Daubutim stared at the gray cloud that spread out to cover the entire ceiling. As it began lowering, his fear vanished as his training took over. He prepared his cards, readying himself to defend himself. He absently hoped that the cloaked and hooded guard Gelwin had sent him would be nearby.
'If you make any wrong move, little bastard...
2023-07-23 18:56:12 +0000 UTC View PostTwo days after Ignalia returned and five days after Greldo and the others had gone through, the temporary portal closed. A wave of sadness coursed through the town as nearly everyone had loved ones who were now locked away in a portal.
Irwin glared at the wall ahead of him. Questions had been bubbling through his mind, and he looked at the...
2023-07-22 20:54:15 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin walked deeper into the caverns, moving through the narrow passages. To his surprise, as well as Crithann and Scintilla could see in the dark, he was still able to see even farther. So, as he had when he'd been with Daubutim long ago, he was the one in the lead.
Ten minutes after they had entered, he saw movement ahead. Blurry movemen...
2023-07-21 19:02:00 +0000 UTC View PostJake didn't move as Emma remained nearly plastered against him. As her neck wrapped around his, and she shuddered, he was again reminded of how much he had grown. She had been smaller than him before, but now the size difference was more apparent. Tir was nestled in the crook of his neck, purring almost like a cat. Just seeing her made him feel ...
2023-07-20 18:43:26 +0000 UTC View PostEveryone looked at each other, then Yogog stomped his food.
"Please don't tell me that is what I think it is?" he snapped.
Another horn came, and this time it was a drawn-out call that lasted than was normal, and for the second time in a short period, Irwin turned and sprinted up the same staircase.
Outside, Viridians were rush...
2023-07-16 18:42:34 +0000 UTC View PostIt was quiet in the room as everyone watched Relinda.
"I was walking with a few others back to the smithy when a dozen of them just jumped out from behind a building and out of the shadows. They grabbed us, and before we could even resist, they knocked us out. When we woke up, we were in a large underground area below the desert."
"W...
2023-07-15 19:28:19 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin stared at the swirling patterns of colors and imagery that hung above Ambraz's shiny surface as he brought down the hammer perfectly in time with the soft tune he was humming. All of his cards vibrated in harmony, forcing the card lying on Ambraz to resonate along. The yellow-bordered card thugged slightly, showing that the resonance was g...
2023-07-14 19:14:34 +0000 UTC View Post"Wu- what? Jake? Why are my legs stuck?"
Jake gritted his teeth as he kept flying forward at his top speed. The massive bat chasing him was still chasing him, and although the distance was growing, he had no idea how much stamina the other flier had.
"Those bats messed with your mind," he said. "I had to lock you in place so you woul...
2023-07-13 19:59:11 +0000 UTC View PostDaubutim watched as a group of badly dressed, dispirited people walked across the square towards Tensor's smithy. Three silver-eyed heart-carded guards walked with them. He stared at a petite woman in the third row, glaring at the ground as she trudged on beside Tanya, the sorceress that had helped him and Irwin long ago. Both had changed greatl...
2023-07-09 19:26:02 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin shot upright in his bed, his mind groggy as he tried to understand what had just woke him up. Ambraz let out a string of curses from the ground, having been thrown off his chest.
What was that?
Someone bonked on his door again, a shout coming from outside.
"Smith Irwin! People are returning through the portal!" 2023-07-08 19:22:30 +0000 UTC View Post
"Hairy punk! Clear out those at the left!"
Greldo held back an angry retort toward the Ignitzion group leader. Instead, he rushed to where he was directed, Coal behind him. Five imps sprinted through the volcanic landscape, giggling and laughing insanely as they swung their shortswords.
They are close to insane, Greldo thoug...
2023-07-07 15:31:09 +0000 UTC View PostSo far for hoping that it would leave, Jake thought as he gazed into the deep waters below the massive iceberg.
The shadowy shape of the massive Hydra had circled back around, and as he looked down, it slowed. Twelve glowing yellow eyes gazed back at him, and he felt a bit of pressure.
"Yeah… fantastic," Jake muttered as h...
2023-07-06 20:24:56 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin gazed down the damp crevice. There was barely more than two feet left between the trunk of the tree and the rocky walls. Drops of water leaked down, and far below, he saw the glistening water.
It had been two weeks since Greldo had entered the portal and over two weeks that Yogog and the others had set out. Neither had returned, and ...
2023-07-02 18:28:32 +0000 UTC View Post"Are you two alright?" Yogog shouted as he came jogging toward Irwin and Scintilla.
The others were close behind while Greldo sprinted past and toward Irwin, muddy sand spraying everywhere.
"You alright? How's your leg?" Greldo asked worriedly.
"You saw that?" Irwin asked in surprise before patting the jagged scar on his leg. "...
2023-07-01 19:24:50 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin snuck after the others, the thin sand of the desert flowing down below his feet and making it hard to climb up without sliding back down. When he reached the top, he barely held back an angry hiss.
The flowing hills and dunes had been shattered apart, a deep crevice looming dangerously.
Irwin could see sand constantly trickling...
2023-06-30 18:24:50 +0000 UTC View Post"Chase it to the side," Mason shouted as he flew across the murky water like a ballistic rocket.
Clankrin stood on a toppled-over log the size of a redwood, blowing a stream of fire at a yellow and red snake that was coiled around one of the branches. It was longer than Clankrin and attempted to uncoil itself. Each time the fire struck it,...
2023-06-29 19:33:29 +0000 UTC View PostDaubutim kept a calm look on his face, staring at the man he'd heard and read legends about his entire life. The glistening eyes widened minutely.
"Master Librarian, this is Daubutim, the young apprentice I've told you about," Purntou said calmly. "He has read through the requested books."
So he requested I read them? Daubut...
2023-06-25 19:31:30 +0000 UTC View Post"Alright, now explain to me why a horde of Imps dared attack my town," Crithann said.
Irwin and the others were standing near the gate while a group of curious Viridians had come out to listen in. Crithann didn't seem to care, staring at Yogog.
"Whoa, easy there," Yogog said, raising his hands in defense. "This wasn't our fault!"
... 2023-06-24 19:39:50 +0000 UTC View PostThree days after they returned from slaughtering the wyrms, Irwin stood inside a newly created expansion to their building. It was just a roof and a back wall with a table, but it doubled as his temporary forge area.
A towering Viridian stood on one side, looking at the spot before him. He raised his hand, the card on the back glowing, and...
2023-06-23 19:29:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe enormous reef continued ahead, seemingly without end. Enumerable fish, eels, and crustaceans surrounded towering heat vents that billowed out dark plumes.
"Do you think they will allow me to investigate one of those heat vents when we stop to rest?" Calips asked, leaning so far across Jake's side that he seemed about to slide off to tu...
2023-06-22 19:40:58 +0000 UTC View PostLamia quietly stared at Daubutim, noticing the massive warrior's eyes narrow.
Come on, come on. Please just say you will help, she thought, trying to will the other to say he would cooperate. If he wouldn't, she had no idea if that old bastard would ever let her go again. She shivered as she thought about what he'd done. If only I...
2023-06-18 19:15:48 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin watched for a few moments how Numilli's eyes turned watery. Then he turned to Greldo, deciding he was just going to ignore her for now. Still, something about her reaction made his anger die down a little. Probably the fact that she was completely crazy.
"So, what do we do now?" Greldo asked, simply ignoring Numilli.
Irwin turn...
2023-06-17 20:35:57 +0000 UTC View Post"Do you think he will help us with some cards?"
"You know how these smiths are."
"Not all of them! Remember Zendril's cousin?"
"Bah, that was because he was her cousin!"
"I'm sure he'll ask for a ridiculously high payment."
"The explosions stopped! Crithann must be done!"
"Let's hope we aren't going t...
2023-06-16 19:02:58 +0000 UTC View Post"We can't go back," Mason said with an angry sigh.
His gaze was stuck on the distant mountain range behind which he knew the ruined city was.
None of the others responded, but Faelina was staring at the mountains, her slim-scaled snout covered in a mixture of fear and anger.
"Are all of them inside… like that?" Siobahn asked....
2023-06-15 19:23:09 +0000 UTC View Post"Hold him," Numili screamed.
"Kid, fight it! Don't touch that piece of meat!"
"Numili, what is going on?"
Irwin was confused. Why were they all shouting? He took a shaking step forward, and as he did, his cards rang as if he'd struck them with a hammer. As they did, he felt a disharmony that hadn't been there before, some...
2023-06-11 19:05:17 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin snuck forward, hammer in one hand, eyes constantly scanning for threats that might lurk deeper in the caves. The smooth, bumpy rock inside the tunnels was a stark contrast with the angular black edges of the outside.
Why is the inside of this place so different? he thought as he inspected a nearby bit of cavern wall.
H...
2023-06-10 19:45:12 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin felt like he stepped into an oven, and he actually felt slightly uncomfortable by the heat. He also couldn't see anything. A sudden shudder ran through the ash, and then he felt as if he was falling or floating. It was slightly familiar to when he traveled to and from the Portal Gallery.
Looking around and seeing nothing, Irwin felt ...
2023-06-09 19:59:13 +0000 UTC View PostMason lay to the side of one of the buildings while Sandra prowled around, a dangerous glare in her eyes.
Most dragons were now hanging from rocks near the distant tunnel entrance, with only a handful sitting nearby. Midnight had his eyes closed, and Mason wasn't sure if he was sleeping. Holding back hundreds of smaller dragons from commit...
2023-06-08 16:52:27 +0000 UTC View PostIrwin lay on his back, breathing raggedly.
"Has anyone ever told you, you have cinderblock-sized balls, hot stuff?"
He didn't bother to reply, nor was he surprised someone had entered his room. Instead, he tried to focus on pushing away the painful memories, knowing he had to go through the next step. Would he even be able to? He kne...
2023-06-04 20:48:35 +0000 UTC View PostNothing? Irwin thought as he dully eyed the mission log.
"Are you sure?" he asked, tapping his pocket.
"If you think you know better, by all means!' Ambras snapped.
Irwin sighed, ignoring the surprised chatter behind him. He knew Ambraz was more than a little annoyed about being dragged all around to every Mission Cent...
2023-06-03 20:13:56 +0000 UTC View Post