"This is the best I could find," Lord Harborth said.

Irwin glanced at Lord Harborth, then looked back to admire the small ship that hung a few feet in the air above the field. Sleek and dark, the ship was probably under fifty feet long and had a single sail positioned in a way Irwin had only seen on a few ships he had encountered: attached to a mast that started at the tip of the ship and curved back and up from there.

It wasn't the powerhouse the Concerto was, but he had the feeling it was fast and nimble.

"It's a model from one of the central main branches, or so I've been told," Harborth said. "The owner is a collector who was initially unwilling to part with it."

Irwin turned to Greldo, who was practically drooling beside him.

"I think it will do very nicely," Irwin said.

Greldo just nodded. His eyes gleamed a bright silver, which contrasted with the tiny swirls and eddies of shadows that moved through and around his eyebrows and hair. As he moved, Irwin almost felt he left behind a shadowy afterimage in the ambient soulforce, and the shadows around him seemed to slowly bow towards him.

He really needs to practice control, he thought.

Still, it wasn't that surprising, and Irwin grinned as he remembered the moment he'd finished Greldo's heartcard. A pulse of shadowy soulforce had rippled out from him, causing Gloom to let out a shout of awe. Within the next few minutes, a dozen shadewalkers appeared above the estate, while according to Gloom, beings that had not been seen within a thousand years had appeared around Greldo.

Well, it was a very good card, Irwin thought, thinking back to the page Ambraz had made for him.

Card: Scion of the Naicht

Type: Shadow, Heartcard, Diamond, Forged by Irwin Roddington

Owner: Greldo Domnyr

The wielder of this card has been inducted into the Naicht's line of succession. From now until the birth of [???], the wielder has control over the section of the shadowrealm directly around him, and all beings of the shadowrealm present within his domain will pay deference. [????...]

Passive: Greatly increased regeneration while in the shadowrealm [increased within personal space]

Passive: Massively increased control over the shadowrealm [increased within personal space]

Passive: Increased agility, speed, and strength [increased within personal space]

Active: Summon a Scathnaicht blade

Active: Condense all shadows within a hundred feet of any location to create a temporary area of pure darkness, which is part of your domain [distance from wielder increases soulforce cost]

I still wonder what the second set of question marks are, Irwin thought. He'd never seen such a long, unknown part, and Ambraz had been as confused as he was. Apparently, his skill wasn't enough to make heads or tails of that section of Greldo's heartcard, not even when Greldo had allowed him a moment of entrance within his soulscape.

"Liege, another shadewalker has arrived."

Irwin saw Greldo shiver and grimace, and he couldn't help but smile at his friend's reactions.

Gloom walked over and bowed. The combination of the Elder Nyzir's oily voice and slippery movements, together with his actions, made it almost seem like he was being sarcastic, but it had become clear on the last day that the Elder Nyzir was taking things very seriously.

"Would you like to speak to her now?" Gloom said.

Greldo bristled. "I told you not to call me that and stop bowing!"

Gloom shook his head, not looking up. "No shadewalker shall bring dishonor to a successor."

A few steps away, Coal looked up and let out something Irwin could only describe as a barked laugh, and as Greldo's face turned red, he joined the hound in laughing.

"You… you two! Stop it," Greldo shouted before wheeling on Irwin. "You made this card!"

Irwin ignored Lord Harborth, who'd been observing the happenings with mild confusion.

"Yes," Irwin said before smiling widely. "Liege."

Greldo threw his arms in the air and turned to Gloom.

"You! Who is it now, and what do they want?"

"Another of the young shadewalkers that managed to stay out of Lasther's hands. They have felt your presence and are here to-"

"Say hello!" a female voice rang out, interrupting him. A woman appeared a few steps away from Gloom, glaring at him. With grayish skin, black hair, and black eyes, Irwin felt she did seem a perfect fit for a shadewalker.

"I'm just here because I'm curious. Stop making such a big deal-"

Her words froze as Gloom appeared next to her, a long, thin blade at her neck. Instantly, everyone froze while the woman's eyes widened in shock.

Irwin was about to snap at the Nyzir to stop it, but Greldo beat him to it.

"Put that blade away before I use it on you!" he shouted.

Gloom looked at him with a frown. "Liege, it doesn't do to have one as weak as her to speak-"

"Enough," Greldo snarled, and a growl that would make Coal proud rippled out from him. The shadows fluctuated, and some lengthened, snapping out. If they had been able to make a sound, Irwin guessed it would have sounded like whips.

Gloom retreated, taking his blade from the woman's throat. Instead of reacting, she seemed stunned as she stared at the shadows around Greldo.

"If you can make me a card that has such an effect on my fellow nobles…" Lord Harborth whispered from beside Irwin.

Irwin shook his head at the poor joke as he turned to Greldo.

"Alright, how about you chat with her while I get the rest? We are leaving in an hour."

From the corner of his eye, Irwin saw Gloom shiver and look at him, his face a war of emotions. Ever since Greldo's heartcard had been completed, his behavior had done a one-eighty, and his only response to questions about why this was had been that Greldo was a Scion.

Now, if Irwin asked his friend to do something, Gloom looked like he was caught in a split, and he'd not been willing to talk about it. Still, the way he'd looked at Greldo and his initial action told Irwin he wouldn't harm anyone… well, at least not Greldo.

As his friend stalked toward the woman who was staring at him in awe, Irwin turned to Lord Harborth.

"That leaves us with a final thing," he said.

"The second life card," Lord Harborth said, turning to Irwin and slowly removing a packet from his coat. It looked to be made of metal and was thicker and wider than a card and covered in runes.

Lord Harborth looked at it wistfully before holding it out for Irwin to take.

"I've had it for a very long time," he said softly. "It was supposed to be for my successor, but when my cousin took control over the family-" he shrugged.

"I thought you had found it recently?" Irwin asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

"That was merely a ruse to keep any potential issues with my blasted cousin and the main family," Lord Harborth said with a grin. "Now I don't have the card anymore, I'll just deny everything."

Irwin looked at the Lord, wondering if he was joking. There was a slight hilarity in Harborth's eyes, but he had the feeling he was being completely serious.

"Thank you, and also for the books," Irwin said, as he sensed his otherself, lying on the couch and slowly flipping through one of the dozens of tomes he'd been given about rune crafting.

"You are welcome, Cardsmith Rodd," Lord Harborth said. "You are sure you won't remain as my guest for a while longer?"

Irwin had the feeling Lord Harborth wasn't even alluding to him reforming more cards for him, but meant what he said.

"No. We are going to set out. Besides, I've had about enough of Dismarintsia," he said, looking around. "Although your district is beautiful, I can't say all of them are."

Lord Harborth smiled sadly. "I hope you return in a few decades to see what this city really has to offer."

Irwin nodded, though he didn't expect to return here if he could help it. Besides the lack of a real sun and the expansive scope of a world, the entire place gave him a slummy vibe. As odd as it was, it reminded him of the worst parts of Rat's District from his youth, and he had no interest in that part of his history.

"I'm going to get the others," he said, nodding at Lord Harborth.

"I will walk with you until you leave."

Irwin shrugged as he headed toward the training area, where he knew the others would be.

--

Gloom stood a few steps from Greldo as the young Scion was talking with the shadewalker.

Control yourself, he screamed at himself, trying to rein in his innate desire to please the powerful shadowforce nearby.

It didn't help, and all he felt was his entire being telling him to be subservient to the one who could potentially rebuild a part of the shadowrealm. It didn't help that the part of him that wanted to regain his control over his own desires was conflicted. Perhaps if he'd been able to use all his willpower, he could have at least faked some normal behavior. Instead, just sensing the tiny fragments of the shadowrealm forming within the shadows around the young scion made him want to cry for joy. As a few Iasc Scáth swam through the nearest shadow beside him, he followed their fluid movements and smiled.

How long had it been since he'd seen any of them grouped together outside of a shard of his home world? Hundreds of years? Even the last part he'd found had been devoid of them or any of the others.

Absently, Gloom listened to the scion explain that he couldn't bring the shadewalker with him, and he wasn't going to stay either. It wasn't a surprise to him that she wanted to follow Greldo. His mere presence was so strong in the shadowrealm that it was like standing beside a beacon of power. No… what surprised him was that she didn't have the innate subservience that his entire being tried to tell him he should have. Was it because her powers were merely given by the cards she had?

Does she have all of the benefits and none of the shortcomings? he thought.

As happy as he was, he had forgotten how horrifying it was to have so little self-control while near a lord, if only a future one.

At least he asked me to help him learn to control his influence, he thought. If he could help the scion to rein in his constant pressure, it meant he could at least act normal again… the whole bowing and scraping was getting on his nerves, and worse, he could see it wasn't doing him any good with the scion.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

He decided to explain the situation to the scion later.

For now, he would have to try to resist bowing and scraping.

--

A few hours after he'd gotten the second life card, Irwin and the others stood on the deck of their new ship.

Lord Harborth stood below with Slaztragh and Firgus. Irwin had planned to wave and leave; however, a small problem cropped up.

"Please take us along to Suiderfuix," Mallada said again, holding her niece Terusa's hand. Both were looking up at him with hope-filled eyes.

Irwin looked around the ship, which, compared to even the Sonata, was small. Even with the small cargo space changed to hold four cabins, it was cramped with him, Greldo, Nisziz, Klatzi, Brecca, and Fuchsi. It was a good thing that Gloom would be sleeping in some pocket in the shadowrealm.

Still, if they brought anyone extra, more people would have to start sharing the already small cabins.

"I can sleep on the deck," Lady Mallada said, seeming to understand his predicament.

Irwin frowned, sharing a look with Greldo. His friend looked haggard, annoyed by the way the shadewalkers had been trying to integrate themselves with him, and just nodded.

"It's fine," we can just share a room until we get there.

Irwin sighed. He knew Greldo just wanted to leave as fast as he could.

"I thought you were one of Lord Harborth's followers?" he asked. He had a good idea why she didn't want to stay, and as he saw Mallada glance down at Terusa, her eyes hardening, he knew he was right. She definitely hadn't forgiven Harborth what he'd done, which he completely understood.

"I don't want to stay here, and this is the first ship to leave," she said. "I am hoping that Suiderfuix, without having someone like Lasther around, is in better condition. From there, I want to find a merchant ship to take us to the Tweelak branch. With the power of Terusa's card, we can get a place within the main family."

Irwin frowned at that. He'd heard the whole main family part many times since he'd been in Dismartinsia, and he was starting to wonder if every noble here was just part of a large family on another branch.

"We will work and help," Lady Mallada said quickly, probably misinterpreting his expression.

Irwin sighed as he looked around the small deck, seeing the rest of his crew watching what was happening. It reminded him of times that seemed like they were ages ago, and he knew it wasn't like he couldn't do this.

I guess if we do this, it's time to stop being a smith for a while, Irwin thought as he took a deep breath and slowly slipped into a role he'd not used for a while.

"Fine," he said, his voice holding a sudden, snappy command that he'd learned over the years.

As he did, memories of his time sailing the Portal Gallery bubbled up, and he knew he was going to miss having Zender and Earilla around even more now as he'd have to do a lot himself.

Lady Mallada's eyes widened as she looked at him.

"If you are to join the trip, that means you are going to follow my orders," Irwin said, taking a step back and looking around. He nodded at Greldo, who rolled his eyes but stepped up beside him. "That counts for all of you. Starting now, I'm Captain or Captain Irwin until we reach Suiderfuix. You will follow my orders, and everyone will carry that weight. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain," a chorus of very surprised voices said.

Irwin noticed that Gloom had joined, though he seemed to be struggling.

"Good," Irwin rumbled as he headed to the steering wheel, shouting orders. "Greldo, get us away from the city. Ambraz, boost the shields."

Like the other ships he'd had, their new ship had an elevated hind section, but it wasn't all that high, and he simply stepped up, not risking the stairs. Although they looked thick enough, he was going to have to check those things later to minimize the risk of breaking one.

"So, what are we going to call this beauty?" Greldo asked, stepping up beside him and putting his hands on the sleek, curved railing.

Irwin looked around, then back at his friend.

"That depends on whether you can do what you are planning," he said, raising an eyebrow.

Greldo's grin widened, and he looked at the deck only a little lower.

"Everyone, don't be startled," he shouted before raising a hand forward and gripping a bundle of suddenly congealing shadows. A dull, black longsword appeared in his hand, an intricate handguard ,large enough for two hands, wrapping outward like the wings of a bird.

Irwin felt the soulforce around him roil, all of the shadow-typed ones rushing toward Greldo as if he were a bottomless pit, and he saw his friend's eyes gleam as a predatory grin came to his face.

"Into the shadows!" Greldo shouted, and Irwin felt the ship lurch forward. The world around them turned dark and muted, the sounds dampening until they seemed distant.

Irwin blinked as he felt the wheel below his hands stop responding, and he quickly released it as it began turning, seemingly on its own. He looked up to see Greldo stare back, his eyes a whirlpool of silver lines, seemingly condensing in a shadowy pit of darkness.

"So, what name?" Greldo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was thinking The Nocturne," Irwin said.

"No song reference this time?" Greldo asked, though his eyes gleamed with approval.

"Sure, we can call it Lullaby if you want?" Irwin said innocently.

Greldo barked a laugh as he walked forward. "Nocturne it is," he said. "Now, I think I'll need to take the wheel for now."

"Sorry, I think I'll need to take the wheel for now."

Irwin snorted as he stepped back and saw that none of the others were paying attention to them. Instead, they watched as the world ahead, beside, and above them began zipping along.

"Well, then, I'm going to take a rest," he said. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Don't worry. I'm not sure I can do this for longer than a few hours before I need a rest," Greldo said as he walked to the helm and grabbed the wheel. "I'll let you fly through the storm later."

Irwin laughed as he walked across the deck. Even the usually heavy thudding of his feet on the deck was muted, and he instinctively knew he couldn't use most of his cards. Only his Soulstrum guitar felt like it would work. That meant he couldn't use the soundwaves to move around the ship.

Guess I'll just have to walk, he thought as he walked down the deck where the others were still staring around in awe.

--

Lord Harborth watched as the absurdly expensive scouting vessel almost jumped into a suddenly appearing region of seemingly impenetrable shadows. Then it vanished, and he blinked in surprise, searching for it.

"Where did it go?" Firgus asked in his juvenile voice, running around, looking up.

I need to make sure I stay on his good side, Harborth thought, wondering if Irwin would be willing to reforge Firgus's other cards in the future.

"Make sure to buy any and all shadow-typed and soulforce-typed cards from now on," he said, turning to Slaztragh.

"Yes, My Lord," Slaztragh said, smiling at Firgus, who was looking around in awe, searching for where the ship had gone. "Also, try to find out where they came from."

"Is that wise, my Lord? It's been obvious that neither of them wants that to be known," Slaztragh said.

"Slaztragh, within the next year, the storm will abate, and soon after that, the war occurring on the outer edges of the other side of the known Portal Gallery will start arriving here as well," Lord Harborth said softly.

He thought of the massive spherical rune map in his office. It showed a representation of the central area, and from all the bits of news he'd been able to gather, he had found out that many areas on the other side had gone dark. The soulcrystals that should be in the larger worlds had been cut off, and no information came from the most distant branches. He'd added most of those sections to his rune map, and it showed a horrifying image, almost as if something was slowly spreading across the outer edges of the map, snuffing out worlds both small and large.

He watched Firgus run around, having forgotten the ship and doing flips and somersaults, seeming impressed with his own new prowess. The boy didn't have to know or worry about what was to come yet, not so soon after finally waking.

"Tell me, Slaztragh. Will the central branches come and help us when the Guidar and their armies show up? Or do you think we, and even the main family, will be left to save ourselves?"

"I… fear nobody will come to help us, my Lord. Should we flee?"

Lord Harborth sighed as he looked at his trusted right-hand man.

"Neither of us will be allowed refuge inside the central regions. From the little information I was able to gain from my old contact, they have slowly started withdrawing their forces to the corridors, made more difficult due to the storm. What we need is a place, not too far, preferably within our own branch, to hide. The Smith and his friend are from somewhere unknown… They have to be. Although I don't know if it will be safe, a place that nobody even knows of, that has a smith capable of doing things I've only heard rumors of from my grandmother, has to be better than where we are now."

Slaztragh frowned, looking up.

"How will we even find them, my Lord? They left, and after they find their friend in Suiderfuix, they will probably disappear! How are you going to find them if they can move through the shadows with an entire ship?"

Lord Harborth nodded knowingly as he looked up at the distant rune-provided and fake sky.

"That's why I paid our obnoxious friend to trail them," he said.

"What? Terlo? But…" Slaztragh muttered before slowly quieting, his eyes widening.

"Exactly," Lord Harborth said with a weary smile. "No matter what they do, there's nothing they can do to prevent that obnoxious man from following them."

It was quiet for a bit, only the laughter of Firgus echoing out around them.

"My Lord, won't the smith become angry?" Slaztragh asked softly.

Lord Harborth nodded, taking a deep breath.

"I would assume he will," he said softly. "But I'd prefer angering him and having a chance rather than being killed or enslaved by a race of conquerors."

Slaztragh didn't answer, but Lord Harborth could see his worry.

It's the only thing I can think of, he thought, looking at his little grandson, wishing there was an easier way.

---

Daubutim looked up from the desk filled with reports and papers. He could hear someone sprinting through the hallway, and he frowned. People usually didn't run to him unless something bad had happened.

The door was yanked open, and a guard looked inside.

"Jazzir?"

"Lord Daubutim! Lord Basil has requested your presence. Jort and Verd returned, and The Ruby's Revenge has taken heavy damage. Scariander is wounded, though not in immediate danger."

Daubutim forced himself to remain calm as he quickly reordered a few of the papers on his desk. Then he took three orders that he'd placed to the side for any situation like this.

"Bring these to Lady Lisbeth," he said. "I take it Clarish is here?"

Jazzir nodded as he waited in front of the desk, holding the scrolls.

"Alright, tell Lisbeth I'll be back as soon as I can," Daubutim added. He'd learned early on that saying such things appeased his heartbond if he had to head out for another emergency. Though he wondered if he'd manage to uphold that promise."

He got up and followed the guard out of the door before locking his office. It was awarded the best runes they had, which wasn't saying a lot. Then again, so far, there had been little to no internal strife since they had begun building, and he hoped those things would continue as such until at least after Irwin returned. Preferably longer.

"I'll go to Clarish," he said. "Go bring those to my heartbond."

"Yes, Lord Daubutim," the guard said, turning and running away.

Daubutim didn't even bat an eye at being called Lord anymore. After a decade of it, he'd slowly gotten used to it. Instead, he turned into a bolt of red lightning ripping through the building, moving through narrow passages, before he arrived in the large meeting hall. Clarish stood there, fidgeting. As soon as she saw him, she ran forward, her silver eyes stormy.

"The storm is weakening," she said.

Daubutim felt a tiny twinge of surprise and worry, but none of it showed on his angular, rough face. Instead, he put a hand on Clarish's shoulder.

"Bring me to-"

The world around him vanished, and a moment later, he stood in the heavily guarded exit portal room. Dozens of guards, weapons drawn, were looking at the portal. It was a clear sign that Basil had put them on the highest alert.

"- the hall," he finished. "Thank you."

He walked toward the portal, Clarish by his side.

"The storm?" he asked, looking at her quietly.

"I've been able to teleport further and further," she said excitedly. "And with the protection of my new card-"

She stepped into the portal mid-sentence and continued talking a few moments later as they fell down towards the distant end of the portal corridor.

"-I was able to reach the glacial area far to the northeast, and I could see the storm weakening on the other side."

"Are you able to teleport across?" Daubutim asked.

"What? No, I'd have to be able to see where I'm going or have been there before."

Daubutim nodded, thinking about the edge of the glacial area. It was where they had left Doomblade and his Galubs, and he wondered how those were doing. Had they thrived in their world?

When they finally reached the end of the fall, Clarish had told him everything that had happened, and he wondered if the attack had something to do with the slowly stopping storm.

As the darkness vanished and he reappeared in the entry chamber with the exit portal, he saw the guards here were facing the door. They had their weapons drawn, but there was little tension.

A guard at the entrance walked over as soon as they appeared.

"Lord Daubutim, this way, please."

Daubutim responded with a small nod as he followed the man through the maze-like hallways and into the building that would hopefully one day serve as the Eluathar Portal Gallery Merchants' headquarters. Sadly, they have none there right now.

They were led out of the building, giving them a good view of the still-growing harbor. It was massive now, easily ten times as big as the biggest normal harbor on Eluathar itself, but nowhere near as big as Daubutim knew it would need to be. From what he had seen of the other harbors on the Portal Gallery, to serve as a true hub, it would need to rival the size of a large city. Something that couldn't be built in a few years, not even with the help of hundreds of stoneshapers.

A few minutes later, they walked into the guard headquarters, which seemed far too large for the few people they passed on their way in. He was led to Basil's room, and as soon as he entered, he knew his worries were justified.

Jort sat in a chair, a carded healer standing beside him, holding the stump of his arm. Verd sat on his other shoulder, radiating worry. Basil stood nearby, his muscular arms clasped before his chest.

"Daubutim, it's good you are here," he said, turning to the guard. "Close the door."

The man nodded and did as asked, quickly leaving the room.

"They were attacked by a ship unlike any we know of," Basil said, pointing at Jort. "Tell him what you told me."

Jort looked at Daubutim.

"We found the bodies of dead Chaos Whales, and Scariander led us to one of the gray areas we still had to explore," Jort said, sounding tired. "Two days through the storm, we found a large section of intact corridor with a mountain range. There were three ships with white hulls and purple sails circling an exit portal."

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