Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

Irwin gazed in disbelief at the Slaughter Demon. It took him only a moment to recall who Tomeron was. The head of the Grinwron Merchant's group, which were the owners and controllers of Fiverion. How had Tomeron Grinwron found out that he was an Emerald Smith? Or that he was here!?

No, wait. Why is he even trying to capture me? Irwin thought, questions bubbling up.

"Tomeron Grinwron?" he asked, wanting to make sure.

"Yes, an interesting fellow," the Slaughter Demon crooned. "For the price of all of the remaining people on Giard, he will grant Indoubtor citizen status, a large piece of land that recently became ownerless, and the ability to hold and maintain a thousand serfs."

Irwin almost clenched his fist in anger. That bastard didn't just want to capture him, but he was willing to do what?!

"He's selling our people into slavery?" he snarled.

"And you know this because…" Greldo asked calmly.

Irwin looked at his friend in surprise and then noticed that he was too calm. Greldo's silvery eyes held a dangerous promise of violence as he gazed at the Slaughter demon, and even the murderous monster hesitated before continuing.

"I spied on him," the Slaughter Demon said, grinning far too wide for any human mouth.

"Of course," Greldo said, not blinking.

"Yes, of course," the Slaughter Demon said, laughing softly. "Now, if you would kindly let me go, I'll tell you the final important bit, and after that, I'll answer what questions you have."

As the Slaughter Demon spoke, Irwin saw that its eyes had a tiny bit of awe as it looked at Greldo.

"Let him go," Greldo said, staring at the Slaughter Demon as an emotionless, predatory smile slowly turned his lips up. They weren't as wide as the Slaughter Demon's, but even Irwin shuddered as he saw it.

"I'm faster and stronger than him. If he leaves I'm sure he knows what will happen."

Irwin saw a flicker of fear in the Slaughter Demon's eyes before vanishing again.

"Fine," Irwin said, drawing the Slaughter Demon a bit closer. "One more thing. Don't go around killing our people," he whispered, tightening his grip a bit more and feeling the strong flesh compress while the Slaughter Demon's eyes bulged out.

"I won't!" it croaked, its oily voice ragged.

Irwin released his grip, noting Greldo standing upright, arms slightly to the side and seemingly ready to move if anything happened.

The Slaughter Demon stumbled a few steps away, rubbing his neck, which showed massive bruises from where Irwin had gripped him.

"Good, good," it said as it took a few more steps away. Then it blinked and looked at its arm. "Ah, before I forget…" he walked back and raised his arm to Greldo.

Greldo grabbed a device from the chain and held it against the bracelet, causing it to snap open.

Immediately, a hooded cloak reappeared around the Slaughter Demon, and Irwin readied himself to grab it if needed. But the Slaughter Demon didn't move; instead, it stretched a bit and then rubbed its neck again. Then, it stared at Greldo for a few moments.

"If you ever get tired of playing the hero, go to Dimarintsia and find the Holy Shadow Inn. I'm sure you will enjoy it," the Slaughter Demon said, staring at Greldo for a few moments. Then it laughed. "Now, the final bit of information! Indoubtor has planted assassins among the camps in case you managed to return somehow. They are outfitted with cards that will allow them to bypass your metallic and fiery defenses."

Irwin stared at the Slaughter Demon, and for a few moments, he wanted to deny what the thing had said. Then he shook his head.

"Why doesn't this surprise me," he muttered.

"I can't answer that," the Slaughter Demon said as he took a few steps back. "Now. Any questions? Otherwise, I'll be going into hiding until you are all gone, and then I'll go through the portal. I presume you will be taking everyone with you?"

"Everyone that's alive," Greldo said.

"Are there more prisoners?" Irwin asked.

"There are a dozen or so people locked away in the dungeons below the tower," the Slaughter Demon said. "I didn't bother looking, but I think they are his relatives?"

Irwin jolted. "Did you get any names?" he asked, taking a step forward.

The Slaughter Demon cocked its head as its eyes narrowed. "No. I didn't know there might have been interesting people in his family. Seems I missed something."

They were quiet as Irwin thought about what he'd said. He cast a quick glance at Greldo. "Any ideas?"

"Only one thing," Greldo said quietly. "Can you take other beings along through the shadows?"

The Slaughter Demon's eyes widened, and he looked at Greldo in surprise. "Of course not! Why would you… Oooooh! Can you take others along?"

Greldo didn't answer, and for a few more moments, the trio looked at each other.

"So… if you don't have any more questions?" the Slaughter Demon said.

"What's your name," Irwin asked.

For the second time, the Slaughter Demon looked surprised, then he smiled. "My name has no meaning anymore. I'll accept Slaughter as a name. It holds truth to it."

Greldo snorted. "That's not the proper name for something like you. I'll call you Gloom. Nice, short, and it doesn't make you seem like you're powerful."

The Slaughter Demon froze, looking at Greldo with wide eyes. Then he slowly nodded. "Gloom," he just whispered. "Yes."

Irwin had the feeling something had just happened, but he had no idea what it was.

Greldo just glared at the newly named Gloom and waved around. "Whatever. If you want to do something useful, go and take care of the Nyzir and Tardels that roam these plains."

"Why would I-"

Gloom fell quiet as Greldo took a step forward, a dangerous smile crossing his face. "Right. Yes, I guess that is a good thing to spend my time on," Gloom said as he backed up.

Something about the odd conversation managed to jog Irwin out of his angry state and clear his mind.

"Alright, some questions. How many full-hands does Indoubtor have? Where are they? Do you know if he has any enemies in the tower or people that don't agree with him?"

Gloom hummed and shook his head. "I did not pay attention to those weaklings. Perhaps ten? Who knows. There's someone called Sorceress Tanya who keeps arguing with him, but that's about all."

Tanya made it here to? Irwin thought. Then he shook his head. Why was he surprised? Twintin had been with Tanya back on Fiverion. It made sense that they were still alive.

He looked at Greldo. "Anything else?"

"Nothing I can think of," Greldo said coldly as he kept staring at Gloom. "That means you're off the hook. Get lost and make sure you don't do anything that upsets me."

Gloom looked at him for a few moments before smiling thinly and vanishing.

Irwin saw Greldo's gaze follow something to the right for a while before he looked at Irwin.

"He's gone," he said, taking a deep breath. "I hope that doesn't come and bite us in the ass later."

"You could go after him and kill him?" Irwin said.

Greldo shook his head. "Not sure I could catch him."

Irwin opened his mouth, about to say that Greldo had said that he was faster. Then he closed with a snap. Greldo had been exaggerating?

"I can kill him, but he's really fast," Greldo said as he looked around. "Listen, I managed to get Lamia and Gawarn out of their prison. They are hiding in the tower, but I'm not sure for how long. We need to get them out."

Irwin took a deep breath, then exhaled explosively. He'd think about Gloom later.

"Any idea?" he asked.

"We need to figure out what exactly Indoubtor has planned for you and if you can overpower it," Greldo said. "With gloom gone, he won't be able to see me, so I think we should go and find out what Sorceress Tanya knows."

"We?" Irwin asked. "I thought you were out of energy to teleport."

"Who said anything about teleporting all the way? Just run to the nearest camp, and I'll find you a way through without getting seen."

Irwin thought about it for a few moments before looking around. "Go and find her. I'll kill more Tardels and try to get more camps moving. I'll make my way to that camp-" he pointed at the camp closest to Coulwater Tower. "Get me when you find her."

Greldo snorted as he looked around. "Sure. I'll leave Coal around here and have him keep an eye on Gloom. I'll see you soon."

Irwin saw him vanish, and after staring at the distant Coulwater tower for a few moments, he turned and headed to the next camp.

"Greldo has an odd sense of naming things," he muttered as he thought about Coal and Gloom.

For the next hour, he continued running across the plains, keeping an eye on the tower and going from camp to camp. At first, he came across a few more Tardels, but after half an hour, all he found were unmoving bodies with slash marks across their neck.

He was waiting at the final camp for over ten minutes, staring at the tower, when there was a soft rustle from his side, and Greldo appeared.

"I found her," Greldo hissed without any greeting. "We need to hurry. Indoubtor has sent people through the portal to tell Tomeron Grinwron that you are here."

"Alright, where to?" Irwin asked as he looked at the Coulwater tower. It was still at least half a mile away, and he saw over a hundred heat signatures patrolling just the wall facing them.

"Just follow me," Greldo said as he began jogging back to the tower. "Tanya has planted one of her people on the section of the wall we are moving towards. As soon as she sees us, she will cover for us, telling them we are returning spies. Apparently, that happens every few days, and it isn't anything weird."

Not weird at all, Irwin thought with a frown.

"So you spoke with her," he said as he fell in line with Greldo, slowly picking up speed.

"Yeah," Greldo said with a snort. "She nearly took my head off when I appeared. I've never seen anyone move as fast as her. If she'd had a heartcard I'm pretty sure she would have killed me."

"She's only handcarded, right?" Irwin said.

"Definitely, but I think she has at least two cards that increase her movement speed and reflexes," Greldo said. "Anyway, that's not the point. She told me that Indoubtor has a trapcard with him, a one-time use card that Tomeron gave him. It is able to hold up to one soulcarded person in status for a day."

"You trust her?" Irwin asked, wondering if they weren't heading into a trap.

"Yes," Greldo said with a weary sigh. "I watched her for half an hour in her hideout, and she was discussing things ranging from trying to assassinate Indoubtor to coming up with a way to get the food he has been stashing divided across the camps."

Irwin was quiet for a bit before sighing. "Tanya was a bit like that when we first met her."

"Yeah, if all the sorcerers were like her -well, and Gelwin- I guess they wouldn't have been so hated," Greldo said with a sigh.

"Most people didn't hate them," Irwin said. "They feared them and wanted them to let them be."

"Same thing," Greldo said. "Most aren't any better than Indboutor."

"I wonder why Tomeron is trying to capture me?" Irwin asked. "He's the leader of a whole world!"

“No idea,” Greldo said. "Now, let's be quiet. I don't know if there's anyone on that wall with better ears than mine, but it wouldn't surprise me. I've already met one this night!"

Irwin grunted, and they continued, closing in on the wall without raising any alarms. Greldo led him to a section of wall far from the gate, and Irwin frowned as he looked at the towering dark gray stone. What were they doing here? Shouldn't they head to the gate?

Greldo stopped running and continued forward, staring at the wall. He stopped before a section that looked the same as the rest, scratched and dark. After examining it for a moment, he turned and raised a finger while mouthing - One moment.

Irwin nodded, and Greldo vanished, leaving Irwin to look around with a frown. Greldo was gone for almost five minutes before reappearing in the same space. He nodded at Irwin, giving him a thumbs up.

What is going on? Irwin thought.

His eyebrows rose as Greldo knocked on the wall, waited for a moment, then knocked again twice, but faster.

Lines appeared on the wall, and a slab the size of a small door slid forward and to the side, revealing an opening that led into an unlit room. A woman with a dark brown robe and a dark gray, almost black leather armored top stood behind it. She looked at Greldo, then Irwin before turning around and beckoning for them to follow her.

Greldo shrugged and walked inside, with Irwin readying his Sweltering skill. As soon as he was inside, the slab behind him slid back into place nearly soundlessly, and they stood in a stone room with a closed door. The woman was watching them, scanning Greldo for a few moments before inspecting Irwin.

He saw how she glanced across him, lingering on his hands, then his eyes, and finally shaking his head.

"So you're the one Indoubtor is so afraid of… You must have one hell of a heartcard," she said, looking at him expectantly.

Irwin shrugged. "It's not bad. Now, how about we go to Tanya? We are on somewhat of a time constraint."

The woman nodded before turning around. "Follow me," she whispered. "Indoubtor has extra patrols walking around, so we need to be extra careful."

Irwin followed her to the door, Greldo a step behind. The door opened into a dark alleyway, and the woman looked around before turning to them. "Keep close, and if someone sees us, split up and run."

Irwin nodded, but Greldo just raised an eyebrow.

They followed after the woman, moving through a dozen different alleyways nestled between buildings Irwin didn't recall from the time he'd been here before. They only heard other people, never seeing anyone, while Greldo's ears made it so they had ample time to react if someone came towards them.

As Irwin trudged through a wider road, well wide compared to the shoulder-scraping ones they had just gone through, he kept looking around.

If Indoubtor managed to build all these in such a short time he must have many carded builders and crafters, he thought. He hoped those weren't loyal to him and would be willing to work for Daubutim.

The woman stopped at a door that was so small and narrow that he knew he'd have to squeeze himself through. She knocked a few times. When the door opened, she whispered a few words with a figure Irwin couldn't see, then waved them over.

"I've got to head back to my post," she whispered, giving them a short nod before turning and walking away.

Right… goodbye to you too, Irwin thought as he looked at Greldo only to find his friend was gone.

Greldo? Irwin thought, spinning around but seeing nothing but the narrow opening. He felt a slight twitch of worry when Greldo reappeared beside the door.

"It's safe. Let's go inside," his friend whispered before moving through the narrow door by angling his body.

Irwin sighed as he walked forward, bent down, and angled his body to force the upper part through the door. His simple tunic caught on the doorframe, but he just shoved forward, feeling the entire construction bend and squeak. For a moment, he feared he'd get stuck inside, then he shoved himself through, inside a room with stairs going down and a wide-eyed woman with a long, needle-thin sword in her hand. She looked at him, then the door, and swallowed.

"Go down, I'll close it," she whispered.

Irwin walked to the stairs, hearing her mutter something about the door never going to fit normally again.

As he walked down the stairs that seemed to lead far down, he frowned.

"How did you ever find this place?" he whispered.

"I followed some shady people," Greldo replied before looking up. "I just checked, but Twintin is here with Tanya and a few others."

Irwin frowned, then nodded. "Thanks for the warning."

A few hundred steps down, they arrived at a short hallway with a single, massive door. It opened as they appeared, and Irwin was surprised to see Tanya smiling at them and waving them in.

Beyond the door was a surprisingly cozy-looking room with a few beds on one side, a long, crude table on the other, and a map of the surrounding area on the wall, filled with pins and markings. Circles that Irwin assumed were the camps were drawn around the central castle, and a question mark stood out in the hills.

Twintin stood behind the table, arms folded across her chest and a stern look on her face as she stared at him. A man with greying hair, sharp eyes, and a corded, muscular neck sat on the other side, calmly observing him. The man's face was incredibly familiar, and he frowned as he tried to recall where he'd seen him. Or someone that looked like him? Then he realized what the man looked like, and his eyes widened as he took a step forward.

"I am Dianor Coulwater," the man said calmly. "As you have been together with my brother, Daubutim, for a while, I presume your current anger might be because you think I am our father. Let me assure you, I am not."

Irwin stopped walking forward. Angry, what did he mean… then he realized he was holding his hammer, and his jaw was hurting from how hard his teeth were clenching together. A pale light came from the side, and he looked up to see Twintin stare at him, eyes narrowed and two lances of ice hovering above her hands.

Irwin looked around to see Greldo lowered in a crouch, seeming ready to move at a moment's notice, while Tanya was looking from him to Dianor in surprise.

"Sorry, I thought he looked familiar, but I hadn't made the link," Greldo grunted.

Irwin took a deep breath, then unsummoned his hammer as he looked at the man who looked so much like one of his best friends.

"So, you are Daubutim's eldest brother," he said.

The man nodded. "It is good to see that Daubutim managed to find comrades like yourself."

Irwin nodded, frowning as he moved to a chair and dropped down, ignoring the creaks of complaint of the wood or that the back bent dangerously far back.

"Your father?" he asked.

"Lord Doldingen Coulwater is no more," Dianor said, showing not the slightest bit of sadness. "He managed to get Darsach and me out of the portal we were trapped in and paid for it with his life."

Irwin looked at Dianor and finally managed to relax. "I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad about that," he finally said.

Dianor raised an eyebrow.

"I promised Daubutim I'd knock your father out if he tried to resist, and I was looking forward to that," Irwin said. He was surprised to see a slight gleam in Dianor's eyes while his lips curved in a smile.

"I'd have enjoyed watching that," Dianor said. "Is my brother safe?"

Irwin nodded slowly. "Lord Daubutim is doing very well indeed," he said. He couldn't hold back, smiling as he continued. "Managing an entire world seems to be very well suited to him."

There was a gasp from the others, but Irwin ignored them, staring at Dianor, watching for any sort of poor reaction. None came. Dianor's smile even widened as he nodded.

"So he healed himself?"

"Enough," a high-pitched voice snapped from the side.

Irwin looked up to see Twintin glower at him. Her two ice lances were gone, but her hands were planted on the table as she leaned forward. She had become older, much older than she should have, and Irwin guessed she'd been into a lot of portals. Still, a bit of the little girl remained, with her size being half or less of his.

Tanya stood a few steps to the side, smiling ruefully as she shook her head.

"We are not here to discuss family issues," Twintin said. "We-"

"We are here to learn how we can get our people safely away from this world," Tanya said softly but sternly as she interrupted Twintin.

As he looked at her, Irwin realized her upbeat nature seemed subdued, and sadness lingered in her eyes as she looked at him.

"Greldo told me that you have been evacuating the people from the camps to another world, but he forgot to mention how or where this world is," she said.

"I didn't forget that," Greldo said with a grin as he walked around the table and sat down opposite Irwin. "I didn't tell you because you don't need to know to help, and if Indoubtor finds out, we are in trouble."

"We are here to get Lamia and Gawarn out of here," Irwin said. "And for that, the easiest way is to take out Indoubtor."

"Easiest?" Twintin muttered. "You might have a heartcard, but that doesn't make you invincible! Indoubtor sent for help from that vile little man, Tomeron Grinwron, who might just send soulcarded here. Then what will you do?"

Irwin hummed as he looked at Tayna. "When did they leave through the portal to Fiverion?" he asked.

"Just over two hours ago," Tanya said, glancing at Twiting occasionally.

Irwin hummed, doing some quick calculations. He'd only gone through the Fiverion exit portal a single time, but he'd gone through many portals since. Even the shortest one took hours, and the Fiverion one lasted for a pretty long time, if he recalled.

"We should have time before the warning even arrives," he said. "Then they need to send someone back, and then that person has to make their way here. I'd say we have two hours at least."

"And? You suppose we just go and-"

"Kick Indoubtor's ass in half that? Why yes, he does," Greldo said as he put his hands behind his head, grinning at Irwin.

"Are you two insane?" Twintin snapped as she pounded the table. "He has a dozen two-full-handed guards around him at all times. Even I can't take out more than two of those, and that's if I get the jump on them!"

"Do you know if any of them can hold their breath for a very long time?" Irwin asked Tanya as he ignored Twintin.

The last remnants of anger and surprise he'd felt at seeing Dianor were rapidly fading, and he wondered where Darsach and Daubutim's mother were.

"I don't know for sure, but from what I've seen, he has picked the guards with strong close combat cards, weapons, armor, strength, and speed. Those types. Why?"

"Then I think we are going to need a plan to get them all together in a closed room," Irwin said with a grin.

"And after that, you are going to explain what is going on?" Twintin asked, glaring at him. "Or are you still keeping secrets that will cause others to die?"

Irwin looked at her, remembering what had happened to Rachel what seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I have secrets, and many of them are not yours to know," he said calmly.

"Who decides that?" Twintin snapped.

Irwin rose forward, the chair creaking dangerously as he leaned forward on the tip.

"I do," he said.

Twintin seemed ready to explode, but before she could say anything, a calm voice cut her off.

"Twintin, we all have secrets. Some of us more than others, and many of us with secrets that could cause deaths," Dianor said. "We know of your resentments. You've told us before, but you also agreed that it wasn't Irwin's fault. So, why are you trying to antagonize him?"

Twintin was breathing heavily as she glared at Dianor, then back at Irwin.

"Seeing him just makes me angry," she snapped before sinking into her chair.

Irwin stared back at her, not sure what he should be doing about this. Weren't ice-carded supposed to be calm?

Twintin held his gaze for a while before letting out a sigh. "If you had shared that stupid Anvil, many people could have been saved, and we would have been able to resist Indoubtor!"

"Hey, you brat! Who are you calling stupid?" Ambraz shouted, his voice muted by Irwin's pocket.

Twintin's eyes widened while Irwin saw Dianor look at him with interest. While Ambraz crawled out of his pocket, he prepared his heartcard, readying his Sweltering skill in case of need. He didn't think any of those here could actually defeat him, but he also didn't know what Twintin's ice would do if it hit him.

Ambraz flew up, rushing around his head before landing on his shoulder. Even without eyes, the narrow, pursed metal lips gave him the idea that Ambraz was glaring at Twintin.

"I'm not something to share, like some inanimate object," he snapped angrily. "Why don't you just share yourself around!"

Twintin's eyes widened, and she seemed ready to explode when Tanya slammed her hand on the table.

"Enough, Twintin! I hoped letting you rant a bit would be enough, but you just won't stop," Tanya said, her voice raised. "I know how you feel, but without Irwin and the others, we would still be locked in a cell!"

Twintin clamped her arms across her chest again, glaring at the table and muttering something about Irwin being the only reason they were locked up in the first place.

Irwin didn't respond, and Tanya looked at her for a while longer before looking at Irwin. "What plan do you suggest, and how can we help?"

Irwin watched her slowly, then leaned back.

"Greldo said you are really fast. Are you fast enough to get to Indoubtor and grab something from him if needed?"