Two days after Ignalia returned and five days after Greldo and the others had gone through, the temporary portal closed. A wave of sadness coursed through the town as nearly everyone had loved ones who were now locked away in a portal.

Irwin glared at the wall ahead of him. Questions had been bubbling through his mind, and he looked at the stack of twelve cards. Each was emerald-ranked.

"Can heartcarded enter through portals?" he asked, turning to Ambraz, who was sitting on his shoulder like some tiny anvil ornament.

"What? Of course, they can!"

"But not through every portal," Irwin said.

Ambraz's mouth opened and closed. "It depends on the quality of their heartcard. If it's a Ruby rank, and the smith that combined the cards was skilled enough, they can enter into Ruby portals."

Irwin frowned, then nodded. Over the last few months, he'd learned a lot about heartcards. After combining all cards in their hands, carded needed to find a Card Smith to combine them together into a single card. This card would be placed in the heart slot. However, what many people didn't know was that the quality of the resulting heart card depended on two things. The highest rank of any of the handcards, which most people knew, but also the ability of the Cardsmith to reforge the heartcard. Due to a heartcard having far more effects than any regular card, it was incredibly difficult for all leakages to be closed and every black blotch of potential to be used. But this was the only way to get a card of the same rank as the highest rank of the handcards. According to what Ambraz and Crithann had told him, many heartcarded had topaz or emerald rank heartcards."

"Don't get your hopes up, kid! The chances of you finding someone here with a Ruby heart card are really small. Besides, remember what I told you. Many don't want to share the quality of their heartcard."

Irwin sighed.

"We will just have to see," he said as he picked up the cards. "And you are absolutely sure we can't reforge one of these cards to Ruby Rank?"

"Not happening. The step from Emerald to Ruby is one of the three major hurdles for any cardsmith to overcome. The first is getting your first card reforged. The second is going from Emerald to Ruby, and the last is reforging a heartcard."

"What about soulcards?" Irwin asked.

"Bah! Let's not even get into those! That's the pinnacle! If you can reforge those… You will be set for life! There's only a handful of those in any given generation."

"Wait, so how do people get their soulcards?" Irwin asked in surprise.

"After a heartcarded fills up their soulforce, the heartcard turns into a soulcard that is slotted in their soul. There is no cardsmith required for that step," Ambraz said as he began flitting through the room.

"But, what does that mean then? What can cardsmiths do to soulcards?"

Ambraz let out a soft laugh. "If I knew that, I'd not be here," he said, causing Irwin to blink.

"Wait? You don't know?" Irwin asked, looking at the Anvil flying around.

"What do you think? That I know everything?" Ambraz snapped angrily. "Listen, kid, I already know more than most of my kind! But soulcard reforging? I know of the term and that there are those that can do it. But that's it. I have no idea what they can actually do. I do know something happens when you become a Soulcarded, but they are all really hush-hush about it. You could ask Crithann, though I don't expect him to answer it."

Irwin was quiet for a while as he gazed at the cards in his hands. The idea of filling his hand, becoming a heartcarded then a soulcarded seemed far away. With a sigh he shoved it down. He could reach that time! But now wasn't the time to ponder it.

So, there's no way to get more Ruby carded to help, he thought, forcing himself to focus on what was important at this moment.

"Fine, let's go and see if we can find a heartcarded that can join us," he said as he headed to the door.

I'll hand these to Crithann. If nobody returns, they will need new people to fight, he thought as he stuffed the cards in his pocket.

--

A day after the portal closed, early in the morning, Irwin stood at the gate. A mass of Viridians stood nearby, many of whom had already come to wish him luck. Now, they had backed up to make room for Crithann.

Irwin flexed his shoulders to nudge the massive backpack in a better angle as he gazed at Crithann.

"Are you sure about this?" the towering Viridian asked.

"Don't bother," Ambraz snapped. "I've been trying to get him to change his mind for the past few days. No matter what I've said, he is dead-set on heading out to find that Ruby portal."

Irwin snorted but didn't deny it. "I might not be the most powerful carded," he said. "But ever since I got my first card, I've been able to fight against these Imps better than nearly everyone I've met."

As he said it, he knew it was right. If it had been any other type of demon, it would be pure suicide to head into that world and hope to make any difference. But all he needed was enough time to trigger his flame to guard him from initial attacks, after which he planned to create a massive steam cloud. Then he was going to move around and find and save the others.

"Yes, but we know nothing about where that portal leads to. It could be inside some highly protected room on another world shard," Ambraz snapped. "And all we know about its location is that it's somewhere in the forest around Cinder Grove."

Irwin noticed that a tiny smile was growing on Crithann's face.

"Which is why I'm not going in alone," Irwin said as he looked at the three Ignitzions behind him.

Ignalia looked marginally better than she had two days ago, but her face was still thin and wan. She had been the first heartcarded to come forward, and in hindsight, he guessed it didn't surprise him that she had such a powerful heartcard. What had surprised him was that there wasn't a single Viridian that did. Some had come up, asking if he couldn't reforge their heartcard to a higher rank, at which Ambraz had laughed so loud that he'd almost fallen from his shoulder. Besides Ignalia, three other Igntizions had a Ruby heartcard, one of which was their leader. She was also the only one who wouldn't join them, as she was going to stay here to help guard New Grianfál, as the locals had come to call it.

"Don't worry, we will keep him safe," Ignalia said as she stepped forward, locking eyes with Crithann. "You just keep Yogog here, alright? Don't let him leave and do something foolish!"

"I promised I will," Crithann said. "He won't be allowed to do anything foolish until either you or Hotzli returns."

Ignalia sniffed and nodded before she turned to Irwin.

"Alright. You are sure you don't want to wait another few days?" she asked. "More refugees arrive every day, and it's possible that more people who are able to enter ruby portals arrive."

Irwin held back an angry response and shook his head.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"No. From all we have heard, either everyone is captured or fighting to survive. The scouts that had gone in before the army said that the cavern around the portal was empty. My guess is that they are holed up, unable to return for some reason," he said.

"Then there's no use standing around," Ignalia said. "It's a long trip back."

Irwin raised his hand to Crithann in greeting.

"Until we meet again," Crithann rumbled. "Know that you always have a place here."

A round of shouts of agreement came from the surrounding Viridians, and Irwin felt a warm feeling spread through his chest. As he looked around at the buildings, the wall, and the towering Heart Tree, he realized that he'd slowly started feeling at home in the sandy town.

"Don't worry. I'll find the others, and we will come back here," he said, waving around. Then he turned and stomped out of the gate, matching stride with Ignalia. The other two Ignitzions followed behind them.

"So, three weeks?" he said.

"If we walk."

Irwin looked to the side, wondering if she could even run for a day.

"Don't you worry about me," Ignalia said. "The return trip took us less than two weeks, and if the others hadn't slowed me down, I could have done it in one."

"Well, should we run then?" Irwin asked as he cracked his neck.

"Lets. I need to get Balarn out of there before he does something stupid," Ignalia said as she began jogging and then running.

What? More stupid than getting himself captured for a second time? Irwin thought as he followed after her. He tried to supress his worry with some humor.

"Sisters, if you require rest, let us know," Ignalia called back.

There was a shout of agreement, but from the disgruntled voices, Irwin had the feeling they didn't expect it would be needed.

Irwin couldn't stifle a wry grin as he ran away from the town.

Greldo, when I save you again, I'm going to keep reminding you of this for the rest of our lives!

--

Daubutim waited quietly as Gelwin looked at the paper which he had just handed to the ancient sorcerer. There was a location on it, and although Daubutim didn't really know where it was, he was sure that Gelwin either did or could find out.

"Interesting," the ancient sorcerer finally said. "Of all the things I had thought of, tagging Uxin'tar to find out where he was hiding hadn't actually occurred to me." He frowned, tugging his beard. "I keep forgetting not everyone is immune to such things… Well, young one, you did far better than I had expected!"

Confused, Daubutim shook his head. "Excuse me for asking, but I have not taken care of him yet, which is why I am here. So, if this is better, what did you expect?"

Gelwin leaned back and let out a dry chuckle. "Nothing, to be honest. I was simply curious to see how you would respond to such a task with your issue. I guess you could say it was a test.

A test is something you would usually expect someone to clear. Right? Daubutim thought.

He examined the ancient sorcerer, feeling annoyed. His father had pulled things like this sometimes but had never remained this quiet and calm under it. That had usually been combined with loud shouting and finger-wagging.

As annoyed as he was, he carefully schooled his face, recalling what Gelwin had said about reading people's faces.

"So, what do we do now?" he asked. He'd been here to ask for Gelwin's help in dealing the final blow to Uxin'tar or at least point him to someone with the ability to do so.

"Now, I think it is time to let the Grinwron Trade Federation take care of it," Gelwin said as he snapped his fingers.

Daubutim heard a soft crackle, almost like lightning. A moment later, a robed and hooded figure came walking out of a nearby corridor, making barely any sound. He bowed to Gelwin and took the offered paper.

"Go to Tomeron Grinwon and tell him this is the location of the fellow responsible for the missing and killed serfs. Add to it that, if he fails to take care of it, the Librarians will be holding him responsible and reducing the number of requests he may make on us."

The robed figure bowed again and was about to leave when Gelwin scraped his throat, causing the figure to stop in its tracks.

"Also, warn him that the perpetrator is slippery and has cards that allow for flight and weak mind control."

The robed figure nodded, then turned and left as quietly as he came.

Daubutim tried to stay calm, but he felt his annoyance grow.

"What is wrong, young one?"

"How can we be sure that Uxin'tar won't get away? He has proven elusive enough to get away from all of the guards and anyone else searching for him."

"Indeed. So what would you suggest? Did you have another plan?" Gelwin asked quietly.

Daubutim remained quiet. He'd actually hoped for Gelwin to step in and take care of matters himself, which would give him a chance to find out more about the ancient sorcerer.

"Daubutim, as powerful and dangerous as Uxin'tar is, do you really think you can stop him? You have only a few cards, and he has over a hundred years of experience and somehow managed to get his hands on at least one soul card," Gelwin said calmly. "What had you even intended?"

Not sure how to react, Daubutim kept looking at Gelwin.

The ancient sorcerer raised an eyebrow.

Realizing he was supposed to answer, Daubutim frowned.

"My plan was to get his location and have someone more powerful deal with him," he said truthfully. "It would have been better if I'd known more about his enemies, but I presume those are all back on Giard. Otherwise, I would have played them against each other."

"Which is why you came to me," Gelwin said.

Daubutim didn't respond. He was pretty sure Gelwin could read what he thought from his face.

A soft laughter rang from the ancient sorcerer.

"Cutthroat, smart, and able to get things done. You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago. Still, we are going to need to figure out a way to fix your issues," Gelwin said as he leaned back.

"Now. How big do you think the chance is for Uxin'tar to get away?"

"Over half," Daubutim said immediately.

"Why?"

"Because he has managed to evade everyone so far, and we still don't know why he has been taking those Serfs."

Gelwin was quiet, his thick, bushy brows furrowing as a sad look came to his eyes.

"Partially correct. He is most likely taking their cards and feeding them to his current heartcard."

"Taking…?" Daubutim asked as he pushed back a shiver.

"There are ways to increase the likelihood of someone dropping their cards upon death," Gelwin said, his eyes glinting angrily. "Now, what if I tell you that Tomeron Grinwon and his small Trade Federation have nearly two dozen soulcarded warriors stationed here?"

Daubutim blinked. He sensed his mind trying to connect dots and, at the same time, felt his weariness from a few days with little sleep kick in. It took all his effort to force the sensation down and ignore the bubbling almost-ideas as best he could.

"Will they send one?" he asked.

"After my threat? Probably half of them," Gelwin said with a nasty gleam. "Now, I can see you are close to one of your troublesome moments, so I'll let you head to your room. A fair warning. Remain in the library for the next few weeks. There are odd things going on with the Smiths Guild right now, and remaining near any of their charters is potentially not safe. "

"Will this stretch to where Irwin is?" Daubutim asked as he felt his mind once more attempt to connect dots as a vague image began forming.

"Perhaps, but there is nothing either of us can do if it does," Gelwin said before leaning back and tapping on the armrest. "After some digging, I found a few interesting bits of information about Scour, the world he is currently in. From what I can tell, he could stay there for decades without any real-time passing to us. The world's entrance portal is a few weeks away, so I don't expect him to return until at least a month has passed. Also, there are at least two people there with multiple soulcards, one of which is a Smith. I'm sure that if anything happens, those will take care of it. If they can."

Daubutim gazed at the wooden floor, wondering what could be going on with the smiths. He'd not noticed anything odd when he'd been there earlier.

"Now, one last thing, and then you should head off," Gelwin said. "Your cousin and the others have successfully returned to Clour peninsula. That leaves you, Lamia, and Uxin'tar here. If he does escape, he will try to go after either of you." Gelwin snapped his fingers, and another crack of lightning sounded from nearby. A second cloaked and hooded figure appeared. Gelwin pointed at him.

"He will be shadowing you, so don't be alarmed if you notice him. If anything happens, he will be capable of, at a minimum, buying you time to flee. If so head here right away."

"Thank you," Daubutim said, forcing a smile on his face. He had some experience with bodyguards, but when he was a child, he didn't like it. It proved he was still far too weak to protect himself.

"Now, I think you need to sleep," Gelwin said. "And I've done more talking than I usually do in a month."

Daubutim quickly rose and bowed.

"Thank you for helping the others return," he said.

"There is no need to thank me," Gelwin said with a slightly weary smile. "Don't forget to read the books that I left for you. Some deal with maps, others have history you might find interesting."

Daubutim bowed again, then turned and headed to the corridor. As he moved, his weary mind reminded him to keep his gaze locked to the floor and to step over the doorpost. Mechanically, Daubutim moved through the library, making sure to do each and every odd act, including tapping the single book in the fourth corridor that had a black bookcase. He still had no idea what could go wrong if he didn't, but he had no interest in finding out. Rules were there for a reason.

When he reached Purntou's spacious study room, two of his fellow librarian apprentices were there. Neither looked up, keeping their faces in their books.

As he moved into his tiny room, Daubutim noticed the stack of seven books on his desk. He hesitated, then shook his head. He needed to figure out what the odd pattern was that his mind was trying to unravel, but if he tried that now, he'd sink into nothingness and dullness.

Lying down on his bed, he gazed up at the ceiling and froze. A gray cloud hovered in the corner, with two blood-red eyes gazing at him. Something painfully pushed against his mind, and he sensed his consciousness start to flag.

'Move, and you're dead,' a familiar voice hissed, somehow in the confines of his mind.

"Uxin'tar," Daubutim whispered.