Irwin stood in his cabin, looking at Xi'kroak and his mate, wishing the cabin was larger and that he had a desk like he'd seen in Xi'kroak's cabin. It felt crowded with just four people: Xi'kroak, his La'suna, and Greldo.

"Captain Irwin, let me start by saying your fear is ungrounded," Xi'kroak began as soon as the door closed. "We are not here to lay claim to this world you have found. Now that we can speak more freely, let me say that I have a little more knowledge about how other species think, and I know how dangerous this situation can be with nearly any but Da'xi."

Irwin felt slightly relieved at the calm tone but didn't speak up. He sensed that Xi'kroak wasn't done, and he was curious about what else Xi'kroak had to say before the questions would come.

Xi'kroak waited for a few seconds before sighing. "That being said, I will have to request refuge for myself and my crewmen. I hope you will allow us onto the world so we can find food and rest. We have been traveling on very little, and I should have returned yesterday. We continued because of the portal opening flare we spotted."

Irwin had somewhat expected it, but the wary, sad tone of Xi'kroak still caught him off guard.

I could have used Daubutim here, he thought, but he also knew he would need to fix this situation himself.

There was no more time to get Daubutim; besides, if it did come to fighting, it would be better to have Greldo here. Daubutim still needed to learn how to use his skills, and even then, he was likely far less powerful than Greldo at this moment, no matter if he was more powerful than Greldo at the same point.

"I need a moment to decide what to do," he said as he realized how long he'd been quiet. "Can you tell me what happened at Sesnanser?"

Xi'kroak's mate let out a soft sniff, but Captain Xi'kroak's faceplates just rattled softly.

"The Nyzir and Galubs cordoned off the narrow area beyond Sesnanser. Due to this, we couldn't get reinforcements from the rest of The Daran, and when they attacked, we were outnumbered," Xi'kroak said. "In my estimate, it is unlikely that there will be any effort to free Sesnanser in the near future, if at all. This means that if we are to survive, we will either need to make a run past the blockade or-" Xi'kroak looked up at the ceiling where the portal was.

So they actually blocked the way out? Irwin thought as he realized why Xi'kroak needed a place to go. It also meant he didn't have to worry about someone else appearing soon. He glanced at Greldo, who was quietly listening, but his friend showed no interest in providing his opinion.

So, that meant it was up to him. He hummed as he thought about what the biggest problem would be, that Xi'kroak would head back out before the people of Giard had the time to create proper defenses.

"This is possible, but let me explain my issue," he finally said, mixing as much truth into what he said as he dared. "The mission we are here for requires this world to remain hidden for a long time. Your presence, especially after you go through the portal, isn't planned and could cause excessive issues that I need to prevent."

"There is a simple fix. Can you allow my people a permanent base on the world?" Xi'kroak asked calmly.

And there is another one, Irwin thought as he frowned. That meant besides his own people, there would be Yuurindi, Granvils, and Da'xi. Still… was that such a bad thing? His people would need expertise and knowledge when they got here, and having alliances with other races wasn't really such a bad thing.

Slowly, the prospect began to seem more interesting, and he slowly nodded, noting that Xi'kroak's faceplates widened slightly more, almost returning to what he had come to see as normal.

"What would you do if we allowed this?" he asked.

"We would build a small outpost and remain there until we are allowed to leave, though I would require at least some form of a time period that we would need to abide by," Xi'kroak said, unable to keep all of the excitement out of his voice.

"How large would this outpost be?" Irwin asked thoughtfully.

"Rank six worlds have hundreds or more adjacent worlds," Xi'kroak said, and Irwin saw his eyes begin gleaming. "One of those would be perfect."

That's supposed to be a small outpost? Irwin thought, slightly outraged.

He was about to suggest a small patch of land when he thought of something and hesitated. If they were on an adjacent world, that meant he would be in control of the portal to it, even if they put up a small defense force. In the end, when Giard's remaining population came over, they would easily be able to deal with the Da'xi if they ended up being a danger. Besides, the Da'xi were known for their large fleet, something that would be useful to have eventually.

Still… if he just accepted it right away, that seemed like a bad idea. Besides, this is something that can definitely wait for me to discuss with Daubutim, he decided.

"I can't promise anything like that right now," Irwin said. "However, if you promise to help with what we are going to do for the world, that will most definitely increase the chances of it being possible."

Xi'kroak's face plates widened, and a wide smile sat around his lips, making Irwin guess that he was happy enough with what he'd gotten.

"We will help however we can," he said, and Irwin saw him tap his hand against his mate's, who was looking almost as surprised as she was happy.

"So, now that's all taken care of," Greldo said, finally speaking up. "We might want to figure out a way for us to protect this open portal. If you could find us, there's the possibility that those bloody demons do too!"

Irwin nodded while he saw Xi'kroak's face plates return to normal.

"I will remain on the ship," Xi'kroak said. "La'suna can go to the world and see if she can find food that will suit us. Am I correct in believing that the world is uninhabited?"

Irwin frowned. "That is something that we are unsure of yet. For now, we have yet to find anything that indicates there is sentient life there, but we have only scouted a small area."

Xi'kroak's face plates rattled softly. "I don't know the details of your mission, but La'suna is a fantastic scout. She can assist you in exploring."

"That would be great," Irwin said as he slowly felt the lingering worry fade. If Xi'kroak was willing to send his mate to the world while he stayed here, that was a massive sign of goodwill in his book. However, he knew there was one thing he had to make sure of. They would need time and no prying eyes to open the one-time portal Gelwin gave them.

"Greldo is our best scout, and I'm sure he'd be happy with some assistance," he said as he grinned at his friend, who nodded happily.

"Then I think it's a good idea for you to head back and warn Daubutim that everything is fine. You can bring La'suna along while Xi'kroak and I talk about the details. Return in four hours of the world's time," he added, deciding that would give them time after that to open the portal somewhere.

I'm going to have to find out how long that works and what we need to do.

"Sounds like a plan," Greldo said as he looked at La'suna. "Do you need anything before we leave?"

"No. I am fine."

"Then let's head out," Greldo said before turning to Irwin. "Do you want me to send Ib and Zender back, or…?"

"No," Irwin said, trying to plan ahead. "Just bring them when you return. When you are back, I'll go and fill Daubutim in with the details."

Greldo nodded as he walked out of the cabin, followed by La'suna. After they had left, Irwin was about to ask if Xi'kroak had any ideas on how to get a defensible area around the floating portal when the Da'xi surprised him.

"Captain Irwin, can we discuss Monique?"

Irwin blinked, then nodded somewhat dumbly. "Uh… sure. How did she come aboard your ship?"

"She managed to teleport aboard," Xi'kroak said before continuing, slightly uncertain. "She said she is a friend of yours?"

"I've worked with her, and we have common friends," Irwin said, not sure where this was going.

"I see… When she arrived to board our ship, she seemed to know of your plans to go to a portal, although not the details," Xi'kroak said. "I didn't believe her, but it seemed I might have been too hasty."

Irwin frowned. That Monique knew they were going to look for a planet didn't surprise him too much, but this made it sound like they had already known exactly where to go. Xi'kroak didn't seem to notice his confusion as he slowly continued.

"Due to this, I was afraid she was getting my crewmen killed, and I might have… threatened her a little."

Irwin held back a snorted laugh, then shrugged. "Is she alright?" he asked.

"Yes! She is fine. We didn't harm a scale on her body," Xi'kroak said hurriedly.

"Alright, then, I don't see a problem," Irwin said with a shrug.

If Xi'kroak had harmed Monique, he might have reacted differently, but in essence, this just meant Xi'kroak saved her while being wary of her reason for being there. Besides, he didn't have any connection with her, nor did he like her that much, and he couldn't forget how she'd pestered him on the way back to Fiverio.

"Thank you for being so considerate," Xi'kroak said, and Irwin could hear the relief in his voice. "I am also sad to say that supplies of food for her kind ran out, and she might need some feeding. I'll have her brought over to you as soon as I return."

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This time, Irwin couldn't hold back a sigh. He'd somehow managed to forget that she would probably be joining them, and he hoped she wasn't just going to bother him again.

"Alright," he said, not even bothering to hide his disinterest. "Now, let's go to Rindiri, who is my navigator. If Daubutim, Greldo, or I aren't here, she's in command of the Sonata."

Xi'kroak didn't move, looking at him curiously. "She is a Yuurindi."

"I know," Irwin said, looking back with a raised eyebrow. "So?"

"Very few sentient species have dealings with them out of some misguided fear. It is surprising that you have one and seem to allow her so much freedom," Xi'kroak said, no disgust or adversity in his voice.

Irwin stared at Xi'kroak, trying to determine if there was any hidden hatred for Yuurindi. He liked Rindiri and her kids, and if there was some hatred between these races, he needed to figure it out right now. Still, Xi'kroak's face plates were relaxed and still slightly open, while his eyes radiated calm. Nothing gave Irwin the idea that the Da'xi was anything but honestly curious.

"I've heard about the history of her people, and I seriously doubt they can overrun an entire world in a few generations," he said. "At least, not anymore. From what I've heard and seen, they are more likely to grow extinct before that," he said thoughtfully. He hesitated, then added. "She will likely get one of the adjacent worlds for herself and her people."

Xi'kroak's faceplates vibrated slightly, but not enough to rattle, and he sighed. The Da'xi's faceplates opened nearly wholly, something Irwin hadn't seen before, and he saw a wide smile that reached Xi'Kroak's eyes.

"I have never met a Loydin that is like you. I feel our collaboration will be long and fruitful, and I'll explain to my people that they are to be more tolerant of possible differences in our behaviors. To be transparent, we, the Da'xi, think as you do. Some of our scholars have read through the history of the Yuurindi and have found many details to be highly suspicious. The assumption on my homeworld is that the history we have been shown has been tampered with. Thus, you will find Yuurindi among many Da'xi vessels."

Iriwin, although happy by what he heard, quickly interjected. "Thank you, but I'm not a Loydin but a Fiz'rin," he said, hesitating then continuing. "Well, something very similar."

Somehow, it felt wrong to lie full-out to Xi'kroak after he'd the trust he had shown. Although he wasn't sure, he thought he recalled that Daubutim had told him that opening faceplates meant something significant to Da'xi.

I'll ask Daubutim, he thought.

"I am sorry to say that I have not heard of your kind before," Xi'kroak said as his faceplates slowly closed again. "I would be honored if you told me more about them in the future. But for now, let us go and meet your navigator."

Irwin couldn't agree more, and he quickly headed out of the cabin.

For the next hour, he, Xi'kroak, and Rindiri discussed what they could do if the Galub or Nyzir found them. Most of them were scenarios that dealt with destroying as many as they could before chasing those who fled.

Irwin quickly realized he had little to add to the conversation, and he just listened to Rindiri and Xi'kroak discuss things rapidly. He was glad when the portal finally crackled to indicate someone was coming through. Still dirty, smelly, and bored, he was very ready to head back to the world and find that river.

Ib was the first to come through, looking annoyed and with arms covered in the same grime as Irwin had. She was quickly followed by Greldo and La'suna, and a moment later, Zender came through with a wide smile on his face.

La'suna immediately glided towards the Xi'kroak, and Irwin decided to give them some privacy. If they even spoke a language he knew, Greldo could just listen in without them knowing.

Irwin walked forward, noting an annoyed gleam in Greldo's eyes as his friend glared after Ib.

"What happened?" Irwin whispered.

"Nothing. Ib just required a bit more convincing than I wanted to give, so I had to throw her back through the portal," Greldo said, not bothering to lower his voice.

Irwin couldn't hold back his grin as he glanced up to see Ib stomp toward the cabin, face red and head down. Rindiri was giving her the stink-eye, and he guessed Ib was going to get a scolding again.

"Anything else?" he asked, turning his attention back to his friend.

"No. Daubutim said you should come over. He had something to discuss," Greldo said. "Just come get us when you're ready."

Something about the last bit confused Irwin, but he nodded. Whatever was going on, Daubutim would tell him when he arrived.

"I was planning on it," he replied, turning to Xi'kroak. "Captain Xi'kroak, I need to speak with my friend on the planet and see to cleaning myself. If you need to discuss anything, you can do so with Greldo."

Xi'balak nodded before pointing at his ship. "And Monique?"

Irwin looked at the other ship, seeing Monique looking back with a weary, somewhat scared look. He felt slightly guilty for not getting her here soon, and he focused back on Xi'kroak. "Can you bring her over?" he asked.

"Of course."

"Thank you," Irwin said as he turned to Greldo. "I'll be back in a few hours. Just give Monique one of the free cabins. Oh! And she might be a bit hungry."

Greldo raised his eyebrow.

"Something about not having enough food," Irwin said before giving Xi'kroak a final nod and heading to the portal. With each step, his enthusiasm grew.

I wonder how that teleporter card works, he wondered as he jumped into the portal.

---

As Irwin stepped out of the portal, automatically raising his foot to prevent tripping over the root, he realized the root was gone. Instead, the ground before it had been evened out, and Dautbim stood before him. Twyl, his raven, was perched on his shoulder, looking around with cold eyes.

"Greldo couldn't fill me in completely, but I take it that we have come to an agreement with Xi'kroak?" Daubutim asked calmly.

"Yes," Irwin said.

He quickly explained what had happened in as much detail as he could remember, and when he finished, Daubutim's eye was nearly completely red with tiny bolts of red lightning.

"We will have to be very careful with how much we trust them, but for now, this looks to be beneficial to us in the long run," Daubutim said calmly as his eye calmed. "You are also correct. That Xi'kroak showed his entire face is a sign of incredible trust and a way to honor you. However, it is best that we aren't entirely trusting yet. Much of it will likely have to do with this world."

Irwin nodded, fully agreeing with the sentiment.

"Let's just be sure that we keep an eye on them," he said before looking at his grimy arm. The blood had long since dried up, but the thicker gunk looked as nasty as a few hours earlier.

River or portal first, he wondered, wishing he could just use his Sweltering skill to clean up. Sadly, that wouldn't have anywhere near the amount of water he would need for the thick, semi-dried-up muck covering him.

"I know you need to clean up, but we need to open the portal first," Daubutim said. "Things have been happening and moving faster than we want, and now that we've decided to settle here, it's time to connect to Gelwin."

"Shouldn't we scout for sentient beings first?" Irwin asked. "Or did Greldo and La'suna manage that already?"

"Greldo scouted an area of half a day around us. There's a large river a few hours north, while to the east, the forest changes to hills. Southward, the forest turns so dense he couldn't scout it without the risk of teleporting into something dangerous, and the west seemed to remain as you see it. A widespread, open forest setting that continued for as far as he could see," Daubutim said, his voice speeding up, but not as much as it had the previous time.

He's already getting a hang of it, Irwin thought, impressed.

"Alright, so how are we going to do this?" he asked.

"Ambraz, can you remain here to make sure nothing comes through the portal?" Daubutim asked.

There was a snort from Irwin's pocket, and a moment later, Ambraz flitted out. "I can stay here, but what exactly do you expect me to do?" the Anvil asked.

"Irwin told me that when he first saw you, you were the size of a small hut. Can you still do that?"

Irwin's eyes widened as he remembered that moment, which was burned into his memory. Even then, he'd not thought about it for a long time.

"Ugh! I can, but it's so annoying," Ambraz muttered.

"Good," Daubutim said as pointed at the portal. "Please block the portal so nothing can come in or out."

Irwin was about to ask what would happen if Greldo or the others had to return when he recalled Greldo's odd remark.

"Did you talk with Greldo about this?" he asked.

"Yes. I told him that nobody should come through until one of us returns," Daubutim said. "We should be back in a few hours."

Ambraz, who had been hovering before the portal, sighed and plopped down on the ground in front of the portal, growing to twice his working size in a flash. Then Irwin saw him slowly continue to grow, almost as if he was inflating.

"Make sure you come back fast. I'm not interested in staying here for any longer than I have to," he said.

"We should be back within four hours," Daubutim said, frowning. "I had expected you to be bigger."

"No need to be so impatient! It takes a while to grow to my maximum size," Ambraz said. "Just head out. I'll keep it blocked."

Irwin saw Daubutim's eye ripple with lightning, then his raven hopped from his shoulder and landed on a tree nearby.

"I'll leave Twyl here to relay any message you have," Daubutim said. "When she disappears, you will know we have gone through the portal."

"Wait, we are going through the portal?" Irwin asked.

"After opening it, we need to talk with Gelwin, and he isn't able to come here without causing Giard to shatter," Daubutim said as he began walking.

Irwin followed him, noting they were heading north, which meant from what Daubutim had just told him that they were roughly heading towards the river.

"How far from the portal are we going to use that card?" Irwin asked.

"Gelwin's instructions were that it needs to be at least a mile away," Daubutim said. "Any closer to an existing portal would cause the temporary portal created by the card to destabilize, causing it to close very quickly."

Irwin frowned as he continued looking around. There was no sign of any movement, but Greldo had told him there were large frogs and flying squirrels, and he was still covered in enough of the six-horned boar things that he knew there definitely wasn't anything around.

"Let's run," he said. "No sense in wasting time."

Daubutim didn't respond but just began jogging, slowly picking up speed. Irwin followed him, and soon, they were running through the forest.

As he used his kinetic energy to speed up, Irwin realized how much he enjoyed being in the forest. Although he missed Scour's blistering temperature, he'd grown up near a forest, and looking around the greenery and ancient-looking trees, he realized he'd missed it.

Sooner than he wanted, Daubutim began slowing down.

"This should be fine. It will give us enough space to build a settlement, and with the river up north, we can start spreading out the people as soon as they arrive," his friend said as he approached a reasonably open spot. "I don't expect any trouble, but prepare for some just in case."

Irwin nodded, summoning a hammer and focusing on his heartcard's abilities.

Daubutim removed a small card from his pocket, and Irwin watched as he inspected it before taking a deep breath and putting it on the back of his hand.

Does he need to slot it? Irwin wondered.

A bright flash of light burst from Daubutim's hand, followed by a ball of shimmering pale light with the faint outlines of a card in the center. It slowly floated from his friend's hand, landing on the ground with a bright explosion of light. Luckily, there wasn't a loud sound, but even then, Irwin wondered if anyone had noticed the flash.

A shimmering white portal with dark purple lightning crackling around its edges appeared before Daubutim. The pale light rapidly dimmed, the white turning gray, then black, and within moments a portal hovered before them. The crackling around the edges remained purple, reminding Irwin somewhat of the Purperion that he'd purified from the hoop back on Scour.

As he gazed at the portal, he suddenly felt it had been somewhat anticlimactic. He couldn't say precisely why, but as he looked around to ensure nothing was sneaking up on them, he felt a growing sense of anticipation.

"Where does the portal actually go?" he asked.

"Giard," Daubutim said as he walked forward.

Irwin nodded. He already knew that.

"It should end up in Gelwin's tower," Daubutim said.

Irwin felt his mouth fall open as he turned to Daubutim. "The first sorcerer's tower?"

"Yes," Daubutim said absently. "The oldest known sorcerer tower that nobody has been inside since Gelwin left."

"That place is abandoned, isn't it?" Irwin asked. "Or did Gelwin return from Fiverio and is waiting for us?"

If that's the case, why doesn't he just come here?

"His answer was cryptic when I asked him that," Daubutim said. "Let's just go and see."

Irwin walked beside him, looking around. "Is it safe to just leave this portal unguarded?"

"If anything comes through, they are probably going to have to deal with whatever Gelwin has waiting for us. I'd say we will be safer on the other side," Daubutim said with a calm smile. "And when we return back, you can just go first and take care of anything that's here."

Irwin snorted, then laughed. "Alright, let's go then."

Daubutim nodded and stepped inside the portal, vanishing.

Irwin took a look around the forested area, back to where they had come from, then turned to the portal.

Back to Giard, he thought, as he felt his stomach clench slightly from a rapidly growing excitement.

Irwin took a deep breath and stepped into the portal.