listening to Terlo play a sad song about some boy who had been lost in time by slotting a card that kept having him experiencing the same three-month loop.

"Cards like that don't exist," he muttered as he walked beside Lord Harborth. 

"I would advise against taking anything you don't pay him for seriously," Lord Harborth said.

Irwin nodded before realizing he'd forgotten to use the proper etiquette like Nisziz had explained. A quick glance showed that Lord Harborth didn't seem to care. Instead, he placed his hand in the center of the door, which gleamed softly. It swung open with a soft swish, and Lord Harborth stepped into the room.

Irwin glanced at the seven-foot doorframe, sighed, and crouched as low as he could to shuffle through.

The room on the other side, although small, was high enough for him to stand again. A shimmering energy crystal hung in the center of the room, causing a constant pale white light. An older man was just getting up from a comfortable-looking chair, bowing to the Lord.

Irwin barely noticed it as he stared at the cocoon of dense soulforce. It was as if he was seeing two things at the same time. His normal vision told him there was a shimmering, not completely real, crystal with a young boy inside. However, his soulforce vision and senses told him there was an absurdly dense concentration of soulforce in the center of the room, all of a single type he'd not seen before. It was swirling around in a constantly repeating pattern while a beautiful song played through the room.

"My Lord, is this the smith?" the man asked with a gruff, somewhat cracked voice.

"Slaztragh, meet Cardsmith Irwin," Lord Harborth said.

Irwin ripped himself from the sight before, frowning at the use of his real name.

"There is nobody still alive that I trust more than Slaztragh," Lord Harborth said calmly. "He already knew your identity, and I vouch for him."

Irwin saw the old man smile at the Lord before turning to him.

"Cardsmith Irwin, I will not share your identity unless you explicitly allow it," he said, bowing his head, though much lower than he did for Lord Harborth.

It's not like I can change it either way, Irwin thought as he nodded and turned to the small shape hovering in the crystal. He could feel that the effect was created by the old man, and from what he could tell, it put an intense strain on his low amethyst soulcards. How he was keeping this up without…

Irwin blinked, turning his full focus on the old man. Due to the large difference in their soulforce, he could easily sense the man's two soulcards. Both had the same unfamiliar type, and both were poorly made. Even if he had a higher rank, and his soulscape could have held another soulcard, the resonance between the two he had now was horrendous. It was as if a quartz rank smith had somehow managed to create the soulcards without really knowing what he was doing. 

All that aside, Irwin could sense the horrible strain it put on the cards and likely the old man's soulscape. It was so much that he could almost feel the old man's life being drained from him. With two soulcards, even at Amethyst, he should have easily been able to live a few hundred years, but from what Irwin could sense, he had perhaps ten more to live… less if he didn't stop what he was doing.

"You are dying," Irwin said.

The old man's eyes flashed, but he didn't react in any other way. Lord Harborth, however, hissed.

"What are you talking about?"

Irwin was about to answer when Slaztragh shook his head.

"It is not important, my lord."

Irwin held back an angry snarl while Lord Harborth sniffed.

"I think you should let me be the judge of that," the Lord said. "Explain."

Slaztragh glanced at Irwin in annoyance before turning to Lord Harborth.

"Using my soulcard this much is slowly draining my life away," he said. "But, my Lord, it is fine. I am already old, and if I can help save Firgus, I will happily do so."

Lord Harborth looked at him with a mix of barely contained anger and sadness. Then he took a deep breath and visibly calmed himself.

"Cardsmith Irwin, can you tell me how long he has left?"

Irwin examined the old retainer. He could get a rough estimate. Ten years if the man stopped now, and probably a year if he didn't, but he knew Ambraz would be able to give him a much better reading.

"I will ask my Ganvil to come out to check," he said. "If that is alright?"

The Lord nodded, and Irwin quickly explained things to Ambraz. A moment later, the Ganvil appeared in midair, landing on Irwin's shoulder.

"Welcome to my humble estate, Am'braz, son of Brazardian," Lord Harborth said.

Irwin knew he shouldn't be as surprised as he was. He should have realized that if Harborth found out about him, he would have known all about Ambraz.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Ambraz said smoothly. "Now, before we exchange pleasantries, let me examine your retainer."

Irwin had heard Ambraz speak like this before, but it still surprised him how well his friend could switch into his official role.

"If you stop using your soulcard now and never overuse it again, you can live for nearly ten years," Ambraz said, causing a startled his from Lord Harbroth. "If you continue as you are now, you will be dead within nine months."

Lord Harborth took a deep breath, but Slaztragh didn't seem surprised.

"Slaztragh, you knew?" Lord Harborth asked.

"Yes, my Lord, though not with such great specificity. As I said, the trade is more than-"

"Enough," Lord Harborth said. He took a deep breath, then turned to Irwin. "Can you please have a look at my grandson and see if you can save him?"

Irwin nodded as he focused on the small boy. He was wearing what looked like a nightgown, with some tears in the side and front. Dust and smudges covered his face, but he seemed to have been calm when he'd fallen asleep. Focusing on his soulforce resonance and the cards, Irwin instantly felt the first card, a powerful body improvement card that had a similar resonance to that of Lord Harborth.

'It's a blood-type Amolite card,' Ambraz said, projecting his voice into Irwin's soulscape. 'It has enhanced regeneration, close to what yours has, but requires the consumption of blood. It's probably why he survived whatever killed the others until Harborth was able to intervene.'

Consuming blood? Irwin thought, frowning at that.

'What kind of blood?' 

'Any blood from what I can tell,' Ambraz replied.

Irwin felt a shiver as he realized that meant there were beings with soulskills that could use the blood of others. He knew of blood-based types, but most of those used someone's own blood. 

I wonder if that means they can use the blood while it's in someone's body…

Sensing he was getting distracted, Irwin focused on the second card, which took more effort than the first one. It was much weaker than the Amolite Blood card, its resonance being drowned out. Sitting down, he crossed his legs and slowly unlocked his newest handcard while focusing on the boy. 

His senses turned sharper, and it became easier to puncture through the cocoon of soulforce to investigate the two cards. 

'The cursed card… It feels like it strengthens the other card?' he sent to Ambraz.

'I agree. From what I can feel, it is not unlike your control cards. It's almost a shame that the kid slotted it… If you could slot that beside any card, it would empower them immensely.'

'I am not slotting a second cursed card,' Irwin said while rolling his eyes.

'Sure, sure. Now let's see if we can figure out a way to get rid of it or compensate for what it changed.'

'What do you mean, change?' Irwin asked, trying to sense any changes the card was making to the first card besides making it more powerful.

'It's not just boosting the first card. From what I can sense in the brat's body, it is using his own blood to speed up the healing process, in essence, causing his body to eat itself. The thing is, it's even doing so when there's no damage.'

Irwin focused on the two resonances, trying to make sense of the details he was feeling. Although his senses were much sharper than they had ever been, it took him a while to find what Ambraz was talking about. A minute, barely perceivable resonance in the boys's blood. If Ambraz hadn't told him, he wouldn't have noticed, as it looked to come from his entire body.

Irwin wondered how they should go about fixing it. Perhaps another card to generate more blood? If it was placed beside the cursed card, it would also be empowered, but that would likely mean Firgus would have to eat a massive amount of food daily to compensate.  Perhaps, instead, they could find a card that used ambient soulforce to generate blood?

As his mind tried coming up with a workable solution, he kept investigating Firgus's cards and realized something. It wasn't weird why no smith had managed to help yet! Besides needing to be incredibly sensitive to soulforce, there was one bigger issue. Due to the first card being an Ammolite card, the Cardsmith would need an Ammolite card himself to be able to even do anything.

Time passed as he and Ambraz tried to come up with a way, proposing and rejecting multiple solutions until they finally arrived at the only two they could think of that might work.

'So, first, we see if we can make a card that generates blood that can actually resonate with the other two and hopefully offset that massive imbalance," Irwin said. 'If that fails, we do it in two steps. First, a card to offset the resonance imbalance, which would increase in power due to the cursed card, then he needs to make it into a full hand, and he slots as many cards as we can find to boost his blood creation.'

'Exactly. And if that fails, he needs to slot all his handslots in such a way that it will cause an imbalance in the heartcard, and we are going to recreate it as we did for Hind, ejecting the cursed card in the process,' Ambraz agreed.

Irwin nodded, wondering if he could do the same thing for himself. Sadly, what is the chance of him finding another cardsmith who could do what he did and also had an ammolite card? 

His thoughts drifted back to the Golden Friction Academy and Dahlia's grandfather, Dean Salwek. It was the only other Cardsmith he knew with an ammolite card and the skill… 

Do I even want to lose the card?

He thought about the power it gave him and what it might even do if he removed it now. Would his soulscape shrink back? If so, could he even survive that?

'Alright, let's talk with Lord Harborth,' he said.

Turning his attention back to the rest of the room, he saw that Lord Harborth was quietly waiting, sitting in a smaller chair beside Slaztragh. 

"Cardsmith, have you managed to find a way?" Lord Harborth asked.

Irwin saw a sliver of hope in his eyes as he nodded.

"Probably, but I have some questions," he said. "What did the other cardsmiths tell you about the situation?"

"That it was hopeless. The first card was causing too much of an issue, and Slatzragh's skill was causing interference of some sort,'" Lord Harborth said. "The only cardsmith that was able to tell anything said that Firgus's body was eating itself…"

"That's almost right," Irwin said.

He calmly explained the situation to Lord Harborth, ending with the possible solutions.

"I have more blood-type cards," Lord Harborth said, looking worried. "I really hope we don't have to resort to some experimental heartcard-shattering technique."

"My Lord, perhaps we can find some other people for Cardsmith Irwin to test the process on before subjecting Firgus to it? I am sure if you ask around, there will be plenty of people who would be willing to risk it with the promise of some cards they otherwise couldn't get," Slaztragh said.

Irwin held back a frown as he looked at the old man. The idea of experimenting on people felt bad to him, especially by bribing people who didn't have any current issues. What if he failed? Someone could die due to it. 

But you will have to do it again and again many times in the future. It would be better if you were good at it, a tiny part of him thought.

Irwin shoved the thought away. Even if he did that, how long would it take? He needed to find Rindiri, and the longer he waited here, the longer that would take. Besides, he had to return to Mudball and the gas giant. The sooner he could do all that, the sooner he could return home and to his family.

"I don't think I have the time to stay here to practice that," he said. "There are other things I need to do, friends to find."

"It's not a bad idea, Slaztragh, but perhaps it isn't needed," Lord Harborth said. "Let's try using the blood cards first. We can decide on another plan if that fails."

Irwin saw Slaztragh frown, but Lord Harborth seemed to ignore his retainer's skepticism as he turned to Irwin.

"I will bring you all the blood cards I have gathered over the years. I will also have some food and drink brought to you!"

Irwin watched as the Lord left before turning his attention back on Firgus.

--

Slaztragh inspected the Cardsmith from the corner of his eye. Besides being giant-sized, the armor made him look massive, like an immovable mountain. He was also young, appearing barely in his mid-twenties. It didn't mean he was that young, as Slaztragh knew plenty of people who looked twenty but were ten or twenty times that old. But in this case, by the way, the cardsmith talked and acted, Slaztragh had the sense he was likely not much older than he looked.

Which was a problem.

The Lord is getting impatient, he thought, staring at the young cardsmith. 

Why would he risk young master Firgus's life by letting some young whelp try and work on him? Wisdom and skill came with age. Everyone knew that. This Irwin might say he could sense what was happening, but Slaztragh had the feeling he was just lying and worse—planning to shatter a heartcard? Preposterous, he had never even heard of something like that!

No. Just because he was a powerful fighter didn't make him a good cardsmith, nor did him having a Ganvil.

Slaztragh glanced at the Ganvil, noting the long scar across its side, which had cut a nick out of the otherwise sharp corner of its working surface. What Ganvil had scars? 

I'm sure they will just try to steal some of The Lord's blood cards, Slaztragh thought, deciding to keep a close eye on the cardsmith and his Ganvil.

--

"Your friend will be reforging some cards in an attempt to save my grandson," Lord Harborth said as he looked at the shadewalker, Greldo.

Another of his retainers stood beside him. 

"I have taken the liberty of having some rooms cleaned and readied for you. If you follow Iastra, she will show you there," Lord Harborth said. "If you require anything else, feel free to ask."

He saw the Shadewalker prepare to ask a question but quickly turned and moved away. 

It had been hours since he'd given his collection of blood cards to the cardsmith, and he wanted to see if he'd made any progress. He knew he was pushing things, but he also knew the cardsmith and his friends weren't going to stay here for a long time. If he didn't get his help now, Slaztragh might be dead before he could find someone else.

Just thinking about his old retainer risking his life and spending so much of himself on saving his grandson made Harborth conflicted. He wanted Firgus to survive. More than anything. He knew that if he had to, he'd sacrifice dozens… But the idea of Slaztragh dying for it angered him.

He used his movement and sped through the hallways. When he reached the guarded area, he saw the guards were focused on the door instead of on him. He felt his anger grow, ready to reprimand them, when he noticed the soundproof and resonance-proof door, the door he had spent so much money on, the door that should be able to prevent nearly anyone from breaking through, shaking and shuddering. Dust trickled down from the ceiling, and he heard an occasional odd distant sound.

"What is happening?" he snapped.

"It started an hour ago, my lord," one of the guards said. "Did the one we sent not tell you?"

Lord Harborth shook his head as he ran through the room to the door. He put his hand in the center and felt the heavy, rune-inforced sheet of stone and metal vibrate against his palm. There was a soft shudder, then the door swung open, and a beautiful, energetic song boomed out of the room. A deep bass was singing a song in a language he'd never heard before, supported by a deep hum, while a beautiful screeching melody played behind it. 

Rushing into the room, Harborth saw the Cardsmith striking the Ganvil while an image of a bloody gash hung above the card. He was the one who was singing, while the energetic screechy instrumentals appeared to come from nowhere.

Slaztragh was staring at the happenings from his chair, his eyes almost rolling out of their sockets.

Lord Harborth quickly slammed the door shut and moved to Slaztragh. He wanted to ask what was happening but didn't dare for fear of interrupting the reforging. Instead, he watched and listened, slowly feeling his awe grow. He'd known the cardsmith was one of those who used music to work his craft and heard the rumor about him singing while working, but this was something different. The detail in the music was incredible, and although his own soulforce senses were only average, he could sense his soulcards humming along with the song. He had seen cardsmiths work before, many of which were ruby-rank, but the power he felt coursing through the room now was immense. 

Is he diamond rank? 

Lord Harborth flopped down in his chair, watching and waiting as his hope grew. He had already put some of his other retainers to work, finding people who might be willing to have their heartcard shattered with the hope of getting a better one afterward. He'd also found a way to hopefully bargain with the cardsmith to stay long enough to practice, but perhaps… perhaps it wasn't needed after all?

--

"I hope … Rodd will be back soon."

Greldo looked at Klatzi from his spot on the ground, leaning against Coal's side. She and Nisziz were lying on the large bed. They had been brought to a set of adjacent rooms but decided to stay together until Irwin was back.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he will be back soon," Greldo said, not adding that Coal told him Irwin was already walking back to them. He was sure they would be observed, and although Lord Harborth seemed friendly enough, he didn't feel like letting him know he could see and listen in on the man's actions without him knowing about it.

Klatzi nodded, fiddling with the sword she had by her side. Both Blademaidens seemed almost incapable of leaving their blades alone, having them with them wherever they went.

"Perhaps we can look around the district as we wait?" Fuchsia asked from where she was sitting.

"Let's wait for now," Greldo said. 

The young Yuurindi nodded immediately, seeming slightly intimidated. 

What happened to her to make her this jumpy, Greldo wondered.

He tried to act surprised as the door opened, and Irwin crouched below the entrance and forced his way inside. He looked slightly weary but smiled back at him, showing he was fine.

"I thought I sensed you all hear," he said, moving to the wall beside Greldo and thudding down. Even when he was sitting on the ground, his head was higher than Fuchsia's, who was sitting on a chair.

"So, did you succeed?" Greldo asked, already knowing the answer. 

One of Coal's shadows had managed to sneak in after Irwin had begun reforging. The process had interfered with the runes that should prevent any shadewalker from entering, so the shadowclone had been able to observe everything, relaying it to him. 

"No," Irwin said, leaning his head back, quickly explaining the problem. 

"So, you couldn't reforge a blood card that could help?" Greldo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Irwin snorted. "No, that wasn't the problem. We made multiple that should have worked. The problem is that the cursed card rejected every other blood card. From what we can tell, it is doubly cursed. It only allows one card of a single type to be slotted adjacent to it."

"So, now what? Do we give up and set out after Rindiri?" Greldo asked, knowing the answer already.

"No," Irwin said, leaning his head back. "Lord Hazborth has asked if I can practice breaking and reforging heartcards until I am sure it will work on his grandson."

There was a moment of quiet as Fuchsia looked stunned.

"So we are staying here for a while?" she finally asked, seeming to take the idea that heartcards could be broken and remade for granted.

"I am not sure yet," Irwin said, looking at the others. "Besides some ethical problems I have with reforging perfectly fine heartcards, I don't feel like staying here that long. The thing is… Lord Harborth has told me he knows where Rindiri is, and he is using this knowledge to bargain for me to stay here for a month."

"What?" Klatzi exclaimed, leaning forward. "How does he know that?"

Irwin snorted. "Apparently, he has the habit of putting tracking runes on any and every ship that arrives in port."

"That means he knew where the Deadpact Mercenary's ships were going!" Klatzi said, jumping off the bed and walking around, anxiously swinging her scabbarded sword. 

"Not exactly," Irwin said. "Apparently, the Deadpact Mercenaries and the Currant Hunters had ways to prevent that."

Greldo quietly watched his friend. He knew Irwin didn't want to experiment with reforging heartcards, as he'd barely done any. The thing was, it would be a fantastic way to boost their strength, as he could reforge the cards of people back home, giving people more powerful cards. 

"I think you should do it," he said.

Irwin looked at him in surprise before frowning. The others had fallen quiet, watching their conversation, with especially Nisziz looking curious.

"Why?"

"Because eventually, the Guidar and their army will arrive, and we will need to fight," Greldo said. "We need every potential advantage we can get."

Irwin looked away, nodding. "I know… It's why I'm hesitating."

"Just do it," Greldo said. "The amount of people that will likely die when the war truly starts will be insane, and everyone you make stronger will be an asset."

Greldo watched his friend's mood get even lower, but after a while, he nodded.

"You are right."

"I know," Greldo said, grinning. "Besides, if you keep practicing, you might be able to find a way to redo soulcards and get me a diamond one."

Irwin snorted, shaking his head. "Unlikely," he said before he slowly began grinning.

Greldo stopped scratching his chin, realizing Irwin was going to say something he probably wouldn't like.

"Seeing as we are staying here, there's something you need to do," Irwin said.

"Which is?" Greldo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Talk with Lord Harborth about a way to warn as many people as possible about the impending Guidar invasion and tell them everything we know about it, and the way they are controlling the people there."