Irwin's Journey 438: Musician Smith

Irwin watched as the man before both calmed and slowly changed. Initially, he'd thought the Acenti was a hardliner, but ever since the man woke up, it had been clear that he wasn't. He was just some guy who had been doing a job he barely understood and had gotten surprised, scared, and finally completely shocked by everything that had happened.

"You've really been with this Cult for over ten years?" Brecka asked.

She was leaning back, the wariness having slowly faded as the conversation continued.

"Yes," Rinbus said, toying with the empty cup in his hands. "I was chosen because of the skill I was born with, which is shadow-aligned. So, they gave me the shadowstep card to absorb. They never said so, but I think they were slightly disappointed by the resulting ability."

Irwin leaned forward, feeling his curiosity get the better of him.

"Why is that? I know you can absorb cards to slowly create a more powerful one, but I'm hazy on the details."

Rinbus hesitated, then sighed. "We don't get more powerful from just absorbing them; that happens as we age or sometimes use the card. We can only absorb new cards when we reach certain thresholds."

So, a bit like filling a soullake, Irwin thought. 

"Can you tell me why you came here?" Rinbus asked.

Irwin eyed him for a moment, then shook his head. "Not the details, but let's just say that I'm here to learn things that would take too much time somewhere else."

"Because of how time flows differently here?" Rinbus asked, eyes widening. "So that's true too?"

"It is," Irwin said. "They told you that?"

"Well, not exactly," Rinbus said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "There's an old nursery rhyme that parents tell their children. I think it goes like this…"

He frowned before starting to sing softly. 

"Sleep, little one, and don't be afraid; we have found the keys to untie the braid.

In these lands, the sands flow slow,

time plays tricks,

for you to live, to love, to grow."

He finished with a shrug. "I think there's more, but that's the part that I remember. When I first heard there are worlds beyond, I always wondered what that meant."

Irwin nodded, wondering how much more knowledge was locked away in little songs. It somewhat reminded him of what had happened on Giard. 

Why didn't Gelwin find a world like this? he pondered. Having so much more time to grow strong, wouldn't it have allowed the ancient Galadin to grow strong enough to stop what was happening?

"So… what do we do now?" Rinbus asked. 

"Well, that depends," Irwin said. "Do you think, if you tell the Cult of the Unchained about us, that they will try and kill us or listen?"

"I… don't know. I want to think they will believe you."

"But?" Irwin asked.

"But I remember how convinced some of them were," Rinbus said. "Especially some of the older ones. I'm not sure they will believe you without drilling into your mind and seeing the truth for themselves."

"Drilling into my mind?" Irwin asked. "There are some that can do that?"

"Yeah," Rinbus said with a shiver. "They do that to all potential candidates to make sure they aren't actually spies from the other empires."

"Like the Oxarites?" Irwin asked, remembering what Rinbus had said.

"Exactly! Uh, that reminds me. Are you…"

"Oxarites?" Irwin finished the question. "Probably, but I would have to meet some to be sure."

Definitely not, he thought, keeping that to himself. Rinbus had become highly responsive ever since waking up, but he had no idea how far that would stretch. Besides, he couldn't risk the man actually being a really good liar, which was why he'd made sure not to mention the Galadin or cardsmiths yet. Explaining he was of some other species could cause some issues that he wasn't interested in dealing with right now.

"So, I answered all your questions," Rinbus said. "Do you think you could let me go now?"

"I would like that," Irwin said. "But I can't. Besides that, you might tell others about us, which I don't want yet; we are new here…"

Rinbus had gone pale at the first part, but at the last words, he blinked and slowly relaxed.

"You want me to come with you?"

"Yes," Irwin said. "Having you around will help us blend in, and it will also mean that if some other cultist finds us, we have a better chance of dealing with it without violence."

Rinbus bit his lower lip, staring at the cup.

"I take it I have no say in this?"

Irwin felt a bit sorry, but with all the things happening, he wasn't willing to risk it. He might have to blend in on Scour for a very long time, and it would be best if he could do that without being the target of every major faction.

That said, he knew that forcing Rinbus would only set bad blood. 

Luckily, he had a few incentives, especially seeing as Rinbus had joined the Cult for soulshards and a card.

"No, you don't," he said, raising his hands. "However, if you come with us and do your best to help, I can offer you some rewards."

A small stack of cards and a pouch appeared on the palms of his hands. Irwin fanned out the cards, placing all five on the table, while Rinbus's eyes widened. They went even wider as Irwin poured a few thousand soulshards out on the table.

"If you help us blend in, figure out if there are any Chainers or Chainer-sympathies hiding, I'll make sure that when we are done, you will be a wealthy, powerful man."

Rinbus swallowed, his gaze locked on the cards and soulshards.

"I… and all you want me to do is help you blend in?" he asked.

"Yes, and warn us if you see or hear of any other cultists or real Oxarite assassins," Irwin said. 

Rinbus slowly nodded, seemingly having to tear his gaze from the richest. 

"How do you know I won't just take the rewards and flee?" he asked.

"There's no way for you to flee from me fast enough," Irwin said with a smile. "If you do, I'll be forced to lock you away until we are done."

But I really, really hope that's not needed, he thought, shivering at the prospect of having to make the man into his soulscape. He didn't even know if he could.

I need to complete my next heartcard and hope that allows me to do this, he thought.

Rinbus had no idea of his internal worries, his eyes slightly fearful again.

"I don't think that will be necessary," he said hastily. "Those are more than enough!"

"Good," Irwin said before taking one of the cards and a few hundred soulshards and pushing them across the table. "See this as a down payment."

Rinbus looked at the card and the soulshards, then at him, and back at the richest. After a few moments, he very slowly reached out and pulled them towards him.

"Now, how likely is it that more cultists come and find us?" Irwin asked as he watched Rinbus put the things away in his jacket.

Rinbus paled. "Scrif," he hissed. "I had to send a mandatory message before I came here. If I don't return in time, the runes will project it to the headquarters."

"If you go now, will you be in time?" Irwin asked, pushing himself up. 

How come you only thought of that now? he thought, holding back the critique. 

"Yes, but I will have to hurry, "Rinbus said before hesitating. "I… can I leave?"

There were a lot of layers to his question that Irwin instantly understood. The strongest concern was whether Irwin would trust him enough to leave and potentially do something against his wishes.

"I'll follow you for now," Irwin said as he turned to Brecka. 

"Oh no, you are not leaving me here," she said, shaking her head. "Who knows, we might get to fight!"

Irwin snorted, then turned to Rinbus. "Lead the way."

He didn't add that if he tried anything, he'd regret it. He was trying to garner the man's trust in the hopes that he was trustworthy in the first place. 

Rinbus nodded, got up, and looked at the window. 

"I…"

"You can move through the shadows," Irwin said, unleashing his full senses while putting his hand on Brecka's shoulder. "I'll keep up."

"Alright, we are heading for my house," Rinbus said, and a moment later, he vanished into the shadows.

To anyone else, he would have been gone, but Irwin felt and saw the shadowy soulforce shoot out of the window. He clicked his tongue, following after it.

Barely a minute later, the trio stood in a spacious but cluttered single room in a building on the other side of town, halfway up the building structure. The table was filled with half-eaten meals, while the bed was an unmade mess of blankets and sheets.

"It's over here," Rinbus said, running to a distant wall. He pressed his hand on it, and Irwin felt him move soulforce into some runes that had been hidden beneath a thin layer of canvas. He'd barely noticed it as it was the same color and structure as the wood.

Runes began glowing, and a moment later, the canvas folded up as a section of the wooden wall protruded out. It created a small table with papers and pencils on it. A large complex runic pattern sat in the middle, with a paper on it. It was glowing softly, seemingly becoming immaterial. Rinbus snatched it from the runes and jumped back.

"Scrif," he cursed, looking at Irwin with a slight fear. "It was already transporting, so part of the message might have reached the headquarters. It's impossible to be sure of what part arrived."

Why… Irwin thought.

He held back a curse as he reached for the paper. Rinbus handed it over, but a single glance told Irwin he wouldn't be reading it anytime soon. Although he spoke the general language that was spoken throughout the known Portal Gallery, there were many different ones, including written forms, and it wasn't a surprise that the Acenti had their own.

"It has your names and descriptions, including that you are musicians and the type of your instrument," Rinbus said, sounding worried. "It also has a list of the things you talked about with Sneel."

 In other words, I can't use my Soulstrum Guitar in public when I leave here, Irwin thought, feeling slightly sad. He'd hoped to move around as a traveling musician, but this idea was made impossible already. Unless… an idea began shaping in his mind, and he hummed. There was one problem with it if he could somehow figure that out.

"Is there any way to figure out what they read?" he asked.

"No, but I can send a second message explaining that you were just… I don't know, searching for history to create new songs?" Rinbus said hesitantly.

"That shouldn't hurt," Irwin agreed slowly, knowing that posed the same issues as his own burgeoning idea. 

How would he know what Rinbus was sending?

"There's a rune that allows for texts to be translated," Rinbus said quickly, seemingly understanding the problem. "I'm sure the local library has one, though it might be somewhat expensive."

"Library?" Irwin asked, his hackles rising.

"Yes, every town with more than ten thousand people has one," Rinbus said. 

"Alright, let's go there now," Irwin said. "Lead the way."

--

Rinbus walked out of the library with the small plate covered in runes. It hadn't been somewhat expensive, but prohibitively so. At least to him and any normal person. Irwin, however, had just taken a pouch from somewhere and paid the two thousand soulshard price without even blinking. He showed far less reaction to seeing the library itself, which had somehow seemed to surprise and relieve him. What he could have possibly worried about with a library, Rinbus didn't know, but the action did strengthen his belief that the man wasn't lying but really was from some mysterious other place.

Okay, perhaps, just perhaps, this isn't going to end as badly as I feared, he thought, rushing through the shadows back to his old home.

Another short while later, he watched the towering musician quietly read the message before nodding and handing it back. Rinbus wasn't surprised that he was slightly paranoid; if he were in another world where he knew nobody and might be seen as a problem that needed fixing, he would likely do the same. So he quickly put the paper on the transport runes, guided some soulforce into the runes that designated immediate transmission, and closed the desk back up.

"Alright, it should arrive there in a few moments," he said.

"Good. Then let's get everything we need and set out."

Rinbus blinked, looking at Irwin, then at Brecka. "Immediately?" he asked.

"I am afraid so," the towering man replied. "If they decide to check up on us, it might cause trouble."

Rinbus hesitated but remained quiet.

"What?"

"Well, they might do the same if I'm suddenly gone…"

"I know," Irwin said. "So, I want you to leave another message here. Explain that you have reason to believe I'm a cardsmith of high rank and that you will be following me around."

Rinbus watched the towering man, his gaze moving to his muscles before he swallowed.

"Are you?"

"A cardsmith? Some would call me that. High rank? That depends on what rank is high."

Rinbus felt his final worry fade, and he grabbed another paper, quickly creating another message. He let the musician -cardsmith?- read it before leaving it on the table. 

"So, are you still going to pose as musicians?" he asked slowly.

"Very likely. Now, is there anything you need to do?" Irwin asked.

"Not really," Rinbus said, feeling a twitch of sadness as he realized his hope to woo Sousini was now out the window.

"Alright, then we will go to the Inn. They will probably be waiting for us."

"You are still going to play?" Rinbus asked, both surprised and confused.

He didn't understand why Brecka was laughing softly and rubbing her hands together.

"Yes, and we will explain to Runditeh that you are going with us," Irwin said. "So, pack what you need, and let's head for the Inn."

Rinbus mechanically did as asked, packing a bag with the few possessions he didn't want to leave behind before looking around the room. After his training, he'd been sad when he'd learned he would be assigned to one of the smaller towns bordering the endless desert. However, after arriving in Lindifel and spending a few months there, he quickly changed his opinion. There was barely any conflict, no constant play for power, and everything had been quiet and calm. 

"Ready?"

Rinbus nodded as he shouldered his bag.

--

Irwin let his fingers slow down, and as the final notes faded, the crowd in the Inn let out their joy. Some clapped, mostly the Viridians, while the Parealion let out a cacophony of thrumming chirps and trills.

When it died down, Irwin and Brecka walked to the bar where Rinbus was sitting. The man seemed lost in his drink, and Irwin felt a slight sympathy for him. He clearly didn't want to leave.

Depending on how things go, he can leave eventually, he thought as he sat down.

Runditeh walked over, putting a large drink before him.

"Ahh, that was beautiful," she said with a smile. "It's a shame you will be leaving, but I guess I should be happy you said as long as you did."

Irwin smiled at her and took a sip of his drink.

They remained for close to half an hour before he got up. "Runditeh, thank you for being such a great host. I hope we get to return here in the future!"

The Parealion's eyes glowed slightly as she smiled. "I hope for the same. Save travels!"

Irwin smiled back before walking out of the Inn together with Brecka and Rinbus.

"Go as far as you can," Irwin said. "I'll follow you. We will camp when you are out of soulforce."

"Yes, Irwin," Rinbus said.

As he vanished, turning into a blurry, shadowy patch of soulforce, Irwin pulled Brecka along with him.

--

"So, this is going to be the first thing?" Ambraz asked, looking at the shortlist of cards in the book. The first three were meant to finish the next heartcard, while the two after would be the start of Irwin's next card… if he could find them.

"Yes," Irwin said, tapping his giant finger on the book. "These two will only require me to recreate the seed, and if we can't find a better one, this should allow us to compress a soulclone aspect into the split body one."

"Yes, and all you have to do is create a soulseed of one of the rarest and most complex cards that we know about," Ambraz snorted. 

"It's not like we won't have the time for it," Irwin muttered. "Besides, after we finish them, I should hopefully be able to allow you to move out of here, atleast for short durations."

Ambraz grunted. "Well, we will need to get that seed first."

Irwin nodded, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his head. He instinctively focused on the body he had left on Eluathar. Although he couldn't interact with it, and everything there seemed to be almost frozen, watching Scintilla and Zannia standing beside his bed had become a habit. Silv'am sat on his daughter's shoulder like a tiny, unmoving anvil.

"You will be back with them soon enough," Ambraz said, his voice quiet. 

Irwin didn't respond, knowing Ambraz knew as well as he did that all of that depended on how fast he could learn. He was now in a position that was priceless, having nearly infinite time to practice.

Besides, at least I get to go outside, he thought, sensing how his otherself was through another small village, one of the many that dotted the massive grove forests that had spread over Scour. 

--

"Alright, I've got everything!"

"Same," Irwin said, tapping his own large backpack.

It was one of the many things he'd picked up on their month-long journey and something he'd not needed in decades. However, now that moving things from and to his soulscape was too expensive, he'd found he needed something to stash things in: water, food, clothes, and the occasional tool.

He scanned the town, barely that. It had only twenty or so houses that were built up from the roots against the side of one of the towering trees. It took him only a few moments to recognize Rinbus's signature. The Acenti was moving towards them from the edge of town. A month ago, Irwin wouldn't have trusted him alone that long. However, over the last few weeks, he'd slowly begun to understand more about Rinbus. 

The man loved doing nothing, second only to eating while loafing about. Also, as his fear of Irwin had slowly faded, he'd proven a surprisingly effective informant, able to get nearly everyone to talk with him. 

Rinbus moved around the corner, waving as soon as he saw them. If he was surprised that Irwin had been watching where he was coming from before he was visibly surprised, he didn't show it, nor had he since they began traveling together.

"They will take us along as guards," Rinbus said cheerily. "And there is more good news. Cinder Grove will have a two-day festival in a few weeks, so I'm sure there's going to be plenty of Inns looking for musicians."

"Are they bigger than the ones we have found so far?" Brecka asked, her eyes burning like molten metal.

"There's no comparison," Rinbus said as they began walking to the town's exit. "The biggest town we have passed through was just that, a town. The only city in this region is Cinder Grove, and it is hundreds of times larger than all you saw combined."

Bigger, unless things changed, Irwin pondered. 

They walked out of the town towards a small caravan of three sloops pulled by Teinefola, which was hovering outside. A Viridian was sitting on each, while a group of three others stood chatting to the side.

"Rinbus," one of them said, walking forward.

Irwin saw the man's gaze hover over him with a slight surprise.

"Well, you didn't lie when you said they were the size of Elders! Though I don't see any weapons?"

Irwin raised one of his hands, summoning one of his Volcano Gauntlets, causing the Viridian to let out a sharp hiss.

"Okay, I guess those count as clubs," he exclaimed. "Wouldn't want the Vinexion that gets hit by those things."

Rinbus and the Viridian laughed before the Viridian turned to Irwin and Brecka.

"It's been ages since I last saw Oxarites, and I can't recall seeing any with your peculiar coloration! Welcome to my caravan. I am Jibras,” the Viridian said. "Now, I don't expect any trouble as we are too far from the desert for bandits, and most things besides Vinexions have long since been chased out of these regions. However, with how things have been going, I can't rule out that we don't come across a Burrow."

Rinbus laughed again, louder now as if Jibras had made a good joke. He stopped when Jibras didn't join him but grimaced.

"You are serious?" Rinbus asked, sounding horrified. "Since when have Burrows been cropping up here? It has been tens of years since the last time they managed to push through the root networks!"

"A little over a month ago, two appeared in the eastern groves, and before they could stop them, two towns were wiped away," Jibras said. "People are keeping it quiet out of fear of one happening near them. Superstitious nonsense if you ask me."

Irwin saw Brecka glance at him from the corner of his eye, but he didn't look back. He also didn't ask what a Burrow was, knowing Rinbus already did. Instead, he quietly listened to the two men talk. When they finally finished, they were asked to move the final wagon, which would be the one carrying them for the journey. 

As soon as they were out of earshot, Rinbus began talking without being asked.

"Burrows happen when deep-earth insects, usually Orebiters, get agitated and burrow up through the earth, creating a towering column of mud and stone from which they start attacking the surrounding areas," Rinbus whispered. "Usually, they only appear in the borders between the desert and volcanic counties, but about sixty years ago, they suddenly began to appear within Groves. It only lasted for a month or two, but they managed to decimate half of all villages and towns." 

Why do I have the feeling that this would likely coincide with me waiting in the desert, Irwin thought, feeling a deep weariness.

"How strong are those insects?" he asked.

"One-on-one, not that bad," Rinbus said. "I should be able to take a few by myself if my father's stories are to be believed. The problem is, each Burrow has hundreds of thousands of them."

"How big are they?" Brecka asked, sounding curious.

Rinbus held his hands apart about four feet. "The normal ones are like this, but there are some that are as big as Irwin."

Brecka paled, and they continued quietly to the wagon.

"How are they with fire?" Irwin asked as they sat down.

"They are nearly immune to it," Rinbus said with a sigh. "Which is one of the reasons they were so hard to defeat. Father said their weakness was water, just about the hardest-to-find card anywhere."

Brecka let out a sigh of relief, causing Rinbus to blink in surprise. 

"You have… one of those?" he asked, confused.

"No," Irwin said before Brecka could say anything more. "But I might have something that can help. We will just have to see. Let's hope we won't need it."

As he thought that, he had another thought. 

If they come from below, and we are on time, what would happen if I trigger an earthquake?