Irwin stepped out of the main smithy building and into the courtyard. It was getting dark outside, showing just how long they had been talking. Even then, Balarn had remained. He was still discussing and planning with Ichela, and from what Irwin could tell, it might last the entire evening.

Cracking his neck, Irwin sighed.

Sorry Balarn, but I can't promise to remain here, no matter what you say, Irwin thought as he headed to the large side building. A pair of smiths stood at the door, both with hammers ready and looking tired.

"Irwin, good that you are back," one of them said, before yawning.

"Good to be back," Irwin said mechanically.

"Your room is on the first floor, at the back. It's easy to find," the smith said before smiling ruefully. "I'm afraid you will have to share it with your friends. With everyone back here, we are a bit tight on space."

"That's alright," Irwin said with a smile. "I've slept worse."

"Me too," the second smith grunted. "But that doesn't mean it's fun. Bloody fools that are after us. If I ever get my hands on them, I will show them exactly how fun it is sleeping with three snoring bastards."

The second guard grinned, shaking his head. "You wouldn't mean me as one of those bastards would you?"

"Hah! What do you think?" the first one said with a snort.

Irwin quickly walked into the smithy, leaving them to their ensuing argument.

The entry room was a spacious common area filled with dozens of smiths who were chatting, drinking, and eating. There was no sign of Greldo and Daubutim, but Irwin did see Monique with a few other female smiths. They saw him as soon as he saw them, and Monique waved with a wide smile, beckoning him over.

Irwin saw the other female smiths frown as they looked at him. He was pretty sure Monique hadn't spoken about his rank, so perhaps it was something else? Wondering what that was about but not curious enough to go over to ask, he shook his head. He mimicked sleeping.

Monique waved, and Irwin moved through the common room, picking up the occasional half-conversation as he did.

"Did you hear that some small worlds have been overrun? All smiths there disappearing!"

"Stop trying to scare people! That's just gossip and rumors-"

Irwin frowned as he continued walking.

"-three guards per district exit. It's like they are expecting an attack or something."

"Well, that matches with what they've been asking us to make."

"You're not kidding. I've only been doing combat cards for days now. Don't think I've seen a utility card in a week."

Irwin exited the common area into a hallway with doors and a staircase.

Things are even worse here than on Scour, he thought, wondering if it wouldn't have been safer to stay there.

He went up the stairs to the first floor and looked around to find another stair, going further up and two long hallways. One went from side to side, and another led further into the building.

Guess it's this way, he thought as he walked deeper into the building.

When he reached the back door, he hesitated, then knocked. He didn't hear anything, but the door swung open a moment later, and Greldo stood behind it, grinning widely.

"Thought I heard your heavy footsteps," his friend said as he stepped away to let him in the room.

Irwin stepped inside, seeing a small room. A partial wall in the center created two areas, one with some beds and the other with a table and some chairs. Daubutim sat at it, looking up at him.

"Your debriefing took a long time."

Irwin walked to the table and sat down, nodding at Daubutim. He was glad to see him again and wondered what he had been doing since they had left. It had been years for Greldo and him, but for Daubutim it had merely been a few weeks.

"Yeah, besides wanting the entire story, they also wanted me to promise to stay here until Tensor and the other smiths return."

"I take it you declined?" Daubutim said immediately.

Irwin cocked his head, noticing a small change in his friend. Although his eyes were still flat and dull, and his expression stoic, there was something different about him. He seemed almost enthusiastic.

"Yes. I told them I was probably heading back to my own world to get my family and as many people as possible."

Daubutim looked at him quietly, and Irwin could see the cogwheels move. He leaned back and quietly waited.

"There are some important things we need to talk about first," Daubutim said after a short while.

Greldo sat down beside Irwin. "Are you finally going to share what has you all excited?"

Daubutim looked at Greldo, then at Irwin, before nodding curtly.

"Gelwin is here."

Irwin blinked, staring at his friend, trying to understand what he'd just heard.

"What?" Greldo hissed. "Are you... you have to be joking?!"

"Gelwin is one of the Master Librarians," Daubutim said calmly.

"That's…" Irwin began, wanting to say it was impossible, a joke. Then he held back. He knew Daubutim. The young noble would not even mention it if there was even any doubt.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one that had decided that.

"That's fantastic," Greldo shouted as he leaned forward with gleaming silver eyes.

"That's fantastic," an angry voice shouted from his pocket at the same time. "So you're saying that beardy face is here? Great! I'm going to flatten him!"

Ambraz flitted out of his pocket, wooshing around while laughing.

"I'll show him how it feels to be locked up for ages! That evil nasty..."

Ambraz began cursing and hissing in his own language.

Irwin shook his head, ignoring Greldo's humorously gleaming eyes.

"Ambraz, calm down. Let's hear what Daubutim has to say first."

Ambraz flew up and buzzed around angrily. "What? Calm down! Are you crazy? That old rusted fool locked me in a loop world for hundreds of years!"

"I know, and you can ask him about it and get angry then. But for now, let's listen to Daubutim," Irwin said.

"Fine, but you better believe I'm going to have words with that old beardy face," Ambraz snapped as he landed on the table.

I believe you, Irwin thought.

Greldo had been impatiently waiting for Ambraz to quiet down and now leaned forward. "So, how is he even alive? How did he get here, and when? Does he have a way to save Giard?"

Daubutim blinked, then shook his head. "No. Giard can't be saved."

Hearing it stated with such surety caused Irwin's questions to vanish as he stared dumbly at Daubutim.

"Of course, that useless geezer can't fix it," Ambraz snorted. "Even if he had six soul cards, the best he could do was keep it stable."

Nobody responded to that.

"I don't know how he got here or when. His age is impossible to calculate based on what he told me," Daubutim said calmly. "I'll tell you what happened, and then we can talk further."

Irwin and Greldo nodded as he leaned back, and Daubutim began talking.

He spoke calmly about how he'd heard about Gelwin's presence and met him. Then he regaled, word for word, what he'd spoken about with the ancient sorcerer, causing Irwin to be again impressed with his friend's absurd memory. As Daubutim spoke about Lamia and Uxin'tar and the pain she had gone through, Irwin felt outraged. Still, he managed to keep quiet. Only when Daubutim told them about Uxin'tar's end did he let out a weary sigh of relief.

"So, he's finally dead," he muttered.

"It seems that way," Daubutim said. "Gelwin was sure, and I'll take his word on it."

Irwin nodded, noticing a look of annoyance on Greldo's face.

"Greldo?" he asked.

"Nothing. I had just hoped to end that bastard myself," Greldo muttered. "I'd planned it all out: teleport behind him with Coal and rip him to pieces!"

Irwin nodded, keeping his opinion on how unlikely the plan seemed to himself.

Daubutim had waited for a moment before he continued talking, telling them about the things that happened after.

Irwin and Greldo listened quietly until he finished.

"So… we need to go and find a new world?" Greldo muttered. "Based on what we've heard, that sounds somewhat difficult."

The sarcasm in his voice was thick, but Irwin knew Daubutim likely wouldn't get it.

"And he didn't know how long we had?" he asked.

"Yes and no. The world would stay stable as long as this part of him stayed here, but increasingly powerful portals would continue opening. Eventually, even if we find a world, nobody might be left to migrate," Daubutim said.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Fantastic," Greldo muttered as he got up and began pacing through the room. "Do we even know if anybody is still alive right now?"

Irwin flinched.

"No," Daubutim said. "We can only hope that Indoutor and the others are able to save as many people as possible."

It was quiet as Irwin looked at the table's rough surface. Would Malorin still be there? It was a small city bordering an already dangerous forest. They had only a few full-handed there when he left, and he didn't think there would be many more now. He gritted his teeth.

It was possible that they had been overrun!

For two years, he'd been trying to suppress his worry, telling himself he'd head back to do something when he returned.

"We should go and check before we search for a new world," he said. "We can see if we can save some people and bring them here."

Daubutim looked at him quietly, then shook his head. "As much as I want to head back and search for my father and brothers, we need to follow Gelwin's plan."

"Why?" Irwin asked, looking at Daubutim, unsure how he should feel.

"Because if we go there and get stuck, everyone will end up dead."

Irwin sighed as he leaned back and closed his eyes. He remembered how difficult it had been coming here the first time, and he knew Daubutim was right. They had no idea what the situation was back home. Even his new strength might not be enough.

"So, what do we do then? Find some ship that will take us to the furthest edge of the known parts of the Portal Gallery and search for a world?" Greldo asked.

"Yes," Daubutim said calmly as if it was the most natural thing to do. "I will head to Gelwin in the morning to see if he has anything we need. After that, we should leave."

A quiet hung in the room, which lasted until Irwin took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"Fine. Then we need to come up with a plan on how to do this," Irwin said, feeling dull and tired.

"I already have a plan," Daubutim declared, causing Irwin and Greldo to focus on him.

"I have created a new official explorers group for us called Giard's Rangers. I also got sets of old leather armor that will make us look like believable mercenaries or explorers," he continued calmly. "Gelwin will add both of you to the new group and change the dates."

Irwin opened his mouth, then closed it again, stunned by what Daubutim had said.

"You-" Daubutim said, staring at him, "- will need to hide anything that could indicate that you are a smith. The best would be not to take any of your ranking plates along."

That makes sense, Irwin thought as he pulled his tangled mess of hair forward and began removing it.

Daubutim turned to Greldo. "And you must keep Coal hidden until we are far enough from Fiverion so nobody recognizes you."

"What, why?" Greldo asked.

"Because when you were here a few weeks ago, you used him during many of your battles in the underground."

"You really planned this well," Irwin muttered, having completely forgotten that Greldo had done that.

"There's more," Daubutim said.

Wondering what it was, Irwin quietly listened as Daubutim continued talking about things they had to look out for.

Hours later, when he was finally lying in his bed, he stared dully at the ceiling.

Greldo was already snoring, while Daubutim had decided to see if he could find Gelwin right away, muttering something about not needing sleep.

How is it possible that Gelwin is here? Irwin thought, still finding it incredibly hard to believe.

If anyone but Daubutim had told him this, he wouldn't have believed it. As he tried to come up with a reason, the other things Daubutim had said played through his mind, and one stuck out in particular. Gelwin was supposedly both here and on Giard.

I wonder where he is hiding then… could it be in that tower? Irwin thought as he remembered the stories about Gelwin's tower.

It was allegedly one of the sorcerer's towers and had been closed since Gelwin vanished. Perhaps he was hiding in there? But how could nobody have managed to get in? Also, how did Uxin'tar find out he was alive?

Time passed, but he couldn't fall asleep no matter what he did. His mind just kept spinning with everything he had heard.

Finally, unable to stay put anymore, he got up and left the room. Ambraz muttered something in his pocket, causing Coal to look up from beside the door.

"Can't sleep, going to the forge," Irwin whispered.

The hound didn't respond, so he just left.

It didn't take him long to reach the smithy, nor was he surprised that it was empty. It was dark outside, with a thick cloud blocking the stars and moons. As he walked inside, he pondered about waking Ambraz, then decided against it. Moving to the massive stack of raw ore, he picked up a crate, carried it to one of the anvils, and began heating the forge. As the heat billowed out, he drew in a happy breath, listening to the crackling coals. A few minutes later, the forge was roaring loudly, but he didn't worry. The sound damping should still be active and stop anyone from being awoken.

Perhaps I'll get sleepy after a while, he thought as he summoned a hammer.

--

"Do you think he purified all of that?"

"Has to be… I guess it's his specialty?"

"He must have practiced it a lot!"

Irwin blinked as he lowered his hammer, gazing at the thin slab of purified Degnin iron. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the crates of purified ore beside the anvil.

I guess I got a bit carried away, he thought, stepping away and looking at a group of four smiths looking at him near the entrance.

"When did you start?" one of them, a gray-bearded, silver-eyed man, asked.

"Early. Couldn't sleep," Irwin said as he picked up a crate of purified metal, then after hesitating, picked up another one before carrying them to the spot they would be picked up from. It took him only a few times to get everything there, and as he turned around, he saw the smiths had moved to their own Anvils, getting ready for the day.

"Is the kitchen open?" he asked.

"Should be," the gray-beard said. "The new bread should have arrived.

"Sounds great, thanks," Irwin said as he walked out.

Let's see if they have anything spicy, he thought.

He had barely finished his meal when Daubutim walked into the smithy's common room. He was carrying two massive packs and wearing well-worn leather armor.

“Let's go to Greldo.”

Irwin rose and followed him, wondering if they were really going to leave right away.

Back in the room, they found Greldo sitting at the table, staring at the table dully. As they walked in, he looked up and blinked.

"Did you seriously leave in the middle of the night?"

Irwin grinned as he accepted a folded pack of armor, a belt, and some boots from Daubutim.

"Damn right he did," Ambraz said as he flew out of Irwin's pocket and landed on the table. "I think he purified enough metal to forge an entire armory!"

Greldo shook his head in disbelief.

"Couldn't sleep," Irwin said as he began changing into the leather armor. He was surprised that it fit almost perfectly.

"Irwin, sit here so I can cut your hair," Daubutim said, pulling back a chair.

Seeing the gleaming scissors, Irwin wondered if those would even be able to cut through his hair.

"Perhaps it's better if I go to Gustho's?" he asked as he sat down.

"We don't have the time," Daubutim said, pulling back his hair.

The screeching sound of metal on metal made Irwin cringe, and he expected the scissors to snap. Nothing like that happened, and instead, his hair thudded on the ground like metal wire. Daubutim didn't seem to care, and he continued cutting off another long length of hair.

"I'll cut it as short as mine, then we need to leave. There's a small ship arriving in three hours, and Gelwin got us spots on it as guards."

Irwin dumbly stared at his hands, listening to the scissors straining to cut through his hair. So this was it? They were going to leave a day after arriving?

"So… what did Gelwin say?" he asked, still feeling odd that he was using the name of someone he'd always thought of as a legend. A dead legend at that!

Daubutim didn't answer and continued cutting.

"Daubutim?"

"He might have an idea who is after the smiths. I'll tell you after we are off world."

Irwin almost rose, only barely holding himself back.

"You're kidding," Greldo hissed from the side.

“Later,” Daubutim said. "Greldo, can you bring Balarn here?"

"Ugh! Fine," Greldo grunted, and Irwin saw him move away out of the corner of his eyes.

After he left, Daubutim continued quietly cutting his hair.

"Is something wrong?" Irwin asked softly.

"Yes, but I can't talk about it right now," Daubutim said slowly. "We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

Irwin blinked, and as the realization set in that Daubutim wasn't joking, his mind began reeling. If they were going to leave, they would need as much power as they could get! He and Greldo were set for now, but Daubutim should still have at least two slots left.

"How many cards do you have?" he asked.

“Three,” Daubutim said. "I created my fullhand, though knowing your current abilities, I think I should have waited."

Irwin hummed. "What do you have?"

"A chestplate, the two-handed frost sword, and my raven summon."

Irwin frowned. He vaguely recalled Daubutim had gotten those, but he'd never seen him summon the raven.

"I haven't seen that raven before," he said.

"I don't use it a lot," Daubutim said. "I only took it because it matched well with the armor and the sword."

Irwin frowned. Having a card that Daubutim didn't use wasn't handy, but still… that meant he had room for three more cards.

"I have a lot of cards left. There's one type I think you will need that I don't have yet, but that still leaves you with two slots. What kind of cards do you want?"

Daubutim didn't answer. Instead, he began rubbing Irwin's head, wiping away the loose strands of metallic hair.

"It's done. Look if it's alright."

Irwin frowned and ignored the hair as he turned to his friend. "What cards do you want?"

Daubutim was looking at him, and Irwin saw the other's eyes turn even duller.

"Something to fix… my head," Daubutim said.

Irwin grimaced as he heard the sadness in Daubutim's voice.

"I know of cards that can do that, but I don't have one yet. That's why you need to keep one slot free," he said.

Daubutim nodded and began kicking the long strands of hair into the corner. "It's fine. I'll choose two when we are on the ship."

Irwin wanted to say something comforting, but he couldn't think of anything, so he just began helping clean up the hair.

A minute later, Greldo and Balarn entered. Irwin saw the smith's eyes widen as he looked at him. Grinning, Irwin rubbed his short-cropped head of hair and shrugged.

"Balarn, we need to leave," Daubutim said.

Irwin saw Balarn's eyes widen in surprise at the abrupt message.

"What? That's not a good-"

"One of the Master Librarians has given us a mission that could save our people," Daubutim interrupted him. "Besides, he said that it's safer for Irwin."

Balarn opened and closed his mouth a few times before crossing his arms in a frown.

"I don't like it," he said. "We only just returned yesterday, and Tensor isn't even back yet."

Irwin saw Daubutim's face go slack, and it took him only a second to realize his friend was having one of his episodes. Although he had no idea how Balarn's remark could cause that, he knew he wouldn't be able to answer.

"Balarn, I know we only just came back, but there's no other way," he said, quickly stepping forward and drawing Balarn's attention. "You know what's going on with our world, and if there's even a small chance we can do something, we need to take it."

Balarn looked at him, though Irwin saw his eyes flicker to Daubutim a few times. Then the smith sniffed.

"Are you sure you can't stay a few days? Tensor might return any moment!"

Irwin shook his head. "The librarian said it's the only way, and I believe him."

Balarn looked at him for a while longer until he finally sighed and nodded.

"And Lamia?" he asked.

Irwin blinked, then looked at Greldo, who was still fussing over his armor, and only gave him a shrug.

"I think it's better for her to stay here," he said, making a snap decision. "After what happened with Uxin'tar I don't know if she's up for it. Besides, she doesn't have enough powerful cards."

Although I guess I could give her some, he thought.

"I think Gawarn will be happy to hear that," Balarn muttered. He seemed lost in thought for a while before turning back to Irwin. "Do you need anything? Any help?"

Irwin was about to say no when he thought of something.

"Yes. I need you to tell anyone who asks after me that I'm still here and practicing smithing. Based on what I did the last time I was here, I'm pretty sure they will believe it."

"I can do that," Balarn said, before frowning. "You have to be careful out there, alright? You know what's going on, and it's unsafe for smiths."

"I know. That's why I'll not be wearing my ranking plate," Irwin said.

Balarn nodded slowly. "That might be for the best."

They quietly waited until Greldo was done, and Irwin knew Balarn wasn't happy. He didn't blame him, but that still wasn't going to stop him.

"Wait here. I'll get all of the smiths in the private smithing area for a meeting. It's best if as few people know that you are leaving as possible. Take care," Balarn said.

Irwin smiled. "I will. Take care of everyone here!"

Balarn nodded before turning and walking out of the door. As it closed, Irwin looked around the room. His eye fell on Daubutim's massive pack, and he put it over his shoulder.

"Daubutim, warn me as soon as you are alright," he said.

Daubutim just nodded dully, and Irwin waited as he watched Greldo.

"They are all gone," Greldo finally said.

"Alright, let's get out of here," Irwin muttered.

They snuck out of the building, finding nobody around, but as they exited it, they saw Gawarn at the gate. The guards were gone.

Running up to him, Irwin saw Gawarn look both worried and annoyed.

"Balarn told me… are you sure about this?"

"I am," Irwin said as he nodded. "We need to save our world, and this might be the only chance we have."

"Fine. If you say so... And what do you want me to tell Lamia?" Gawarn said.

"Tell her we are going to try and save our family. I don't know when we will be back, but if we don't… well… Perhaps she can devise a way to save them," Irwin said lamely.

Gawarn snorted and stepped away. "Alright. Well, better get going before the others see you. Ichela went ahead to warn the guards not to stop you."

Irwin blinked, then felt a sense of gratitude and warmth fill him. Balarn had really gone all out to help them.

"Thank your brother for me," he said.

"Sure," Gawarn said as he motioned for them to leave. "Take care, Daubutim."

Daubutim didn't respond, and Irwin walked out, wondering if he should explain it. If there had been time, he might have.

The door slammed shut behind them as soon as the three of them were outside.

"Guess he doesn't like us much," Greldo muttered.

Irwin sighed and began walking towards the exit that led to the Central registrar and the exit portal.

"Let's get out of here."