Irwin gazed down the damp crevice. There was barely more than two feet left between the trunk of the tree and the rocky walls. Drops of water leaked down, and far below, he saw a flat glistening surface.

It had been two weeks since Greldo had entered the portal and over two weeks ago that Yogog and the others had set out. Neither had returned, and Irwin was starting to get more and more worried. Most of his time had gone into practicing with Crithann and smithing. He had reforged a dozen of the cards he'd gathered, even managing to get two to Emerald with the help of Ambraz. Although they were both useless to him, Crithann had told him they would likely fetch a good price during the auction.

If we ever get another auction, Irwin thought.

"They are still alive," Crithann rumbled.

Irwin looked up to see his teacher standing behind him, tall and quiet like a tree. He nodded, then took a deep breath and looked around. Had he made a mistake staying here?

You're just getting bored, he thought to himself.

"I'll head back and practice some more reforging," he said.

"Alright. I'll find you later for some more combat training," Crithann replied.

Irwin thanked him, then turned and ran back up the stone steps that led up the very changed hill. The sandy dune from before had been changed into a partially stone hill, and Viridians were moving around everywhere, moving square slabs of stone.

Still can't believe there was someone that could change sand to stone, Irwin thought as he felt the solid sand below his feet. The still-growing wall around the hill surrounded a town not unlike Grianfál, which wasn't odd. It was supposed to be the new version of the same town after all.

With the new and massive heart tree nearby, Crithann and the others had decided to relocate, moving their town almost an hour away.

As he ran past, Irwin waved at two Viridians stacking the blocks atop each other in a simple pattern, grinning as they shouted a greeting after him. Three buildings, still partially unfinished, stood in the center of the town, one of them with a large smithing area.

Well, at least I got this out of it, he thought as he walked into his much larger space.

A large stack of raw ore lay in the corner, showing that the Viridians had found more ore as they excavated a staircase down to the roots of the heart tree.

"Ambraz! I'll purify those first, then I want to try for another Emerald card again."

The tiny flying Anvil propelled itself off his shoulder and hovered before the still-burning forge. A flash and a thud later, Ambraz's working shape stood ready.

"Alright, but remember that I need to have another few cards!"

Glutton, Irwin thought as he thought of his rapidly diminishing stack. A quarter of what he had collected was now reforged, while Ambraz had consumed another quarter. That left him with what, twenty-four cards? Something like that.

"I know," he said, summoning his hammer and grabbing a large piece of ore.

Taking a deep breath and calming himself, he began humming a new song he'd learned recently. It was from the Viridian homeworld, and although he couldn't understand all of the lyrics, it had a pleasant, upbeat melody. As soon as he felt calm enough, he took a pair of tongs that rested against a wall and began hammering the ore.

Time flew by as he enjoyed just hammering the metal, his hum eventually turning to a song without words.

"Irwin!"

Irwin looked up to see a Viridian run toward him, a worried look.

"There's a group of people coming our way! Crithann is asking for you to join him!"

Now what! Irwin thought as he tossed the tongs away.

After a slight hesitation, he kept his hammer summoned and ran after the other. Ambraz flitted after him, landing on his shoulder.

"What's going on?" Irwin asked as the joy he'd felt before rapidly dwindled.

"We don't know, but everyone has been sent back here, and we are preparing for battle," the Viridian said, looking worried. Then he turned and sprinted off, leaving Irwin alone.

"Let's go," Irwin said.

Recalling his now healed foot, he triggered Coperion Body, secure in the stability, weight, and solidity it brought. Then he ran forward, absently noticing that another bit of wall had been finished.

Crithann was standing to the south of the unfinished town, arms crossed and a hammer standing on its head beside him.

"What's going on?" Irwin asked.

"There's a large group of people heading our way. They will come across that hill in a few minutes," Crithann rumbled.

Irwin wanted to ask if Crithann had any idea who they were but held back. If the Viridian had known, he would have told him so. Instead, he quietly waited with the others.

After a few minutes passed, a few figures, tiny from this far away, appeared above the hilltop, and moments later, more followed. The people continued on until a stream of people walked across hills towards them.

Irwin only needed a single moment to know these weren't raiders.

"Refugees?" he whispered, getting a grunt of agreement from Crithann.

"It looks like it. And most of them are Viridian," Crithann said as he began walking forward.

Irwin quickly followed him, and as they closed in, he suddenly noticed three familiar figures in the front, and all worry faded.

"Yogog!"

"They can't have gone all the way to Cinder Grove and back in a few weeks," Crithann said.

They continued on, increasing their pace, and soon they saw Yogog run towards them.

"Irwin! Crithann! Glad to see you guys are alright! That bloody tree grew way more than I thought it would," Yogog shouted.

"What is going on?" Irwin asked as he pointed at the group of people following him. "Weren't you going to head to Cinder Grove?"

"Yeah… about that," Yogog said as he grimaced and rubbed his chin. "We weren't the only place that got attacked by Imps. We met a group of people who were fleeing for their lives and managed to save them from a group of Wyrms. Their town was sacked by Imps, so we decided to take them along. Half a day later, we came across another group, and within a week, we had gathered a couple hundred…"

Irwin stared at the other smith in dismay while Crithann crossed his arms, jaw set.

"Alright, let's talk later. I'll get these people settled first," the towering Viridian rumbled.

He walked towards the incoming column of people.

"Irwin… there's more," Yogog said as he stepped beside Irwin. "A few of the people we saved say they have news from Cinder Grove. Dozens of portals have started appearing around it, and although they are being closed almost as fast as they are popping up, large numbers of Imps are now roaming the forests. There's no news of the city itself."

Irwin felt like cursing but held back as he saw Yogog didn't seem done yet.

"More?" he asked, unable to keep the annoyance from his voice.

"Yeah… There were a few Ignitzions amongst one of the groups. They had tried to reach the Portal Gallery and get some help, but the tower was overrun by Imps that were building fortifications around it."

"What? Imps aren't remotely smart enough for that," Ambraz snapped. "Did they see anything else?"

"If they did, they didn't tell me," Yogog said before looking around. “Did Greldo and Scintilla return yet?”

Irwin grimaced and shook his head. "Nothing yet."

"Balls!" Yogog growled.

Irwin blinked at the odd curse.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Well, at least I have one little bit of good news then," Yogog said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Those Ignitzions are professional portal raiders, and one of their groups is able to enter Emerald Portals."

"And they want to help? Irwin asked quickly.

"Yeah. I wasn't sure Greldo and the others would be back, so I asked them before hand," Yogog said, looking away from Irwin and at the incoming group.

"Let's see if they can go in as fast as possible," Yogog said as he walked away.

--

It took half a day to get the hundreds of refugees settled in tents and back in the old town. Even then, many had to share rooms with half a dozen people. Luckily, there were dozens of carded in the group, able to shape sand into rock, and the new town was increasing rapidly. With no other place anywhere nearby, the Viridians had asked Crithann if they could remain, and he had agreed.

Late in the afternoon the following day, Irwin was back at the tree, staring at the group of Ignitzions that were climbing down. Yogog was standing beside him, an annoyed look on his face.

"It's fine, Yogog," Irwin said as he grinned. "It's just reforging some cards. They are the ones going into the portal!"

"Bah! We saved them from Imps and other nasties, and they can't even help us back without taking advantage," Yogog snapped. "And what do you mean, some cards? They made us promise to reforge seven cards! Up to Topaz! Seven! Do you have any idea how long that is going to take?"

"Two days," Irwin replied as he turned back to the town.

"Two…" Yogog let out a strangled sound from behind him before he sprinted after him.

"What do you mean? Two!?" the burly bald smith snapped.

"Stop shouting, you loudmouth!" Ambraz snapped, his voice rumbling, deep, and way too loud for such a tiny anvil. "He has my help! Remember?"

Not that I need it for Topaz, but thanks for the save, Irwin thought as he grinned at Yogog's surprised and pained look.

"Well… let's hope they get the others back," Yogog finally managed as he stomped along with Irwin.

Yeah, Irwin thought as he wondered what Greldo was up to.

--

"Thanks," Greldo said as he groaned. He landed on his hands and feet on the dark hot stone.

His reply was the sound of vomiting and something falling wetly on the ground. Looking to the side, he was glad Scintilla seemed to feel better. The bandages around her hand had stopped turning red with anything she did.

"Yeah, no worries, prettyeyes," she muttered as she wiped her mouth. "Can't have you die here after I promised Irwin I'd take care of you!"

Greldo didn't respond but walked to the back of the tiny black cave before summoning Coal. The large hound instantly slumped on the ground, panting with effort while a long wound sat on the side of his head.

"You okay?" Greldo whispered, glad to sense Coal's mental acknowledgment.

"So… that was the last option to get back," he said as he sat down and looked at the narrow opening on the other side.

The ashen red sky he saw still made him recall the stories Irwin had told him about the portal he and Daubutim had gone into. A dry, smelly air blew in from the world beyond.

"Can we do what I said now?" he continued as he looked at Scintilla.

She sighed and leaned against the other side, kicking some sand across the puddle of vomit. He still wondered how she even had any food left in her stomach after having not eaten for a week.

"How are you even going to find the Linchpin?" she asked, before snorting. "Still not used to using that archaic term…"

Greldo ignored her final mutterings as he pictured the volcanic world outside.

"I'm going to move through the shadows on my own until I find it," he said. "And before you tell me that's too dangerous, there's nothing else left to do. I know those tattooed Imps can see me, but I'll have to take the risk."

"Fine. Let's go and see how the others are doing," Scintilla said.

Greldo knew she wasn't at all happy, but he also knew there was no other way. Besides, it wasn't like he hadn't done these things before. He'd been alone for many months before he finally found himself at Esterdon.

Shouting erupted from outside, followed by high pierced screams and explosions.

Greldo was on his feet and at the entrance in an instant. Staring down, he saw the glow of the portal on the other side of the cavernous volcano. It was a tiny green spec of light in a sea of yellow, orange, and red.

"Ignitzion warcries!" Scintilla hissed.

Before Greldo could react, she turned into a red blur that sped through the air beyond. Without his enhanced vision, he knew he'd never have been able to follow it, but as it was, he could clearly see her shoot through anything in her way with ease, including a sudden pillar of lava that shot up out of the lake below.

"Yeah, she could have thought about that before running off," he agreed with Coal's non-verbal message. He patted his friend on the side of his head. "Let's just hope there's a hundred of them."

Coal let out a soft howl, and Greldo sighed. "Yeah… not likely indeed."

--

Irwin kicked the stonewall as he glared at the iron ore in his hands.

Another week, and still nobody came back! What is going on in that portal!?

"Dammit, kid! Calm down! There's no use getting this worked up if there's nothing you can do to help," Ambraz said as he whisked through the room.

"I wish I could go in and help them," Irwin muttered.

"What? You think you can do what a group of five Ignitzion professionals couldn't?" Ambraz asked.

Irwin held back an angry retort and instead turned and leaned against the wall as he looked around his large but mostly empty room.

"Probably not, but my flames seem to work pretty well," he snapped. "Isn't there some way to hide my Sweltering Heart card so I can enter? Just like with my first card?"

"Sure. If you can reforge it along a path that grants it that type. And before you ask, I don't know the path for that card, nor do we have what it takes to reforge a Diamond rank card yet. You still haven't even crafted an Emerald card at ninety percent without help!"

Yeah… that's going to take a while longer, Irwin thought as he recalled his last attempt.

It had resulted in another exploding card. Luckily with the large influx of new people, he had a lot of new cards to reforge, and his stack was now larger than it had ever been before.

He leaned back, confused thoughts about cards, reforging, and Greldo running through his head when he had a sudden idea.

"What if I reforge loads of cards to Emerald for people, but only if they create a large group and go into the portal to find the others!"

Ambraz stopped his constant buzzing around, hovering in midair.

"Well… that would mean you get a lot of training," the Anvil said. "But I'm not sure you will find people willing to go into that portal. I mean, the previous two groups still haven't made it back."

Irwin nodded but wasn't really listening anymore. He'd finally thought of a way to help, and he wasn't going to just give it up. As he ran to his table, he began flicking through his current card stack. There were over sixty, and six were Emerald, four at Topaz, and the rest a mix of Quartz and Amethyst.

"How many people do you think could clear out a difficult portal shardworld?" he asked as he looked up.

Ambraz let out a hum before landing beside him.

"I've heard stories about some that required forty people, but those were exceptions. Still, if you take that number, I guess it would be fine?"

Irwin looked at his stack. Forty? He had enough cards, but only if he succeeded in seventy percent of his attempts and didn't use Ambraz's help. Which meant he needed to become much better.

Or perhaps people will allow me to reforge the cards in their hands?

He quickly shelved the idea. Having to sit there and hammer someone's hand, hear the scream in pain? He'd done that a few times, and the memories still made him shiver. If there was no other way, perhaps he'd offer it.

"Let's see if Yogog has any ideas," he said as he stashed his stack of cards and ran out of the house and through the burgeoning and rapidly growing town.

"Have you noticed that you've been running everywhere?" Ambraz shouted in his ear.

Irwin slowed down, realizing the Anvil was right. He'd always had a tendency to run, but nowadays, it seemed to be all that he was doing.

It's gotta be because of the increased endurance, he thought.

It took him only a few minutes to locate Yogog. The smith was standing outside, talking with a group of Viridians who were working on a large building just beyond the walls.

"Irwin! What's got you out of the smithy?" Yogog shouted happily.

Irwin walked closer, noticing a slightly relieved look on some of the Viridians.

"I've got an idea that I need some help with," he said as he pulled Yogog along back to the city.

"What? Can't we talk here? I was just telling these guys how we used to build foundations where I'm from!"

Irwin shook his head, continuing back into the town. "Let's leave them to their work, alright?"

Yogog snorted, then stopped resisting.

"You make it sound like I'm distracting them," he said.

Irwin was about to respond when he saw the gleam in Yogog's eyes.

"Which you are," he said with a weary sigh. "How bored are you? You're just as bad as Greldo!"

"No, no. You've got it wrong, kid! Me and Greldo, we know what it's about. You're just the weird one!"

"Well, then you better help me with my idea," Irwin said before he quickly explained what he'd come up with.

"You want to give away emerald rank cards," Yogog asked as he stopped and gaped at Irwin.

"What I want is my friends back," Irwin said. "And if I can hand out some cards to do so, I will."

Yogog kept looking at him, then he clasped Irwin on the shoulder with a wide grin.

"You're a great kid! Did I tell you that?"

"No, but I'm glad you've finally noticed," Irwin said.

"Alright, if you are willing to go that far, I'll help. You seem to be underestimating how hard it is for people to get cards above Topaz rank or what they are willing to do to get them. So let me make a suggestion. Instead of just handing out cards, I'll put up a sign at the diner saying that you will reforge cards up to emerald for anyone willing to go into the portal to find the lost people. I'll add that they need to bring at least a few cards that they want, no matter the rank."

Irwin frowned. "But what if they don't have any? I've already done all the missions here, and-"

"Missions being the keyword here," Yogog said, interrupting him. "Did you do any without receiving one or more cards?"

Irwin shook his head.

"Exactly. Besides, you only did the missions for the initial people here. Most of the refugees haven't gotten around to even thinking about getting cards reforged. They are too busy getting a roof above their head and food in their belly."

Irwin nodded, suddenly feeling stupid. He'd completely forgotten about that, only worrying about other things.

"Alright! Head back to the smithy and prepare. I'm pretty sure you are going to get your first customers today!"

Irwin nodded, then watched Yogog stomp off, seeming happy to have a purpose.

I think he's getting his hopes up too much, Irwin thought as he headed back to the smithy.

He expected most people weren't willing to go into the portal just for a card.

Three hours later, he knew he had been very, very wrong. A line of two dozen people stood before the smithy, while four were inside, all Viridians and all siblings.

"You are for real? You will reforge cards without requiring payment?" a pale green-haired woman asked.

"Yes," Irwin said, still trying to get over the still-growing row of people outside.

"Why are you looking so surprised?" another one of the young Viridians asked, his bushy green brows rising high on his forehead.

"I mean… you all know portals are dangerous, right?" Irwin asked.

"Which is why we are here! My uncle was in the first group! We are going to go in there and find him," the Viridian woman said as she held out a card. "If you are going to do this, this is my card! I only have one, and it's fine if you break it. I've heard some stuff about you being able to finish without that, but…" she shrugged, obviously not believing that.

Irwin took the card, looking at the image of a large leaf with metallic-looking barbs on the edges. It was only quartz rank, but even then, he had the feeling it was supposed to be some sort of weapon.

"What do you want it to have?" he asked.

"I'm good with axes and shields," she said. "Either will do! But if you can make it have any water or sunlight abilities, I can easily slot it with my other cards!"

Irwin nodded as he saw another few people add to the line.

"I'll see what I can do," he said as he walked to Ambraz. Staring at the card, he placed it down.

Don't worry, Greldo. I'll reforge as many cards as I can and send you an army!