Rindiri watched Irwin talk with the three shadewalkers, and slowly, the worry that they would need to make a quick getaway faded.

  It's a good thing the Captain is so delicate with his pressure, she thought, shivering at what he'd done.

  Ever since he'd begun practicing with Gloom, she'd noticed that he had become increasingly adept at focusing his pressure.

  One of the guards glanced around, his gaze moving across her without as much as stopping.

  That was…

  Her thoughts stalled as she realized what had just happened. Still, she had to be sure, so she watched the two guards more intently, only keeping half an eye on the Captain's conversation.

  A few moments later, she noticed one of the masked shadewalkers glance up. His gaze drifted across the sail and her people and… showing no reaction.

  Ever since they had started their return trip, she'd gotten used to snide remarks and disgusted or frightened looks. Now? These two masked guards didn't even seem surprised!

  There are Yuurindi here, she thought. There had to be. Why else wouldn't they react the same?

  Rindiri kept her enthusiasm under control, trying not to look at the massive and ugly city in the distance. She'd heard of it, but just looking at the single construction made her wonder why someone would choose to build it. Compared to Suderfuix, it was like a child's blocky construction or drawing, unlike Suderfuix's refined, sprawling, and natural beauty.

  None of that mattered, she thought, as she tried to remember if she'd heard rumors of her people settling here.

  "Let's go!"

  She looked up to see Irwin motion for the city, and she quickly reined in her enthusiasm. Instead, calmly, her hands flowed across the runes on the helm. Dagger walked toward her, stopping beside the helm.

  "Did you notice?" the younger Yuurindi whispered.

  "I did," Rindiri said as the ship sailed forward sluggishly.

  I really can't get used to these slow-moving things, she thought absently.

  "I think we are finally going to find some of our people here," Dagger whispered. "And if not, some of us could stay. Did you see that? That one guard just looked at me and showed no reaction!"

  Rindiri hadn't noticed one of them looking straight at her old second-in-command, but it didn't surprise her.

  "Trust me, it's best to head home," Rindiri said, staring at the ugly, mish-mashed city-sized building ahead.

  "Sure, sure," Dagger muttered.

  Rindiri glanced at her, guessing she had to keep an eye on Dagger. She'd found her as a small-time criminal and thief, and as much as she seemed to want to turn over a new leaf, Rindiri sometimes wondered if she wasn't a bit too interested in the excitement of her old profession.

  If everything finally returns to normal, perhaps she can be part of Greldo's crew when he leaves, she thought.

  She'd barely finished the thought as a blaring alarm came from the city. Beside her, Dagger seemed to fade from existence as she instinctively used her soulcard's ability.

  So much for a calm and quiet look at the Elder Shipyard, she thought, as all errant thoughts left her, and she readied herself for whatever came next.

  --

  "That's a lot bigger than the ones we've seen before," Greldo said. "Is it like…"

  "It is," Irwin said as he stared at the Portal Guardian ship moving toward a section of the barrier that was almost entirely blue-lightning by now.

  They couldn't see the oculithar's tendrils, only the effect they had on the barrier, but as they moved further, Irwin didn't doubt what it was. It took the thing only moments to completely encircle the section, and as the tips wrapped around the opposite side, he knew that Captain Hyrmine had told the truth. It was barely able to reach around, but not enough to get a proper grip.

  A tiny flicker of anger came from his newest heartcard and, with it, a desire to rip and destroy.

  "Look, more defenders," Greldo said.

  Irwin looked at the blocky city to see dozens of ships leave the docks. At the same time, his soulforce senses showed him a mass of activity around many other ships that were still docked.

  Worried muttering came from above, and he glanced up to see that the Yuurindi crew had started gathering in small groups, looking worried and afraid. So far, they weren't panicking, but Irwin had the feeling they weren't that far off.

  "So, what do we do?" Greldo asked.

  Irwin was surprised at how calm his friend sounded.

  "You said that thing is moving through the shadowrealm?" he asked.

  "Partially. It almost appears to be doing it without actively trying, and it's not very deep. Unless things change, I should be able to dive deep enough to get us away."

  Irwin's first reaction was to say that they couldn't just leave. If that thing broke through, it would kill everyone who couldn't reach the exit portal in time.

  As he thought about the exit portal, he focused on the city, but it was a swirling mass of soulforce signatures and ambient soulforce. There wasn't a single hotspot that might be the exit portal.

  'If that thing comes through, do you think there's anything we could do to stop it?' he asked Ambraz.

  'Kid… remember those images? I think you'd need multiple of those full-sized titans to beat one of these things. Even your big body is nothing but a speck in comparison.'

  'What about that Portal Guardian ship?'

  'It has no Ganvils to power its shield,' Ambraz said dismissively. 'Before the storm, barely anyone had even seen these monsters. Remember what I told you long ago- before we did, there are no stories about people surviving encounters with these things. That they managed to drive off two small ones is already a miracle.'

  Irwin nodded, watching the portal's barrier crackle.

  "Ugh, it sounds like it could break at any moment," Greldo muttered. "Perhaps we should prepare to run?"

  Irwin was about to agree when three rips tore into the barrier. Two sat in the center of the pressure field, while the third appeared further to the side, almost behind the city from Irwin's point of view. They were tiny, and the only reason Irwin saw them was that, to his soulforce vision, they glowed like the sun. Tiny cracks.

  He had planned to keep all Ganvils out of sight, letting people believe that the Bigbelly's rune shield had been enough to keep them safe through the storm. One look at the rips and the small tip of a tentacle poking through shattered those plans.

  Irwin pulled Ambraz, Desdor, and Zir'dor from his soulscape in a single move as he felt his heartcard begin to pulse with a desire to fight.

  "Shields!" Irwin shouted, stepping forward. "Grell, if the barrier shatters, I'll pull the ship inside. You get the two of us out of here and towards the nearest surviving portal gallery section. Rindiri, keep us steady. Let's see what happens."

  Rindiri gave him a confused look, but she slowed the ship to a stop. The muttering from above had stopped as everyone except for Greldo looked at him in surprise.

  "You see them too?" Greldo asked.

  "Three rips," Irwin said. "And from the pressure, there might be more coming."

  Ambraz was the first of the Ganvils to react. He simply dropped to the deck where he'd appeared, resizing into his massive size, and the shield that had been nothing but a dim and thin silver bubble condensed and grew, turning into a foot-thick shield that slightly fuzzed what they saw.

  Zir'dor shot toward the front of the ship while Kesdor moved to the back, and a few moments later, the shield thickened even more.

  Irwin saw the rips grow while long and thin tentacles poked through. A round of crackling explosions came from the Portal Guardian, and pale golden balls of shimmering energy raced toward one of the tears.

  "Those rune-cannons aren't going to do any good," Ambraz said.

  Irwin didn't react as he watched the golden energy projectiles slam into one of the cracks. The tentacles that had been poking through shuddered and pulled back, but a moment later, they returned, showing no damage.

  "The holes are widening," Greldo said.

  Irwin nodded. He faintly noticed Brecka move beside him, but his entire focus was on the rips. A minute later, they had grown so big that the others were starting to see them, including the jet-black tentacles that were flailing around. His heartcard rippled, sending out another wave of anger that caused him to clench his fists.

  A constant stream of explosions came from the Portal Guardian as the ship kept firing at the tentacles while over a hundred ships were flying away from the city, more seeming to be readied.

  If they can't stop these things… what would happen if one of these big ones ever reaches Eluathar? Irwin thought as he looked around the tentacle-wrapped barrier. Then he shook his head. As large as this section was, the area around Eluathar was a factor bigger, the sides so far he couldn't even see them.

  "It's coming through," Greldo said, pointing at one of the tears.

  Irwin was watching the same one, feeling a sense of angry anticipation growing as the smaller Oculithar's main body plopped through the rip. Its tentacles flailed around as if searching for something before spreading forward.

  Kill!

  The wave of fury rippled from his heartcard, and he shivered at the hatred that came with it.

  "It's a lot smaller than the ones that attacked us," Greldo said, and Irwin agreed, trying to hold his growing anger at bay.

  Although the Oculithar's tentacles could easily wrap around the Bigbelly, he doubted it could do the same with the Portal Guardian.

  "Two more," Greldo snarled, pointing at another rip where two Oculithar came through in quick succession. "How many of those small ones are there?!"

  Irwin growled softly as he sensed his heartcard begin to fluctuate widely. He'd not sensed the original titan card's influence this strongly since turning it into a part of his heartcard, and he was glad he'd managed to remove most of the emotional amplification. Still, as it grew, it reminded him of a moment long ago when his first heartcard had gone through something similar. Back then, the purple, gaseous Wizteriaz had been the cause, making his first heartcard exude an almost palpable desire to destroy it.

  Why do some cards react this strongly? he absently thought as he watched the three Oculithar fly forward. Their central bodies were slightly cone-shaped, with rows of milky white eyes moving from the tip down two of the eight tentacles.

  The two that had come from the same rip were splitting off, one heading towards the Portal Guardian ship while the other moved toward the city. The first one to get through was already halfway to the Portal Guardian.

  "It's pulling back," Ambraz said, causing Irwin to focus on the barrier.

  Ambraz was right. The blue lightning had become less intense, and the tips had already dislodged.

  "Perhaps the barrier hurts it?" Greldo said.

  I hope so, Irwin thought as he saw the rips shrink.

  Just before they snapped shut, a fourth, much smaller Oculithar pushed through. Where the other three were roughly the same size, easily large enough to wrap around the Bigbelly, this one wasn't even a third of that size. The other difference was that instead of the milky white eyes with black pupils, this one's eyes were a deep, blood red, with triangular pupils.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "That one's tiny," Greldo said.

  "Still big enough to squash one of us," Irwin said, trying to hold back a sudden desire to roar and charge the red-eyed thing.

  "Me, maybe. But you? I wonder," Greldo said.

  Irwin ignored him, watching the Portal Guardian start to speed up toward the nearest of the Oculithar. Their rune-cannons started firing a stream of pale golden balls of energy at the incoming monster. The first few struck the body, tearing in massive craters into the black skin, black chunks, and white fluid spraying outward. A high-piercing screech tore through the air, causing everyone to freeze.

  Irwin felt his heartcard exude a sense of triumph, even though it hadn't done anything. It almost felt proud that something had managed to hurt the Oculithar.

  For a moment, he wondered if the Portal Guardian's rune-cannons could take out the Oculithar. Then, in a jarringly fast movement, the tentacles surrounded the Oculithar, and the stream of energy projectiles cracked against them, leaving only smudges and scrapes.

  From the other side, the second Oculithar was speeding up toward the ship.

  "Do these things seem like they are actively thinking this through, or is that just me?" Dagger asked, her voice high-pitched and tight with fear.

  "She's right," Ambraz snapped. "That one is drawing the fire while the other is circling around."

  "I can see more of those runes on the other side," Greldo said. "Can't they just-"

  As if in response, a round of explosions came from the other side of the Portal Guardian. Irwin immediately saw that the soulforce signature of the energy was different - weaker and less condensed.

  "Those are less powerful, "Ambraz said. "Their soulforce supply is dropping rapidly."

  "Captain?"

  Irwin suppressed the roaring of his heartcard and turned to Rindiri, who was watching him expectantly. He knew she wanted to know what they were going to do, but as he looked at the three larger and one smaller Oculithar, he instinctively knew they had to wait. He had to see what they would do, how the battle would flow, how-

  How do I know these things? he thought.

  There was no answer, and he shook his head to clear it.

  "We wait to see how that fleet handles the Oculithar," he said, ignoring the surprised look from Rindiri. "If they need help, we go there. If they are alright, we will go and assist the Portal Guardian."

  As he spoke, Irwin felt there was something wrong with that plan. Something missing.

  The muttering from above began again, and many of the Yuurindi looked afraid.

  They haven't seen what our shields can do, he thought to himself, and he stepped forward.

  "I understand you are all afraid and worried," he said, his voice holding a slight growl that normally wasn't there. "But there's no need to worry about the ship. Even if all four of those Oculithar wrap around the Bigbelly, Ambraz, and the others have made our shield so strong, they can't hurt us."

  "What about the big one?" a worried voice asked from above.

  "It has retreated from the barrier," Irwin said. The Yuurindi who had spoken out seemed ready to say something more, but Irwin cut him off, already knowing what he would ask. "If we leave here, we will do so within the shadowrealm. There's no need for you to worry."

  The Yuurindi didn't look like they fully believed him, but none spoke up, and Irwin turned his attention back to the battle. The second Oculithar had shrugged off the barrage and reached the Portal Guardian. It actually looked small compared to the enormous ship, and Irwin wondered what it was even going to do.

  The pitch-black tentacles began spreading out across the deceptively thin barrier while the first Oculithar was still pushing through the onslaught of explosions to reach the other side.

  "They should just fire now," Greldo said. "The tentacles are wrapping around the ship, so it can't block them."

  "They can't," Rindiri spoke from the helm. "If they do, the shockwaves will come inward, damaging themselves."

  Irwin ignored their discussions and watched as the second Oculithar finally reached the ship. Then it hit him. A faint image of multiple Oculithar, intertwining their tentacles to wrap around an enormous titan, seemed to appear for a fraction of a second. It lasted so short he almost thought he'd imagined it if he didn't sense a jolt of alarm from Ambraz.

  "They are teaming up," he snapped, quickly turning his attention to the Oculithar that was heading to the ships protecting the city.

  It had almost reached the hundreds of ships that hovered between it and its target, and a mass of tiny beams, crackling balls, and javelins, all of the different types of energy, launched at it. The Oculithar raised two of its tentacles to shield itself, and Irwin felt disgust radiate from his heartcard as a milky shield appeared between the two tentacles. The rippling, oily barrier blocked nearly all of the projectiles, with only two faster bolts managing to zip through and rip into the softer body. The Oculithar let out a softer scream, but it didn't stop advancing.

  "They both need help," Irwin hissed as he saw the fourth, tiny Oculithar start circling the battle. "That one's going to reach the city like this."

  Looking around, his mind began speeding up as a plan grew in his mind.

  The two Oculithar at the Portal Guardian had interconnected their tentacles and were squeezing the barrier while their eyes had begun pulsing with an eerie red light. The one blocking the fleet would be amidst them soon, and the small, red-eyed one would reach the city in under five minutes.

  There's only one way, he knew, as he turned to Greldo.

  "Take Zir'dor, Nisziz, Klatzi, and the Nocturna, and keep that small one occupied."

  Greldo looked at him, then at the smaller Oculithar, then back at Irwin as a wicked grin grew on his face.

  "Now that seems like a fun idea," he said. "You do realize that means we will show these people what we can do, right?"

  "This isn't a secret worth all those people's lives," Irwin said, waving at the city. "Now go before you are too late."

  As if it was sensing the other part of his plan, his heartcard began vibrating, and the soulforce in his soulscape started swirling around it.

  Greldo's grin turned wolfish as he vanished, reappearing beside Nisziz and Klatzi. "Ladies?"

  Nisziz rolled her eyes but took his hand, while Kltazi looked slightly worried. A moment later, they all vanished, and Greldo reappeared beside Zir'dor.

  "Let's go, big guy!" Greldo said, grabbing the Ganvil and vanishing again.

  "Alright, everyone, get ready. You are going to help the fleet first," Irwin said, making his decision. "Rindiri, rush to that one and… ram it if you have to. Just make sure its attention shifts to you."

  "What if the fleet starts shooting at us?" one of the Yuurindi asked from above.

  "What of it?" Ambraz snapped loudly. "They couldn't break through my barrier if they had ten times their numbers!"

  Irwin finally let a hungry grin grow as the Bigbelly began speeding up toward the distant battle.

  "Brother, what are you going to do?"

  Irwin turned to Brecka, who was looking at him, eyes wide with a sudden worry.

  "I'm going to help the Portal Guardian," Irwin said, unable to keep his voice from vibrating with anticipation. If it was his own or his heartcard's, he didn't know.

  "What?" Brecka asked, stepping forward. "Brother, you can't! Those things are enormous!"

  "I can move much faster than they can," Irwin said. "Besides, they are currently wrapped up in something."

  Brecka ignored his attempt at a joke, shaking her head. "That ship will be fine. There's no need to risk-"

  "Brecka, this won't be the last time we come across these things," Irwin said. "But this might be the only time it's in such controlled surroundings. They are busy with the Portal Guardian, and it will give me a chance to see what I could do if we were truly in an emergency."

  Brecka seemed to want to say something, but he put a hand on her shoulder.

  "Don't worry, little sister," he said, causing her eyes to widen. "If it becomes too dangerous, I'll return."

  Before she could say anything else, Irwin turned to Rindiri, who was watching him calmly.

  "You are in control until I return."

  "Yes, Captain," Rindiri said. "Have fun."

  Irwin turned to the edge of the ship and laughed.

  "I will," he said before using the soundwaves to shoot forward.

  He reappeared midair, and as he did, he changed, moving his giantself out of his soulscape and his small self inside. As he did, a tiny, errant thought passed his mind. Why hadn't he tried having both his bodies out… would that mean he could have both his soulclones out too?

  The thought vanished as his heartcard's spinning grew, and a raging storm howled through his soulscape, the soulforce whipped into a frenzy.

  Instead of clicking his tongue, he let out a battle roar as he shot toward the Portal Guardian.

  --

  Captain Hyrmine held back a flood of curses as she called out commands to her crew. Her eyes were glued to the horrid monstrosities wrapped around The Atriguul. A tiny bit of fear kept trying to grow as she worried the rune shields might fail.

  The cannons aren't needed anymore, she thought. Even if it would take hours to realign them with the soulforce resonance of the rest of the ship, it wasn't worth the risk to keep them in favor of more power to the shield.

  "Disable the rune-cannons and let all soulforce flow to the shields! Prepare the shock attack," she shouted." Shadewalkers, prepare a coordinated attack on the wounded one."

  Roars of confirmation came from the rune-handlers, and she watched as the shields gleamed just a bit brighter.

  "Captain!"

  Hyrmine looked up to see her second in command, Xouzel, walk toward her. Being in charge of the front of the ship, she frowned. They had too much to do for him to come all the way here. Still, the muscular man in smooth, flowing robes that left his left arm and part of his chest bare wasn't prone to making mistakes.

  "Captain, the merchant is moving toward the defense fleet. The anomaly is heading off in what looks like an intercept course of that small one."

  Hyrmine felt a tiny relief at that, though she wondered what a single person hoped to accomplish against such a monster. Small was only relative in this case, and it was still a hundred times bigger than any person. Even if that man was able to do things with the shadowrealm she'd never heard of, what could he possibly hope to achieve?

  He didn't seem suicidal, so he must have a plan, she decided.

  "Good. Let's hope they can buy us enough time," she said.

  Time for what, she didn't know. The previous times, only one or two of the Oculithar had managed to enter, and in both cases, they had been able to destroy one while the fleet held off the other. Now, there were twice that number, and they were already entangled. Although she knew it was possible to win, how many losses would they have this time? The shipyards had been working overtime for months now, replenishing their fleet, and she knew if they lost too many, they would be in trouble.

  "Captain, loo-"

  Xouzel's voice was drowned out by a deafening roar that left a whine in her sensitive ears.

  Now what?

  Afraid another attacker was coming, she searched around, but there was nothing.

  "Over there," Xouzel hissed, pointing to the side.

  A barefoot giant with metal-plated leather pants and what looked like a blackened leather smith's apron stood on the back of one of the two Oculithar. His entire body was wreathed in flame that rapidly engulfed the section of the body and the tentacles.

  "The Fiz'rin merchant captain," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the constant noise. "What…"

  Hyrmine's voice trailed off as she saw one of the tentacles unwrap from the ship and flail towards the giant, who roared and vanished, leaving behind a billowing cloud of fire, only to reappear behind the tentacle. Her mind, which had been stunned for a moment, suddenly jolted back into action.

  "Where is my shadewalker attack?!" she roared, turning around. "Also, prepare the shield pulse!"

  "Captain, we can only do that one time! It's not going to be enough to stop those two-"

  "I know! But I want it ready, just in case," she snapped.

  She looked up, but the giant had disappeared, and it took her a moment to find him again.

  "Xouzel, head back to the bow! If you see any opportunity, blink the shield and have everyone with ranged attacks aim at that thing's center mass."

  She didn't look as Xouzel muttered something or when his footsteps rushed away. Instead, she stared at the giant, recalling the horrid soulforce pressure he'd been able to exude.

  How many cards does he have?

  --

  Irwin thudded back down on the Oculithar's body, another of its tentacles flailing away. His fire roared down and around, trying to burn through the thick flesh below. Releasing his card, he searched for an opening. Finding none, he tried to force one. He summoned his hammer and struck down, only to find the hammer doing little more than indent the flesh.

  It's too big.

  His thought barely finished as he recalled that one of the two had been damaged. Perhaps he could incinerate it from the inside?

  He let out a roar, zipping along the soundwaves to another spot, then another, as he searched for the area that had been ripped open. Nearly all of his attention was within his giant body, but a tiny bit remained in his soulscape, and it was what was watching the images flowing through his mind. Broken fragments of memories that showed snippets of battles between Neamhnathair, Titans, and Oculithar.

  He could barely follow what he was seeing or understand that he was thinking about the Chaos Whales by their oldest name. All he knew was that memories were flooding from his heartcard, memories that he didn't know where they came from, but that felt like they belonged to him.

  Ancestral memories.

  The term came together with a disjointed mess of memories that came so fast that he was glad they were the last. As the final, emotion-laden memory faded, he sat down on the couch, only now realizing he'd been standing- his body a tense bundle of muscles and nerves.

  "What… was that?" he muttered, his mind sluggish as most of his focus was on his battle with the Oculithar. "Ancestral memories?"

  He knew roughly what the term meant, as many carded that had body-morphing cards got those. Greldo had some hunting instincts he gained from Coal's soulcard. Technically, the inherited hatred of his first heartcard for the Wizteriaz, the purple mist demons, were ancestral memories. Just very faint ones with only the most deeply ingrained instincts remaining.

  The ones he'd just had, however… Some had been streaks of imagery of something massive swimming through the lava and a thrumming sound. Maybe a heartbeat? Then, there had been others, flashes of volcanoes, and a sense of danger.

  The last batch had been faster but also clearer. They showed the Titans as a burgeoning civilization and were underlaid with a sense of power beyond measure. It had lasted for a few moments, then a sense of danger and war had grown stronger. Images of battles, and not just with the Oculithar but with fuzzy dark clouds. One important thing stood out, and Irwin closed his eyes as he searched through the jumbled memories until he was sure.

  There was no sign of the Portal Gallery. No barriers or solid structures. Just chaotic space, untamed ambient soulforce, and then…a portal. An immense, towering concentration of soulforce had appeared.

  It fits the description of what Ambraz told me, Irwin thought.

  He shook his head, trying to clear it, fighting against the confusion. There was little order to the memories, and it was unclear if the giant portal had appeared first and if the Titans had gone through it.

  They weren't called titans… That he knew for sure, though what their name had been wasn't clear. It felt misty as if the knowledge of it was hidden or suppressed.

  "I'll need to discuss this with Ambraz as soon as he returns," Irwin muttered before turning his attention to the battle. As little use as the memories were right now, there was one thing, one bit of knowledge that he'd just gained, that would be of direct use. He almost wondered if that was why the memories had come- the presence of the Oculithar.

  Oculithar this young have unstable soulforce foundations.

  He closed his eyes, letting his entire focus flood into his giant self as it appeared on another part of one of the two Oculithar.

  "So… you don't like soulforce resonance yet, do you," he shouted, unsummoning his hammer. "Well, too bad for you."

  His soulstrum guitar appeared in his hands, and he held nothing back as he ripped his fingers across the soulforce-strings.

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