Irwin's Journey 474: Give you a hand

Rubini felt her entire body protest as she pulled Julla back to the edge of the merchant's storage district and the narrow streets she and the others used to sleep in.

"Rubi," Julla muttered, yawning and wiping a few hairs from her face. "Will you have time to ask around tonight?"

Rubini held back a weary sigh, wishing nothing more to postpone it again. After three full days of helping the Wyrm Hunters clean their massive catch, she was dead tired… But as she watched Rubi stare at her stub mid-yawn, she knew she couldn't postpone it again. 

"I'll go and ask around while I get out food," Rubini said, trying to keep her head up and eyes clear.

"Do you want me to come with?" Julla asked, her voice slightly slurred.

"No, it's fine. Take a nap," Rubini said as they reached a free spot against the wall. She used her foot to move a small pile of sand up against the edge, and Julla just thudded down her eyes, already fluttering closed. She muttered something about being hungry, then she slumped onto the sand.

Rubini watched her for a moment, noticing the streaks of dried-up blood that had made it on her arms, even though they had worn the long robes provided to them. 

We need to find a better way, she thought, thinking about the few things she had heard about the new Smiths Guild and their giant leader.

She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and glanced at a few of the others. She instantly got signals from a few of the other older children that they were awake and watching. Returning the gesture with one of thanks, Rubini forced herself back out of the quiet and mostly unpopulated district.

A short while later, she was carrying a bag filled with a pack of dried meat, a smaller bag of unidentifiable bits and parts of nuts and roots, and two slices of fresh Puari that an older Ignitzian merchant lady had let her buy for cheap. She was munching on a bit of the dried meat, while a handful of broken bits of nuts and a bite of Puari were slowly warming her stomach. Slowly, she felt some of her weariness fade away.

Ahead of her was the Viridian district, and it didn't take her long to find the three Derwood brothers sitting with their backs against one of the many trees that dotted this part of the city.

"Well, look at this," Botat, the eldest, exclaimed as she walked towards them. "Rubini! What do you want here? Looking for some help tomorrow?"

Rubini stopped before them, grinning at the eldest.

"Nah, Botat. We finished up, and I'll have to find other things to do tomorrow," she said. "I'm here because I'm curious… What do you know about that Smith's Guild?"

Botat's eyes widened, and he shared a quick grin with his brothers.

"Rubini…. Come now. You know things aren't free, and definitely not information," he said, eyeing her back. "What about you share some of the food I can smell in that back?"

Rubini didn't even blink, having fully expected it, and she removed the smaller bag with crushed nuts and roots, tossing it up in her hand a few times. She noticed the sudden interest of all three brothers, and she raised an eyebrow.

"I could be persuaded to do that," she said, before slowly lowering the bag again. "But only if you know anything that's actually useful."

Botat fromwned, then leaned forward, glancing at the bag again, then at her.

"They came here about a month ago and bought one of the larger places in the Silverslope District," he said slowly. "From what I know, there were six of them, two really weird Oxarites, one of whom seems to be the Guildmaster, two Viridian cardsmiths, a teleporter, and one of the Centi. I think that last guy is a shadewalker—either that or a short-range teleporter. So far, about thirty people joined them, mostly street kids like us, though also a few of the hunters who were having a lot of bad luck. From what I've heard, they-"

Rubini quietly listened, absorbing everything he told her about the group, their building, and the things Botat had seen them do. Most of it was useless, but one thing kept popping up.

"So you are sure those three are cardsmiths?" she asked as Botat finally stopped.

"Definitely," Botat said, before taking a deep sigh and glancing around. "We are actually thinking about joining them, even if we didn't have the soulforce sensitivity they were looking for."

"Tell me that again," Rubini asked, opening the bag and giving each of the brothers a small handful of the nut and root bits inside. 

"So, that guildmaster, Irwin, he asked us to pay attention as he began moving soulforce, or something, and tell him when we couldn't sense it anymore. It started… intense. Like this pressure that made me wanna run and hide, and began weakening. As soon as we couldn't hear it, we had to lower our hand…"

"And he wanted you to hear it longer?" she asked, frowning. Did soulforce sensitivity have something to do with cardsmithing? No. She wouldn't be that lucky.

"Yeah," Botat said with a weary sigh. "He said we didn't have the sensitivity, and even if we became Cardsmiths, we would not get past reforging amethyst rank cards."

"Did he explain what that has to do with soulforce sensitivity?" Rubini asked, still skeptical.

"Nah, but Hyroot came in after us, and he didn't have any more luck," Botat said. "I heard they found two people so far, and those have moved into Silverforge."

Rubini frowned. "Did you hear anything… bad about them?"

"Bad?" Botat asked, snickering as he bit down on a nut with relish. "No, Rubi. From what we've heard, they have treated everyone pretty well. It's just that whole business with going into portals that has me worried."

"Yes," Rubini said, lowering her head with a frown. "I heard Hyroot joined them?"

"Yeah, he was willing to become a healer, which makes sense, right?"

Rubini thought about the calm, helpful Viridian boy, and she nodded. "It does. Nothing odd?"

"If you ignore the portal thing? No," Botat said, staring at his empty hand before sighing. "Which makes me think we will probably take them up on their offer in a few days. Food is getting scarce again, and they seem to have plenty."

Rubini saw the three brothers turn to each other and hesitated, weighed the bag in her hand, which only had a little over a handful of its nuts and roots remaining, then tossed it to Botat. He blinked, then looked at her, clearly wondering what she wanted.

"I'll be going and checking if either me or Julla has the sensitivity to become a cardsmith," she said. "If we don't, Julla will probably join as a healer. That guildmaster promised he would fix her hand so she could… I'm not sure I will, though, so if I don't and you do, keep an eye out for her?"

"Always," Botat said, looking at her with a frown. "But you would just leave her there, alone?"

Rubini stared at the older boy, then let out a weary sigh. 

"I am not going to become a fighter," she said, trying to push away the horrible memories that always surged forward when she even thought about it. "I can't. But I won't stand in Julla's way if she can get her hand fixed. I also can't believe they would allow everyone to become healers, and even if they would, Irwin said healers would need to go into portals. If they have to, everyone besides cardsmiths probably needs to."

"They mentioned needing a runecarver," Botat said slowly.

Rubini just snorted as she shook her head. "You think they will just allow anyone to become a runecarver? I don't know how difficult it is to become a cardsmith, but we both know about runecarvers. There's no way."

Botat just shrugged. "Well, thanks for the food. I hope you have what they need to become a cardsmith. If you do, make me a card, will ya?"

Rubini knew he was joking, but she still nodded.

"If miracles happen, I will," she said. "So you protect Julla, right?"

"Always," Botat said, smiling as he turned to his brothers, who had been quietly watching. "Good luck, Rubi."

Rubini waved as she walked away. She didn't understand why Botat seemed to think she had a chance, but she would figure that out.

Right, now let's see what more I can find, she thought, knowing she was far from done. Her parents had always told her never to trust a single source of information, and it was one of the best pieces of advice she'd ever had.

--

Irwin hummed happily as the song wandered off, and the card before him flickered, gaining a bright green border. He sensed Brecka standing before the door, where she'd moved to halfway through the reforging, and as the last of the song faded, she pushed it open.

"Success?" she asked, looking at the card.

"Yes," Irwin said. "What did you want to ask me?"

"We have another group of people who want to become cardsmiths," Brecka said, her eyes sparkling. "And the one-handed girl is with them!"

"Ah. Is Hyroot back yet?" Irwin asked.

"No, that's why I was hoping you could get started with them while I go and get him," Brecka said. "I think he is still with his friend, healing his leg."

Irwin nodded, pondering for a moment how the young Viridian had found them, asking only a single thing. Could he heal whomever he wanted if he joined them? Irwin had been stunned by the question, and even more by the boy's joy when he said yes.

"Alright," Irwin said as he followed her. He felt a slight hope Nimlarel and the others would return today, but he knew it would probably be another two days before the others returned.

As he walked into the room, he saw a group of ten or eleven people sitting around the tables, many with a drink, and a few morsels of food. He knew that some had likely only come for that, but he also knew the chances of finding someone with enough sensitivity would be tiny. He had tested over a thousand people and found only two.

Perhaps Ambraz is right, and I should bring some people from Eluathar here, he thought, before shaking his head. Every one of his people was part Galladin. It just wasn't worth the risk.

"Alright," he said, seeing that everyone was looking at him. "Do you all know what we will be testing?"

There were a few nods, but he saw at least half the people looking curious and uncertain.

"Well, let me explain," he said, before quickly going over the test he would do and why. 

"So, I'll be starting the first, initial test, and I would like you all to close your eyes. I'll be pushing my soulforce around, and I want you to raise your hands when you sense it. It will take a minute, so stay patient."

The people shared wondrous looks before doing as he asked, and Irwin waited till he saw everyone close their eyes. The young girl with the single hand actually had her good hand in front of her eyes.

Let's start a bit strong, Irwin thought, focusing on his aura and pressing outward.

Everyone instantly raised their hands, and he even saw a few people grimace. 

"That was a quick test to see if you were all paying attention," Irwin said. "Lower your hands, please, and let us continue."

A few moments later, he began pushing outward with different levels of soulforce pressure intensity. It took him only a few attempts to weed out over half of the people, as they were not even close enough to learn basic quartz-level cardsmithing. The others might be able to do that, and with the right cards, perhaps more, but as he lowered the pressure, he quickly saw that of those, only three remained. The taller friend of Julla, a young Viridian girl with long teal leaf hair, and an old Viridian man with scars across his left cheek.

"Alright," he said. "You may open your eyes, and I'll explain which three can remain for the next round of tests."

The group opened their eyes, staring at him with a mixture of hope and shock.

Irwin pointed at the three, and he wasn't surprised to see the dismay in the eyes of some.

"Just because you can't become a cardsmith here," he said. "Doesn't mean you can't join us for one of the other professions."

"And die or never return from a portal? No thanks," a young Oxarite grunted as he got up and walked to the exit. "Thanks for the food."

Irwin didn't react but watched as the others left, some straggling and clearly wishing to request another chance. Only two additional people remained. A tall Viridian woman stood beside the younger one, while Julla remained with her friend, smiling at her hopefully.

"Now, we will do the same test again, but I'll be going faster and using even less force," Irwin said. "You need to raise your hand when you sense it and instantly lower it again. Don't hesitate, we are going much faster this time."

The three nodded, and Irwin began as soon as they closed their eyes. He started strong enough for them to sense it, then began lowering it until he reached a level he knew was the minimum to reach ruby-rank complexity. By then, only Julla's friend was still raising her hand, though she was looking less sure of herself.

She's got promise, Irwin thought, lowering the pressure until he reached what he himself guessed was the minimum requirement for diamond rank. Technically, someone didn't need this baseline and could raise their sensitivity with cards, but the higher their base sensitivity, the more successful reforges someone would get.

The young Oxarite hesitated, raising her hand roughly half of the time, causing Irwin's eyebrows to rise. Although she wasn't the most sensitive person he'd ever found, she was definitely sensitive enough to become among the better cardsmiths currently on Scour. At least, those he knew.

"Alright, you can open your eyes," he said slowly. He focused on the young girl who stood beside what he guessed was her sister or friend. "You could potentially learn cardsmithing up to about topaz rank. Anything beyond that will likely be far too difficult. If you can find a card to increase your soulforce sensitivity, you may be able to go a rank further."

"So I can join?" she asked, her eyes wide.

Irwin nodded slowly. "Yes, but you will need to practice metal purification for a few years before you can learn cardsmithing. So, you could join now, or I can explain what you need to practice, and you can return when you are ready. It's up to you."

The young Viridian lowered her shoulders, seemingly uncertain, while Irwin moved to the older man.

"The same goes for you, though you are a bit more sensitive, so you should succeed faster," he said. 

The Viridian nodded, leaning back. "If I join, will I get food while I train here?"

"Yes," Irwin said. "But I also expect you to help with things when you are not practicing."

"Do I need to go into a portal?" he man grunted, raising an eyebrow.

"Not unless you want to," Irwin said.

The man grinned and shook his head. "I'll join."

Irwin smiled and nodded. "Good, just wait there while I finish up. I'll get you added to the register after."

He turned to Yulla's friend, who was watching him with a slight frown.

"Now you have a sensitivity that will allow you to reach nearly the highest ranks," Irwin said, watching her quietly. "That doesn't mean you will, because it requires more than just sensitivity. It also requires diligent practice, and depending on the smithing style you choose, talent. Still, if you are willing, we would love for you to join us."

The girl blinked, seemingly in disbelief, as Julla pulled her arm and whispered excitedly.

"I… really?"

"Yes, really," Irwin said with a grin. "You should be able to reach quartz-rank in a year or two, and ruby-rank in a few decades, if you practice hard. Beyond that? It depends on the cards you get and some luck."

"I… I… I'll join," the girl muttered.

"Good," Irwin said, feeling a wave of joy. He'd just doubled his future cardsmiths. 

Curious, he turned to the third person only to see she was already standing.

"I'm going to discuss this with my friends," she said quietly. "Can I return tomorrow and learn what I should practice?"

"You can join the metal purification practice any time," Irwin said. "They are after the second bell, and last about an hour."

"Does she need to bring anything?" her taller friend asked, not seeming all too worried about the idea.

"No," Irwin said. "We have plenty of metal ore for now, but she will need to practice more by herself."

The two viridians bowed their head and left without another word, leaving Irwin to scratch his chin.

"Those were the daughters of Lady Kirehm, Guildmaster," the older Viridian said, shaking his head. "She's one of the richer Grove Ladies in this region, and with a soulcard, one of the stronger ones."

A noble's daughters came here… without warning? Irwin thought, frowning as he crossed his arms. He'd spoken to plenty of them while he was on Scour, some even being students of his before. But usually they acted differently from this.

"She has dozens of daughters, and they are said to be rather self-sufficient," the older Viridian said, as he got up. "Say, Guildmaster, I heard the people who are allowed to join and practice as cardsmiths get a place to sleep here. Is that true?"

Irwin focused back on his new members, noticing that Julla and her friend were looking just as curious.

"Yes," he said. "You get a room for yourself, though-" and he glanced at Julla's friend, whose name he still didn't know. "-you are allowed to have someone sleep there as long as they cause no issues. In your case, as Julla will also join the Smiths Guild, I'll make sure there are two beds in your place."

The girl blinked, while Julla grabbed her arm, hugging her tightly.

"Now, let's get you two registers," Irwin said, as he looked around, wondering where Brecka was.

Besides, that way I'll know your names, he thought.

--

Rubini walked into the room carefully, scanning it for anything that was off. It was large, even compared to the room her parents had years ago, with two beds on one side and a table with chairs, a closet on the other. There was an entire wall dedicated to a window surrounded by nearly empty bookshelves, and a vine with orange-tinted Glowbulb Fruit grew from the wall beside the door, climbing across the ceiling and giving everything a beautiful soft orange light.

"It's beautiful," Julla whispered, crawling past her and twirling around in the small main area. 

It is, Rubini thought, as she closed the door, noticing there was a slot on the inside, a luxury she hadn't had in years. She clicked it closed, then double checked if it would open before finally relaxing.

"Rubi, do you think they will fix my hand tomorrow? Do you think I'll get a card right away?" Julla asked, smiling widely as she looked around.

"I don't know," Rubini said as she walked to the bed, examined it before sitting down, and looked around. "I hope so. Julla, go and sleep for a while, alright?"

Julla rushed to the bed, then stopped, glared at her clothes, and undressed to her underwear before she hopped on the bed. 

"Wake me before we get food," she said, before closing her eyes and snuggling herself deep in the white sandy bed.

"I will," Rubini whispered, as she lay down, her gaze on the door, trying to get to grips with what had happened.

Her mind spun for hours, and when she finally heard the cry for food from below, she had still not decided what to think of it.

Let's just see tomorrow, she thought, walking toward Julla. For now, let's just focus on eating. Perhaps we won't be here anymore soon, tomorrow or the day after.

--

"Alright, remain calm and don't move," Hyroot said, staring at Julla. 

The two were sitting in a rather empty room on the second floor, which held both the healers' rooms and those for some of the other helpers. 

Irwin stood at the back of the room, leaning against the wall and humming softly. He watched Rubini wring her hands to the side, watching her friend.

"It will start itching, then it will start burning," Hyroot explained. "It will also take a few weeks till it's fully grown. Understand?"

Julla nodded, her eyes gleaming, showing zero fear or worry.

Hyroot smiled at her. "Pay close attention. If you are to join me as one of the first healers of this Smiths Guild charter, it's important to know what to expect."

"I will," Julla squeaked.

Irwin saw a glow of soulforce ripple from Hyroot's heartcard, the control he was showing of the ruby-rank card that he'd only had for a few days impressing him greatly. 

'That kid was born to be a healer,' Ambraz said, humming the same tune as Irwin was. 'I think we should focus on having him get a soulcard as one of the first.'

'That's after I return home for half a day,' Irwin said. 

'Of course,' Ambraz said. 

The two of them quietly watched as a complex pattern began weaving through the flesh of Julla's stump. It seemed to draw upon her own barely existent soulforce, and Irwin could see from her dull eyes just how hard it was. 

Still, she didn't stop smiling, even when Irwin knew she would be feeling the horrid itch he recalled from his own arm.

A short while later, perhaps half an hour, Hyroot took a step back while everyone, Irwin included, watched the tiny, odd bump that had grown on Julla's stump. 

"My soulforce is drained," Hyroot said, sounding weary. "I'll come back tomorrow to continue. It shouldn't take longer than two weeks, I think."

Julla jumped forward, wrapping her arms around him, causing the young Viridian to start, arms wide, looking down in mild shock.

"Thank you, thank you," Julla shouted, before dashing away to Rubini.

Irwin watched them chatter excitedly, and although he saw the worry and uncertainty still remaining with Rubini, he was glad to see that she seemed to be mellowing out.

"Rubini, we will have our first practice after the next bell," he called out.

"Yes, Guildmaster Irwin!"

Irwin smiled as the two girls dashed away. Hyroot walked towards him, looking drained.

"I'll go and sleep for a while, guildmaster," he said, waiting till Irwin dismissed him before he actually left.

Alone in the room, Irwin looked around, nodding and feeling content. A few more days for the others to be here, then Rinbus and Nimlarel would start gathering more Ancestral Copperion.

I'll be back soon, he thought, as he looked through his other self at his body back on Eluathar. 

--

Rubini walked into her room and slumped on her back, feeling both weary and content. If any of her friends had seen her, they would have barely recognized her now, wearing clean clothes, clean and well-fed. It had been over six weeks since she'd joined the Smiths Guild, and her fear of trouble had long since faded to nothing but the occasional flashback.

The door was shoved open, and she looked up to see Julla dash into the room, her eyes gleaming happily.

"Look!" she shouted, rushing to Rubini, who barely had time to sit up when Julla's new left hand was pushed under her nose. There was a single, brilliant card in the first slot that looked like a tiny tree made of red and orange metal. "I have my first card!"

Rubini pushed herself up, blinking stupidly at the card, shaking her head.

"Shouldn't that have been in a week?" she asked, confused. "Guildmaster Irwin said he didn't have the proper base for you and-"

"Nimlarel returned this morning, and she and Rinbus found another one," Julla cried out happily. "The Guildmaster came and reforged it on the spot and gave it to me!"

She pushed herself up and began dancing around, spinning and flailing her arms.

"So… that's why he had to leave halfway through the metal purifying lesson," Rubini grunted. 

"Yes," Julla said, sitting on her own bed before jumping back up and walking around the room. "Oh, I also heard he would be busy tomorrow and the day after, so there won't be any lessons. Do you think we can go into the city and find the others? I wanna show them my new card! Maybe they will finally decide to join."

Rubini frowned. 

"Did he say what he was doing?" she asked curiously.

"No, but he did mention something to Brecka that was confusing. He said he'd bring her some food from home when he returned. Do you think he is going to teleport to the place they are from?"

"I… don't know," Rubini said curiously.

"Well, are we going into the city tomorrow?"

"Yes, but remember what I told you. The others don't want to join because they don't wanna be rangers," Rubini said. 

Julla sighed and lay down on her back, her hand up and constantly staring at it. "I guess I understand," she said. "But if they come, they can join my future squad."

"Julla…"

"I know, I'm still too young, but I will have to go when I'm old enough, you know that," Julla said, seemingly distracted.

Rubini didn't react, watching her friend for a while longer. Then the weariness of a heavy day of practice made her slip into a deep sleep.