Irwin took a deep breath, then rose. "Then what are we still doing here? Let's go to Esterdon!”

Daubutim showed no intention of getting up but sighed.

"I know my cousin," he said calmly. "He will not accept our current leadership structure. He also very likely has more carded warriors than we do by now. If we go there, he will not agree to anything but him being in charge. So, unless we let it come to a conflict, we need a plan."

"It's best if you remain here," Bron immediately said, looking at Daubutim. "You've proven exactly how effective you are in the last few weeks. We can't risk him killing you."

Irwin hummed as he sat back down. "What if I go there and use my steam to knock him out and take over?"

"Indoubtor will be on guard against you. Most likely, he will have plans to deal with you, although he likely won't know that you are now much more powerful," Daubutim said.

The three of them were quiet for a while before Lord Bron sighed. "We could just leave them."

"Gelwin said that there are over a hundred and sixty thousand people gathered in or near Esterdon," Daubutim said calmly. "I don't feel comfortable letting those die if we don't at least do everything we can."

"Hmm…" a soft voice said, and all three of them jerked upright, staring at the corner.

Greldo slowly walked from behind a cabinet, scratching his chin. "Sorry bout that," he said.

"How did you get in here without me noticing!" Lord Bron exclaimed, his face pale.

"I was here the whole time," Greldo said. "I teleported after Irwin and Daubutim but decided to just remain in the shadows because I didn't think I'd be able to contribute to this high and mighty conversation."

Irwin grinned, shaking his head. "Sure," he said. "You mean, you were hoping to get the jump on us and see our reaction?"

"That too," Greldo said as he sat down. "So, I'd suggest the following. Irwin goes through to blast apart anything that might be around the portal. After that, I come and scout Esterdon for whoever is opposing your cousin. There should be some, or perhaps you are wrong, and he's been really nice and will be cooperative?"

Irwin grinned as another idea came to him. "What if we offer him an adjacent world?" he asked Daubutim, who seemed unconcerned with Greldo's presence.

Daubutim hummed, then nodded. "If we can properly show he has no chance against us by force, that would be a way to do it. However, we would set him up as a potential problem in the future."

"Can't we just close the portal to his world?" Greldo asked, ignoring Lord Bron, who gave him an annoyed glare.

The others were quiet, thinking about Greldo's suggestion, and after a few moments, Lord Bron's annoyance made way for a thoughtful look.

"Although I'd prefer not putting you at risk," he said, looking at Irwin. "I know you will be leaving anyway and won't even listen to me, so Greldo's idea has merit. Though giving an entire world to Indoubtor, knowing he might try and forcefully take control in the future is not something I'd entertain."

Greldo grinned as he prodded Irwin. "That means you are expendable, like me! Feels great, doesn't it?"

Irwin laughed, then shook his head. "Nobody here is expendable," he said before getting up. "If we have only hours left, and nobody else has a better plan, I am going with what Greldo suggests."

"Greldo, can you teleport more than just yourself out of somewhere if needed?" Daubutim asked, looking at Greldo.

"Sure, as long as I don't have to do anything after," Greldo said.

"Indoubtor might have locked Lamia and the other smiths away. If you can find those and bring them here, it will make his position weaker."

"If I can, I will," Greldo said as he got up and stood beside Irwin. "Anything else?"

Daubutim took a deep breath, and his face turned serious. "If you can find my mother, brothers, and…. father, please get them here safely."

Irwin jolted, realizing he'd completely forgotten about Daubutim's family situation. A quick look at Greldo's stunned face showed he wasn't the only one.

"We will find them if they are there," Irwin said.

"Yes!" Greldo said while nodding. "I'll get them out if I can!"

"If my father causes trouble, you have my permission to knock him unconscious," Daubutim said as his lips curved ever so slightly.

"With pleasure," Irwin said, grinning back.

Greldo just smiled dangerously.

A few minutes later, they were walking away from the still-under-construction castle.

"Do you think it's likely that his father and brothers got out of that portal world?" Greldo whispered.

"From everything I've heard of his father, it wouldn't surprise me," Irwin said. "He seems like a capable, emotionless person."

"Well, let's see what we can do then," Greldo said, holding out a hand. "Let's go- I'll regain any energy spent teleporting this short distance during our trip in the portal."

Irwin took his hand, and the world immediately turned into a shadowy version of reality. The sounds were muted, and he was about to ask something as everything turned black. The next thing he knew, he was standing before the portal, and color and sound became normal again.

Greldo grunted and shook his head.

Irwin looked at him worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Don't worry, the heartcard helped me more than I'd expected," Greldo said as he waved at a group of rangers and guards looking at the portal. Basil was walking towards them.

"You two just popping up out of nowhere probably means you are going back through again?" Basil asked in his booming voice.

"Yes," Irwin said as he thought of something. "Can you send someone to my mother and tell her I'll be back within a day?"

Basil raised his eyebrows. "Seeing as you aren't doing it yourself, you are in a hurry?"

Irwin nodded, looking around. "Make sure to keep a close look around. I don't expect anything to come through except for civilians, but you never know."

"Any idea when I can expect the first arrivals then?" Basil asked.

Irwin shrugged. "I hope within a few hours, but we will see."

Basil gazed at him for a bit, then nodded slowly. "Fine, don't let me hold you then. I'll make sure things are ready here for when the first people arrive!"

Irwin and Greldo walked towards the portal.

"Alright, give me thirty minutes," Irwin said as he grinned at his friend. "If I don't return by then, either it's safe, or you need to come save me."

Greldo grinned back, but Irwin saw a tiny bit of worry.

"I'll be fine, " he said as he walked forward and entered the portal.

A flash of light later, he was hurtling down the familiar long energy-surrounded tunnel. There was nothing moving around, which he was very happy about.

"So, any good ideas?" he asked, tapping his pocket.

"If Indoubtor proves dangerous, kill him," Ambraz said with a snort. "There's too much at stake, and no longer just for your people. Which reminds me… we need to figure out a way past that blockade so I can contact the world Anvils on Granvox."

Irwin sighed, and he thought back to what he knew of Indoubtor. Time slowly trickled as he finally came to a conclusion.

Ambraz is right. There's too much at stake. As soon as he thought it, he felt a shiver run through him.

Did that mean he'd have to kill Indoubtor? He shoved the thought to the back of his mind. If Indoubtor had been a great leader, better suited than Daubutim, he'd be okay with him taking over, but from all he knew, it seemed unlikely. So either he would accept Daubutim's rule wholeheartedly, or Ambraz's option might be the only one. Either that or leave him behind.

I hope we are worrying over nothing yet, he thought, ignoring the nagging suspicion that Daubutim knew Indoubtor far better than he did and that he didn't know if he was ready to go in there with the goal of killing another human.

The end eventually came in sight, and Irwin summoned his hammer.

"Ready?" he asked.

"To do what?" Ambraz blurted.

"To sit on someone," Irwin said, forcing a grin on his face just as he reached the exit.

He stumbled out of the portal into a small, squarish chamber made of rock. A stone hallway, similar to what he'd seen the first time, led away, and the air was stuffy and sharp to his throat.

Okay, this air is way worse than the first time, he thought as he rushed forward.

A look around showed nothing but walls, and he hurried into the corridor that led to what looked like a dead-end. Slamming his hands against the smooth rock, he instantly felt it slide back a few inches. He put more strength into it, and a stone slab slid back with a loud grinding noise.

As soon as he could, he peeked through the opening. Like with Gelwin's first waypoint portal, he saw he was in a spacious cavern with a wide open side. He stepped around the slab, and immediately, his nose told him the air around him was far clearer than that within the chamber.

I wonder if Gelwin did this on purpose as some extra form of safety, Irwin thought as he shoved the slab further from the entrance to let fresh air inside.

If Greldo came, he didn't want his friend to suffocate.

Wait, does he even need to breathe inside those shadows? he thought as he began looking around.

A cursory glance showed there was nothing inside the empty cavern, and he walked to the open side. Unlike with the portal near Degonda, there was no wide vista. Instead, he saw a rocky cliff less than forty feet away and a narrow one-foot ledge leading left and up the side.

Should he go up? He hesitated, then decided to wait for Greldo. There was nothing here, but who knew what he'd find up there?

Back at the portal, he noticed that the air had cleared up a little but was still dangerously sharp to breathe.

He waited calmly until the portal flashed up, and Greldo stepped out.

"Shadow out of the room! The air is bad," he snapped just as Greldo's eyes widened.

He prepared to grab his friend and drag him to safety, but it wasn't needed. Greldo responded instantly, vanishing from where he stood, and Irwin turned and jogged to the cavern. Before he reached it, Greldo appeared and began coughing and cursing.

"You alright?" Irwin asked.

"How come you can breath that crap?" Greldo asked in between coughing.

Irwin shrugged, not bothering to answer, and pretty sure Greldo didn't expect one.

After a few minutes, Greldo rose from where he had been kneeling near the entrance.

"So… besides the air, nothing dangerous?" he asked.

"No," Irwin said, leaning onto the ledge and looking up. The star-filled sky sat above him.

"Alright, I'll go see where we are and what's going on around here," Greldo muttered before vanishing.

Let's hope it closes because getting over a hundred thousand people down here in under a day is going to be one hell of a chore, Irwin thought.

He decided that if things were safe, he'd head back and get stone shapers to create stairs up while Greldo kept scouting.

Greldo reappeared only a few minutes later, and from his frown, Irwin knew things weren't looking good.

"Remember those mountains you passed through when you came here from Degonda?" Greldo asked.

Irwin nodded.

"Well, we are inside those and at least a few miles from Esterdon. If we need to get people here, we will need to start right away, and it's still going to be dangerous at best. I saw dozens of Nyzir trails in the mountains and dozens of other things moving around," Greldo said.

"And the ruins?"

"Most of it is destroyed, and there's some building on top with a camp around it. There were only three Esterdon towers remaining. The Coulwater one has expanded and looks more like a stronghold or small city now, while there are dozens of camps around it. The plains that lead here are filled with roaming groups of demons, and then there's the rough terrain here."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The more he heard, the worse Irwin realized it was. Even if they started moving people here now, it was going to be impossible to guarantee everyone reached here safely.

Still, between many dying or remaining here, which would be worse? he thought, gritting his teeth.

"Great," he muttered. "Can you scout around and see what's going on? I'll head back and get carded stone shapers here to build staircases up and guards to protect the portal."

"Yeah, better get Basil here," Greldo said. "I saw some of those Brutal Imps."

Irwin's eyebrows shot up. "Where did you see those?" he asked, thinking about his half-full soullake.

"Moving around the lower parts of the hills," Greldo said. "You remember those Tardels?"

Irwin nodded as he recalled the demons that looked like a cross between a giant lizard and a hound. He'd killed a group of those who were chasing Greldo the first time he'd seen his friend again.

"Well, there's a lot of those roaming around the bottom of the hills, and I saw a group of them tear apart one of those Brutal Imps."

Irwin hissed. "So, I guess they don't like Imps either," he said. "Well, I'll go and clear out the imps from the hills after Basil gets here."

"Okay, be careful," Greldo said. "I'll see if any of the rangers I used to work with survived up till now!"

He vanished, and Irwin looked around for a moment before turning back to the opening.

"Let's hope we can get all of this done in time," he muttered.

--

Greldo rushed through the shadows, checking for trails of Nyzir. There were some, but none seemed to go out onto the planes.

Looking at the distant tower, he held back on teleporting towards the tower. He might need all his card's energy to get the smiths away.

Well, smith, he thought to himself. Although the distance wasn't too far, he knew that if he took more than one other person along, his energy would drop exponentially. That would leave him too weak to help or do much else.

A roar from below made him look down to see three Tardels sprinting after a pale form that raced across the planes.

A pale Imp? What's that doing here?

He didn't hesitate but angled down until he floated above the pale, nimble form, sprinting toward the distant towers. Its eyes were sharp, showing it wasn't turning Addled, and it seemed unafraid.

Now, why are you heading to the tower? Greldo thought as he continued to follow the Imp. It wouldn't slow him down much to just take a quick look, and Pale Imps never meant anything good.

It didn't take long before the Tradels stopped their chase, the lizards lumbering back, away from the camps they were nearing. The Pale Imp, however, didn't slow down but continued racing ahead, and by now, Greldo could see it wasn't heading to the towers at all but to the camp nearest to the hills.

Surrounded by rough stone walls that were probably raised by carded stoneshapers, thousands of people were milling about the tents and three crude stone buildings. Figures walked the walls, but one look told Greldo they weren't rangers or guards. They stumbled along, and there was no sight of carded weaponry, or if any of it was, it was the worst he'd ever seen.

The Pale Imp made a beeline for a small, one-foot-wide door in the wall, and Greldo was shocked as it knocked.

Either that Imp is suicidal to a fault, or…

The door swung open, and a shifty-eyed man waved the Pale Imp inside. Greldo hovered down until he was a few feet above them, following them inside the wall. A dozen armed men and women with skeletal-thin features, sunken eyes, and crudely made spears stood in a semi-circle. They looked at the Imp with equal measures of distrust and hope. Torches on the walls and campfires between the tents lit up the area, and Greldo saw a mass of people between the tents. Those few that were paying attention had a dull-eyed listlessness in their eyes that made him shiver.

It's like they are already dead, he thought.

"And? What did he say?" the man asked hurriedly as he closed the door.

"Brughus will support your assault on the central camp," the Imp said.

There was an outburst of shouts and whispers from the surrounding people, with some spear-wielding ones looking around excitedly.

"However," the Pale Imp said, smiling nastily. "Brughus will only move if you guarantee all of the camps will join!"

The shifty-eyed man shook his head and snarled. "We told you we can't guarantee that! Everyone is done with the nobles hoarding all the food and cards, but they are also afraid!"

The Imp shrugged as he stepped back to the door. "That's not our problem! If you want help taking over the central camp so you can escape from this world, you will have to bleed for it! Find a way."

Angry shouts came from the group of armed guards while Greldo frowned.

So, they are making deals with the Imps now? he thought, looking at the Pale Imp, noting a nasty gleam in its eyes. It's tricking them somehow.

"I'll return in half a day. If you haven't gotten a consensus, we will simply wait for you all to starve," the Pale Imp said as he unlocked the door and stepped back outside.

Greldo watched as it turned and sprinted back to the hills. For one moment, he considered following it, then he shook his head. He had no time to spend on these things.

Watching the shifty-eyed man close the door, furiously slamming it shut and muttering something, he sighed.

It's not like they will really help you, he thought.

He was about to leave the camp and head to Coldwater Tower when he stopped and looked around.

There were easily five to six thousand people here, and this was the nearest place from the hills… They also obviously didn't listen to Indoubtor and were willing to do anything to get out of there. If they needed to get people out, why not start here? He had no idea what they had planned with the Imp, but he didn't care or blame them. Hunger was an old friend to him, and he knew what it could do.

Searching for the best spot, he moved to an area near the wall far enough from the armed men so they couldn't reach him in time. Not that it would really matter if they did. None of them had more than a single card.

I hope they don't scream, he thought as he stepped out of the shadows.

There was no immediate response as he leaned against the wall. Most of the people were dully staring at the ground while the shifty-eyed man was stomping on the ground, cursing.

Then one of the spearwielder's eyes passed over him and suddenly focused.

"Who are you!" the man shouted, raising his spear, his eyes widening in fear and surprise.

Greldo grinned as he saw the others turn and raise their spears. Their movements were slow and halting, and he was sure he could just knock their spears from their hands without even using his card.

"I'm Greldo," he said, waving at them. "And I've heard that you people would like to leave this world?"

There was a stunned silence. The make-shift guards looked at each other, seeming stunned, while the crowd among the tents was stirring, rising to their feet and staring at him. However, none of them moved his way, and Greldo felt a pang of sorrow and sympathy. These people were so far to the edge that they would literally take any help, no matter the cost.

"How did you get in here?" the shifty-eyed man asked, licking his chapped lips.

Greldo moved a few steps through the shadow, and as he did, there was a gasp.

"You are one of Undoubtors fully handed!" the man shouted, stepping back in fear. "What do you want? We have no food left to steal!"

Greldo sighed, shaking his head. "I know Indoubtor, but he could only wish that I was one of his men. I'm with his cousin, Daubutim, and I've come from another world to save as many people as I can."

There was a stunned silence, and Greldo saw the people around the tents push forward, eyes gleaning hungrily in the torchlight.

"Daubutim? Isn't he the current lord of Coulwater? I heard he was killed! Why- why should we believe you?" the shifty-eyed man exclaimed.

Greldo could see it was more form than anything else. He was so hopeless the only reason he didn't shout yes to anything was because of the people around him, looking at him for leadership.

"Well, you don't have to," Greldo said as he pushed himself from the wall and looked around. "But there's another portal that leads to a world where all the people from Malorin and Degonda are currently building new towns and places to live. They are working the land, safe from constant portals, protected by Lord Daubutim and Lord Bron, and many guards. We came here to find more people, but we have less than a day to get as many people to safety as possible. So, if you're not interested-"

"Please, take us away!"

"I'll do anything, but we need help!"

"Food, please!"

"Feed us!"

Shouts came from the camp, quickly increasing to a frenzy, and Greldo saw the people push forward.

"We will come," the shifty-eyed man shouted.

He began waving the people back, and he managed only because of how weak they were. In any other case, he'd have been trampled by a mob.

"What do we do? Where do we go?"

Greldo forced a smile on his face, feeling sickened by what was happening here. Seeing the hopeful faces, he knew he could do more than just mobilize these people.

"There are too many demons on the plains and in the hills right now, but more help is coming. Go to the other camps and spread the news. As soon as you see explosions coming from the hills, get ready. Soon after, you will see a very big, fiery man run from those hills and start decimating the demons. When he reaches this camp, run past him and head for the hills. There will be guards and rangers waiting near the foothills to lead you to the portals."

"One man?" the shifty-eyed man muttered. "What can one man do against all those demons?"

Greldo laughed. "You will see."

Sorry, Irwin, he thought, wondering if Irwin would be okay with as many Tardels as he had seen. He could take out the Nyzir, but those Tardels were too large. Coal could help a bit, though.

Still, he remembered clearly what his friend had done to one Tardel before he had even filled his handslots, and the scene at the forest, he didn't think any number of Tardels could cause him any issues.

"We will do it," one of the spear-wielders shouted as she looked at the others. "Right? What does it even matter? How many more must die? If we help those Imps, we will likely still end up dead, and-"

"Quiet, Moira!" the shifty-eyed man snarled.

The woman's face paled, but there was a wave of shouted agreement from the people in the camp, quickly drowning out anything the shifty-eyed man might have added.

Greldo saw a momentary annoyance run across his face. Then it was gone, and he nodded rapidly.

"Yes! Please, we will do what you ask," he shouted. He turned around and began shouting orders for people to go to the other camps and warn them.

Greldo saw people begin moving towards him, likely with hundreds of questions, and he quickly shifted through the shadows to stand on the wall in the shadow of a surprised man.

"I'm going to warn the others, then I'll be back. When I do, I need you to tell me everything you can about what's been going on here, what Indoubtor is up to, and what you know of the smiths," he said.

The man nodded dumbly, and Greldo jumped away into the shadows.

Okay, let's see if Irwin is back already, he thought as he moved as fast as he could through the shadows. I'll search for the smiths and Daubutim's family afterward.