"Are you two alright?" Yogog shouted as he came jogging toward Irwin and Scintilla.

The others were close behind while Greldo sprinted past and toward Irwin, muddy sand spraying everywhere.

"You alright? How's your leg?" Greldo asked worriedly.

"You saw that?" Irwin asked in surprise before patting the jagged scar on his leg. "It's fine, though I hope the scar will heal up eventually."

"It's alright, it makes you look manly!" Yogog said as he moved beside him, thumping him on the shoulder.

Ignalia and Hotzli were standing beside Scintilla, shaking their heads.

"What were you thinking, staying in Irwin's cloud?" Ignalia snapped.

Scintilla's shoulders lowered, then she crossed her arms.

"I couldn't just leave him alone! I'm his guard!"

"What if you hadn't been able to breathe, like Greldo?" Ignalia asked, frowning deeply. "As his guard, one of the things you have to do is make sure you can actually guard him!"

"I would have just Inferno Blinked out of there," Scintilla muttered, staring at the ground.

"Next time, you make sure to follow the plan," Ignalia said as he turned away and moved to stand beside Yogog, who was rubbing his chin, a grimace on his face.

"Good job on staying alive," Hotzli said before moving away.

Irwin saw Scintilla's shoulders lower, then she shivered and raised her head up.

"I wasn't wrong," she snapped before looking at him and grinning. "I've got your back, hotstuff!"

Irwin smiled back and nodded. "I don't doubt that one bit!" he said, feeling a slight warmth that had nothing to do with the sun.

Mum was right, actions do speak louder than words, he thought, and as he thought of his mother, he felt a momentary longing. It lasted for only a moment, but it was enough to jerk him back to reality.

A dull rumble was followed by a shaking that caused masses of sand to slide away. If they hadn't been standing atop the hill, they might have been dragged along.

"Irwin, you can drop the ability now," Crithann said, squinting into the dense fog.

Irwin did as asked, and as his card's ability stopped, he felt vertigo, followed by a sense of being drained. A slightly painful throbbing came from his Sweltering Heart card, which felt empty. Spent.

"How long will it take for the fog to dissipate?" Greldo whispered from the side.

"No idea," Irwin muttered, rubbing his head which was starting to throb in sync with his card.

"You alright?" Greldo asked, grabbing his shoulder as she swayed.

"Yeah, just a bit tired," Irwin said as he took a deep breath.

It took a minute for the steam cloud to dissipate enough for them to see what was going on, and by then, Irwin's weariness had largely left him. All that was left was the sense that he wouldn't be able to use the card again for a while.

Is it because I used it too long or because that portal was inside? he wondered as he watched a towering shadow appear in the mist.

"Incredible," Greldo hissed. "Is that a tree?"

A sudden breeze cleared out more of the steam, and there was a collective gasp.

A towering tree, branches still sprouting from the sides and golden leaves popping up like rain, grew up from the crevice, its mighty crown almost touching the sides.

"That's as big as those near the center of Cinder Grove," Irwin said.

"It's enormous!" Yogog said. "And it's still growing! Eej, Crithann, is this normal?"

Irwin was curious about that too, but when there wasn't any answer, he looked away from the still-growing tree to see Crithann look at it worriedly.

"Crithann?"

"It's growing too fast and too big," the Viridian mumbled, his voice like stones rolling down a hill.

"This…"

Irwin started to worry as Crithanns turned back them, pinning him with a worried stare.

"Did you notice anything down there? Any silvery metal around the bottom?"

He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Are you talking about Frostiron?"

A soft groan from the hole and the entire tree shuddered as it continued to grow up and outward. Crithann's mouth fell open, and he took a step back.

"We need to back up much- much further!"

"What is going-"

A shudder caused the sandy edge in front of them to slide down and rapidly get closer. Everyone began to back up slowly.

"Run!"

Ambraz's sudden shout caused everyone to start, then, as one, they turned and fled across the sandy dune. The massive Viridian sprinted down, seeming uncaring that he might fall down, and the others followed him.

What is going on? Irwin thought as he felt the sand below his feed slide along. Halfway down, his foot caught as it sank deep into the sand. Irwin stumbled, fell forward, and slid down.

At the bottom, he scrambled up and continued up the next. He was the last to reach the top, and when he did, he saw everyone staring back at where they had just come from.

The tree was a towering monstrosity now, the crown spreading out as it continued to grow.

"How is it growing this fast?" Irwin muttered in disbelief.

"I don't know," Crithann said. "Even if the largest Frostiron vein on Scour is below us, this makes no sense. It is already nearing the size of the Heart Trees on Viridan!"

The towering Viridian was staring in awe at the tree, a smile slowly creeping up his face.

"Seriously? How come none of you has realized it yet?" Ambraz grunted from Irwin's shoulder. "Its trunk has connected with the portal, and it's using the energy from that to grow."

"Is that even possible?" Irwin asked as he looked at the tiny anvil on his shoulder.

"Only with some types of vegetation, and usually, it eats up the tree's maximum life expectancy," Crithann said as he let out a soft sigh.

"Wait, so that portal is inside the tree now?" Greldo asked. "That's great! None of those things can come out… right?"

Crithann didn't answer while Ambraz let out a snort.

"What?" Greldo muttered as he shared a confused look with Irwin.

"If it had been a Quartz portal or even an Amethyst, it would be fine. The tree would have sapped its energy, and it would have been closed," Crithann rumbled. "However, this was an Emerald Portal."

"We still need to close it," Greldo muttered with a grimace.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Irwin blinked, then shook his head. "Yeah, but how are we going to reach it?"

"We don't have to close it right away," Crithann said. "Let's wait until the tree grows into its adult size before we act."

Irwin felt a slight relief, and he saw the same in Greldo's eyes.

"Let's head back and see if someone returned from Cinder Grove," Crithann said as he took one final look at the tree before turning and lumbering off.

--

"I have asked you all to come here because it's been a week, and they haven't returned. It's safe to assume they won't be returning either," Crithan said as he looked at the others.

Irwin nodded, sitting against the side of the building, his arms weary from the hours of practice he had just finished.

"Well, at least there's one good thing. We've scouted around, and there's been no sight of any portals," Yogog said as he stretched out. "So, are we going to do what I suggested?"

As hard as it was to see what Crithann was thinking due to his rugged barkskin, Irwin grimaced when he noticed the angry set and glare.

"Did the others manage to drill further into the tree?" he quickly asked.

Crithann turned back to him and gave a curt nod.

"They are over halfway through to where the portal should be. They should be there in a day or three. And to answer your question," he said as he turned to Yogog. "Yes. There is no other choice, and we need to figure out what is going on near the capital."

"Finally!" Yogog shouted, either not noticing or not caring that Crithann was annoyed.

Probably not caring, Irwin thought as he leaned back and closed his eyes. Whatever. Let them argue again.

Something about Yogog seemed to rub Crithann the wrong way, and Yogog seemed to enjoy riling him up even more. It didn't seem to be what he said as much as how he said it. All loud, boisterous, and far too energetic.

"Based on what I know of your skills, I would like to suggest that you and your guards head out alone. Greldo and Scintilla have said they will help us close the portal, and they are Irwin's guards," Crithann said.

Greldo and Scintilla nodded, the latter more enthusiastically than the first.

"Fine, fine! Irwin, you okay with that?" Yogog shouted.

Irwin opened his eyes. He'd really rather see what was going on near Cinder Grove, but Crithann was right. And he wasn't going to just leave Greldo here.

"That's alright. I'd like to practice more anyway," he said, cracking his neck.

"Alright, we will be off as soon as we get our things packed," Yogog said as he grinned at Ignalia and Hotzli. "Irwin, come with me for a moment, alright?"

Irwin wanted to reject, feeling far too comfortable on the ground, but he forced himself up anyway. Yogog wasn't asking him to come for no reason. Probably.

He nodded at Crithann, then followed Yogog toward their temporary house. The others followed behind, whispering amongst themselves, but Irwin didn't pay attention.

As soon as the door closed, Yogog's wide grin vanished, and he turned to Irwin with a worried frown.

"Irwin, there's a lot of dangerous things going on here, and I don't have any idea how safe it will be here. I understand you don't want to leave Greldo and Scintilla alone, but they will be safer without you. Me and the girls are better equipped to fight off any trouble."

Irwin frowned as he recalled how they had fled from the mass of imps. Something must have shown on his face as Yogog sighed.

"That was because of that quick bugger-" he began.

"He's right," Scintilla said as she stepped forward. "As much as I want to guard you, I'm not as strong as big sis Ignalia."

"And you are sure there wasn't any card amongst those I have that you want as your next card?" Irwin asked, still surprised at that. He had a pretty large selection now, and although none were good enough for him to accept as his last card, he hadn't expected both Greldo and Scintilla to feel the same way.

"Nah, hotstuff, they are all too specific. My last card needs to be something more like your Sweltering Heart, something that will remove part of my weakness against the cold. If I ever want to be a high-ranked adventurer or guard, I'll need to be able to work on most worlds, not just the ones like this."

Irwin grimaced as he almost heard his own trouble spelled out to him. Then again, neither of them were all that special. With how powerful the elemental affinity cards were, a lot of people had pretty hard weaknesses. Greldo was actually one of the few he'd seen so far that seemed reasonably well-balanced.

"We will be fine," Greldo said, though Irwin found the way his eyes were looking at the ground far from convincing. That wasn't the only problem he had with the idea.

"Why do you think it's safer for me to go with you to Cinder Grove? We haven't heard anything from there, and we have no idea what is going on there. Besides, I'm way too slow, and-"

"Big sis's card," Scintilla said, interrupting him. "If something happens, she can teleport all of you really far away!"

Ah. Right, Irwin thought.

He thought for a few moments, and he couldn't help hesitating. They had killed most of the imps with only one of the pale ones left, and that one was hurt. The portal was inaccessible, but also for the others, and there was a three soulcard person here that was willing to guard him. The other option was going to the city to see what was going on, with the risk of running into who knew what.

"No," Irwin finally said as he shook his head. The others looked up in surprise, and he saw Scintilla ready to argue something when he raised his hand.

"I know you guys think this is the best, but I think the risk of me going out there is too big. Even with big si- with Ignalia's card, it would still mean we could end up anywhere. Besides, I want to practice more with Crithann. I'll be staying."

He added the final bit with as much finality as he could, and to his surprise, he saw Scintilla smile at him with glittering eyes.

"Well… alright, but be careful. These two will be in that portal in a few days, meaning you will be alone."

"You could wait until they get back?" Irwin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yogog blinked, then barked a laugh. "Growing up, huh? Nah, I have a bad feeling about what is going on. Between those imps trying to catch smiths, portals popping up on a world where none should pop up, and no teleporters from Cinder Grove, I've got a really, really bad feeling about this. I think, if- No… never mind that. Listen, it's alright. Stay here. We will go scout out what's going on and return when we know more."

They talked for a bit more, then Yogog, Ignalia, and Hotzli left. As the other two exited the building, Hotzli turned and walked to Scintilla. With a wide smile, she whispered something in her ear, which caused Scintilla's eyes to widen before she grinned at Irwin. Hotzli lightly punched her in the shoulder before turning and running after the others, waving as she left.

"Are you sure this is a smart move?" Greldo asked as he moved beside Irwin.

"No, but I'm sure the other one isn't any safer," Irwin said as he cracked his shoulders, feeling the remaining tension from his entire morning of practice mostly gone.

"Alright, well, better practice a lot more," his friend said with a wide grin. "Just know that I'm glad you're going to be here with us. It makes me feel a lot safer, that's for sure!"

The rest of the day passed swiftly, with Irwin having a short chat with Crithann, who left to check on the Heart Tree's growth. It had stopped going up as fast as it had, but its expansive crown was still widening, although at a slower pace.

Another three days passed until Irwin was standing beside Crithann, staring at Greldo, Scintilla, and a few Viridians. Behind them was the hundred feet wide trunk of the heart tree, part of it tight against the stone crevice it grew out of. If its bottom hadn't been below ground, it would have been even taller than it already was, but even now, it was visible from miles away, and as you closed in, its massive size made Irwin feel like an ant.

"All of you need to be careful. There could be other things in there besides Imps, and we have no idea about the time dilation. Because of Scour's own above-average time dilation, it could be that you will be in the same, or even a slower time than us. I'll remain here after you enter and stay here as long as I can," Crithann said.

"We will be fine," Scintilla said, sounding sure of herself. "I've gone into dozens of Emerald rifts before, with groups far worse than this. They aren't as hard as people make them out to be."

Irwin grimaced and shared a look with Greldo.

"Just be careful," he said as he looked at Scintilla. "I'd like both my guards back in one piece, and I'm sure Crithann could do without losing any more friends and family."

Scintilla blinked, then nodded. "I'll get them back safely," she stated, putting a hand on her sword.

After some more words, the group set out, and Irwin watched as Greldo and Scintilla reached the edge before disappearing from view.

"They should be fine," Crithann rumbled beside him.

Irwin looked up to see that Crithann had a worried look on his face, and he realized that he'd been talking to himself as much as to Irwin.

"Yeah," Irwin said. "They have strong cards."

Time passed slowly, then Crithann sighed.

"They successfully entered the portal. The others will stay and stand guard there. I'll bring you back to town, then return here and-" A soft swish of sand was all the warning they got as a dagger speared through Irwin's foot.

He let out a muffled scream, Coperion Body triggering almost out of its own accord. He pulled back, limping with his pierced foot as he looked around. There was no sight of the Imp.

Crithann's hammer slammed down on the ground, sand spraying all around, but nothing happened.

"Where is it?" Irwin hissed as he took another step, suddenly not interested in remaining in one spot.

Another rustle came just as he moved his foot, and the dagger slashed through, missing his feet by inches.

"What is it doing?" he shouted, jumping back again. "It can't kill us like this!"

Crithann stepped toward him, grabbed his arm, and yanked him up and atop his shoulder. Irwin blinked at the insane display of strength, knowing exactly how ridiculously heavy his Coperion Body form was.

"Stay still," Crithann said, holding him in place. "Get ready to blast it!"

Irwin blinked, not sure what the other meant. Then he noticed the dark green eyes flicker with silvery spots. Roots burst out of Crithann's feet, surging through the soil, and within a moment later, a bump rippled to the side. A pale imp burst out, daggers in both hands and a look of pure hatred on his face.

"All soul thieves should di-"

A beam from Eyes of Blaze slammed into him, causing his words to end in an abrupt scream. Before it could even move to get away, Irwin jumped forward, ignoring Crithann's pained grunt as he was shoved back. Using a trick he'd learned, he swung his hand forward, only summoning his hammer as it came down and slamming its heaviest form atop the squirming black mass. Bones snapped and cracked, but he didn't stop, striking it again and then again. Only when the pale Imp had been turned into a smashed corpse in a crater did he stop.

"Good form," Crithann said as he moved beside him.

"Why did it attack us now?" Irwin muttered, staring at the Imp. "You were here…"

"It can't sense that I have soulcards," Crithann said, kicking sand across the bloodied spot. "Now, let's head back."

Irwin nodded, limping as he did.

"How is your foot?"

"It will heal before we return," Irwin said, looking in distaste at the slashed hole in his boot. "Too bad my boot will remain like this."

"I'll send someone to either fix it or get you something new," Crithann rumbled.

Irwin nodded as he followed the towering Viridian through the ruddy desert.

First my bloody leg, now my foot, Irwin thought, as he thought as he felt a twinge of pain each time he stepped on his foot. Well, at least I'm not cold.