Irwin's Journey chapter 4: Future laid out (Patreon)

Irwin barely saw where they were going and only noticed they were in the class for the oldest children when a soft, cold breeze came through the unshuttered windows on the far end.

Xourdin moved to the small desk, then turned and waved at them.

"Sit down. I'll only explain this once, and it's up to you to listen!" As he spoke, he raised one of his hands, and a card glowed for a short moment revealing an eye that hovered on the back of his hand. It seemed to look around, glancing at each of the children before it flashed and faded, leaving the children staring at the hand wide-eyed.

"Sit!"

Irwin jolted and followed Greldo to one of the long tables and sat down as far to the back as he could. Sadly, the room felt empty with only ten children, and he knew they both stood out, small and badly dressed compared to nine others. Only one other non-noble, non-craftsman's child was selected- Dalsin, the physically largest of boys. He sat beside one of the sons of a smith, somehow blending in, even with his decrepit old tunic.

"Good, at least you can all obey orders," Xourdin said. "Now, first off: I wholly expect some of your parents to attempt to weasel you away, and I'll let you know you had better talk them out of it. If I have to come to get you personally, I'll destroy the houses I visit… Do I make myself clear?"

There was no response, and Xourdin frowned, standing up straighter as he glared at them. "Answer!'

"Yes, master Xourdin," twelve boys and girls shouted as one, some with shuddering voices.

"Good. Then the real things you need to know. We will be taking a temporary portal to the Azurepeak mountains tomorrow, and as soon as we arrive, you will be moved into your new abode. There you will find a few hundred, hopefully, more, children from the other towns. Normally, there would be a few weeks where we would drill you. However… There's no time for that now. So, I'll explain what I can now, and you will have to try and survive."

A soft sobbing came, but nobody looked at the girl who slowly broke down. They could only look at the sorcerer, who was upending their lives as if it was nothing.

"In the tower, you will be expected to create groups of six, with whom you will both follow the courses and clear the common, low-ranked portals. Have you heard about portals?"

There was no response, and he frowned as he looked around.

Irwin wondered what he meant with portals when Clarish scraped her throat as she stepped forward. "Shimmering red swirls of magic that appeared together with the cards and Diflor. Monsters appear through them. They start small but grow rapidly. If left unattended, they will eventually bring more Diflor. The sorcerers search and close the portals before they turn out of control."

The other children looked at her in surprise, and even Xourdin looked at her for a quiet moment. Then he nodded. "Clarish, granddaughter to The fully carded sorcerer Doukyser Uldrot, one of the most powerful sorcerers in the towers. I should have known you'd know more. You are right. That is what we do, but what you probably don't know is that there are limits to who can enter them. Only one-carded people can enter common portals, while double-carded people can enter the uncommon portals. This goes up all the way to legendary, which is why we are on a time frame. If we don't close the common portals fast, we won't have enough sorcerers to close the higher-ranked ones!"

That got a gasp from the other children while Clarish turned pale, though not for the reason Irwin had thought. "You know my grandfather?" she whispered.

"Yes. When he knew I was going here, he told me to bring you," Xourdin said, seeming not to care for the interruption.

"Now. As you have heard, most of the one-carded people were lost in a stealth raid two days ago, and we are already struggling to keep up. We need to continue clearing te common portals before they grow out of hand completely! As soon as you arrive, you will start drilling with the weapon masters while also learning how to use your cards. Most likely, the best of you will enter your first rift within two days. Now, something the instructors will tell you, but that you probably won't believe… The group you start with is very important. More so than you can even know right now. Make sure you pick people you trust over those you think are powerful! If you don't, you will probably not survive the week!"

Irwin felt his mind jitter all over the place as it tried to keep track of all the sorcerer was telling them. Why had he never heard of this before?

"Right, now all of you, in order, tell me how many cards you have. I know four of you have none yet. Don't worry about that. I have brought a few common cards. "He pointed at a boy to the far left. "You first, the number of cards and types. Don't tell me the details, and never tell anyone. Cards that look alike can still have different effects, and sometimes it's better to keep your secrets close to your chest."

As if anyone has more than one card, Irwin thought.

"Desmond Telrin," the boy said, swallowing as he shook his head but stared at the sorcerer with gleaming eyes. "I have no cards yet."

"Okay, stay behind after, and I'll give you one. Next, you!"

Irwin barely heard the next children as he gazed at his hand in disbelief. Seriously, he could have had something else if he had just waited a day? The chances of the card being better than what he had were almost guaranteed!

Greldo poked him in the side, and he looked up to see Xourdin staring at him.

"Irwin Roddington, one card…. utility," he said slowly, almost as if the words were dragged from him.

There was a surprised grunt when he said he had a card, followed by a burst of soft laughter when they heard it was a utility one.

Xourdin frowned, and for a moment, Irwin hoped he'd tell him to stay behind so he could get a second, combat-oriented card. Then the sorcerer shrugged and pointed at Greldo. Irwin wilted, though he knew it'd have been too much to hope for. Cards were hard to come by, especially on this part of the peninsula.

"Greldo Domnyr, no cards, master Xourdin," his friend said, sounding almost happy.

A few minutes later all children were done, and Xourdin looked at those who had none before turning to the rest. "Right. Now, go outside and see your parents. Say your goodbyes, but remember what I said. Don't make me come find you…"

The children nodded, and Irwin listlessly followed the others through the hallways, trailing behind them and trying not to catch anyone's attention.

Those portals sound horrible, he thought. Xourdin hadn't told them what was inside, but it had to be monsters… besides how were they supposed to close them?

"Clarish, can you tell us some more about those portals?"

Endil, the smith's son, was looking at Clarish, seeming to expect an answer even though he wasn't one of the nobles. Still, his father was the most renowned smith in town, and most folks did all they could to keep on his vile-tempered good side.

Irwin perked up as he focused on the group ahead of him. He kept back but almost held his breath as Clarish started talking. "I don't know that much, really. Father told me some of the stories grandpa told him, and most of them dealt with fighting monsters and finding the linchpin to close the portals."

"What's a linchpin?" Dalsin asked, stepping beside Endil.

"It's the item keeping the portal open, sometimes it's a monster," Clarish said, now the center of attention but seeming unbothered. "Father said in most of the common portals, they resemble large, mutated beasts, like those from Gloomforest."

"Fantastic," Dalsin said with a sigh as he turned to Endil. "Let's go to your father and ask him for weapons and armor. If we need to fight, our few common cards won't be enough."

Endil nodded, then turned to Clarish. "Come with us. I'm sure father has some gear for you if you want."

Clarish smiled, and for a moment, the room seemed to turn a little brighter.

Irwin stepped back in the shadows as the others moved away, talking about preparing. He heard none talk about trying to hide, though he wondered what their parents would think. His mum always said that the nobles didn't take kindly to being told what to do.

When they were gone, Irwin snuck into a nearby classroom and looked out over the square to see if Bast and his friends were waiting.

A host of people stood on the square, almost as many as on the previous Gelwin's eve, and Irwin quickly spotted his mum and Bronwyn looking around anxiously. Even if Bast was around, he'd not risk angering Bronwyn, and Irwin ran through the hallways, rushing out of the building towards his mum.

There was a loud wailing and shouting from the different parents, and Irwin saw a few of the nobles glare at the building, seeming ready to storm inside and demand their children remain. Still, none moved, and Irwin wondered if any would actually dare.

"There you are!"

Irwin slowed as he saw his mum, her eyes red and a stink of Shril thick around her. He stopped in shock, staring at her, and only when he saw Bronwyn shake his head quickly and beckon him over did he move to his mum, who shocked him again when she wrapped him into her arms. The sharp stench of Shril almost made Irwin gag, but he held it back as he felt his mum shiver.

"My little boy is leaving," she whispered. "I'm so sorry, Irwin. If only Whyrdin were here, he'd know what to do."

Irwin shook at the mention of his father and looked up, gaping at his mother. She'd never talked about his father, never as much as mentioned him, and all he knew was from what Bronwyn told him. His mother didn't seem to notice, stroking his hair while tears flowed from her eyes as she stared at something only she could see.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright," she whispered.

As she continued, Irwin looked at his brother, both confused and getting uncomfortable. Mum almost never drank, and if she did, it was one cup. Now she was very obviously heavily doused. Should they bring her home? Bronwyn was looking at the ground, tears dripping from his eyes as he shook his head. As if sensing Irwin's gaze, he looked up, quickly wiped the back of his hand across his eyes, and stepped forward.

"Come on, mum, it's not good doing all this out in the open. Let's head home so Irwin can tell us what he's heard."

Irwin felt his mother slowly unwrap her arms, then step back, muttering something about two that he didn't catch. Then she grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Irwin didn't bother resisting. He was nowhere near strong enough, instead letting himself be dragged away along with his brother.

His mum kept rambling all the way to their tiny house. When they entered, she sat down, slumped with her head on the table, and almost immediately began snoring softly.

"What happened," Irwin asked stupidly, staring at her. She'd not even taken off her shoes!

"She is in pain, Irwin," Bronwyn said as he lifted two stools and put them opposite each other near the door, far from the table. Then he sat down and pointed at the stool.

"We heard some things from the other children, but I want to hear it from you. Did that sorcerer really select mostly noble and crafter's children?"

Irwin sat down, nodding. "Yes, even Endil and Clarish!"

Bronwyn blinked. "Wow. No wonder the nobles were in a rut! I wonder how that sorcerer thinks he's going to do this- he should know the nobles will just keep their children hidden until he leaves and-"

"He is one-from-full," Irwin said with wide eyes, still not believing he'd seen someone with five cards.

"By Gelwin's beard, that explains a lot… So what else did he say?"

Irwin began talking, then stopped when Bronwyn's mouth fell open, and he stared at Irwin.

"What?"

"That's my line! When did you learn another language? What was that?" Bronwyn asked as he waved his hands.

"I'm not using another language!" Irwin said with a frown. "I just told you what Xourding told us about the portals, and-" his brother shook his head with a sad frown.

"He hexed you," he said with a sigh. "I don't know what he told you, but apparently, it's not supposed to be common knowledge."

Irwin had no idea what Bronwyn was talking about and sputtered something, but his brother just laughed.

"Don't bother. It's not going to work. I saw something like that a while ago when they captured a spy from beyond the gate. Couldn't get him to tell us anything useful, no matter what they did to him-" Bronwyn stopped talking and shook his head. "Never mind that. I've got another little present for you. It was supposed to be for mum, but I'll get her some more next year…" he held out his hand, putting a few copper pieces into Irwin's hand.

Irwin fell back in his chair, clutching the coins, which were more than he'd ever held. Right. He probably wouldn't be here next year… or the year after. Sorcerers never came back until they had a full-hand. Probably because they can't enter the common and uncommon rifts anymore by then, he thought.

His mind kept spinning, and he barely heard all the things his brother said. Only when it was quiet for a few minutes did he realize Bronwyn was staring at him, and he focused again. "What?"

"I asked you if there's anything I can do for you, Irwin," Bronwyn asked. "And put those away before you lose them," he added, pointing at the coins still clutched in Irwin's hand.

Irwin blinked, then quickly stuffed the coins into his pocket.

"Thanks!" he said lamely, unsure what to say, then remembering the question.

He tried to come up with something. He almost asked for a card but then shook his head. His brother had none to give. Besides, now that he had one card, he couldn't just slot anything besides it. If it didn't resonate, it would be rejected by the already slotted card. He at least knew that much. As the soft snoring of his mum continued, he finally looked at her and smiled.

"Just look after mum," he said, trying to sound tough but unable to stop his voice from cracking up. "... Who… who is going to take care of her if we are both gone?" he asked.

"She doesn't need anyone to take care of her," Bronwyn said with a shake of his hand.

A dull gong came from outside, signaling the start of dusk, and Irwin looked up in surprise. "It can't be that late!"

"We talked for a long time. Well, I did," Bronwyn said with a mocking smile. "I think you were sleeping on your chair!"

"No, I wasn't. I was just thinking," Irwin said before yawning. He was suddenly tired, very tired.

"You should go and sleep, maybe practice your card a bit… you know I thought about that. I know it seems weak, but having fire anytime can be handy. Try and get a body-enhancing card for your next one. They usually mesh well with anything and learn how to wield a bow. You can light your own arrows on fire!"

Irwin stared at his brother, then looked at his card with a sudden renewed interest.

"Also, there are some really strong fire-based skills that most people can't slot because they don't mesh well with most other cards. You will probably have an easier time trading in the towers…"

Irwin nodded, surprised at how much sense Bronwyn was making suddenly. How had he not thought of that! Then he thought about it and wilted. He knew why he hadn't.

"As long as I can stay alive," he said softly.

"Yes," Bronwyn said as he got up and pulled Irwin into a solid embrace. "You will survive!" he hissed, seeming to want to make it so simply by force of will.

"I'll try," Irwin said.

A few minutes later, he lay on his cot, staring at the ceiling. Yawning again, he debated for a moment to just fall asleep and practice tomorrow. Then he pushed himself up and looked at his hand. Bronwyn's words had somehow made him a lot less annoyed with his first card, and as he looked at it, he focused on it. The sensation of that morning returned, both a muscle and a balloon at the same time, and he squeezed it when an idea popped into his head, shattering his concentration.

It's like a bladder, he thought with a grin.

It took him a few moments to regain his focus, and then the sparks appeared again until he pushed harder. When the tiny flame erupted above his finger, he felt the warmth. Wondering how long he could hold it, he kept the flame up, staring at it. It flickered softly, swaying left and right… left and right… left and-

...

...

"Irwin?"

Irwin shuddered as he looked up, gasping for breath as the flame on his finger whisked away. He was drenched in sweat, and he saw his mother stare at him from the shadowy doorway. She was waving as she did in the summer, staring at a spot to his side with wide eyes while blinking.

It had to be pretty late, almost evening, if it was this dark. How long had he sat? Two hours?

"You didn't have to dismiss it right away! Now I can't see anything," she hissed, angrily waving her hand about. "Put that flame on for a moment so I can light the candles- better yet, you come and help me!"

Irwin didn't move, staring at his mother, who was reaching for the door frame before slowly stepping back into the room. He was about to say something when he shivered. How could he see? Was it the card? But that made no sense! Common cards gave no passive benefits at all!

"Irwin, stop sleeping and come help me! I've got something for you!"

Irwin jolted, got up, and quickly and effortlessly stepped forward, around his mother and towards the table. A few half-burned-through candles stood there, and he focused on his first card. The flame appeared instantly, with barely any sparks, and he quickly lit the candles. Then he turned to his mother who was looking at him thankfully.

Irwin nodded, then walked to the tiny window in the far wall, usually bolted shut. There was a tiny gap in the bottom, and he leaned forward, glancing through it. A few stars sparkled in the sky, not enough to give off much light, but to him, the world outside was gray and ruddy, as if the setting sun's final rays still illuminated the world.

I can see in the dark! Irwin thought as a big grin tucked the corners of his mouth up. It's not a normal common!