"Alright, it looks good," Irwin said as he nodded to Parka.

  It was over a day ago since he'd spoken with the guild master in his soulscape, and they were sitting in the common room of a small Inn. As soon as they had entered, the guildmaster had asked the proprietor to send the other people away, promising to reimburse him.

  Now, Greldo was hanging on a couch, showing zero decorum, while the Guildmaster sat beside Parka, looking at her.

  The Onyxian teacher just nodded, looking weary. She was draped into the chair, seeming ready to fall asleep.

  I wonder if she had to check all of these cards one at a time, Irwin thought, glancing at the massive stacks of cards on the tables in his soulscape. Ambraz was flitting through them, muttering excitedly.

  One thing done, he turned to Guildmaster Mei. Although her face was impassive and her eyes calm, something about the way she sat there gave Irwin the feeling she was highly annoyed about something. Maybe it was how her fingers seemed clasped around the chair's armrests, holding them in a death grip.

  "Guildmaster?" Irwin asked.

  Mei Joulihn turned her gaze away from Parka and met his eyes.

  Irwin immediately knew his assumption had been right. She wasn't happy. He didn't know what she'd had to do to get them a replacement ship, but whatever it had made her eyes hard and cold.

  "The ship is going to be moving beside your small one in a few hours," she said before visibly hesitating. "It's a merchant vessel, and I hope it will be sufficient, but it's the best I could get. You will also have to thank Driseog for being willing to donate one of these two ships."

  "Weren't you going to-" Irwin began, only to stop when Mei huffed and rolled her eyes.

  "Old man Seizer was only willing to part with one of his ships if I promised to reforge heartcards for his family for the next hundred years," she hissed. "Besides. He also demanded that you accept two representatives of his family to come with you to meet your people. I have the feeling that's not something you would entertain?"

  Irwin heard the question in the last bit, and he shook his head.

  "I thought so," Mei said, and there was a soft cracking noise from the armrests. "Anyway, Driseog had far better terms, though you might have to do something for that in the future."

  Irwin hesitated. "What do you mean?" he asked.

  "Don't worry, it just means you might have to reforge the occasional card," Mei muttered. "It shouldn't happen too much as he wants cards in the vegetation main-typing, like trees and stuff."

  Irwin thought about it for a bit before shrugging. The chances of that happening in the near future, or even at all, seemed highly unlikely to him.

  Still, having a merchant ship might not be all bad, he thought.

  He'd prefer a warship, but there was one benefit merchant ships had. They were very big.

  "Alright, we will be heading back to the Nocturna and prepare to leave," Irwin said.

  The Guildmaster stared at him, and after a moment, her face softened.

  "I won't be able to see you off after this, so I'll say my goodbyes now," she said as she got up. "It was a pleasure seeing you, smith, and I hope the next time we meet will be in less strenuous circumstances. Also, if the… situation changes, please send a warning."

  Irwin got up and shook her hand. "Thank you for everything," he said, not sure what else to say.

  The Guildmaster's face finally lightened up with a smile. "Goodbyes are always hard. Mazzareth also said to tell you that if you return, she wants to spar with you."

  Irwin grinned, wondering why the not-a-vice-guildmaster hadn't found him for that yet and guessing that Mei had put a stop to that.

  The Guildmaster's face turned serious again, and she squeezed his hand before letting go.

  "Now, it's best if you go to your ship now. That old tree Seizer didn't look happy when I left. There's a small chance he will come and see you before you leave, probably to try and stop you."

  Irwin frowned and nodded, turning to Teacher Parka.

  "It was nice meeting you, and thanks for the drink," he said.

  Parka seemed to pull herself from her weariness and smirked at him.

  "Come back, and we can go on a bender," she said.

  "Sounds like a great idea," Irwin said, his smile widening, though probably not for the reasons Parka thought.

  He turned to Greldo, who'd got up.

  "Well, let's get out of here."

  --

  Mei watched the two men vanish in the shadows before leaning back and letting out a strained groan.

  "You okay, Mei?"

  "No. I've got a headache from talking with those Ruadh'trom. Seizer actually tried to order me to keep Irwin here," Mei said as she looked at Parka. "He said we couldn't be sure his people weren't part of the invaders."

  She saw Parka's frown deepen before she hesitantly spoke. "I don't believe they are, but… are we sure?"

  "We have enough information that proves Irwin was the one to kill that Guidar, Lasther," Mei said. "Besides, Seizer himself said that he has already been able to validate their claims on those Acenti."

  "Wait, how did he do that?" Parka asked, sitting up, her weariness seemingly forgotten as her jet-black eyes focused on Mei's.

  "Apparently, some have been captured as they moved into The Wandering Verge," Mei said, letting out a disgusted snort. "Seizer used whatever soulforce the Central Register was able to gain to contact his family, and apparently, they already knew about the Guidar."

  "The what? No, wait. Why didn't they warn u-" Parka snapped her mouth shut, a glare on her face. "The Center Branches really don't care for us… do they?" she muttered.

  Mei's gaze drifted to the ceiling as she sighed. "You know they don't. They don't care for any of the branches in the Outer Leaves. Bah! The factions within The Tangled Core and The Center don't even care for the Wandering Verge," she said. "They see them as uncivilized barbarian worlds, filled with uneducated people."

  Mei's mind drifted back to the days of her youth when she'd still been within The Wandering Verge. Such an odd place to live, with pockets of knowledge and beauty within the immensity of those branches that were filled with interconnected strife and even small wars. She'd not really thought about it for a long time, but perhaps her mother had been right, and it had been a mistake coming here.

  She sighed and looked up to see Parka staring at her in stunned confusion. It took her a moment to understand why, and then she sighed. Right. She'd forgotten for a moment how little the people in the outer branches really knew about anything beyond where they lived—the Fringes, the outer leaves, the area bordering the seemingly unending wilderness that was beyond. To the people here, everything beyond the Tweelak branch was the center. They didn't understand the truth, and it didn't matter. The chances of any of them ever going there were so tiny.

  "Never mind, it doesn't matter," she said, seeing Parka ready to ask a question. "Now, let's go and see if we can placate Seizer. I'm pretty sure he is going to attempt to force Irwin to bring someone of his choosing."

  Parka looked worried. "Are you sure we should interfere?"

  "Irwin is the first rank-two diamond smith from the Langost branch that managed to reach his skill within fifty years," Mei said. "Who knows what he will accomplish in the next few years? If we want any chance of getting help from the inner branches, we need to keep him our friend."

  "Is that why you didn't keep him here or try harder to send him away?" Parka asked.

  Mei smiled at the younger woman. She loved how quick-witted she was compared to her burly exterior.

  "If we had managed that, the Tweelak guild would have shipped him away to The Tangled Core, taking whatever reward for finding him," she said.

  She slowly rose, steeling herself for an annoying conversation with whomever Seizer had sent to the docks.

  "Let's go."

  --

  "That's one ugly, ungraceful ship," Greldo grunted.

  Irwin snorted as he stared at the big-bellied merchant vessel.

  "I don't think ungraceful is a word," he said.

  "It is one of the few ships here that can move through the storm," Driseog said, looking at Greldo with narrowed eyes.

  The Viridian merchant had come with the ship to hand it over and had stayed for a moment to chat.

  "We aren't ungrateful," Irwin said quickly, looking at the slim Viridian standing beside him.

  "I know, and… you are right," Driseog said, looking at Greldo. "It's definitely not as sleek as that."

  The three of them looked at The Nocturna, lying on the other side of the dock. It looked tiny compared to the massive merchant vessel, but at the same time, it looked like a dangerous blade beside a massive mallet.

  Nisziz and Klatzi were on the hind deck, looking back at them, while Brecca stood at the side, staring up at the massive merchant ship across the dock from them. There was no sign of Fuchsia, though Irwin wouldn't be surprised if she'd gone with Rindiri to the merchant ship.

  Rindiri was exploring the massive thing now, probably wondering how they would even use it to reach Eluathar within the next hundred years.

  She is going to be so surprised, Irwin thought as he glanced at Greldo.

  "You are sure I can't come with you?" Driseog asked. "I've been cooped up here for a long time, and I'd not mind finding new groves to plan my businesses."

  Irwin shook his head, looking at Driseog.

  "I can't say how long we will take to reach our destination or how long till we return," he said.

  Or if we can return at all.

  He kept the last part to himself, putting one of his massive hands on Driseog's shoulders.

  "Don't worry. If I find a good business opportunity, I'll get in touch."

  Driseog nodded before his eyes began gleaming.

  "And you aren't interested in earning some more cards? It would only take you a few days to forge the cards I have in mind, and they only need to be perfect at ruby rank!"

  Irwin shook his head. "If I had the time, I would. But with this ship, it will already take far longer to reach my destination than with the one I'd planned to use," he lied, knowing full well he'd never planned for the ship or was even intent on using it.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  If my plan works…

  "Well, it's a shame," Driseog said, looking up. "We have barely had the time to talk business. Make sure to return soon, alright?"

  "I will do my best," Irwin said. "But don't expect me back before the storm is gone."

  Driseog looked at him for a while, and Irwin had the idea that the Viridian merchant wanted to say something more. In the end, he didn't.

  "Then I wish you a good trip, and make sure to leave soon. My father and Guildmaster Joulihn won't be able to hold Seizer off much longer."

  Irwin nodded, wondering why Seizer was so intent on keeping them here.

  "Alright, let's get started," he said, turning to Greldo. "Follow us as close as possible, and let's get underway."

  "About time!" Greldo exclaimed, vanishing from where he stood.

  Irwin knew his friend was as worried as he was, both for Dahlia and for Irwin's family and their friends. He nodded at Driseog, clicked his tongue, and teleported himself up the massive merchant ship. Rindiri was already there while dozens of Yuurindi were moving around the deck.

  Irwin hadn't spoken to them, really, but he knew he would have plenty of time on their incredibly long journey.

  "Get us out of here," Irwin said.

  "About time," Rindiri muttered.

  Irwin held back a laugh at her reaction, which had been identical to Greldo's. He walked to the ship's side, staring down at the beautiful and green Suderfuix. He'd barely had a chance to explore it, seeing nothing but the Cardsmiths Guild, some shops, and a few roads. Hopefully, he would have that chance in the future.

  As the ship began moving away, he felt the ambient soulforce rippling around them, manipulated by the ship's runes and sails. Within moments, they were a few hundred feet away from the dock, rising up and heading away to the distant barrier.

  "This thing moves horribly," Rindiri said.

  "Don't worry," Irwin said." You won't have to get used to it."

  Rindiri frowned at him, but Irwin just grinned and turned to look at the city distancing behind them.

  I hope Seizer won't manage to catch up, he thought. He could do with leaving without any drama.

  An hour later, the city was nothing but a long line on the horizon behind them.

  "I'm surprised at how fast it still is," Irwin said, turning to gaze at the distant Portal Gallery barrier. It would take hours to reach, but he couldn't enact his plan yet with the risk of someone seeing.

  "It's at least half as fast as The Sonata was," Rindiri said.

  Irwin nodded, feeling a slight sadness at the loss of that ship. It had carried them across the portal gallery for years, and now it was probably crashed into the ground or shattered in the storm somewhere.

  "I'm going to check something in my soulscape," Irwin said. "I'll be down in my cabin."

  "Ambraz, can you stay here and let me know if anything is wrong?"

  "Kid! I'm finally working through some interesting cards. Can't that wait?"

  "No. I need to test a few things. Don't worry. We will have over a year in the best of cases."

  "Fine, fine."

  Ambraz appeared beside him, fluttering around before flying to Rindiri and landing on her left shoulder. Kes'dor, who sat on her right, let out a sigh.

  "About time you showed back up. So, are we finally going to that place you told me about?"

  "Yeah, we are. Don't worry, you will love it!"

  Irwin snickered as he walked away, tuning out the two Ganvils and hoping Rindiri wouldn't be too bothered. He'd found that Ambraz enjoyed talking with Kes'dor, and he guessed it was because they had both gone through some horrible things, with Ambraz being imprisoned for decades and Kes'dor tortured, having to witness his bonded smith get killed.

  As he walked to the exit, he saw Zir'dor, in his massive size at the prow. Realizing he'd not even greeted the rank-five Ganvil yet, he walked toward him.

  "Hey Zir'dor, how are you doing?" he asked.

  "Captain. Glad to be heading back, really," Zir'dor rumbled. "As much as I enjoyed roaming around with Rindiri, I miss the others."

  Irwin nodded, thinking about Scintilla and his children.

  "I completely agree," he said. "I've got a few things to do, but I'll come find you to hear what you have been up to soon, alright?"

  "Of course, captain. I'll be here."

  Irwin turned, and a short search later found himself in the captain's quarters: a spacious, well-decorated room with two areas. One for sleeping, with a massive bed that he hoped would hold him, and a second with a desk, a small empty library, and a lounge area. Looking at a few glasses, some plates, and some rags lying about, he guessed it had been quickly vacated.

  Moving to the lounge area, he sat down, something he didn't think he had to do, and closed his eyes.

  I wonder if this will still work, he thought as he tried to pull himself physically into his soulscape.

  There was no resistance as he appeared hovering above his soullake, beside his giantself.

  "Well, that worked as well as I'd hoped," he muttered.

  "Yeah," his otherself said, grinning roughly.

  Irwin snorted as his joke, as both of his selves were him and had no own awareness or difference.

  He glanced at himself for a moment before quickly turning away. Like every time he did, looking at himself looking at himself made his head start to throb.

  Enough time left to take a look at those cards, he thought.

  He quickly flew to the building that was now some distance away, on the edge of the hilly area bordering his volcanic mountains and a few hundred yards from the lake's edge.

  Although he was constantly here with his giantself, he didn't really take a lot of time to look around, mostly practicing condensing soulforce into cards, something he still couldn't do without Ambraz.

  The barrier was far away, while the mountains, especially the volcano, had grown immensely. The dark, forested area had grown partially over the hills, while the other five parts of his soulscape were empty, barren rock.

  I wonder what my third soulcard will create, he thought, pondering the card. It mainly dealt with size increases and soulforce sensitivity but also had the volcanic earthquake ability—something he'd not yet used.

  I'll find out soon enough, he thought, glancing back at his three-quarters-filled soullake.

  If anyone had heard his thoughts or sensed his dismissiveness at the worry over filling such a massive lake, they probably would have had a heart attack, but he didn't mind. He knew he had plenty of ways to fill it, and it would just take some time.

  "I wonder if we can find a gas giant somewhere near Eluathar…"

  As he reached the house, he flew through the giant-sized window and toward the library that was nestled on the shelf. Landing at the tables, all with stacks of cards stacked on them, he grinned. It had been a long time since he'd been this flush with cards.

  "Now, let's see what we got!" he said as he picked up one of the stacks.

  --

  "How can you be this foolish?" Seizer snapped, shaking his head.

  "As a rank two diamond smith, he was allowed to leave," Grandmaster Joulihn said, arms crossed as she looked at the old and incredibly powerful head of the Ruadh'trom family. She'd expected him to be angry, and he hadn't surprised her. Driseog's father had left already, leaving her to deal with the mess. She wished she could have done the same thing.

  "The Portal Gallery Alliance is at war. We have lost contact with many of the outer branches, meaning the forces attacking us are numerous beyond belief, and the only branch in this area that hasn't been attacked is ours," Seizer said, his voice slowly picking up volume. "Now, this Irwin comes out of the blue with information that my main family branch finds out is only known by those in the Tangled Core and the Center, and you don't think we should keep him here till we find out everything he knows?"

  Mei frowned, feeling her anger growing at being spoken to as a child.

  "You met him," she snapped. "You know full well that he wasn't going to stay on his own, and none of our shadewalkers would have been able to stop his friend from just snatching him and the rest and leaving! If this had happened, he wouldn't have anything but bad will against us. Instead, I have his word that he will talk with his leaders, who could potentially be the most powerful faction in our branch. How, exactly, would you have preferred this to go?"

  Mei's own voice had risen as much as Seizers, and she was now standing in front of him, glaring at the angry Viridian.

  For a moment, she expected him to strike out, and she instinctively prepared herself to fight back. Then Seizer took a deep breath, letting it out and deflating visibly.

  "Which is why I haven't sent anyone after him," he said, taking a few steps back and dropping into his chair. "Perhaps between the two of us, we could have come up with a way to hold him here. That is useless now."

  He sighed, shaking his head. "Do you have any idea what I will need to tell my main family branch?"

  Mei sniffed. "Probably the same as I do with the Guild's upcoming questions that I'm expecting soon," she said. "Ignore them, and just don't respond. It's not like they will send anyone over here, and even if they do, it would take years for them to reach us."

  Seizer snorted, then laughed softly.

  "Ah, if only I were a thousand years younger! Well, Guildmistress, I fear you don't know as much as you think you do," he said after a while. "There is a teleporter array at the distant end of the Tweelak branch. Although it would cost as much soulforce as all of what we have in Suderfuix combined if they wanted to, they could go there."

  Mei froze, staring at him in disbelief.

  "It's not something I was supposed to know," Seizer said, looking at her. "But I learned a few things during my young and rebellious years. I don't expect them to use it now, but tell me… after the second layer of branches fall and the first attacks reach the Wandering Verge, what do you think the powerhouses in the Tangled Core will do?"

  "They will send someone," Mei whispered.

  "They will send one of the Enforcement Garrisons," Seizer corrected her. "And they will not care for your or my excuses. They will want Irwin and his knowledge, and there aren't enough five-carded warriors in this entire branch to stop them."

  Mei felt her shoulders slump. "That will only happen if those Guidar armies actually reach the Wandering Verge," she said.

  "I hope so," Seizer said, looking at his gnarled, ancient hands. "I truly hope so."

  Mei fell quiet, staring at the far wall.

  Well, at least if they show up here, there's little we have to worry about the Guidar armies, she thought, wondering if she should start readying Mazzareth to replace her. Perhaps she'd be out of her Skeilrin by then.

  --

  Irwin quietly watched the Portal Gallery barrier approach. It had taken over a day to reach it with the Merchant ship, and he was starting to become nervous. He wasn't completely sure his plan would work, but it would have to… or they would have to leave the Merchant Ship behind.

  Which means I'm going to have to do it now… at least then someone can come pick it back up, he thought.

  "Slow down to a stop," he shouted.

  He saw Rindiri look up in surprise. He knew she had an idea that he was going to do something, but he'd not dared tell anyone yet. Partly because he didn't want anyone to hear about it but also because he wasn't sure he could do it.

  "Captain?" Rindiri asked.

  Irwin walked towards her, seeing that Dagger and Youritz were observing him curiously. Ever since he'd reforged the cards, they had been more than willing to call him captain, but he also knew they weren't sure what to make of him. What he was about to do probably wouldn't help much with the latter.

  "Ready to try?" Greldo asked, stepping out of the shadows beside them and causing Dagger to curse as she jumped away.

  "Stop it! Why can't I see you like I can the others?"

  Greldo flashed her a toothy grin but said nothing.

  "Rindiri, we can't use this tub to get to where we are going," Irwin said. "But I also don't want to leave it. Except for the fact that we can use it in the sections that are still intact, we will need it as a cover to check in the harbors that we come across to look for more of your people."

  Rindiri stared at him, and slowly, her eyes widened. "You…"

  Irwin raised his finger to his lips to quiet her down before looking at Greldo.

  "Ready to grab both of us?"

  "Go for it! I can't wait to see this! I wish I could see their faces," Greldo said.

  Irwin snorted.

  'Ambraz, it's time.'

  'Ugh, don't make it sound like such a big deal, kid. It should work perfectly fine.'

  Irwin hoped his friend was right as he focused on his soulscape. Not sure if it was needed, he sat down, putting his hands on the deck and ignoring the confused whispering all around him. Removing all the limits he had placed on his soulforce sensitivity, he felt the entire ship around him, filled with Yuurindi, Greldo, and the two Ganvils. Then, for a fraction of a second, he thought he sensed something else.

  He focused on the aft of the ship, but there was nothing there. Scanning it a bit longer, he wondered if he'd perhaps felt one of Greldo's shadow fish and decided it wouldn't matter. There was nothing there now, and he had something else to do.

  As soon as he sensed the entirety of the ship, he flexed his soulforce and his soulscape. It felt like he was trying to lift the ship up over his head, and for a few moments, he thought it wouldn't work. Then, the entire ship vanished from below him, and he sensed a powerful disturbance appear in his soulscape as it appeared beside his giant self.

  Suddenly falling, he felt Greldo grab him, and a moment later, he was inside the shadowrealm. He barely noticed, most of his double focus on his giantself, which was gently guiding the ship away from his soullake.

  ~ Irwin's Soulscape ~

  Irwin saw the people on the deck of the ship looking around and at him in stunned awe, while Rindiri was shaking her head in disbelief. He ignored her as he tried to determine just how much interference the ship and all its passengers were causing his soulscape.

  It should be fine for at least a few weeks to a month, he decided, his grin widening as he realized just what this meant. Deciding to celebrate later, he let the ship hover beside a mountain, giving it a clear view of the lake and the house.

  "Welcome to my soulscape," he said, his voice rumbling around. "Because we will need to speed up our journey, you will all be spending your time here while we pass through the Chaos Storm. When we reach worlds where we might be able to find more Yuurindi, I'll pull the ship back out. When we do, please make sure not to speak of this- but don't worry, we will remind you about that when the time comes."

  Rindiri had walked away from the helm, and she was ignoring a few excited Yuurindi who were asking her questions, just looking at him. Irwin grinned back and shrugged.

  --

  Terlo hovered in midair, staring at the place the merchant ship had been mere moments before. He'd seen many extreme things in his long and exciting life, but as he pictured the Fiz'rin Cardsmith, Irwin, moving an entire ship into his soulscape, before being picked up and dragged into the shadowrealm, he couldn't suppress a burst of laughter. That had been one of the most impressive things he'd seen in a long time.

  Seeing their signatures appear back on the shadowy ship, he quickly shot forward, just in time to see it vanish into the shadowrealm. Without any vision, the only thing he could sense was the soulforce resonances of Irwin and Greldo, but that was enough.

  I don't know where you are heading, but I can't wait to find out, he thought, humming happily at the prospect of seeing something new and exciting.

  As the ship dashed away at a speed he knew very few could copy, he flexed his soulcard, turning into a streak of imperceptible light, following after them and into the storm.

  Common = Quartz, Uncommon = Amethyst, Rare = Topaz, Very Rare = Emerald, Epic = Ruby, Legendary = Diamond, Mythical = Ammolite