Chapter 279: Untwisting minds
Irwin woke to the sounds of laughter and shouting, and as he sat up, he looked around the room. His room. Given to him by his brother, it was the same one he'd stayed in before he left. Clean and as empty, he knew his mother must have kept it like that for him.
Swinging his legs out of bed, he gazed out of the window as images of traveling through the storm-filled Portal Galery played through his mind for a moment. It was cold, loud, and dangerous.
I wonder if this will stop whatever is chasing us, he thought. Perhaps whatever had ended the Galadin empire would be stopped by it?
He got up and shook his head. It seemed unlikely that something capable of finding and hunting an entire species across a seemingly infinite Portal Gallery that led to innumerable words would be stopped by a storm.
Which means it's a good thing I brought some cards, he thought.
He walked to the empty area beside the table and focused on himself- one part inside his soulscape, the other outside. Then he stretched his hands out, and a large pack appeared.
The headache, which had been gone, resurfaced for a moment before fading slowly. He ignored it and began taking out stacks of cards packaged in thick paper and covered with names, types, and other words.
He had thousands, more even probably, and he'd stopped counting at some point. Most came from those he'd bought during his travels, using the money or other cards and Boohm's impressive help at negotiating. Those were all low-rank, not very valuable to most, and perfect for experimenting and training for him, Trimdir, and the many other prospect smiths.
We need to get the best of us to a point where they can start getting ruby rank heartcards, he thought.
"How are you going to divide them?" Ambraz asked, landing on the table.
Irwin rubbed his chin, then took out a few smaller packs, all filled with the best of the cards he'd found. Many were gifts from Brazardian, while some were rare finds during his travels.
"Most of this-" he gestured at the large amount of cheap cards. "Will go to Trimdir, Endil, and the headsmiths of the other cities."