Irwin watched the three figures clad in robes sitting beside Lord Bron. One was an older man with a brown and white beard and kind eyes. The other two, young men and women, almost looked like siblings with light brown hair and eyes. Something about their faces gave Irwin the idea that they might be related to the older man.

Their brown robes reminded him of the sorcerers he'd seen long ago, but he felt none of the fear he used to. Even without Daubutim here, if they had wanted to try and do something to him now, they'd find themselves outmatched.

Irwin glanced at their hands, a full left hand with only the older man having another card in his right. From the faintness of the tattoo-like images, he knew they were mostly amethyst with perhaps one topaz amongst them. That meant they were either not noble-born or from a small family.

The three sorcerers looked back at him with evident curiosity, and the two younger ones were visibly holding back their questions.

"Thank you for being willing to reforge my cards," Lord Bron said, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Do you require anything before we can start?"

Irwin ignored the sorcerers as he focused on Lord Bron. "If I reforge your cards, it will hurt," he said. "It will feel as if I'm shattering your hand with each strike, and I'll need dozens of strikes per card."

Lord Bron shook his head dismissively. "What is some pain compared to the ability to become so much stronger? Just do what you have to do. I'll bear it."

You say that now, Irwin thought.

However, he said nothing but got up and moved to the cleared-out area on the other side of the spacious room. The table that had been there was shoved to the side, and he took Ambraz from his pocket, placing him on the ground. As the anvil grew to his working size, there were surprised outcries from behind.

"What is that? Is it a carded skill?"

"Why isn't it appearing from your hand? I felt no-"

"Quiet," the older sorcerer said.

Irwin looked at the younger sorcerers who were looking at him as if he were a mystery waiting to be discovered.

"Both of you apologize at once," the older sorcerer said, glaring at the younger ones.

"Sorry," they said almost as one, and the older sorcerer rolled his eyes before turning to Irwin.

"My apologies for my two young apprentices," he said. "They won't disturb you again with meaningless questions."

As he spoke, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at his apprentices, who both showed very little remorse.

Irwin nodded before turning to Lord Bron. "Can you tell me what types of cards you have? That way, I know in which direction to take these two to make them work better together."

Deadly quiet fell over the room as Lord Bron stared at him. "You… can change existing cards?" he asked slowly. "I thought you could only improve them?"

"It's roughly the same thing," Irwin said as he waggled his hand. "Cards don't need to be improved along a singular path. There are multiple directions to take them. For instance, if you have a fire dagger card, I could improve it along the fire path or along the blade part by either increasing the heat or turning the dagger into a shortword."

"Can you also do mine?" the young male sorcerer asked excitedly.

Before Irwin could respond, there was a slapping sound, and the sorcerer was rubbing his head while the older one glared at him, lowering his hand.

"Irwin, can you change my cards to fit the three I have?" Lord Bron asked. "I have thought about removing them many times because of how poorly they synergize, but I just don't wish to miss their abilities."

So that's why he doesn't have a sixth card, Irwin thought.

"I'd need to know exactly what cards you have."

Lord Bron frowned, then focused on the sorcerers. "Sentil, please head out. As soon as you three are ready, commence with the plan and bring another group of guards to the portal."

"Of course, Lord Bron," the older sorcerer, Sentil, said before rising and beckoning his apprentices to follow.

Irwin saw disgruntled looks on the younger sorcerers, but they still followed Sentil as he left the room.

Bron glanced at Daubutim and nodded, seeming perfectly fine with Daubutim to remain. Irwin immediately felt more comfortable.

"When I was young, my family handed me three cards as is the custom. Back then, I didn't know any better, so I accepted, slotted, and combined a fullhand before realizing the limits of these three."

Lord Bron raised his hand, and a simple, unadorned longsword appeared.

"I have this, an uncommon weapon summon, and two rare body improvements cards. One grants me enhanced constitution, agility, and strength; the other resistance to and detection of poison. Combined with my other two, I'm having trouble finding a sixth as all those I wanted have been rejected."

Irwin frowned as he looked at Bron's left hand. If he'd heard the man had been gifted two rare cards and an uncommon back when he was young, he'd have been incredibly impressed. Now, he was underwhelmed. An uncommon sword card given to a noble kid seemed low to him. Had Lord Bron's family been on the poorer end of the nobles?

"Body improvement cards and weapon cards usually don't have many issues combining properly with other cards," he said. "Can you focus on them and project them above your hand one at a time for me to inspect?"

Bron nodded, and he closed his eyes. A moment later, a card appeared above his hand.

He has done this before, Irwin thought, impressed with the ease of Bron's action. Then, he focused on what he could detect from the card.

A few minutes later, he crossed his arms while the third card of Bron's left hand vanished.

Irwin frowned, not completely understanding what he had felt. Although he wasn't able to detect card details like Ambraz, ever since he'd gotten his heartcard, he could sense the rough typings of the cards, and in Bron's case, he was almost a hundred percent sure that the problem was his poison resistance and detection card. It leaned heavily to the poison type, and after Bron had combined them into his fullhand, he had either consciously or unconsciously focused even more on that. If he had to guess, his third card had also gotten some effect due to that.

"Those cards are interesting," he said thoughtfully. "Does your sword have a slight poison effect?"

Lord Bron's eyebrows shot up, and he nodded. "Correct, but it's very minor and useless."

"Alright, can you show me the two cards in your right hand?"

Lord Bron raised his hand again, and a new card appeared. It was far clearer than the others had been, and Irwin immediately recognized the energy density and signature of a very rare. Or emerald if he used the regularly used term.

"This is my barrier card," Lord Bron said.

Irwin inspected it for a bit, then nodded for him to continue, and a moment later, a final card was projected. This one was rare again, but Irwin could sense how intricate it was.

"This one allows me to read body language, both large and small," Lord Bron said as he stared fondly at his card. "It's the card that saved my life more than any other, both in and out of combat. Without it, I'd have been killed when they charged me with attempted rebellion."

Attempted rebellion? Irwin thought. He wanted to ask some more about it, but he knew this wasn't the time for that.

So, he shelved the question for later when he could ask Daubutim and inspected the card. He immediately saw the biggest problem. Between the barrier card, the poison card, and this one, they were creating a dissonance. None of them had any overlap, and even though he couldn't really hear the song they were trying to create, he was sure it would be ugly and painful to hear. To find a sixth card that could fix this mess somehow...

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Perhaps if he added more poison and infect the other two cards? But that would cause the problem that neither of those had any overlapping qualities. Their types were so far apart that only two might work, but three?

I wish I had time to talk with Ambraz, he thought.

With a frown, he began pacing through the room, ignoring the confused and worried glances from Bron.

How much did he trust Lord Bron? A lot... but enough to show him Ambraz? What if he just told him he couldn't fix it?

No, we are going to need him as strong as he can be for the next world, he thought, shoving that idea away. It was too likely that they would also have Indoutor there, and if Daubutim were to rule, he'd need strong allies. Besides, Lord Bron had done nothing but show himself to be a trustworthy ally. Staring at the Lord, he realized he did trust him.

After a few moments, he turned to Daubutim. His friend's eye almost sparked with red lightning, and he nodded, seeming to understand what he was asking.

"Alright," Irwin said, making up his mind. "This is a bit beyond what I can fix on my own."

Lord Bron's face fell minutely.

"So, I'm going to show you something, and I need you to keep it a secret," Irwin said.

Bron's eyes widened, and Irwin could see him think, but to his credit, Bron nodded without hesitation. "You may speak freely," he said as a barrier appeared around the room. "You can trust me."

If I didn't, I wouldn't have shown you this, Irwin thought as he looked at Ambraz.

"So, what do you think of his cards?"

"Bloody pathetic!" Ambraz snorted immediately as if he'd been biting his tongue all the time.

His metal mouth appeared on the side and turned into a scowl.

"There's barely any cohesion between those types, and if I didn't know better, the people that gave him his cards wanted to make his life more difficult. Who focuses on poison?! It can only harm people with weaker cards than you, and this is a topaz card! Bah, it's less than useless; it's a detriment!"

Irwin grinned as he saw Lord Bron's mouth had fallen open as he looked at Ambraz.

"Is… is that a carded ability?" Lord Bron asked softly.

"Something like that," Irwin said, glad Ambraz didn't blurt out something. "More importantly, Ambraz can probably come up with a solution to your cards."

"Probably? Bah! You better be happy I'm here and willing to help," Ambraz snorted. "Because your five cards mesh about as well as fire and grass. Now, kid, let's start with the barrier one. We are going to be moving it sideways before reforging it up. So, first-"

Everyone quietly listened as Ambraz began detailing the plan. When he finished, Irwin nodded while Lord Bron's eyes gleamed.

"You mean you will have a sixth card for me?" Lord Bron asked. His usual calm was gone, and he seemed almost like a child hearing they were getting their first card.

"Yes," Irwin said. "Now, prepare yourself because this will hurt."

--

"What do you mean I can't go in," Myda grunted. "I've been scouting for a week and need to tell him what I found!"

Basil sighed, remaining where he was, blocking the door. "Lord Bron is with Irwin and said he wasn't to be disturbed for any reason."

Myda snorted as she leaned against the wall. Still, her eyes gleamed.

"Irwin? So that kid is back? Fantastic. I'm sure he has some pretty stories about that other world, just like Hutch, but this is more important! How long is this going to take? I found portal clusters only three days from here, and there's a massive surge occurring around it! The amount of Imps pouring out is already as large as what we saw half a year ago. If those come here…" she fell quiet as Basil began grinning.

"What? Is this something to laugh about? Did the stress finally catch up to you and crack what remains of your dull mind?"

Basil's laughter increased, and he wiped his eyes.

"It's been almost two hours now, so I have no idea how long it will be," he said. "But, you did miss a few things. Perhaps I should inform you."

He was about to continue when the door was shoved open, and Lord Bron looked at both of them. His face was so pale it was nearly white, but his single good eye gleamed, and he seemed exuberant.

"Would you two please stop fighting outside my chambers? Come inside," he said energeticly.

Basil blinked, sharing a look with Myda before following his young friend, comrade, and leader inside.

--

Irwin leaned back in his chair as he watched Myda walk inside. She was one of the people he knew from when he'd first been here. The lithe, long-haired ranger had mud stains everywhere, including her face and twigs and leaves in her hair, but unlike Bron and Basil, she wasn't as gaunt. She also had an odd armor covering her legs, more dress than pants, and not something he'd ever seen a ranger use before.

As she saw him, he saw her eyes widen.

"Alright, so I guess I can't call you a kid anymore," she said, shaking her head. "You look like someone took three smiths and compressed them into one! By Yilda, what have you been eating?"

"A lot," Irwin said as he grinned back. "You look like you wrestled with a tree and lost!"

Myda's eyes widened, then she grinned. "Lost? Bah! If I decided to wrestle with a tree, I'd definitely win. Now, as much as I enjoy this- My Lord, there are clusters of portals three days from here, and there are already thousands of Imps destroying the lands around it."

"Yes, I heard you," Lord Bron said calmly.

Irwin was impressed with how fast the man shrugged off the intense, bone-curdling pain that he'd been subjected to only minutes before.

"How long would it take them to reach us?"

Myda cocked her head. "Okay… something definitely happened while I was gone. What is going on?"

"Ranger Myda," Lord Bron said.

"Right, sorry. If they behave like the other ones, they will slowly spread out, and they should start scouting for things to attack and eat in a few days. I'd say we have four weeks or more, but it depends..."

Basil's booming laughter caused her to glare at him.

"Alright, you overgrown tin can! Tell me what is going on already!"

Irwin leaned back as Lord Bron, and Basil began filling her in, his mind drifting back to the reforging he had just done.

With Ambraz's help, Lord Bron's barrier card had been reforged sideways to focus solely on the barrier, dropping any other things it did, like the minor physical aspect and the ability to detect what was a few feet around it. Ambraz had said that it would be best to replace the fifth card, but Lord Bron had been adamant. Of any card he had, that was the one he wanted above all. So, Irwin and Ambraz had reforged it up to Emerald.

That still left a gaping hole of a card that needed to bridge three unrelated types and the knowledge that when the Heartcard was to be made, it would be a horrendous affair. Even then, Ambraz had come up with a way.

I still can't believe how Ambraz found that tiny path, Irwin thought as he replayed the reforging of Lord Bron's sixth card. Ambraz had managed to turn a simple poison vine card into a poison barrier card, using Irwin's own initial idea to infect the other two cards with a poison type.

Even then, Lord Bron's combinations were still barely viable, but Ambraz had seemed certain that Irwin could reforge it into a functional heartcard.

I can't wait to try that, Irwint thought, hoping Lord Bron would be able to combine it soon.

Looking up, he found that Lord Bron was finishing up the story.

"So, we are going to make sure not to be here when those Imps arrive," he said.

Myda's eyes were sparkling, and she was nodding fervently. "That's fantastic! I'll head there now and start scouting the-"

Lord Bron shook his head. "No. I need you to do something else first."

"What? Come on, I'm your best ranger! If anyone should be there to find the spot to build New Degonda, it should be me!"

"Perhaps, but I have something more important for you first," Lord Bron said. "And we are not calling it New Degonda."

"What could possibly be more important?" Myda asked.

"I want you to safely guide Irwin to Malorin so he can see if any of his family survived," Lord Bron said. "From what I've heard, you are the only one able to keep up with his speed."

Myda blinked, and she glanced Irwin.

"The last we heard of Malorin was months ago," she said softly. "The chances that they managed to survive… Irwin, I'm sorry, but it's not looking good. Shouldn't we... I don't know? Focus on more important things?"

Irwin grimaced, knowing part of what she said was right but not willing to give up on the chance to see his mother and brother.

"We know," Lord Bron said calmly. "However, be that as it may, I order you to bring Irwin there. He has done too much for us not to give him this chance, and he will likely go on his own otherwise. With you along, he will be there faster. If I had a teleporter here that could go that far without having been there before, I'd have used those. But we don't, and although your help in the new world is useful, we can do without."

Irwin saw Myda hesitate before she nodded.

"As you say, My Lord," she said. "But can I at least wash up, get some clean clothes, and eat before we leave?"

Lord Bron looked at Irwin, who was surprised that he was the one to decide this. Still, as he thought about waiting, he realized his gut churned, and he wanted to run to Malorin immediately. He pushed it down.

"I need to talk with Trimdir after we are done here, then after that, I'll be heading out," he said.

"Very well," Lord Bron said as he turned to Myda. "You have two hours."

"Ugh!" Myda exclaimed as she got up and walked to the door. Just as she was about to leave, she turned and grinned at Irwin and Daubutim. "Great to see you again!" Then she turned and rushed out of the door.

"Right," Basil said. "Bron, do you need me for anything?"

"No, just see how she's been doing," Lord Bron said with a smile. "I expect you back here when she heads to Trimdir."

Basil rose and left, waving at Irwin as he did. When the door was closed again, a barrier appeared, and Lord Bron looked at Irwin.

"There is one thing I'd like to ask. Are you sure you will be safe? I understand that you are more powerful than any of us, but what if you get cornered by a horde of demons?"

Irwin wanted to laugh it off and say he'd be fine when he remembered something. The Bablibon. What if another of those demons found him? Would he be alright? He wasn't sure.

But would he let that stop him?

No, he thought as he shook his head.

Besides, he had skills that should allow him to get away from nearly anything or anyone… even if he had to burn down everything around him and cover in it a thick layer of steam as he did.

"I'm not sure I can take on everything that I might encounter," he said. "But I think I can get away if something proves too dangerous."

Lord Bron scrutinized him, then nodded. "Very well. I'll continue the evacuation with Daubutim. If you find Malorin still standing, Myda can return and warn us. Then your friend can move the portal to that waypoint, and we will come and help! The more people we can save from Giard, the better."

Irwin felt gratefulness bubble up, and he rose, nodding at Lord Bron.

"Thank you. I'll head to Trimdir now, and I'll leave as soon as Myda finds me," he said before turning to Daubutim.

He was about to wish him luck when Twyl appeared on Daubutim's shoulder in a flash of light. She looked around curiously, then hopped from Daubutim's shoulder and flew to his.

Irwin watched her in surprise before turning to Daubutim.

"I will leave Twyl with you," Daubutim said calmly. "If you need to tell me anything, just speak to her, and she will relay it to me. I am not sure if she can go all the way, but this should help."

"Interesting," Lord Bron said. "So you have a weapon card, something that makes your eye go red, and a summon? Why are you not having any issues with merging your cards?"

Daubutim looked at Irwin. "Go. I will explain this to him."

"I will see you again soon, hopefully, to introduce my family," Irwin said as he turned and headed out of the room.