"One ship, no more," Lord Bron said calmly.

Doomblade stared at him, and Irwin could see the calculative intelligence behind his dark red eyes spinning, trying to come up with a way to gain more. Irwin almost pitied him. There was no way he would beat Lord Bron at negotiations; that much was clear from his position on the sidelines.

"Fine. But you will let me gather any others that are hiding in the ruins," Doomblade said. He'd tried to get them to let him back through the portal, but there was no way either of them would allow that.

Lord Bron cocked his head. "Very well."

Irwin gritted his teeth. Were they seriously letting Doomblade go? They needed his information, yes, but he knew they were here somewhere and that they had a portal. Even if he didn't know exactly what, this was going to get them into trouble. Besides, why did Doomblade even trust them? Something about the whole thing made him worried.

I hope he knows what he is doing, Irwin thought as he looked at Lord Bron.

The noble oozed calm, and Irwin was glad he could trust Lord Bron.

Perhaps he is lying, he thought. There were no tablets here that could register the deal, so there was no real reason for Lord Bron to keep his end of the deal.

"In exchange for one ship, all of the remaining surviving Galubs, and a clear path out of here, you will tell us who is behind the abduction of the smiths and everything else related," Lord Bron summarized, raising an eyebrow.

"Ugh, fine!' Doomblade said, leaning back against the wall of the cabin they were currently in.

Lord Bron had insisted that they not do this on deck and with only Irwin here. Even Greldo, who had woken up from the commotion, had been asked to remain outside.

The Galub sniffed. "Have you heard of Dimarintsia?"

Irwin blinked. "That's that massive city on the edge of the Langost branch?" he said slowly, trying to remember what he knew of it. What had some distant mega city have to do with all of this?"

"Yeah, something like that," Doomblade said, sniffing in disgust. "There's a group there that calls themselves the Shadows who contacted our leader, the blood emperor, and made a deal with him. If we captured as many smiths as we could, especially those that seemed to be improving faster than any others-" he grinned at Irwin. "-then they would give us our own world on one of the larger branches beyond Dimarintsia."

Irwin shared a confused look with Lord Bron.

"Are you telling me there is some weird group that is paying a world to capture smiths?"

Doomblade snorted as he looked at his hands. "Yeah. From what I heard, they are part of the Thieves or Assassin's Guild. "

"And where are they bringing the smiths?" Lord Bron asked slowly.

"To one of the harbors in Dimarintisa," Doomblade said. "I don't know which one. They change it every few weeks."

Irwin shook his head. "And why are you here?" he asked.

Doomblade looked up, lips pursed. "I left as soon as I gained my fifth horn and managed to break free from that bastard Emperor. There's something brewing, and whatever it is, I want nothing to do with it. So, I brought those I'd managed to bind to me and ran at the first chance."

Irwin looked at the five-horn, his mind spinning as he tried to make sense of what he'd heard.

"What do the Imps and the Nyzir have to do with this?" he asked.

"Those nasty shadowy serpents work for one of the Assassin's guilds," Doomblade snorted. "You could ask them, but my bet is that they are doing the same thing we are."

"And the Imps?"

"Bah, those little weaklings are still hellbent on finding a way to find all of the worldshards of their old homeworld and somehow repair it. If you promise them the location of one, they will do anything to learn it."

Lord Bron hummed softly. "Tell me about this Emperor. Who is he, why are you not obeying him, and how does he contact these… Shadows."

Doomblade let out an exasperated sigh. "The deal was that I told you about the smiths! Not my life story!"

"The deal was that you would tell me anything that had to do with the abduction of the smiths," Lord Bron said calmly. "That includes information on the people responsible, which would be this Emperor and yourself."

Doomblade glared at Lord Bron, then snorted. "You humans always like talking so much. It's no wonder nearly every information broker is one! Fine!"

He cracked his fists as he smirked.

"The Bloody Emperor or The Sixhorned Emperor, he calls himself. We just call him The Emperor. He is the only remaining six-horn, and he has bound every four-horn and below to his will. If he even suspects a four-horn has a soul strong enough to gain a fifth horn, he locks them up until they grow it, then hands them to the Spawning Pool. See why I didn't want to stay?"

"How did you manage to flee this far?" Lord Bron said, showing no reaction to what he'd heard.

Irwin saw Doomblade's eyes narrow as he shuddered.

"When I gained my four-horn, I figured out I'd be doomed if I didn't get out from under his hold," Doomblade grunted as he slowly tapped one of his horns. "So, I managed to gain a mission that would send me as far from him as possible. Normally, four-horns don't get those, but because I'd only recently gained mine, nobody believed I'd be strong enough to resist The Emperor's compulsion. Luckily for me, I was already halfway to five because of the energy I gained."

Irwin frowned. "That was when you fought that Bablibon, right?"

Doomblade blinked, then laughed. "I almost forgot you were there back then! Yes, I managed to drain that stupid bird of a large amount of its soulpower. If it hadn't gotten away, I might have gone from three to five horns."

"You are here now because….?" Lord Bron asked.

"I'm going to find a world and create my own empire," Doomblade snorted. "I'll gain a sixth horn eventually, and when that happens, I'll unlock my compulsion."

Irwin held back a worried frown, sharing a quick look with Lord Bron. Whatever happened, they couldn't let Doomblade create his empire.

"Alright, how does that Emperor contact the shadows?" Lord Bron asked.

Irwin leaned back as he quietly listened to Doomblade talk about the details. He was observing the Galub, trying to match the dangerously sharp-minded being with the dull, angry, battle-hungry monsters he recalled from the shardworld. He hadn't seen how smart Doomblade had become after he gained his fourth-horn, but from what he'd seen of the others, he would have likely been able to hold back his constant battle lust. Now, he was able to bargain with Lord Bron, and although he wasn't doing nearly as well as he seemed to think he was, the sharp intelligence in his eyes made Irwin worried. He could only guess how dangerously devious a six-horn would be. Add to that Doomblade's strength, which had been enough to rival Irwin's own…

We need to be very careful of those six-horns, Irwin decided.

Lord Bron continued drilling Doomblade, writing down anything and everything he told for the next hour, and by the end, Doomblade was snarling the replies.

"Alright," Lord Bron finally said as he closed his small notebook and put it into his pocket. "I need to discuss something with Irwin, so we are going to bring you back on deck."

"After which you will let me go," Doomblade said, suddenly grinning dangerously.

Irwin frowned and saw a tiny bit of surprise in Lord Bron's eyes.

"Yes," Lord Bron said.

"Just to remind you," Doomblade said, his grin widening, showing his razor-sharp canines." Greeny, please reiterate our deal!"

Irwin felt his heartbeat increase as an emotionless feminine voice began speaking from within Doomblade's armor.

"The person Doomblade will be released from captivity by Lord Bron and Smith Irwin, given one ship and the ability to gather all his remaining subordinates. Then Doomblade will be allowed to leave," the voice said.

Irwin saw Lord Bron frown while Doomblade's grin faded. The Galub stared at Lord Bron with glittering eyes.

"Or?" he said.

"Or the information about Smith Irwin's current location, as well as everything else, will be sent to the Smiths Guild, Thieves Guild, Assassins' Guild."

Irwin clenched his fists. He felt his worry and anger grow, but a look at Lord Bron showed him still calm and merely nodding slowly as if nothing was wrong.

Did he expect something like this? Irwin thought, calmly back down rapidly.

"Interesting. What is that?" Lord Bron asked.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Doomblade blinked, and Irwin saw his sudden surety seemed to evaporate.

"It's a tablet that links to the nearest Soulgem Register," Doomblade said. "If you don't hold up to your end of the deal…" he let his words linger.

Lord Bron nodded slowly. "Show it to me."

Doomblade's eyes narrowed. "It's mine."

"Yes," Lord Bron said. "But I want to see it."

A dangerous pressure began to form in the room until Doomblade snorted and pulled his scuffed and damaged chest armor open. After some rustling, he removed a palm-sized green slab of crystal that Irwin recognized as the one he'd seen on Fiverion.

Lord Bron stuck out his hand.

"You can't destroy it if that's what you are hoping for," Doomblade hissed.

Lord Bron raised his eyebrow, and Doomblade reluctantly handed over the tablet. A moment later, a blue barrier appeared around Lord Bron, encapsulating only him and his chair.

"What is he doing?" Doomblade snarled, glaring at Irwin.

Irwin shook his head. "I have no idea."

"Don't lie to me!" Doomblade roared. "If he thinks he can block the-"

"Shut up," Irwin snarled, finally unable to hold his annoyance. "I don't know what he is doing. So just shut up and wait."

Doomblade growled but, to Irwin's surprise, held his tongue. The both of them watched as Lord Bron nodded and began talking. There was no sound, however."

Time passed slowly, and as it did, Bron kept nodding and talking. Finally, after what felt like hours, but was probably on half of one, the barrier vanished around Lord Bron.

"What did you do?" Doomblade snarled.

Lord Bron didn't answer but turned to Irwin. "We are going to have to ensure that Doomblade's information is correct. I'm afraid we will need someone to go with him for a while. I'll contact Daubutim later, but for now, I'd like to ask you and The Sonata to do that. I'll leave Clarish with you so you can contact us when needed."

Irwin blinked while Doomblade made choking sounds.

"You can't- this is against our agreement!" Doomblade roared.

Lord Bron raised his eyebrow. "Greeny," he said. "Does this go against our agreement?"

"No, Lord Bron," the emotionless female voice said. "The only requirement was that Doomblade is allowed to leave with the ship and his people."

Irwin grinned, unable to help himself. Although he had no interest in following some Galub, especially if he had no idea how long that would take, the look on Doomblade's face was too great.

"Exactly," Lord Bron said, turning to Doomblade. "Now, there's another little titbit. If you in any way spill to anyone any of the information in our deal, we are going to have to do something about you."

Doomblade was breathing heavily, then stretched out his hand. "Whatever. Give Greeny back."

Lord Bron's eyes widened. "Oh? Why?"

Doomblade began spluttering while Lord Bron focused on the green crystal tablet. "Greeny, please explain to Doomblade what you did to me just now."

"Yes, Lord Bron. The rank of someone determines their ability to hold any still-powered shard of the Soulcrystal," Greeny said. "As you are one the leaders of an as-of-yet unknown new world, it is in the best interest of the Great Portal Faction that you have the ability to create a Central Register."

"NO!" Doomblade snapped. "That's what I need you for!"

Irwin began laughing, holding his stomach as he shook himself. Lord Bron looked at him in surprise while Doomblade's eyes were almost popping out of his head, but Irwin couldn't help it. It took him a few moments to regain control.

"Is it wise to keep that?" he asked, pointing at Greeny.

"Don't worry," Lord Bron said. "Greeny, which isn't its official name, just to be clear, has been very clear. Creating a Central Register will not create a two-way connection to the main system until we actively enable that. Apparently, over the millennia, there have been too many wars about this, and any shard of the Central Souldcrystal isn't allowed to disclose any information until the leaders of a world agree."

Irwin nodded, keeping an eye on Doomblade, who was still fuming.

"So… what do you want me to do?" he asked.

Lord Bron hummed softly. He put Greeny on the table beside him, and then his barrier reappeared, covering both him and Irwin. As soon as it did, the noises of the ship vanished, as did Doomblade's grunts and muttered curses. Greeny and Doomblade were conveniently locked out.

"I'm sorry about this, Irwin," Lord Bron said with a sigh. "I figured there was some reason Doomblade was willing to believe us just on our word, but it had never occurred to me that it would be anything like this. The only thing I could come up with, for now, was that you follow him, and if he heads anywhere suspicious, kill him. Without Greeny, he won't be able to create any trouble."

"Can't you just take Greeny away, and we can take care of him then?" Irwin asked.

"I wish we could, but Greeny requires to be here to witness us releasing Doomblade on his own ship," Lord Bron said.

Irwin snorted, then glared at Doomblade, who was still visibly cursing and shouting.

"Great. So, what do I do? Do you have any idea how hard it was to fight him? I'm not sure I could capture him or kill him again," Irwin muttered. "Besides, I need to get something from the portal world in this tower."

Lord Bron nodded. "That's fine. We don't have to release him right away. But what you should do…"

"Bah, why don't you punks just ask me already!" Ambraz snorted from within Irwin's pocket.

"You've got a good idea?" Irwin asked, ignoring Ambraz's choice of words.

"Of course I do," Ambraz said. "Besides, we are supposed to head to Granvox soon. I can't have you follow some stupid Galub for who knows how long!"

Lord Bron curiously looked at Irwin, who just shrugged.

"Alright, so what's the plan?" Irwin asked.

"He wants a world of his own, right?" Ambraz said. "Just help him further away from us, past another freezing area. I'm sure they won't be able to survive the true cold, and he probably can't detect portals like you can."

Irwin blinked, then looked at Lord Bron. "He is right. If we go further away from the known areas, we are bound to find nothing but deadly cold. Even if we don't find a world for him, he couldn't return."

"Then we only have to get him to agree," Lord Bron said.

"So? Just have that Soulcrystal shard oversee another deal," Ambraz said. "Just make sure you don't get the short end of the stick."

Irwin and Lord Bron began working out another deal, and when they finally felt safe and removed the sound barrier, Doomblade had stopped cursing and was glaring at them.

"Finally done?" he snapped.

Irwin grinned evilly but kept his mouth closed. Lord Bron was way better at these things, so he just watched as Doomblade's mouth fell open in disbelief.

Another ten minutes of haggling later, Irwin escorted the Galub back to the deck. Greldo was leaning against the cabin wall beside the door and fell in line as soon as he appeared.

"Let me guess. I'm going to have to come along for this cold expedition?" his friend asked with a snort.

Irwin knew Greldo would have heard everything except for when he and Lord Bron were talking within the barrier, so he wasn't at all surprised by the question. He kept quiet until he had returned Doomblade to the watchful eyes of the rangers. Then he beckoned Greldo to a clear spot on the small ship.

"I was hoping you would come," he said. "But first, we need to scout that portal and see if the entrance is clear of traps and five-horns."

Greldo looked at him with a frown. "What if there are a hundred four-horns?"

Irwin blinked, then grimaced. He was certain he could handle a hundred or more Imps, but that was because of his flame. A hundred four-horned Galubs?

"I can handle a few dozen," he said slowly. "But if there's too many at once, I'm not sure. If they have ranged attacks, they might bring me down."

Greldo stared at him, then took a step closer, looking around before whispering, "Are you sure it's worth the risk just to get those eggs?"

"It's not just that," Irwin whispered back, shaking his head. Greldo was right, of course. If it were just those eggs, he wasn't sure he'd dare risk that. "There are large amounts of Imps there."

It took a few moments before what he meant seemed to register to Greldo as anything but more trouble. Then, his friend's eyes widened. "You think it will be enough?" Greldo whispered.

"If there are as many as they say? Definitely," Irwin said.

Greldo hummed before he began nodding. "Okay. I've got an idea. How about we both jump in at the same time, and when we reach the other side, I just bring both of us into the shadowrealm? If there's no shadow nearby, we just jump back in."

"Good idea. Let's go see how the Frozir are doing," he said.

They moved to the back of the ship, where Elder Gum'dil'ran was still talking with the five female Frozir. One look showed that whatever they were discussing wasn't enjoyable.

Well, I still need to know what those eggs look like and if we can just move them, Irwin thought as he walked towards them. They fell quiet when he was almost there, and Elder Gum'dil'ran nodded at him before turning to Greldo.

"Greldo, thank you for saving Senira and the others," he said, surprising everyone as he bowed his head low, hands tight against his sides.

"No problem," Greldo said quickly. "You okay?"

"No," Senira snapped. "We want to get our Eggs, but-"

"You are more important than your eggs," Elder Gum'dil'ran said, turning to her with freezing eyes. "We only have a few very young females, and without you, we might never recover!"

Irwin saw the five Frozir women turn their freezing glares on the Elder, none of their initial joy visible. Deciding he had no interest in standing here as they shouted at each other, he quickly intervened.

"Greldo and I will be heading into that portal to get something. Tell us how to handle your eggs?"

There was a stunned silence before Elder Gum'dil'ran shook his head.

"That is far too dangerous," he said. "What if the world shatters while you are inside?"

Irwin felt an odd sense of joy seeing the Frozirs' genuine concern for their wellbeing. They had not seen eye to eye for a long time, and he was personally responsible for part of their reproductive plight.

"It won't shatter for a few more days, and that means we have time," he said, turning to Senira. "So, how do I bring those Eggs without hurting them?"

"You can't," Senira said, sounding absolutely sure of herself. Irwin was about to respond when he held his tongue. The Frozir was still looking at him intently as if she had more to say. After a few moments, she turned to the others. "You four will stay here. I'm going with them to handle the eggs."

All four other Frozir women and Elder Gum'dil'ran seemed to be jolted.

"No, you are-" Elder Gum'dil'ran said, the tiny bit of worry he'd shown for Irwin and Greldo replaced by an intense one as he looked at Senira.

"I am the only one who can handle all of the eggs by myself," Senira said as she looked at the others. "None of your two lives is worth mine. Leave with the Elder."

There was no hiding that her words weren't a request, and Irwin was surprised to see that even Elder Gum'dil'ran visibly held his complaints back. They all stared at Senira briefly before bowing as one and walking away.

"Can you even bring both of us into the shadows?" Irwin whisper-asked Greldo.

"Yes… probably?" Greldo muttered.

Senira turned to them, her icy-blue eyes wide. "Do we leave right away?"

Irwin frowned. "We need to try something out first," he said. "We were planning to have Greldo move him and me through the shadows, and he doesn't know if we can move another person."

"Then try now," Senira said. "I'm not afraid."

Irwin blinked, not sure what that had to do with anything.

"Okay, follow me," Greldo said as he walked to the nearest shadowy spot. When they stood there, he took both of their hands and frowned. "This might be a little… uncomfortable."

The next thing Irwin knew, he was in the shadowy world he'd been before, but everything was moving, and soft, dull, rushing, and rustling sounds, like blankets, came from all around. Greldo managed to drag them to the other side of the deck before dropping back to the real world and breathing raggedly, hands on his knees.

"Yeah… I… can…” Greldo grunted in between breaths. It took a few moments before he caught his breath and stood back up. "But we had better not have to move too far. Maybe a hundred feet. Anything more, and it's best we jump back in!"

Irwin nodded reluctantly, turning to Senira. Only then did he see she was shivering, arms clasped around her upper body, and her face slightly bluish.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine, don't mind me," Senira said, turning away with a shiver.

I guess she doesn't like the shadows? Irwin thought. Seeing Greldo still recovering, he sighed.

"I'll go and talk to my crew, then warn Lord Bron. After that, we can leave."

"Okay," Greldo said, waving him away.

A short while later, Irwin, Greldo, and Senira stood before the portal. Rindiri and the others had been informed, and Clarish had gone to return Lord Bron and the rest of the Frozir,

Irwin held out his hands, and both gripped his. He was surprised at how cold Senria's hand was.

"Be ready for anything," he said before jumping in, pulling the other two after him.

A short moment of darkness later, they were rushing through the tunnel. There was little conversation during their trip, with Senira's description of the eggs the only interesting thing. Apparently, they were smaller than her fist, bright blue, and clumped together in what she called sibling sacks. Due to the lack of ice and snow, handling the clumped goo poorly would result in the eggs becoming infected. Senira would use her own body's ability to cool them as she carried them.

When the end came in sight, Irwin looked at the others.

"Alright, if anything dangerous happens, don't hesitate but jump back through," he shouted over the rushing air. "If not, run to the nearest shadows!"

He got two nods, with Greldo adding a grin just as they hit the end of the tunnel.