Chapter 228: Into the unknown
"It's fine. We tried everywhere we could go right now. They will just have to find them themselves.
Irwin nodded slowly, still examining distant swamplands.
"Yeah," he said absently, his gaze drifting back to a very distant pulse of soulforce moving through the swamp. It overlapped with a heat signature that he recognized as one of the large bullfrogs.
After a few moments, it vanished around a bend, and Irwin sighed as he stopped using his new ability. The card barely felt drained from using it for an hour, and he knew he could probably use it for at least as long again.
Turning to Greldo and Clarish, he gazed at the small walled town that was Cesterdon. Built on the edge of the swampy area, parts of the town's wooden walls were covered in muddy clay, and only a few building roofs peaked out across. It was the smallest of the cities, though this could hardly be called it.
"You're not thinking about checking up on Daubutim's relatives, right?" Greldo asked.
"No thanks," Irwin said. "He doesn't even check on them himself."
Greldo nodded while Clarish frowned.
"Does he hate his relatives?" she asked.
Irwin shook his head as he remembered when Daubutim and Dianor had met. It had been a cool, incredibly businesslike conversation. Even Daubutim's mother, a stern, tall woman with short hair and piercing eyes, had only said some pleasantries.
"No, but there's also not a great deal of love between them," he said.
Taking a final look around, he wondered why Dianor had chosen these swampy reaches for his city. It wasn't the furthest from Daubutim nor the richest. All it had going for it was being reasonably close to all other major places.