Come on, hurry up already, Irwin thought as he watched the three men push the barrel-laden cart across the dock.

He glanced up at the Dead Pact Mercenary ship, a pale-hulled, sleek vessel. Everything about it oozed speed and danger, perhaps even more than the red Currant Hunter vessel they had encountered. Rindiri said it was an altered, small Escort Vessel. Due to its build, it could chase anything through nearly any Portal Gallery passage, except for the very smallest ones.

"The Sonata?" a voice called out.

Irwin looked at the cargo hauler, a silver-eyed, broad-shouldered man.

"That's us," he said. "That's my water and supplies?"

"It is. You don't have a cargo lift or cargo plank I take it?"

Irwin shook his head as he walked to the edge of the gangplank.

"Just roll them over," he said.

The lead hauler nodded, and a moment later, a barrel roughly the size of Irwin's chest was rolling across the gangplank. He picked it up and put it to the side. Boohm picked it up.

"Just put it down anywhere?" he asked it, seeming unburdened by the heavy barrel.

"Zender, show him where to put it," Irwin shouted before turning back to the lead hauler, who had been quietly observing what was happening.

"You are planning a long trip?" the man asked conversationally.

Behind him, Irwin saw one of the other haulers look at him with sharp, emotionless eyes as he carried a barrel over. As soon as their eyes met, the hauler looked away.

That wasn't normal, Irwin thought, focusing on the leadhauler.

He wasn't sure if he was paranoid because of the Dead Pact Mercenaries arriving, but he couldn't resist the idea that the haulers were up to something.

"Yeah," Irwin said, deciding not to give away anything. "How are things further ahead?"

The hauler rolled the single last barrel over, then cracked his shoulders. "It depends where you are heading," he said. "Some places are better than others."

Irwin felt his skin crawl, but he just smiled as he put the barrel down.

Okay, they are definitely trying to figure out where we are going.

"From here, what would you say the safest route and place would be?" he asked, trying to resist looking at the other haulers.

The lead hauler hummed thoughtfully before answering. "I'd say any of the eastward corridors towards Baufinon should be safe, with Baufinon probably being the safest of the worlds. But don't pin me on that!"

"Right, then we might just head there," Irwin said. "Any central world is about as good as another."

The lead-hauler laughed as he rolled the final barrel over. It wobbled oddly, and when Irwin picked it up, he knew it wasn't filled with water. He seriously hoped that meant that it was filled with the other supplies, but a soft sound of soulforce sounded from inside.

What is inside here?

"Thanks," he said, forcing himself to wave at the lead-hauler as friendly as he could. "Good day!"

"Same to you! Safe journey!" the lead-hauler said as he waved, turned, and walked away. As he did, Irwin saw the same hauler that had stared at him before examining their ship, then turned and walked away.

"We need to leave. Now."

Irwin looked to the side where Greldo stood looking at him.

"That guy at the back wasn't a hauler."

"Kid, it's worse. There's a weird runic pattern inside that last barrel.

Irwin turned to Rindiri, who was lounging near the helm, seemingly resting. As soon as he looked at her, she got up and walked to the helm.

"Get us clear," Irwin said as he picked up two of the massive barrels with ease and began carrying them to the cabin. "Then meet me in the cabin."

Greldo looked at him for a moment, then ran front to the dock.

A minute later, The Sonata was drifting away from the dock. Irwin stood in the upper part of the cabin, prying open the final barrel. Greldo appeared beside him.

"What's wrong?"

"Ambraz says there's something inside here," Irwin said as he began removing folded-up clothes, bags filled with dry rations, and tools he didn't know the name of. It took him a minute or two to clear out the entire barrel, finding nothing.

"It's on the bottom lid," Ambraz said as he zipped from Irwin's pocket, flying around the barrel.

Irwin looked inside, and he saw very tiny soulforce ripples, pale green, nearly white. The bottom seemed the same wood as the rest, but the soulforce seemed to trickle in front of the lid's center.

He hesitated, then grabbed the edges of the barrel and ripped sideways. The wood shattered with a loud crack, splinters spraying everywhere, but Irwin ignored it. He snapped and broke off enough until the bottom lid became clear.

Surprised shouts came from below, and a moment later, Zender and Earila stormed up the stairs while Boohm shouted from below, asking what was going on.

"What happened? What are you?" Zender began, only to fall quiet when Greldo shook his head and put a finger to his lips. He walked to the staircase, looking down.

"Dropped a barrel, Boohm," he shouted down.

"Do you need a hand?"

"Not yet! The kids should be able to clear it up!"

There was an annoyed hiss from Earila while Zender snorted.

"Alright!" Boohm shouted, and a moment later, they heard him stomp back to his cabin.

"Don't tell him about this," Irwin said as he looked at the two Yuurindi.

"We won't, captain," Zender said, and Earila nodded immediately.

Irwin focused back on the uncovered lid. The soulforce ripples seemed to come from the middle portion, but he didn't see anything.

"There's something covering the bottom," Ambraz hissed, landing on his hand. "Don't touch it. Break it clear, but don't touch the center."

Irwin pulled his hand back. He'd been about to wipe whatever was on it away to see what was there but instead began ripping away the wood until he had the lid clear.

"What's below?" he asked.

Ambraz muttered something unintelligible, hovering around it for a bit.

"Some sort of tracking rune… I've heard about them, but the cards required to make something like this."

"Who would want to track us?" Zender asked quietly.

"I can think of a few people," Irwin said darkly while Greldo laughed, glaring at the lid.

"Should we destroy it?" Greldo asked.

"No…" Ambraz said slowly. "It would be best if we put it on some other ship…"

It took Irwin a few moments to realize what he was implying. He stared at Greldo with wide eyes, not surprised by the nasty grin on his friend's face.

"I can do that," Greldo said, picking up the bottom of the barrel. "Keep sailing away. I'll put this on a merchant vessel heading in the direction of Baufinon. Preferably one with a lot of escorts."

"Be careful," Irwin said before sighing as he looked at the empty spot Greldo had been at.

He took a look at the debris on the deck before turning to the staircase. "Zender, Earila, put everything where it needs to go, then sweep the wood into a corner. We will toss it overboard later."

"Yes, Captain," Zender said, walking forward and picking up the nearest bag of supplies.

Earila hesitated for a moment before following his lead.

I wonder who it was, Irwin thought as he walked outside.

He explained what had happened to Rindiri, and with every word, her expression turned more sour. When he finished, she was slowly increasing the speed at which they were sailing. Her face was tight, and she seemed ready to shout at someone.

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"It's the nobles," she said before Irwin could even ask if she knew who would do it. "It got nothing to do with you, or at least probably not."

Irwin felt some of his worries slide away, only to be replaced by confusion.

"The nobles track any ship that has Yuurindi on them," Rindiri said, her anger fading to a sad sigh.

Irwin looked at her, then back at the Tulpil Harbor. He tried to imagine how it must be if people feared your species so much that they went to such expensive measures.

"Will we get into trouble for removing the tracking rune?" he asked.

"No. Unless they sent a faster ship ahead of us, which would mean they need to know where we are going, they won't know it should be on The Sonata," Rindiri said.

Greldo returned a short while later, and Irwin explained to him what had likely happened.

"After Eluathar is connected to the soulcrystal network, do you think we are going to get in trouble?" Greldo asked, looking at Rindiri.

"Not if we are strong enough. Between my people, the Giardian Smiths, the Da'xi, and soon the Ganvils, all that matters is that we get enough time to increase our strength and the strength of the portal harbor city around Eluathar," Rindiri said. "As much trouble as the Yuurindi could draw is nothing compared to what Eluathar would create just by existing."

The Giardian Smiths, Irwin thought, surprised at the name. It hadn't really occurred to him that they might be named that, but with how few people knew about the Galadin, it was logical. Besides, it would be better if nobody associated them with that.

They talked for a short while longer before Irwin headed down to check if everything was settled. Greldo remained above to make sure nothing snuck up on them.

The rest of the day passed quietly, and to everyone's relief, no ships followed them. Finally, when it was late, and everyone but Rindiri was sitting in the galley, Irwin was drifting off, staring at his boring meal.

"Captain?"

Irwin looked up, seeing Earila and Zender look at him nervously.

Right, the cards, Irwin thought, as he grinned and reached up to pull his beard only to feel his nearly smooth chin. Rubbing it, his grin widened.

"Yes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, we were wondering if you and Boohm managed to get those cards..?" Zender asked.

Earila nodded while two of her Faerit that had been resting on her shoulders opened their intense blue eyes and gazed at Irwin.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot," Irwin said, patting his pocket. "Well, I do have them…" he said, humming softly. "But are you sure you don't want me to look for a smith in the next world? The closer we get to the center, the larger the chance is that we find one that isn't locked away in the Smiths guild."

Earila's eyes widened, and she swallowed. "You would be willing to have it reforged for us?" she asked.

Irwin saw Zender's face remain passive, though his eyes glittered. The boy knew exactly what Irwin meant and also that with Boohm here, Irwin wasn't going to showcase his abilities. Out here it was best to keep that hidden from everyone.

Though we should tell Earila soon, Irwin thought.

Boohm himself had been eating quietly and now looked up with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, but that does mean you are going to have to wait a bit," Irwin said, focusing on Zender.

"That's alright," the boy said immediately. "We don't need it yet!"

Earila was biting her lips and seemed ready to ask for it now when one of her Faerit nuzzled her cheek. She looked at it, and Irwin knew they were communicating just like Greldo and Coal did. After a few moments, she sighed.

"I can wait," she said before focusing on him. "I might never be able to pay you back for it… Captain."

Irwin wiped the smile from his face and looked at her seriously.

"Earila, I won't ask you to," he said, staring at her. "Having trustworthy people around me is worth more than a card and some soulshards."

Earila blinked and then looked at Zender as if to ask if he was serious. Her brother just grinned and nodded.

"I… I'll still try and pay it back," she finally said.

"That's your own choice," Irwin said.

"Say… you wouldn't happen to be looking for more permanent crewmembers, would you?" Boohm said.

Irwin looked up to see the Onixian stare at him intently.

Irwin hesitated. A day ago, he would have said no, but the way Boohm had handled the merchant had changed his opinion of the loud, boisterous man. Even then, he didn't want him to just do that because he was hoping to get cards for free.

"Maybe," he finally said. "But just so you know, I don't just hand out cards all the time!"

Boohm shook his head, tapping his finger on the table. "That's definitely not why I asked," he said before looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Though if you give me a commission for everything I sell, that would be very useful! Do you have more cards to sell…?"

Irwin's mind spun rapidly. "A few, but not enough to make it a business."

"Well, I'll do my best to show just how useful I can be," Boohm said loudly, looking up at the kitchen thoughtfully. "I'm a man of many talents, after all."

--

Very little happened for the next few days, with the only thing everyone had to get used to was Boohm's voice, audible from anywhere on the ship.

Irwin had been slightly worried they might see someone chasing them, but as the first week passed, so did those worries. There was no sign of anyone chasing them, and if removing the tracking rune had been noticed, it hadn't caused them any trouble yet.

Instead, with their hull filled with enough food- most of which had arrived before the water and anything needed, a calmness came across the ship.

Greldo kept training with Zender, while Earila joined them only when she wasn't learning how to helm the ship.

The coldness beyond the portal-heated area forced Boohm below deck almost immediately, but he proved he wasn't just all talk and did have many talents.

--

"How can you make dry rations this juicy and tender?" Greldo shouted, swallowing his mouthful with a look of bliss.

Boohm looked up from the kitchen, which had slowly been taken over by him. "You lot have such low standards that even my barely adequate skills make you surprised," he said, his voice causing some of the kitchen appliances to rattle.

"Hey!" Zender snapped, glaring at the Onyxian.

Boohm let out a barked laughter, shaking his head. "Sorry, Zender! I meant nothing by it. It's just that… you haven't had any real training or practice, have you?"

Zender sniffed, looking at his own plate filled with a glistening dark stew, meat that seemed ready to fall apart, and sweet carrots poking out.

"Fine," he finally said. "But you had better teach me!'

Boohm laughed again, nodding vigorously. "I told you a week ago, just come here an hour before dinner! And not just one time! You can't learn what I know in a single hour!"

Irwin grinned as Zender scowled at the short but massive man.

He knew the boy had come to the kitchen one time, and all Boohm had done was have him cut things. There had been no explanation of the skills needed to make dry rations magically better.

Ignoring the constant banter, he finished his own food and rose from the table.

"Captain, are you going to be singing again?" Boohm asked. "The Neamhnathair song?"

Irwin saw the eagerness in the Onixian's eyes, and he hesitated before nodding. "Yes, but remember what I said?" he said.

"Course, captain! I won't try and sing along again. You have my word!" Boohm said.

Let's see if you manage this time, Irwin thought with a sigh. He had been trying to interact with the ambient soulforce a few days ago, and within a few minutes, Boohm had tried to join in. Sadly, although his deep, resonating voice had been able to easily reach the depths Irwin could, he sang so out of tune that it had shattered concentration and caused loud shouts of anger from everyone else on the ship. Greldo had been especially vocal in his request that Boohm never do it again or learn how to do it properly.

He ignored Greldo's grimace and headed back to his cabin. Sitting down at his desk, he pulled the Galadin music sheets forward. Before he focused on the Whale song, he was going to continue this first. Some pages took weeks to learn, and there were dozens of pages to learn.

I wonder how long it'll take me to learn all of it, he thought.

--

More weeks went by, with Irwin slowly working through the Galadin music sheets.

Eventually, nearly seven weeks after leaving Tulpil, they reached a small Portal Port called Kuntris Three.

It was the first of a set of worlds that belonged to the Kuntris Merchant Group.

More than done with being cooped up on the ship, Greldo left no doubt that he was not the one to guard the ship this time. So, after a bit of discussion, he took everyone into the port town while Irwin remained on the ship the first day.

With Ambraz on the lookout for anyone moving on the ship, Irwin used the day to reforge the cards he was going to give to Zender and Earila and a few that he decided would be good for selling. Happy with the time he'd gotten, the next day, Irwin headed into town with Boohm while the rest remained behind. They had to make quite the sight, with Boohm being half as tall as Irwin but just as wide, if not more so.

"So, I've found two weak-willed merchants that should have some interesting cards," Boohm said, ignoring the shocked glances of passersby. "Do you want to go there first or just wander?"

"Will they cry when we leave?" Irwin asked, raising an eyebrow at Boohm.

"Definitely," Boohm said, shaking his head. "It's such a shame to see how little spine the merchants in these outer branches have. I think they probably fled here because they couldn't take the heat on the central worlds."

"Then let's go and eat something first," Irwin said.

"Good plan!"

The rest of the morning saw them wandering the tiny Port Town, eating at a few places while gathering ingredients Boohm said would make his cooking even better.

Finally, late in the afternoon, they headed to the first merchant. It was in a tiny street with three card merchants close together, and as they walked past one, Irwin saw a young woman dust the tiny wooden shop front.

"Why not that one?" he asked.

Boohm snorted, shaking his head as he pointed at a larger one ahead. "I hate making women cry. Besides, they only have very specific cards, making it far more difficult to force a good deal."

Irwin watched Boohm stomp inside the larger shop, wondering if he should remain outside. In the end, he entered only to leave ten minutes later when the shouting threatened to deafen him.

He was surprised that it still took half an hour, though when Boohm came outside, his smug smile said everything. Luckily, there was no crying from the shop, though the curses made Irwin wonder exactly how much Boohm had managed to reduce the prices.

"So, he didn't have any of the cards you were looking for, sadly, but he bled nicely to get the one you wanted to sell," Boohm said as he handed Irwin a purse. "I've taken my cut already, so that's all yours, captain!"

Irwin grinned as he looked in the purse. His guess would say there were close to twenty thousand soulshards inside, way more than he ever thought the topaz card would be worth. With the other four cards he had ready, they wouldn't be troubled for soulshards for a long time.

The second merchant proved no more resilient to Boohm's shouting and tactics, and a few hours later, they walked back on the ship. A happy Boohm instantly headed towards the cabin with his bags of spices and ingredients.

"So, are we leaving now?" Greldo asked, stepping up beside Irwin. "Or do you want to find a smith?"

Irwin thought for a second, then shook his head, turning to Rindiri.

"Let's head out!"

Rindiri nodded while Greldo and Irwin removed the ropes holding The Sonata down.

"So, are we rich again?" Greldo asked, throwing a rope on board.

"Not yet, but we should be fine for a while," Irwin said as he followed his friend on board.

"Good, then we should start thinking about some luxuries on board," Greldo said. "I've heard you can get warm water shower cabins! Just over ten thousand soulshards for each."

Irwin grimaced and shook his head. "We will see when we reach the first central world," he said.

--

Time flowed by again, and soon, two months had passed. They had stopped at two more Portal Harbors, and Irwin had used one as an excuse to 'find' a smith. Zender and Earila had been thrilled with their new cards, and from that moment on, translucent Faerit had been flying around the cabins and deck while Earila kept appearing in their place, laughing like crazy.

Zender's fourth card, Glowing Flesh, had given him the ability to withstand both heat and cold and increase the temperature of his body up to the point that it would burn a hole in the wood of the ship. Combined with his active Silfzeron Growth ability, which worked like a weaker version of Irwin's Coperion Body, it had greatly increased his dexterity, agility, and speed while his strength and constitution had been improved to a lesser degree.

Now, Irwin and Rindiri stood at the deck, staring at the oddly split corridor ahead of them. Two went left, one up, and another right and down. Irwin's gaze was focused on the path leading down as he recalled the things Rindiri had told him about it and the large maps that hung in the empty sleeping cabin they had dubbed the 'general room'.

"Captain, are you still still sure you want to take the quickest passage to Granvrox?" Rindiri asked. "There will be more cold areas, up to places only you, me, and Earila can stay outside."

"The alternatives are months longer," Irwin said as he looked at the distant corridors. "The chances we come across raiders is still small, right?"

"It might be smaller if we take the cold spikes areas," Rindiri said.

"And you are absolutely sure you can navigate them?"

"Yes," Rindiri said resolutely.

"Then I'll stick with my decision," Irwin said. "Take us into the Chaotic Corridors."