"Leader Irwin, thank you for saving my ship!"

Irwin calmly looked at Captain Xi'kroad. The inhuman being was covered in even more blue plates and holding two broad, heavy-looking short swords. He didn't have any visible injuries, but behind him, his crew were helping each other bandage wounds, showing they hadn't been as lucky. Thin, bluish blood was leaking out from between their plates, dripping on the ravaged deck and tainting it blue. A single one lay to the side, arms folded over his chest.

Daubutim stood behind them, the massive sword over his shoulder, looking weary.

"You are welcome," Irwin said as he stared at himself again. He hadn't thought about bringing a second set of clothes.

Greldo stepped up beside him, looking at his chest with a snort. "So… how about next time you just throw something like that overboard instead of hugging it?"

"No."

Irwin blinked in surprise, and he and Greldo looked at Captain Xi'kroad, who was shaking his head.

"They will survive and return," Captain Xi'kroad said with a weary sigh. "Just tossing the four-horns and five-horns overboard won't work."

Irwin frowned while Greldo stepped forward, waving his hand at the railing.

"Wait! Are you telling me that the four-horn that I tossed overboard is still alive!?"

"Yes, and if it manages to get back to the others, it will probably warn them about you," Captain Xi'kroak said.

"Gelwin's balls," Greldo grunted as he glared across the railing into the jungle below. "I think we should get-"

"Captain! We have trouble!' one of the crewmen shouted, interrupting Greldo.

Irwin looked up to see a crewman standing at the door leading into the ship's interior. He was pointing inside, looking worried.

Shit, the merchants!

Daubutim was already running forward, and Irwin didn't hesitate to follow his friend.

"I'll keep an eye out just in case," Greldo shouted from behind him. "Shout if you need help!"

Irwin didn't respond, already following Daubutim, who had moved into the room. His friend was standing beside the staircase leading down and stepped aside for him when he arrived. Irwin moved inside and cursed. There was blood splattered across the floor and walls below.

"They made it past us," he hissed. "There might be some remaining! Let's go."

He rushed down the stairs, not bothering to be quiet. Any Galub still there would know he was coming anyway, so speed was of the essence, even if he was probably too late.

Blood splattered the hallway, and one of the merchants lay crumbled on the ground, its head a few feet further. Irwin felt a weary sadness as he jumped across the body. Part of it was because of the dead merchant, and the other was that he found his own reaction was less horrified than it would have been a few years ago.

I've changed, he thought as he reached the first cabin.

A single look into the small room showed two bodies splayed out, one decapitated, the other with a massive chest wound. Holding back an angry curse, Irwin sped forward, glancing inside the other cabins as he passed them.

Some were empty, but most had bloodied bodies sprawling inside of them. Halfway down the corridor, he saw a dead four-horned Galub in a cabin. Its chest and throat were sliced apart, and it was slumped against the far wall. Bloody prints left the room and headed down the hallway, fading after a while.

Someone managed to kill a four-horn!

"Make sure it's dead," he ordered as he continued further. It looked dead, but he didn't wanna leave it to chance.

When Irwin reached their own room, he had only seen dead or at least unmoving merchants. By now, his mind was boiling with anger. What was wrong with the Galubs? They just killed everyone!

Unlike the others, the door to the final room was closed. Irwin hesitated, then pulled the door open while jumping back.

The first thing he saw was Dondast, silver eyes burning with fury as he stood in the center of the room. He was wielding two black daggers, dark flames rippling across their edges. The beds that had filled the room before were piled up on one side, while Bodies of Galubs and merchants lay around him, many atop each other. Four merchants stood behind the Merchant leader. Irwin recognized one, an older woman with short gray hair who belonged to Dondast's group.

"Thank Yilda, it's you," Dondast grunted.

His dangerous glare faded, and he swayed as both daggers vanished from his hands.

Irwin stepped forward just in time to prevent Dondast from sinking to the ground. Holding him, he saw blood on Dondast's lips and bruises on his face.

"We headed up to come help, but that four-horn... he rushed us! We had to flee, and he followed us inside," Dondast said, his eyes glazed as he looked around without appearing to see anything. "It took me too long… So many died. If only I'd been faster… stronger."

The pain in his voice made Irwin grimace.

Irwin lowered the Merchant leader to the ground and noticed his clothes were slowly drenching in blood as he saw slices and cuts everywhere.

"Get someone here to heal him," Irwin hissed over his shoulder.

Dondast grabbed his shoulder and pulled him close. "I was too late to kill that four-horn… I heard them, killing everyone here, but I- I just couldn't…"

Irwin saw Dondast's eyes flick to a body, widen, then roll up in his sockets. The merchant leader slumped in his arms.

"Do we have a healer here," Irwin snapped as he looked around.

The older woman was wiping her eyes, and she rushed forward. Kneeling beside him, she began flicking her hands over Dondast. Thin silvery threads appeared, like spider silk, and they sank into Dondast's chest.

"He saved us," the woman whispered, seeming to work almost mechanically. "If he hadn't come, these monsters would have killed us too."

Irwin watched her work for a while before rising to his feet and looking around. The other three merchants that had survived were sitting on the beds, seeming in a daze.

Daubutim stood in the door opening. "The four-horn is dead."

"Good," Irwin said as he looked around the room.

Blood and bodies were everywhere, and he knew the merchants couldn't remain here.

"There are a few clear rooms to the side. Go inside those and take care of his injuries," he told the gray-haired woman.

She looked up, tears still streaming from her eyes. "I don't think I can carry him…"

Irwin didn't reply but knelt and gently picked up Dondast.

"Come," he said as he walked out of the room.

If this is normal, it's no wonder nobody goes to the fringes, he thought.

---

Irwin and Captain Xi'kroak stood on the deck of the second ship that had been rammed into theirs.

Irwin had replaced his destroyed armor with a plain leather tunic that one of the merchants had brought him. The front was tight to close, and the cold air swirled around his upper body.

"This thing won't sail on its own," Captain Xi'kroak said. "Their abuse of the sail destroyed it, and the hole in the deck would require a soul-carded wood shaper to repair."

"Too bad," Irwin said as he inspected the ship. He had hoped that perhaps he could have taken it along.

"Do you need a ship?" Captain Xi'kroak asked. "You can hire one at Sesnanser's harbor…"

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"I know," Irwin said. "But having my own would have been better."

Xi'kroak nodded, examining the ship before speaking up.

"We could tow it with us. Although it will slow us, making the trip take a day or two longer, I will do so if you want," he said before adding hesitantly. "I can't promise it's repairable."

Slowing us means we would waste days and could potentially be attacked again, Irwin thought.

Besides, if the ship weren't repairable, it would just be a colossal waste of time!

He was about to reject the idea when he recalled something.

"The Galubs flew in it even though there was a hole. If we could get a new sail, could we sail it?"

Captain Xi'kroak looked around and began rubbing his fingers together before nodding.

"Probably. You don't seem bothered by the cold, so if you can figure out a way for your men to be alright, you could fly it like this. Getting a sail is possible, although I wouldn't expect anything great. Also... it would cost tens of thousands of soulshards for even a simple one, and you would need a small one and a main one."

Soulshards shouldn't be a problem, Irwin thought. Still, potentially having to spend so much did make him grimace.

He hesitated, then nodded. "Alright, let's bring it along. Can you attach it in a way that if we come across more raiders, you can release it so we can still flee?"

Xi'kroak nodded, and he began calling to one of his crewmen before turning to Irwin.

"I'll take care of it. Head back and get ready to leave."

Irwin moved to the edge and jumped back on The Zura'ix.

The ship's deck was covered in blood, and Daubutim and a few other crewmen were busy throwing the last few bodies over the ship's edge. Greldo stood at the nose of the ship, looking around.

Walking towards Greldo, his friend turned to him before he reached him.

"I don't see any more ships, but I think we should get out of here."

"We will. The Captain is going to drag the ship, and then we will leave," Irwin said.

"Drag it? Why?" Greldo asked, looking up.

Irwin told him his plan, and Greldo nodded. "Not a bad idea. Let's hope we can fix it."

"Yeah," Irwin thought, putting his elbows on the railing and staring at the jungle.

A minute later, the ship began accelerating again, and a moment later, a jolt ran through the deck.

Irwin looked up to see the other ship, now attached to theirs with a few dozen feet of chain, was being dragged along.

Let's hope we can fix it. That way, at least something useful came from all this, Irwin thought. His mind drifted away as he gazed at the jungle below.

Hours passed slowly, and as they got further away from the portals again, the temperature rapidly dropped. When the trees below had made way for icy plains, only Irwin, Greldo, and a few of the crewmen remained above deck. Irwin's mind was spinning as he thought about why Galub and other demons could be here and how he would deal with multiple five-horns if they came across them.

"I'm going to see the others and sleep," Greldo said, disrupting him from his ponderings.

Irwin looked up to see his friend yawn, churning condensation coming from his mouth.

"Alright. I'll stay here for a while longer to make sure nobody sneaks up on us," Irwin said.

Greldo patted him on the shoulder before leaving and disappearing back into the bowels of the ship.

Standing alone on the prow, Irwin stared off into the distance.

I hope we don't come across any more trouble, he thought.

--

"Sesnanser. Finally," Dondast said wearily. His face was pale and wan, and he had been unwilling to speak to anyone for a day after waking up.

Irwin nodded absently, staring ahead.

It's much bigger than described, he thought.

They were standing on the prow, staring at a distant, forest-covered section of the Portal Gallery. Dozens of ships were hovering around a bustling harbor built within two towering trees that had grown against each other. It almost looked as if they were leaning against each other to remain standing. A large stretch of the forest surrounding them had been cut away, leaving a muddy area with sparse pockets of low vegetation.

It had cost them two weeks to reach Sesnanser, four days longer than planned, and they were now towing three ships. None of them had functioning sails, and they were all dead weight. Even then, Captain Xi'kroak had eventually decided that all of the raiders would catch up because they seemed more than willing to overload their sails.

"Incoming ships!"

A shout came from above, and Irwin focused to see three ships head their way. Their sails were blue with a black gauntleted fist in the center.

Captain Xi'kroak was walking towards them, his face stoic, and he stopped beside Irwin.

“Sesnanser defense forces. They will be curious to see why we are towing three ships," the Captain said.

"Will they cause trouble?" Irwin asked as he inspected the three ships, noting the heat signatures of over a dozen people on each.

"No. Sesnanser is ruled by a council of merchants of the different small merchant families that call it home. They have hired Daran forces to guard them, who are the strongest power in this area," Xi'kroak said.

Irwin wondered what the Daran was, but that would have to wait. The Captain seemed to trust the incoming ships, but after having to fight each ship they encountered during their trip, Irwin wasn't willing to take any risks.

As the three ships closed in, he looked at Greldo and Daubutim, who were standing a short distance away. Daubutim nodded as he got up and moved to the door leading into the ship while Greldo joined Irwin and Xi'kroak.

A few minutes later, the three ships had reached them, one moving beside them while the others flew above and below them as if to make sure they wouldn't flee.

"Xi'kroak, is that you?"

A booming voice came from a small, blue-scaled figure on the other ship, and Irwin heard Xi'kroak sigh in relief.

So he wasn't completely sure of himself, Irwin thought.

"Xi'balak! What happened to your Zura'ix?" Xi'kroak shouted.

Laughter came from the other ship, and Irwin's eyes widened as he saw the figure on the other deck float up and then shoot through the air. A moment later, a short but even broader Da'xi landed beside Xi'kroak.

"Xi'balak, it is good to see you," Xi'kroak said, raising his fist.

The other Da'xi, Xi'balak, struck it with his own with the sound of two boulders cracking together. Irwin knew that any non-carded human's hands would have shattered.

"Xi'kroak, since when are you in the business of towing?" Xi'balak asked, looking at the ships behind theirs before looking around.

Irwin frowned as the burning silver eyes remained on him for a little longer than the others.

"Sadly, the raiders decided that my Zura'ix was too beautiful a price to let pass. They damaged it beyond repair, and it has been broken up for materials," Xi'kroak said.

Irwin could hear the intense pain in the Captain's voice, and he couldn't blame him. When they had left, Captain Xi'kroak's ship had been well-maintained and ready to take on any travel. Now, its hull had two patched-up holes, while its sides were covered in scratches and scorch marks.

"Not many can say they survived being attacked by three raider ships and got away," Xi'balak said. "Zura'ix can be repaired, and wounds can heal. You were lucky."

We would have had two more if they hadn't fled upon seeing us, Irwin thought. Still, there was little joy that came with that thought, and he wasn't surprised when Xi'kroak sighed and lowered his head.

"Of the twenty-four merchants that entrusted me to bring them here, seventeen have died. It will take a long time for my pride to return," the Captain said, sounding ashamed.

Xi'balak uttered something that sounded like the scratching and banging of a stone against a metal plate while glaring at Xi'kroak. Xi'kroak's head snapped up, and he crossed his arms. He ground his teeth before replying in the same tongue. Whatever he had said made Xi'balak frown and growl another line that sounded like a question.

They continued talking rapidly for a while, and slowly, Xi'balak calmed down. Eventually, he turned to Irwin.

"Mercenary leader Irwin. The council of Sesnansar thanks your mercenary group for taking out three raider ships. I am sure they will send you an invite to thank you personally, and if you are interested in a few additional missions while you are handling the task you were given, find me after you have settled."

Irwin was about to answer, but Xi'balak turned, grunted something at Xi'kroak, and floated up from the deck and back to his ship. The ship sped off back to the harbor as soon as he landed while the other two slowed and remained behind.

"What did he say?" Irwin asked as he looked at Xi'kroak.

Xi'kroak looked at him, then sighed. "I am to meet the Daran, the council of free-roaming Da'xi captains. They will decide if I am to return to our homeworld to plead my case or if I was not at fault."

"At fault for what?" Greldo asked.

Xi'kroak frowned as he looked at Greldo, then turned back to Irwin.

"As a captain, it is my duty to protect those in my care. Failure is to be examined by the Daran, who will decide on my fate."

"But there was no way you could have done anything to prevent this," Greldo snorted, seeming to ignore the way Xi'kroak glared at him.

"I will just have to wait and see if the Daran agree with that," Xi'kroak said before turning and stalking away.

Irwin and Greldo waited until he disappeared through the door before looking at each other.

"These guys are worse than the nobles back home," Greldo said with a snort. "Just because I'm not the same rank as him, he looks at me like I'm dirt!"

Irwin nodded before sighing. "I'm glad that's not how we do things. Can you imagine being held accountable for something like this?"

Greldo shrugged.

"It is not that unlike how things were back home," Daubutim said softly, causing the others to look at him in surprise. "The nobles you just spoke about are held accountable for their decisions by other nobles and the king. Xi'kroak decided to go here with his ship. He could also have gone somewhere else…"

Irwin realized he could understand where Daubutim was coming from.

"So, by their accounts, because Dondast lost most of his people and we had taken the mission to guard them, their deaths are on us?" Greldo asked.

Irwin flinched and suddenly realized he had forgotten they had taken that mission.

"Probably," Daubutim said. "Though, I presume they know not everyone has the same rules as the Da'xi. I'm pretty sure we won't be paid, however."

Irwin and Greldo shared a look.

"Well, whatever," Greldo finally said. "I'm glad we are here now. Let's just find someplace to fix our ship's sail. If there is none, we can still go with Xi'kroak to the final stop as planned. What is that called anyway?"

"The Roaming Shipyard," Irwin said as he recalled what he had read in the book. "It's a collection of twenty or more old ships connected atop a large tree. It was created fifty-five years ago after people stopped actively searching for new worlds out here. Before that period, around the time that Sesnansar was founded, it moved to new locations every few years. It was a basecamp from which the explorer and mercenary groups explored this region."

Irwin fell quiet as he saw Greldo looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You could have read the book," Irwin said with a grin.

"Perhaps I should have," Greldo muttered before shrugging. "Well, whatever. If we can't find a sail here, perhaps they have one there?"

"That's pretty likely," a voice called from above them.

The three looked up to see the crewmen they had spoken with a few times before looking down. He had a thicker ridge of blue plates above his eyes, and Irwin called him Brow in his mind. They had asked him for his name before, but apparently, anyone who was a Cha'ik couldn't share their name or accept a nickname.

"So you think we can find a sail over there?" Irwin asked as he nodded at the incoming harbor.

"Normally, I'd say no, but there are way more ships here than we saw the previous time we were here," Brow said.

Something about how he said this drew Irwin's attention and focused on Brow.

"Do you have any idea why they would be here?" he asked.

"Not sure, but I do recognize a few of the ships that used to be at Roaming Shipyard…"

A shouted command came from the door opening, showing Xi'kroak waving at Brow, who waved back and climbed across the sail to another spot.

Great, Irwin thought as he stared at the distant harbor.