"-don't know, but Zender should be back with the guards soon."

"I still can't believe you destroyed that entire house."

"Stop laughing. It cost me over four-hundred soulshards!"

The voices continued, and Bendi woke slowly, his head throbbing painfully. His well-honed instincts of years living outside of the law kicked in before he could move or act.

I'm caught but not tied up?

He tried to recall what had happened. The last thing he remembered was that they had decided to grab the ship of those blue-scaled law-abiders. Pertas has been as hateful as always, and then… finally, the memories returned in a flash: a shadowy blur, some tall hairy heartcarded, a fist, and then nothing.

"Stop acting like you are still unconscious. We have some questions."

Bendi didn't react to the low, growly voice. Instead, he focused on his minute-movement skill. Instantly, he sensed his surroundings. He was in a cabin, probably a ship from what he sensed, with four men. One was a towering behemoth, his overly muscular arms crossed.

As soon as his skill examined the man, a wave of vibrations erupted from the giant, and Bendi's skill failed to give him more than a global read.

Shit, he has a skill like mine? Or... don't tell me he has a Ruby rank skill? Dammit!

With growing worry, he quickly scanned the rest of the room.

One door, and it's closed. Well great! Thanks a lot, Pertas! I hope you got your ass killed, Bendi thought.

Something sharp poked his chest, and if he hadn't been motionless, he would have been then. How had he not sensed anything moving? Even now, he could only barely detect the presence of a massive blade pointed at his chest.

"Last warning…"

This voice was calm, almost creepily so, and had an odd quality.

"Alright, alright," Bendi said as he opened his eyes.

Three men surrounded him, and he froze.

Where's the fourth one?

His skill was never this wrong! He quickly scanned the ones glaring at him. There was a towering shorthaired giant, probably some sort of metal elemental, a man with surprisingly black hair and dull blue eyes that made him feel creeped out, and a Da'xi, probably a crewman. Still, only the giant was a heartcarded. Perhaps he could get away?

"So… finally decided to stop playing dead?" a growly voice whispered from next to him.

Bendi abruptly looked to the side to find a fourth man, a silver-eyed heartcarded that he knew definitely hadn't been there a moment before. Hairy and with a sharp face, Bendi recognized him immediately. This was the guy that knocked him out. He was glaring at him with silvery, triangular pupils, something Bendi had never seen before.

Still, he was obviously human. He must have some rare Emerald or Ruby rank body-improving card.

The others aren't here, so I guess they are dead.

Bendi held back an annoyed sigh. He'd been in the business too long not to know what that meant. He'd have to find a new crew.

"What do you want with me?" he asked, deciding to cut to the chase.

The hairy guy's eyes widened, but all he did was laugh.

"See that? He didn't even ask where his friends were or where he himself is! Didn't even ask why he was on a ship! If he wasn't a raider, I'd be impressed!"

Bendi frowned as he inspected the other three. Although the hairy one did all the talking so far, he was pretty sure he wasn't in charge. If he had to guess, it was the metallic giant, but there was something uncanny about the blue-eyed one.

"Why did you want to steal the ship?"

Bendi's eyes widened as he looked at the metallic giant, whose voice almost sounded like he'd swallowed a bell; it was that deep. Then he forced a smile and focused on his second skill. Time to see how high rank these guys were.

"I wasn't planning to steal anything," he said, his voice slightly oily as he let his skill seep through it. He himself couldn't hear anything special, but people who had been on the receiving end of his skill had told him that his voice turned warm and comforting when he used his skill. "That was my-"

Something sharp poked his chest, and he froze, looking down. A two-handed sword had appeared in the hands of the dull-blue-eyed one, the point jabbing him. It was probably the same one that had been there before, and- wait, when had it even disappeared? Looking at the dull eyes that showed not even the slightest emotion, he swallowed.

"Want to try again?"

Bendi looked back at the one he guessed was the leader, and this time, he knew his smile was more of a grimace.

Guess they have more than one person with a Ruby card, he thought, guessing it had to be the blue-eyed one and the giant.

It was the only way for this skill not to work. He didn't come across many people with such high-rank cards out on the fringe branches, which was the reason he preferred it here. His mind spun as he tried to think of a way out.

A soft sniff made him focus, and he saw the eyes narrow dangerously—no time for tricks.

"We needed to get out of here," he said quickly.

There was a moment of quiet, then the creepy one leaned closer to him, the sword more than a little uncomfortable now.

"Why?"

"Because there's going to be more trouble here, just like at The Roaming Shipyard," Bendi said as he looked around and licked his suddenly dry lips.

He had to figure out something!

The cabin was empty and looked like it had been unused for a while, and besides the still, quiet blue-scale, the others didn't seem like people that knew their way around a ship. Every time the ship minutely swayed, he could see them having to correct.

"You guys own this ship? If you are leaving, I could offer you my services?"

He saw the three dangerous ones share a look before the creepy-eyed one shook his head. "He is a raider. Father always said that anyone willing to live like that would never be a useful addition."

His father? Or some guy called father, Bendi thought.

"I'm not a raider," he quickly said. "I just had some unlucky-"

The sword prodded him, and Bendi gritted his teeth. What was wrong with these people? Couldn't they at least let him finish talking?"

"He has a skill that makes his words more trustworthy than they are," creepy-eye said.

Bendi swallowed a response as the dull eyes turned so cold he feared he'd see snow forming.

"So that's the weird oily feeling I have when he talks?" hairy muttered. "I thought he was just annoying."

The giant didn't show any shock either.

Damit, all of them noticed?

"Hey, come now," Bendi said. "I just woke up with four strangers and a sword on my chest! I feel I'm doing pretty well?"

A shiver ran through the ship as a half dozen heavy objects landed on the deck.

"Irwin?" a young voice shouted came from outside.

"In here, Zender," the metal one said.

So that guy is the boss, and he's called Irwin? Bendi thought, turning his head to the door.

The door was shoved open, and a young Yuurindi kid ran inside, followed by a familiar face.

Bendi grimaced as he watched Xi'balak.

"Well, well…. If it isn't Bendi," the obnoxious leader of the guards said, sounding more than a little happy.

Shit. Xi'balak!

Bendi quickly turned back to the one called Irwin. He slowly rose to his knees, keeping his back to the door. It seemed it was time to beg.

"Listen! If you accept me in your crew, I'll work for you for free for a year! I'm a capable crewman and can do most jobs," he said, unable to keep the fear from his voice.

If Xi'balak got his hands on him, he'd be brought through the portal to Sesnansar, where he'd have to work in the mines for years.

A dark eyebrow rose, and Bendi heard a soft laughter from Xi'balak.

"Do you know if he is as good as he claims?" Irwin asked as he looked at the blue-plated crewman who had been quietly observing everything.

Bendi frowned. He wasn't that well known, and-

"I don't know him, but his movements show that he is familiar with ships," the blue-plated crewman said calmly. "There are less dangerous options if you need a crewman."

Bendi gritted his teeth, wishing he could slap that blue-scaled fool. He forced his anger down, his mind spinning as he tried to devise a solution. There had to be something he knew or had that would interest this guy!

The sails! He suddenly recalled the broken sails on the ships that had been dragged into the harbor. The ship they were in had to be one of those. No Da'xi would let their ship fall to such a state as the one he was in now.

"I know where some ships crashed, sails whole! If you accept me into your crew I'll share their location," he said, knowing that Pertas would have screamed in anger had he been here and heard him share their secret.

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There was a flicker in Irwin's eyes, and Bendi felt his hope grow.

"I can even help you remove the sails without breaking or ripping them," Bendi hurried.

The giant hesitated, then shook his head.

"We don't have a ship to get them," Irwin said, and Bendi cursed himself. How had he forgotten that?

"For half of the sails, I'm willing to take you out there," Xi'balak said quietly. "I had to go and see the situation at the Roaming Shipyard anyway, and I'm sure it has to be somewhere around there. Besides, if it ends up he was lying, we can just toss him out there."

Bendi flinched, but he saw Irwin's eyes focus on him and nodded with a grimace. "It's somewhere in that region," he said. "But you could search for years without finding them without me pointing them out!"

Irwin's eyes moved to the person behind him, and Bendi swallowed, knowing that Xi'balak was now standing a step behind him.

He probably has those creepy daggers out, he thought, shivering.

"Are you sure you don't mind if I take him?" Irwin rumbled.

Don't ask him that! Just tell him I'm in your crew! He won't be able to hold me, Bendi nearly screamed. What was wrong with this guy? Did he know nothing?

"You can take him. However, even if he was the least nasty of the three I was watching, Bendi is still a raider. He would have thrown the crewmen of the Zura'ix to their deaths without blinking an eye…" Xi'balak said calmly. "Are you sure you can keep him in line?"

Bendi froze. What was going on? Why was Xi'balak talking with this Irwin as if he were an equal? Da'xi never did that! Was he someone special? He felt his worry grow. What if going with this guy was worse than working in Sesnansar mines for six years…

"If he makes a single mistake, we will just throw him overboard," a cool voice said.

Bendi swallowed and turned to creepy-eyes, who was staring at him dully.

What is wrong with this guy? Is it some type of intimidation card I've never heard about?

"Daubutim is right," Irwin said. "We need a crew, at least for a while, and if he isn't lying about the sails-"

"I'm not," Bendi quickly interjected while memorizing the name of creepy-eyes. Dauboetimp? He'd never heard of someone called that before.

"-it will be useful for not just us," Irwin continued, seeming to ignore him. "The other two ships need sails. But, are you seriously willing to let me take him in my crew?"

Bendi wanted to slap himself. Again? Why would he even bring that up!? What if Xi'balk did change his mind?

"If you want him in your crew, I can do nothing to prevent it. However, do realize you will be responsible for what he does while he is in your crew."

"Not his past actions, I hope?" Irwin asked, eyebrows lowering worriedly.

"No."

Bendi frowned as he saw Irwin share a look with the hairy one for whom he didn't have a name yet. Something seemed to pass between them, and the metallic giant lowered beside him. Bendi noticed that the pale copper skin moved like regular human skin and not at all like the few metal elementals he had met. Was he mistaken? This guy was a metallic elemental, wasn't he?

"Before we continue, how about you share with us what trouble you think is going to come here?"

There was a sharp intake from behind Bendi.

Dammit, Bendi thought as he held back a grimace. He'd hoped they would not have brought that up again, especially now that Xi'balak was here.

"There's a group of Nyzir out there," he said slowly, wishing Irwin would officially ask him to join his crew already. If this continued…

--

Irwin frowned at Bendi. The man's shifty silver eyes and the tiny vibrations he kept sending out annoyed him, but he kept his face as serene as possible. Whatever Bendi was doing, his heartcard skill was either weak or low rank, and Irwin sensed the effect bouncing away from him.

He could barely believe the discussion they were having. There was something about how accepting someone in a crew was more important than past crimes, which made no sense to him.

Focus! he snapped at himself.

"The Nyzir are the ones that attacked The Roaming Shipyard?" he asked Bendi.

"Yes," the slippery guy said. "They snuck inside and managed to kill half of the captains before the alarm was sounded. Sneaky little monsters."

Yeah, Irwint thought as he recalled the stories he'd heard from Greldo.

They were the only demons that had been attacking Giard that he hadn't personally seen, and from what he'd heard, he wasn't too sad about that.

"How did you get out alive?" he asked, taking a quick look at Xi'balak standing behind Bendi with two daggers out.

"Pertas managed to sneak us aboard one of the leaving ships," Bendi said.

"Pertas?" Irwin asked, guessing it was one of the two that Coal had killed.

"The leader of their little group and a nasty piece of work," Xi'balak said.

Bendi shrugged. "Pertas had his issues, but his heartcard was pretty useful. Without it, we would have been dead."

"There are rumors that Pertas took three merchant vessels and wiped out all of the people aboard," Xi'balak snapped.

Irwin saw Bendi shiver, and he looked back at Greldo. Were they seriously thinking about bringing this guy along just to get a few sails? The uncertain look on Greldo's face showed that he wasn't too sure either.

"Xi'balak, do you have a crystal tablet to create contracts?"

Irwin looked at Daubutim, who spoke in a sharp voice that matched his sudden, sharp gaze. Daubutim had been the one to say no, but he could instantly see his friend had changed his mind. That meant Daubutim had a plan, which was the only reason he hadn't told Xi'balak to take Bendi away.

"I do."

"Can I use it for a moment?" Daubutim asked.

One of the daggers in Xi'balak's hands vanished, and a moment later, he had taken a palm-sized tablet of green crystal from his pocket.

Daubutim took the offered tablet, and Irwin saw his eyes grow cold as he turned them to Bendi.

"Create a contract," Daubutim ordered as he raised the crystal tablet to his mouth.

"Dictate terms," a cool feminine voice replied.

"The crewmen and raider 'Bendi' will come with Giard's Rangers and show them the location of the crashed ships he mentioned previously. He will also act as a crewman to the best of his abilities and share any information that could be useful to us, including but not limited to what happened to the Roaming Shipyard and potential attacks on Sesnanser. Lastly, he will teach all of the skills he has in handling ships to the other members of Giard's Ranges. In exchange, the Giard Rangers will accept him in their crew for a limited time. When this time finishes, Bendi will be brought to the nearest portal gallery harbor," Daubutim said, finishing with a soft hum.

Irwin held back a whistle. Daubutim kept surprising him, and he couldn't wait to ask him why they were taking a potential liability with them.

"If Bendi fails in any part of the contract, Giard's Rangers will end his life, and if he manages to make it away, we will add a bounty of a thousand soulshards on his head," Greldo suddenly said.

There was a stunned silence while everyone, including Bendi, looked at him with different levels of surprise and shock.

The feminine voice spoke again. "Daubutim, should the final part be added?"

"Yes," Daubutim said, before turning to Bendi. "Do you accept?"

Irwin saw Bendi look back with eyes wide in fear. The silver-eyed human swallowed and looked around. Seeing him afraid made Irwin feel slightly better about bringing him along, especially if it was only temporary. If he was afraid of them, that should keep him in line.

Too bad this means I have to wait even longer before I can do some card-reforging!

Xi'balak sniffed, and Irwin saw he was now glaring at Bendi.

"I- Fine. I accept," Bendi said, his voice rising an octave.

"Irwin of the Giard's Rangers?" the feminine voice from the tablet asked.

Irwin hesitated, then decided to trust in Daubutim. "We accept."

"Contract finalized," the feminine voice said.

Irwin nodded as he rose and looked down at his newest member. He'd never expected they would bring a criminal along, especially since they had to find a world nobody knew about to hide his people. At least they could deal with the sails and learn how to work this ship. They would have to dump him somewhere shortly after so they could start exploring.

I'm curious to see why Daubutim thought this was a good idea, he thought. There were other options to get a sail, like buying one, so he was sure that wasn't all.

Bendi let out a weary sigh, and he shakily rose to his feet. Irwin was slightly surprised that he was almost as tall as Greldo. Greldo and, to a lesser extent, Daubutim were taller than nearly anyone back on Giard. Were the people back home just small compared to other humans, or were they just meeting tall people?

It's weird how Greldo and I are both taller than Daubutim now, he thought as he felt his mind slip back to long ago when they had first met the tall noble.

"Alright, now tell us everything that happened at the Roaming Shipyard," Daubutim said.

Irwin was surprised at how interested Daubutim sounded. They were only here to find a world. What did what had happened at that Shipyard have to do with that?

"Sure, but do you think I could get a drink? I haven't had anything in ages," Bendi said.

Irwin saw Greldo's eyes narrow, and he walked to the door, not interested in whatever was going to happen. Daubutim could fill him in later, but he had to do something else first. Just as he was about to exit, he thought of something and turned back around.

"Bendi, are you a capable navigator?" he asked, raising his voice to drown out the conversation.

"I can do it, but I'm not that good," Bendi said worriedly. "You need specific cards for that, and mine are more useful for other things."

Irwin nodded and walked outside, followed by Brow, the crewmember of The Zura'ix. Zender stood to the side, shuffling his feet, while three guards quietly observed Irwin.

Seeing the kid, Irwin looked over his shoulder.

"I'll go with Zender and see who that navigator is he was talking about," he whispered.

Greldo looked up and nodded while the others continued hammering Bendi with questions.

As Irwin turned back around, he saw Zender stand a few steps from him with gleaming eyes.

So he heard that? Interesting, Irwin thought as he glanced at the kids' hand. He wondered which of the five cards gave him that or if it was something all of his species could do.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Definitely!' Zender replied enthusiastically.

Ten minutes later, they were walking through a section of the port that Irwin hadn't been at yet, not that that said a lot. He'd only been in a few areas so far. Zender had been quiet, but he had noticed the kid kept biting his lips and hesitating, obviously wanting to say something.

"If you have a question, just ask," Irwin finally said when the kid nearly put a hand to his mouth.

"That ship, if you are really taking that out, you are going to need a few more sail-cleaners," Zender said rapidly.

Irwin blinked as he thought about the size of the ship. It was smaller than The Zura'ix, which had three sail-cleaners. Still, as he thought about it, he guessed the sails did seem roughly the same size.

"How many do you think we would need?" Irwin asked curiously.

"Depends on the cards the others would have, but one at a minimum, while two would be best," Zender said.

Irwin suddenly recalled the two girls who had talked with him after Zender left. Somehow, this felt way too convenient, and he frowned at Zender.

The boy froze, then began squirming.

Irwin tried to recall the names the girls had given him. It took him a few moments, and during that time, Zender began to fidget more and more.

"Did Trinn talk to you?" Irwin asked, finally recalling one of the names.

Zender's mouth fell open, and then it shut closed with a snap.

"Those two no-good, annoying little brats," he muttered. "They came and talked with you?"

Irwin couldn't stop smiling and nodded. "Yes."

Should he tell Zender that they had tried to steal his potential job? Zender's ugly look told him the other had already guessed what had happened.

"Bah, and I was going to ask if you could bring them," Zender said, sounding aggrieved.

"You don't even know if I'll bring you," Irwin said teasingly.

Zender blinked, then shrugged. "True."

"So, who is this navigator, and how do you know him?" Irwin asked, switching the topic.

He still wasn't sure if he should bring the kids. Perhaps he could come up with another way to keep the sails clean.

"Just my mother. Nothing special, really. She just has some great cards," Zender said, seeming distracted.

Irwin gaped at the boy. His mother? How was this a way to talk about your mother? Zender looked up and must have seen his surprise.

"What? I'm a Yuurindi."

Irwin looked back, not sure how that was supposed to explain anything.

"…"

"Don't tell me you've never met one of us? We are all over the fringe branches," Zender muttered.

"There are no Yuurindi where I'm from," Irwin said before hastily adding, "Or at least, I've never seen one!"

"Oh," Zender said before his eyes widened. "Oh! Right. Well, I guess that's fair. I've never seen one of your kind either, though I've heard of them. Lyodin, right?"

Surprised that Zender knew about those, Irwin shook his head, quickly recalling his conversation with Daubutim. "No, I'm a Fiz'rin," he said. "We look alike, though."

"Never heard of those," Zender said as he began inspecting Irwin.

It almost felt like the boy was making a mental image of him. It lasted for a while, and Irwin felt himself become slightly uncomfortable. What was this kid doing, looking at him like that? Did he not believe what he was saying?

"So, what's with your mother?" he finally asked, hoping to snap Zender out of it.

The boy frowned, then continued walking forward, his purple eyebrows in a frown. "Yeah, well, you know how most people here get born one at a time from women? Wait, are you even born like that? Gah! This is so confusing!"

You are telling me, Irwin thought.

"I have heard about what you mean. It's how humans are born, right?"

"Yeah! Exactly! So, Yuurindi are hatched from eggs, and our mothers lay dozens, sometimes a hundred, in one go. I don't think I have to explain to you that having to look after that many is somewhat impossible. Anyway, we only stay with our mothers until we can walk and talk. Unlike with most races, that only takes a year or two for us," Zender said. "Only the genetically best stay with mother."

Irwin felt a slight headache arise, and for the first time in a while, he had the desire to lick his lips.

"And your fathers?"

Zender blinked before slapping his forehead. "Right! Well, it takes years before the eggs are ready to leave our mothers, and most of the time, those don't stick around."

Irwin looked at him, surprised at how calm and normal Zender made it seem.

"Right," he said.

Zender just nodded and kept leading him through the narrow corridors.

Irwin thought about Scintilla and the Ignitzions and then the Yuurindi.

I guess what I think is normal isn't all that normal out here, he thought.

For a while, he tried to imagine being born with a dozen brothers and sisters. As he did, he had an idea.

"Are Trinn and… the other girl your sisters?" he asked.

Zender turned and grinned. "Heh. Every other Yuurindi except for the adults here are from my clutch!"

Irwin gaped at the boy as he continued forward.