Irwin couldn't help but let out a snorted laugh as he followed Basil around the corner, only to freeze mid-step.

So many people, he thought, staring at the middling mass of movement.

Guards and Rangers filled the square, more than he had ever seen in one spot. Basil just stomped towards them, and they split to let him pass while a few of them muttered greetings.

Basil brought them to the corner next to the actual gate, where Hutch towered above the others, his overly muscular bare arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Basil! There you are! I was starting to think you'd decided to sit this one out!"

"Sure you did," Basil snapped. "Hutch, you know Orwin and Daubutim. Get them sorted, and get ready to follow along!"

His entire demeanor changed, an air of authority rippling away from him that made Irwin stand up straighter. It had the same effect on everyone around them; even Hutch's eyes sharpened.

"Will do," their old teacher replied curtly.

Basil nodded, glanced at Irwin and Daubutim, then moved away. Within moments they could hear him shouting orders.

"Right, you two," Hutch said. "I'd never have thought I would be working together with people I'd only trained the previous month, but what can you do? At least I know you two are up for the task!"

I hope you are right, Irwin thought as he saw the group of four staring at him silently.

He was pretty sure they were the group he was going with, three rangers, two men and a woman, and a guard in plate armor with a sharp, clean face and dark eyebrows that almost touched in the middle from the frown he had.

"Orwin, these are Gallon's Blazers… though I guess with Gallon dead, you guys will need another name," Hutch said.

There was a series of sharp breaths, and Irwin saw the female ranger's eyes turn red as she stared at the ground.

Hutch blinked, his shoulders sinking. "Ah…right, sorry, Gwallina," he whispered. "It's just been..." he didn't continue, his voice tapering off sadly.

The ranger just shook her head, her long, dark, matted hair falling slightly before her face.

Nobody spoke, and Hutch sighed again as he focused on the sole guard, seeming unsure what to say.

"It's fine, Hutch," the guard said, his frown gone. He took a look at the female ranger, then stepped forward with a face as weary as his voice and focused on Irwin.

"You're one of those new kids that are working at Trimdir's smithy?"

Irwin nodded. From the corner of his eye, he saw Hutch take a last sad glance at Gwallina before pulling Daubutim towards the other group. A sudden sense of dread almost made him call out. Then footsteps drew his attention back to the group. The rangers had moved forward, flanking the guard, who he guessed was called Desmir, and now stood in a half circle before him.

"So… you know how to use those?" one of the rangers asked gruffly as he pointed at the card-outlines on Irwin's hand. "Or do we have to teach you first?"

Irwin blinked, surprised by the unexpected hostile tone.

He turned his full attention to the ranger. It was a short man with a wad of matted brown hair and a stubbled beard. He had scabs covering his chin, heavily battered armor, and a worn bowstring. Still, the quiver on his back was full, and the callouses on his fingers reminded him of those the rangers back in Malorin had.

As he silently inspected the man, there was stunned silence that was broken by the yet unnamed ranger.

"Lous!" the man with short blond hair and an intense look in his dark eyes shouted. "Be nice. This is the one who helped clean out those demon frogs! Remember?"

Lous's face soured, but he didn't back down. "So? We could have done the same thing easily! Where we are going-"

As the ranger spoke, Irwin felt his annoyance rise. Basil had warned him to expect something, but he'd not expected this reaction.

"Enough, Lous," Desmir snapped. The guard's voice was quiet, but Lous stopped mid-sentence, scowling.

There was a moment of laden silence as Irwin stared at Lous, annoyed but unwilling to snap back. Not yet, at least.

Desmir sighed. "Sorry, Orwin. Please ignore Lous. We've all had a trying week, losing friends… family."

As he spoke, Desmir's eyes darted to Lous and the female ranger before quickly focusing back on Irwin. "Perhaps you can tell us a bit about your cards? Just so we know what to expect of you? I'm sure, with Basil referring you and Hutch's training, you are more than up to the task!"

The guard glanced at Lous after the final remark.

The gruff ranger ignored it, and Irwin almost asked the other what his problem was. Instead, he examined the others, and slowly he calmed. They all had worn armor and weapons, dirty and disheveled appearances, and deep bags under their eyes.

These people had been the ones closing uncommon portals for months. Likely they had only just returned from closing another portal. They were tired, had lost at least a few of their group, and now, instead of some well-deserved rest, they had to go straight back out there. He recalled how he had felt after being in those portals, especially the hot one with the dogs and plants. It had been horrible.

"Alright," he said, giving the guard a half smile before nodding at the others.

As he decided on the skill and prepared himself, his own anticipation grew. Since reforging it and becoming a full-hand, he hadn't used Coperion Body's active yet. Wondering what would happen, he focused on his card and triggered the ability.

Energy rushed through his body as he felt it change with an electric jolt. He suddenly felt solid, and his weight increased drastically, causing his feet to sink deeper into the mud. The world around him shifted, and everything seemed to shrink just a tiny bit. It didn't, of course. He just grew! There was a strained groan from his armor as his muscles bulged, and his previously well-fitting clothes suddenly felt tight.

Then everything settled, and he gazed at the rangers, now at least a hand-width taller than the tallest of them. Any lingering sensation of being cold had vanished, and all he felt was the wind blow gently along his head.

"Yilda's tits," the unnamed ranger whispered as he took a step back.

The others of his new group were gaping at Irwin, Lous shaking his head in disbelief.

"That's one hell of a transformation!"

"You think he's got a rare?"

"No, you fool, he is with what remains of Gallon's… they do uncommon portals, remember?

Irwin heard a loud muttering around him, while behind the rangers, Hutch had turned, gazing at him with a surprised look.

That might have drawn a little too much attention, Irwin thought as he looked around and that many of the nearby guards and rangers had turned their curious gazes on him.

"I have never seen an uncommon card that has a body transformation," Desmir said.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Irwin saw the guard's hard stare at his left hand, and he raised it slightly so the guard could see the dull lines of the fake uncommon card tattoo. "Just a good uncommon," he said.

Nobody responded, and Irwin shivered. Did uncommon cards even have skills with changes like this? He couldn't recall.

"Why are you all looking so upset?" Lous said loudly, drawing everyone's attention. "Just because his skin is gleaming and he grew a bit?"

Irwin barely held back from saying Lous himself had been staring just as hard, also containing a relieved sigh. He was happy the grumpy ranger had spoken up, as the spell had broken and normal conversation had resumed.

Lous frowned at him. "What does it do, anyway?"

Irwin thought for a second but couldn't think of a good reason to keep it to himself. Besides, he could kind of agree with Lous. If all the card did was make him big and shiny that would be somewhat lackluster.

"It makes me stronger, tougher, and harder to cut," he said. They stared back at him dully. "And, like this, I'm mostly unbothered by cold," he added as an afterthought.

Eyebrows shot up at that, and Lous's scowl vanished, replaced by a calculating look.

"How long does it last? How often can you use it?" Desmir asked carefully.

"Over ten minutes, then there's a cool-down. I can use it a few times per day," Irwin said, trying to keep his voice low enough that it didn't carry to the mass of guards staring at him.

He didn't feel like sharing with everyone how one of his key skills worked, even if only slightly. Still, apparently what he'd shared was enough, as there was a surprised mutter around him.

"Ten minutes? Yilda be thanked," Gwallina exclaimed as she turned to Desmir. "That means you don't have to do all of the melee on your own. More distractions so we can quietly shoot those evil icy-blooded bastards!"

Desmir nodded, looking incredibly relieved. "Okay, even if you can't do anything else, that's going to be a boon. Anything else you can share with us?"

Irwin thought for a second, then shrugged. "Let's talk about this while we are traveling. I wouldn't mind knowing what the four of you can do."

Desmir nodded resolutely, interrupting Lous, who seemed ready to speak up.

"You are right! I see you have grappling gauntlets, and as Hutch was your trainer, you should be able to use them well. Let's head outside and discuss some tactics. I don't know how much you know about fighting Frozir, but as most of the portals had those, I'm pretty sure we will be encountering those."

Irwin grinned, happy his display seemed to have changed the mood. "Sounds good!"

Desmir returned the grin, weary as it might be, before turning and heading towards the gate's small side entrance. Lous and Gwallina followed him while the unnamed ranger hung back.

Irwin looked up to see Daubutim listening to Hutch. His friend's eyes focused on him, and Irwin nodded, pointing at the gate. Daubutim returned the nod before focusing on Hutch.

Irwin was about to head to the gate when he saw the ranger motion for him to hang back.

Now what? he thought as he slowed his step.

As Lous and the others walked out of earshot, the ranger looked at him.

"Thanks for what you did with those horrible Frozir frog-demons," he said softly.

"You are welcome," Irwin said, surprised.

"No. I mean it. My parents were here," the ranger said, staring at him. "I hear you killed two of those near Kettleburn street?"

"I don't know the names of most of the streets," Irwin said.

"It's with those wooden beams nearly touching in the- Ah, never mind, it doesn't matter. My parents live there, and from what I hear, those bloody Frogs ravaged entire houses. So. Thank you," he said.

He extended his hand, and Irwin shook it, feeling slightly uncomfortable. They didn't shake hands in Malorin… at least not that he knew.

"I'm Yerich," the ranger said.

"Orwin," Irwin said automatically. As he did, he blinked at how natural it felt.

If I don't stop this soon, I'll start thinking of myself as Orwin, he thought, not for the first time.

"Actually, to be completely honest, there's another reason I'm glad you're here," Yerich said, looking to see if the others were really far enough away before throwing Irwin a crooked grin. "I only joined a week ago, just before the portal where everything went to shit."

Irwin looked back with interest. "What kind of portal was it? What happened?"

"Nyzir," Yerich said as he shivered. "We expected Frozir, but we stepped in, and it was completely dark. Gallon had a torch going in a second, but it was like there was a blanket covering it. It gave off as much light as a nearly burned-out candle. Still, it was enough to see these… horrible demons. Long and spindly, and moving horribly, they had daggers instead of fingers!"

Irwin swallowed as he tried to recall what he knew about Nyzir. Not much except for the name and that Ambraz had spoken about them.

Didn't he say they were one of the types of demons that are in common portals? he thought. Starting demons or something?

Yerich fell silent as they reached the small door beside the main gate. The others had gone through, and as they did, Irwin saw even more guards.

There have to be over a thousand, he thought, slightly in awe. He and Yerich followed the others, while Desmir led them to the side of the army.

"Have you been in any portals?" Yerich asked.

"Yes, a few," Irwin said.

"Any Frozir?"

"No, Galubs and some sort of hounds."

As he mentioned the hounds, he suddenly thought about Greldo, and his summon Coal. I wonder how he is doing… where he is, Irwin thought. Trimdir had asked around, but none of the traders had heard about him.

"Galubs? Those can be nasty," Yerich said with a frown. "I've heard from another ranger that said he'd been to a portal with Galub's two heads taller than us and with two horns instead of one!"

"I've seen those," Irwin nodded.

"Really? Then it had to be an uncommon portal that you entered," Yerich said, sounding surprised.

Irwin frowned, about to refute him, when Yerich continued.

"I've heard that there are even three-horned ones in rare portals!"

Irwin blinked and closed his mouth with a snap. He had seen three-horned ones... but that hadn't been an uncommon portal. It had been a common one.

What is going on? he thought, suddenly wishing he had time to talk with Ambraz.

"Anyway, I've no idea about the hounds, but there seems to be a near-infinite amount of demons around," Yerich said. "I'm glad you at least have some experience."

Irwin nodded while his mind spun. Either Yerich was lying, the ranger he'd spoken to had been, or… he glanced at his special card. He barely noticed how they joined up with the others until he got a soft jab from Yerich.

"Gather around," Desmir said, and Irwin realized he'd said so before.

Irwin joined the others in a small circle.

"So, let's get the introductions out of the way first," Desmir said. "I'm Desmir, and I was Gallon's second in command. Right now, I'm the acting squad leader until Hutch or Basil says otherwise."

He focused on Irwin and raised his hand. "Like you, I'm a full-hand, and I have two abilities worth noting. One lets me absorb damage of any source, then become resistant to that same type of damage for five minutes. The other…" he smiled as he drew his sword from his belt. "Well, sometimes it's better to show something."

Desmir's hand glowed as he triggered a card, and he stabbed his sword straight down into the ground. There was a dull boom as sand scattered everywhere, and a hole two arms deep and wide enough for Irwin's leg appeared in the ground. As he looked at Irwin, a pale glow slowly withdrew from Desmir's sword.

"So, if you hold something for me to finish, make sure not to stand behind them," he said thoughtfully.

Irwin swallowed and nodded quickly.

Gwalina stepped forward. She stared at the ground, then sighed. "I can blend with the shadows and shoot arrows better."

Irwin stared at her, not sure what she meant by either. Everyone could shoot arrows, right? What did better mean?

Gwalina must have seen his confusion. "Fine…" she muttered.

In a single fluid motion, she drew an arrow, spun around, and fired it at a small copse of trees in the distance. A sparkling trail followed the arrow as it moved so fast Irwin could barely follow it before slamming into a tree that had to be half a mile away. The only reason he even knew it was because the entire tree shook as if a demon had struck it.

"I'll show you the shadow blend another time," she muttered.

Irwin just nodded. He suddenly felt far less powerful than he had mere moments ago.

Lous grunted as he shook his head. "I'm not joining you in this pecker-measuring contest," he said before staring at Irwin. "I can curve and move my arrows mid-air to hit things around corners or turn misses into hits."

Irwin waited, expecting something else, but Lous stared quietly at him.

"So, my turn?" Yerich said, not sounding too happy. He looked around the wall, took his bow, and shot an arrow into a wooden beam that protruded slightly across. The whole action looked somewhat sad after Gwalina's rapid shot. Yerich's eyes turned a dull white as he stilled.

"So, Basil is getting ready to move. He is waiting around at the first line, and they should open the door in a few moments," he said. Then his eyes turned normal again, and he shrugged. "I can see around the impact of my arrows for a few moments."

"Now, if only you would learn to shoot," Lous said.

Irwin frowned, wondering if Lous enjoyed being mean to everyone when he saw Lous give Yerich a weary grin. The other smirked back.

The massive gate opened. A stream of armed guards and rangers began filing out. Yerich shrugged.

Only one thing? Irwin wondered, taking a quick glance at the ranger's hand, noting three cards, though not combined into a full-hand yet.

"So. I presume, as a full-hand, you have at least one more trick up your sleeve?" Desmir asked.

Irwin hesitated for only a moment before stepping back and raising his hand. He'd shown his flame many times already, so it wouldn't matter too much to show it. He didn't believe the others had shown all they could, especially not Lous, but beyond this, he still had tricks.

A swirling cone of fire erupted above his hand, reaching over an arm's length into the air before fanning out.

"By Gelwin's beard," Yerich whispered.

Desmir just nodded as he examined the flame. "I heard about it, but it's more impressive close by. The rumor is you used it like a sword to kill those frogs?"

Irwin nodded as he changed the shape slightly to look like a wide sword before swinging it around.

"Not bad… and the way you move, you have experience with blades?"

"Yes. My friend taught me," Irwin said.

"It's good to have friends," Desmir said, nondescript. "Alright then, let's come up with some ways to include your skills in our tactics so we can close that portal without any more losses."

Irwin nodded, wondering how long it would be before they would leave.

"Portal? Make that portals," Lous muttered, but everyone ignored him.