Lasther stalked through the underground passage below the Holy Shadow Inn. Far behind him, the remnants of the ancient building that he'd inherited from his predecessor had turned into a smoldering, ruined pit.

A thin purple haze hung around him, and he stopped every few moments to look around as if searching for something.

"Master…?"

Lasther spun around and glared at the three shadewalkers behind him. Hooded and cloaked to hide their real identity, they took a collective step back.

"What?" Lasther hissed.

One of the three took a hesitant step forward.

"Can we start searching for the source of the disturbance?" the figure asked, its voice a growling hiss.

Lasther held back his desire to wrap them all three in his power and just squash them. He'd already lost all his other trustworthy shadewalkers. Wiping these out in a fit of anger would just make his life harder.

Perhaps I should just destroy this entire city, he thought.

He contemplated the thought for a fleeting moment before recalling the strength of some of those still present here. Even if he felt he could defeat the smith and his shadewalking friend, he would be hard-pressed against all of them if they banded together.

The three shadewalkers began backing up very slowly, and Lasther reeled back his desires and power, which had begun leaking out even more at the thought of going wild.

"The two of you can go, but before you do, find the others and tell them to meet me in the Deadpact Mercenary base. You stay here," Lasther said.

The shadewalker he pointed to showed no reaction, but the other two vanished. Lasther turned and continued stalking forward, trying to detect anything- a trace of the soultrace he'd left, only to come up short.

How did he destroy the entire heartcard!?

If only they had just killed the vessel, he could have taken it over fully and used his ability to knock them out. He stopped when he reached a cross in one of the hidden passages. Trying one final time, he sensed no remnant, meaning that even his failsafes had been wiped away.

"Fine. Take me to the Deadpact Mercenary base," he snapped, turning to the shadewalker.

--

Irwin took a deep breath, the darkness of the shop's short hallway causing everything to be a dim red. The soft chatter that came from the spacious shopping street bordering the Greenbark Cardshop was muted by the thick, wood-lined stone walls of the building.

Greldo had initially teleported them to a nearby empty house, where his friend had left a gift for the unlucky owner. As soon as Greldo's stomach calmed, he moved them through the shadows in a short burst that left them where they were now. A thirty-foot deep, ten-foot high hallway between the boarded shut door behind them that led outside and the beautiful carved inner door leading into the shop proper. Closets lined the walls, all showing empty card stands.

Irwin held back a yawn. His mind was weary from the reforging he'd done, and he wished he could sleep for a few hours- or days. Sadly, only his otherself could indulge in that for now, and he'd have to wait till that half of him woke up to take over so he could rest.

"There are two people in the main shop," Greldo whispered. "They haven't detected us."

"Alright, let's go and talk with them. You're sure nobody followed us?"

"Yeah," his friend whispered, nodding his head. He wiped his cheek, where one of the deeper wounds was still healing. "Coal is hiding in a nearby building with a few dozen of his shadow clones. If any of those shadewalkers shows up, he will take them on a run."

"Alright, let's go and see what these Splashvine brothers are like."

He took the lead and walked to the door ahead. His heavy footsteps reverberated through the hallway, and a few loose things jingled as he reached the door.

I wonder if I should find a way to move lighter, he thought.

"They know we are here," Greldo whispered.

Irwin nodded as he pulled open the shop's inner door, revealing a familiar-looking, dimly lit cardshop. Like most of the Greenbark shops, it was a maze of small corridors and hallways lined with spots for cards. Sadly, and unlike the other shops he'd been to, there were no cards. The main counter stood in the center of the room, and a small table had been placed against it.

Two Viridians were half-risen from their chairs, staring at Irwin in open shock. The bright green leaves that hung down from their heads like cheek-long hair showed they were still fairly young. The small table was filled with a simple meal of roots and vegetables. As their eyes took in Irwin's armor, he saw a slight relief flood them. They both stood and nodded to him.

"Elder, how did you get in?" one of them asked while the other focused on Greldo.

"That isn't important right now," Irwin said as he calmly walked forward. Every step he took caused a very slight tremor, and he frowned as he saw some of the small wooden carvings that lined the top of the shelves.

"When is the last time you have had contact with Driseog?"

The two Viridians shared a quick look, leafy eyebrows raised.

"That was a few months before the storm, Elder. How do you know Master Driseog?"

"We were traveling to Suiderfuix from Scour," Irwin said, sticking to the story he and Greldo had decided on. "I am the guard for Scour's Greenbark Mission Center, while Domnyr was the temporary head of the Mission Center."

As he spoke, the fact that he had to lie annoyed him. If it weren't for the potential problems of being recognized as a smith, he'd much prefer just telling the truth.

"He… what? What happened to the regular head?"

"The Deadpact Mercenaries killed a lot of people when they tried to find more smiths," Greldo said as he glanced around.

A look of anger flared across one of the two brothers' faces while the other sighed sadly.

"I am Rodd, and this is Domnyr," Irwin said.

"I am Taben, Elder," the sad-looking one said.

"Ralk," the other said.

Irwin scanned them, noting that Taben seemed slightly older, while a small scar on his chin looked like he'd been chopped by a miniature axe. For the rest, they were almost identical, with only their slightly different merchant tunics helping to keep them apart.

"Elder, if you were traveling to Suiderfuix, does that mean you have a ship capable of traversing the storm?" Taben asked, his eyes gleaming.

"No," Irwin said, faking a sad look. "We have been here ever since we arrived, trying to locate your shop… it was… difficult to find."

Taben sighed, and his shoulders slumped.

"It doesn't surprise me… We had only just opened when the storm hit," he said. "I presume you arrived on the other side of the city, far from the Virdian districts?"

Irwin nodded, glad the other seemed to think it perfectly reasonable. That said, he did notice Ralk frown for a moment.

"Well, I fear if you had hoped on our help to contact Master Driseog or someone else in the main branch, I need to disappoint," Taben said.

"Why don't you?" Greldo asked.

Taben shrugged with a weary smile.

"The entrance portal to the world was closed almost immediately after the storm began, and with it, our ability to use the Central Register to contact the Main Branch," he said. "We have been trying to gain access to the world for a year, but there is little chance of it working. We are just too small."

"That is… a shame," Irwin said.

Although it wasn't what they had intended at all, it would have been useful. Not that it mattered. What they really needed from the two brothers were cards, and even if they didn't have any themselves, they should know who did.

"Then I hope you can help us," he said, moving to one of the chairs, glancing at it, and deciding it wasn't worth the risk of breaking it. "I need a card with either a passive or active size-altering effect."

"Mainly to shrink, I presume?" Taben asked, glancing up at Irwin with unhidden awe. "Are you close to that time, elder?"

What time? Irwin thought, having no idea what he meant. Still, seeing both brothers stare at him with awe, he guessed it must be something to do with what happened in the last life cycle of the Viridians. He recalled from Crithann that when Viridians reached the last part of their life, they all made their way to the nearest forest with Heart Trees. Perhaps it was because they grew?

"I am going to grow soon," he said. "Knowing how long the storm will still last and the duration of a trip to the nearest Heart Tree will mean I might be stuck here."

The sense of annoyance at having to lie grew rapidly, and Irwin felt a slight resonance from his titan card.

Quiet, you! he said, resonating his soulcards at it. I have no other choice right now!

A somewhat annoyed hum came from his handcard before the sense of annoyance he felt dulled to more manageable levels.

"I fear we don't have any cards left, Elder," Taben said, sharing a worried look with his brother.

"I didn't expect you to," Irwin said, as he held up his hand on which a stack of cards lay. They were the ones he could do without. None were reforged, as he'd prefer to keep those if he could. He had the suspicion they wouldn't be good enough, but he'd prefer to keep the others if he could.

"Can you trade for one if you had these?"

Ralk stared at the stack of cards with a hard, hungry look while Taben hesitantly stepped forward.

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"Can I inspect those, Elder?"

Irwin handed him the cards, not too worried that he would try to do something stupid. Between the two brothers, seeming like sensible, nice merchants, they both had only a single soulcard that was evidently meant for utility.

Taben raised the cards to his eyes and then flicked through them at a pace that surprised Irwin. As he did, his eyes gleamed a blinding green.

After a minute, his face turned slightly ugly.

"Although I wish we had these to sell, there is no chance anyone with one will trade them for a size-altering card."

"What about one that only shrinks?" Irwin asked, not really surprised by the outcome. Even though some of the cards were decent, most weren't all that great.

"Sorry, Elder," Taben said, reluctantly handing the cards back.

Irwin hummed thoughtfully. He had better cards, but all of those had been reforged by him. They had already traded a few, but that had been in other districts. He had the feeling he'd need more than one to trade, which would risk them asking who this Smith Irwin was -something he'd prefer to keep to himself for now.

Well, I guess that means there's one card that should work, he decided, though it was likely worth more to Viridians.

"Very well… what about this one?" he asked, pulling out the Lesser Everburning Oak. Having been reforged from a Chaos Whale card, he knew it was far better than anything else he'd shown them.

Taben's eyes glistened as he took the red-bordered ruby card that showed the image of a tree. As he triggered his ability, causing his eyes to glow a blinding green, he released a nearly strangled gasp.

"This… elder! This is…"

"I know," Irwin said. "Can you find someone to trade me a shrinking card for it?"

Taben didn't seem to hear him, staring at the card wide-eyed. His brother joined him, frowning as he glanced at the card. His eyes sparkled oddly, and then he stumbled back as if punched in the jaw.

"Everburning Oak…" he grunted. "Incredible!"

Irwin had expected them to like it, but the reaction he was getting now was far stronger than he'd expected.

"Taben?" he asked calmly.

The Viridian's head turned up at him, and his shocked expression quickly turned to fervor as he almost shoved the card back in Irwin's hand.

"Elder, I… Yes. But are you sure you want to do that? This card could change the life of any of your seedlings!"

"I know," Irwin said as the faces of his children flashed through his mind's eye. "But my seedlings are very well taken care of already."

"We should ask Elder Sigora," Ralk said, turning to his brother. "She is bound to have one of those cards in her collection, and perhaps you can get something more!"

Taben nodded before turning to Irwin.

"Elder, I dare not hold such a card, but if you would follow me, I will mediate between you two."

Irwin shared a quick look with Greldo.

"Where exactly is this Elder?" he asked calmly.

"Not to worry! She lives in a rather comfortable Inn in the Viridian district. We can reach it in just a few hours," Taben said quickly.

Irwin hesitated. Going out meant they would have to walk through the city, potentially being found by the shadewalkers. Worse, Greldo couldn't move them through the shadowrealm because some of the ones searching for them kept detecting his passing.

"We can follow you," he said after a while. "However, we have gotten ourselves into a bit of trouble recently."

"What? Who would risk angering the elders?" Taben asked, his eyes wide.

Irwin shared a look with Greldo, and his friend shrugged.

"The Deadpact Mercenaries seem to be working together with the Holy Shadow Inn," Irwin said.

Ralk growled while Taben took a step back. He stared at Irwin for a short while, then at the card, then back at Irwin, and seemed to steel himself.

"We should be fine, though we might have to remain in The Autumn Slumbers for a while," he said.

Irwin blinked while Greldo began laughing softly.

"Elder?" Taben asked.

"Elder Sigora lives in The Autumn Slumbers?" Irwin asked, unable to keep the surprise from his voice.

"Yes, Elder! Most elders live there, as it is one of the few places with good food," Taben said.

Irwin held back from shaking his head. So he'd been that close to a card that could potentially solve his issues?

"Then we will meet you there," Greldo said with a grin.

Taben looked highly confused and looked at Irwin, who nodded.

"If you think it is safer to head there separately, I will, of course, follow your judgment," he said.

"Good," Irwin said as he pulled the card back into his soulscape.

Taben and Ralk dipped their heads as he walked out. When Greldo closed the door behind them and joined him at the exit, he grinned.

"They are wondering who you really are," he whispered. "Ralk seems to doubt you are really an elder, while Taben says it doesn't matter."

"I still wonder what's with this armor," Irwin muttered.

"From the whispers I've heard, it's the original armor worn by the first wave of Viridians that came from Suderfuix and settled at the base of the mountain. That was thousands of years ago, and there were multiple small-scale wars between the different merchant guilds and nobles before the current leadership took control and squashed all opposition to their rule," Greldo whispered. "Anyway, ready to go?"

"When did you learn all this?" Irwin whispered.

"While we were wandering the street and back in that restaurant with Briggan," Greldo said, raising an eyebrow.

"Right, let's head to Autumn Slumbers. Be prepared for anything," Irwin said.

Greldo grinned, and a moment later, Irwin felt the disorienting rush as they were teleported through the shadows. The next thing he saw was the room they had been in before. The door was open, and there was no sign of the Emnonriz body. He felt his head spin and his stomach complain, but before he could even act on it, someone ran up the stairs.

"Ugh," Greldo grunted, sitting on the bed, looking pale and sick.

Irwin took a deep breath, stepping to block the door just as an old Viridian woman entered the hallway. Her eyes were the deep and dark brown of wet soil, just like the leaves that flowed down her shoulders. She was nearly as tall as Irwin, and the pressure he felt from her soulcards was massive.

She has five diamond-rank soulcards!

"You! What do you think, dragging this lovely place into trouble!" the woman snapped as she stalked forward, hands on her hips. Her skin looked like weathered old bark, and the creases were sharp and hard. Still, they seemed flexible enough to move to form into a distasteful glare.

"I… am sorry," Irwin rumbled, not sure what else to say. "They attacked us without warning."

"Without warning he says," the angry woman snapped as she stopped before him, glaring up at him. "At your age, you should know better!"

More running came up the stairs, and before Irwin saw her, he heard Meira's voice shout up.

"Elder, please! Don't cause more commotion!"

Not sure who she was referring to, he waited while the old Viridian kept glaring at him.

Meira rushed into the hallway, looking incredibly worried.

"Elder Sigora, please leave my customer alone," she said as she rushed up.

Her words made Irwin want to shake his head wearily.

Of course… it had to be like this, he thought, ignoring Greldo's sad laughter from the bed.

"Quiet, Meira," Elder Sigora snapped. "This is a conversation between two…"

She stopped and seemed to hesitate as she looked at Irwin before moving even closer. A crease appeared on her forehead.

"You… are not a Viridian," she suddenly hissed.

Her hands shot forward, grabbing Irwin's upper arms, the fingers clamping shut. Irwin felt their pressure, not enough to hurt him, but enough to tell him that at least some of Elder Sigora's soul cards were body-strengthening.

Meira took a step back, a look of worry on her face.

Irwin hesitated, then let out a weary sigh, deciding he'd had enough of the charade. If Sigora were the one he needed to get the card from, it wouldn't help if he tried to keep up some fake appearances.

"I never said I was," he rumbled.

"But you didn't bother correcting anyone either," Sigora snapped.

"No. It was useful, as it made it so we could hide," Irwin said.

"Less than a day," Greldo muttered from behind him. "We couldn't even hold out that long…"

"How can you move in that armor?" Sigora asked.

"I'll tell you if you let go," Irwin said.

"What, so you and that canine brat can hide in the shadows again? Don't think you can get away that easily," Sigora snapped.

"I'm not going to try and get away," Irwin said. "Are you the same Elder Sigora who has body-altering cards?"

Sigora seemed taken aback by the sudden question.

"What? Who told you that?"

"Taben from the Greenbark Cardshop."

"What have you done to those youngsters!"

Irwin hissed at the angry accusation.

"Will you calm down already?" he snapped. "I've done nothing to them! I was there to find out where I can find the card I need!"

As he spoke, he ripped his arms sideways, freeing them from Sigora's grip. Her eyes widened in shock as she took a step back.

"Can you please calm down?" Irwin asked, already regretting the action.

"Elder, I don't think he wants to harm us," Meira whispered.

"Fine. But I want to know who or what you are and how you can move in that armor," Sigora said, crossing her arms as she glared at him.

"I just put it on and walked around," Irwin said, not sure if he should answer the other questions.

"That's not how it works," Sigora said. "That armor is made of Whispersteel and bands of Heartwood! Only Viridian Elders are able to create the resonance required to allow the joints to move!"

Irwin's mouth opened and closed as he looked at one of his arms. The loop of wood that was the elbow joint easily moved, and he didn't really notice anything odd about it.

"I have no idea what you mean," he said.

Elder Sigora seemed ready to explode, but Meira intervened.

"Elder, perhaps it would be a good idea to enter the room so we have some privacy?"

Sigora sniffed. "Fine, but we are going to my room. At least then I'm sure they won't just disappear!"

Irwin let out a long sigh, and Greldo groaned as he moved from the bed.

A few minutes later, they entered a room on the floor below theirs. It had only three apartments, all empty of any soulforce resonance. The doors were even higher and wider than the ones in their own room, and as they followed Elder Sigora inside a large antechamber, Irwin stopped in surprise. Dark vines covered every inch of the walls, while lighter vines with large, pale yellow fruit covered the ceiling.

The spacious room had multiple paths leading to other rooms, while a beautifully made wooden sitting area dominated the middle of the antechamber. Elder Sigora motioned them in before closing the door behind them with a somewhat hard bang.

"Good, now sit and explain yourselves," she said as she stomped to the largest chair and sat down.

Meira followed her somewhat meekly, sitting down next to her.

Irwin inspected one of the other chairs before sitting down with more care. When the wood didn't as much as squeal in protest, he leaned back.

"So, what do you want to know?" Irwin asked.

"What are you? How did you get that armor, and how are you moving it?" the elder asked, seemingly still angry.

"I'm human," Irwin said, deciding that was true enough.

Before he could continue, the pale fruit on the ceiling turned an angry red.

"Don't lie," Elder Sigora said smugly. "There's nothing but the truth in here!"

Irwin frowned. "I don't know how I'm moving this armor, and I just took it from the ruins at the bottom of the mountain below the city."

This time, the fruits stayed yellow, and the elder snorted.

"And what are you?" she snapped, leaning forward with narrowed eyes.

Irwin hesitated, then shook his head.

"There is no need for you to know," he said. "I don't mean any of you here any harm."

Surprisingly, the fruits remained pale yellow- almost as if they agreed with this assessment.

Elder Sigora blinked, and she leaned back slightly.

"Well, that's something at least," she said. "Fine. Then why are you here, and why did I have to get rid of a bunch of annoying shadewalkers?"

"I am here to find a card that will allow me to shrink my body if needed," Irwin said, deciding he had more than enough of the constant questions.

"If you think I will give you or sell you any card, you are confusing me with someone who… cares…" Elder Sigora said.

As she spoke, Irwin removed the Lesser Everburning Oak card from his soulscape and held it up for her to see, and she slowly stopped talking, frowning.

"A card with a tree…" she said. "And?"

Irwin could see the slowly building curiosity in her eyes.

"I am sure you wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said. "Luckily, Taben and his brother are on their way here. I'm sure they will be more than willing to tell you."

Elder Sigora snorted, then leaned back, her eyes narrow.

"Meira, go to the entrance and bring Taben here as soon as they arrive. You can leave his brother downstairs. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to keep you company."

Meira nodded as she got up, though Irwin could see her eyes drifting curiously to the card.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, Elder Sigora leaned forward. Her eyes began gleaming as she looked at the card, then at Irwin, then back. A slow smile appeared on her face.

Irwin expected her to say something, but she just leaned back, humming thoughtfully. After a few minutes, she waved at one of the nearby tables.

"How about you pour us a drink while we wait?"

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