Irwin's Journey chapter 10: Practice makes perfect (Patreon)

Ten minutes after he'd been burned alive, Irwin stepped back through the portal, again landing in the tiny cave-like room he'd now been in twice before. As he stepped next to the entrance, he nodded at Greldo, who was staring at him. The other boy seemed to be biting his tongue to avoid asking questions.

A few seconds later, the other four joined them, Taselina glaring at all of them as if it was their fault she'd been tossed through the portal by Jonathan.

"Be quiet," Irwin whispered, looking at the others but mostly hoping Taselina would remain still.

"I'm not the stupid one here," Taselina hissed as she moved to the other side of the door, glaring at him.

Irwin had no idea what to say, but luckily, he didn't have to.

The giggling and laughter shot up a bit, drawing Taselina's attention. He saw her attention snap towards the hallway, color draining from her face, and she began shivering.

"What are those," she whispered.

"Diflor Imps," Greldo snapped, turning to her with a sudden angry look. "The things that just killed Irwin and me for the second time because you keep acting like that!" As he spoke, his voice went up, and Irwin and Olban both jumped forward to try and stop him, but it was too late.

Like a horrible nightmare that kept happening, the Imp's laughter stopped.

For one second, Irwin felt his mind go blank as the image of getting brutally murdered appeared in his mind, then something deep inside him rebelled. Instead of going terrified, he felt his anger grow. What was this horrible shit that was happening to him? Why couldn't he just be with his mum and brother? As his anger climbed up, he stepped forward and pulled Greldo with him.

"This way," he whispered, running into the hallway.

"Are you crazy? Where are-" he heard behind him, but he ignored it. Greldo followed him, and he ran to the hallway he'd entered the previous time. A look behind showed everyone; even Taselina was following after him. He didn't know what to think of that, turned and hid near the edge of the tunnel. He didn't want to run into the large cavern beyond, so that left one other place to go. They had to find out where those other imps were coming from, and he didn't want to get ambushed in a room with no exit.

As a plan grew, he turned to Daubutim.

"Daub, summon your club and get ready. There's going to be a few Imps passing us and we are going to jump them," he whispered before looking at Greldo. "Grel, try and hold one so I can burn it."

The boys both nodded, eyes wide and fearful but not panicking. Yet. He turned to the others and swallowed, words spilling out as they came up.

"First time there were three, last time two. I don't know how many there are, but you will have to hold them back as we deal with the others," he rambled.

Twintin was huddled against the side, shivering, while Taselina had her eyes blazing, teeth grit but seemed equally terrified.

"Do you have a useful card?" Irwin whispered, just as he heard quiet footsteps from the larger corridor.

She gritted her teeth, and for a moment seemed ready to snap at him. Then she pursed her lips and nodded, raising her hands and looking at the hallway.

Let's hope she does, Irwin thought as he focused on himself.

The feet came closer and closer, and then two Imps appeared, sneaking forward.

Daubutim was the first to move, jumping at the last nearest one, his carded hand flashing as he summoned his club. Greldo wasn't much slower, jumping the other one.

Irwin didn't wait, but summoned his flame and rushed after Greldo, hoping Daubutim would be fine for a moment. As he did, he saw a third Imp behind the others.

"Get that one," he hissed, hoping the others would be up to the task. Then he focused on Greldo who barely managed to evade a dagger, before grabbing the Imp. Irwin didn't even wait, but slammed his fist, flame hovering above his knuckles, into the Imp's exposed arm.

"Eeeee-" the Imp squealed, then froze.

Stupid, why did you have to scream, Irwin thought as he looked around while his flame finished the Imp. He needed to figure out how long he had to hit one of them, but now wasn't the time.

Doubatim was flicking his club around deftly, easily holding back the Imp and surprising him immensely with how proficient he seemed. But what really made him gasp was Taselina. She had her arms outstretched, and two stone arms were protruding from the ground in the same way, strangling an Imp that was desperately kicking at the ground below its free and trying to get free.

That can't be a common card, can it? Irwin thought.

The Imp he was flaming fell apart, and he took two steps and jammed his much longer flame into the one fighting Doubatim. This time he aimed for the center of the back, and except for a croak, the Imp froze quietly. Doubatim's eyes widened, and he hesitated, the club raised before stepping back.

Then everyone was watching Taselina, and the third Imp, which was only twitching now, its eyes bulged out. As another Imp turned to ash before Irwin, the stone hands flexed, and a dull crack came. Taselina was breathing hard as she straightened up, and the stone arms crumbled while the Imp flopped down.

"Demons… what card is that?" Olban whispered.

Irwin wanted to know too, then shook himself and tried to drag the Imp into the side entrance. It felt like lifting a bag of potatoes, impossible for his puny physique.

"Quick, get it out of view," he whispered as he grabbed the two daggers from his own kills. He hesitated for a moment, then handed one to Oblan and the other to Greldo.

Doubatim easily pulled the dead Imp away, and a moment later, they were huddled together in the narrow tunnel.

"What card is that?" Oblan whispered as he stared at Taselina.

She glared at him and didn't answer.

"Doesn't matter now," Irwin said as he turned to Twintin, still shivering. She hadn't moved from the tunnel. "What kind of card do you have?"

The tiny girl looked up, a far-off gaze in her eyes, and Irwin poked her shoulder. "Twintin, we have to know what we can all do!" Irwin hissed. "Jonatha, he isn't just going to let us stay out of this. He will-"

"We died," Twintin said, dully, as she looked up at him.

"Yes…" Irwin said as he tried to push away the horrible memories the two words brought up. "And we will die again if we don't learn how to fight back. If this is a training… for the portal," he continued, his mind spinning as he thought of something that should have been obvious before. "Well, there's going to be a linchpin… perhaps if we find it and finish this training, we will be allowed to rest?"

"For how long," Oblan whispered, and Irwin saw tears well up in the fat boys' eyes. "Tomorrow we have to do this for real! If we die then…" he let the words hang.

"That means we have to not die," Greldo said, turning from the tunnel entrance to glance at them. "We just killed three Imps easily, without planning. We have a little time now- that first Imp shouted, but there's none running here yet like before. We should…" he frowned, seeming uncertain.

"Find the linchpin," Irwin added quickly, getting a grateful nod from Greldo. "If you three," he waved at Greldo, Taselina and Doubatim, "can distract them, I can finish them."

The others looked at him, and all but Taselina and Twintin nodded. Irwin turned back to Twintin, who was still shivering, but not staring at him intently.

"What card do you have?" Irwin asked softly.

"Mend tiny object," Twintin whispered softly, a look of despair on her face." I can fix mundane objects no larger than my hand."

Useless, Irwin thought, but he kept quiet, just nodding. After he looked at the dead Imp, seeing another dagger clutched in its hand, he frowned. Didn't the previous three have one with a whip? He looked around but didn't see it. Perhaps it's not always the same? He removed the dagger from the Imp and handed it to Twintin who looked at it in fear before reluctantly accepting.

"Hide behind the others and wait for an opening to stab those Imps," he said.

Twintin's lips shivered, but she nodded, and Irwin turned to the others. Seeing them all look at him, he felt another kind of fear grow, but he squashed it resolutely. There was no time for that now.

"Behind us is a large cavern with hundreds or more Imps," he said. "We should go to the other end of the tunnel and see what's there."

Taselina seemed ready to object, but Doubatim nodded, turned, and stepped out of the tunnel. Irwin followed him, and he was glad to see everyone follow them.

In the distance, the end of the tunnel loomed, and from it came giggling, howling, and laughter.

Irwin licked his lips, steeling himself. I wonder how long till we die again, he couldn't help thinking.

Ten minutes later, he stood with his back against a wall, breathing raggedly, one hand clasped around the dagger protruding from his stomach.

"Not… to… bad," he gasped at Olban, who was leaning against the same wall, eyes closed.

A circle of Imps surrounded them, and behind them, the bodies of the others lay, mutilated.

"We are going to have funnnn with you," one of the Imps said gleefully.

Irwin felt his body grow cold, and he grimaced as he put his second hand on the dagger. Whatever was going to happen, the prospect of being tortured to death was the worst outcome. With all his remaining paltry strength, he pulled out the dagger, and a stream of hot blood poured down his stomach and legs. The imps screeched and rushed forward as he slumped on the ground, and as he felt their hands on him, he was ever grateful that his consciousness faded. Then everything turned black.

The cold floor on his back was the first thing he felt as he woke. It was a blessing, as was Jonathan's hateful voice, because it meant he wouldn't be cut up by murderous Imps.

"Not too bad. You got a lot further this time," Jonathan said.

How does he know that? Irwin felt a sudden fear that the sorcerer could see and hear everything. He looked up to see Jonathan stare at the symbol above the door, and as he followed his gaze, he saw a tiny part of it was glowing a dull white. A moment later, it flickered, and Olban was ejected out, tumbling forward and onto the ground, where he lay in an unmoving heap. Only his chest showed he was still alive.

Wait, he was still alive back then? Irwin thought, and he shuddered. Did that mean he was killed by the imps in the end?

"You have ten minutes of rest, and now that you have at least some idea of what to do, I suggest you plan ahead," Jonathan said as he crossed his arms.

Irwin rolled over and saw Greldo sitting with his back against the wall, eyes closed, seemingly sleeping. He crawled next to him and wondered if he should wake his friend.

Footsteps echoed through one of the square stone hallways, and he looked up to see three guards and a tall woman in a metal-plated leather robe walk towards them. Her eyes were a surprising yellow and focused on Taselina. A small surly looking freckled girl with a bruise on her eye walked between the three guards.

"Lady Yrinta," Jonathan said, suddenly standing up straighter and staring at the woman. "How can I-"

"Quit," the woman snapped as she stepped before Taselina. "You, hold out your hand. If you resist, I'll just knock you unconscious."

Taselina's eyes narrowed, and she jabbed out her hand aggressively. The woman took it, and the back of her hand began glowing. For a moment, nothing happened, then a tiny glowing parchment with letters appeared above Taselina's rune. Irwin got up and tried to get a look, but one of the guards stepped forward, blocking his view.

"As I thought, an uncommon and a very good one at that," Yrinta hissed as she glared at Taselina. "I don't know how you managed to hide this, but you are coming with us. Fool. Do you even know what could have happened had you entered a common portal?"

Irwin barely heard her as his attention fully focused on the woman. If she scanned him… Wait, what would happen if he entered a common portal with his special card?

"I don't want to enter-" Taselina began, and the woman stepped forward and slapped her in the face. "I don't care what you want! You could have gotten yourself and five others killed! Now come with me. You are going to the next tower."

Killed? Irwin thought as he shivered. He felt Greldo move next to him, but the other didn't say anything.

As Taselina stared at her with a shocked look, her hand on her face, she beckoned the guards, who shrugged and grabbed Taselina.

Jonathan had turned a sickly green as he stared at Taselina. As she was pulled away, Lady Yrinta turned to him, and he swallowed nervously.

"You, Jonathan, here is another common-carded. She was the sole survivor of a group that entered a rift yesterday and will fill out this group to get to six."

The woman glared at Jonathan, then looked around, and Irwin noticed that her face softened as she glanced over Twintin. It only lasted for a moment, though it felt like forever, as her gaze landed on him. Then she turned and paced away.

Perhaps I should say something? Irwin thought. He might not have to go into the common portals but into the harder ones. He stayed put. He'd figure out what to do later.

The final guard pushed the freckled woman forward. "Hope you're luckier this time around," he muttered softly as he tossed the girl a sad smile. She grimaced and nodded before turning to the others.

As her eyes passed over the group, Irwin saw her eyebrows shoot up when she came to Daubutim before a look of despair came when she reached him and Greldo.

"And Jonathan?"

Everyone snapped to attention as Lady Yrinta's voice drifted in from the hallway while Jonathan turned deadly pale.

"We need sorcerers, not dead common-handed. Try to remember this?"

"Yes, Lady Yrinta," Jonathan croaked.

"Good. I'll be paying closer attention to you from now on. If I find you are back to your old tricks, you will be put back into clear portals… on your own."

Jonathan stumbled, then straightened and glared at the ground, his left eye twitching and his lips turning back in a snarl. "Understood," he said, his voice barely a whimper.

"You get ten minutes to plan and rest, then back in," he hissed, not looking at the group.

The girl moved towards the others, looking straight at Daubutim. "How many times have you been in so far?" she whispered.

"Two times," Daubutim said, his voice dull as he looked back.

"They went in three times," Twintin piped as she pointed at Irwin and Greldo.

The girl's eyes widened in confusion. "What? Why?"

"Never mind that," Irwin said, too tired to explain. "I'm Irwin. These are Greldo, Twintin, Daubutim, and Olban. Can you tell us your name and what your card does?"

The girl nodded, and instead of speaking, her hand flashed, and a large metallic buckler appeared on her left arm. "I'm Rachel," she said.

"So you entered a real portal?" Greldo asked, his eyes running over her shield.

Rachel's face fell, and she stared at the ground as her eyes unfocused. "Yeah…" she whispered. "I hope…"

She didn't say anything else, and after a minute, Irwin decided this wasn't the time. He tried to come up with things to discuss with the others, but ten minutes seemed barely any time at all, and he was right. Far too soon, Jonathan grunted, and he knew it was time.

Still, by then, he had come up with something, and he wasn't as panicky as he'd been the first three times. Odd, but the prospect of dying seemed less scary- was he going crazy?

"In with you!" Jonathan snapped. He seemed to have regained his self-control and, with it, his temper.

Irwin sighed and got up, looking around at the others. Without waiting, he stepped forward and through the portal. The cave was empty again, showing no sign of Imps, bodies, or anything, as was the tunnel leading away. A minute later, the others entered, and he turned to them, stepping out of the entrance.

"Listen, I've thought of a few things," he whispered, causing their attention to fully focus on him. "First off, the second time I was here, after killing two Imps that came dragging some monstrous being, I was in this room for over an hour, and nothing happened. Let's wait here, kill those imps. After that we have more than an hour to rest and-"

"What do you mean, an hour?" Greldo whispered as he shook his head. "I died just before you, and you came out maybe a minute after me!"

Irwin blinked and shook his head. "After you died, I was in here for over an hour, then snuck out and went to the large cavernous room. I'm sure of it!"

"It makes sense," Olban whispered, and they turned to him. "I mean, didn't it appear odd to you that we all keep popping up soon after each other, and Jonathan keeps saying we have an hour less? Perhaps… Perhaps if we enter here, no matter how long, only an hour passes?"

Rachel sighed as she waved for their attention. "He is right. I've done this before, two whole days, and the last few times, we were in the training areas for almost a day, and still only an hour had passed outside."

Everyone stared at her in wonder. "So… what? Can we stay here forever?"

Rachel smiled, such a wondrous sight that Irwin gaped at her, and she shook her head. "No, the rumor says it's a day, and you can only enter each training room eight times per month. Also, if you get more cards or better cards, you can't enter these easy-" she blinked as Twintin cursed "- these easy training rooms again."

"Great, so we have a day if we play our cards right," Greldo said, and Irwin saw a calculating look replacing his previous suppressed fear as he turned to look at him. "How long did we wait here before those two came?"

"Not very long," Irwin said. "A few minutes?"

"Alright, let's set up an ambush. We should be fine against two Imps," Greldo said.

A few minutes later, they heard the Imps approach, and hidden from view, they waited for them to step into the room. Then they jumped them, Irwin and Greldo taking out one, while Daubutim managed to crack one's skull before it could even be surprised.

So easy, Irwin thought as he looked at the bodies of the Imp. Had it really been only hours before when he'd almost pissed himself from seeing one of these things and imagining having to fight it? He knew part of it was because they had the jump, and the Imps never knew what hit them.

"Right… let's rest for an hour and try to come up with a plan on how to not get killed again," he said as he sat down and leaned his back against the wall. His legs were cramped up, and he rubbed them while the others divided the daggers.

I wonder how we will do this time, Irwin thought as he closed his eyes and wished he could sleep for a day. Perhaps they would be lucky and the Imps wouldn't return for half a day. Either way, he needed to rest and, after that, figure out how to use his flame. It grew each time he killed an Imp but reset if he unsummoned it. There was something up with that... and he had the feeling he needed to figure it out before going into a real portal. But first, rest.