Rindiri followed Polern, still barely believing what he'd told her. Captain Irwin was here? If that was true, they could finally leave! No more waiting to get her ship back.

Her own thought annoyed her, as she'd left The Sonata behind to focus on the still-nameless ship. That said, she'd rapidly grown fond of the fast, unfamiliar ship over the weeks and months of traveling on it.

If it's really the Captain, perhaps he can help me get it back, she thought.

"How much further?" she asked.

The weedy man before her kept walking as fast as he could, looking anxious.

"He's in the main guildhouse somewhere," he said, smiling wearily.

That's what he said before, Rindiri thought, wondering if he was tricking her somehow. She'd seen how annoyed he became when she kept telling him to return with new information. Perhaps he'd snapped?

She kept her guard up until the Cardsmiths Guild came into sight, a sprawling complex with an imposing main entrance. As she followed Polern across the square, she felt her worry fade. If the messenger had wanted to do something, he'd never bring her here. That much was for sure.

A growing anticipation made her walk a bit faster.

"Ugh…" Kes'dor grumbled as they passed through the gate.

"Come now, I'm sure it won't be that bad," Rindiri said, grinning at what was rapidly becoming one of her closest friends.

"That's what you think," the Ganvil grunted. "I've heard plenty of rumors about the guild mistress of the Langost Cardsmith's guild. She isn't from this branch, or even the adjacent ones, and there's no Ganvils where she's from… and she doesn't like my kind. She says it makes cardsmiths lazy and less skillful. Worse, she makes everyone call her guild master while everyone with some common sense knows it should be the guild mistress!"

Rindiri held back a smile. Kes'dor had been muttering complaints every time Guild Master Joulihn's name came up.

"And how is that last bit worse?" she asked, knowing she was teasing her friend.

"It's just the way language works," he grunted in annoyance before his mouth snapped shut.

Rindiri knew that meant he wasn't going to continue the conversation, and if she continued pressing, he would just make his mouth disappear. It reminded her of some of the children she'd seen when they became petulant. Not her own, of course, and that thought made her look forward with hope. Would Zender and Earilla be with the Captain?

She followed the anxious-looking messenger through the building until she reached one that had an entrance which seemed… far too large. She'd noticed a building like it before, with windows too high and doors half too wide and tall. It usually meant the older Viridians and some giant-sized people lived in it.

"Give me a moment," Polern said, disappearing inside.

Makes him look like a child, Rindiri thought, crossing her arms and looking around.

"So, what do you think?" she asked Kes'dor, who'd fallen quiet again.

"It reminds me of the Golden Friction Academy," he whispered. "Me and…"

He fell quiet for a moment before continuing with a weary sigh.

"We were there for a few years, and it was one of the best times of my life," he said. "Cardsmiths everywhere, Ganvil parties…"

Rindiri slowly put her finger on his back.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, knowing Kes'dor was thinking about his bonded smith, the man whose name he'd taken for his own to honor him. Over the last few months, she'd learned more about this bond and what it meant, and she wished she could help him.

"It's fine," Kes'dor said, his already cracked voice breaking even more.

They were interrupted as Polern exited the building, looking somewhat relieved.

"He is nearby. Apparently, he was interested in the classes they were giving and had been wandering around. If you stay here, I'll go and search for him," Polern said, his eyes already scanning around before he sprinted away.

"Rindiri put her hands behind her back as she looked around. Time slowly ticked by, and she was starting to get annoyed. This place was immense, but how long could it take to find The Captain?

The sound of running feet made her look to the side, and she saw red-faced, slightly out-of-breath Polern run towards her.

"I've… found… him…" he said before turning and beckoning her to follow.

Rindiri followed the messenger, and she was impressed that he regained his breath within a few minutes as they walked through the enormous Smiths guild.

"I'm sensing something," Kes'dor muttered after a bit.

Rindiri looked at him, about to ask what he meant, when she heard a soft, beautiful melody playing out in the distance. She instantly recognized the Captain's soulstrum guitar, the odd instrument he'd played on so many times.

"Captain Irwin," she whispered, speeding up and passing Polern as she raced toward the sound.

She knew she was being childish, something she rarely did, but it had been too long since she'd seen the Captain or her children.

She cut across a grassy field, ignoring the surprised cry from Polern, and headed toward the sound. In the distance, she saw a group of people clustered together, staring inside one of the open-sided classrooms.

"This is… intense," Kes'dor whispered.

"If it's the Captain, I believe you," Rindiri said.

As she reached the mass of people, she moved along the side until she managed to push herself forward. All around her, she saw people who, if the hammers and clothing told her anything, were likely smiths. Their eyes were wide as they stared ahead, and as she reached the front of the group, she saw what they were looking at.

Irwin, at least a head taller than the last time she'd seen him, stood before a large classroom filled with twelve or thirteen-year-old children. He was humming softly as he struck down on the anvil on which a glowing card hovered.

A woman with graying brown hair stood to the side, arms crossed, and a look of absolute disbelief on her face.

"Now, you are still young," he spoke, smiling at the children. "So you normally wouldn't be able to hear the resonance so clearly, which is why I'm amplifying it for you. Right now, this card is not correct. Can someone guess what its percentage of perfection is?"

A few hands shot in the air, and Rindiri saw a young Ignizian girl almost jump up and down in her seat.

"Yes?" Irwin asked, pointing at her with his hammer.

"Close to ninety percent?" she asked in a high-pitched, excited voice.

"Very good," Irwin said, smiling widely. "This card is at eighty-eight percent. You recall the mistakes I purposefully made before to show what not to do?"

The class nodded, and the Captain's eyes glowed bright for a moment.

"Good. Now, if you make mistakes and the card settles, it is very difficult to undo those mistakes. You would need to sideways reforge it, however-" and he struck down, the music becoming slightly louder, the energetic high-pitched whine becoming like a crystal-clear chime. "-when the card is still being formed, it is always possible to undo your mistakes. The resonance song is still malleable!"

As he struck again and began singing in his deep, sonorous bass, the card began glowing brighter. At the same time, the song got a second, softer melody that seemed to follow the Captain's singing.

As he sang and struck, Rindiri heard the smiths around her gasp.

"How does he remove those minute mistakes with just a few strikes?" a small, round woman whispered to her side, looking up at her companion. "The control to do that… is he diamond-rank?"

"He has to be," her companion, a bright-green-leafed Viridian, responded. "I've never seen this much control, except when one of the last-year teachers becomes serious… and how is he boosting the resonance? I can hear the tiny fluctuations so much better now! Remember when I told you about those jitters I sometimes feel? I can see now that there are underlying errors in the rhythm!"

"I know, it's-"

Rindiri tuned them out as she watched the Captain strike a few more times before he looked around, eyes sparkling.

"Now, can someone tell me what the perfection percentage is now?"

Fewer hands shot up this time, and the Captain pointed at a young Viridian boy.

"I think… a hundred percent?" he said in slight disbelief.

"Good guess," Irwin said. "It is now at a hundred percent."

He struck down a few more times, and the song finished with a quick, rapt melody that left Rindiri tapping her foot with the beat. As it wound down, the glow faded, and Irwin took the card from the anvil. It had a brilliant green border, and she heard more muttering from around her.

"Now, questions?" Irwin asked.

Hands flew up, and not just in the class. A few of the people beside Rindiri took slight steps forward.

Irwin pointed at someone in the class.

"How come you can make us hear the card's resonance so much better?" a Viridian girl asked.

"I am resonating part of my soulforce with the card, amplifying its sound and soulforce resonance so it's easier to hear," Irwin said. "If you want to learn how to do that, you will need to practice resonating your soulforce, though… having the right cards helps a lot."

He pointed at another person, and Rindiri calmly watched him answer dozens of questions. Some dealt with his instrument, others with how he could sing and play it at the same time.

After a few minutes, Irwin pointed at someone beside her, and as he did, Rindiri locked eyes with him.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Rindiri!"

Irwin's sudden, explosive boom caused the people around her to jump up, and a few quickly moved away from her, but Rindiri didn't mind.

"Hello, Captain," she said, happy to see the joy in Irwin's eyes.

--

Irwin looked at the older Yuurindi, startled but happy to see her. He'd expected her to show up today, but he'd gotten distracted when he'd walked across the Smiths guild.

So many different styles and techniques were taught here, many of which he'd not even seen when he was in the Golden Friction Academy!

He glanced to the side at where the teacher of the class stood, her expression somewhere between awe and annoyance.

I might have gotten a bit carried away, he thought.

Still, the grumpy-looking Viridian had been teaching this class about using music to sense and manipulate the cards during reforging as if she were talking to a wall! It wasn't like she'd been doing a bad job of reforging, but she barely interacted with the children, just talking to them without really looking. Worse, the children obviously couldn't perceive the minute changes she was making, looking around bored.

"Now, one final question before I need to talk with my friend," he said, looking around the class and the wall of smiths that were blocking the entire open side.

Dozens of hands rose in the air, but one stuck out in particular. Thick and muscular, it belonged to a slightly overweight Onyxian, her face wider than it was high, split in a thick grin. The pressure rolling off her showed she had five soulcards, which was two more than anyone else in the crowd.

Probably another teacher, Irwin said, curious to find out what she wanted to ask.

He pointed at her, and she stepped forward with a wide smile.

"Are you going to be the new head of the music-style reforging, and if so, where did Mei find you?!"

The mass of people turned quiet as they all looked at him.

"No, I am just passing through," Irwin said.

"Anything I can do to change your mind? These kids really need someone to lead them," she said.

Irwin thought she meant the children in the class, but her glance moved to the Viridian teacher who stood beside him. The bark on her face turned dark while she scowled at the Onyxian. She kept quiet, however.

Is she not a real teacher?

It would explain her lack of skill at the teaching part, but… Why was she teaching then?

"I'm afraid not," he said, shaking his head. "I have important things to do, though I'm sure you will hear about that soon."

The children were looking confused, while the large mass of people seemed incredibly curious.

"Well, that's a shame," the Onyxian said. "I'll still ask her to find a way to keep you around because these kids deserve it. Now, all of you-"

She took a step forward and glared at the crowd.

"Off you go! The show is over! Next time you want to see a high-ranking smith at work, come to your own classes!"

Irwin was slightly surprised when the entire throng of smiths rushed off, none as much as complaining.

The Onyxian smith grinned at him.

"Well, thanks for teaching them. I'm Parka Cargrum. If you want a drink sometime later, come and find me in the sculpting-style building. We have a bar!"

She turned and lumbered off, the surrounding bushes shaking softly as she moved.

A bar… Irwin thought, wondering why she'd added that bit. Then, he focused on the children, who were looking very excited.

"Thanks for listening," he said. "Now, I have to go and talk with my friend. Be nice!"

He nodded at the Viridian teacher, who nodded back with a look of relief. She seemed happy for him to leave, which didn't surprise him.

Irwin walked toward the lone figure of Rindiri waiting for him. His eyes widened as he saw the Ganvil on her shoulder, its body looking like it had been wrung by something powerful. The mouth was pulled down slightly, and where Ambraz had a single nick in one of his edges, this one had barely any straight edge to speak of.

"How have you been?" he asked, motioning for her to follow him.

"Things have been… interesting, Captain," Rindiri said.

Hearing her say that made Irwin feel like something clicked back into place as if something that had been gone had been returned, and he was surprised just how much he'd missed the older Yuurindi.

"I want to hear all about it," Irwin said, but as he grinned at her, he saw her look around and frown.

"Is something wrong, Rindiri?"

"Captain… Zender and Earilla, are they alright?" Rindiri asked, looking worried.

Irwin grunted at his own thoughtlessness.

"They are fine," he said. "They should hopefully be back home by now."

"They headed back without you?" Rindiri asked, and Irwin saw surprise and worry in her eyes.

"Don't worry, everything is fine," he said. "Let's go and find a place to eat and drink, and I'll tell you what happened."

Rindiri visibly relaxed, and they continued walking.

Half an hour later, Irwin was sitting quickly with his back against a tree, chewing on a bit of dried fruit. Just enough of his presence was here to keep an eye on things while the rest of it was in his mindscape, explaining to Rindiri what had happened.

Her initial reaction was priceless, he thought, as he remembered the way her eyes had almost popped out of their sockets when she'd arrived in his soulscape.

As he swallowed the final fruit, he put his hands behind his back and took a deep breath of the fresh air. He'd only been here for a little under a day, and he already knew Suderfuix was his favorite of all Portal Gallery harbor cities. Surrounded by the massive, titanic forest that the locals called the Barrier Forest and within a glade-like area the size of a continent, it was a sprawling paradise. All it really lacked for him were some volcanoes and meat, but as he listened to the distant chatter and the occasional laughter of children, he was surprised at how tranquil it seemed.

This is how we need to make our own harbor city, he thought. There was even more space around Eluathar than there was around Suderfuix, and with the higher rank of Eluathar, the surrounding temperature would rapidly increase.

But first, we need to survive what is going to happen in the upcoming years, he thought, as his mind drifted to the Guidar and the likely war. What could they do? Would the central branches come to help them and the outer ones? Were they even strong enough for it?

He sensed a small bundle of soulforce slowly walk toward him. Curious, he opened his eyes to see a Viridian girl walk towards him. She had to be no more than six years old, and her hair was such a bright, vibrant green that it seemed to glow, and there was a curious look on her oval face.

"Hello!" she piped.

"Hello," Irwin said, sitting forward with his elbows on his knees.

"Are you made of metal?"

Irwin blinked, then grinned.

"No, but it looks like that, doesn't it?"

"Yes!" the girl piped as she walked a bit closer, cocking her head left, then right. "You are really big."

"I am," Irwin said, looking around. He didn't see any adult Viridian looking at them. "Where are your parents?"

"Mommatree is at a really boooooring lecture," the girl piped, her face scrunching up as if she'd just had something horrible to eat.

"She's a cardsmith?" Irwin asked.

"Uh-huh," the girl said.

Irwin increased his soulforce sensitivity as he looked around. A building on the other side of the grassy field, the first one of the schooling area, lit up. Dozens of people were there while a brighter area of soulforce stood before them.

"Is she over there?" he asked, pointing at the building.

"Wooooooah, how do you know that?" the girl asked, her mouth falling open.

"That's a secret," Irwin said, grinning at her.

He slowly pulled a bit more of his focus to his body, his otherself busy telling a rather stunned Rindiri about his own children and what had happened after she'd left.

"I want to know…" the girl said softly, frowning at him. "Mamatree says I'll be a really great cardsmith when I grow. I can already purify this much metal ore!" She held her hands apart enough to fit a cup.

Irwin smiled. "I'm sure you will be, and that is very impressive. When I was your age, I hadn't ever purified anything before."

"Oh, then you must be a student," she said, pronouncing the last word as if she'd practiced it. "Mamatree might be able to teach you something! She's teaching over there now."

"That's really good of her," Irwin said, and he suddenly hoped it wasn't the same teacher he'd taken over the class from.

As he watched, he saw people pouring out of the building while a tall, straight-backed Viridian woman came walking out. Her leafy hair had been bound together, which was a first for Irwin to see, and he saw a look of worry as she scanned around.

"Over here," he called out, making sure not to shout too loudly while he raised his hand.

The woman's eyes locked onto his, and he was surprised to feel a moment of immense pressure on his soulscape's barrier. It lasted only a fraction before fading, and the Viridian's eyes widened in absolute shock. Then she came almost running over, her eyes on the little girl.

"Blossom, I told you not to just walk away," she said as she reached them.

The little girl turned and crossed her arms, a petulant look on her small face.

"It was boring! Booooring," she said before huffing as the woman picked her up.

"I am sorry if she bothered you," she said, glancing at Irwin, who was still stunned by the pressure he'd just felt. His otherself was already calming Rindiri, as whatever had happened had caused his entire soulforce barrier to light up as if struck by lightning.

How did she do that? Irwin thought.

He inspected the woman, who was still looking at him, slightly worried. She had three soulcards, and from their pressure, they were diamond-rank.

"She didn't bother me at all, don't worry," he said. "But what did you just do?"

The Viridian woman looked at him, then at the girl, and finally sighed.

"I am sorry," she said, bowing her head to him. "I have a card that allows me to detect hostile intent, but I usually don't use it. It's just that you are very big, and I was startled."

Irwin's eyebrows raised at that. He knew of cards of those types, and they were incredibly rare. Getting a diamond-rank soulcard like that and then filling it the regular way would be… very difficult. If she was planning that, it meant she wasn't just anyone.

"It's alright, no harm done," he said, seeing her still standing there.

The Viridian raised her head and nodded with a thankful smile.

"Thank you for watching Blossom. We must go now," she said, nodding again before turning and walking away. The little girl was looking back over her shoulder, grinning at Irwin and waving.

Little brat, Irwin thought, waving back at her with a big grin.

She reminded him a bit of Soot, that mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

As the mother and daughter disappeared from his view, he leaned back against the tree and focused back on his otherself, talking with Rindiri.

~ Irwin's Soulscape ~

"So he is dead…" Rindiri said, leaning back in the normal-sized chair that Ambraz had created for her. Her eyes were closed, and Irwin watched her sadly. She looked tiny compared to him, barely reaching his knee if she stood, and he wished they could discuss this with his normal-sized self.

"I am sorry, Rindiri," he said, trying to keep his voice as soft as he could.

"Don't be," she said, shaking her head. "I am glad to hear that Scander helped in the end. I'd feared he had become too self-centered…"

Her voice trailed off, and Irwin waited quietly as she processed the death of the Yuurindi, who was the father of her final living children.

When she looked up, her eyes were puffy, and the whites had turned almost as purple as her square pupils.

"I am glad you brought Fuchsia. There are so few of my people left that we can't afford to lose many more," she said. "She is on your ship now?"

"She is," Irwin said.

"A ship that is too small to carry us all," Rindiri said, and Irwin saw her eyes turn hard. "That means we need to get the ship I came here with back."

"Not necessarily," Irwin said. "They can stay within my soulscape."

"Captain, I brought a lot of people," Rindiri said. "And it's a long way back."

Irwin nodded. "I know, but I'm not exactly the same as I was before."

Rindiri glanced up at him, barking a laugh.

"You don't say. But unless your soulscape has grown as much as you have…"

Her voice trailed off as Irwin's grin widened.

"Perhaps I should show you around," Irwin said as he rose to his feet. "Do you mind if I put you on my shoulder?"

Rindiri blinked, then rolled her eyes. "Very well, Captain," she said as she walked up to him.

Irwin very gently picked her up and placed her on his shoulder, where she grabbed onto his hair. Then he walked downstairs, through the room, and to the door. As he pulled it open, he heard a hiss from Rindiri, which turned into a disbelieving shout as he stepped outside.

"How… how is this possible?" she shouted. "I can't see where the soulscape barrier ends…"

Irwin slowly made himself fly up, making sure not to go too fast so she wouldn't slip off. A few hundred feet in the air, they had a clear view of his soulscape.

"You can hold all of my people in here," Rindiri muttered.

"Not that many," Irwin said. "And it's best if they don't have too many powerful cards because it will still destabilize it if they stay long enough."

"Can it hold a thousand people?" Rindiri asked as she looked at him, her eyes bright and hopeful.

"As long as most have no more than one soulcard," Irwin said.

"Captain, I…. I know this is dangerous, and we have to make sure nobody follows us, but can we stop at some of the worlds as we return home and pick up more of my people?"

"I think that can be arranged," Irwin said, grinning as he realized he'd not even told her that Greldo could move the ship through the shadows.

I wonder if she'd faint, he thought.