Irwin's Journey 195: Full circle (Patreon)

Irwin instinctively searched for heat signatures as he scanned the pile of massacred creatures, finding none. Each body, no matter its size, was cold and dead.

"What does something like this?" Myda whispered again. They aren't even eaten!"

Irwin looked at the bodies, absently knowing that if he'd come here before having been to Scour and seeing what he had there, he'd likely be vomiting. Now, he was just disgusted and worried.

He was about to say something when Twyl poked his cheek.

Irwin looked at her in surprise, only to see the raven's piercing blue eyes staring at something further away. He couldn't determine what it was, and he hesitated to go closer.

"Can you see what that is?" he whispered, pointing at what looked like an indent or smudge in the ground beside a tree.

Myda looked up from inspecting some of the bodies.

"Oh…" she hissed, standing up and taking two steps back. "That's the biggest footprint I've ever seen! Bird, I think, or some giant reptile."

Bird… bird… Irwin thought as he felt a distant memory slowly bubble up and, with it, a trickle of fear.

"Bablibon," he whispered, horrified. It couldn't be, could it? That thing had died back in the portal at the hand of that four-horned Galub!

There was a shiver from his pocket, and he turned to Twyl.

"Tell Daubutim that there is a small chance that the Bablibon might be here," he whispered.

The raven's eyes blinked, then, to Irwin's surprise, it nodded.

"What is a Bablibon, and why would it do this?" Myda whispered.

"It's a demon from a shardworld," Irwin said as he thought about the time he and Daubutim had been up against it. Although he didn't have Daubutim's memory, these memories were edged into his mind.

"It's as tall as a small building, strong and fast, and with a horrifying ability to make it seem weak to draw things in to attack it. As to why it would do this?" He shook his head. "I don't know. I've only ever seen one, and that one ate things instead of killing them and leaving them behind. Let's hope I'm wrong and it's something else."

"Fantastic," Myda hissed, her face slightly pale. "Say that it is a Bablibon. Can we kill it?"

Irwin hesitated as he recalled what Ambraz had told him about it having a soulskill.

"I don't know. But it would be difficult," he said, frowning as he tried to recall what he knew about the Bablibon.

Myda stared at him, the fine wrinkles around her eyes deepening slightly. Then she sighed and resumed investigating the bodies while Irwin looked around.

"Alright, there's something weird about some of these bodies," Myda muttered. "I didn't notice it before, but many of these creatures aren't wounded. Look here," she pointed at a rat lying beside a larger animal. "It has no marks, no wounds. It just looks like it rolled over and died."

Irwin frowned as he looked around, seeing that she was right. Some bodies, especially those of larger animals, were covered with gruesome wounds, while others were merely covered in mud and blood.

"Can you determine when this happened?" he asked. The blood was all dried up, so he knew it couldn't have been recent.

"Weeks ago," Myda said. "Normally, these corpses would have been eaten by animals and insects, but…" she waved at hundreds of tiny insects that lay scattered around one of the corpses.

"Poison?" Irwin asked hesitantly.

"It's the first thing I checked," Myda said, shaking her head. "There's none of the signs, but I'm not an expert."

"Alright, let's get out of here," he said, realizing they could have used Bron. "I don't know who did this, but it's still three days to Malorin."

"Good idea," Myda muttered as she turned and headed away from the open-air butchery.

As they continued through the deadly quiet forest, the stench weakened, but even then, they never saw a living thing. Finally, in the dead of night, Myda led them to a large tree with a thick canopy.

"We are going to sleep up there," Myda whispered. "Think you can climb up without an issue?"

Irwin looked at the thicker branches. Climbing isn't the issue, he thought. The issue would be if the branches would hold his weight.

He grabbed hold of a wrist-thick branch and pulled himself up carefully. The branch immediately began bending under his massive weight, and he quickly pulled up and grabbed a thicker one. As he put his weight on it, he found it didn't flex as much. Feeling somewhat secure, he continued up, and although the entire tree creaked slightly, he managed to reach a branch the size of his waist without falling or snapping anything.

Myda sat down on a nearby branch, looking at him in disbelief. "Are you really made of metal?"

"Partially," Irwin said.

She looked back slightly stunned, and he shrugged.

"It's useful as long as I don't have to sneak or climb," he said defensively.

"Alright, well, you can take the first rest," Myda said as she looked around. "Just try not to fall out of the tree."

Irwin took a look around the forest and nodded. He could fully understand her unwillingness to sleep in this place. Still, he had slept in horrible places before, and he did need some rest. Between Myda, Ambraz, and Twyl, nothing should be able to sneak up on them.

It took him a long time, but eventually, he managed to fall into a restless slumber. It felt like he kept waking up every few moments, clutching the branch. Halfway through the night, Myda woke him, and he took over. Although she closed her eyes, he wondered if she even managed to sleep.

They left early, when it was still dark, Myda in the lead, both quiet.

Halfway through the morning, the stench they had smelled came back with a vengeance, and not much later, Myda led them to another area covered in bloody bodies.

"This is starting to creep me out," Myda whispered.

Irwin completely agreed. "There are more Galubs this time," he whispered, pointing at a few of the one-horned bodies mixed in with the pile.

"Yeah, I wish I could say that was a good thing," Myda muttered. "But at least with Galubs, I know how to kill them."

They inspected the second site for a while before continuing on. Close to evening, Irwin was getting sick and tired of the silence and blocked vision. He missed the sprawling sands of Clour and the long, winding Portal Galery, not in the least because he'd be able to see things coming from far away. In this forest, he felt cramped and constantly stressed that something was looking at them, ready to pounce.

They spent another long and restless night in a tree only to find a third location of death and carnage shortly after setting out again.

"Are these things in a line in the same direction that need to go?" Irwin asked softly, glaring at the area filled with blood and gore. Why were they constantly finding these places? Were there lots, or was something else going on?

"No, we are moving along one of a few game trails I know through these woods," Myda whispered. "It's too easy to get lost in these forests without following those. I think whoever is doing this just followed the same game trail."

Let's hope it's long gone then, Irwin thought.

Two hours later, there was a flash of light, and a tiny bit of weight vanished from his shoulder.

Myda spun around, eyes wide, and Irwin quickly waved at her calmingly.

"It's fine," he whispered, staring at his shoulder sadly. "Twyl was unsummoned, so I guess we reached as far as she could go."

Myda grimaced. "Too bad. Still, it's still impressive," she said before continuing.

Irwin nodded, but as he followed her, he wished he'd had the chance to improve Daubutim's summon card to emerald. Perhaps that would have allowed Twyl to remain with them.

Due to their constant fear of danger, it took them longer than they had anticipated to reach the end of the forest. After another two nights, Irwin felt utter relief when he stepped out from under the dreary canopy and looked up at the steel gray sky.

The plains of yellow grass that bordered Malorin lay before them, a nearly flat stretch of desolate land. A good distance away, there was a brown, muddy trail leading off into the distance.

The main road to Malorin… Irwin thought.

Nothing but a muddy track barely wide enough for a single wagon that showed significant underuse. Even from this far, he saw that the grass was encroaching from the sides. The entire road would be overgrown if nobody started using it regularly again.

"I wonder if there's anything left alive in that forest," he said as he looked back.

They had found another two killing grounds, each the same as the other. One had more Galubs, though, most one-horned but with a few two-horned, which they hadn't noticed anywhere else.

"I don't know, but let's get out of here," Myda said, turning away from the forest and going off in a fast jog.

A while later, they were racing across the grass beside the muddy path. Both Myda's clawed feet and Irwin's explosive movements worked better on the grass than the trail.

So close, Irwin thought as he stared ahead.

They couldn't see Malorin yet, but soon they would see the sides of Gloomforest and, hopefully not too long later, the guard towers of Malorin.

Irwin knew from the maps and Daubutim and Bron's directions that the distance between the forest of death and Malorin was roughly the same as the distance through the forest. That meant, with their much-increased traveling speed, that they were now half a day or less away from Malorin.

A few hours later, he saw a distant and familiar hill with a small crop of trees to the left of it.

Pulvir's grave!

He felt a deep nostalgia as he saw the landmark. Many summer days had passed, with him staring at it from high up on the walls, wishing he could explore it. The hill was named after an old hero who singlehandedly held off a surge. The trees were said to have been planted there by some of the nobles in his honor. He remembered sitting on the wall, staring at it for long hours, and imagining going there to find a legendary card hidden by Pulvir.

After staring at the sight for a while, he hesitated and then began slowing down until he was jogging at a speed at which they could speak. Myda followed suit quickly.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"We are pretty close to Malorin, and it might be better if we don't use the main road," Irwin said as he changed his course towards the single hill with the trees.

"That might be a good idea," Myda said, seeming fine with letting him take the lead.

Although not yet visible due to the flowing land, Irwin knew there was a small river near Pulvir's grave and a small ranger outpost. Long ago, Bronwyn had told him that the rangers used it as their first stop when traveling from Malorin. The river led deep into Gloomforest, and if they followed it and then moved along the forest's edge, they could reach Malorin without being spotted. Hopefully.

Time seemed to slow down as they ran to Pulvir, as Irwin recognized more tiny landmarks. Many brought back memories from a time that seemed a lifetime ago.

Eventually, they reached the top of the slight hill, and the edge of the Gloomforest appeared in the distance. A smudge along its edge, barely visible, was all he could see of Malorin. If they were to walk at the speed of an uncarded it would take half a day. Luckily, they didn't have to.

When they reached the edge of Pulvir's Grave, Irwin stopped beside the narrow river. It was barely twenty feet across and sprang from within the hills to his right. A small wooden cabin with a crumbled watchtower stood beside it in such a way that nobody would spot it from the plains.

Bronwyn made it sound a lot bigger, he thought as he inspected the small building. It was obvious from the dust, mold, and rotting planks that nobody had been here in a long time. He examined the hill, wondering if there really was a buried hero of old here or if it was just an old tale. There were no caves or structures that he could see. Perhaps they were at the top?

Well, if there's really a body here, it will just have to remain behind when we leave, he thought.

He turned to Myda, who was staring at Malorin, no more than a distant irregularity on the border of Gloomforest.

And?" Irwin asked, barely able to hold back his curiosity.

"The walls look whole, and the gate is closed," Myda said. "I see movement, but we are too far away for me to make out if they are people or demons. But, wasn't Malorin a small city?"

Irwin frowned. "It is. I think there were roughly three thousand people when I was young. Why?"

"It looks bigger than that... Perhaps it's just me. Let's get a bit closer," Myda said as she began jogging along the river down the slight slope.

Irwin followed her, staring at the distant Gloomforest.

I'm almost back, he thought as he pictured his mother and brother as best he could. Their images were slightly fuzzy in his head, but he knew he'd recognize them if he saw them.

It took them over half an hour of fast running to reach the edge of the Gloomforest, and as they did, Irwin knew right away that something was different. Although it wasn't as horribly quiet as the forest they had passed through on their way, there was no sign of any life either. The many Shadedeer and other creatures that should be roaming around were nowhere to be seen, which worried him. They should have been around the outer edges of Gloomforest as more dangerous things and demons dominated the deeper areas, pushing them out.

"So I hear birds, and there are-" Myda slapped a mosquito that landed on her arm. "-bugs, so whatever was in the other forest didn't come here."

Irwin frowned. "I hope you are right. Let's head to the city."

They continued along the edge of the forest, the trees in the distance obscuring the city from view.

Irwin began increasing his pace the closer they came to the point from where they could see the city. Between the abandoned ranger outpost, the missing creatures near the edge of Gloomforest, and what Myda had said, his worry was growing.

When they finally moved past the last outcrop of trees, Irwin was feeling jumpy as he looked ahead. There, still far away, lay Malorin, the place where he was born and had grown up.

"It's bigger," he whispered, not sure if he should be happy or sad. Who had enlarged it? The people of Malorin or some Galub or Imp horde that had taken over? He saw new towers beyond where the old walls had been, and the main gate looked taller.

He turned to Myda, seeing relief flood her face.

"There's rangers on the walls," she said. "The gate is closed, and there are guards behind the windows. By Yilda, they made it somehow!"

Irwin let out a massive sigh, and he was about to say something when there was a vibration in his pocket. Ambraz seemed to be going crazy, and as it continued, Irwin's skin began to crawl as he looked around. His hammer appeared in his hand, tiny flames licking around its edges.

"Irwin? What's wrong?"

"I don't know, but-"

"Incoming," Myda shouted as she spun to the side.

A long, curved bow appeared in her hands, and she jumped back behind him as an arrow appeared. Nothing seemed to happen for a few short moments; then, a distant thudding came me from the forest, followed by the cracking of branches and powerful, ragged breathing.

Irwin took a few steps back as it came closer, growing his hammer until he needed two hands to hold it and readying his flame.

The bushes deeper in the forest began shaking, and amidst a cloud of leaves and shattered branches, a charbull came crashing through.

The sides of the massive beast's head were covered in long, thin wounds, and its burning eyes were spinning around crazily while steam came from its nostrils.

As he saw the bull, Irwin's heartcard suddenly seemed to boil over with a sense of wrongness. It wasn't directed at the bull but at something inside of it. At the same time, his flame began burning and rippling as if it wanted to flare up and out, hungry or angry, he couldn't tell.

He acted before he fully knew what he was doing. His hammer vanished, and he raised his hands. Things he had learned years ago from his brother and the merchants resurfaced in a flash.

They need fire and heat. It heals and calms them.

"Whoa! Calm down," he shouted, deepening his voice and spreading his arms to himself large. His flame rippled out of him almost violently, seeming to wish to rush at the bull.

The charbull shook its head, either confused or in pain, seeming not to hear him. It thundered forward only a dozen feet from him.

Irwin didn't hesitate but unleashed his flame. A long collum of fire shot out from him and towards the Charbull, striking it and surging around the massive black bull.

"Calm down! Come! It's warm and safe here," Irwin said, trying to sound calm.

As soon as the fire touched the bull, its eyes stopped rolling, and the fiery orbs focused on Irwin, which was exactly what he'd hoped would happen.

"That's good. Calm down," he said soothingly.

His flame continued to feel agitated, almost seeming angry at something it felt within the bull. He allowed it to increase in strength, quickly covering the area around the bull while he hoped he wasn't about to burn the whole forest down.

Not that that would necessarily be such a bad thing, a tiny part of him thought.

The bull's charge slowed, and it continued to run towards him, though without the anger and confusion of before. Irwin frowned, then dug his heels in the ground. As the bull reached him, looking only mildly afraid instead of panicked now, he placed his hands on its horns, grabbing them. A powerful shock ran through his arms, comparable to some of the shoves Crithann gave when they sparred, almost taking him by surprise. Still, he remained standing, though he slid a foot back before managing to stop the bull's forward momentum.

It snorted, confused, and Irwin felt it tense up. He quickly put a hand on the charbull's jaw, padding it like he knew the merchant wagoneers did while pulling the fire around them. The flame seemed to almost search for something, and he allowed more of it out, surrounding the charbull.

"It's alright. Calm down," he said softly.

His flame suddenly burst out, rippling around the wounds in the charbull's jaws and flanks, and trickles of purple smoke rose up from the deep gauges.

What's that? Irwin thought as he stared at the pale smoke, seemingly able to withstand the heat of his flame.

Just looking at it made him feel disgusted, and as if sensing this, his flame's heat suddenly increased exponentially. There was a startled shout, but he couldn't do anything as he watched the purple smoke shiver until the edges finally began burning away. At the same time, he felt a massive energy drain seemingly intent on draining his cards, his soullake, everything dry.

Within a few seconds, half of his energy was gone, and Irwin was about to stop the flame from doing whatever it was doing when the purple smoke shook, shivered, and finally burned away. Only a trickle of intense purple remained behind, creating an oddly perfect circle before vanishing, leaving him with a lingering sense of dread.

What was that? he thought, shivering as he realized the final jolt had drained even more energy,  leaving him with barely a quarter.

A snort came from before him, and he focused on the bull that he was still holding. Its eyes were staring up at him, and it was breathing deeply, staring at him with now tranquil, burning eyes.

"Yeah, that's better, isn't it?" Irwin muttered absently, padding the bull as he tried to figure out what had just happened.

"So… you used to deal with charbulls before you came to us?" Myda asked.

"Not a lot," Irwin said as he took a quick look at her.

She had lowered her bow but was still eyeing the charbull wearily. "Then don't you think that was a bit reckless?"

"Yeah," Irwin muttered before frowning. "Did you saw that purple mist that came from its wounds?"

Myda sighed wearily. "Purple mist? No, I couldn't even look at you. That's how bright it was. Which is probably why they are coming to check," she said, looking at the distant city of Malorin.

Irwin saw a group of Cindermares riding toward them with figures on their backs.

"They are rangers from what I can tell," Myda said. "We might be able to outrun them…"

The charbull snorted, and he patted it as he reduced the flame to a mere trickle to keep the large beast calm.

"I'm here to find my family, not to run," Irwin said calmly. "Let's just see who they are then."

He didn't expect any trouble, and if there was, he was pretty sure he and Myda could handle it, though he'd prefer to return without causing a scene.

As they headed forward, the charbull calmly stomped alongside him, and a quick look showed that the fire that still surrounded it was speeding up the healing of its wounds.

Soon, the thundering hooves of the Cindermares reached them, and Irwin stopped, raising his hand in greeting as the riders slowed their mounts. They all had bows ready but not raised.

"Ho there, travelers! What brings you to Malorin?" one of the riders shouted as he forced his Cindermare a few steps before the others. His brown eyes were staring at the Charbull.

Irwin blinked at the oddly familiar voice. He tried recalling who it was, but the best he could come up with was that he'd spoken to them before.

"We are here to find lost family," he said honestly. "I used to live here, and I came from Degonda."

There was a startled whispering and muttering from the riders.

"You managed to make it through the Forest of Death?" the lead rider asked in disbelief. "How?"

Irwin was surprised he didn't ask him who he was, but then again, perhaps that didn't matter. Many people had left Malorin over the years.

"You mean the one behind the yellow plains?" he asked, wishing he actually knew what the forest was called.

"Yes."

"We went through there. Found many areas filled with piled-up corpses," Irwin said.

This time, the riders all looked at him, most with the brown eyes native to the people here.

"The only way you can move through there is if you have very rare or better cards," the lead rangers said softly. "And if that's the case, we are more than happy that you made it. Still, we are going to have to ask you to follow us to the city. Lord Rhym will want to see you, especially if you have news from Degonda. We've not had any news for over half a year!"

Irwin nodded, still getting the feeling he knew the lead rider.

"Then lead on," he said.

The riders turned and began heading forward, flanking them but showing no signs of aggression.

Staring at the distant city, Irwin felt his stomach clench with expectation. Would his mother and brother still be there? Were they even still alive?