Daubutim followed a few minutes later, and Irwin was surprised at the light his eye provided in the previously dark room. He'd been seeing everything in the usual red and yellow dark vision he had, but as soon as Daubutim came, a pale red light flooded the room, causing shadows and darker patches.

Daubum's face warped to one of disgust as he sniffed.

"The air is bad," he whispered before Irwin could react. "We need to get out of here."

It's not that bad, is it? Irwin thought.

Daubutim coughed, then looked around, the light of his eye causing the area he looked at to light up. Hearing the roughness of Daubutim's breathing, Irwin walked towards the tunnel.

"Kid, you aren't going to be able to do any stealthy things until you can find a way to fix that," Ambraz whispered as they passed Daubutim.

The tunnel was tall enough that Irwin could barely touch the ceiling and filled with old, drapey cobwebs. There was a manmade wall at the end with a door comprising of a massive stone slab with rings at the waist height.

As he reached it, Irwin felt another shiver run through his feet. Either there’s another big thing chained to a wall, or there’s a battle going on out there, he thought as he felt his worry grow. What if they were too late and Degonda had been overrun?

"Open the door," Daubutim whispered from behind him, coughing again. "There's-" he coughed, unable to continue, and Irwin heard him stumble.

Looking back, he saw Daubutim leaning against the wall, blinking and breathing raggedly.

"Hold on," he said, turning and grabbing both rings, the rusty metal grinding against his palms.

He pulled, and it felt as if he was pulling on something immobile. A sudden fear that they were locked up and would have to run back to the portal made his adrenaline spike, and Irwin yanked on the rings with all his strength. There was a slight give this time, and he put his foot against the side wall, yanking again.

With a complaining groan, the slab slid back across the dusty ground, dim light pouring through the sides while fresh, cold air poured in. The distant clatter of weaponry, muted screams of anger and pain, and a series of dull explosions echoed through the hills, impossible to pinpoint. As it wasn't anywhere close, Irwin knew that it could wait. He grabbed the edge of the four-foot-thick slab, then pulled it to the side, creating an opening large enough for them to crawl through into the area beyond.

Irwin hurriedly stepped aside to let Daubutim scramble forward and through, drawing deep breaths. Irwin followed him into the spacious area beyond, looking around for anything dangerous. They were in a wide semi-cave, with the furthest wall almost completely open, showing a rugged, sunbathed hillside with distant cliffs and outcrops.

How come nobody ever came here, Irwin thought as he looked around.

He'd expected it to be incredibly well hidden, but the entire side of this place was open. Then he looked back at the entrance they had come from and realized part of why. The back of the slab looked exactly like the rest of the dusty, bumpy stonewall, showing someone had gone to great lengths to hide it from view. Any cursory inspection would likely have revealed nothing, let alone in the darkness of some cave in the middle of these hills.

“Let's go and see what's going on out there,” he said, about to walk towards the wide-open side.

"Wait. First, we need to open that wider so the air can clear up," Daubutim whispered. "If we need to bring people there without cards or with only one, they might not survive."

Knowing his friend was right, Irwin moved to the slab and shoved it further inside until it sat against the sidewall. He could smell the stale air leaking out, and he wondered how long it would take for it to clear up.

"Alright, now let's go," he said as he helped Daubutim back to his feet.

They walked through the cave towards the wide open side, and the view of the hills became clear. They were on the side of one of the higher hills, and the rest sprawled out before them.

"There's a ridge over there," Daubutim said, pointing towards the side and still drawing in deep breaths.

Irwin saw the ridge below and to the side of where they stood, wide enough to walk on but covered in pebbles and rock that meant they would have to be careful not to fall off. He was about to lower himself down when a soft flash of blue light was followed by a caw as Twyl appeared on Daubutim's shoulder.

"Twyl will scout ahead," Daubutim said calmly as the raven flew from his shoulder and into the air beyond. Two flaps later, it disappeared up and out of sight.

"We are roughly a mile from the edge of the hills," Daubutim said. "This path leads to a wider one that leads to a hillside that we can follow around to the narrow ravine."

He was quiet for a few more moments before nodding. "Let's go. We need to head to Degonda. Whatever is happening is in that direction. Twyl is going there now."

Irwin shivered as he heard those words, remembering all the time he'd spent in the walled merchant town.

I wonder if everyone is still there and alive, he thought as he recalled Hutch, Basil, Lord Bron, and all of the lordlings he'd met back there.

There was one face that stood out above the others, however. Trimdir, the smith that had helped on his path, gave him a place to sleep when he couldn't brave the cold, food when he was hungry, and did his best to help him when he had to go and help close portals.

He followed Daubutim to the ledge, and they both lowered themselves on the path before setting out.

"Can you see where and what the battle is about?" Irwin asked as the cool breeze blew around his exposed skin.

“Tywl is almost there,” Daubutim said.

They continued for a few more moments before he hissed. “It's just beyond that ravine we went through before. They are fighting on some slope between the ravine and the forest that separates the hills from Degonda, and we need to hurry," Daubutim said as he increased his pace.

"Why?" Irwin asked.

"The battle is between forty-seven human guards and Frozir on one side and at least a hundred Nyzir on the other," Daubutim said as he increased his pace." And the Nyzir are getting the upper hand."

"By the Flames of Aghos," Irwin hissed as he followed his friend.

Still, it's a good thing that they are still working together with the Frozir, he thought.

After a while, they reached the larger ledge, which allowed them to increase their speed to a jog. Even then, when they finally closed in on the slope leading around the final hill, the sounds of battle had become louder and more desperate.

It's insane how much the sound rebounds around these hills, Irwin thought, still unable to pinpoint the direction.

"We need to hurry," Daubutim said. "There's too many Nyzir coming from that ravine, and with all those openings in the side, there has to be a portal there somewhere."

"That has to be why the guards came here," Irwin said.

He continued on, wanting to increase his speed but knowing that he would risk sliding off the ledge if he did. When they finally reached the slope, he didn't have to say anything as Daubutim rushed forward. Blasting forward, using the kinetic energy he had saved up, Irwin eventually caught up.

"The Nyzir are pushing them back, but they seem unwilling to leave the ravine and step into the light!" Daubutim shouted.

Fantastic, Irwin thought. "Can we move around the canyon?" he shouted back.

"No. It would take half a day!"

Great, Irwin thought as he unconsciously increased his speed more.

After a while, the fighting sounds and explosions began weakening. When they finally circled around the hill, they got a clear view of the rugged, jagged landscape on the other side that led towards the deep cavern that would lead to the forest to Degonda. Many dozens of red outlines moved around in the cavern, but they couldn't see beyond it. There were no more sounds of fighting, showing that whatever had happened had stopped, at least for now.

Daubutim slowed down, and Irwin followed suit. There was no reason to rush anymore.

"Can you make out the Nyzir?" Daubutim asked.

"Yes, there's dozens of them on this side," Irwin said. "But none show any sign of moving into the sun."

"Very good. That means they are the same as the ones I've fought before," Daubutim said. "When I fought them first, Nyzir were dangerous, highly agile, and nasty things to fight, with their prime weakness their inability to move into the full light. I presume with our new cards, they will be easier to deal with, but a hundred isn't going to be easy. They usually inhabit worlds of perpetual darkness or hide in caverns. This is likely already far too bright for them."

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They don't like light? Irwin thought. He'd heard that before, but that begged a question.

"Are you absolutely sure they don't like light? Because the Nyzir back in the Portal Gallery didn't seem to care," he asked.

"Hah, don't compare those two," Ambraz snorted from inside his pocket. "The ones you saw on the Portal Gallery were stronger than those pitiful examples you fought in those low-rank shardworlds connected to Giard. Those you found on the Portal Gallery wouldn't have that weakness to light, though I presume they wouldn't have liked it if you hung them in front of a big light. Those here? Well….”

Ambraz hummed loudly before bursting out laughing.

"The strongest one down there is weaker than the weakest one that you fought back on the Portal Gallery."

Irwin blinked.

A big light, huh? he thought as he looked over at Daubutim.

His friend looked back with a calm, knowing smile, showing that the hint hadn't passed him.

"Take the lead," Daubutim said. "I'll take care of anything that remains at a distance."

"Keep a little bit of distance," Irwin said as he focused on the canyon ahead and began jogging, then running again. He hesitated if he should go as fast as he could, then decided to lull them into a fake sense of superiority and dash in at the last moment.

They were halfway there when he saw the heat signals begin moving differently, and a dozen of them gathered near the entrance.

"They have spotted us," he said, not bothering to keep his voice down.

By now, he had gathered a massive amount of kinetic energy, while at the same time, he saw the shapes of the Nyzir, dark and moving with an oily fluidity. After a moment of hesitation, he summoned his hammer, more for show and to make them believe that he really was just going to try and force his way through.

More heat signatures began appearing, some climbing up the cavern's walls while others disappearing behind boulders.

Sure, bring your friends, Irwin thought as he began fanning the flames of his fire.

It burned as hot as a forge fire within moments, showing no sense of plateauing out.

As he reached the flat area below the hill that led to the ravine entrance, two dozen or more figures were hiding in the shadowy areas of the entrance, probably in the assumption they were invisible to him.

Irwin's flame started overflowing ten feet from the entrance, and he could almost feel it reach out to wrap around him.

That's plenty, he thought, letting the excess heat increase his kinetic energy built up.

"Now," he snapped.

He jumped forward, using all of the built-up kinetic energy to shoot forward like a ballista bolt, letting the flame burst out of him like a rippling ocean of fire. The cavern entrance and the part of the hill that wasn't blocked behind it lit up as if the sun had risen.

As Irwin landed on the ground, part of him was surprised by the size of the fire that flowed from him, roaring against the walls of the more than thirty-foot-wide cavern before rolling up like waves.

Everywhere, Nyzir were exposed in their many hiding places, and piercing screeches of pain came from all of them as they raised their hands to their eyes just as the roiling fire rippled around them. A few that were further out turned and dashed away, only for the much faster fire to overtake them, their screams silenced within moments.

Irwin kept looking around, half expecting at least a few hidden ones to resist the fire and attack him, but as he continued running forward, nothing happened. Halfway through, he slowed to a walk as he noticed the caverns and holes that dotted the wall.

He only faintly remembered the path he was taking from when he had gone to Hangman's Hilltop, what seemed like ages ago.

"You might wanna let off on the flame," Ambraz shouted from inside his pocket.

Irwin nodded, deciding he was right, lowering his flame's intensity until it was no more than a small blanket around his body. He didn't see anything moving up or ahead, and as he turned around, he was just in time to see Daubutim dash inside a crevice, slashing his blue sword forward at blinding speed. There was a startled scream, and as Daubutim stepped back, a Nyzir toppled forward, missing one arm and nearly slashed apart.

Irwin watched Daubutim decapitate the body before turning towards him, his eye a mass of writing red lightning.

"That was more fire than I had expected," Daubutim said as he walked forward.

"It's the first time I really used this much since getting my… improvement," Irwin said, tapping his chest with his fist. "Ambraz, do you sense any more?"

"Lots, and they are in the process of fleeing into a portal," Ambraz said, his shout muffled.

"Clear them out?" Irwin asked, looking at Daubutim.

Daubutim nodded. "It is unwise to leave enemies behind your position, even if they are weak."

"Ambraz, can you show us where?" Irwin asked as he looked at the dozens of entrances in both towering sides of the ravine.

Ambraz struggled out of his pocket, and a moment later, they were following towards one of the entrances. He was about to fly in when he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Irwin asked as he summoned his hammer and walked forward, searching for any heat signatures inside.

"They are all gone," Ambraz said as he flew back and landed on his shoulder. "And from what I can sense, that's just an amethyst rank portal, so there's no way for you to close it."

"All of them?" Irwin asked as he looked around the many crevices and openings in the walls.

"What do I look like, a crystal ball? All that fled inside there, yes!" Ambraz snorted, annoyed. "Who knows, some might have gone towards the other end of the ravine."

"Twyl sees a small fight on the edge of the woods," Daubutim said as he walked forward.

Irwin released the last of his flame, and as he did, he felt a tiny bit of weariness. A quick look showed that his little stunt had cost him a fourth of his energy.

Good, that means I can do that three more times, Irwin thought as he followed toward the other end of the ravine.

Ambraz didn't detect any more Nyzir, and he returned to Irwin's pocket as they climbed up.

When they reached the end and got a clear view of the slope that led up towards the distant forest, the battle had finished. Dozens of bodies lay strewn across, both human, Frozir and Nyzir.

"They retreated into the forest except for one person," Daubutim said.

"Then let's see who it is," Irwin said.

"Likely a ranger or guard from Degonda," Daubutim said.

Irwin nodded, and as they walked up the slope, he noticed a figure waiting near the trees. As he closed in, it became obvious that it was a female ranger wearing dark leather armor and holding a short, curved sword. She was looking calmly at them as they approached, but from how she was standing, it was obvious she was ready to dash into the forest to flee. Her attention seemed mostly on him, which he guessed made sense. He was a head taller than Daubutim, wider, and looked like he was made of living copper.

Why does she look so familiar? Irwin thought.

"Sairadi, it is good to see you survived," Daubutim said calmly.

"Ah!" Irwin snapped as he finally recalled where he knew the woman from.

Her hair was longer than it had been, and her face narrower as if she hadn't had enough food in a long time, but it was unmistakably the female ranger that had been with Hutch's group. Thinking of Hutch reminded him that the last time he'd heard about the bare-armed ranger had been when he had only been on Fiverio for a short while. He'd been with the group that came with Indoutor.

I wonder if he made it back with Indoutor, Irwin thought.

Sairadi stared at Daubutim and then looked at him. Slowly, her eyes widened, and Irwin saw recognition dawn in her eyes.

"Orwin?" she asked as she lowered her sword.

Right, Irwin thought with a sigh. Best fix that right away.

"Yes, though I'd prefer you call me Irwin," he said. "I'm glad to see you are still around, and-"

"When did you come back from Fiverio?" Sairadi shouted as she stepped forward. "Did Indoutor send you?"

Irwin was surprised by the barely contained anger in her eyes, and he quickly raised his hands.

"Calm down, I wasn't sent by Indoutor! I came here on my own to talk with Bron!"

Sairadi took a step back, raising her sword a fraction.

"No, wait- you could be tricking me," she muttered before looking at him intensely. "You look like Orwin but taller even than he was when he used that odd card, but… you are with Indoubor's cousin. Fine, tell me! What can Orwin do that nobody else could do here? What did he teach… the others," she ended lamely.

Irwin sighed, wondering if she'd always been this suspicious. He hesitated for a moment, sharing a look with Daubutim, who nodded.

Well, I guess it makes little sense to keep this quiet now, he thought.

"I taught them how to reforge cards."

Sairadi let out an explosive sigh before she walked forward, her sword vanishing.

"How did you manage to get here?" she asked, a curious look on her face.

"I think it's best I tell this to Bron first," Irwin said.

"Yes, of course," Sairadi said as she nodded. "Come! I'm sure Hutch is going to burst a blood vessel when he sees you."

"Hutch made it back?" Irwin asked, barely able to contain his surprise.

Sairadi grinned. "Yeah, and he's been insufferable with all those stories of another world with towering buildings, people with legendary cards everywhere, and… well, you will see!"

Irwin grinned as she turned and began walking towards the forest. "Let's go! They are waiting at the ranger's hideout for us."

She was two steps before she suddenly spun on her heel, causing Irwin to stop with a start.

"Wait! What about those Nyzir? Did you close the portal?"

"No," Irwin said. "We can't enter that one, so you are going to have… to…"

He stopped talking as Sairadi ran forward, her body becoming cloudy.

"I'll be right back!" she shouted before becoming completely incorporeal and rushing forward at speeds he was absolutely sure he couldn't attain.

Irwin scratched his chin, the stubbly beard poking into his fingers slightly.

"She wasn't this chaotic before and looked fairly malnourished," Daubutim said.

Irwin nodded as he looked around, guessing they would just have to wait for a bit.

"If she isn't back in ten minutes, we should head to Degonda," Daubutiom continued.

"Yes," Irwin said. "Do you think we should tell them not to close the portal? We will leave anyway, and some of the rangers might die."

"No," Daubutim said. "We will need to move along here, and creating a safe path towards the exit will be paramount."

"Yeah, you are right," Irwin said, looking into the forest. "Ambraz, can you tell me when someone is coming?"

"If I can sense them, sure," Ambraz muttered from his pocket.

"How does your skill work, exactly," Daubutim asked. "You seem able to detect both portals and beings, but not everything?"

"Yes, yes, and no," Ambraz grunted. "What I detect is the chaotic energy from portals or from creatures with strong cards and soulskills. It also works if something or someone just came from a portal."

Irwin grinned as he saw Daubutim's eye flare with red lightning, indicating he probably had more questions.

Luckily for Ambraz, he didn't get the chance.

"There's something incoming," Ambraz muttered. "Multiple somethings."

Irwin raised his hand, summoning a hammer, while he saw Daubutim's massive two-handed sword appear.

A few moments later, a group of people came running through the forest. Four Frozir warriors moved spread out among the humans, and Irwin saw no tension between them and the rangers.

Irwin instantly recognized the hairy, muscular, and bare-armed person in the front.

"Orwin! You're alive!"

Irwin grinned as Hutch stomped towards him, a wide grin on his narrow, unshaven face. More rangers and guards came over, but they only took a quick, curious look before they ran down the hill and toward the bodies. Two of the Frozir hovered nearby, scanning the surrounding forest.

"Of course I am," Irwin said, clasping the other's offered hand. "But please, call me Irwin!"

Hutch looked at him and shrugged. "Orwin, Irwin, it's all the same to me. You can tell me that story later, but for now, I need to close a portal. You wouldn't happen to know the rank it had?"

"Ame- uncommon," Irwin said, quickly correcting himself. "And I can show you where it is."

"No need!" Hutch said with a wide grin. "You aren't the only one with some new tricks! We can find it, especially after you cleared out all of the Nyzir… at least, that's what I'm assuming?"

"They were gone before," Irwin said as he looked back. "But you might wanna be careful, just in case."

"We are always careful," Hutch said. "Now, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a strong feeling that you aren't here for fun and games. I'll send Sairadi with you to the city so you can enter without a hassle."

"Thanks," Irwin said with a wide grin. "Make sure you don't lose anyone in there, alright?"

Hutch's grin turned slightly ugly, but he nodded. "I'll do my best."

Irwin forced his grin to remain as he walked towards Sairadi.

"If I recall, you have great stamina," she said as she motioned at Irwin before looking at Daubutim. "Can you run?"

“Yes,” Daubutim said.

"Then let's go. I want to be back here as soon as I can," she said, turning and running through the forest.

Irwin and Daubutim hurried after her, and as they did, Irwin wondered how things would be at Degonda.

I can't wait to see Trimdir!