"Don't worry, I've had my fair share of pain," Bronwyn said calmly. "If there's anything you can do to make me stronger so I can protect Carla, Drum, and Mom, I'll do it. Even if those silver eyes aren't really my thing."

"Don't worry," Irwin said as he grinned. "I'm sure Carla won't mind."

Bronwyn snorted before shaking his head. "Since when were you this comfortable around girls?"

"I'll tell you about that when we have more time," Irwin said quickly, ignoring his brother's raised eyebrow and sudden grin. "Now that the rest are asleep, there's another thing I need to tell you."

Bronwyn frowned as he looked around. "Why couldn't they hear it?"

"Because it would take way too much time to explain. However, if I am to reforge your cards and make you heartcarded, you will need to know," Irwin said before tapping his pocket. "Ambraz, is everything clear?"

"If by clear you mean, is anyone hiding around listening to you two talk? Then no," Ambraz snorted as he struggled out of Irwin's pocket and flitted on his shoulder. "At least nothing besides that big bird."

"You have a talking summon?" Bronwyn asked with raised eyebrows.

"What? Who are you calling a summon, you big hairy lump?" Ambraz said. "I'm a… well, just call me a Ganvil, I guess."

Irwin was surprised that Ambraz didn't make Bronwyn call him an Anvil of the gods.

"You're… a demon?" Bronwyn asked carefully.

“No, no,” Ambraz snapped. "I'm not addled!"

"Ambraz is a talking anvil," Irwin said with a grin. "He's my smithing partner, and together, we've managed to do some very interesting things."

Bronwyn nodded, leaning forward as he examined Ambraz. "Why do you have a mouth? Can you eat?"

Irwin held back a grin and slowly removed his remaining stack of cards, easily three fingers thick, from his pocket. Bronwyn's eyes widened as he saw them.

"You could create ten whole new squads of rangers with those," he whispered.

Irwin didn't answer but picked a utility card from the top and flicked it to Ambraz. Ambraz's body instantly grew to the size of a kettle, and he snagged the card out of the air before crunching on it.

"No…" Bronwyn hissed. "He eats cards? That's… that's…”

"Delicious," Ambraz said as he licked his gray lips. "Don't worry so much. It's just one card."

Irwin was happy and surprised when Bronwyn's shock quickly turned to a thoughtful look.

"So, you eat cards. Why? Does that do anything?" he asked.

"If you want better cards or heartcards, that's how it works," Ambraz said, sounding far too proud of himself.

Irwin just grinned at Bronwyn's raised eyebrow.

"That's about right. So, how about you tell me what cards you have," Irwin said.

He knew he didn't have to ask because he doubted they were high enough to block whatever ability Ambraz was using to scan them, but at least this would show which parts of his cards Bronwyn valued most.

"You know about my bow and Glint," Bronwyn said, staring at his left hand and tapping the first and second slot. Due to his hand being combined, both slots were wrapped in thin lines and imagery that connected them to the other card slots. "During the first time, the creatures in Gloomforest went crazy, I managed to get the killing shot of some enormous bear. It dropped a rare card." He patted the third card with a happy smile.

Irwin whistled, knowing full well what a rare card meant in Malorin.

"Nobody tried to take it?" he asked.

Bronwyn let out a weary sigh as he rubbed his arm. "Yeah, some of the older guards saw, and they tried to take it away. Luckily, Glint grabbed it, and I managed to slot it before they could cause more trouble."

"They must have been furious," Irwin whispered.

Bronwyn's eyes narrowed. "They actually tried to have Lord Rhym judge me, but too bad for them that old man's way too crafty to be tricked by that."

Irwin hesitated as he recalled when Rhym was his teacher, and he shook his head. "I don't recall Rhym as being all that crafty… Just old and tired."

"Yeah, just don't let anyone else hear you," Bronwyn said. "Lord Rhym… well, I guess you don't know this, but his son was killed by those Nyzir. You should have seen him, I mean- we all heard the rumors and stories growing up, but I didn't really believe them until I saw him fight. He just went crazy, and it was only because of him that we managed to deal with those three Nyzir. He killed one and held the other two at bay. After that… well, one of them dropped an odd card, and he took it and slotted it in his final slot, making him the only two-handed here."

"Say, Bronwyn? How many cards have been dropping?" Ambraz asked in a seemingly calm voice.

Irwin's hair stood on end instantly. He recognized the tone Ambraz was using, one he only used when something bad was happening.

Bronwyn quietly looked at Ambraz for a few moments, seeming to hesitate.

"What? I'm not asking because I want to eat them," Ambraz snapped. "Who would want those crummy things!"

"Bron, how many are dropping?" Irwin asked.

"A lot. Probably one per ten kills. It's the only reason we are still able to resist. We've been prioritizing getting everyone in the city at least one or two cards. That was Rhym's idea. He said that if we are going to get overrun either way, having everyone able to fight would be more useful than having a small group of powerful two-handed."

"That sounds like a good idea," Irwin said absently, keeping an eye on Ambraz.

Bronwyn seemed to realize something was up and looked at the anvil curiously.

"Ambraz?" Irwin asked.

"Yeah, yeah. One moment," Ambraz muttered. "I'm checking your brother's recent cards for… well, that's not good."

Irwin felt his skin crawl. "What do you mean?"

"They are way too high quality," Ambraz muttered. "Between that and the increase in drops, it means Giard is rapidly becoming more unstable. What is that stupid beardy face doing?!"

"Beardy face?" Bronwyn asked, confused.

"I'll explain later," Irwin said. "Bron, tell me about the rest of your cards, and then we can see to getting you a sixth."

"That sounds like a great plan," Bronwyn said with a sudden grin.

I hope you're hurrying, Daubutim, he thought as he absently listened to his brother talk about his other two cards.

--

"Snap out of it! I asked if there are more on the way or if this is it?" Greldo said as he looked at the group of bedraggled crafters standing in the open area before the portal.

"There are a dozen more coming," the lone guard among them said. He was looking around wide-eyed. "Are we really in another world?"

"You went through the portal, didn't you?" Greldo said with a grin.

"Now, listen up! Follow that path until you reach the others, and don't go wandering off. There might be no demons and portals here, but there are dangerous beasts. If you see a flying frog, run to the camp, don't fight. There's a large hound in the camp, who is my summon. He'll take care of it."

There was a silence as the craftsmen and guard stared at him.

"Move, I'll wait here for the others," Greldo snapped.

The craftsman hauled up their backpacks and began walking along what was slowly becoming a well-trodden path.

"I wonder who he is?"

"How can he have a summon? He has no cards!"

"He didn't? All I saw was that he had some weird eyes."

"I wonder if it's summer here…"

Greldo waited till the group was out of hearing range before snorting.

"That's a good question," he muttered as he looked at the sky.

Let's just hope it's not fall, he thought. They were going to need time to build houses for everyone, and if the winters here were harsh, that would not be a good thing.

--

Daubutim inspected the map, as Lord Bron traced a path.

"The rangers have managed to clear the areas around the shortest path up to this point, and the first wagon will reach the portal in two days," Lord Bron said, looking up at Daubutim. "Have you decided on the optimal second group?"

"I have," Daubutim said calmly, and he began slowly calling out names while Lord Bron wrote them down.

They were barely halfway through when there was a loud knock on the door. Lord Bron looked up in surprise.

"I didn't expect anyone yet, or is it night already?"

The knock came again, louder this time.

"Enter!" Lord Bron said as he focused on the door.

It swung open, and a tall, old Frozir stomped inside.

Elder Gum'dil'ran, Daubutim thought, recognizing the leader of the Frozir.

A smaller, smiling Frozir woman followed the Elder, and Daubutim nodded. Satiya, she was called. Back when Irwin and he had left, she had been the last female Frozir able to give birth.

The Elder's eyes were like ice as he looked around. "When will my people be allowed to that world?"

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"What Elder Gum'dil'ran means is, thank you for seeing us on such short notice," Satiya said. "We have heard rumors that you have found a safe world and are relocating?"

"Satiya, it is good to see you," Lord Bron said as he waved. "Gum'dil'ran. Still as cold as ever, I see."

"Spare me your semantics," Gum'dil'ran said.

Daubutim frowned as he watched the odd interaction, noticing that Lord Bron seemed to ignore the Elder and focus on Satiya.

"I wondered when you would come," Lord Bron said. "Sit, and let's talk."

They have some sort of connection, Daubutim thought as he followed them to the chairs.

--

Irwin lay on his back on the hard wooden floor, staring at the old, gnarly beams that held up the ceiling.

He'd been trying to fall asleep but couldn't, finding himself unable to stop thinking about where he was and what his brother had told him.

The Babliblon, which it had to be from the description Bronwyn had given him, had arrived a few months ago and seemed to be roaming the deepest parts of Gloomforest, killing and eating anything it came across.

So, if that thing is still like that, what killed all of those animals in Death Forest? Irwin thought. Just like the previous times, there was a lingering memory that kept trying to crop up.

He shoved the feeling and the question away. He'd tried to recall for a long time before and just couldn't come up with anything. Hopefully, it would come to him after he woke. If he ever managed to fall asleep, that was.

Besides, there were more important things to worry about, he knew, as he absently put his hand on the pocket holding his cards.

An aura card, he thought as he recalled what Ambraz had suggested: one that would influence anyone within fifty feet of his brother. Aggressive thoughts towards him would be lessened, and positive ones would be improved. He had no idea why Ambraz seemed to think it was the perfect match, but Bronwyn had been more than happy with having another rare card.

I'll reforge it to Emerald tomorrow, then do his two already slotted cards, he thought. After that, Bronwyn would need to familiarize himself with his new cards for a while, then make his second full-hand, and only after that could he create the heartcard. With some luck, it could be done in a few days, depending on how compatible they were.

His mind kept spinning as he went through the cards in his stack, imagining which would fit his mother or Carla. At some point, soft footsteps and a hard ticking came from above, then down the stairs.

Irwin leaned on his elbow to see his mother enter the room. Her eyes were red, and her face sagged with relief as she looked at him.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?" she whispered.

"No, I couldn't sleep," Irwin said as he pushed himself up and sat down at the table. His mother moved to sit down opposite him.

"I had a nightmare that your return had been nothing but a dream," she said. "I had to check."

"It's fine," Irwin said as he smiled at her.

"I should let you sleep. You will need rest for tomorrow," his mother said, smiling and seeming ready to get up.

"No need," Irwin said as he shook his head. "Sleep isn't coming, and my card will keep me going for days if need be."

His mother didn't need any convincing as she relaxed and looked at his hands, then his eyes.

"Did it hurt?" she asked as she gestured at his eyes.

"Getting a heartcard?"

Irwin hesitated. He wanted to tell her it hadn't and that it was all fine, but he would reforge people's cards in the future so she would learn the truth. Besides- as he stared into her calm eyes, seeing the familiar stern look, he knew it would be best not to sugarcoat it. He'd always been awful at lying to her.

"Yes," he said with a sigh, leaning back. "It hurt enough to make me cry and scream, just like when I was a little boy."

His mother blinked, then frowned. Irwin saw her mind spin with questions that answered themselves, and slowly, she relaxed and nodded

"I'm proud of you," she said, and Irwin felt a wave of joy. It lasted for only a few moments as she spoke again. "You will need to reforge my cards for me."

Irwin stared at her, opening his mouth, then closing it, and picturing him hammering his mother's cards as she was wracked by pain. "I…"

His mother raised an eyebrow. "Irwin, do you think I can't handle a little bit of pain?"

Irwin licked his lips and shook his head. "No," he said. "But the idea of me inflicting it on you…"

A suddenly fiery annoyance flushed across his mother's face, and for a few moments, Irwin thought he was a boy again, and he'd done something foolish.

"You would do it to help me. I'd rather you do it than someone else!" she said, obviously doing her best to refrain from talking too loud but still unable to keep the sternness from her voice.

Irwin felt the worry about hurting his mother vanish as he pictured another smith reforging his mother's cards, and he gripped the table, causing it to crack.

"No," he said. "If someone has to do it, I'll do it. At least then, I know it will be done well."

A tiny shock ran across his mother's face, followed by pride. "Good. Now, how about you tell me about the girl you met, which you kept excluded from the story?"

Irwin felt his mind jolt from the constant barrage of different emotions, this time surprise.

"How…?"

"Do you think I wouldn't know if my own son was holding things from me?" his mother snorted. "You couldn't lie to me when you were ten, not when you were sixteen, and not now that you are…"

Her face fell slightly. "Irwin, how old are you?"

"I don't know for sure," Irwin said, happy to talk about something else then Scintilla for a little longer. "I spent a lot of time in different portals with lots of time-dilation. Especially the time on Scour added up. I think I'm nineteen, but… I could be a bit younger or older."

"Not over twenty-four?" she asked, leaning forward and looking at him intently.

Not sure why that mattered, Irwin thought hard, then shook his head. "No, I could be twenty, but definitely not twenty-four."

"Good. Otherwise, it would be confusing because that would make you older than your older brother," his mother said with a sigh. "He also became older due to those horrid portals."

Irwin nodded as he realized why she'd asked. Bronwyn had already told him he'd been stuck a few times, though luckily, never longer than half a year.

Odd, he thought. Weren't time dilations supposed to become less pronounced if a world became more unstable? Or was that more...

"Now, who is she?" his mother asked, staring at him.

Irwin sighed as he thought about Scintilla before slowly telling his mother about her.

--

A loud knock came from the door leading outside, and Irwin looked up. Everyone was sitting at the table, Carla holding the baby close while they all ate small bites of his rations. It was so early that the sun wasn't even high enough to hit the tiny windows. However, his mother's exclamations and louder questions had eventually woken the rest and brought them down.

"I'll check," Bronwyn said as he got up and walked into the hallway.

The outside door was opened, and Irwin heard Myda's familiar voice, followed by some man's voice. They began talking with Bronwyn, and Irwin looked at his mother. He knew he would probably need to leave in a minute. Luckily, she seemed to have calmed down considerably since a few hours earlier when he'd told her she was technically grandmother a few times over.

"I think I'm going to need to have a chat with Lord Rhym," he said.

"Don't worry. Rhym is a good man, and he will listen," his mother said, looking up.

Irwin nodded just as Bronwyn called him from the door.

"I'll be back soon," he said, smiling at his mother, then nodding at Carla and walking out.

Bronwyn stood at the door, arms crossed, looking more like a bear than a man. Myda stood a few steps away with a guard. She looked dead-tired, but her smile and sparkling eyes told Irwin enough.

"Lord Rhym wants to meet you," she said. "There's also a sorcerer here that can teleport! She can't reach Degonda in a single teleport and doesn't know the way, but with me along she-"

Irwin walked outside, surprised when Myda continued rattling. Listening with half an ear, he turned and nodded at Bronwyn.

"I'll be back as soon as this is ready, and you can show me the ranger's tower."

"We will be here," Bronwyn said.

Irwin followed Myda and the Guard through the city, which was still gloomy and mostly empty. Only a few rangers and guards and the occasional commoner walked around. All of them, but especially the commoners, were visibly underfed, with gaunt faces and sunken cheeks.

We need to get out of here, Irwin thought.

As they closed in on the old castle, walking across a square, he realized that where he was now had been off-limits to him for most of his life in Malorin. He remembered a moment, long ago when the young lordlings had gotten their cards in a ceremony on this square. Picturing it now, after everything he had seen about cards, it seemed somewhat laughable.

They walked up the wide, square staircase to the main gate and into the column-filled hallway of the castle. The central area was cold, empty, and dusty, but Irwin looked around curiously as they walked further into the castle. He'd never been in here, but had thought and even dreamed about it many times when he was young.

They walked through hallways and corridors, then up a stone staircase. It ended in a large room with dozens of bookcases and guards near the windows. A massive table that reminded him of the one in Lord Bron's room stood in the center, and at the head sat a familiar old man in a thick, dark chestplate. The minute vibrations from it told him it was a carded skill.

Teacher Rhym, Irwin thought, startled by the changes wrought on his old teacher.

Rhym's face was clean-shaven and etched by a grief Irwin didn't remember. Gone was the long mass of white hair, replaced by a short-cropped stubble, making the man before him look younger than he remembered. There was a burning willpower and hope in his eyes as they locked onto his.

"If I hadn't been told, I'd never have recognized you," Rhym said in a rough but familiar voice. "From the smallest to the tallest. Well done in surviving."

Irwin stopped before the table, noting two more people sitting there. One was an older man with a brown beard, and sparkling brown eyes, while the other was Clarish. Staring at the girl he'd had a crush on for most of his time in school, Irwin realized she was beautiful, even when compared to the many women he had seen on Fiverion. She could stand with the best of them, and her eyes, similar to her uncle's, sparkled with a curious interest.

"Lord Rhym," he said, focusing on his old teacher.

Somehow, it didn't feel odd to call him that, and as he thought about what his mother and brother had told him, he felt a sudden gratitude towards the man.

"Thank you for keeping my family safe, for keeping everyone in Malorin safe," he said, lowering his head slightly.

Rhym's face showed a tiny bit of surprise, and then Irwin saw something he'd not seen directed at him by the man—at least never when he was his student. Rhym smiled. It was weak, but even then, it was more than Irwin had seen on his face before.

"You are welcome," Lord Rhym said, slowly rising from his chair. "But I think I should be the one thanking you if all that Myda told us is true."

Irwin smiled, hearing the unvoiced question.

"There is a portal near Degonda that will bring us to a new, safe world," he said. "One far enough from trouble so we can rebuild before any more find us."

"Sit down, please," Lord Rhym said as he returned to his chair. Irwin noticed that his movements were slightly stiff as if he was in pain. "We have some questions."

Irwin sat down opposite the sorcerer, Myda taking the chair beside him. For the next half an hour, he answered a lot of questions he was sure Myda had already answered. Still, even knowing this, he calmly continued. If this was what Rhym needed to believe them, he was fine with providing more answers. When the questions finally stopped, Irwin watched his old teacher stare at the table silently, seeming lost in thought.

"I have one more thing to tell you," Irwin said, causing Lord Rhym to look at him with weary resignation.

"Bronwyn told me about the thing in the forest, and I'm afraid I have a very good idea what it is," he said.

"But you have only just returned?" Clarissa asked in surprise.

Irwin nodded. "It's called a Bablibon, and it used to be in a portal world I went to. It had been trapped there and was feeding on the Galubs," he said as he quickly explained what he knew about the demonic terror bird.

"If you could wound it when you only had a few cards, wouldn't it be easy to kill it with enough people?" Lord Rhym asked, tapping his finger on the table. "Or is there more?"

"More, I'm afraid," Irwin said. "While trapped, the Bablibon was starving and much weaker than it should be. Still, even that weak, it was able to survive a fight with a four-horned Galub which is roughly on par with most weaker heartcarded. Now, after it's been feasting on the creatures of Gloomforest, I fear it will be much more powerful."

"How strong are we talking?" Sorcerer Uldrot asked calmly.

"I honestly don't know," Irwin said. "I hadn't expected to find it here, but I know it has a soulskill that can influence those around it to think it is easy prey. That means it will likely easily overpower anyone without a heartcard, causing them to behave recklessly."

There was a moment of quiet, and then Lord Rhym nodded slowly. "I see. Do you think you can defeat it?"

"I don't know," Irwin said. "I'll need to find out more about it and its abilities."

They continued talking about the Bablibon for a few more minutes till sorcerer Uldrot turned to his niece.

"I think it is time for the two of you to go to Degonda," he said. "Remember what I told you. Don't go as far as you can with any single jump, but leave some energy to make a short-range escape teleport if you appear somewhere dangerous."

"Yes, Uncle Doukyser," Clarish said, sounding only minutely annoyed.

As she rose, Irwin couldn't help but be amazed that even after all he'd gone through, he still enjoyed watching her supple movements. However, unlike before, there was no burning juvenile interest like he'd had what seemed like ages ago. Now, he just looked at her with genuine appreciation and not a single desire to act on it.

Time is weird, he thought, watching Myda and Clarish move to the center of the room.

"Tell Daubutim I'll be searching for any potential places the portal could open up at but for him to ready an army on the other side. If the Bablibon finds the entrance, it might go through without me being able to stop it."

"Will he be able to kill it?" Lord Rhym asked, sounding hopefull.

Irwin thought about Greldo on the other side, together with Coal. They might be able to, but… He hesitated. There was one force powerful enough to stop the Bablibon there, but was he willing to let them on the planet while he and Daubutim were gone?

He thought for a few moments, then made up his mind. He trusted Xi'kroak, besides, if the Da'xi wanted to, he could probably storm the portal and take the world by force.

He turned to Myda, who had been watching him intently. "Tell Daubutim to send Greldo a message. He is to explain the situation to Captain Xi'kroak and let him and his people on the planet."

Myda looked slightly confused, but she nodded. "Alright."

Irwin saw that Lord Rhym and the sorcerer were frowning, but neither asked anything, which surprised him somewhat.

"Hold on to my arm," Clarissa said. "It's easier to bring people like that."

Myda did as asked, and a soft, bubbling sound came from the air around them a moment later. Watery droplets appeared, first only a few but quickly more, and within moments, they were surrounded by what looked like rain hovering midair. Then, with a sudden plop, they vanished. The water cascaded down, causing small rivulets and streams across the stone floor.

I hope things are going quickly on Daubutim's end, Irwin thought.

"I will begin preparing the guards and the rangers," Lord Rhym said. "What will you be doing?"

"I need to talk with my brother," Irwin said as he rose. "If you need me, I'll be at the ranger tower."