Irwin grunted as he jogged after Daubutim, the pain in his back dull and annoying. Still, he knew that the fact that he was up, let alone running, was incredible.

Now, if only it weren't this cold, he thought, shivering.

The heat from the fire that had suffused him rapidly faded in the cold, while the wind blowing through the orange and red-leafed forest contained a crisp, dangerously chilly scent.

A scream of fear echoing from up ahead ripped him from his moment of contemplation, and Irwin looked up. In the distance, he saw the edge of the forest and a dozen or more moving shapes chasing something. Daubutim changed course and slowed down until he ran beside him.

"I count nine, and I think they are Imps. They're chasing someone. If we continue like this, we will intercept them..."

Irwin looked up to see Daubutim stare ahead in confusion, starting to slow down. It seemed like more than nine, but Daubutim hadn't been wrong about these things before.

"We should help, but we need to get to my father," Daubutim muttered, the frown on his head deepening.

There he goes again, Irwin thought as he clenched his teeth.

He understood why Daubutim was conflicted, though. They could get killed if they just ran over there without knowing what was happening to save someone they didn't know. Are you sure you don't know them? a tiny part of him asked before adding that nine wasn't that many more than five.

No, it would be best to leave…

If only he didn't think he knew the voice. As bad as he was with remembering names, he'd always been good with faces and voices. Who could even be here?

Nine Imps. Would they flee again if he ashed some? He rolled his shoulders, the pain in his back still there, as was the cold. The wind blew through the dozens of rips and holes in his ruined clothes, but he made up his mind. Steeling his resolve, he continued forward slower than before.

I need clothes, and we need to find out what happened. It's just nine imps, he thought, trying to convince himself that it would be fine.

"Someoneeee!"

The high-pitched scream came again, and this time Irwin saw a small shape rush behind a tree. He caught a glimpse of a long brown ponytail and a drab gray tunic.

"That was a child," Daubutim said, and this time there was a sort of finality in his voice as he jumped forward and sprinted ahead. "Follow as fast as you can with the flame," he shouted.

Irwin hissed as he tried to run after Daubutim, who was shouting at the top of his lungs, seemingly attempting to draw the Imps' attention.

There goes the surprise, Irwin thought angrily.

Ahead of him, the small shape of a girl with a dirty, disheveled appearance rushed from the bushes towards Daubutim. The tall noble boy was moving rapidly, his long legs flashing forward, and he was dozens of feet ahead already. The Imps saw him instantly, and Irwin felt a nagging worry as he saw them turn to Daubutim.

I need to figure out a way to become faster again, he thought, and for the first time ever, he wondered if he should unslot his Coperion Body card.

It was rarely done, but as the mud slushed around his toes and he had trouble pushing himself forward, he knew he would need to figure out something. Either if he had to help or if he had to run away, the weight was weighing him down dangerously. Bronwyn would be aghast if he'd ever found out.

"Hide behind a tree!" Daubutim shouted.

Irwin saw him jump and engage the first Imps. For a moment, he thought it was directed at him. Then he saw the tiny figure. She rushed into a massive bush that sprawled between a bunch of trees. Four Imps ran after her, and another scared scream came from within.

Daubutim was facing off with five Imps, and Irwin hesitated.

"Help her," Daubutim shouted.

Damnit! Pushing himself as fast as he could, Irwin dove headfirst into the bushes, then looked around to orient himself.

Branches, leaves, and scattered light came from everywhere. For a moment, he thought he was alone. Then a shadowy thing moved from his side. A high-pitched giggle came from nearby, and he sucked in his breath as he realized something. He couldn't summon his flame without setting everything on fire and likely killing the girl! Why did she have to run into here?

Something moved from the corner of his eye. Irwin instinctively lowered his stance into something resembling one of the sword stances and punched at the moving shadow. Branches bent back and snapped before his fist slammed into something solid. There was a sicking crunch, and the shape was flung away. Branches snapped everywhere as the entire bush shook from the violent movements.

"Where-" Irwin whispered, then there was a soft cry.

A nearby shape, huddled on the ground, was wailing softly. He took another step and saw the girl, hands pressed against her face and shivering uncontrollably.

The sounds of more Imps came from all around, and he shoved himself forward. Sharp branches ripped more holes into his clothing but scratched harmlessly against his skin. Then he stood next to her. Small and perhaps eight, he suddenly recognized her.

"Megah?" he hissed as he stared at the young girl that he had last seen back in Malorin's Rat District.

She looked up with a terrified, shocked, and snot-covered face.

Before she could even say anything, there was a rustle from the left. Irwin's hair stood on end as he raised his arms. Something sharp slammed into them, and pain bloomed from his left arm. Growling in anger, he jumped forward, finding another Imp in front of him. It was wielding a shortsword, but the bushes made it impossible for it to strike properly.

Seeing the fresh blood on the sharp edge, his blood, Irwin's mind froze for a moment.

He'd been forced from his home, in a portal for months, almost died many times, and now this thing wanted to finish the job?

Anger washed away the fear of what might have happened in Malorin, and he let out a strangled roar. Ignoring the bushes, he jumped forward, slapping the sword away with one hand. The Imp tried to back up but got entangled in the bushes, and he struck it in the face with strength born from fury. There was a dull crack, and the Imp's body went slack, sagging down, partially propped up by some branches.

Stunned, and for a fraction of a moment, Irwin thought he'd killed it. Then there was a soft moan.

Another giggle came from the side, and he jumped back, forcing the bushes away with his compact weight. A blade pierced through the air where his head had been. He didn't think but grabbed at the wrist before it could pull back. He almost missed it, then his fingers wrapped around the hand, and he clenched. A startled scream tore through the bushes, and he felt the hand let go of the sword as the Imp tried to pull it back.

"No you don't," Irwin hissed as he yanked on the arm.

There was a startled grunt as he pulled the Imp through the orange bushes into view, straight into his right fist. Another crack and the Imp slumped to the ground.

Breathing raggedly, Irwin looked around for the next Imp, but all he heard was rustling as something fled from the bushes. Then there was soft crying and moaning.

They aren't dead yet, he thought, suddenly getting worried.

He looked around and saw the bloodied shortsword lying nearby. He knelt down, grabbed it, then hesitated as he looked at the Imp. It was moaning, its face contracting, and a massive blackened spot sat below its eye. He'd only ever killed things that had been fighting back, and-

The Imp's eyes opened, and Irwin thrust the blade into its neck with a yelp.

A wet gurgle came as the Imp's eyes widened, and it clutched at the cold metal. Then its movements slowed, its eyes dulled, and it lay still. Irwin swallowed, stepped back, and searched for the other two Imps. As soon as he found them, he slashed their necks, not daring to hesitate. Still, as his hand got slick from the blood that sprayed up, he felt himself grow nauseous.

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When he finished with the last one, there was a soft sniffling next to him. Looking up, he saw Megah sitting there, eyes wide as she stared at the sword in his hand.

"Irwin?" she whispered before sniffling and looking at him.

"Megah, what are you doing here," Irwin said as he lowered himself to the same height as the girl.

Megah's eyes widened as she scrambled towards him, hugging his leg, crying and muttering things unintelligibly.

"Wait, calm down, I need-" Irwin began when a loud shout came from outside.

"Irwin!"

Daubutim!

Irwin looked at the girl, gently but forcefully unwrapping her arms from his legs while trying not to hurt her. "Stay here. I have to help my friend," he whispered.

Megah's eyes widened with fear again, and she clenched his leg tighter. Irwin felt horrible, but he slowly peeled her hands off. He had to help Daubutim.

"I'll be right back," he said.

The sounds from outside the bushes were muted, but he heard Daubutim's strained grunts.

He closed his eyes, put a hand before his face, and ran out of the bushes.

Outside, Daubutim stood against a nearby tree, shield up, blood on his face, and four Imps prowling around him, giggling and making mock lunges as they tried to bate him. Two more lay dead on the ground nearby.

Six? There were only five! Irwin thought before banishing all other thoughts to the back of his mind.

He ran and summoned his flame at the same time. An odd hissing came, but he had no time to figure out what it was as the Imps heard him. They turned with surprised snarls, and Irwin watched in awe as Daubutim moved.

Swirling his morning star around, the noble boy took two measured steps and struck one of the imps while swatting another away. It dropped like a sack of stone, and the Imps screamed and spread out. Irwin reached one before it had a chance and shoved his flame against its chest. It froze like a statue, then turned to ash which wafted away.

There was a shocked silence, but this time neither Irwin nor Daubutim stopped moving.

The Imps didn't stand a chance.

Twenty seconds was all it took for the two carded boys to kill them. The final one changed into a cloud of black soot and ash, and then it was quiet.

Irwin stood breathing raggedly, staring at the bodies around them. A dozen feet away lay another three Imps, probably the first ones Daubutim encountered.

"You okay?" Irwin muttered as he looked at the other. "I thought there were five?"

"Three more came, and one from the bushes," Daubutim said. "I'm fine. What happened to the girl?" He wiped the blood from his face, revealing a nasty cut across his cheek.

Megah, Irwin thought as he forced his tired body to move to the bushes.

His back was a mass of pain, and a quick look at his arm showed he had a long, shallow cut with bruises around the edges. Right, he'd blocked that sword attack. Something about that confused him, and it took him a few moments to figure out what. He'd blocked a sword with his arm and only gotten a shallow cut?

"Megah, they are gone," he whispered as he stared at the bushes, not feeling interested in going in again if he didn't have to. "Come out?"

There was a soft rustling from inside, but no more.

With a weary sigh, Irwin tried for a few moments longer, but in the end, he had to crawl back in and carry her out. As soon as Megah saw the Imps on the ground, she turned pale and began softly sobbing.

"Don't worry. They are dead. They can't hurt you," Irwin whispered as he sat down and put the girl on the ground. He stayed next to her, unsure of what to do.

"How did you get here? Megah? Where is your mother? Where are the others?" he asked. Where is my mother?

The girl suddenly wailed louder, and in between the sobbing, Irwin barely made out what she said.

"Who died?" he asked, staring at the little girl in shock.

"Mama," Megah howled.

Irwin swallowed as he remembered Leidah, the quiet, hardworking woman with a card that helped with cutting vegetables. Her husband had been one of the rangers that died clearing an uncommon rift when Megah had been only a year old. Megah's mother had even watched him when he was younger. Now Leidah was dead? Stunned, he gently wrapped his hands around her, and she pressed up against his chest, crying as he hushed her.

"Easy, Megah. Hush. There might be more around," he whispered.

The girl became quiet but continued sobbing against his chest.

"Where are the other people?" Daubutim asked.

He'd moved next to them, staring at the girl with a worried frown.

It took Irwin a while to calm Megah down, but when she finally did, she wouldn't let go of his arm, clutching to it as if he might up and vanish at any moment.

"Malorin- Malorin is under attack," she whispered before whimpering. Irwin put a hand on hers and squeezed it, and she sniffled before continuing.

Slowly, as she spoke, her words became clearer. "A portal opened in Gloomforest. Big and nasty! Before the rangers could close it, another appeared next to it, and there was a surge."

Oh no! Irwin felt his heart clench as he thought of his family.

Megah's eyes began filling with tears again, and Irwin shook his head as he got up, pulling her along.

"We need to leave before more show up," he said.

"Are you going to help the others?" Megah whispered, staring at him with large open eyes.

Of course, she can't be here on her own, Irwin thought.

"How did you get here? What happened after… after the surge?" he asked.

Megah clenched his hand as she looked at the edge of the forest.

"Mommy died. Many people died. Some people said we had to flee Malorin, and Auntie Tes brought me," she whispered.

Irwin couldn't hold back anymore, fear for his family growing with everything he'd heard. "Megah, did my mother and brother survive? Did they come?"

Megah shook her head. "No, they stayed in Malorin. Auntie Tes asked them, but they said it was safer in Malorin. Then there was a lot of cursing and shouting," the little girl said with a soft shrug.

"I think they were right," she added as tears flowed from her eyes again.

"It was horrible. We had to walk and walk and walk, and then we reached those plains, and there was no food, and I was hungry, and…" She glanced at the dead Imps and shivered. "And then those imps came, and-"

Daubutim grunted as he knelt next to the girl. She shrank back, but he raised a piece of udnit root they had taken from the portal. It was cleaned, and Irwin felt his own stomach rumble at the sight of Daubutim moving it from left to right. Wondering what he was doing, he kept quiet. Megah's eyes were locked on the food, following its movement through the air.

"How many people went from Malorin and onto the plains," Daubutim asked as if he wanted to have a loaf of bread.

"Fourteen," Megah whispered, still following his finger.

"How many of these Imps came to attack you?"

"Many," Megah whimpered as she wiped her eyes.

Irwin quietly watched as Daubutim continued asking the girl questions. After a few minutes, he handed her the food, which she began nibbling on instantly. He picked her up, which she seemed fine with, and began walking towards the edge of the forest.

"We need to see if anyone else survived. She said two rangers were with them. How many cards do Malorin rangers need before they can call themselves rangers?"

Irwin shook his head in confusion. "One, of course," he said before shivering as a cold wind flew around them.

Daubutim stared at him hard, then grunted. "Of course. How is your arm?"

Irwin looked at his left arm, the sleeve almost falling away as he looked through the hole, one of many. The wound wasn't deep but still bleeding softly. "Fine. I'll live," he said.

Daubutim grabbed his arm and took a quick look. Megah looked at it, and Irwin saw her face pale as she looked away. Daubutim, instead, blinked in surprise. "That card is great," he muttered, and Irwin saw a flash of jealousy. Then it was gone, and Daubutim grinned at him.

"Father is going to enjoy training you."

Irwin's eyes widened, but before he could react, Dautubim walked away.

Train me? He wasn't sure what to think of that or what his skin had to do with it. Looking ahead, at the edge of the forest, he unsummoned his flame. The air instantly chilled his skin, and he shivered but forged on.

To his amazement, when they were halfway, Megah began snoring softly. He hoped that was a good thing.

When they reached the final trees, dressed in orange and yellow leaves, many of which were twirling down and away in the wind, Daubutim grunted.

"Hold her. I'll see what is going on."

Irwin looked at Megah, then shook his head. If they had to run, she would be safer with Daubutim.

"You keep her. I'll be right back."

He turned and snuck forward, moving from bush to bush until he reached the last one and finally got a clear view. A short muddy stretch of land led to a sharp drop, and in the distance, the grassy plains continued as if without end. A dozen feet to the left was a dangerous and muddy natural path that led down, and footprints stood out as a long line of watery puddles, likely from Megah and the Imps. Sneaking forward on his arms and legs, ignoring the mud he got everywhere, Irwin looked across the ridge.

A caravan stood there, in a half circle, with hundreds of people talking and moving between the wagons. Massive Charbulls snorted plumes of ashy smoke, their eyes glowing like embers.

She said they were with a small group, Irwin thought as he looked around, wide-eyed.

The first thing he noticed was a row of figures lying to the side. From their neatly arranged limbs, he guessed they were dead. Rangers, recognizable by their armor and weaponry, were moving nearby. They were dragging the bodies of dead imps onto a pile.

Seeing the Rangers, people, and wagons, Irwin had a sudden sense of security. If he went there, he'd be safe! He was about to rise and wave his hands when he saw a familiar figure walk from behind a wagon.

Tanya!

The sorceress that had brought them to Wignut walked awkwardly, seeming to favor her left leg. Why was she here? Another ranger, tall and familiar, stepped out with her. This one had a familiar symbol on his shoulder—the symbol of Wignut.

Irwin felt a cold fear suffuse him as he looked around more carefully. He found the symbol on some of the wagons and other rangers.

The rangers only leave if something horrible happens, he thought as he thought back to when they had exited the hound portal. Had the surge overrun Wignut? He barely noticed or cared as he licked his lips, then crawled back.

Daubutim was looking at him sharply, speaking as soon as he reached him. "Did the imps leave yet?"

"The Imps are all dead," Irwin said as he shook his head in disbelief. "I think something bad happened at Wignut. There are a lot of people down there with a caravan. And sorceress Tanya is with them," he added somewhat lamely.

Daubutim's face went slack; then the noble stepped forward. "Hold her. I need to see for myself."

Irwin took over the girl, who muttered something but continued sleeping. As Daubutim moved to the ledge, he stared after him.

Should we go there? It's safer, but what will Tanya say? Will she take us back to the tower?

He stared at the mud before him as he thought about it before shaking his head. He didn't want to go back to the tower. Besides the fact that he would have to explain how he got two uncommon cards, he had Ambraz. There was no way he could get away with saying it was luck, and with what he'd seen of the tower? If he went back there, he didn't think he'd ever see his mother again. At least not alive.

No. They needed to reach Daubutims father. Then he could learn card reforging from Ambraz. If he could become more powerful, help Daubutim and Greldo and others become more powerful, they might be able to do something to prevent the world from shattering.

A tiny voice in his mind whispered that the sorcerers could help with that, but he shushed it. Daubutim's father could let the sorcerers know.

His mind kept spinning as he waited for Daubutim.