Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

Irwin stumbled out of the portal onto a muddy square. A warm breeze carrying the stink of sulfur rippled around him as he looked around.

They were on a square littered with rotting wood and square gray stone, beside a crude tower with a base of stone and a top of rotten wood. The door was partially open, and there was a dozing four-horn lying beside it. All around the square was a decrepit old town not unlike the one on the other side of the portal, with poorly crafted wooden buildings. There was one difference, though. Many of the wooden buildings were partially built around and on top of stone ruins. Those he could see clearly were covered in a familiar script.

Terullian script!

An enormous dark volcano loomed behind the ruins, glowing red fissures spread out across its base, widening as they reached its tip. Irwin searched for any dangers, but seeing no traps or five-horns, he felt a tiny bit of relief. It seemed Doomblade had been telling the truth, at least so far.

Dozens of three-horned and four-horned Galubs were moving around the buildings, and most hadn't noticed them yet. For one moment, he hoped they could move without being spotted. Then, there was a surprised shout.

"Let's go," Greldo hissed, and the world turned shadowy.

Irwin saw Greldo's face pulled in a grimace as he pulled both him and Senira through the narrow stretch of shadows that was cast by the wooden guard tower beside the portal. A couple of four-horns were sprinting out of the door, glaring around angrily.

"Shadow walkers!"

" Warn the others!"

Irwin was pulled through the shadows, around the building, and the world reasserted itself with screams and shouts of anger as he reappeared behind the building amidst a clutter of debris of what might have been an adjacent building to the tower.

He quickly ducked behind cover, Senira and Greldo doing the same as the Galubs on the other side continued shouting. A quick look around the rubble saw Galubs stormed towards them, weapons raised.

Greldo was sitting against one of the blocks, drawing in deep breaths.

"So, how do you want to do this?" he whispered in between gulping in air.

Irwin thought for a moment, recalling how many Galubs he'd seen.

"Do you think you and Coal can keep all the ranged ones off my back?"

"Probably," Greldo thought. "There were only what, fifty?"

Irwin frowned, not sure exactly how many he'd seen. More than fifty, though.

"More like a hundred," he whispered.

"Then we will be fine," Greldo said with a predatory grin, eyes gleaming.

Irwin nodded just as he saw Senira scan around the debris before jerking back.

"What?"

"There's more coming," she whispered with a worried frown. "Are you sure you can do this?"

Irwin thought for a bit, then nodded. "Yes. Even if we can't clear them all out, only one and two-horned Galubs fight to the death. They will probably flee."

Serina didn't seem wholly convinced, but she just nodded. "Alright. What about me?"

"Can you stay out of sight?" Irwin asked.

"If needed, I can hide here," Serina said, motioning at the debris. "But if the Galubs flee, they might hide here too. I can take care of seven or eight, but if there's more, I'll be swarmed."

Irwin frowned, recalling how she and the other four Frozir had managed to slaughter and disperse the four-horns during and after his fight with Doomblade.

"That was mostly the others," Serina said. "I'm not focused on combat."

Irwin nodded while the Frozir looked around, then at the tower beside them. "Perhaps there is a place to hide in there?"

"One moment," Greldo said, looking a lot better than before.

He frowned before vanishing.

Irwin listened to the Galubs, who were talking on the other side of the portal.

We need to hurry, he thought. If those Galubs moved through the portal, the others would be in trouble!

Greldo returned. "There are rooms that can be locked, though I wouldn't trust the door to stop an angry neighbor knocking on it."

"Bring her there," Irwin said as he rose. "We need to stop them before they decide to check the other side of the portal!"

Greldo moved to Serina before looking up.

"Give me ten seconds, then start. Me and Coal will be ready!"

"Alright," Irwin said.

Greldo and Serina vanished, and Irwin summoned his hammer.

"This world is seriously unstable," Ambraz hissed from his pocket. "I can't guarantee that it won't shatter tomorrow!"

Irwin frowned, wondering if they should just leave after fetching the eggs. He really wanted to get the energy to fill his soullake, but it wasn't worth dying for.

"Alright, let's clear these Galubs out first," he grunted, knowing ten seconds had passed.

He rose to his full height and slowly walked around the tower. A quick glance showed a large group of three and four-horns, holding a shouting match.

"No! You go," one of the four-horns roared as he jabbed a finger at a Galub with slightly longer horns.

The other one growled in response.

Irwin closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on the skill he hadn't used in a while. Even then, it obeyed his wishes instantly as his heartcard thrummed. Trickles of steam appeared around him, and he was about to rush forward when a memory came to him. With some focus, the steam moved behind him, and slowly, a cloud began to form, hidden from view of the Galubs.

"Greldo, wait a bit," Irwin whispered, his voice so soft he knew nobody but his friend would be able to hear it.

Seconds ticked by as he made sure to listen to the fighting Galubs. When a cloud of steam as high as the tower, just as wide and sprawling behind it, had gathered, he knew he couldn't wait anymore.

"Yes, throw him in!" the other four-horn that seemed to be in charge shouted in agreement.

Irwin pulled on the steam, causing it to stream ahead of him, out across the area beyond his vision. Immediately, a sense of the ground, the debris, and some Galubs came.

There was a terrified scream just as he ran out through the mist. Although he saw little but shadows in the distance as his steam lowered, spread, and continued to expand, the heat signatures were more than obvious.

"Hold your breath," a surprisingly clear voice screamed just beyond his reach.

"Don't touch that!" another screamed at the same time.

Irwin felt the Galubs near him struggle, some gasping for breath as they began searching for a way out. Those near the edge were rushing out while he sped toward the nearest Galubs. All were three-horns, and he struck the first one, a scrambling figure, with his hammer, slamming it into the ground. Another strike shattered its skull.

"Together! Focus. Focus, I said!" a voice roared from beyond the still-spreading steam.

What are they doing? Irwin ran through the Galubs as they moved through the steam. To his surprise, most seemed able to breathe the superheated steam, though their contorted faces showed it wasn't without pain.

Has to be because they are three-horns. Those are much stron-

"NOW!"

Irwin felt his steam forced away as a cold wind blew from where the voice had been. He instinctively tried to keep it where it was, but when he did, he felt his energy plummet sharply.

Dammit, he thought as he released his control over the steam.

It was ripped away from around him as even his metal hair and beard rustled in the sudden gale. Stunned, he watched as a small group of four-horns stood slightly away from the others, arms stretched towards him. As the steam was gone, they lowered their hands, gasping for breath.

The center one growled. "Kill him!"

Irwin moved by instinct, the many months of training and practice from Crithann making him jump forward, exploding with kinetic energy. He shot forward like a meteor, summoning his hammer and wrapping it in flames before hurling the hammer towards the four-horns. Before the Galubs really knew what had happened, a barn-sized hammer powered by Irwin's kinetic energy exploded in their midst. Sand, debris, and Galubs were blasted apart, the one that had seemed like a leader ripped to pieces.

Irwin grunted as he looked around, finding a depressingly small number of Galubs down and what had to be a hundred or more up and around him. A few stood close to the portal, and he moved before he fully had a plan.

He was going to have to make sure none fled through the portal.

Three steps in, arrows thudded against his upper body and arms, scratching his hardened, metallic flesh as they ricocheted away, causing his kinetic energy to grow with each hit. Although none really pierced in, he knew those shooting them had to be four-horns, as he felt the arrow tips gouge trails into his body. One arrow thudded against his cheek, and Irwin looked angrily, searching for the culprit.

A few four-horns, mixed in with the others, were drawing back on their bows. The other Galubs had backed up a step, grinning while holding a myriad of weapons at the ready.

"Shoot him!" one of the four-horns roared, and Irwin saw more Galubs materialize bows.

Annoying, he thought, about to hurl a fire-infused hammer at one of the archers when Greldo and Coal appeared a short distance away in the nearest shadow and sprinted at the Galubs. Before they saw him, he was dancing in between them, daggers slashing around, while Coal ripped apart anything that he saw.

Irwin grinned and redirected his hammer to the four-horn that shouted orders, hurling it with full force. The four-horn yelped and jumped away, only for the explosion behind him to carry him up and away, bowling over another group.

"There are only three! Swarm them," another four-horn shouted from the other side.

Irwin looked around, then froze for a moment. The Galub was holding a long sword that glowed dully green as it ran towards him.

That better not be another of those immovable swords, Irwin thought as he unsummoned and re-summoned his hammer.

A half-dozen arrows plinked against his back, some managing to stay stuck half an inch inside his skin. They hurt, but nothing more, but he flared his flame up around him as hot as he could, causing them to burn away.

Still, his flame didn't seem to frighten the Galubs. Like a river dam breaking, a mass of Galubs ran towards him, brandishing swords, axes, clubs, and daggers.

Irwin had just one moment to curse before he began swirling, dodging, blocking, and striking out in a frenzy. Within moments, his kinetic energy surged up as he failed to block many of the faster hits, but he used it to strike back without restraint. Each of his hits caused shattered and broken Galubs to be flung away while he saw Grelo and Coal dash around the outskirts, killing archers and dodging the arrows now sent their way.

It's a good thing there's no five-horn here, Irwin thought, gritting his teeth.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Irwin used all of the skills he had. Even then, he soon realized that being near impervious to most physical attacks didn't mean he couldn't get hurt. Something slashed across his leg, leaving a burning pain, while another thing collided with his shoulder. Spinning around as he used the force and enlarging his hammer to use the centrifugal power, he blasted fire in a wave all around him.

"I'll guard the portal," Greldo suddenly shouted.

Irwin looked around to see a few Galubs had backed up towards it, only for his friend to intercept them.

Something struck his back, and he roared in anger, striking the ground below him and causing mud, sand, and stone to explode outwards, shoving the nearest Galubs away.

Unwittingly he began humming a song as he struck out, dodged, accepted dozens of hits and shattered bones, and then his conscious thought faded as battle fever took over.

--

He must have at least one soulskill, Senira thought as she glanced out of the crack in the wall of the wooden tower.

Below her, a battle unlike any she'd seen before raged, with the metallic giant raging in the midst of a seemingly unending wave of those foul Galubs. As their blood sprayed around, pooling on the ground, she couldn't help but shiver in joy. Memories of her hatch-brother and sisters came to her, ripped apart by these vile horned monsters just for sport! Finally, they got what they deserved!

A tiny part of her wished she hadn't focused on the part of her soulskill that she had. Wished she had forced it along a more combat-oriented path, as her sisters had. It would have helped her gain Mental Freeze, which would have lessened the pain, even though she knew full well it would have resulted in her death. The only reason she was still alive, even though she hadn't been with egg, was because of her ability to keep the eggs safe.

A deafening boom made her focus back on the battle, and she saw sand and debris blast apart as the absurdly sized hammer created another crater in the ground.

They are going to flee soon, she knew as she saw the four-horns on the outskirts begin to back away from the battle. The three-horns would likely fight till the death, unable to overcome their inborn desire for combat, but not the four-horns. They had gained enough calm to know when to run.

She'd barely thought it when she saw four of them turn and dash towards the pathetic wood constructs they called homes.

A hairy blur, black and silver-eyed and the size of one of the Great Frosterpents, rushed after them, catching up to one of them before it reached the safety of the buildings. As it ripped its throat apart before vanishing into the shadows, she shuddered.

Shadow beasts, she thought, feeling the lingering fear she'd felt when they had traveled through that unholy place of darkness. How anything that was cold could be evil was beyond her.

At first, she'd feared the silver-eyed human had been with the Nyzir, and even now, she hoped it wasn't all some elaborate trick by those conniving demons.

Her mind drifted off as she absently watched the monstrous metal being tear apart the much weaker beings. Only when the final one had either run or disappeared did she snap back out of it and stand.

I hope Elder Gum'dil'ran is correct that these warmbloods are trustworthy, she thought.

Then she walked out of the despicable house, wishing for the cold touch of ice and snow.

--

Irwin took a deep breath as he rolled his arms. His entire body was covered in wounds, none deadly, but all burning and painful. He glanced at a cut nearly an inch deep in his arm, which was very, very, slowly closing.

"You okay?"

He looked up to see Greldo stagger towards him, blood running from across his arm, his sleeve ripped free.

Irwin stomped forward, eyes wide. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, fine! I should be the one asking that of you," Greldo snapped angrily. "Also, remind me never to fight this many things without solid shadows again."

Irwin grimaced as he looked at his friend. Patches of fur were ripped free, showing deep wounds, one dangerously close to his throat and jugular.

"Stop looking like I'm about to keel over," Greldo snapped just as a soft padding came from the distance. They both looked up to see Coal approach, his entire body covered in blood too dark to be his own.

"Dammit, some got away," Greldo hissed. "We need to find those eggs before those nasty things reach them."

"I'll bring us there!"

Irwin and Greldo turned to Senira, who was walking out of the tower.

"Alright, but we need to pick up the cards," Irwin said as he looked around. Dozens of squarish shapes were littered between the bodies and blood, their verdant colors sticking out.

"I'll do that," Greldo muttered as he walked forward. "I'll catch up."

Irwin was about to say it was too dangerous when Coal sniffed. The massive hound stared at him, almost seeming to dare him.

"Alright," Irwin said as he turned, only for an arrow still lodged below his shoulder to pull.

Looking at Senira, he pointed at his back. "Could you pull these out as we walk?"

The Frozir looked at him quietly. "It might hurt…" she said.

Irwin shrugged, grimacing at the pain it brought. "It's fine," he said. "My heartcard helps me endure."

Senira's eyes narrowed, but she only pointed to the right. "That way," she said.

Irwin began walking forward, slower than he normally would, as he felt her grab an arrow. A moment later, she ripped it out, and he only just clenched his teeth to stifle a groan of pain.

By the time they reached the edge of the town, Senira had removed over a dozen arrows.

"That should be it," she said as she came walking beside him, glancing at him sideways with her pale blue eyes. "How many soulcards do you have?"

Irwin snorted, then laughed, but didn't answer. It wasn't the first time someone had asked him about that, and he was pretty sure it was because his hearcard was Ammolite. It seemed to increase not only the amount of passives and actives he had but also the power they could exert.

I wonder what will happen after it becomes a soulskill, he thought.

Senira stared at him until she seemed to realize he wasn't going to answer.

"Are you the most powerful of your people?" she asked.

Irwin thought for a moment, thinking about Daubutim. "It depends if we are talking about fighting or something else," he said.

"Fighting," Senira said calmly.

"Probably," Irwin said, thinking about his brother. "Though not by a lot."

Senira continued ahead, leading them through the narrow, litter-filled streets. A dull, musky stink hung everywhere that reminded Irwin of the portal he and Daubutim had been in, the one they had stumbled across Doomblade the first time.

They continued through the town, then out towards the distant volcano. Thin plumes of darkness trickled from the top and the sides, and Irwin sighed as he felt the temperature rapidly increase.

"What?"

"I just realized that this isn't the first planet I've found that is cracking, and I'm starting to be done with looking at volcanos," Irwin said as he gestured at the dark, mud-covered peak in the distance.

Senira didn't respond, and they continued for a while. Eventually, Irwin saw an old, partially destroyed tower standing near a crevice. A familiar red glow came from its depths, coloring the distant jagged wall.

Irwin looked for any heat signatures, and either there were none, or the rapidly increasing temperature was camouflaging any Galubs still around.

"Do you have a soulcard that gives you infinite endurance?" Senira asked.

Irwin looked at her, wondering why she was so curious about his skills. When he was young, it had been more than a little impolite to ask about someone else's cards. Although he'd long since dealt with more open people, being asked so often, especially when he felt he'd been more than clear that he didn't want to talk about it, made him annoyed.

"I prefer not talking about my cards," he said.

"Soul stolen skills," Senira said.

Irwin frowned at her, but she was looking at him with what he felt was a sincere interest. He focused back ahead.

"Do you think the eggs are alright?" he asked, deciding to change the subject.

"I hope so," Serina said, her eyes narrowing as she sped up.

Irwin noticed tiny trickles of sweat running down the side of her face as the temperature continued to increase.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked.

"I'll live."

They continued on in silence until they reached the tower. Irwin had expected some guards, but to his surprise, the tower was just locked with a rusty dark chain, which took him all of one second to rip apart. As he opened the door, a wave of cold air rippled out from it, causing him to involuntarily shiver.

Serina rushed into the tower.

As Irwin stepped into the tower he saw the entire inside was covered in a thick, gleaming layer of ice. There was barely any sign of it melting either, though a slight indent had filled with water, showing that some of that was occurring. A layer of ice on the side was filled with shadowy oval objects clustered together.

"They are fine," Serina exhaled and looked at Irwin with a sudden smile that made him blink in surprise. "Thank you!"

Irwin nodded, but Serina had already turned around, starting to move her hands across the ice.

"Ohhhh, that's much better!"

Irwin jolted, then turned a glare on Greldo standing next to him.

"What?"

"Can you please warn us before you just pop up?!" Irwin said. "I could have hit you!"

"No, you couldn't have," Greldo said with a weary smile, vanishing and reappearing a step away so fast Irwin barely missed it.

Irwin snorted, and they waited as Senira removed the clusters of eggs, leaving a thick layer of ice around them. When she was done, she could barely stand.

"Do you want me to hold some?" Irwin asked as he saw her sway dangerously.

"No," Senira snapped before taking a deep breath and smiling half-heartedly. "If you touch them, the ice will melt, and they will be wounded by the warmth."

Irwin nodded, taking a step back, only to see Senira stumble as she walked forward. Irwin moved, holding her up.

"This isn't going to work," he said, ignoring Senira's sudden worried look. "How did you even expect to carry these?"

"I can do it," Senira said, squaring her shoulders and seeming ready to try again.

Irwin snorted, then lifted her up, holding her as best he could so as not to touch the eggs. Then he turned and stomped out of the tower, ignoring Greldo's laughter.

Senira didn't say a single word as they moved down, but when he put her on the ground before the portal, she stared at him intently. Clouds of snowy white seemed to swirl in her eyes before she lowered them.

"Thank you," she said before turning and stepping into the portal.

Irwin blinked while Greldo burst out laughing. Coal had been standing beside the portal and let out a snort.

"What?" Irwin asked, annoyed.

"Oh, nothing," Greldo said as he turned around. "So, how about we find those Imps? Coal will stay behind to guard the portal."

Irwin nodded and followed his friend.

"You might want to talk with Lord Bron, by the way," Greldo muttered.

Irwin glanced at his friend, who was studiously staring at the distant volcano with a mocking grin.

I don't even want to know, Irwin thought.

It took them far less time to reach the tower, and when they reached the largest of the fissures in the ground, Irwin immediately knew he'd made the right call. Hundreds of Imps were running around the edges, far below, jumping across dark patches in the lava and screaming with insane laughter. Every so often, he saw one topple into the lava, screaming in pain as it was burned alive, only for the others to laugh even louder.

"They are completely insane now," Greldo muttered.

"They are one step away from becoming Addled," Ambraz snorted as he rustled out of Irwin's pocket. "Ugh! Remember that I told you how stuffy it is in there?"

Irwin nodded absently, staring at the Imps. "I'm going go and clear those things out," he said, feeling nothing as he looked at the insane and dangerous demons. From what he saw, there were only unevolved Imps.

"Be careful," Greldo said. "I'll hang out around you, and if needed, I'll grab you and get you back up."

Irwin nodded, then looked up. "Can you try to snatch any cards before they drop into the lava?"

"Oh, definitely!" Greldo said as his eyes widened. "Do you know how many we got from those Galubs?"

Irwin raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"Forty-seven!"

Irwin blinked, then grinned as he looked down. "Let's hope we get as many from these!"

"Want me to bring you?" Greldo asked.

"No, save your energy," Irwin said.

Taking a deep breath, he aimed for a ledge a short distance down and hopped down.

Let's see how many it takes to fill my soullake!