Irwin was scarfing down as much food as he could, which, in his case, meant a lot. The only sounds were those of eating and the occasional scraping of a chair. Besides that, a charged atmosphere hung in the large room. The six groups that would be leaving today were sitting off to the side, but even the other youths seemed tense.

Irwin tried to ignore it as best he could, but he felt small and weak. Something tapped his foot, and he looked up to see Greldo stare at him before very carefully slipping some bread into his pocket.

Right, that might not be a bad idea, Irwin thought.

A few moments later, he'd stuffed as much bread and cheese in his pockets as they would hold without showing it.

Maybe they will give us food on the way? he thought.

He had barely finished the thought when the massive main door was shoved open, and Mouldir stomped towards them. His face was pulled into a scowl, and something about him made Irwin's skin crawl. It wasn't just that he looked angrier than usual; there seemed to be an aura of crackling energy around him.

"Common portals have started spawning like lice on a stray, and we need to get them closed before we get overrun," Mouldir boomed as he looked around.

"I know most of you haven't held a weapon and that you were all expecting more training, but there's no time!"

Irwin looked around to see the youths who hadn't been in the advanced class look around in confusion.

"All of you are going to have to help! That includes you," Mouldir shouted, waving at the entire room. "Get out there and move to the person holding a sign with your room number. They will get you to where you need to go. Now move!"

One of the nobles that hadn't been in the advanced class rose, his lip shivering.

"My lord, do you mean all of us?"

"Yes, I mean all of you," Mouldir snarled. "Now move before I hurl you out!"

The last shout was punctuated with a flash of light, and a massive two-handed maul, gleaming with blueish light, appeared in Mouldir's hand. As it slammed into the ground, a dull thrum ran through the tables, forks, plates, and other things, shaking and clattering.

The hundreds of youths scrambled towards the door, pouring out.

Irwin and the others were somewhere in the back of the pack, and when they finally stepped outside, a wave of cold air caused him to shiver. He still had no new boots, and his coat and shirt suddenly felt too thin. The staff he was holding, gifted by the tower because he had none, seemed to become colder rapidly.

I hope we are going near a town where I can buy new boots, he thought as he followed the others through the crowd.

There was confused talking and even some crying, and he couldn't blame them. He'd had at least some warning.

I wonder what changed that they suddenly sent most of us, he thought.

Spread out around the open area before the tower stood sorcerers carrying wooden poles with signs. Each sign had multiple numbers on it, and scanning around, he didn't see theirs anywhere.

"Over there," Twintin shouted.

Irwin and the others followed her towards a tall woman with a long leather dress and a dull gray breastplate strapped to the front. She had a spear jabbed in the ground beside her, a metallic shaft almost as tall as her with crimson ribbons attached to the end.

"Ah, the first ones," she said with a sad smile. "Come then, stand behind me as we wait for the next. What group are you?"

Greldo muttered a reply, and the woman's eyebrows shot up.

"Ahhh, the ones that completed that horrible Imp-filled place! I've been there, though that was three years ago. Did you get eaten by that two-headed flying serpent in the central tower?"

The group shared a horrified look before shaking their heads.

"Ah, well, you were luckier than I was then," the woman said just as another group moved over.

Irwin stayed at the back, keeping his arms wrapped around himself for heat and wondering if anybody would mind if he summoned his flame. He didn't think they would, but he decided to wait a while longer.

Ten minutes later, the sorceress, who had introduced herself as Tanya, tossed her sign to the side and looked at the four groups before her. They were one of the smaller groups, and Irwin had no idea if that was a good or bad thing. If he had to guess, their group was the weakest of all those present.

"Good, let's get moving. With some luck, we can reach our designated travel area before the others," Tanya said as she stomped away, a light grin on her face and her green eyes sparkling.

"No nobles."

Irwin looked at Greldo, who was walking beside him.

"I noticed," he said. "I don't think any are crafters either… do you think they planned it like this, or is it a coincidence?"

"No idea, but it can go two ways. Either they are using the common folk to try out portals and soften them up, or we are deemed too weak for stronger portals," Greldo whispered.

"It's the second one," Tanya shouted from the front, looking at Greldo over her shoulder.

A few dozen people following her looked at Greldo in surprise, and Irwin noticed a few with a calculating look he didn't like one bit.

"There is nobody trying to get you all killed if that's what you are thinking. We sorcerers, which you will hopefully be part of soon, are here to help people. I wish you didn't have to start right when everything goes to shit, but we will do our best to keep as many of you alive as we can. Even then, I'm afraid some sacrifice will have to be made to keep the majority alive."

Everyone looked at her, and Irwin knew they were thinking the same as he was. Why did they have to be the sacrifice?

The trip down the mountain was easier than he'd expected, probably because it was down and because he had eaten, slept, eaten. His body was still aching somewhat from the painful staff training, but it could have been much worse. Besides, his staff was actually a benefit as he walked down, while those with shields and clubs had to carry them.

When they finally reached the muddy round area, he was just out of breath, as was Greldo, instead of ready to drop dead.

Another sorcerer stood in the center, arms folded and frowning at Tanya. "You are on time, uncommon-one. Good. You are going to Crescent Hill?" the man spoke in an odd cadence.

Ahead of Irwin, Olban's head shot up, a horrified look on his face.

Tanya's smile had vanished, and she calmly stared at the other sorcerer. "Yes. Preferably as close to Wignut as you can get us."

"Very well," the sorcerer said, unwrapping his hands, which began glowing.

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Before Irwin could react, a shimmering mist wooshed from the sorcerer's hands, engulfing their whole group. It clung to his bare skin, cold and wet, and within seconds, he saw nothing but white. He had no idea how long it lasted, but eventually, there was a soft grunt of pain that came from every direction at the same time, and the mist faded.

He blinked as bright daylight shone down on him. Glad at the slight warmth it brought, he looked around. They stood halfway up the slope of a grass-covered hill. Bushes on the left led down to a forest sprawled as far as he could see like a sea of green leaves. A walled town sat on the border of the forest, nestled in a plain of grass. It was probably a mile or two away, and Irwin could make out guard towers and a moat similar to the one Malorin had. To the right were more hills, starting lower than where they were, while those in the distance were almost as tall as mountains.

The sorcerer stood nearby, breathing hard and cursing.

"Are you alright?" Tanya asked, not showing any worry.

"Yes," the man replied through gritted teeth. Then he looked at the group and snorted. "One of those kids brought some kind of summon or family artifact, and it almost caused us to appear somewhere else."

A mutter of surprise came from the youths as they looked around. Irwin knew they were trying to figure out who could be the one with an artifact, but he was pretty sure he knew what the sorcerer was talking about.

I hope Ambraz is alright, he thought.

"I'm heading back," the sorcerer snapped before looking at the assembled youths. "Next time, tell me if you have something with you!"

Then he raised his hands, and a small column of mist rippled up all around him. It lasted for two counts, then the constant wind blew it away again, and the sorcerer was gone.

"Hey, I don't know which one of you has an artifact, but be careful! They might interact with the portal and increase its difficulty," Tanya said, looking around. "Just a friendly warning. You can leave it with me, and I promise I will return it when you exit it."

Nobody answered her, and she shrugged with a suit-yourselves look.

"Now, we are going to go to Wignut and get a guide to show us where the portals are. There are supposed to be seven here, so I hope some of you finish your portals on the first attempt, or the next time we come here, the good people of this town might not all be alive."

"Sorceress Tanya, do you think we will all die?"

Everyone looked at a tall, pale-faced girl with dark hair bound tightly in a ponytail. Although she was probably as old as Irwin, she had likely had no cards till recently, and she was even smaller than he was. Her hands were shaking as she looked at the sorceress.

"Ah, I hope not," Tanya said with a sad smile. "And not just because I'd hate to see you lose your lives at such a young age… for each group that dies, the chances of us closing the common portals before they become uncommon will rapidly diminish. Now let's walk. You can ask questions as we move. We aren't in the tower and will probably be here for a few weeks."

As they headed out towards the town, Irwin moved closer to Tanya, unsure if she meant what she'd said but determined to at least try.

"Yes, Irwin?" she asked as he stepped up.

Irwin gaped at her, and she grinned down at him. "I heard you talking with your friend," she said as she tapped the back of her hand to her ear. "Card-enhanced hearing."

Irwin nodded, then wondered if he should have just stayed at the back and whispered his question. She would probably have heard it.

"Sorceress Tanya, my boots were too small, and a guard cut the noses off so I could still wear them," he whispered, staring at his feet, the toes slightly pale from the cold. "I also need a thicker coat for this weather. If there's a market in Wignut, can I get a moment to buy some new ones?"

Tanya looked at his feet, then at him, and back at his feet before bursting out in laughter. Tears ran down her face as she kept moving, and after a few moments, she took a deep breath and grinned at him, probably noticing his scowl. A host of chatter and giggles came from behind, and Irwin kept his gaze focused on the grassy hillside ahead.

"Sorry, Irwin," she said, not sounding at all sorry, and sighing as she rubbed her face. "I'm sure they have a place where we can buy you some new boots. Do you have the coin?"

Irwin nodded, then cocked his head. "How much do boots cost?" he asked.

"Depends," Tanya said, and Irwin saw her frown at his boots. "What you are wearing should be five or six silver, but if you want some decent boots, I'd say one gold and a few silver."

Irwin silently stared at her, not sure if he'd heard her right. His mother barely made two silver a week, and that was enough to feed her and her two sons. Well, keep them alive, at least. With five silver, they would have had plenty of food and never gone hungry.

"Okay, thanks," he muttered as he slowed down, letting the others move past him. None spoke, but he saw a few gleeful grins.

"What did you ask that made her laugh that badly?" Rachel asked as she moved past him.

"I showed her my boots," Irwin said, waiting till he was back at the end with Greldo.

"Being poor sucks," Greldo said, padding him on the shoulder.

"Yeah," Irwin said with a sigh. "Perhaps I can find a place that has some old ones that I can use," he said.

They continued trudging down the hill, the grass tickling his toes until they reached the large, sprawling grass plain. Wignut's walls were hard to see now, and Irwin was starting to get out of breath.

"Are you going to make it?" Greldo asked, looking at him with a slightly flushed face, breathing slightly hard but otherwise seeming alright.

"I'll be fine," Irwin said.

He wished he could have had a year to let his cards work on his body. Then he'd be fine walking this far. He was sure of it.

Two hours later, Irwin was trailing behind the others, his breathing laborious. Greldo had remained with him for a while but eventually moved forward to ask Tanya if they could have a short break. That was ten minutes ago, so Irwin guessed the break wasn't happening.

He glared at the town in the distance, probably still a ten-minute walk away.

"It's a good thing you got that Fire-sensitive Body card. Without it, you'd not live to thirty," Ambraz whispered.

Irwin flinched and looked up to see if Sorceress Tanay would react.

"Don't worry, she can't hear us this far. Just make sure you whisper," Ambraz whispered again.

"Thanks," Irwin snapped, wondering what he was supposed to do with those comforting words.

"Don't be angry. You just have to survive the upcoming portal. Depending on which one, you might even find an uncommon card! Or… I could reforge Eyes of Blaze, turning it into an uncommon."

Irwin continued forward, wondering what Tanya would say if he told her he somehow had an uncommon. Besides, he gazed ahead and saw Greldo trail back toward him. That'd mean he'd have to leave Greldo to go in alone. Was he really willing to lose his only friend?

"You'd risk your life for them?" Ambraz whispered, almost as if the Anvil had read his mind.

"Greldo? Yes. The others? I guess..." Irwin sighed, though he could hear the uncertainty in his own words.

Maybe Ambraz can reforge Greldo's cards?

Ambraz didn't respond as they caught up with Greldo, who stopped, turned, and kept up with him.

"Sorry," he said. "She said we don't have the time. If we fall behind, we will just have to catch up and find them in town."

"We?" Irwin asked.

"Damn right," Greldo said as he nodded. "You think I'm leaving you here? Besides the fact you're my only friend, you're also the best chance I have to survive the portal."

"What a chance I am," Irwin muttered, feeling his anger at his own weakness. Even with a few days of stamina training, good food, and his first body tempering, he couldn't even walk for half a day at the same speed as others. He could only hope the tempering's effect would continue for a while.

"Don't let it get to you," Greldo said.

Irwin looked up, seeing Greldo's brown eyes gleaming energetically. "With two cards, you will grow stronger! And so will I!"

Irwin nodded, feeling an intense happiness that Greldo was here with him. Without him, he'd be all alone and probably would have had a whole lot more problems.

"Thanks," he said, managing a grin before focusing on his breathing.

Ten minutes later, they reached the gravel path that led up to a bridge across the moat. Two towers flanked the massive gate before the bridge. There was no sight of the group, as they had already entered, and as Irwin and Greldo stumbled towards the gate, a guard looked at them from the side.

"So, you're the last two the sorceress spoke about?" he said, looking them over.

Irwin couldn't be bothered to waste his breath responding to the obvious remark, so he just nodded as he trudged forward.

"Can't believe a bunch of kids like you are supposed to save us," the guard growled. "Whatever. She said to tell you they are at the Cracked Leaf, which is one of the two inns here in Wignut."

Irwin waved back in thanks, ignoring the helpful remarks.

We aren't kids, he thought. We are almost sixteen already.

Not that he could blame the man. Their entire group, especially him and Greldo, probably looked like they were thirteen.

His feet caused hollow thuds on the wooden bridge, and ahead, he saw the second, larger gate had another pair of guards, but these remained quiet. They just stared at him and Greldo as they walked past.

As they moved below the gate and through the fifteen-foot thick wall, a sound of chatter and hubbub met them, coming from the town within the walls. Dark gray stone blended with mottled wood, creating a place that reminded Irwin of Malorin. The same dreary little alleyways filled with rubble, filth, and people in drab clothes.

"Just like home," Greldo muttered.

Irwin grunted, then saw a signpost nearby what seemed to be the main road.

"Let's go find that Cracked Leaf."