Irwin's Journey 353: Shadow tracking

Irwin wished he could remove his helmet as he sniffed the fresh air of clean leaves. He looked around while following Greldo further into the Viridian district. The street they were walking through was wider than those in the previous districts they had been in, and moss and grass covered large parts of it. Dispersed along the edges of the street, between the buildings, and filling the park-like squares were trees. Some were so big their canopies poked out above the tall buildings.

"This is probably the only place you can walk around without drawing attention," Greldo said, looking to the side.

Irwin followed his look and saw three Viridians exit a building. With brown and red leaves for hair showing their age, they stood as tall as he did, towering over the smaller, teal-leafed children who ran around them, squealing questions.

As he looked at them, one of the old Viridians looked up and back at him. There was a stunned surprise in her deep green eyes, then she smiled and nodded before focusing on the children.

"Let's check over there."

Irwin focused back on Greldo, who was heading toward a small diner.

"You are not going to eat again," he grunted.

"What? These districts are enormous, and we've been walking for hours. I'm hungry," Greldo said.

A deep rumbling came from Irwin's stomach like thunder rumbling in the distance. Two Viridians that were walking past him jumped back before looking around, startled.

"I'll bring you some," Greldo said with a grin. "Besides, they will probably know where to go."

Irwin snorted and followed his friend to the diner. It was smaller than the restaurants of the other districts, but the entrance door was high enough for him to walk through without issue, and the ceiling higher than he could touch without jumping. It was also covered in vines with beautiful orange flowers.

It was quiet in the shop, and the wooden tables, likely grown straight from the trees, were empty save for one. The green-haired Viridian women sitting there looked up and smiled as they entered.

"You two are very early, but that is fine. Welcome to The Root Cellar. I am, Sedhra. What would you like to eat? I still have some fresh Ashland Pepper stew?"

Irwin recognized the name from his time with Crithann long ago, and just the thought of the thick, rooty stew filled with mildly spicy peppers made his stomach rumble again. The sound echoed through the room, and Sedhra's leafy eyebrows shot up. 

"Oh my, I think that is a yes?" she asked, looking straight at Irwin.

Greldo stepped forward, smiling. "The stew sounds wonderful, but could we get three portions for on the road?"

Sedhra looked surprised, then glanced from Irwin to Greldo before focusing on the latter.

"Three might not be enough for your friend," she said. "I'll get him the extra large bowl. Are you two staying in the district?"

"Can you suggest a good Inn?" Greldo asked.

"Of course! My sister Meira Eidheann runs Autumn Slumbers, and it has beds large enough even for elders," she said, looking pointedly at Irwin.

"Thank you," Irwin said, wondering what she would think if he removed his helmet.

The Viridian smiled brilliantly as she walked to the back of the diner, where there was a large open kitchen. "It will be but a minute."

"It's just like outside. She keeps looking at your armor," Greldo whispered as he stepped closer. "I think we need to figure out what it means before we draw even more attention."

Irwin didn't reply. Ever since he'd started growing, even his whispers had become loud, and with how quiet the small diner was, the proprietress would definitely hear.

A short while later, Sedhra walked towards them carrying a package wrapped in pale teal leaves. She handed it to Irwin, smiling up at him with no fear.

"Autumn Slumbers is easy to find, elder. Just follow this road until you reach the Scrazi Berry bushes and turn left. From there, it's a straight walk to the merchant square. Tell Meira I sent you."

Scrazy Berries? Irwin thought, wondering what those were. Still, he didn't dare ask. Right now, Sedhra seemed to think he was a Viridian Elder, and telling her otherwise might get them a whole different reaction. Besides, how hard could it be?

"Thank you," he said, smiling below his helmet. "Do you know where the Greenbark Cardshop is?"

"Oh, sure! It's a bit further, on the northern edge of the district near the bazaar," she said. 

Her smile faltered, and her sigh sounded like rustling leaves.

"It is closed, though. Ever since the storm, the only reason our people have been able to hold on is because of the food we produce."

"Do you know where the owner is?" Greldo asked.

"The Splashvine brothers? They live above the shop," Sedhra said.

"Thank you for the information," Irwin rumbled, getting another beaming smile.

"I've added a little extra Ashland Pepper for you," Sedhdra said, smiling. 

"Much appreciated," Irwin said, giving her a small nod.

After Greldo paid, they went back outside, the smell of the spicy stew wafting around them.

"Let's head to the inn first," Greldo said, licking his lips.

Irwin grunted in response.

Without knowing what Scrazi Berry bushes were, they ended up asking for directions a few times till they reached a small square filled with trees. Young Viridians ran between them, laughing loudly.

The Autumn Slumber Inn wasn't just a single building but covered the entire outskirts of the square. It had multiple entrances, but one stood out as it was flanked by two thick but spindly white-barked trees.

The entrance led to a large common room, vines growing across the wooden walls, ceilings, and support pillars. 

"Look at that," Greldo whispered.

Irwin looked up to find small, puffy white clouds drifting lazily across the ceiling while beautiful golden gemstones glowed with a warm light that filled the room. Viridians sat nearly everywhere, though Irwin did notice a few other species mixed in.

A viridian that looked an awful lot like Sedhra walked towards them. The green leaves flowing down her head were darker green than Sedhra's, and she wore a pale green dress covered with a slightly stained white apron. 

"Welcome to the Autumn Slumber, elder," she said, smiling up at Irwin. "How may I help you?"

"Your sister suggested you when we asked for an Inn to stay," Irwin said.

"I'll have to thank her later then," Meira said. "How long will you be staying?"

Irwin hesitated, and Greldo stepped forward.

"Three days will be good for now," he said, causing Meira to look at him in surprise. Still, her experience as an innkeeper quickly showed as she smiled at Greldo and nodded. 

"I see! One room, or…"

"One room will do," Greldo said. 

"Of course! Just follow me!"

Greldo followed after her, Irwin right behind them.

After paying a surprisingly small amount of soulshards, a young Viridian boy escorted them through the Inn to a hallway with a high ceiling and tall doors. The boy grinned as he handed Irwin a crystal carved in the shape of a leaf.

"You are one of the tallest elders I have seen," he said, almost bouncing up and down. "I hope I'll grow that well!"

"I am sure you will," Irwin said. 

Looking at the small Viridian boy made him think of his own children, and he felt a wave of sadness threaten to engulf him as he pictured them sailing through the storm without him. 

As he struggled to reel in his emotions, he faintly heard Greldo give the boy a soulshard and ask him for a list of all the card shops that still had stock. After a rushed conversation, Irwin followed Greldo into a large room with two beds. Both were large enough that Irwin wondered just how large Viridian's Elders could become, as even he could lie on the leaf-covered bed without worrying about reaching the edges. Besides the beds, there was a corner table with two chairs, a closet, and a window with closed shutters. All of it looked as if it had been made from a single piece of wood, which Irwin knew was very likely.

Greldo closed the door and let out a long sigh.

"Finally! Let's eat before the stew cools," he said, snatching the package from Irwin and running to a surprisingly tall table. As Greldo sat on a chair, Irwin laughed as his friend's feet dangled a foot above the ground.

"Yeah, you laugh. Try and get that helmet off before I finish your portion!"

Irwin snorted, twisting the wood-like ring around his neck, causing the visor of the helmet to snap forward and open. His face finally freed, and he took a deep breath. The air reminded him of a forrest.

He sat down beside Greldo, the chair evidently meant for someone of his size. It creaked very softly as his weight settled in it, but he had the feeling it could hold more than him.

Besides the sounds of eating, it was quiet for a while, and only when there was no scrap of the thick stew left did Irwin lean back with a content sigh. He knew he could still eat more, but atleast he wasn't hungry anymore.

"So, what do we do now?" Greldo asked, chewing on one of the leaves that had been wrapped around their food. "Trade for more cards, and…" 

"Yes, get information," Irwin said. "We need to know where the Holy Shadow Inn is and figure out who that Guidar is. Then we need to see if there's an Ignitzian district. I haven't seen any Ignitiznas yet, so if we bring out Klatzi now or Nitzis when she can stand the cold, they would draw as much attention as I have. Which reminds me." He patted the chestplate covering his front. "I think we should learn about this."

"Yeah. Those Viridians looked at you as if it meant something, and they all seemed to think you were one of their elders," Greldo said as he jumped from the chair. "I'll go and scout the district and check out the Greenbark Cardshop. It would be best if we had a chat with those Splashvine brothers. Having a good cover will help us a lot."

"Alright," Irwin said as he looked around the room. "I guess I'll just stay here for now. I'm sure they will figure out I'm not a Viridian Elder very soon if I talk too much."

Greldo laughed as he walked to the window.

"I'll be back soon."

"Check if you can find any information on shrinking cards," Irwin said.

Greldo nodded, then vanished into the shadows.

Irwin sighed and looked at the bed. He wasn't tired, but with nothing else to do… Closing his eyes, he focused on the armor around him, then pulled it into his soulscape, surrounding his otherself.

Freed of the encasement, he stretched, rolling his arms around before lying down on the bed. The leaves were rough and firm, but within moments, he knew he preferred the sand beds of the Ignitzians. Still, atleast the bed was large and sturdy enough to hold him. His mind calmed as he lay there, thinking about what would come. Raising his hand, he gazed at the two cards in it. A year ago, he'd expected he would get his third heartcard shortly after finishing his second soulcard, and he'd planned many things. 

With the prospect of getting seven soulcards, the maximum as far as he knew, he had a lot of options, limited only by the fact that they needed to mesh together.

Ambraz wanted him to focus on cards to increase his smithing. Mostly, cards that would continue to increase his soulforce sensitivity. He was already able to make diamond cards, but his success rate was so bad that he only dared attempt it with mostly useless cards. Even then, they were barely over eighty percent, meaning there was a lot of potential for improvement left.

And that's only for handcards, Irwin thought as he clenched his hand and hummed a soft song.

He focused on the ambient soulforce, willing it to gather around his hand. It barely shifted, but he wasn't surprised. If he used his soulstrum guitar, he could cause a much larger movement, but that would draw too much attention. Watching the Green Soulforce move around, he fed some of the kinetic energy stored in his body into his second card. A tiny flame appeared around his hand, and whisps of fiery soulforce drifted away.

Irwin kept his focus on the cards, and as soon as he sensed his titan card trying to do something, he clamped down on it.

No growing, he said, sending images of him becoming too large to fight things and having to remain hidden.

A resonance that was filled with disgruntled dismay rippled from the card, but Irwin still felt his body grow a tiny fraction. He quickly stopped using the second card.

So even without its influence, my second card will cause me to grow, Irwin thought, putting his hand behind his head and staring at the vine-covered ceiling. He'd feared as much because when he'd used it to grow to fit the armor, he hadn't really noticed the titan card acting.

--

"I don't understand why they made me take you along. Weakling."

Breccia ignored the low, grunted curses from the shadewalker beside her. She'd gotten used to being called that and worse, but all of that could change. All she had to do was find the smith and complete the bounty!

A tiny voice told her just what her parents would have thought if they knew she was hunting smiths.

I want to go home, she shouted at the voice, her eyes glimpsing around for any sign of the Fiz'rin from the image. 

Lasther had been very clear. Anyone who would find him would be set for life!

"Stop acting all high and mighty, you little brat!"

Breccia felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder, and she looked up at Nastyvoice as she'd decided to call the shadewalker beside her. She had no idea what he was called, but, unlike her, he was already a part of the Holy Shadows- even if only barely.

She didn't react, standing perfectly still as she felt the hand clamp down on her shoulder. As weak as she was compared to her parents, there was no way this little pressure would hurt her, but she didn't want to test Nastyvoice.

"You think you are better because Lasther spoke to you and a few of the others?"

The pressure increased, and this time, she felt something sharp. 

Leave me alone, you ugly old fool, she thought, remaining perfectly still.

As the pressure increased, she was about to react when a minute tremor in the shadowrealm made her look up.

"There," she hissed.

"What? I don't… AH! Follow me, weakling!"

The pressure on her shoulder vanished, and she sensed the older shadewalker jump into the shadowrealm. She felt the shadowrealm screech at the intense ripples and grimaced as she jumped in after. She knew her card was different from the others, less powerful but with far more sensitivity. The old smith had warned her it might be like that, but she'd thought she could learn to deal with it. 

She shot after the stronger tremors, quickly catching up. Ahead of her, she sensed an enormous wave move through the shadowrealm, far more powerful than she'd ever sensed before. It left a ripple in its wake that in her eyes, seemed to go on behind her for as far as she could see.

What are we even chasing? she thought, feeling a slight worry grow.

--

How are they still following me? Greldo thought as she shot through the narrow alleyways of the district, sensing the two shadewalkers following him.

He'd been trying to get rid of them for nearly an hour now, but even if he managed to get far away, they somehow kept finding him. Especially one of them, the weakest, seemed to rush his way as soon as he waited for even a short while.

Seeing the distant Viridian district close back in, he had enough.

Get ready.

He grinned as he sensed Coal's hungry response.

No, we aren't going to eat them. I have another plan.

--

Irwin hummed as he continued to ponder the future. Greldo hadn't been able to find any card that gave a shrinking ability yet, but they hadn't been here very long. 

Perhaps I should just raid one of the nobles, Irwin thought, grinning as he pictured Greldo and him sneaking in and breaking into whatever vault the nobles kept their cards in.

A flash from the window made him jerk up just in time to see three figures rolling across the ground. 

As startled as he was, Irwin moved without thinking, rolling out of the bed. It took him a moment to realize what he was looking at. Greldo was holding his arms around the necks of two cloaked figures.

"A little help here?" his friend grunted, sounding strained.

Irwin clicked his tongue, moving forward across the soundwaves to appear before them. He grabbed one of the two figures, clamping his large hand around the front of its face, covering its mouth, and squeezing. There was a muffled, stifled scream while two hands clamped around his wrist. Irwin ignored them as he grabbed the second one in the same way. He slowly rose back to his feet, pulling the two shapes with him.

"Don't pull them away," Greldo hissed as he grabbed both around the ankle and let Irwin pull him up together with the two hooded figures. "If I let go, they will slip into the shadows."

"I thought you were going to be sneaky," Irwin grunted as he glared at the two figures. Both had a dark leather mask across their face with slits that showed the silvery eyes of heartcarded.

"I was, and more so than normal," Greldo said as he glared at the two figures. "But these two somehow managed to detect me and, after that, wouldn't stop following me. They stayed pretty far away, probably expecting that I didn't sense them, so in the end, I decided it might be a good idea to find out what they want."

One of the figures tried to speak, but with Irwin clamping their jaw tight, nothing but a soft whimper came out.

"I think they wanna say something," Irwin said, glaring at the figures. 

"Let's see what we are dealing with first. Lower that one a bit."

Irwin did as asked, and it took them a few moments for Greldo to take over, holding one of the two, an arm around its throat. He struggled with the hood, revealing short-cropped black hair. Pulling off the leather mask, Irwin was greeting with a strained angular face; lips pulled back to show a double row of triangular teeth. 

"Emnonriz," Greldo grunted. "Great, those enjoy hunting way too much."

Irwin examined the unfamiliar species before him. With sharp-tipped ears that had ridges on the edge and no earlobes, they gave him the sense of looking at some aquatic predator. Not odd, as from what he recalled, they lived within the depths of water-covered planets.

He hesitated as an idea came to him, and his otherself quickly asked Ambraz.

-- Irwin's Soulscape --

"Are you crazy kid? Don't pull them in here. If they work for that Guidar, he might have put a tracking trace on them!"

"Is there any way we can find that?" Irwin asked.

"Only if you force your way into their soulscape," Ambraz grunted.

Irwin shook his head at that. He'd never even considered that, and he wondered how safe that would even be.

-- Realworld --

"I'm going to ask you a few questions," Irwin said, leaning slightly forward and baring his own teeth. Putting his hand on the square gray forehead, he squeezed slightly. "If you make any loud noise, I'm going to crush your face."

The Emnonriz's eyes widened, and Irwin felt him try to nod. He nodded at Greldo, who slowly relaxed his grip on the gray neck.

The Emnonriz sucked in a breath and began coughing softly.

"Why did you follow me?" Greldo snarled.

"We-" the Emnonriz tried to speak, but his voice cracked, and he coughed a few more times before catching his breath.

"There's a bounty," he said, his lidded eyes flicking to Irwin. "If you let me go, I'll tell you what I know!"

A deep growl rumbled from Greldo's chest, startling even Irwin and causing the Emnonriz's eyes to widen.

"You will tell us all you know, or I'll slit your throat and watch you drown in your own blood," Greldo snarled.

Irwin squeezed his fingers a bit, causing the Emnonriz to let out a growled whimper.

"I can't," he snarled. "You will just kill me anyway."

"Perhaps, but there are two ways to go," Greldo said slowly as Coal appeared beside him, its massive head hovering next to the Emnonriz, whose eyes locked onto the red ones of the hound. "Either you die quickly and painlessly, or you get eaten alive."

"You can't scare me," the Emnonriz hissed. "Pain is fleeting, and I don't want to die. My life for my knowledge."

Irwin flicked his eyes to the other figure, and he shared a look with Greldo, who clamped his taloned hand around the Emnonriz's neck. Irwin removed his hand from the now sweaty hea,d and after switching his grip to the neck of the second shadewalker, he pulled the leather mask from its face. He blinked in surprise as he looked into the face of a young, dark-skinned Onyxian. With how small she was, she had to be either a halfbreed or still a child. For a single moment, he felt bad about hurting her, and then he stared into the cold, emotionless black eyes. It felt like he was looking into the eyes of someone who'd already died- dull, flat and-

'She's being puppetted by the Guidar! Kill her quick!'

Irwin's eyes widened, but before he could act, a commotion occurred from outside.

"I think we overstayed our welcome," Greldo hissed, twisting Emnonriz's neck, causing a dry snap.

Irwin glared at the Onyxian. He didn't sense any odd fluctuations in the soulforce or from her cards, but the coldness in the eyes made him shiver… A wave of two conflicting emotions rushed through him: anger and a desire to kill, mixed with sadness and unwillingness at having to kill such a young being.

'The card! Suppress it!'

Ambraz's shout seemed to pierce the haze that was filling his mind, and Irwin instinctively clamped down on the card. Instantly, his mind cleared, and he began closing his hand. The eyes of the Onyxian began bulging out, and Irwin waited till he saw them clear up and fill with fear. He instantly stopped and slapped the Onyxian on the back of her head, causing her to drop down- unconscious.

Irwin looked up to see Greldo at the door, staring at it with a frown.

"Do we leave?" Irwin whispered, and Greldo shook his head. 

"Wait."

The commotion continued for a short while before slowly winding down. Greldo finally stepped away from the door, his eyes widening.

"Remind me not to piss off the Viridians down there," he whispered.

"What happened?" Irwin asked as he finished tying up the Onyxian.

"A dozen shadewalkers entered one of the other rooms below ours and ran into two of those Viridian Elders," Greldo said, grimacing. "Apparently, there are plants that can detect and grab shadewalkers. I'm going to have to be mindful of that going forward."

Irwin's eyes rose as he thought of that.

"Runes and plants that can detect you… how do you even move around like that," he muttered.

"Oh, most runes don't detect me anymore," Greldo said. "I'm too deep into the shadowrealm for them to reach."

A soft groan made them turn to the captured Onyxian girl.

"What do we do with her? If she wakes, that Guidar might find her again," Greldo said, his eyes growing cold with the promise of violence.

Irwin watched her for a minute before turning to Greldo.

"We should probably kill her, but…" Irwin sensed the emotions threaten to swamp him again. 

'We could shatter her cards. That should destroy any trace the Guidar has over her, and it would allow us to question her. Well, if she survives.'

Irwin felt his emotions die down slightly, a trickle of hope mixed in. Although he didn't know the Onyxian, just looking at her and how young she was, he knew it would trouble him if he just killed her. If her mind had still been taken by the Guidar, it would have been different, but now? He hesitated for only a moment before deciding.

"Ambraz has a plan, but it might be a bit loud. Can you bring us somewhere it won't be noticed?"

Greldo looked back, frowning. "How loud?"

"I'll be shattering her cards," Irwin said with a grimace.