Irwin watched for a few moments how Numilli's eyes turned watery. Then he turned to Greldo, deciding he was just going to ignore her for now. Still, something about her reaction made his anger die down a little. Probably the fact that she was completely crazy.
"So, what do we do now?" Greldo asked, simply ignoring Numilli.
Irwin turned to his friend and shrugged. "Not sure. I had thought that whatever mission we had here would last longer, but-"
"We aren't done yet!" Numilli said as she glared at them. Her teary eyes were gone, replaced by pouty anger. "I need one of those unfinished heartcards!"
"Are you crazy enough to think we are going inside another of those corpses?" Greldo asked, turning on her with flashing eyes.
Numilli's eyes widened, and to Irwin's surprise, her tears reappeared.
"But you took the mission," Numilli whined, turning to Scintilla, who was looking at her quietly.
"Cousin? You said you'd help?" Numilli asked, her eyes wide and her bottom lip shivering.
If she is a hundred years or older, her mind must have regressed to that of a six-year-old, Irwin thought.
Scintilla sighed before turning to Irwin. "Technically, the mission shouldn't have been this difficult. We were unlucky that it was such a massive Earth Titan. Also, if someone," she glanced at Numilli, "hadn't drawn those Fleshgorgers to us, I might have been able to hold back the worms."
"I said I'm sorry," Numilli whispered.
Irwin frowned, thinking back to the Earth Titan.
"Are there that many of them, then? Why doesn't everyone just go and get these heartcards?" he asked.
"It took me months to find this one!" Numilli shouted. "They only appear sometimes, but-"
"But she can find them because of how her teleport works," Scintilla said. Then she turned to Irwin. "Hotstuff, I can fully understand if you don't want to help her, but I promised I'd do this mission. I signed for it with the guild and all."
Irwin frowned. What should he do? He didn't really feel like heading back into one of those bodies. Then again, the most dangerous thing had been the Fleshgorgers. The fact that Numilli hadn't been able to teleport right away hadn't helped either.
"You can't be serious?" Greldo snapped from the side.
"How long would it take you to find another one?" Irwin asked as he looked at Numilli.
"Ugh!" Greldo grunted, walking to the side of the room and dropping down on a stool that creaked dangerously.
"I don't know… maybe I'll never find another," Numilli said, her voice rising as if she was about to cry.
"Numilli cut it out! How about this," Scintilla said. "Numilli will try to find another Earth Titan, and in the meantime, the three of us will do simple missions around the town. It will keep us away from Relinda, and we can even earn some more soulshards. If it takes longer than a month, Numilli is out of luck, and we head back."
"One month? That's impossible!" Numilli shouted.
"Numilli, be glad he is even considering it," Scintilla said.
Numilli let out a disgruntled cry, but Irwin found himself nodding.
Besides what Scintilla had suggested, if they stayed here, it gave him time for something else. An idea that had begun forming as soon as he learned what Endurance did. With five cards, it was definitely time to get serious about raising one to legendary, and his new card seemed to have the highest chance. To do that, he needed to trigger its abilities, and with what Ambraz had told him, he had an idea of what might work.
"Alright, but I want you to do something for me then," he said.
Scintilla's eyes widened, and an odd smile crept up her face.
"Ooohhh," Numilli cried.
Irwin glanced from one to the other, only catching on when Greldo began laughing.
"No," he said calmly. "Can you teach me how to become better at fighting with my hammers?"
He summoned one, holding the long-handled, massive battle hammer up.
Scintilla grimaced, then sighed. "Too bad," she said before shrugging. "Anyway… no, I'm not any good with hammers. The best I could do is spar with you, but I'm not sure how useful that would be. Unless you can make it long and pointy and look like a sword?"
Irwin shook his head, staring at his hammer. He had hoped to practice with it and catch two birds with one stone.
"Well… you could ask Crithann," Numilli said as she tapped her chin. "I think I've seen him fight with hammers."
Irwin threw her a curious look, wondering about her sudden calm reaction. Then he saw the gleam in her eyes.
Right, she just wants to make sure I have a reason to stay here.
"I'll go ask him," Scintilla said. "So, are you alright with this? If so, I'll get us a place to stay and begin gathering some missions from the local people."
Irwin thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Yeah, I think that's not a bad idea. Though, before we go anywhere near another Earth Titan, we are going to talk about how we handle things the next time," he added with a sharp look at Numilli.
"Yes, yes," Numilli said as she ran to a book, picked it up, and began pacing through the room.
"Have to find another, have to," she muttered.
Irwin watched her for a moment, but it was very clear she wasn't paying attention to them anymore.
"Right, let's go," he muttered as he shared a weary look with Greldo.
--
As soon as the door closed, Numilli stopped walking and leafing through the book. She gazed at the closed door, and slowly, her childlike demeanor dropped.
"I'll have to make sure they can't get their fingers on the next one," she whispered.
Her glare lasted for a few moments before she suddenly shuddered and looked around. Her eyes widened, and she ran for a book. "Find one, find one!" she shouted gleefully.
--
They didn't find Crithann, but a few hours later, they were looking at an empty building that stood just off the center of the town. The thick layer of sand across its floor showed that it had not been used for a while, but it had two stories.
A burly Viridian woman was moving ahead of them, opening a small door to reveal some brooms and other utensils.
"So you can just stay here for as long as you want," she said before turning to Irwin with a wide smile on her face.
"I'll be bringing you the card I'd like reforged. Please let me know if you can make it do what I requested!"
"No problem," Irwin said, smiling back.
The yellow and orange-leafed woman nodded, then walked out, closing the door behind her.
"Sorry, hotstuff," Scintilla said. "I didn't think she would require a reforging as payment."
"It's fine," Irwin said, thinking back to the oddly weary initial reception they had gotten. "She only wants it up to Amethyst."
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Scintilla looked at him, then shook her head. "You are really odd for a cardsmith."
"What do you mean?" Irwin asked as he grabbed a broom, inspecting the room.
"Doesn't it bother you that you have to go through all that effort?"
Irwin shrugged, not sure what she meant. Reforging a Quartz card was something any smith could do easily.
"You realize she probably only has two cards? So you need to succeed in two attempts," Scintilla said, staring at him as if she wanted to make something clear.
Greldo barked a laugh. "He won't need two!"
Irwin grinned while Scintilla stared at him.
"So it's true then? You always succeed?" she asked, a glitter in her eyes.
"What? Not always! Definitely not," Irwin said. It took me a long time to reforge a proper topaz card."
"Alright! Good to know that you aren't like some of those monstrous prodigies on the main branches," she said with a grin. "Now, let's get this place cleaned!"
The rest of the day went by with them cleaning out months or perhaps years of sand from the simple building meant to be used by visiting smiths. Apparently, none had visited for a long time.
After they were done, they decided that Irwin and Greldo would take the first floor while Scintilla would sleep on the ground floor. What came after was something that surprised Irwin. They slept during the night. According to Scintilla, many of the tiny hamlets that didn't have a grove around them preferred it because the dangerous monsters mostly roamed during the day. This way, they would be awake for them.
As he lay on the old, leaf-filled bed, Irwin stared up at the pale stone, flat roof listening to Greldo's soft snoring. He raised his hand, staring at his new card. A grin crept up his face. Five cards! He was one short of having two full hands!
"Just try to focus on it and see what it does," Ambraz muttered from where he sat on his chest.
Irwin nodded, closing his eyes and focusing on the new card. It was humming softly, the tune lowering every few seconds, almost like a heartbeat. He tried to sense what he could do, but all he felt was that he could trigger something. Wondering what it would be, Irwin focused on it.
His heart slowly heated up, and a dull thud rumbled through his chest. As it did, he sensed the card drawing something in from a large area around him, far exceeding the room and even the building. Seconds passed, but nothing happened, then Irwin noticed an odd scent in the air. At the same time, a strangled gasp came from Greldo. Irwin's eyes shot open, and he was greeted by a roiling mist that he could barely see through. Pushing himself up, he saw it spread out around him, and a wettish sheen was covering everything. Greldo was pushed up on his bed, eyes wide in panic, as he clutched his chest and neck, seemingly gasping for breath. The skin of his face was glistening, wet, and turning red.
"Shit!' Irwin shouted, breaking off whatever the card was doing. For a few moments, the sense of drawing remained, then it stopped, and the mist began fading away. It seemed to pour out of the windows and cracks while Irwin jumped out of bed. He noticed that his own breathing was slightly worse than before, his throat and lungs a bit sore.
"Greldo," he shouted as he leaned beside his friend, who had dropped on his back, gasping for breath with a pained look on his face.
"Please…" he croaked. "Please tell me you didn't try out your new card inside our bedroom?"
Irwin grimaced, glad to see Greldo seemed to be okay.
"Yeah…" he said as he looked around.
A thick cloud of vapor remained above him, hovering near the ceiling and unable to find its way out. The stone was dark and wet, drops of water dropping down and running down the walls.
"I guess I might not have a water issue anymore," he muttered.
The door was shoved open, and a glistening wet Scintilla jumped inside, sword in hand and a look of rage and fear on her face. When she saw them, she seemed to relax, her sword dropping down.
"Hotstuff? You alright?" she asked, her voice coming out in a croak while her face showed a look of pain.
"Yes… sorry," Irwin said as he grimaced at his two companions.
Scintilla looked back in confusion. Then, slowly, realization seemed to set in.
"You didn't," she said.
"Sure he did," Greldo growled. "Now… Do you think I can get back to sleeping now?" His voice had mostly returned to normal, showing the absurd speed of his healing.
Scintilla stared at Irwin, then laughed. "So, what did you do?"
Irwin shrugged, looking up and around. "I think I pulled water from somewhere, and it became really hot?"
"It was hard to see," Greldo grunted as he rolled on his side, back toward them. "It felt like I'd been put into a pan of boiling water!'
"You might want to refrain from using that ability if we are indoors and nearby," Scintilla said as she looked at the wet walls.
Irwin was surprised to see some fear in her eyes.
"I'll be more careful," he said.
Scintilla nodded, hesitated, then left.
Irwin lay back down on his now slightly soggy bed, arms behind his head.
"What do you think?" he whispered to Ambraz.
"I think you need to experiment with it somewhere away from people, and I'm curious what will happen if you use it near a large body of water," Ambraz said.
Irwin nodded as he prodded his card a bit more to see if he could do anything else besides activate it. After a few minutes of nothing, he closed his eyes, hoping sleep would come easy.
--
A few dozen people, mostly young men, stood quietly in the large open atrium in the Library. Purntou stood before them, waiting quietly.
"Apprentice Daubutim," a quiet voice called out. "You will go with Purntou Lesseron. As a third-rank librarian, he will be responsible for your apprenticeship, and you shall address him as master.
A third-rank librarian? Daubutim thought as he glanced at the now familiar face of Purntou, who was nodding.
A tiny inkling of a smile sat on Purntou's lips as he addressed Daubutim.
"Apprentice Daubutim, as I have not taken any other apprentices this year, we will be taking our leave. Please follow me."
So I don't get any say in it, Daubutim thought as he quickly rose and strode towards his new master. When he reached the much shorter man, he inclined his head.
"Master."
Purntou smiled. "Good. Let's go and get you situated."
Daubutim followed the other calmly, ignoring the stares of the dozens of others. Only thirty-seven, including him, had succeeded in the final tests. More than he had imagined.
As they left the atrium through the Library's corridors, it became still.
"Daubutim, while we are alone, you may simply address me as Purntou or Master Purntou if you wish."
"Thank you, Master Purntou," Daubutim said, recalling a warning his father had told him when he was only a young boy and going to his first blade master.
"No need for thanks. I will introduce you to my other apprentices tomorrow, for now, I'll guide you to your room. If you have any questions, this would be the time."
Daubutim sorted his list of questions, quickly filtering out those he could easily ask now.
"My cousin, Indoutor, is waiting for me outside. I would like to tell him the good news. Am I allowed to leave the Library as I see fit?"
Purntou frowned, then nodded. "Yes, but it is frowned upon if you are away from the Library too long during your apprenticeship. I'll show you a map of this area of the Library before I leave, and you may tell him."
Daubutim nodded, quietly following his new master.
Ten minutes, and dozens of hallways that wound through the Library later, they eventually went up a few flights of stairs and reached a smaller library with tables in the center. A few people were quietly reading. The walls were almost completely covered with books, with only a few doors nestled between them.
Purntou led him to one, making a small detour to pick up a book from a nearby table.
"This will be your room from now on, and you will find a map of the section of the library that is open to apprentices in this book, together with relevant information."
Daubutim accepted the book, barely stopping himself from opening it. Purntou smiled and nodded.
"All of my apprentices are hungry for knowledge, and this Library has a great deal. I will alert the guards that you are going to leave for a short while, but I suggest you return before the end of the day."
"I'll make sure of it, Master Purntou," Daubutim said.
"Good. Now, I presume you have no more questions, so I'll return for you tomorrow," Purntou said before turning and walking to one of the men who had been absorbed in his book, showing no indication he'd noticed them.
Daubutim entered the room, not surprised to find it small, with just a bed and a closet. There was a tiny opening through which cool air blew into the room, and that was all.
He left the room ten minutes later, the book on his bed and the knowledge of it in his head. The apprentices who had been there hadn't moved, and even now, none even looked up to acknowledge his existence. Daubutim knew that many people would feel uncomfortable by this, but he felt a sense of relief.
It took him twenty minutes to find his way to the nearest exit, a thick door with two guards positioned on each side. Silver eyes drilled into his, then one of them nodded.
"New Apprentice Daubutim. You are allowed outside. Please return before dark."
The guard didn't wait for an answer but pulled open the door. It was still light outside, and the door opened to the side of the main entrance on the edge of the large square.
Daubutim nodded at the guards as he left. A quick look around showed him Indoutor had left, meaning he would have to find him at Tensor's.
Taking a few moments to decide, he decided to take the shortest route that would bring him through densely populated areas.
Father always said if the easy path has the risk of encountering enemies, take the long way around or don't go, he thought, almost hearing the deep, perpetually angry voice of his father.
Another roughly twenty minutes later, he was about to enter the short, twenty-foot alleyway connecting two major trading streets when he stopped, hand lowering to the blade he wasn't carrying.
"Lamia?" he said softly, staring at the familiar woman that stood in the center of the alleyway. She was leaning against the wall, her wounded arm still strapped to her body.
"Hey, Daubutim… Would you mind coming a bit closer so I don't have to shout?"
Daubutim shook his head. "Where did you go?" he asked.
Lamia sighed, grimacing at him before looking up.
"See? I told you he wouldn't just walk in here like that."
Daubutim took a small step back, trying to see who she might be talking to. All he saw were the shadowy crevices of the tall four-story buildings on either side of the alley.
"Who are you talking to?" he asked, feeling his father's fight or flight training kick in. He began plotting alternative routes toward the nearest guard outpost.
"Fine, fine, I'll tell him," Lamia said as she sighed. "Who? Ow, Uxin'tar. He saved me from Hult."
She looked around and took a few steps forward, closing the distance until they were eight feet apart. Then she stopped, glaring at something above them, which Daubutim still couldn't see but that he guessed was Uxin'tar.
"If he saved you, why didn't he allow you to return?" Daubutim asked. He had two contingency routes, and he was sure that with as many people as were walking through the street a few feet behind him, he should be able to get away.
Lamia sighed, a look of weary resolve crossing her face. It left as fast as it had come, but Daubutim had seen and recognized it. It was the look of someone who had to do something they really didn't agree with.
"That's not really important," Lamia said. "What is, is that Uxin'tar says you can help save Giard or at least its people. Now that you have access to the Library, he says you should be able to find information on Gelwin. According to him, Gelwin took something that could allow us to… stabilize Giard."