Come on! You can do it, Irwin thought as he stood with his hands on his knees, drawing in ragged breaths.

Desmir lay on the ground nearby, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

"Quick, that bloody thing is trying to get away!" Lous's voice was filled with anger as he sprinted as fast as he could after a small shadow that sprinted across the pale sand.

"I've got it, I've got it," Yerich shouted, running on an interception course, while Gwallina came from the other side. All of them had looks of hope and fear on their faces as they knew they would need to wait another day if they failed.

"They are going to make it," Irwin whispered just as the black shadow blurred past Desmir with a burst of speed. Desmir jumped, missed, and slid headfirst through the sand in the path of Gwallina. She yelped and barely managed to jump over him.

"No, no," she screamed in anger.

"Don't let it get back," Irwin shouted as the nimble ranger sprinted after the blur.

It was moving toward a set of thick stone doors with an odd octagonal shape on each side. Gwallina almost reached it, her fingers brushing the shadowy thing as it shot into the hole, causing her to scream in pain as she slammed fully into the stone. Lous reached her a moment later. The ranger slowed down and stared dully at the door before shouting in futile anger.

Irwin felt the hope drain out of him. He slumped down onto the warm white sand, fell on his back, and looked up at the partial building that stretched above him. A dull red sky shimmered through the holes and beyond, where the building seemed to have been ripped from the city, it must have belonged to. Or perhaps not. There wasn't anything around the ruined building, so who knew what it had belonged to? Either way, one side was fully gone, exposing everything and everyone inside to the harsh light and wind of the sands beyond.

"Failed again?" Desmir grunted from the side. There was a sharp anger in his voice that hadn't been there a few weeks ago.

"Failed again," Irwin responded carefully.

"We need a plan, or we will run out of food…" the guard said, his voice ending in a growl. "If we get back out, I'm going to kill that Frozir for not telling us what this portal was like."

Irwin didn't respond. Desmir had said similar things multiple times before, and any conversation about it ended with him getting incredibly angry and hostile.

Because perhaps for them it was easy to get out? he thought as he gazed at the ceiling. Who knew if those Frozir were able to easily open this door… or perhaps the door hadn't been there before?

He kept his thoughts to himself, though. He wasn't interested in having his head bitten off by Desmir. As the days had continued to pass and the linchpin kept evading their attempts to catch it, their leader became antsier and antsier. After almost striking Lous for one of his remarks a few days ago, everyone had slowly begun to withdraw from him. Now, over three weeks in here, they only really discussed plans to capture the linchpin or break open the door. None of which had worked yet.

Irwin felt his worry grow again as a thought that had started plaguing him resurfaced. Was it his first card or Ambraz that was responsible for the situation they were in? Taking a final, deep breath, he pushed himself up and looked around.

Desmir didn't move, one hand over his eyes, his lips pulled into a grimace, and the second one clenched into the sand. Yelich sat where he'd fallen, his head bent low in defeat, while Gwallina was glaring at the hole the dark blur had disappeared in while she rubbed her scratched arm.

The stone door had dents and scuffmarks from where all of them had tried breaking it down.

So close, but so far, Irwin thought as he imagined the portal that lay beyond.

Then he turned to the wide desert that sprawled behind the building. They had tried everything, and there wasn't any other option. No matter what the others said, it was time.

"I'm going to explore," he stated. He'd suggested it before, but each time then, there had been another plan left to try, and Desmir had disallowed it.

There was silence, then Desmir sighed. He pushed himself up and looked at him, and for a moment, Irwin saw his usual calm.

"You are sure the sun won't harm you?"

Irwin nodded. "I've been to worlds like these before, and it's harmless to me."

He heard Lous mutter something about drinking enough water for ten, but he ignored it. It was true, and he had no idea why his first card had that specific effect on him.

"Fine, but be careful. We haven't seen anything, but that doesn't mean there aren't any Galubs around. This portal world looks large enough for more ruins to be around," Desmir said.

Irwin was slightly surprised at how easily the guard agreed, but he quickly nodded. He turned to the others, who all looked at him. Lous sighed and nodded.

"Well, be careful, brat. None of us can come along, so if you find something dangerous… run back and shout?"

Irwin tried to smile, but he couldn't get more than a grimace. As if he would be fast enough to outrun anything?

The others nodded at him, then moved around Yerich.

"We need to catch that thing!" Gwallina shouted as she glared at Lous. "I think we should try the trick from a few days ago again, bury ourselves in the sand before the door and wait till it exits, then jump it."

Irwin felt slightly pained that they didn't show any more interest in him exploring. They had tried everything to catch the linchpin and open the door! Why did they just assume that he wouldn't find anything? Still, the idea of having to be buried alive again wasn't at all appealing, and he turned and hurried away before she would suggest he do that again. Just because his skin protected him didn't mean he enjoyed the sensation. Besides, that bloody linchpin was so fast that there was no way he could catch it.

No… we need another trick to get it, he thought. With the ruins so stupidly small and everyone constantly nearby, there had been no chance to talk with Ambraz.

As he moved away from the loudly debating rangers, he picked up his backpack. There was only enough food for a few days, even with their rationing, but water for a week. Daubutim and his previous escapade had taught him to always bring extra. Slinging it on his back, he barely noticed the weight as he stepped past the ruined arch of rubble and stared at the flat, almost white sand that stretched out for as far as he could see.

The shadow of the destroyed building stretched out before him, and he walked forward until he stepped into the blistering sun. It wasn't as hot as in the hound portal, but it was enough to make the others incapable of walking through it for longer than a few minutes.

I wonder if there are places left in our world that are like this, Irwin thought as he stopped and basked in the sun for a few moments. He wouldn't mind visiting those!

Then he continued forward. He had no exact goal in mind, just far enough away that he could talk with Ambraz without someone overhearing. Ten minutes of trudging through the soft sand later, the ruin behind him had turned into a tiny dark, almost black spec, and he stopped.

"Are we alone?" he whispered.

"Yes, and about time. However, I do detect… something far below us. I can't exactly pinpoint it, but it is moving around erratically," Ambraz said before letting out a weary sigh. "So… how exactly did I end up locked in another portal?" It sounded more like a muttering to himself than a question.

So there's something below us? Is it a creature, or are there more ruins down there? Irwin thought as he stared at the ground. Not that it mattered. They needed to get out of here and close that portal.

"Do you know a way for us to grab that linchpin?" he asked.

"And then what? If you have it, that won't open the door," Ambraz snorted. "Worse, if you grab it and destroy it, this world shard will be finished with you in it."

"What?" Irwin stared at the sand in stunned silence. "The linchpin won't open the door?"

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Ambraz was quiet for a moment, and Irwin felt his heartbeat speed up. If the linchpin wasn't going to open the door, how were they going to get out of here? He barely noticed that he had begun panting and gritting his teeth.

"Irwin, cooldown," Ambraz said, his voice calm and commanding and so unlike his usual snappy self that Irwin blinked, shook his head, and tried to comply.

"Deep breaths, or whatever you mortals do, and think soothing things or something," Ambraz grunted.

He's right, Irwin thought as he focused on his breathing until he felt it slow down.

"I guess it's only normal that our luck couldn't continue indefinitely," Ambraz said, sounding tired. "If it wasn't for there being no other way, I'd have tried to stop you from entering any portals, but what's an Anvil to do."

Irwin swallowed, looking around the sand. "What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you didn't notice the oddness in the shard-worlds that you arrived in?" Ambraz said, a little of his usual annoyance back.

"Yes… Is it because of you? Or-"

"Nah. It's that first card of yours… I really didn't want to tell you all this you know? It's something that should be taught properly at one of the Smith guild branches. Not in some almost shattered world or on a portal shard in the middle of nowhere. But I guess it's better to tell you now."

Irwin waited with bated breath as the Anvil grumbled a bit before continuing.

"Your first card? It might be able to allow you entrance into lower-ranked portals, but as we travel through the soulforce-tether, your card absorbs energy. Too much energy. Now it's releasing this energy inside the shardworld, empowering the linchpin and allowing creatures to rapidly grow, even this portal to grow."

Irwin choked on some spittle as he had to resist pulling the Anvil out of his pocket. "Wait- but back in the hound portal, you said you didn't know why this was happen-"

"I lied," Ambraz interrupted him. "Back then, I didn't know what to think of you," he added, almost sounding apologetic.

So… it was my fault that those portals ended up becoming so dangerous, Irwin thought, suddenly thinking back to those that had died inside the portals.

"And now you tell me?" he said, annoyed, suddenly very unsure about his odd companion. If Ambraz had been lying to him about one thing, what surety did he have that he hadn't been lying about something else?

"Yes," Ambraz said, seeming not to notice his internal struggle. Or not caring. "You have incredible potential as a Cardsmith, and the chances of me finding someone else in your backwater world, or even gathering enough Soulforce to get me around to search for one, is too small. "

"Well, that's great," Irwin said, feeling his anger growing. Why hadn't Ambraz told him this before? He would have found an excuse not to come here!

"Now we are stuck in this portal!"

"It's only a temporary setback," Ambraz said. "We nee-"

"Do you know a way to open that door?" Irwin asked heatedly.

"What? No, but-"

"Then what use is it?" Irwin almost shouted as the worry about being locked in a portal for over two weeks with limited food, water and no exit finally got the better of him.

"Calm down!" Ambraz said, and Irwin felt his pocket heat up and rumble. "I know you're afraid, but-"

"I'm not afraid. I'm angry," Irwin snapped back. As he spoke, he realized it was true. Ambraz had lied and withheld important information from him. He had no idea what had happened to Daubutim, and he regretted entering this portal. And now he heard that not just had he entered the portal, but if they all died, it was because of his card?

His anger grew like a raging fire in his mind, and he took a deep breath before letting out an angry roar as he kicked sand, spraying it far away. Seeing the glittering stuff, he stamped on the ground, then again, continuing until he felt himself calm down.

As he stood there, breathing hard, he glared at the distant ruins.

"Calmed down?"

"No. Yes… maybe," Irwin retorted.

He forced himself to calm down as much as he could, trying to think back to the previous months. So far, Ambraz had helped him many times, and he seemed to need him for something. Besides, without him, he'd have died a few times and not had the cards he had. And he enjoyed reforging cards and purifying metal. The Anvil might have lied, but he didn't seem to want to do him harm.

Who says he isn't withholding more and lying? A small voice whispered in his mind. Who says the world is even really going to be destroyed?

Irwin shook his head, clearing the thoughts. From all he had seen, something was happening, and the Frozir had said similar things.

"You should have told me," he finally said, staring at his pocket.

"Perhaps. But you know barely anything, and I'm not a teacher," Ambraz said.

Irwin was about to snap an agreement, but the Anvil continued loudly.

"Besides, would you have come here if I'd told you?"

"What? No! Of course not!" Irwin hissed.

"Exactly. And we need to be here. Inside here, we can use the Derlin card without it having any dangerous effects."

"And what if we can't get out?" Irwin said.

"As I was going to say. You don't need to open that door to get out of here. There are more portals we can use."

Irwin snapped his mouth shut, looking at his pocket stupidly.

"More?"

"What? Did you really think every shard-world only had one portal leading out of it?"

Irwin didn't respond, realizing he hadn't really thought about it.

"Well, not all shard-worlds have them, but this one does. It's too large and stable for only one connection to appear," Ambraz said, softer.

"And where does that portal lead?" Irwin asked softly, starting to worry. He had no interest in going into a hub-world.

"Another spot on your world," Ambraz said soothingly. "And it will be within a few miles of the original portal, so you don't have to worry about getting lost."

"Alright! Where is it?" Irwin asked, suddenly more hopeful.

There was a moment of silence before the Anvil whispered something Irwin didn't catch.

"What?"

"I don't know," Ambraz said.

"..."

Irwin kicked the sand, glaring at it. Then he blinked, staring at the sand again.

"You said there is something moving deep below. Is it like a worm or creature, or…?"

"Walk a bit further here," Ambraz muttered, and Irwin felt pressure on his leg, trying to push him somewhere. He moved with it, walking further away from the ruin. "Fainter- go the other way," Ambraz whispered.

Realizing what the Anvil wanted to do, Irwin began walking back towards the ruins. After a bit of back and forth, he stopped.

"I don't know what it is, but it feels too powerful for some simple creature," Ambraz said. "It is very likely that there is an underground area still open below those ruins."

"Then we need to find the entrance," Irwin grunted.

"Yes, but wait," Ambraz hissed. "First, you need to walk further away until you can't see the ruins."

"What? Why?"

"Because you need to use the Derlin card and see what you get," Ambraz said before snorting. "And pray to that beardy face."

"Beardy… Gelwin?"

"Yes, him. Pray that you get one of the useful effects."

Irwin stared at the ruins, licking his lips at the idea of losing sight of it. "What if I get lost?"

"You won't. I know exactly where to go," Ambraz said.

After hesitating for another few minutes, Irwin turned his back to the ruins and continued walking. When Ambraz finally said he was far enough, there wasn't even a tiny spec remaining of the ruins, and a look around made him feel his anxiety grow.

A rustle came from his pocket as Ambraz appeared, hovering beside him. His metal surface gleamed brightly in the sun.

"Ahhh, finally out! It's so stuffy in there," he grunted.

Irwin ignored him and removed the few cards he had, taking the Derlin Rabbit card and returning the others.

"Now what?"

"Just like slotting a regular card. You put it in your hand, but instead of going into your hand, the card will summon the creature. Which one depends on the card, so a rabbit for you. It will grant you something, and then it will leave."

"Leave? Just like that? What…”

"The Derlin world-shard held incredibly powerful beings, and they created a specific type of soulskill," Ambraz said. "These soulskills allow beings from Derlin to return if they are killed. Though it will take a long time for this one to regain enough power to regain a soulskill, it's essentially resurrection."

"Wait! So they can't die?"

"Of course they can. They simply didn't die completely… just their body," Ambraz said, sounding exasperated. "After we return, we should really search for a way to a hub-world."

Irwin jolted, then shook his head.

"No! I don't want to leave my family-"

"Enough, brat!" Ambraz snapped, shooting at his face before hovering there with his metal lips pursed tightly. "You want to save your world? Teaching that Trimdir fellow how to reforge the initial step and have him teach others is a great way to buy yourself more time, but you need to become more powerful! For this, you need to find a hub-world and join the Smith's guild."

Irwin continued to shake his head, clutching the card tightly. "What if I don't find my way back?"

"What if you get locked in a portal? What if you get killed by a Frozir? What if you are eaten by a Wyrm? All of this could happen! You need to start looking at the bigger picture. The chances of you saving your world are astronomically small… If you want to even have a little chance, you need to become a true Cardsmith. You have the talent. What you need is time."

Irwin blinked, then looked around. "But can't we just stay here? Train here? We have time!"

Ambraz let out a weary sigh, muttering something again.

"No…" he finally said. "Your world is too close to fracturing. The time-dilation won't work for much longer… it might have even stopped."

"Do you mean that weeks have passed outside too?" Irwin snapped.

"Maybe… probably some days, perhaps more," Ambraz said. "That is why you need to join the Smith's guild. They have training worlds with maximum time dilation. In there, you could train and return with barely any time having passed here."

Irwin looked at the card, barely seeing it. After a few moments, he shuddered and stared back at the hovering Anvil.

"Let's talk about this later. First, we do the card," he finally managed to say.

Hesitatingly he put it near his right hand, and as soon as it touched his skin, there was a bright burning light as the card seemed to explode. He shrank back, then saw the card hover before him. An image of a rabbit hung above it, vague and swirling and similar to when he was reforging. However, it rapidly congealed, turning clear as the light seemed to be drawn into it.

A dull thump came as the light vanished, and a roughly four-foot-tall creature that looked nearly like a normal rabbit dropped into the sand. It was covered in bright green fur, with dark runes covering its back, while large, slanted eyes observed Irwin. They focused on Ambraz, narrowed, then returned to Irwin.

"Soul-stealer. For releasing me, I will grant you the following choice…"

A soft, steely voice came, and Irwin felt his skin crawl as he stared into the eyes. Whatever he'd expected the Rabbit to sound like, this wasn't it.

There was a bright flash of light then a book with a pale purple border appeared. Something about the edge and the shape reminded Irwin of a large, thick uncommon card.

There was a soft grunt from Ambraz, but the Rabbit simply glared at Irwin.

"You have a short time to select your reward. If you wait too long, the book will vanish. If you select one skill, the book will vanish."

It silently inspected Irwin for a while longer, then looked around.

"A weak shard… barely able to sustain three portals," it muttered before its eyes gleamed. "Still, let's see what we can find!"

Before Irwin could say or do anything, the Rabbit blurred and disappeared. A long trail of sand led deeper into the desert, dropping softly as a green dot vanished into the distance.

"Hurry! Get the book and search for hammers," Ambraz said as he flew forward and hovered above the book.