Irwin's Journey - The Cardsmith

Irwin had his back pressed against a narrow ledge, listening to the screams coming from the castle. It reminded him slightly of the portal-world of the Galubs. There were a few differences, though, and the one that had him stare at Daubutim with wide-open eyes were the shouts of young, terrified voices.

Are there children there? he thought as he looked at the others.

Hutch's eyes were narrowed, his lips narrowed in a thin line, while the others were looking around as confused as Irwin felt.

A sudden thunderous explosion came from further away.

"Now," Hutch snapped as he rose and jumped to the edge of the ledge.

Irwin licked his lips, then followed after, pulling himself up onto a cold, rocky area. A thin layer of snow had turned to ice, the rest blown up against the thick white wall that sat a dozen feet before them. Hutch rushed forward, quickly followed by the others.

As he reached the wall, Irwin felt a waft of icy cold, and he almost triggered his Coperion Body. The sounds of battle came, muted by the walls and distance, still indicating a massive fight was ensuing. Another set of high-pitched screams of fright came from somewhere.

"Am I going crazy, or am I hearing chi-" Lous hissed.

"Quiet," Hutch snapped, staring at him. "We all hear it, but we can't do anything about that now. And what if there are? Every single thing in there is a demon! Remember what they did!"

Lous' eyes clouded as he glared at Hutch, while Irwin swallowed at the callousness in Hutch's voice.

"You might have a rare card, guard, but I'm not here to butcher children," Lous snarled softly.

"Neither am I," Hutch snapped back. "But we don't have time for this! We are here to do a job, so let's do it! Or do you want to explain to Basil why we didn't enter the portals? Our brothers and sisters are dying out there to give us a chance to close them!"

Lous seemed ready to say something, but Desmir put his hand on the other's shoulder. "Later, Lous. Don't worry. We won't harm any children."

Lous glared, then nodded. "You better believe we won't," he snapped before backing off.

Irwin was looking at the gruff ranger before being pulled back by Daubutim. He looked up to see a confused and conflicted look on his friend's face. Before he could ask anything, Hutch stepped forward.

"No more talking! I'm going to make an entrance for us," Hutch said. "Make sure you follow me and enter the portal without waiting."

Irwin nodded, as did the others, and Hutch backed up and to the side. A wide grin came to his face as one of his cards began glowing in a bright golden color. Then he stepped forward and punched out so fast that all Irwin saw was a dark green blur, then a thunderous explosion as a section of the wall exploded. Bits and pieces of ice flung around, ticking against his armor and skin, then there was a swirling mass of snow and icy air twirling around.

There was a stunned silence as Hutch ran forward. "Move!" he snapped.

The others rushed after him, Irwin in the middle of the pack. As he felt the cold snow cling to his face, he burst out of the cloud of snow into a small clearing. Oddly round buildings, two and three stories high with multiple entrances, stood before them. Pale blue light shone through the windows, giving off a clean and crisp vibe. Behind them was another, larger unfinished construction. Pathways angled away haphazardly while snow covered everything.

"Sairadi, lead us to the portals!" Hutch ordered.

The female ranger moved immediately, and the rest followed her toward one of the wider passages.

As they ran past buildings, Irwin looked through round windows closed by thin panes of ice. Behind them were simple rooms, some with oddly blocky furniture, others with what he guessed were chests made of ice.

It almost looks like a place people live in, he thought.

As they continued, the din of battle was getting louder, and slowly Irwin began hearing familiar sounds. Familiar cries. Familiar... laughter?

Aren't those- he thought, just as Hutch followed Sairadi around a corner and let out a startled shout.

Fearing what he might see, Irwin' hurriedly follow the others out of the alleyway and onto a massive square.

A circle of Frozir guards was battling with dozens of taller, red-skinned, horned figures who were laughing and shouting uproariously. Two portals shimmered amidst the raging melee, one rare and one uncommon. Frozir stood before the uncommon one, looks of frenzy as they battled with the barbarous Galubs that wielded swords, some small, others massive greatswords. Amidst the mass lay two massive Frostwyrms in a pool of blue liquid, slashed apart, their heads almost beyond recognition. The combatants moved around, and sometimes even over them.

"Galubs!" Irwin exclaimed as he stared at the one and two-horned demons.

A golden glimmer beyond them caught his eye, and he looked across the chaotic brawl.

There stood a massive gate, its thick icy doors ripped open and blasted apart into chunks that lay strewn about. Another line of Frozir guards stood before it, blocking the rangers and guards of Degonda. Basil's massive figure stood in the center. Sword lowered, his face was blank, and his eyes wide in shock.

"What is going on here?" Hutch shouted as he raised his fists, seemingly ready to fight something.

"The Frozir are fighting Galubs that are coming from the rare portal," Daubutim said calmly.

"I can bloody well see that!" Hutch snarled.

"Look. Isn't that the leader we fought before?" Sairadi said, pointing at the center between the two portals where the battle raged hottest.

Two massive, heavily muscled, and fat Galubs, both wielding black greatswords, were slamming against a thin blue barrier with dozens of cracks.

Three-horns, Irwin thought, as he saw three horns poke proudly from their heads.

He felt his blood curdle as he remembered Doomblade Hardswing.

Behind the barrier stood the long, white-haired Frozir he had seen during the ambush, the one that had tried to bind Basil. A look of hate and terror covered his face as he stepped back slightly with every hit.

"Children…" Lous's soft voice still drew everyone's attention, and they looked at where he was pointing.

Far to the left, away from the gate and the battle in the square, was another group of Frozir. A dozen guards stood beside hundreds of smaller, shimmering blue and white Frozir, most less than half their size. Most were either bald or had short-cropped hair, save for two, at the front, which had long white hair like the leader in the center.

A few of them held small weapons, but even from this far away, Irwin could see their hands shake, looks of panic on their faces.

"Sairadi, circle around and ask Basil what we need to do," Hutch whispered.

"On my way."

Irwin blinked as he saw Sairadi turn and run away, the cloud of gas around her again, but this time so small it wrapped tightly around her. Within seconds she ran past two Frozir, and Irwin felt his heart beat faster, afraid they would see her. Someone grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, and suddenly he was staring at Daubutim.

"Don't look at her. The Frozir or Galubs might notice," his friend whispered as he shook his head.

Irwin nodded, swallowing as he realized he might have given the ranger away. "Right," he said.

They remained where they were, and Irwin looked at the battle, wondering who was going to win. He didn't have to wonder for long. More and more two-horned Galubs exited the portal, and they began slowly overpowering the Frozir.

"If those fools had kept those stupid frogs and not tried to ambush us, they might not have been in such trouble," Lous grumbled.

"Are you feeling sorry for these demons?" Gwalina replied while the others looked at Lous in surprise.

"Demons?" Lous snorted back. "Look around. No demons I've fought built things, have children, or protect each other till death!"

Nobody replied, but Irwin saw the confusion on a few faces. He didn't blame them as he looked at the Frozir children again. He barely understood what was happening either!

"I wonder where their women are," Yerich whispered. "Children means they have those, right?"

Irwin blinked, wondering why Yerich worried about that. Then he recalled the ambush.

"I saw one during the ambush. She was-" he stopped talking and looked around, then up as he realized that back then, he hadn't been able to see the female frozir. He didn't see anything but step closer to Hutch.

"I can't see those female Frozir… they can hide from me somehow," he whispered.

Hutch nodded as he looked around. "Basil told me. But I think if there had been any around they would have acted already."

Irwin nodded, looking back at the battle. The Frozir were now rapidly losing ground, the white-haired Frozir leader now standing with his back against the portal, pale blue blood oozing from the corners of his eyes.

"Basil says to hold," Sairadi said as she moved next to them.

Irwin almost jumped out of his skin, but Hutch just nodded.

"But… what are we going to do?" Irwin asked as he gazed at the battle. As much as he despised the Frozir for attacking Degonda and ambushing them he somehow felt saddened. He knew exactly what those Galubs could do, and it was obvious they were outmatching the Frozir.

"We will find out soon," Hutch said as he pointed beyond the battle.

Irwin looked up to see the line of guards that had been blocking Basil and their main forces backing up. When Basil didn't move, they turned and ran towards the melee, charging at the Galubs. Their attack slowed the horned demons' progress slightly, but Irwin knew right away it wouldn't be enough.

"They are sacrificing themselves to try and clear a path to the portal," Daubutim said calmly.

Irwin shivered, and as he watched more and more Galubs drop, he looked at the children.

Lous stepped beside them, a dangerous look in his eyes. "They will slaughter them if they get to them."

"And what do you suggest we do?" Hutch grunted. "Help them? They attacked us first."

"Then what? Let those Galubs kill them, the children, and then we mop them up?" Lous snapped, glaring at Hutch.

"Basil is moving," Sairadi said before Hutch could respond.

Irwin saw she was right, as Basil and their main force were moving around, slowly encircling the back of the fight.

"Let's go," Hutch ordered as he moved towards the edge of the square.

The others followed him, eyes constantly on the battle, ready for anything that might happen. Before they reached halfway, Basil reached them.

"What, in Yilda's name, is going on?" Hutch asked, staring at Basil as the golden warrior stomped closer.

"What am I? Clairvoyant?" Basil replied calmly.

"Basil, we should help them!"

Everyone looked at Lous, who was staring angrily at the golden warrior. Hutch seemed ready to reprimand him when Basil sighed.

"I fear you might be right."

"What?" Hutch asked, echoing Irwin's own thoughts.

"Have you ever seen something like this?" Basil asked, waving his hand around.

"No…"

"Neither have I. And never have any of us seen this many portals appear. Not even in the stories of Gelwin's days was it this bad. Something is happening… changing, and we are in the dark. We need information."

"And you think these demons will just share it with us?" Hutch asked, sounding slightly incredulous.

"No… not just," Basil said. "But if we save their lives, that might help. Especially if we save their children," he added as his eyes moved to the group across the square.

"We would."

A cold voice startled everyone, and Basil spun around, his sword raised forward. Behind them stood a female Frozir. Even her pale face and cold eyes couldn't hide her pain and worry.

So there were still a few around, Irwin thought as he looked at her, then around.

Basil was quiet for a moment, then lowered his sword. "If we help you with these demons… we want information. What is happening? Why are you here?"

"We will share everything, but you must help. Before they reach the young and all is lost," the Frozir said. "Before they slay our last elder."

Basil hesitated again, and Irwin wondered what was going through his mind as he looked over his shoulder at the battle. Only a small group of Frozir were left.

"If you are to act… there is not much time left, soul-thief," the Frozir whispered, and Irwin could hear the resignation in it.

"Fine," Basil snapped, swirling to Hutch. "Take your groups and move around. Kill any Galub before they reach the Frozir." Then he turned to the female Frozir, who had a look of relief on her face. "Make sure your people know we will help. If they hurt even one of my men," Basil said, his voice laden with danger.

"We won't attack you. I have already told the Elder. He knows," the Frozir said.

Irwin heard Hutch sigh before turning to them. "Alright. Change of plans, let's go!" Then he turned and ran back around. Irwin followed the others, noting an odd look on Lous' face. It was a cross between anger, resentment, and sadness.

As they closed in on the group, they heard a loud roar from behind them, followed by hundreds of feet. Irwin looked back to see the guards charge, while the rangers began shooting arrows at the Galubs. One-horns dropped instantly, even a few two-horns under the metal hail, but the three-horns merely swirled their blades around, easily swatting the arrows away before they could strike.

To Irwin's surprise, the three-horns began backing up back to the portal rapidly, shoving away the others.

He stopped with the others, noticing they were not too far from the children. They were looking at him and the others with big, frightened eyes. Realizing they reminded him of human children, a dull explosion made him turn his attention back to the portals. The remaining few dozen Frozir had backed up next to their Elder, back to the uncommon portal while the guards slammed into the mass of Galubs.

Seeing how easily the guards dispatched even the two-horns, Irwin shook his head as he remembered his own fights against the Galubs.

"Good. Those three-horned demons are leaving," Hutch said. "I've fought those before, and it's a hassle."

Irwin saw the bare-armed guard was right, as both three-horns took one look around before shouting something and jumping back through the portal. Immediately the other Galubs turned and rushed at the portal, shoving and pushing at each other in their haste to retreat.

"Stupid… Why did they not flee when they saw us?" Yerich muttered.

"Because they are. Stupid, that is," Irwin said as he recalled what Ambraz had told him. "One-horns are weak and dumb, two-horns are not much better. They are capable of speech, but beyond that, they mostly just fight and drink."

Yerich gaped at him, and Irwin suddenly realized the ranger wasn't the only one. Even Hutch was looking at him curiously.

"I- I've been in a portal with them before," he said.

"They are wrapping things up," Sairadi said, interrupting Yerich, who seemed ready to ask more.

The ranger turned to Hutch. "I'm going to prepare. We will probably have to head in there to close it…"

Hutch sighed as he nodded. "Get all rare-carded ready. Based on what we just saw, we have no idea what we will find on the other side."

Sairadi nodded, then turned and ran towards the center. Only a few Galubs still remained, and as the sounds of battle died down, all that remained were the bodies of over a thousand Frozir and a few hundred Galubs. Irwin didn't see a single guard or ranger amongst the dead.

I wonder what is going to happen now? he thought as he saw Basil move towards the white-haired Elder. The previous time, the Elder had attempted to kill the golden warrior. Irwin saw his lips moving but was too far to hear anything.

"Let's go and see what is going to happen," Hutch said as he motioned them all.

They reached the regrouping army of guards just in time to hear Basil snort loudly.

"Perhaps you can start by no longer calling us soul-thieves?" Basil snapped as he looked at the slightly smaller Frozir.

A flicker ran through the Frozir's eyes, then he looked to his side. A thin swirl of cold air rushed up from the blood-covered snow, and the female Frozir they had seen before stepped out of it. She stared at the Frozir elder, and after a moment, his eyes narrowed before he nodded abruptly.

"Neat trick," Yerich whispered.

"We thank you for saving our young," the Elder said, his voice cold as ice. "And are sorry if our words insult you. We speak but that which we know."

Irwin blinked, then looked at Daubutim.

"He talks like you do sometimes," he whispered.

Daubutim just nodded.

"We were promised answers," Basil said as he looked around. "But I need a guarantee that you won't attack us again."

The Frozir elder's face clouded over, his eyes almost glowing with pale white light. Before he could react, the female put her hand on his arm.

"I will go with you as collateral," she said softly.

Basil remained quiet for a while, as did the amassed army, as he stared at her. Irwin could see the guard-captain didn't seem confident that would be enough.

"I am Satiya, and with my sister dead by your hands, I am the last of my tribe that can bear children," the female Frozir said. Her eyes flickered across the army before she stepped forward. "Without me…"

She didn't continue, staring at Basil.

Irwin felt his skin crawl as he realized who the Frozir he had killed before had been. Somehow, he couldn't match the evil-looking, crooning Frozir with the one standing before him now.

"I see," the guard-captain said softly. "Fine. But I'm going to have to put a skill on you to make sure you don't use that… trick. He beckoned to the side, and a tall ranger with short black hair moved forward."

"Satiya-" the Elder began.

"No, Elder. They are right to be hesitant," Satiya interrupted him as she walked forward.

Irwin saw the large frozir grit his teeth but remained where he was as the tall ranger's hand glowed. He put it on her, and a golden rune shimmered on her forhead shortly. Satiya sagged, her face turning weary, but she raised her hand.

"I am fine… this one has a nullify skill," she said, gesturing at the ranger. "All is well."

Irwin stared at her, impressed by the calm she was showing in the situation.

As two guards flanked her, Basil seemed to relax, and he lowered his sword. "Hutch, take over. Keep a cordon around the portal and kill anything that comes through," he said before turning around and indicating to a few of his own squad to follow him.

"Check that building and see if it's empty," he said as he pointed at the nearest building.

Two guards ran forward.

"Head back and tell Lord Bron what has happened," Basil continued as he turned to Sairadi.

The ranger nodded, turned, and sprinted out of the door, her legs moving so fast Irwin could barely make out their individual movements.

"It's empty!" one of the guards yelled, as he exited the building.

Basil nodded as he turned to the Elder.

"Alright, let's go over there so you can answer some of my questions," he said.

The Elder looked at the warriors beside him, and without words, they moved back, joining those near the children. Then he walked towards the building with long, even strikes.

Great… but I want to hear what they are going to say! Irwin thought as he shared an annoyed look with Daubutim.