Irwin took three steps as instructed, then looked to see if he could spot something that would indicate something shooting.

I don't get what is triggering those attacks, he thought as he scanned the dirty mud and snow-covered ground around the black pillar.

"How much further…"

The grunted complaint from one of the rangers seemed to be shared by all. They were walking with ropes attached to their wrists, all trailing after Irwin. Hutch was beside him, frowning as he looked around without seeing anything.

"I hope that Slaughter Demon doesn't follow us here," he muttered. "Nobody but you would be able to see it."

Irwin flinched, wanting to turn and smack the guard. How could he say something like that? Didn't he know that was exactly how you got bad things to happen? Taking a quick look around, he didn't see anything that resembled the shadowy tendrils or figure.

"Okay, take a left here, then walk another four pillars straight and turn right. After that, we only need to head straight to the exit."

Irwin stopped trying to locate something that could explain what was going on and continued on as instructed.

A high-pitched scream came from behind them.

"Twelve," Hutch said, and Irwin watched with morbid curiosity as the guard took out a paper and added a line.

"I wonder how much longer they will try," someone muttered from the back.

"Galubs are notoriously stubborn and stupid. As long as they think they can catch us, they will continue," Daubutim's dull voice echoed out.

"Quiet," Hutch snapped.

Irwin grinned as he continued the last stretch, keeping his eyes open for anything. Just as he saw the end of the path and the slope that led to the mountain that bordered Esterdon, there was another double scream.

Those sounded closer, Irwin thought as he took a look back. A quick count showed all guards and rangers were still there, as were Daubutim and Lamia.

"What's wrong?" Hutch whispered.

"Nothing," Irwin said, quickly turning and continuing towards the edge.

As he walked away from the final pillars, there were mutters of relief.

"Finally, I can see more than an arm in front of my face," someone cursed. "If I never have to enter there again, it will be too early."

Hutch moved further from the pillars before turning to Irwin.

"That was the easiest I've ever passed through that horrible place," he grunted.

"Why do you even go in?" Irwin asked. "We could have just gone around?"

Hutch grinned as he shook his head. "Nah, this is the only safe way to cross this valley. If you attempt to go around, you will get slashed apart by more of those stupid attacks."

Irwin looked back from where they came, trying to see something weird with the distant hillside that led around the odd Burned Pillars. He couldn't spot anything, but somehow he doubted Hutch would lie about something like this.

"Alright! Get ready. We are going to continue on. This should keep those Galubs off our back, though there is no saying how many portals are between here and Esterdon. So, keep your eyes and ears peeled for anything," Hutch shouted.

A short while later, they were setting out again, this time walking at a brisk pace.

"Have you ever been this far from Degonda?" Irwin asked Lamia, who was walking to his left.

"No. A few years ago, I took a trip to a hamlet with my uncle. That was the first and only time I ever left," Lamia said as she looked around.

Irwin wasn't surprised. Back in Malorin, most young people never left the city unless they became rangers. Well, unless you counted the farmers, those only used the lands within half an hour of walking from Malorin and within the visible range from the walls.

They continued chatting softly as the column continued. No longer running, Irwin slowly felt the cold affect him. Unlike the instant pain and nearly debilitating effect of before he got Coperion Body's upgrade and then his full-hand, it was an insidious, slow progress.

I wonder why running keeps me warm, he thought as he decided to ask Ambraz about it if he got the chance. That would have to wait for a while, though, at least until they reached Esterdon and he got some privacy again.

Halfway through the day, he had to use his Coperion Body, causing some muttered comments from the guards. Still, the instant relief made up for the jabs from some of the guards who wanted to know if all of his body had increased in size.

When the darkness began to encroach, they reached the higher area of the mountains, and Hutch sent scouts out to look for a suitable place to rest. It came in the form of a deep, high-ceilinged cave. Irwin was momentarily surprised when Hutch had him come up and inspect. Then he realized he was by far the most likely to spot anything hiding.

Guards stationed at the entrance, Irwin's flame used to heat up the cave till it was nice and warm, they settled in for the night. Except for a single loud roar that caused some rocks to drop from the ceiling and which woke everyone, nothing of note happened.

The next day they came across another three portals before noon, and as they did, Hutch's mood dropped more and more.

"This is too far from Degonda to easily close them," he grunted when they found the third one. He drew the location on the map before looking at Irwin. "But if we don't, who knows what monstrous beasts and demons will come out."

Irwin nodded, staring at the large rockface they were moving towards. There was a flat area below that would lead them around the last bit of the mountain, and as he looked up, he realized they weren't that far from the top.

I wonder how high we are, he thought. However high it was, the temperature had continued to drop, and by now, he was turning on his Coperion Body each time it was ready.

Halfway through the afternoon, as they approached the steep rockface, Hutch stopped, cocking his head. Then he put his hands behind his ears, turning his head around as if trying to locate something. Wondering what the guard was hearing, Irwin tried in vain, but he didn't hear anything.

"There is something up ahead," Hutch said before ordering a pair of nimble rangers to scout ahead while they moved forward slowly and with drawn weapons.

A few hundred feet from the rockface and already on the flat gray stony area, Irwin finally began hearing it. A dull thudding and, after a while, the occasional high-pitched shout or screams.

The rangers reached the rock face and disappeared around the corner for barely two heartbeats before jumping back into a few and sprinting towards them. One was waving his hand in hand signals.

"Bloody bad luck," Hutch glared. "Ready your arms! We have incoming!"

Irwin summoned his hammer, quickly trying to recall how long his Coperion Body had been up when his breath caught in his throat. A mass of fur, hooves, and spears rushed around the corner, rapidly gaining on the nimble rangers.

"What…"

“Udugtaur’s!” Daubutim gasped.

"Bloody crap," Hutch roared. "Everyone get ready, don't try to run. There's no escaping these buggers! Orwin, use those eyes of yours to pick off as many as you can!"

Irwin quickly moved beside Hutch, who had put his grappling gauntlets on. A light gleam came from below one as he triggered a card, but Irwin didn't see any effect, and he quickly focused back on the incoming rangers. The horde of Udugtaurs was gaining on them.

"Come on, come on, run," Hutch said.

Soft twangs came from behind him, and half a dozen arrows shot forward before angling down toward the demons.

"They won't make it," Hutch cursed. He gritted his teeth as he stepped forward and raised his grappling-gauntlet-gloved hand. "Everyone, get ready! We are going to charge them!"

Charge them? Irwin thought as he looked at the guard as if he was crazy. There were twice as many demons as guards!

"We can't lose them! If we already encounter these things halfway it will only become harder," Hutch snapped.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Readyyyy…. follow me!" he bellowed before sprinting forward.

Irwin gritted his teeth, bent forward, and shoved off, trying to keep up. Within seconds he was overtaken by most of the rangers, but to his surprise, he was managing to keep up with the guards. Either they were actively holding back, or he was faster than he thought.

The shuddering of hoofs quickly drowned out all other sounds, and when the Udugtaur began roaring and swinging their spears, Irwin felt a calm spread through him. It was as if everything slowed down, and he saw the fur on the incoming demon's head bob and weave, spittle flying around, their eyes a deep, almost poisonous green with horrifying vertical yellow pupils.

Fifteen steps away, the rangers stopped, raised bows, and fired into the incoming throng. The other rangers barely reached them, spun on their feet, and joined them.

Irwin rushed between two, the first Udugtaur barely a dozen feet away, and he triggered Eyes of Blaze. He barely noticed the strain as he forced the energy to spread out as wide as it could, and then the world turned red as a torrential wave of fire burst out from him. Startles, shrieks, and thuds followed as the Udugtaur directly before him, and the six around it were torched, many tripping and coming to a skidding halt.

Irwin didn't bother to wait, but with his hammer raised, he rushed forward, barely noting Daubutim and Hutch were with him. Then he reached the first demon, which was flailing with its spear, one hand rubbing at its face. All of its fur had turned to a molten disaster, both eyes closed and pus dripping out. Instinctively Irwin summoned his flame, which erupted from his grappling gauntlet and forced it to move. It rippled around his shoulders, up his other arm then across his hammer which burst aflame right as it slammed into a screaming head. There was a sickening crunch, followed by screams as Hutch, Daubutim, and the rest of the guards slammed into the downed demons.

Time seemed to speed up again as Irwin jumped over the brained demon and slapped a spear away, barely noticing he cracked it before body slamming the Udugtaur, which was almost as tall as him. It stumbled back with one arm snapped and crooked and a look of surprise and pain across its dull goaty face. It raised an arm as Irwin brought his hammer down, which shattered the arm, then struck the face and cracked part of the skull in.

Bringing it down for another strike, Irwin looked around to see a milling mass of guards and Udugtaur, many with arrows sticking out of them. Noting Lamia nearby, waving a smaller hammer around while trying to keep spears from poking holes in her, Irwin jumped toward her, battering another Udugtaur to the side before breaking one of its front legs with his hammer, followed by one to the underside of its jaw, nearly toppling it over in a single blow.

"Stick close to me," he snapped before turning to the next demon. A horn trumpet came from the back of the canyon and as he looked up he saw another dozen Udugtaur rush towards them. One was slightly bigger than the others, holding a thing that looked like the horn of a large charbull. It put it to its lips, letting out another blare.

"This is going to take a while," Irwin growled.

Time turned to a swirling mass of hairy bodies, spears, blood, and screams of pain.

When Irwin finally stepped back, staring at a few Udugtaur trying to run back as the ranger kept shooting arrows into them, the area was filled with dead demon bodies. Hutch stepped away from the horn-wielding one, whose neck was wrung, head at an odd angle, before looking around.

Lamia stood a few steps away from him, blood splattered across her face, and her eyes wide as she looked at the blood that covered her gray hammer. For a moment, he thought she was going to get sick, then shuddered and looked at him sadly.

"Wounded!" Hutch roared. "Call out your names!"

There was a moment of stunned silence, then a few muted shouts came from all over as three guards managed to shout their names. Hutch was already moving, looking around, and Irwin saw his eyes on him.

"You did good, Orwin!" Hutch snapped as he turned to the others. "Get the wounded bandaged and ready to move. We are continuing on before more shit finds us. Girt, you alive?"

A sad laugh came as one of the rangers came jogging towards him from between the corpses, drawing an arrow and inspecting it before tossing it with a sad look. "Yeah, yeah. I'm alive, Hutch," he said as he stopped before the guard.

"Scout ahead, but take it slow. Make sure we don't get another surprise on our heads. I want to get us moving that way, if possible, within two minutes."

Girt nodded, turned, and sprinted back along the path the Udugtaur had come from.

"Orwin, Daubutim."

Irwin looked up to see Hutch beckoning him over. He turned to Lamia but she just waved him away.

"I'm fine, fine," she muttered.

Irwin wondered about that, but he'd have to ask her later. For now, he walked to Hutch.

"I've never heard about Udugtaur surges," Daubutim said softly. "Another bad sign."

Irwin just grunted as they reached Hutch.

"You did good," the guard said, busy cleaning pieces of flesh from between his grappling gauntlets. His voice was low enough that Irwin knew that nobody else would be able to hear them.

"Except for Girt and me, none of the others has more than two cards, and the best they have are barely serviceable uncommon cards," Hutch said. He sighed, shaking his head sadly. "We barely had any uncommon carded left, and those left needed to help with the portals."

He was quiet for a while, staring at Irwin as if willing him to speak up. When Irwin kept quiet, Hutch snorted.

"I've heard rumors about new uncommon cards popping up. You wouldn't happen to be able to help some of the guards here get a few?"

Irwin barely held back a flinch. Lord Bron had told him to keep this to himself for now because he didn't want any information about it leaking to Esterdon yet. He didn't need an army trying to steal the few smiths he had that could do it or try to grab Irwin. Still, he'd somehow expected him to tell Hutch.

"We have heard those rumors, but Lord Bron was adamant that we are to keep anything we know quiet," Daubutim said softly, causing Hutch to glare at him.

"Hutch, we got three cards!"

The shout caused a ripple of surprise through the small group while Hutch looked up, startled.

"Alright! Bring them here- we will see about dividing them tonight!"

"But, shouldn't-"

"No," Hutch snapped, cutting off Daubutim. "We are still a day out, and after we drop you off, we need to return. If we find any cards, they will go to the guards here."

Hutch stomped off, and Irwin saw Daubutim stare after him with narrowed eyes while his hands fidgeted with the hilt of his massive sword.

"He is right," Irwin whispered. "They don't need the cards there now, and we need to get to Esterdon."

"Yes, I know. But it's custom to bring them to the lord to-"

"Custom here. In Malorin, the rangers also keep what they find," Irwin said. "Besides, who knows how long any customs are going to hold?"

He saw Daubutim's shoulders slump slightly as his eyes turned unfocused. Irwin was about to shake him out of it, as this wasn't the place, but before he could, Daubutim shivered, his eyes clearing up. He nodded abruptly.

"You are right. Let's see what they are."

Irwin managed a grin as they moved towards where a few excited guards stood around Hutch. As they came up, Hutch turned, his eyes wide and gleaming, any anger seemingly vanished.

"Two uncommon combat cards! I've never seen anything like this from a single encounter. We must have Gelwin's own luck," the guard said as he raised his gauntlet fist which held three cards.

Then he turned and began chatting with the guards, asking about who was interested in which card based on the picture. Irwin quickly realized there was a spear and a shield. The third was a simple common card that allowed for the collecting of dew from leaves into a canister.

Before Irwin could offer to check what the cards did exactly, a ranger shouted a warning, and everyone looked up.

Girt came running back, waving something.

"It's fine- all clear," another ranger quickly translated the odd hand gestures.

"Alright! Everyone get ready to move! Anyone too wounded to move?"

Irwin stepped back as Hutch began organizing everything, and in less than a minute they were on the move again. Walking beside Lamia, he noticed she had managed to remove all of the blood from her face while she kept rubbing at her mouth.

"You alright?" he asked softly, barely audible above the clanking of boots.

"Yes. No… how can you two be this calm about what just happened?" she asked.

Irwin took a quick look at Daubutim, but his friend was just looking ahead, seeming more than happy to let him have this discussion.

"I wasn't like this first," Irwin said with a shrug. "Daubutim and me? We had a few nasty encounters before we reached Degonda. The first time? Ugh…”

Irwin shook his head as he recalled, and slowly as they continued, he began sharing a few of the things that had happened to him. He left out anything about the sorcerers.

The rest of the day passed without further incident. However, they did find another uncommon portal which was probably the source of the Udugtaur. They rested in another cave, and after Irwin told Hutch about his ability to read cards, he helped them to determine what they did. All cards were distributed, both combat cards going to a guard, while the common card was stored until they returned.

When they finally lay down to sleep, Irwin was surprised to find his mind spinning. As tired as his body was, he couldn't seem to keep his thoughts from moving long enough for sleep to grab him.

Tomorrow we will reach Esterdon, he thought as he lay with his head on his backpack. I wonder if Greldo will be there. Or Twintin…

His mind kept pulling up things, ranging from what the towers might look like to how they would reach the special portal or if there would be any demons around it, and when he finally did feel asleep, he had nightmares about swirling lights, portals that hunted him and a giant Galub with a two-handed sword that threatened to split the world.

--

"Two more hours before we reach Esterdon," Hutch snapped, shaking bits of flesh from his gauntlets.

"Everyone alright?"

There was a chorus of agreement while Irwin looked at the two dozen Udugtaur that lay before them. It was the third group they had encountered that day, and by now, they had had plenty of practice on how to deal with the rapidly moving goat demons.

"There are too many to be from a single portal," Daubutim said.

"Or they didn't close the portals," Irwin said as he looked around the rocky landscape. The mountain looked like a giant had punched it repeatedly, with rocks and boulders strewn across shallow hollowed dents and massive cracks in the towering rock faces that dominated most of the area. He could barely believe they would soon reach the valley where the ruins of Esterdon were.

"Alright! Another card, but sadly no combat one," Hutch shouted. "Let's go! We will see if it's anything interesting after we reach Caulwater tower!"

Irwin saw Daubutim perk up, and he wondered what it must be like to finally see something of home again after having been away for so long, even if it was just by proxy. He'd love to see his mother, his brother, and Malorin.

Another hour passed, and they finally reached the top of the ridge that separated them from Esterdon's valley. As they moved over, Irwin saw one of the rangers at the other side of the ridge, staring down. Something about his posture, his face, made his hackles rise.

"Hutch…" the ranger called.

Irwin followed the guard as he ran to the ranger, and as soon as he could see down into the valley, he knew why the ranger looked like he'd seen a ghost.

The ruins of what must have been a giant city lay sprawl in the center, partially against the side of the valley. Dozens of portals hung around and inside it, and tiny figures could be seen moving around.

"By Gelwin's beard…" Hutch whispered.

"Some of the towers have fallen," Daubutim stated softly. "But Coulwater still stands."

Irwin looked at what Daubutim was pointing at. Massive towers, each with a tiny hamlet around it which in turn was encircled by a massive wall, stood near the edges of the valley, as far from the city as possible. The one straight below, probably still fifteen minutes away, was fine. As were both flanking it. However, those further to the left had been destroyed, trickles of smoke still rising from them.

"Airborn demons!"

The shout caused Irwin's skin to crawl as he looked around. Then he saw the seven tiny dots fly towards them.

"Head to the tower!" Hutch roared. "Don't stop for anything! Those are Frostwyrm!”

"Weren't the Frozir on our side?" Lamia whispered while Irwin pulled her along to what seemed like a trial that led down.

"Perhaps not all of them got the message?"

"Run!" Hutch roared.