Irwin and his crew turned to Daakr, the Granitian merchant.

  "That was weird," Dagger snapped, shaking her head. "Since when are you waylaying merchants just as we arrive?"

  Irwin was surprised at her outburst, but she'd said exactly what he was thinking.

  The merchant turned to Dagger, looking her up and down before frowning.

  "Yuurindi," he said before glancing around and up, eventually turning to Irwin. "You only have Yuurindi crew?"

  "No," Irwin said, raising an eyebrow. "But most of them. Why? Is that going to be a problem?"

  "What? No, of course not," the Granitian said. "Do I look like I care about something that minor? Who cares about tiny rules like those in a situation like this?!"

  Irwin wasn't sure how to answer that, but the two guard ships that had been blocking them had started moving away, clearing their path.

  "Forward," he said, motioning Rindiri to head toward one of the two towers.

  "That one," Daakr said quickly, pointing at the other one. "Wouldn't want you to have to deal with Puntara and his stupid demands, now would we?"

  Irwin calmly stared at him before shaking his head. He had no idea who Puntara was, nor did he care.

  "So, Daakr, how about you explain to me what is going on? Dagger wasn't wrong. All of this is strange."

  Daakr barked a laugh, turning to look at Dagger. "Dagger, huh? I don't meet namesakes much, even if it is in another language."

  Dagger just sniffed, and Daakr's smile died down. "Strange, huh? Yeah, well. I'll talk to you again when the only food you've been eating for a year is Mudsnales and Limegrass. I really hope you have something else to eat. I'm dying for something with a bit of substance."

  Irwin looked at him, then back at the city. Another city with food shortages. He'd expected to run into more of those, but not within the Langost Branche's main area. These worlds were supposed to be rich and powerful. There was one thing that made sense to him, though.

  "Did Dimwacht shut down their exit portal?" he asked.

  "What? By the angular earthquake, no! Is that what's going on in other cities?" Daakr exclaimed.

  Irwin shrugged, and the Granitian's sleet gray skin turned slightly lighter.

  "No," he said. "Dimwacht has been having a bit of a problem with a plague that's decimating everyone without a soulcard. That means we are overcrowded, and there are not enough people to harvest the fields or hunt for game. It's a good thing we can grow Mudsnales and Limegrass here, or we'd have starved- though eating only those two things is only marginally better than having nothing."

  Irwin frowned. "A plague?"

  "Yeah, it happened just over a year ago," Daakr said, turning his glare at the center of the city. "Most of the people on Dimwacht either fled here or through the portals to adjacent worlds, which were promptly closed. Right now, the guilds are trying to find out what is causing it, but they are having a hard time."

  Irwin stared at the city, wondering about the coincidence and thinking about the invaders that had attacked Igniz. Could this be something similar?

  I'll tell them about it in a bit, he decided.

  One of the things they were going to do on their trip was spread the information about the Guidar and their armies.

  "So, that's why you need plant and water cards?" he asked. "For food and drink?"

  "That, and to hopefully have one reforged into something that can cure that blasted carded-plague," Daakr said, shaking his head. "There have been tens of thousands of deaths before we could evacuate."

  Dagger let out a curse in her own language that sounded like she was slicing something.

  "Yeah, you don't say," Daakr rumbled, nodding at her.

  "You say it's a carded-plague," Rindiri said, raising her voice from the helm. "How do you know?"

  "One of our healers has a card that can determine the difference between natural diseases and those created by carded skills," Daakr said. "Also, if it had been a regular disease of some sort, the healers-guild would have been able to deal with it. As it is, the few cardsmiths left have been trying to find a way to counter it, but they don't have the right base cards. Smildigan says they need water-typed cards because the plague drains a person of their fluids rather rapidly, but we've already gathered all those we could get. Sadly, the smiths either failed, or the cards ended up being unable to help."

  "Well, we have some," Irwin said, as his otherself began riffling through their cards. "But how come you still have smiths here? I thought they were all recalled?"

  Before Daakr could answer him, there was a shout from the tower, which was now only a few hundred yards away. This close, the entrances were enormous, large enough for ships bigger than the Bigbelly to enter. Inside the massive grotto-like chambers were docks attached to the walls, while pathways led deeper into the tower. The pathways were dotted with doors, and signs above them indicated what merchant company owned the storage area beyond.

  The guard's ship had docked on the left, leaving a larger dock to the right.

  Daakr pointed at that side. "Just take the first spot. It's reserved for my own ships, but seeing as none are here, you can use it."

  Irwin nodded at Rindiri, who guided the ship inside the tower. Although light runes dotted the ceiling, it was still darker within the enormous docking chamber than outside.

  "You asked why we still have smiths," Daakr said, grinning. "It's because Smildigan and a few others were born here, and when the Smithsguild ordered all high-potential junior smiths and every smith above Emerald rank to return to Suderfuix, he just ignored the order."

  The Granitian seemed proud about that, and Irwin wondered what his connection to this Smildigan was.

  A moment of silence hung over the ship as Rindiri guided it to the dock. Dozens of people were milling around, many standing at the massive stone anchor blocks, and as the Bigbelly thudded against the side, ropes were tossed towards those by the Yuurindi crew.

  Everything moved cleanly, and Irwin was only slightly surprised at how good Rindiri's people were.

  "Alright," Daakr said, turning to him. "Now, I know you must be tired after such a journey through the storm, but if possible, I'd like to start negotiating some trade deals right away."

  "Because Puntara might show up soon?" Irwin asked, recalling the name Daakr had mentioned.

  "Exactly," the merchant said, smiling shrewdly. "She and the others will definitely want to trade any food you have for themselves. Besides, I can promise you that none of them has the breadth of cards to trade that I do."

  Irwin nodded. He expected Daakr to move to one of the boarding planks, but instead, the merchant scratched his chin and looked around. "Do you mind if we do the negotiations here? I am sure you have a suitable area for it?"

  Irwin raised an eyebrow at that but nodded. If anything, he preferred doing it on the Bigbelly, as Greldo was still resting. This way, he didn't have to interrupt his friend's recovery to have him trail them just in case.

  "Sure. I had planned to send some of my crew into the city to do some trade, but-"

  "No, no. By all means, send them. Dimwacht is a beautiful and safe city. Though, if I may suggest something? Make sure they don't carry any food…"

  Irwin stared at him, and the merchant just shrugged.

  "As safe as Dimwacht is, there might be some youngsters with more hunger than brains… Best not to tempt them, right?"

  Irwin turned to Rindiri, who had left the helm.

  "Bring Brecka with you," he said. "I'll keep an eye on Kesor."

  "Thank you, captain. You still want us to look for the same things?"

  Irwin nodded. Although he knew he could ask Daakr what goods would be suitable to buy from Dimwacht to sell on their journey, he wasn't sure the merchant would give them the best answer. Besides, they were going to need to learn how to do this if he wanted to bring as many things to Eluathar as he could. There wouldn't always be merchants arriving to welcome them…

  As soon as he thought that, Irwin wondered if he was wrong. Maybe this was what would happen at most stops?

  "We will be back in a few hours, Captain."

  "Be careful," Irwin said before turning to Daakr.

  "Let's head to my chambers," he said. "I'll have some food brought to us as we talk."

  Daakr's eyes gleamed.

  "Yes! Let's!"

  --

  Rindiri watched the Captain lead the Granitian merchant into the Bigbelly before turning to Dagger.

  "Tell the others to get ready. We will leave in two minutes."

  Dagger grinned and dashed off while Rindiri turned to Youritz, who'd wandered over. The quiet man had been observing things from a distance, but Rindiri knew he'd have a good sense of what was happening.

  "He seemed very eager," Youritz said.

  "That he did," Rindiri agreed. "A bit more than his story would suggest."

  "I think there's discord among the Basalt Concord," Youritz said. "I expect the other members are already on their way here."

  "I agree," Rindiri said, looking around. "Warn the crew about it, and tell Nisziz and Klatzi that there might be some overly interested people trying to check what we have to trade."

  Youritz looked at her for just a moment longer before bowing his head and walking away. As he did, Rindiri felt her eyes drift to his long legs before she pulled her gaze away.

  "Coal," she whispered, knowing the massive hound would hear her from everywhere. "Can you put some of your shadow clones around the ship? I'm expecting a few shadewalkers soon."

  An enormous, shadowy hound -one of the shadowclones- appeared beside her. The dark eyes were staring straight into hers for a moment before the hound vanished as fast as it had come.

  "Thanks," Rindiri whispered, before turning to the gangplank.

  A small group consisting of Dagger, Youritz, Fuchsi, and Brecka had gathered there, the latter looking incredibly excited. She had been supposed to stay on the ship, but Rindiri knew why Irwin had decided to include her. Towering over the others, she made almost as much of an imposing figure as the captain himself, though her wide-eyed curiosity took a little away from that. Still, she loved having her giant mace out, sometimes dragging it behind her or placing it on her shoulder, and she'd be a great deterrent to anyone foolish enough to believe Dagger wasn't nearly as dangerous.

  Let's see if we can find any Yuurindi here, she thought, knowing the chances would be close to zero this far from the fringes of the branch.

  --

  "You really came here with that ship?"

  Terlo turned half of his attention to the two excitedly looking young women before him, smiling his most winning smile. The rest, he kept with the group of Yuurindi that were walking into one of the many raw-metal workers' Dimwacht was rich in. Why they would do that was beyond him, as that smith, Irwin's, wealth should make dealing in such mundane goods obsolete.

  Well, I'll figure out what they are up to soon enough, he thought, noticing the girls still staring at him with sparkling eyes. It took him a moment to recall their question.

  "How else could I come here than with that ship?" he asked, leaning forward slightly, causing their eyes to widen and their breath to catch. Traveling with his card meant his looks remained the same as when he began his journey, meaning he looked his best… or close to that, at the very least.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Not that he didn't feel tired. His card wasn't really made to travel as he had for the last few weeks, and even his obviously impressive soulforce capacity was somewhat drained.

  About time to take some rest, he thought. His targets wouldn't be leaving for a while. That much was clear.

  "If you beautiful ladies lead me to an inn of some standard, I'll be sure to regale you with some of the stories of our travels through the dangerous and deadly storm!"

  "Did you come across any Oculithar?" one of the girls squealed, her eyes wide with terror and excitement.

  What was that? Terlo thought, staring at her in confusion.

  "One of those tentacled monsters?" he asked, his mind quickly catching up.

  Why would they think he came across one of those? Even with the storm, hadn't they only been seen along the outer edges of this backwater branch?

  "Yes! Three were spotted only yesterday, moving around the eastern part of the barrier!" one of the women said, using a finger to move some of her hair out of her face.

  What? This far? Terlo thought, feeling a twinge of worry. He'd never tried outrunning one of them and didn't plan on starting now. Perhaps he needed to do a bit more research on the places that monstrous Smith was planning to go. With some luck, he had some soulforce anchors there, and he could just cut out the entire travel.

  The woman smiled at him widely, seeming happy to have been able to tell him something new. He could understand that. She should be proud of herself.

  Deciding to reward her, Terlo leaned closer to her, letting a little of his first soulcard leak from his eyes.

  "No, Oculithar were here?! That's incredible. Do tell me more!"

  The woman's face went slightly slack, and he held back a grin.

  "Sindy, let's bring him to the Swelve and Stocky!" the other woman said, pulling her friend back slightly and looking jealous.

  "Yes, yes!" Sindy said, smiling widely again. "This way, Lordling Terlo."

  Terlo didn't correct her mistake, as much as it pained him to be called a Lordling. Still, it was better than some of the other things he'd been called over the years. Instead, he stepped forward and smoothly put his arms around their shoulders. It didn't matter what those Yuurindi were buying. All he was paid to do was follow them back to wherever they came from.

  "Lead the way, ladies," he said.

  --

  Irwin leaned back as he pondered Daakr's last offer. They had been discussing things for a while now, and it had quickly proven to be simpler than he'd feared. Daakr wanted as much food as he could give, cards that could be reforged into those that could produce food, and as many water-typed cards as he could share.

  In exchange, he was willing to give Irwin two cards for every card Irwin would trade and a thousand soulshards per hundred pounds of food. Both parts of the deal were beyond reasonable for Irwin, and it had only taken him half an hour to get there from the initial offering of five for four and a hundred soulshards for a hundred pounds.

  Which was the problem? Irwin knew he wasn't very good at bargaining. He'd seen the likes of Boohm and even Rindiri do far better. So, why had it taken so little effort… was it because Daakr was willing to offer far more, or because he was in a rush…

  Watching Daakr chew on a few strips of dried meat with closed eyes and a look of relish, Irwin was pretty sure it was the latter. He hesitated for a few moments before deciding to just ask.

  "The offer is good," he said, causing Daakr's eyes to snap open, looking at him, giving away nothing. "But I have one more question. If we wait for the others of the Basalt Concord to show up, what type of deal will they offer me?"

  Daakr looked at him for a moment, then he sighed.

  "Had you met one of them first, they would have gotten to the same point we are at now," the merchant said, sounding honest. "If we wait for them, they will start offering more, especially for the food. However, it will create future issues for Dimwacht. If what you told me about the ending storm is correct, we only need a reprieve for half a year. After that, we will need every soulshard and card we have to restock. If they do as I fear, they will harm our future for short gains."

  Irwin stared at the man, noticing how two of the smudgy skin marks that marred his cheek seemed to grow together. From what he'd seen so far, the smudges moved across his skin, though what governed it, he couldn't say. He hesitated, wondering if he should push harder. Everything he could bring to Eluathar, especially rare metals and resources, would help his people, but was he willing to bring harm to the people here? They had already suffered a lot.

  'Just ask him for the best deal,' Ambraz's voice echoed through his soulscape. 'If that is this, then at least push for more metals.'

  Irwin hummed. He'd not asked for anything but soulshards and cards so far, as he wanted to trade for the rest organically. Still, Ambraz's idea made sense.

  Fine, he thought, taking a deep breath.

  "You are not the only one who needs good deals," he said, tapping his fingers on his armrests. "I won't squeeze you dry, nor do I think I could. However, I need the best deal you can make."

  Daakr swallowed another bite before reluctantly leaving the rest of the food as he leaned back in his chair.

  "I have gone as far as I can," he said. "Is there anything else I can offer that does not concern what we have already talked about to sweeten the deal enough for you to accept before the others appear- which should be any minute now?"

  Irwin felt himself hesitating again, wishing Boohm had been here. Even blind, he knew the Onyxian would have done a better job, or at least known how far to push. Should he wait? It probably couldn't hurt, but that also meant sitting here for Yilda knew how much longer.

  "Metals, especially the rare kind," he said slowly.

  Daakr didn't show any obvious reaction to the sudden request but seemed to ponder it quietly.

  "Are you thinking of quantity or quality, and purified or raw?" the merchant said after a few moments.

  "Raw ore, and both quality and quantity," Irwin said.

  Daakr was quiet again, staring at Irwin quietly before taking a deep breath. "As you haven't shared any information, I hope this will not come across as overly inquisitive, but do you have Smiths among your crew?"

  Irwin wondered what made the man think that. Was it just asking for raw ore? Still, how should he answer this?

  "Let's assume that I have," Irwin said slowly. "What would this change?"

  Daakr leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. "And would this smith, if he or she were here, be high enough rank to purify a set of extremely rare ores?"

  Irwin frowned at that. "Let's go with yes," he said. "What exactly are you talking about?"

  Daakr looked around, which was an odd thing to do as they had been speaking freely for a while now. He frowned and hesitated.

  "What is the matter?" Irwin asked.

  "I wish I had brought my shadewalker detectors," Daakr said.

  Irwin raised an eyebrow.

  "Coal, Greldo?" he asked calmly.

  The coach to their side was suddenly filled with a lying shape, the leather surface creaking as it was pressed down.

  "No worries, Captain, the few small fries that have been flying around seem scared to come closer to the ship," Greldo said, yawning as he stretched his arms, placed them behind his head, and closed his eyes.

  Daakr was staring at him intently, but Irwin just sighed.

  "Daakr, this is Greldo, my second in command," Irwin said. "He is also the strongest shadewalker I know, and if he says there's nobody around, you can trust that."

  Daakr's eyes widened at Irwin's claim, but he nodded.

  "Very well. I will trust you on this. Not too long after the storm began, one of my mine crews found a tiny vein of Ancestral Coperion hidden away-"

  'Get it! As much as you can!' Ambraz shouted inside Irwin's mind.

  "-within a larger vein of Firesteel," Daakr said.

  Irwin thought he'd managed to school his face, but he must have shown something as Daakr smiled ruefully.

  "You can imagine that I'd normally never be willing to part with this for anything less than the best, however…"

  Irwin understood why he was letting the word linger. He was trying to fish for a reaction from Irwin.

  "I'll accept your deal if you add in Ancestral Coperion," Irwin said slowly. "But…"

  Daakr stared at him, showing no reaction.

  "Only if we can make a deal where I get a sufficient amount."

  "And what is a sufficient amount?" Daakr asked.

  "How much do you have?"

  Daakr barked a laugh, then shook his head. "Now, I might be in dire straits, but what kind of merchant would I be if I told you that?"

  Irwin sighed so much for that idea.

  "How much are you willing to offer?" he asked.

  "One pound to seal our deal," Daakr said.

  Had it been years ago, Irwin might not have known what to make of such an offer, but he'd learned many things about metals, weights, and worth ever since leaving Giard. He also knew a few things about Ancestral Coperion. For one, it wasn't all that useful for creating items. As rare as it was, it wasn't hard enough for weaponry or armor. Because of this, the Ganvils were the only ones to truly crave it. Luckily for those finding the precious metal, the Ganvils were also more than willing to pay a high price for the metal. The other thing he knew was that, due to its density, one pound of the metal would be just a bit more than a finger-sized chunk.

  'We need more! At least twenty pounds,' Ambraz shouted.

  Irwin hummed, crossing his arms. His otherself was currently looking at a very specific card he'd made while ranking up to a diamond-rank smith.

  Card: Blazebriar Thicket

  Type: Diamond, Reforged by Irwin Roddington

  Owner: -

  A card that allows the wielder to grow Blazebriar Thickets, a vine-like bush on which Blazebriar Berries grow. The fruit is slightly hot and spicy, and a handful will fill someone up for a day.

  Passive: Can sense the area around any Blazebriar Thicket

  Passive: Increased Agility and Constitution

  Passive: Minor fire-resistance

  Active: Create a Blazebriar Thicket seed [Number limited by soulforce]

  Active: Grow a seed into a Blazebriar Thicket [Size limited by soulforce]

  I really wish I could remove the reforge by part, he thought.

  Still, he also knew that from all the cards he had, this one was by far the most valuable to the people here right now. Not that it would likely be enough, but it should help a lot. At diamond-rank, it was also likely to be the highest they would find for a while. Besides, there were only very few abilities that allowed someone to see who actually reforged a card. Most just showed what a card did. Driseog had told him not to worry about it to much, so he would trust the merchant on that.

  And if things do go wrong, we will just have to make a hasty getaway…

  "Now, we could go back and forth about this for a while," he said. "And I'd likely be able to get a little more out of this. However, what I need are a hundred pounds or more, and we aren't going to make a deal like that-" he raised his hand as he saw Daakr's eyes twitch. "Not with the current offering. So, let's do the following. I have, in my possession, a near-perfect diamond-rank card that will allow one to slot it to create bushes that have fruit, something called Blazebriar Berries."

  Daakr blinked, then leaned back, frowning.

  "I… would want that," he said. "But a hundred pounds would get me multiple similar things when I bring it to Granvox or one of the worlds that have a Ganvil presence."

  Irwin nodded, having expected as much.

  'Ambraz, how hard is it to purify Ancestral Coperion?'

  'For us? Compared to Purpurion? Easy,' the Ganvil shot back. 'If he gives us a hundred pounds for purifying stuff, promise we will!'

  Irwin held back a grin as he hummed thoughtfully at Daakr. "I presume the Ancestral Coperion is still not purified?"

  At this, Daakr's face went slack.

  "What if, besides the hundred pounds of Ancestral Coperion I get, another similar amount would be purified for you?" Irwin asked.

  Daakr didn't react, and it took Irwin a few moments to realize the man was stunned. Had he overdone it? Ambraz seemed to think they could purify it, so-

  "To- To purify that, you would need a diamond-rank smith," Daakr whispered. "Is that tall girl really a diamond-rank smith?"

  It took Irwin a few moments to understand who he was talking about, and when he did, he sniffed.

  "Brecka? No, she's not a Smith," he said.

  Daakr nodded slowly, and it visibly took him a moment to regain control. "Then… How about we make the following deal? I'll bring Ancestral Coperion here, and you have it purified. We will split it seventy-five to twenty-five for me, and I'll accept the rest of the deal."

  "Fifty-fifty," Irwin said automatically. "And you include a few tons of less rare ores."

  "Seventy to thirty and one ton," Daakr said immediately.

  They continued for a little while until settling for sixty-five to thirty-five and two tons of common ore and half a ton of an assortment of more uncommon ores.

  "There's a group of people walking towards us," Greldo said, rolling on his side and yawning.

  "Perfect timing," Daakr said, his face gleaming widely. "I'll start getting the things you are owed here. Shall we start at a hundred pounds of Ancestral Coperion and see how long it takes?"

  'Five hundred! We can do it in bulk in your soulscape,' Ambraz said, sounding intensely excited.

  "I'll need to have a word, but I think five hundred should be fine," Irwin said.

  Daakr nodded slowly, and he seemed about to get up when he noticed the remainder of his plate of food. Showing very little decorum, he leaned forward, took it, and began eating happily.

  A few minutes later, footsteps reached the door, and there was a firm knock.

  "Captain, there's a group of merchants here that would like to see you!"

  Daakr put down his now-empty plate and grinned.

  "I think you will have to come along to verify our deal personally," he said. "But I'll make sure to get them out of your hair right after."

  Irwin rose from his seat, surprised when Daakr put out his hand. He shook it while the merchant grinned widely.

  "Just so you know, you did really well, and none of the others has anything even half as interesting as Ancestral Coperion. You won't regret this deal!"

  Hearing Ambraz's maniacal laughter in his mind, Irwin was pretty sure that if he would, it wouldn't be because of Daakr.

  --

  Three days later, Irwin stomped down to his room as the ship made its way to the barrier. His soulscape felt sore, and if he didn't have such a stable soulscape, a massive endurance and constitution, and Ambraz's help, he was pretty sure he'd have gone unconscious days ago.

  "You should take a rest," Greldo said, walking after him. "You look worse than I did when we came here."

  Irwin snorted as he looked at his friend, now looking as good as ever.

  "I will. Keep everything working while I rest, and we can return to the shadowrealm in a day," Irwin said as he reached his room.

  Greldo nodded, standing at the door as Irwin walked inside.

  "You did great, though," he said. "We helped a ton of people, including ourselves!"

  Irwin laughed, then frowned. He'd wanted to ask his friend something… but what? It took him a full minute to remember, and as he did, his joy faded into a frown.

  "I think something, or someone, might be following us," he said. "When we left, I thought I sensed a soulforce signature, and when we arrived here, I sensed something again."

  Greldo stared at him before glancing around. "I'll leave a few of Coal's shadow clones behind and have a word with Gloom. If there's something, it won't be moving through the shadowrealm, and perhaps he has an idea."

  "Good idea," Irwin said.

  "Now, go and rest," Greldo said, closing the door.

  Irwin let out a long sigh as he walked to the far too soft, normal bed. He really should get an Ignitzian sand bed in here when they reach a world with many Ignitzians.

  Lying down, the last thing he thought about was their almost fully cargo space, half filled with ore, the other half filled with whatever Rindiri had found, and his even thicker stack of cards. There was a bit less variety to it, but he could do something with that.

  Then he fell asleep to Ambraz talking to his other self about all the plans he had for the Ancestral Coperion.

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