The tension on The Sonata's deck was palpable. Each person still standing was bleeding from multiple wounds, while Greldo and Rindiri stood a few steps beside Irwin. Greldo's eyes were gleaming dangerously, and his lips curled up a snarl. Rindiri's face was completely emotionless, but her eyes burned with a cold fire as she glared at the pirates.

Pieplionyr was holding Irwin's gaze, his eyes filled with hatred. He was holding Boohm in a death choke.

"Last warning," Irwin said as he raised his head to his full height, glaring down at Pieplionyr and the pirates. "Let him go and take your chances with the guard, or I'm coming."

He took a step forward, his fists clenching and unclenching. As nervous as he was for Boohm, he knew that there was only one way out of this. If he gave even a tiny bit of evidence he would not act, Pieplionyr would either leave with Boohm as collateral, or worse.

"If I let him go, you will let us go," Pieplionyr shrieked.

Irwin took a step forward, preparing himself to cross the final distance with all the kinetic energy raging through his body. If he struck Pieplionyr with all his strength, he might be able to stop him from snapping-

The Cabin door was shoved open, slamming into Pieplionyr and Boohm, causing them to stumble forward. Irwin moved, exploding across the small distance and raising his knee against Pieplionyr's face. There was a snapping sound as the bird-like man's head changed angle, his entire body shooting a few feet in the air. Boohm slumped to the ground, but Irwin barely noticed.

His soulcard seemed to snap back into focus, all his skills with them. There was a startled shout that was cut short, replaced by a crunching sound. Irwin looked to the side to see Coal dropping a pirate from between his jaws, the man's face mauled by his massive razor-sharp teeth.

The other two pirates were backing up, weapons on the grounds and arms raised.

"We surrender!" one of the said, hate-filled eyes flicking about.

Irwin took a deep breath as he turned to Boohm, who was lying on the ground, drawing in ragged breaths.

"Just… because… we don't… need… a lot of… air," Boohm grunted between his breathing, his voice oddly hoarse and lacking its normal explosive quality. "Doesn't… mean we don't… need… any!"

Irwin let out a shuddering breath as he held out his hand and pulled the Onyxian to his feet. His leather chest armor was cut apart, and like his face and arms, bleeding slashes showed below.

His blood is red, Irwin thought, looking at the very dark red liquid dribbling out, thick and syrupy.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, but I've figured something out," Boohm said, his voice still hoarse. "My next cards need to have more passive effects!"

Irwin barked a laugh as he turned away from Boohm, glad he was alright. Greldo stood before the two remaining pirates while Rindiri was walking away.

"Captain, we need to get the ships under control so they don't collide against the barrier," she shouted.

Irwin nodded, only then noticing that someone was shoving against the cabin door, which was blocked by Pieplionyr's body. As his eyes focused on the unmoving figure, Irwin blinked. There was no doubt of the man's state, his head in an unnatural angle, and no visible movement or breathing.

He replayed his action, realizing just how close things had come. If Pieplionyr had acted differently, he might have snapped Boohm's neck when Irwin kicked him.

"You okay?"

Irwin blinked, jerking his head around to see Boohm looking at him. How long had he been standing here?

"Yeah," he said, grabbing Pieplionyr's ankle and dragging him away from the door.

Zender pushed it open and looked outside. He was taller than he usually was, his body a dull silver color, a brighter colored silver whip in one hand and a sword in the other.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked as he stepped out, looking around hurriedly.

His eyes widened as they fell on the different bodies, but as soon as he saw his mother at the railing, a look of tremendous relief flooded his face. Earila stepped out after him, arms clutched to her chest as she looked at the blood-spattered, hole-filled deck covered in bodies.

"Captain, there are still pirates inside the ship!"

Irwin cursed as he rushed towards Rindiri just as he saw the other ship's cabin open. A single pirate stepped out, arms up. His face had three long scars that barely missed his eye, and he was looking up at Irwin.

"Don't attack," he shouted. "Let's talk!"

Irwin's eyes narrowed as he glared at the pirate.

"Speak fast," he said as a massive hammer appeared in his hand.

"Right, right! Listen, there's more of us, and if we start fighting with active abilities, the chances are neither of the ships will survive," the scarred pirate said quickly. "You killed the captain?"

Irwin blinked, then nodded. He was surprised to see no sadness or worry in the man's eyes. Instead, he grinned nastily.

"Right, well, that makes me the captain. How about this? You let me disengage our ship, and we will leave through the first exit we find. You won't see us again in this region?"

Irwin hesitated. He didn't want to fight again, but what if they disengaged and then began shooting them from range? Rindiri leaned forward.

"Tell him that nobody else can come on deck until they are out of our sight, or we will start firing at them," she whispered. "Between your hammer and Boohm's concussive blasts, we could take out their sails and mast before they can do much."

Irwin kept his eyes on the pirate, nodding slowly.

"The rest stays inside, and if you make any odd moves, I'm going to obliterate your ship," he said, enlarging his hammer and casually leaning the head on the railing, making sure to keep most of the weight himself so he wouldn't shatter it.

The pirate smiled. "Deal!"

He turned and ran to the upper deck, heading behind the wheel.

"Tell them to take the other two," Greldo snapped. "Unless you want me to toss them overboard?"

Irwin blinked, then looked at the two pirates who were staring at the ship with a mix of hope and anger.

"I've got two of your pirates here," he shouted at the new captain. "I'm going to give them back."

The new captain nodded, but there was an obvious reluctance in his eyes. Irwin didn't care as he walked to the two pirates.

"I'll bring-" Greldo began, but Irwin shook his head.

"Not worth the risk, he said as he put his massive hands on the two pirates' shoulders. "Keep still."

The two looked confused. There was a startled yelp as Irwin hoisted them up, turned, and, in one motion, threw them to the pirate ship. One flailed in the air before slamming into the deck, but the other one righted mid-air and landed on his feet. He turned, glaring at Irwin.

"Are you sure they won't try anything?" Irwin asked, glaring back.

"They won't risk it," Rindiri whispered. "Besides, with their captain dead, they are going to be having different problems."

"I think we should just blow them up," Greldo muttered, arms crossed as he looked hatefully at the pirates. "What if they do the same to someone else?"

"It's too big of a risk," Rindiri said. "All of their strongest ranged cards were below deck. If even one manages to attack us before we fully destroy them, he could take out our sails and mast or blow a hole in our hull that is too big to fix. If we are dead in the air here, we might have to wait for months before a ship comes by. This isn't a main route as it's too narrow for merchant ships, and very few people actually go to Granvox."

Greldo muttered, and although Irwin agreed with his sentiment, Rindiri's logic was sound.

They quietly watched as the pirate ship slowly pulled away from them, wood tearing and cracking as the metal beam pulled out of their side. Then it began sailing back slowly, the distance widening at a snake's pace.

"Maybe we should push them," Greldo snorted.

"They will turn in a moment," Rindiri said.

Irwin frowned, wondering how they were going to do that when the pirate ship began angling on its end in a way he'd not seen before. After only a few moments, the entire ship stood on its prow, and then it rotated and sank back to a normal horizontal position.

“Gelwins nutsack,” Greldo snapped. “What was that?”

Rindiri glared at him, then sighed. "It's a tail-end maneuver, one of the more difficult ones."

"Can you do it?" Irwin asked, watching as the pirate ship began speeding away from them.

"Of course," Rindiri said softly as they all looked at the ship. "But we would need stabilizing runes, and everything in the hold would have to be tied down. That, or we need someone with a card that allows them to keep everything from sliding and falling."

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Irwin nodded but didn't answer, his eyes on the pirate ship.

"We could knock them out now," Greldo said.

As if someone heard him, Irwin saw pirates walk on deck, and two raised their glowing hands. He jolted, about to throw the hammer, but all that happened was a shimmering forcefield appearing behind the pirate ship. Then, the ship sped up even more, and within half a minute, it reached the widening corridor in the distance.

"We need to get better at these ship battles," Irwin said before focusing on Rindiri. "How bad is the damage?"

"We can reach Granvox, but we are going to need a lot of repairs."

Irwin sensed a ripple in his soulscape, and You'gyn appeared on his shoulder.

"Don't worry," the Ganvil said happily. "I'm sure Ambraz can get you a better ship than this old piece of junk! Just pay another mercenary group to bring the remnants back to the previous owner."

Irwin grimaced as he looked around the deck, feeling a slight sting as he saw the massive damage. He knew that many of the holes were his own doing. Even then, he would miss the wooden ship that had served as their home for more than a year.

"Well, we'll see when we get there," he said as he turned to Greldo. "Keep an eye out, alright?"

"Don't worry, I will," his friend said. "Also, you should look into a way to prevent some cards from dampening our active skills if you can."

"Good luck with that," You'gyn said. "We've been searching for a way for centuries, and the best we could come up with was to have some pure physical assassins running around. Dampening cards also dampen the user's own cards, usually resulting in physically weak carded."

"That guy wasn't weak at all," Boohm said as he pointed at Pieplionyr. Then he turned to Irwin, scratching his head. "So… captain, you're a smith? I guess that explains all those cards."

Irwin looked at Boohm, feeling a headache appear. He'd planned to tell the other he was a smith after he'd officially taken him aboard, but somehow, the moment had never appeared.

"AH, don't worry, captain," Boohm said, raising his hands. "I won't tell anyone!"

Irwin sighed before grinning at the Onyxian. "You better not. If the guild takes me away to some 'safe' world for Yilda knows how long, you can kiss your cards goodbye."

Boohm shook his head, before sticking out his hand. "Not going to happen! Even if I wasn't getting so many soulshards- I'm having way too much fun with you all."

Irwin grinned, grasping the Onyxian's hand. As he squeezed a bit, he was surprised at the powerful response.

"You are right," he said, glancing at Pieplionyr's body. "He was pretty strong for someone supposedly weak."

"He probably had three soulcards, and for someone with three soulcards, he was weak," Rindiri said. "Look at how strong you are with just one. The right cards, in the right circumstances, can work wonders."

"Four," You'gyn said in distaste. "The only reason he was this strong is because he had four, and from what I could tell, his soulscape was emerald rank."

Another surge in Irwin's soulshape preceded Ambraz's appearance.

"A crappy one though. I could sense it cracking on the edges," Ambraz snapped, glaring at You'gyn on Irwin's other shoulder. "I'm not sure who made his heartcards, but those were as bad as they can get."

"Ah… so you also have a Ganvil," Boohm said, his voice slowly returning to his usual vigor. "Any more secrets you want to share?"

Irwin laughed though he saw Greldo's narrowed eyes.

"No, I think this will be enough for now," Irwin said.

Ambraz and You'gyn flitted from his shoulder as one, hovering before Boohm.

"What do you mean, have a Ganvil?" You'gyn snapped!

"Nobody has a Ganvil," Ambraz shouted at the same time.

Boohm looked at the two flying metal anvils, eyes wide. His gaze flicked to Irwin before he swallowed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," he said, his careful words clashing with the volume of his voice.

"You had better not," Ambraz snapped with a snort before returning to Irwin's shoulder.

Irwin's smile faded as he looked at the bodies strewn about.

"Alright, help me clear this out. Make sure to check them for cards and soulshards," he said. "Rindiri, get us back on course, please!"

There were a few sighs, but a short while later, the bodies had all been hoisted over the railing, and Irwin had been surprised to find four cards. Three had been within the purses of the dead pirates, while one of them had actually dropped a card. They were all topaz, and none were worthy of any interest, but Irwin could still reforge them and sell them.

Except for the kids, everyone was hurt, cut up, and bruised, and Boohm and Greldo were the first to retire. Irwin only found out later that his friend had been stabbed multiple times, his back sliced open, and only his own prodigious constitution had dragged him through. Zender and Earila had taken care of cleaning and binding his and Boohm's wounds. Irwin just summoned his flame, and his wounds healed rapidly.

He remained on the deck until Rindiri needed to rest, the few wounds she'd picked up needing to be cleaned and taken care of. Irwin told her to take a longer rest, and her lack of complaints showed just how beaten up she was. When he was finally alone on the bridge, they were in a reasonably wide corridor, and where everyone else was wiped out, his greatly enhanced endurance still kept him going strong.

After the battle, a question had set in, one he'd not wondered about for a while. He glanced at Ambraz, who was sitting on his shoulder.

"How strong are Greldo and me compared to the other people on this branch and compared to the people on the main branch?" he asked.

"Heh, what's the matter, kid? Finally realized there's more out there than some Galubs, Imps, and low-rank carded?" Ambraz said with a laugh. "Don't worry. Greldo is in the upper midrange, even compared to the one soulcarded ruby-ranked elite Brazardian has told me about. The fact that we reforged his card, and it's actually pretty well suited for combat, helps a lot, and although he'd struggle against the true top, it's unlikely we will encounter those any time soon."

Irwin let out a soft sigh, wondering if Greldo was listening. If he was, he hoped his friend would feel good about it. He did, though… there was a tiny part of him worrying. What would happen if they went out into the mainbranch? Would Greldo slowly begin lagging behind?

"And you? Well… let's just say that your card is special, as you know. Because of this, even though your card isn't really focused on combat but more on endurance, defense, and regeneration, your Kinetic energy will help you dominate anyone below your rank. However, if you go up against a similarly carded fighter, you will likely get your ass handed to you. It would just take a very long time."

Irwin nodded. "This is on the mainbranch?"

"Yes. Unless we head more towards Suderfuix or Dimarintsia, I don't think we will encounter anyone with a single card, which will cause you much trouble."

Irwin hesitated, realizing what Ambraz was implying.

"And with multiple cards?"

Ambraz sighed. "That toothy Emnonriz you were fighting against had three fighting-focused soulcards. The only reason you managed to survive was that he lost his sword and seemed troubled because of it. If he'd had a soulcarded sword, you would have been cut apart."

"What rank was he?" Irwin asked as he absently stared into the empty distance.

"Emerald," Ambraz said, sounding very sure of himself. "He has room for one more soulcard, and if he picks up a heartcarded sword, bah, perhaps even a handcard? Well, you don't want to encounter him again until you get at least one more soulcard…"

Irwin quietly stared forward, wondering what he should do. His main goal hadn't been fighting, but with how things were going, he knew there was no way that he could stay away from the battles. Even if he didn't count the portals, pirates, and raiders he might encounter, what about when he headed toward Dimarintsia? They still needed to figure out who was behind the abductions of the Smiths. They had been focusing on him, and the chances of that having something to do with the Galadin Empire were far too big. That meant he had no idea who they would have to go up against.

"Someone with five combat-focused, ruby-rank soulcards," he said slowly, thinking about Gelwin. "How would he fair against someone with six at a diamond?"

"Well, that's not such an easy question to answer," Ambraz said, humming softly. "First of all, are we talking of the same quality? Right now, you are already amongst the best cardsmiths I know at quartz, amethyst, and topaz rank reforging, and probably close to if you had to create a heartcard. With my help, you can get away with doing that at emerald rank, but you can't really reforge properly at ruby yet. If I help, we can make do, but there are many smiths that are better ruby. Beyond that, there's a massive gap going to diamond, and… well, let's just say it's a good thing we had that purperion when we created your heartcard. That was a mix of timing, luck, and skill. And even then, to get the truly perfect things, you would need to be able to do far more without my help."

Irwin pondered what Ambraz said for a bit before nodding. "So, how good is Greldo's ruby soulcard?"

"Very good," Ambraz said. "Perhaps not perfect, but definitely in the ninety percent range."

"What would happen if his next card is a perfect, one hundred percent ruby heartcard?"

"It would increase the overall capability of his soulscape by averaging out the percentages," Ambraz said. "If his current is ninety-two percent, his soulscape would go to ninety-six percent."

Neither spoke for a while. Irwin was lost in thoughts when Ambraz sighed.

"Listen, Irwin, if Greldo focuses on his strengths and specializes in what he can already do, by the time we get that far, which isn't for a long time yet, he will be one of the most powerful shadowwalkers I know. But there will always be someone stronger than him or someone who perfectly countered his abilities. Even if you go and only focus on fighting cards from now on and get only cards like your first one, there will still be people that counter you."

Irwin nodded. "I thought as much," he said slowly.

A resolve that had grown very slowly, the seed lain long ago when he found out about card reforging, turned to steel as he knew what he had to do.

"So the only way for me to guarantee anything is to become the best cardsmith ever and make the people around me into powerhouses," he said.

"Pretty much," Ambraz said, his grin growing. "Though, you might want to make sure to keep making cards that keep you ahead of the power curve as long as you can."

Irwin grinned back, his fingers tightly wrapped around the helm.

"Oh, I was planning on that," he said, feeling a worry slide from his shoulders as the steely resolve grew.

I was planning on it!

--

Zy'ring, a rank-four Ganvil, was flying through the beautifully crafted, ornate stone tunnel as fast as his dull copper wings could carry him. The golden glowing card-crafted torches were zipping past him as he headed towards the massive room beyond.

I hope he doesn't snap at me, he thought, jealous about the fleshies and their ability to swallow when afraid.

When he reached the end of the tunnel, he slowed as he saw the two rank-five Ganvils nestled on their large pedestals. Behind them, the large throne room loomed.

"What do you want, Zy'ring," one of the guards snapped, his dull, silvery lips pressed in a glare. "You know nobody is allowed here without a summons!"

"I need to speak to the Lord! A ship is passing through the checkpoints, and… Lord Am'braz has been seen aboard!"

The guard's mouth fell open, and before either of them could say anything, a deafening voice came from the room.

"Let him pass!"

Zy'ring would have paled if he had the anatomy for it and rushed forward past the stunned guards. He had been inside the throneroom before, but each time he entered it, he was again stunned by its grandiose magnificence.

An enormous smithing fireplace stood on the far end, the ever-burning furnace fires lighting up the entire room while intricately crafted chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Rows of perches decorated the walls on each side, meant for a host of Ganvils when the Lord wished to speak to them.

A wide, short pillar made of precious metal, with a single winding staircase, stood in the center of the room. It was meant only for the most illustrious cardsmiths to reach the one that rested atop. Large even by worldanvil standards, the Ganvil that rested atop it was one of the most powerful of their race—one of the Monarchs and one of the strongest below the eldest.

Made of a silver metal so dark it was nearly black and with a surface covered in tiny runes and soulscape-induced scripts, it made the young low-rank Ganvil feel incredibly intimidated. The etched lips were pursed together, giving a sense of being highly impatient.

"Lord Brazardian," Zy'ring quickly splurted, knowing how little Brazardian liked delays of any kind. "The second and third checkpoints have confirmed that there is a Ganvil aboard that is one of your prodigies, and the description fits only one. Am'braz!"

"What ship is he on?"

The deep baritone of Brazardian echoed throughout the room, holding a tinge of a songlike quality.

"A tiny retrofitted scout. It is reported to have been taken by raiders and is being returned by a mercenary group called Giard's Rangers. They are led by Captain Irwin Roddington, a Fiz'rin. There are currently three Yuurindi aboard: two youths and an older woman who is the second in command. A human shadowalker and an Onyxian.”

Zy'ring bit his teeth, hoping he'd been fast and concise enough.

It was quiet for a moment before the voice rang out again.

"Is there any indication that he has bonded with one of them?"

"No guarantees, my lord," Zy'ring said hesitantly. He didn't dare add that one of the checkpoints had given their own idea, as Brazardian only liked facts.

"Give me the conjectures then," the enormous Monarch said, sounding weary.

"Checkpoint two says it's likely that Am'braz has bound to the Fiz'rin called Irwin."

"I see… Head back and prepare Am'braz his chambers. Have the servant's rooms below cleaned, as well as the smith's quarters. Alert Des'braz and Yirta'braz. Tell them I expect them here with the hour!"

Zy'ring rose. "Yes, my lord!" he said before rushing back.

When he was too far away to hear it, a dull whisper came from the throne room.

“Finaly back… and only just in time…"