Deep in the forest, Sairadi slowed down, her cloud form returning to her physical form. They were surrounded by dense undergrowth and trees with vines climbing up along their trunks, many winding around branches to connect the trees, causing barely any sunlight to filter through.

To Irwin, everything looked ruddy, but he knew it would likely be dim and dark to the others. Still, Sairadi had continued ahead effortlessly, so perhaps she had some form of night vision?

Irwin slowed down, looking around but seeing nothing and hearing only the canopy rustle above them and the sounds of distant birds and other creatures. A quick vibration in his pocket showed that Ambraz definitely noticed something, but he saw no heat signatures except their own.

Sairadi looked back, putting a finger on her lips while her shortsword reappeared in her hand. Then she began walking sideways from where they had moved initially.

So much for hoping for an uneventful trip through the dark and gloomy forest, Irwin thought.

He shared a quick look with Daubutim, who had his sword out and Twyll on his shoulder.

They followed Sairadi as she headed into a denser area of the forest, and the further they went, the slower she went until she stopped. She turned and raised three fingers while pointing her sword at the bushes before her. Then she grinned and made a cutting gesture before pointing at Irwin.

'Easy,' she mouthed, or something very much like it.

If you say so, Irwin thought, looking at Daubutim, who held up his hand while Twyll shot up and flew up and through a gap in the foliage.

Sairadi raised an eyebrow but said nothing, and it took only a moment for Daubutim's eyebrows to raise as he snuck to Irwin.

"Three imps," he whispered.

Imps? Iwrin thought in surprise. What were those things doing here? Not that that mattered, he decided as he snuck toward the dense undergrowth and slowly pushed forward.

Within moments, he was completely surrounded by sharp branches and rustling green leaves. As he continued deeper, he began hearing eating noises and occasional soft cracking and snapping. Irwin fanned his flames. If it were Imps, he knew exactly how to deal with those.

A soft, familiar, high-pitched giggle came just as he pushed through the undergrowth into a small, chopped-apart section. Three imps were sitting in the middle, gnawing on some remains. They saw him as soon as he saw them, but Irwin was prepared. He raised his hand, and three thin tendrils of fire burst from his hand, reaching the imps before they could even reach their weapons.

A single scream was cut off as all three froze midmovement, their bodies turning into ash. It happened faster than Irwin had expected, and he felt a tiny trickle of energy feed into his card- no wait, not his card, but…

Did that just increase my soulforce? he thought.

It had been barely more than a drop, but as he replayed the moment, he was sure of it. His flame had consumed those imps, drained them of something that had given him a tiny bit of soulforce.

Did I consume their soulskill? Irwin wondered as he walked forward.

His thoughts abruptly stopped as he saw a bloodied sleeve wrapped around part of the remains the imps had been feeding on.

They are eating people...

Daubutim pushed through the undergrowth beside him.

"No issues?" he asked calmly.

Irwin sighed as he pointed at the body. "They were eating someone," he muttered.

"Wait… they are dead already?" a surprised voice came from behind as Sairadi, in her cloudy form, moved through the branches as if they weren't there before reforming beside them.

"Just three imps," Irwin said, tearing his gaze from what remained of someone's corpse. "You might have warned us that there's Imps out here."

"Yes, sorry. It's just such a normal thing ever since the portal overflows that I don't really think about it anymore," Sairadi said.

"Isn't someone clearing these forests?" Daubutim asked as he walked forward and began inspecting what could barely be called a camp.

"There's no time for that," Sairadi said with a snort. "Even with all the new cards, we only have barely enough people to close the portals within a day's travel of Degonda. Besides, there are only two squads powerful enough to go out this far."

They are on the brink... We need to get everyone out of here, Irwin thought.

"Let's get to Degonda," he said.

"Irwin…" Daubutim said as he knelt beside the remains of a campfire.

Hearing the sudden surprise and worry in Daubutim's voice, Irwin quickly moved beside him, noticing he was fiddling with a small pack. A tiny piece of parchment was in it with a few lines of a familiar script. The last time Irwin had seen it, it had been in the papers they had retrieved from the portal with Brutal Imps that had been abducting smiths.

"Don't bother. We find those things all the time, but nobody can read them," Sairadi said.

Daubutim raised the paper to her. "It says, find where the smiths are, bring the information to, and then a description of a location."

Which smiths? Irwin thought. Trimdir and the others or him?

"You can read that?" Sairadi hissed. "Indoutor said nobody could! Was he lying?"

"Daubutim has nothing to do with Indoutor. You can trust him!" Irwin said.

Sairidi kept looking at Daubutim for a few moments before deflating and letting out a weary, tired sigh. "It- it's been difficult the last few months," she said, turning to Daubutim. "Sorry, but with your cousin unwilling to share more of what he knows and his cards-"

"It's alright," Daubutim said as he rose, raising the paper. "You found more of these?"

Sairadi nodded as she stopped staring at Daubutim. "Yes, they all have at least one of those scraps. We tried to translate it but got nowhere. Even the sorcerers couldn't tell us more than that each scrap seemed to hold roughly the same message. You said it described a location?"

"It said: Bring the information to the camp at the narrow stream with the three rocks leaning together," Daubutim narrated.

"I know that place! It's at the other end of the forest, at least a two-day run even for our fastest rangers. No wonder we couldn't find any main camp…"

Let's just get out of here, Irwin thought.

"Alright," Irwin said as he stuffed the scrap in his pocket. "Let's get back to Degonda and clear out any Imps we come across."

"Yes!" Sairadi said as she turned and moved through the undergrowth like a cloud.

Irwin and Daubutim moved after her.

--

A few hours later, they finally reached the edge of the forest. Between Twyll and Sairadi, they had found and destroyed another two camps of Imps, finding another scrap of paper that held roughly the same message as the first.

Staring at the edge of the forest, Irwin knew that the first order of business would be to find and talk with Lord Bron. Anything else would have to wait, including meeting Trimdir and the other smiths.

He ran out of the forest onto a muddy, flat area with patches of yellow grass and tree stumps. Far ahead stood a wooden palisade that looked nothing like the small stone-encircled town he recalled. Two tall wooden watchtowers stood beside a gate, and far to the right, he saw another two, likely signaling a second entrance. A single glance already told him that the town of Degonda couldn't be called a town anymore.

"Impressive, right?" Sairadi said as she grinned at him. "If only we had some rest from the constant attacks and more food, we would become the peninsula's biggest and most prosperous city."

"Very impressive," Irwin said.

They began jogging forward again, and a short distance from the tree line, a horn sounded from Degonda.

"Don't worry. It's just a way to alert people that there are rangers returning," Sairadi said.

Halfway across the open muddy plains to the city, the gate swung open, and a single person appeared. He walked forward and, with a flash of light, grew two heads taller. A golden armor and winged helmet suddenly covered him, and a two-handed sword as large as Daubutim's appeared in his hand.

"Basil is such a showoff," Sairadi muttered, the joy in her voice evident.

As they walked closer, Irwin was impressed to see that Basil and he saw eye to eye. Ever since leaving Scour, he'd not come across anyone his height, let alone anyone taller.

"Well, well! Who would have thought I'd ever see the two of you again!" Basil boomed happily. "I do hope you are here to help?"

"Definitely," Irwin said as he stopped a few feet before Basil. Two golden eyes sparkled from the slits in the helmet.

"Sairadi, where are the others?" Basil said, keeping his distance.

"Hutch and the others are closing the portal after Irwin and Daubutim cleared out the Nyzir overflow," Sairadi said. "We also cleared out a few Imp camps in the forest."

"So, those little giggly demons are back again," Basil rumbled angrily before focusing fully on Irwin.

"Irwin or Orwin, what is it?"

"Irwin. I had some issues with sorcerers back then," Irwin said, deciding it mattered little anymore.

Basil was quiet, then, with a flash, his helmet and sword vanished, leaving only his armored body. The most powerful warrior of Degonda's face was narrow and unshaven, like that of Hutch. His eyes were sunken and baggy, and he looked almost ready to topple over. Still, he smiled as he looked at Irwin.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I'm glad to see you two managed to survive. I presume you are here to see Bron?"

"Yes," Irwin said.

"Well, then, you had better come with me! Sairadi, you are heading back to Hutch?"

"Yes, sir! We will do a pass over the forest as we come back," Sairadi said as she pressed the back of her hand to her chest before turning and rushing away.

"See you soon, Irwin, Daubutim," she shouted before changing into a cloudy outline that zipped towards the trees.

"Never gets old seeing her disappear in midair like that," Basil said as he shook his head and turned away. "Let's go. Bron should know you are here by now, and I'm sure he's going to be more than happy to see our secret benefactor again!"

Irwin grinned as he followed Basil towards the gate.

The entrance behind the city was muddy, with deep trails that showed wagons were still going through. Guards stood nearby, watching them as they passed before they began whispering. The city beyond it was a ragtag mess of wood and stone buildings, many leaning against each other almost as if they would fall over with the slightest push.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Basil said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You should see what we did in the main tower."

Their trip through the city led them through dozens of narrow paths, not a single main road in sight.

"You've created even more kill boxes," Daubutim said, looking around and up the narrow walls.

"After the third time the gates were breached, Bron changed the entire outside where he could. We built buildings to block any square, and except for two, any road wide enough for carts," Basil said.

It took them a good while to move from the newer parts of the city into what Irwin knew were the older parts. He recognized some buildings, but so much had changed that it almost looked like half the inner town had been rebuilt as well. Besides that, there was also something else he wondered about.

"Where are all the people?" he asked as he looked around.

"Hiding inside the guarded houses," Basil said. "When the horn blows, everyone flees to the nearest safehouse while guards congregate there for protection."

"I am impressed by the organization," Daubutim said.

"Thanks," Basil said as he looked up and grimaced. "Even then, some more powerful Nyzir still sneak in when it's dark, butchering people before the alarm can be sounded."

Irwin looked around the cobblestoned alleyway that led to the central tower, damaged, patched-up buildings all around, and he sighed grimly.

It's time to get everyone away from here, he thought.

A trio of guards stood near the entrance of the tower, the square that had once been in front of it gone, filled with low buildings.

"Basil," one of them said, staring at Daubutim with gleaming eyes. "Did we capture something important for a change?"

"No, Daubutim is here with The Smith," Basil said without stopping.

The guard quickly jumped away, but Irwin saw his eyes widen as he gazed back. There was a soft whisper from the other two as they walked past them and into a muddy, badly maintained hallway.

As the door closed, Irwin heard the three excitedly whisper.

"Is it smart telling them that?" he asked.

"We've had nothing but death, hunger, and bad news for nearly two months," Basil said. "It will be good to have a little hope."

Irwin saw Daubutim looking around emotionlessly, only the lightning-filled eye showing any indication of his inner turmoil.

The entire tower was a mess, with beds in hallways, some filled with sleeping guards and rangers. There was barely anything that reminded Irwin of the well-maintained inner tower that he remembered. Nothing, except for well-oiled swords and weaponry and a dangerous glint in the eyes of any waken person they encountered.

As they reached the hallway that led to Bron's chambers, Irwin recalled the last time he'd been there. It had been when he had explained his abilities to Lord Bron and just before they had headed to Coulwater Tower.

Basil hesitated at the door and looked at them. "Listen, he is fine, alright? He just looks a bit… worse for wear."

Irwin frowned but nodded, and Basil pushed open the door.

"Bron, you awake?"

"That's Lord Bron to you," a raspy voice came from a figure bent over a table. "Took you long enough to-"

"Irwin! You're alive!"

Irwin saw a familiar figure walk towards him from the far end of the cluttered room. Towering, bald, and with gleaming gray eyes, Trimdir was the first person he saw who didn't look malnourished and depressed.

"I am," Irwin said as he walked forward.

He was about to clasp the massive smith's hand when Trimdir wrapped him in a massive bear hug, slapping his back and grinning at him before letting him go.

"Irwin, I never thought I'd see you again. You can drop your ability now. By the way, nobody will harm you here!"

Irwin blinked, still surprised by the hug, before shaking it away and grinning back.

"This isn't my Coperion Body skill," he said as he raised his hand. "This is what I always look like now."

"I see… and your eyes?" Trimdir asked as he raised an eyebrow.

He was about to answer when Lord Bron let out an annoyed snort.

"Dammit, Trimdir, at least let me welcome them first," Bron said as he walked over.

Irwin held back a hiss of surprise as he saw Lord Bron. Six thin wounds disfigured the side of his face, drawn across one now milky white eye and slicing apart the corner of his lip, giving him a perpetual frown. His face was pale and thin, and everything about him gave a sense of weariness. Everything but his single good eye, which blazed with an internal fire that made Irwin realize that Basil had been right.

"Besides, it seems I'm not the only person with one good eye in the room anymore," Lord Bron said as his single piercing eye gazed at Daubutim. He didn't react to Irwin's reaction, while Daubutim just calmly looked as if there was nothing strange about Bron's poorly healed scars.

"I'm glad you are here, Lordling Daubutim. Does that mean your obnoxious cousin, Indoutor, is finally willing to cooperate?"

Daubutim shook his head. "Lord Bron, it might be wise to put up your barrier."

Lord Bron's smile withered, and he raised his hand, which flashed. A barrier appeared in the room, covering the walls and the door like a thin sheet.

His skill increased, Irwin thought as he recalled the way Lord Bron's skill had worked before.

"Alright, let's just sit. With Indoutor refusing to tell us much, the only knowledge we have is what Hutch managed to bring back," Lord Bron said as he walked to the sitting area where Trimdir had been before.

Soon, they were all sitting, except for Basil, standing at the door, silently leaning against the wall.

Lord Bron focused on Irwin. "So. Are we doomed?"

"Lord Bron, could you fill us in on what happened here?" Daubutim asked before Irwin could ask anything.

There was a moment of quiet, and then Bron sighed. "Very well. For a short while, things looked up when Trimdir and Dalrindir managed to upgrade uncommon cards to rare, and our alliance with Elder Gum'dil'ran and the Frozir gave us the ability to clear out many portals faster than ever. However, only a few months after we began, portals spawned farther away, and the Nyzir began doing night raids. We still managed to hold on, and when Hutch came back telling us Indoutor had returned with powerful cards, I had hoped that things would change for the better."

Trimdir slammed his hand on the seat of his chair, causing the wood to split. Bron didn't even seem to notice as he stared at Daubutim.

"Indoutor, however, decided that he would use his new position of power to take control. He used the cards to strengthen his forces, clear out Esterdon's ruins, and remain where he was. Instead of spreading out, he sent out messengers that anyone who required safety could join him but only if they swore fealty to him."

Irwin leaned back. He hadn't interacted all that much with Indoutor, and he hadn't expected this. Then again, as he tried to imagine what he had expected, he realized he had no clear idea.

"Yes," Daubutim said calmly. "This is something he would do. We were told that there are rumors that Caldangen might also still be-"

Daubutim fell quiet as Lord Bron's face turned ugly.

"Yes, we heard the same rumor," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "Daubutim, I am very sorry to inform you that where Caldangen was is now an enormous crater. Upon hearing the rumor, I sent one of the sorcerers there to verify it, and according to him, there is a massive creature coiled up in the center of what was once the central castle."

Irwin looked at Daubutim, feeling sorry for his friend. He knew that for all his anger towards his father, he also had brothers and a mother, and this meant the chances of finding them were now either gone or smaller than finding a rank seven world.

"I see," Daubutim said, his eye slowly turning a dull amber.

"I am sorry, Lordling," Lord Bron said, letting out another deep, weary sigh. "We have been scouting the other cities in the hopes of finding allies, but everything has been overrun. Even Kasadiron City, the bastion of the King, is no more than smoldering ruins."

Irwin felt nothing when he heard that. He barely knew anything about the King of the Peninsula, a title given to the oldest child of the royal family, and Kasadiron City was as far from where they were now as they could possibly be. He'd learned the name in school, but that was the extent of his knowledge.

"Well, then, I think it's about time we leave here," Irwin said.

Lord Bron looked confused for a moment before his eyes widened. "You have a way to get through the portal at Esterdon?"

"No," Irwin said. "We have our own portal that leads to a new world devoid of demons and war."

There was a stunned silence in the room, and then Trimdir slapped the chair's armrest again, but this time with a massive, hopeful grin. He was almost bouncing up and down on his chair, barely holding all of his questions back, staring at Lord Bron.

Lord Bron's single good eye was staring at the floor, and his lips were moving as if he was ready to talk. Just when Trimdir seemed ready to explode, Lord Bron suddenly pushed himself up and began pacing through the room.

"I won't ask how you got it or if you are sure," he said loudly. "All I need to know is what your plans are. Do you want us to go there and swear fealty to you? Will you be the new King then?"

Irwin shook his head rapidly. "No! I am here to save my family and friends if I can! Gelwin can be King for all I-"

"Gelwin?" Lord Bron shouted, frozen midstep. "You found Gelwin?" He shook, then stumbled to his chair and slumped down in it. "Alright, perhaps you should just tell me everything that happened."

Irwin grimaced, turning to Daubutim. He was more than a bit happy to see his friend look back calmly. Tiny bolts of lightning were rippling across his eye, showing that he'd managed to suppress the horror of hearing his home and family were gone.

Irwin shivered as he imagined hearing that Malorin was destroyed.

I'll go and see if they are alive as soon as things are up and running here, he decided.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

"I'll be fine," Daubutim said calmly. "There will be time to mourn later after we are safe. For now, let me explain what happened."

Irwin nodded, and Daubutim turned to Lord Bron. "After we went through the exit portal in Esterdon-"

Irwin leaned back, listening to Daubutim as he calmly and to the point regaled most of what had happened, omitting only those things that were irrelevant to the situation. Although so much had happened, Irwin was surprised that it took Daubutim barely an hour to recount everything, only slowed down by the occasional question from Lord Bron.

When he finally finished, Irwin saw that Lord Bron was staring at the table thoughtfully. At some point during the conversation, the deep creases of worry on the Lord's face had faded, replaced by a mixture of happiness and intense curiosity.

"I see…" Lord Bron finally said before turning to Irwin and Daubutim. "One day, if we all survive, I will find a way to thank you for what you have done for everyone here. Though, I'm afraid that will be a long time from now."

"That's fine, I don't need-" Irwin began.

"Nonsense," Lord Bron said, and Irwin was surprised at the intense hope and joy he was radiating. "People need heroes, something to live up to, something that gives them hope. After we are safe, there will need to be stories and songs, statues and paintings."

Irwin grimaced, looking at Daubutim only to see a calm look back.

"I will start preparing a plan and contact the teleporters," Lord Bron said. "There are only a few, but they should be able to bring a large group of guards to the portal to safeguard it from any roaming demons. No matter how safe it might look, we can't take any risk. Basil-"

Bron turned to the guard captain, who was standing at the door with an excited look.

"Send a messenger to the sorcerers and tell them to come to my room immediately, then head to the merchants and ask them what they would need to get their caravans ready to leave within a day. We need to transport as many supplies-" he stopped mid-sentence and looked at Daubutim. "Can we transport goods through the portal?"

"The same rules apply as always. No metal," Daubutim said calmly.

He really did read up on everything, Irwin thought as he stared at his friend. I wonder what his father would have said if he'd seen Daubutim now.

"Great. Tell them we need everything in bags or nailless crates," Lord Bron said. Then he jumped up, walked to the table, and cleared everything from it with a swipe of his arm, revealing a map. He ignored the clattering of things around him and began tracing a trail. Daubutim got up and walked to stand beside him.

"Daubutim, show me where-" he began, only for Daubutim to point at a location on the map.

"It is here."

"Ah, well, that's no good," Bron mused. "We can't get the wagons all the way there. Perhaps…"

"A friend of ours is waiting on the other side, and he has cards for crafters and builders," Daubutim said calmly. "What we need is to get the first group of craftsmen that can build houses and rangers to hunt for food on the new world as fast as we can."

"Right! That's great! I'll get-"

"Irwin."

Irwin looked up to see Trimdir stare at him. "I think they don't need us for this. How about we go to the smithy?"

Irwin grinned and nodded. As they got up, Daubutim nodded at Irwin before responding to something Lord Bron asked him.

"Are you two going to be alright?" Basil asked as he opened the door for them.

"Bah, Basil, you heard the same story as us! Unless we get another wave, there's nothing here that's going to hurt me with him around," Trimdir snapped.

Basil snorted. "It's dangerous to be too sure of yourself. You know that."

"I do, so trust me that I know what I'm doing," Trimdir said. "You better get ready to evacuate nearly a hundred thousand people through the forest and across those hills!"

Basil grimaced, then snorted. "To safety, Trimdir. To safety! I'll get them there even if I have to carry all of them on my back!"

Trimdir clapped his shoulder, a wide grin on his face. "I'll help you if that's what it takes. Now, let me bring my apprentice back to the smithy. There are things I want to talk with him about."

Irwin followed Trimdir out of the suddenly bustling room and took a final look at the two one-eyed men, talking rapidly. He knew that if anyone could plan something of this scale, it was Daubutim.

And hopefully, we will have to do it more than once, Irwin thought as he turned and followed Trimdir.