Irwin's Journey chapter 19: To Wignut (Patreon)

"You're lucky the others don't know you as I do," Greldo whispered as he walked with Irwin at the back of the group.

Irwin looked at his friend, almost afraid of what he meant.

"You've grown… which isn't something that should happen if you get just a common."

"I don't-" Irwin began, wanting to deny it, but he stopped when Greldo raised his hand.

"It's fine. I already knew something was up back in the training portal. Too many things didn't make sense," he said, eyes gleaming and a grin on his face.

Irwin worriedly looked ahead, but Rachel and Twintin were a good deal ahead, talking loudly. Olban and Daubutim were at the head of the group. With nobody else here, he guessed this was probably the most secure moment so far…

"Now what?" he whispered, wondering what Greldo was going to do. He'd been waiting for him tomorrow, but had that been to make sure he was alright or to validate something?

Greldo snorted and shook his head. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. My hope is that whatever is going on will help us survive the portal. Let's watch each other's back, alright?"

Irwin nodded and was surprised to see a look of relief on the other's face before Greldo looked ahead, lowering his voice even more.

"Alright, because there's something odd about Rachel's story, and… I don't know about Daubutim," Greldo whispered.

Seeming having said his peace, Greldo remained quiet as they continued after the others.

Irwin frowned as he looked at Rachel, whispering and grinning with Twintin. She seemed nice to him, behaving like a bigger sister around Twintin. Going over her story, or what he recalled, he didn't notice any weird things. She and her first party entered a portal that led into a jungle and were jumped by odd wooden stick-monsters that wiped out all but Rachel. She had managed to use her shield and get away, hiding in a tree until dark, then managed to sneak back out.

Wait… shouldn't weapon summons be uncommon? Irwin thought as his eyes widened. Then he looked at Daubutum, recalling the wooden club. Something was odd about those two. He wished he had a moment to ask Ambraz if shields and clubs counted as weapons or utility. Perhaps they were like the hammer?

Mind buzzing, he followed the others down the stairs and into the main room, which was exactly as it had been the previous night. After a long wait in line, they found another quiet table.

"You eat a lot," Daubutim said, the first thing he'd said that morning which wasn't an answer to a question. He nodded approvingly at Irwin's plate, which was packed as full as his. "Eat more, grow stronger," he added before turning his attention to his plate.

Irwin didn't know what to say and shrugged.

"Did you not get a lot of food where you are from?" Twintin asked softly, and he saw a knowing look on her face.

"No," Irwin said with a pained laugh. "Ma tried, but the food was hard to get."

"We always heard Malorin was a nice, quiet place with enough food," Rachel said through a mouth full of bread.

Greldo barked a laugh and shared a knowing look with Irwin.

"Only if you are noble or a carded crafter," Irwin said.

"The same as everywhere then," Rachel said.

"My father says if people don't have enough food, they don't work hard enough," Daubatim said.

The others, including Oblan, looked at him in disbelief. For a moment, nobody spoke, then Oblan barked a laugh. "You sound like a noble," he said.

"I am," Daubatim said with a short nod.

"You what?" Oblan shouted, drawing the attention of nearby tables.

"Calm down," Greldo hissed while Irwin quickly focused on eating, trying to give the impression as if nothing was wrong. A minute later, the nearby conversations picked up again, and everyone looked at Daubatim.

"You are a noble?" Greldo asked softly.

Daubutim looked up from his plate and nodded. "The youngest son of lord Coulwater," he added before frowning and adding in the sharp voice he sometimes used. "Pleased to meet you."

"Why are you not with a noble group?" Rachel asked, leaning forward.

"Father said to stay away from them and find a group that I could trust," Daubatim said, waving his fork around. "And mother said it would be best not to go with a strong group because they would make us go into more dangerous portals."

Irwin's fork was halfway to his mouth as he looked at the tall, dull boy. Daubatim didn't seem to notice the attention of the others, and when nobody spoke, he happily continued eating.

Something kicked his shin, and Irwin looked up to see Greldo stare at him for a second before mouthing see? He wasn't sure what to say and just nodded before focusing on his food.

Ten minutes later, when everyone had finished, the main gates began opening. There had been no warning or message, but as it widened enough, Mouldir stepped inside.

"Right! You should have had your fill by now. Now let's go. Common portals have started spawning like lice on a stray, and we need to get them closed before we get overrun. Get out here and move to the person holding a sign with the training portal you went into. They will get you to where you need to go. Now move!" The last was a loud snarl, punctuated with a flash of light, and a massive two-handed maul, gleaming with blueish light, appeared in his hand. As it slammed into the ground, a dull thrum ran through the tables, forks, plates, and other things, shaking and clattering.

The hundreds of children scrambled towards the door, pouring out.

Irwin and the others were somewhere in the back of the pack, and when they finally stepped outside, a wave of cold air caused him to shiver. He still had no new boots, and his coat and shirt suddenly felt too thin.

I hope we are going near a town and I can buy new boots, he thought as he followed the others through the crowd. Spread out around the open area before the tower stood sorcerers with wooden poles with signs. Each sign had multiple numbers on them, and it took them a few moments to locate the one that had eighteen.

"Over there," Twintin said, and everyone followed her towards a tall woman with a long leather dress with a dull gray breastplate strapped to the front. She had a spear jabbed in the ground beside her, a metallic shaft almost as tall as her with crimson ribbons attached to the edge.

"Ah, the first ones," she said with a big smile. "Come then, stand behind me as we wait for the next. What group are you?"

"Eighteen," Greldo said.

"Ahhh, the ones that completed that horrible Imp-filled place! I've been there, though that was three years ago. Did you get eaten by that two-headed snake in the central tower?"

The group shared a horrified look before shaking their heads.

"Ah, well, you were luckier than I was then," the woman said just as another group moved over.

Irwin watched from the back, arms wrapped around and wondering if anybody would mind if he summoned his flame. He didn't think they would, but it seemed wrong…

Ten minutes later, the sorceres, who had introduced herself as Tanya, tossed her sign to the side and looked at the four groups before her. They were one of the smaller groups, and Irwin had no idea if that was a good or bad thing.

"Good, let's get moving. With some luck, we can reach our designated travel area before the others," Tanya said as she stomped away, a light grin on her face and her green eyes sparkling.

"There are no nobles."

Irwin looked at Greldo, who was walking beside him. "I noticed," he said. "I don't think any are crafters either… do you think they planned it like this, or is it a coincidence?"

"No idea, but it can go two ways. Either they are using the common folk to try out portals and soften them up, or we are deemed too weak for stronger portals," Greldo whispered.

"It's the second one," Tayna shouted from the front, looking at Greldo over her shoulder. A few dozen children behind her looked at Greldo in surprise, and Irwin noticed a few with a calculating look he didn't like one bit. "There is nobody trying to get you all killed if that's what you are thinking. The sorcerers, which you will hopefully be one of soon, are here to help people. Sadly this requires sacrifice."

Everyone looked at her, and Irwin knew they were thinking the same as he was. Why did they have to be the sacrifice?

The trip down the mountain was easier than he'd expected, probably because it was down and because he had eaten, slept, eaten, and tempered his body. When they finally reached the muddy round area, he was just out of breath, as was Greldo, instead of ready to drop dead.

Another sorcerer stood in the center, arms folded and frowning at Tanya. "You are on time, uncommon-one. Good. You are going to Crescent Hill?"

Irwin noticed Olban's head snap up, a horrified look on his face.

Tanya's smile had vanished, and she calmly stared at the other sorcerer. "Yes. Preferably as close to Wignut as you can get us."

"Very well," the sorcerer said, unwrapping his hands which began glowing.

Before Irwin could react, a shimmering mist wooshed from the sorcerer's hands, engulfing him and everyone else. It clung to his bare skin, cold and wet, and within seconds, he saw nothing but white. He had no idea how long it lasted, but eventually, there was a soft grunt of pain that came from every direction at the same time, and the mist faded.

He blinked against the sudden brightness, then looked around. They stood halfway up the slope of a grass-covered hill, with bushes on one side that led down to a forest that sprawled further to their left like a sea of green leaves. To the side, on a plain of grass, sat a walled town. It was probably a mile or two away, and Irwin could make out guard towers and a moat similar to Malorin. To the right were more hills, starting lower than where they were, while those in the distance were almost as tall as mountains.

The sorcerer stood nearby, breathing hard, and cursing.

"Are you alright?" Tanya asked, not showing any worry.

"Yes," the man replied through gritted teeth. Then he looked at the group and snorted. "One of those kids brought some kind of summon or family artifact, and it almost caused us to appear somewhere else."

A mutter of surprise came from the children as they looked around, and Irwin knew they were trying to figure out who could be the one with an artifact. There were no rich kids here from the looks, but Irwin was pretty sure he knew what the sorcerer was talking about.

"I'm heading back," the sorcerer snapped before looking at the kids. "Next time, tell me if you have something with you. Then he raised his hands, and a small column of mist rippled up all around him. It lasted for two counts, then the constant wind blew it away again, and the sorcerer was gone.

"Hey, I don't know who of you has an artifact, but be careful! They might interact with the portal and increase its difficulty… just a friendly warning. You can leave it with me, and I promise I will return it when you exit it."

Nobody answered her, and she shrugged with a suit yourselves look. "Now, we are going to go to Wignut and get a guide to show us where the portals are. There are supposed to be seven here, so I hope some of you flash your portals or the next time we come here, the good people of this town might not all be alive."

"Sorceres Tanya, do you think we will all die?"

Everyone looked at a tall, pale-faced girl with dark hair bound tightly in a ponytail. Her hands were shaking as she looked at the sorceres.

"Ah, I hope not," Tanya said with a sad smile. "And not just because I'd hate to see you lose your lives at such a young age… for each group that dies, the chances of us closing the common portals before they upgrade will become smaller and smaller. Now let's walk. You can ask questions as we move. We aren't in the tower and will probably be here for a few days."

As they headed out towards the town, Irwin moved closer to Tanya unsure but determined to at least ask.

"Yes, Irwin?" she asked as he stepped up.

Irwin gaped at her, and she grinned down at him. "I heard you talking with your friend," she said as she tapped the back of her hand to her ear. "Card-enhanced hearing."

Irwin nodded, then wondered if he should have just stayed at the back and whispered his question. She would probably have heard it.

"Ah, sorceres Tanya, my boots were too small, and a guard cut the noses off so I could still wear them," he whispered, staring at his feet, the toes slightly pale from the cold. "I also need a thicker coat for this weather. If there's a market in Wignut, can I get a moment to buy some new ones?"

Tanya looked at his feet, then at him, and back at his feet before bursting out in laughter. Tears ran down her face as she kept moving, and after a few moments, she took a deep breath and grinned at him, probably noticing his scowl. A host of chatter and giggles came from behind, and Irwin kept his gaze focused on the grassy hillside ahead.

"Sorry, Irwin," she said, not sounding at all sorry and sighing as she rubbed her face. "I'm sure they have a place where we can buy you some new boots. Do you have the coin?"

Irwin nodded, then cocked his head. "How much do boots cost?" he asked.

"Depends," Tanya said, and Irwin saw her frown at his boots. "What you are wearing should be five or six silver, but if you want some decent boots, I'd say one gold and a few silver."

Irwin silently stared at her, not sure if he'd heard her right. His mother barely made two silver a week, and that was enough to feed her and her two sons. Well, keep them alive, at least. With five silver, they would have had plenty of food and never gone hungry.

"Okay, thanks," he muttered as he slowed down, letting the children move past him. None spoke, but he saw a few gleeful grins.

"What did you ask that made her laugh that badly?" Rachel asked as she moved past him.

"I showed her my boots," Irwin said, waiting till he was back at the end with Greldo.

"Being poor sucks," Greldo said, padding him on the shoulder.

"Yeah," Irwin said with a sigh. "Perhaps I can find a place that has something I can use," he said.

They continued trudging down the hill, the grass tickling his toes until they reached the large sprawling grass plain. Wignut's walls were hard to see now, and Irwin was slightly out of breath.

"Are you going to make it?" Greldo asked, looking at him with a slightly flushed face but otherwise seeming alright.

"I'll be fine," Irwin said. He wished he could have had a year to let his cards work on his body. Then he'd be fine walking this far. He was sure of it.

Two hours later, Irwin was again trailing behind the others, his breathing laborious. Grel had remained with him for a while but eventually moved forward to ask Tanya if they could have a short break. That was ten minutes ago, so Irwin guessed the break wasn't happening.

He glared at the town in the distance, probably still a thirty-minute walk away.

"It's a good thing you got that Fire-sensitive Body card. Without it you'd not live to thirty," Ambraz whispered.

"Thanks," Irwin snapped, wondering what he was supposed to do with those comforting words.

"Don't be angry. You just have to survive the upcoming portal. Depending on which one, you might even find an uncommon card! Or… I could reforge Eyes of Blaze, turning it into an uncommon."

Irwin continued forward, wondering what Tanya would say if he told her he somehow had an uncommon. Besides, he gazed ahead and saw Greldo trail back toward him. That'd mean he'd have to leave Greldo to go in alone. Was he really willing to lose his only friend?

"You'd risk your life for them?" Ambraz whispered, almost as if the Anvil had read his mind.

"I guess," Irwin sighed, though he could hear the uncertainty in his own words. Ambraz didn't respond as they caught up with Greldo, who stopped, turned, and kept up with him.

"Sorry," he said. "She said we don't have the time. If we fall behind, we will just have to catch up and find us in town."

"We?" Irwin asked.

"Damn right," Greldo said as he nodded. "You think I'm leaving you here? Besides the fact you're my only friend, you're also the best chance I have to survive the portal."

"What a chance I am," Irwin muttered, feeling his anger at his own weakness. Even with his first body tempering, he couldn't even walk for half a day at the same speed as others. He could only hope the tempering's effect would continue for a while.

"Don't let it get to you," Greldo said, and he looked up, seeing the other's brown eyes gleam. "With two cards, you will grow stronger! And so will I!"

Irwin nodded, feeling a sudden happiness that Greldo was here with him. Without him, he'd be all alone and probably would have had a whole lot more problems.

"Thanks," he said, managing a grin before focusing on his breathing.

Half an hour later, they reached the gravel path that led up to a bridge across the moat. Two towers flanked the massive gate before the bridge. There was no sight of the group, as they had already entered, and as Irwin and Greldo stumbled towards the gate, a guard looked at them from the side.

"So, you're the last two the sorcerers spoke about?" he said, looking them over.

Irwin couldn't be bothered to respond to the obvious remark and continued on.

"Can't believe a bunch of kids like you are supposed to save us," the guard growled. "Whatever. She said to tell you they are at the Cracked Leaf, which is one of the two inns here in Wignut."

Irwin waved back in thanks. His feet caused hollow thuds on the wooden bridge, and ahead he saw the second gate had another pair of guards. As they passed them and onto the stone-paved road leading into the town, they just stared at him and Greldo.

As they moved below the gate and through the fifteen-foot thick wall, a sound of chatter and hubbub met them, coming from the town within the walls. Dark gray stone blended with mottled wood to create a place that reminded Irwin of Malorin. The same dreary little alleyways filled with rubble and filth and people in drab clothes.

"Just like home," Greldo muttered.

Irwin grunted, then saw a signpost nearby what seemed to be the main road.

"Let's go find that Cracked Leaf."