Chapter 97: Boiling blood
Irwin quietly gazed at Balarn, talking with the towering, green, and orange-leafed Viridian.
Even though it was nighttime, he could see without trouble, and it was only in part due to his card's night vision. The pair of bright orange moons that hung in the sky cast enough light for everything to be bathed in a somewhat disturbing ruddy light.
Behind Balarn and the Viridian was a row of wagons that hovered a few feet above the dusty red ground, and dozens of other Viridians were climbing inside, causing them to sink and wobble slightly. Before each of the wagons hung a dark leathery winged shape that made Irwin think of two hands cut at the wrists and glued together. They were attached to the wagon by long chains, and instead of standing, the creatures hung in the air before the wagons, bobbing up and down as if they were in the water, while glowing fog came from a dark slit of a mouth.
I wonder how they see, Irwin thought as he couldn't find any visible eyes. He sighed as he examined the floating wagons, wondering if he technically shouldn't be calling them boats or floaters. If he hadn't been on a giant flying ship for over half of a week, he'd probably have been even more impressed.
"What are those?" he whispered, looking at Yogog and pointing at the flying beasts.
"Teinefola," Yogog said with a grin. "Really awesome creatures! I've seen a few carded that have a summoned one. These things are even able to fly through a volcano and swim in lava. The previous time we were here, I managed to get someone to take me for a ride."
"Six?" Balarn shouted, shaking his head. "But the last time-"
The large Viridian shook his head, grunting something Irwin didn't catch that made Balarn hiss like a forge bellow.
"Six soulshards per person?" Greldo whispered.
"It's because of the festival," Yogog snorted from beside them. "These guys are trying to profit from the fact that the portal is closing, and almost everyone in Chark is heading back to Cindergrove."
The tall Viridian snorted as he rose himself to his full height.
"No. Unless you plan to help guard the caravan against attacking monsters, it will be sixty soulshards for your group. If you don't like it, wait here until the full circle festival ends next year."