Irwin's Journey chapter 24: Lose some, win some

Irwin stood in the full sun as it poked through two towering buildings. It was the only little bit between the shadows that surrounded them, though as the sun rose, more areas would quickly appear. He had been pondering the things that had happened, his mind surprisingly sharp and clear for someone who hadn't slept and was wounded.

Special cards really are amazing, he thought. It was no wonder that they were valued above even very rare cards.

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. The heat was soothing, almost seeping into his bones, and after a second, he looked at his thin arm. The puffy skin had returned to its normal pale, and the lacerations of the teeth were scabbing over noticeably.

I hope we can find the Linchpin before the surge, he thought as he glanced at the portal.

With enough time to think, he'd come to realize how dangerous it would have been to exit. Out of the portal, they would be back in the forest, and if those vines made it there, with no sun to hold them back? As short as the distance was between the entrance and the edge of the forest, he didn't think they would have made it.

Ambraz sat on his shoulder and had been quiet most of the morning, and as he stared at its wings, he wondered if the Anvil couldn't just fly up and search out the Linchpin for them. He was about to bring it up when Greldo sniffed, taking a deep breath.

The other boy stood a few steps away, just outside of the direct sun. He was on the lookout for the hounds. Luckily so far, none had appeared yet. "That card… the first one," Greldo whispered.

Irwin saw him glance at his arm before turning back to looking around. Sweat was dripping down his face, and his shirt was damp while his jacket was tied around his waist with the sleeves.

"I was thinking about what we heard back in Wingnut… It's a special one, isn't it?"

Irwin didn't respond, staring at his arm. Greldo hadn't brought it up since they were walking toward Wingnut, but he didn't even know what to say.

"It's fine," Greldo whispered. "I understand you don't want to talk about it, but I think if we get out of here alive, we might have to. Especially if we are going with Daubutim."

"You heard?" Irwin whispered as he gazed at the other in surprise.

"I woke early, always was a light sleeper," Greldo said. "I didn't catch everything, but… I think it might be a good idea."

Irwin heard his uncertainty and frowned as he felt an itch from his arm. The scabs were peeling back, revealing a slight, dim scar below. He wiped them off, and even the scars faded until he could barely see more than a few dots with lines. He looked back at Greldo, who was staring at him.

"I'm not sure yet, but I don't want to stay with the sorcerers," he whispered. "I know they are right, and we can't leave these portals, but… there's something seriously wrong with everything in those towers."

"Yes… also, if there really are more portals appearing, their efforts might not even be enough," Greldo said.

"Vines!"

Irwin turned, summoned his flame, and sprinted in a single move, running toward the building. Daubutim was backing away from the entrance, with Rachel next to him with her shield up. Behind them stood Twintin, a glowing hand directed at something Irwin couldn't see.

"Where?" he said as he stopped next to them. A gray vine shot out of the door, and he yelped while raising his flame. The vine flickered forward, then slammed into Rachel's shield, which she had put in between him and the incoming thing.

"I can't draw its water out," Twintin screamed from behind him.

"Back up, into the light!" Irwin shouted, stumbling away while the vine pulled back to the entrance. Next to it, another one appeared, its tip splitting open and revealing the toothy maw.

As the group backpedaled towards the brighter areas, they didn't follow but withdrew into the building.

"They came out of the hole," Rachel said, panting. "If I hadn't been looking towards the stairs, I'd never have seen them."

"We can't stay here," Greldo snapped as he joined them, and Irwin heard from his voice there were more problems. Looking around, he saw Greldo point at the space between two of the buildings. A dozen large canine shapes were prowling around in the sunny part, shiny eyes glaring at them.

"Perhaps we should leave?" Twintin asked, the fear in her voice thick.

"No. Let's go into another building and clear it of the green plants," Irwin said as he turned to the nearest other building. There were a few that bordered the open area around the portal, and he didn't see any difference, so he picked one next to the one they had stayed the night in.

As he moved towards it, he noticed there weren't a lot of footsteps, and he turned. Rachel and Twintin were looking at the portal, then the dogs, while Daubutim was staring at them.

"This might be the last chance we have to leave," Rachel said as she nodded at Twintin before both began walking towards the black rip.

Irwin looked at them and walked away, and shook his head in disbelief. "Don't you realize what will happen if you just leave?" he asked, looking at Greldo for support. His friend was staring at the two girls.

Rachel looked at him over her shoulder but kept walking. "Yes, we won't die here."

"No, but you will die out there when the surge happens," Irwin snapped angrily. "You heard what Ambraz said." He felt his anger rise as he glared back, wondering how she couldn't see. If she went outside and the surge happened, she would never be able to flee in time! Those plants wouldn't have to be afraid of the sun!

"And why should we believe him?" Rachel spat. "He lied about hurting Twintin. He could be lying about this!"

"If Twintin leaves, we might not be able to find the Linchpin," Daubutim said dully.

Irwin cringed as he saw Rachel's eyes flare up while turning on the taller boy. "You stupid fool! How are we going to find anything if we die from those vines or those dogs?"

"And how will you run if those Vines come out into that forest?" Irwin snapped.

Rachel stopped, frowned, then shook her head, her anger reappearing. "I don't believe there will be a surge," she snapped. "Look around you! There's just a few dogs, and we've only seen three of those silvery vines."

As she glared at him, Irwin saw something silvery burst out of the ground next to the portal.

"Look out!" he screamed as a half dozen of the silvery vines shot towards Rachel and Twintin.

Twintin screamed and raised her hand while Rachel's shield appeared before her, blocking two of the vines. Another darted past and bit into her leg, causing a mist of blood to spray out.

Irwin was moving forward when something held him back. He turned in anger and saw it was Greldo.

"Look! We can't help them," Greldo shouted, and Irwin turned to see two of the vines wrap around Twintin, who was desperately struggling. The rest were biting into different parts of Rachel, who was still trying to get free.

"We can't leave them like that!" Irwin shouted, but he didn't try and walk forward again. He remembered what a single vine had done, and the only reason he had killed it was because it had swallowed his flame.

"Look!"

Daubutim's shout caused him to stare at the boy who was pointing at a nearby building. The sun was bright against its side, moving towards the edge. As soon as it passed, the portal would be bathed in the sun again.

"We just have to hold them back for a short bit," Irwin muttered, then looked at Daubutim. The tall boy nodded, then began running towards the portal.

"We can't risk our lives like this," Greldo whispered as he stared at Irwin.

"Without Twintin, we will have a lot of trouble getting through those buildings," Irwin replied as he ripped his arm free and stared at his friend. "Come on. We can do this!"

Greldo looked back as if he'd never seen him before, then nodded.

They ran forward while Daubutim was already halfway, and Irwin felt his stomach turn. Rachel had fallen to the ground, still struggling slightly as the vines bit down into her. Blood was pooling around, and she was clawing at the ground, her shield gone.

Twintin hung in the air, wrapped up by the two vines, her face contorted in fear, eyes closed. Her hand was glowing brightly, and the two vines hung frozen in the air, shuddering every so often as if struggling against something.

"She is holding them back," Irwin shouted.

"Ah, right, of course! It's because they are touching her," Ambraz said.

Irwin took one look at Rachel and knew her chance was over. She'd stopped struggling, her body now only shaking as the vines ripped portions of her flesh away, swallowing them audibly. Daubtim stood a few steps from her, seeming frozen by the sight.

“Daub, help Twintin!” Irwin shouted as he forced himself to look at the other girl. He raised his hand and, as soon as he reached her, slammed his flame into one of the two vines. It shuddered violently, its top splaying open slowly, and a low keen came from it.

The silvery skin rapidly blackened, bubbling, and with a pop, the skin ripped open like a blister. Irwin's flame, which had been licking around the sides, vanished inside, and the vine began bucking. Then it dropped to the ground and began slowly pulling back towards a hole next to the portal.

"Don't let it get away," Ambraz said from beside his head.

"There is another?" Irwin said, looking up to see Greldo clenching it, trying in vain to rip it free.

"The creatures in here have a chance to drop a card," Ambraz said calmly. "You need to kill them because we really need more cards."

He's right! Irwin hissed as he kept up with the crawling vine, keeping his flame inside the now large and open wound. He knew it would probably be faster to attack the head, but it might take too long to get through the skin.

The vine finally shuddered as it reached two steps from the hole and finaly stopped moving. A large section of its body was black and bubbling while a steaming fluid leaked from the tip. Irwin held his breath, but nothing happened.

"The other one," Ambraz said, and Irwin turned, sprinting towards the last one. By now, Daubutim was battering it, but he was doing as much good as Greldo was. A look showed the vines had almost finished with Rachel, only tattered clothes, blood, and chunks of meat remaining of her. Irwin quickly averted his gaze and looked at the sky. The sun was next to the edge. A few more seconds!

"Get back," he shouted as he jabbed his flame against the side of the vine.

Skin blackened, and just as it spat open, light illuminated their surroundings, the temperature rising instantly. A screech came from behind, and he looked to see the other vines jerk back, pulling out of the sun. Their skins were darkening quickly, steam rising off them. The vine before him was almost vibrating, and then it went limp enough for Twintin to drop down. The vine shuddered as soon as she was free and began pulling back towards the hole.

"Hold it!" Irwin screamed as he tried to keep up.

Greldo and Daubutim jumped forward, and they began struggling with the vine.

They barely made it, as it had already partially withdrawn when it finally died. As soon as it did, Daubutim sprinted to Twintin, who was lying in the sun, unconscious. He picked her up and ran to Greldo, who was now in the shadows, panting and red-faced. Irwin stared at the vine, biting his lip in the hopes of a card. After a few seconds, he sighed.

"It doesn't happen a lot," Ambraz said, but he sounded annoyed.

Irwin sighed as he turned and walked towards the others. He tried hard not to look at what remained of Rachel, but that didn't do much for his scent. The smell of cooking meat came as the sun's power roasted the slivers of meat that remained.

To his surprise, Daubutim suddenly ran out of the shadow towards the body, snatched something, and ran back.

What… Irwin stopped as Daubutim turned to him, eyes wide and a bloodied card in his hand.

"She dropped her card," he whispered.

"Now that's lucky," Ambraz said as he whizzed towards Daubutim, seeming exited.

Irwin wasn't.

Mother was right, he thought as he felt a shiver of fear. He looked at his own hand, then at the others as he joined them on the edge of the shadowy region. Would they kill him if they knew he had a special card?

Greldo was looking back at him, and he threw him a sad smile. "Don't worry. You can trust me."

Daubutim looked up, confused, before turning to the card. A shield was on it, similar to the one Rachel had summoned.

"Let's go inside a building," Greldo muttered. "Your flame will keep those normal vines away, and with some luck, those silver ones won't show up."

Irwin nodded as he looked at Twintin, then at Daubutim. Though he wasn't quite as weak as he was before, and Twintin was small, he wasn't sure he could lift her. "Daubutim, can you carry Twintin?"

"Yes," Daubutim said, slipping the card into his pocket and turning.

A minute later, they sat huddled near the entrance of another building. It was similar on the inside to the first one, with dozens of mushrooms giving a gloomy illumination. Twintin lay against the wall, still unconscious, but Irwin hadn't found any wounds on her.

The three boys were standing with their backs against the wall, facing the vegetation to make sure they weren't jumped.

"So, what do we do with the card?" Irwin asked.

"I want it," Daubutim instantly said. "It will combine easily with my club, and if I can find an uncommon or rare armor card, I can merge them into a weaponry hand."

Irwin nodded, but he looked at Ambraz. "How long till you can reforge another card?"

"A day, maybe two," the Anvil said, hungrily licking his lips.

Normally Irwin would never even consider letting the thing eat a card if he could reforge another soon, but… he looked at Daubutim, who was flipping the card over in his hand.

"It might be better to give another one of us an uncommon-" he began.

"No," Daubutim said, placing the card in his hand in a single fluid motion. It shone brightly and sank into his hand, leaving Irwin to stare at him in dismay.

"If I have an uncommon card, I can't enter common portals to close them," Daubutim said matter of factly.