A New Land, A New Life

[Toy Soldier]

(Solo. Also for the judges, this quest takes place WAY before Xem'zund attacked and conquered Carnelost and Eluriand. As you'll soon find out, it takes place right after Eluriand was initially freed from the curse of the undead.)

Serenti had ended on an unfortunate note for Tobias. He’d won his second match against the Coronian Government Agent “Sloth”, or so he assumed her to be, but he was much too petrified to remain a competitor in the tournament, or even a visible entity in the land of Corone, for there were too many people after him for his past wrongdoings. The government was already a persistent force pursuing him, but the fact that Vaughn O’Brien and the rest of Oak Grove orphanage were aiding Corone in their search for Tobias had hurt him more than anything else. Vaughn was the only person that he really felt he could trust, yet now that such trust was shattered, the youngster decided to do the only thing he believed he could do: Leave Corone for good.
It was a tough decision to come by, not only because he knew that the residents of Toy World could reprimand him, but also he did have a few friends whom he genuinely like at the orphanage. They weren’t extremely close buddies of the boy, but good acquaintances nonetheless.

The thought though of actually telling those in Toy World frightened Tobias the more he pondered over it. The fear became so strong that he vowed to not venture down there, nor open the gate to allow any of them to come to this realm; the orphan had to do this no matter what opposition he faced from his comrades down below. However, the question as to where he would go soon became a problem. He hadn’t traveled outside of Corone that much; the only time he’d ventured beyond the homeland borders was during the Adventure’s Crown tournament where a boat took him to Raiaera only so that the passengers could transfer over to a vessel that would take them to Salvar. The frozen tundra country was much too cold for the young boy so he immediately ruled that out. Alerar and Fallien were foreign lands that the orphan did not have the courage to voyage to, especially with everything he’d heard about them. “Alerar’s nothin’ but a country full of bloodthirsty drows and pollution!” “Fallien? Bah! Nothin’ but endless heat and deserts there!” were some of the phrases that he’d overheard others say about those respective nations.

With three of Althanas’ known continents ruled out, only Haidia and Raiaera remained. Thoughts of Zieg dil’ Tulfried and his son Kaza had popped up into Tobias’ head; fond memories of their journey to Haidia raced through his mind. He’d almost considered fleeing there, but then the thought of the civil wars between dragons, vampires, dwarves, humans, and demons was all too much for him to handle. Raiaera was a cleaner, safer environment to Tobias, especially after hearing that a group of adventurers’ had rid Eluriand of the undead problem that they’d had for some time. He’d heard some negative things about the elves, and how they didn’t particularly like those not of their own, but he’d read about too many non-elven heroes that were accepted by the elven people.

Now sold on going to the magically enchanted land, the new challenge would be getting there. For the last several weeks, Tobias had been living in the woods outside of the small town of Jadet. The trek from Serenti to there was arduous, especially since he did not have the aid of any of his partners; he wanted them to know nothing of his plans. Acquiring food was also an issue since Tobias was by no means trained in outdoor survival. He’d lived in the orphanage his whole life where they provided food for him three times a day routinely. It wasn’t in him to challenge the many beasts of the forests, so he opted to eating wild fruit, leaves, and grass. This clearly wasn’t the healthiest thing to do, but he wasn’t about to resort to stealing or begging from the locals; the boy was trying to get to Raiaera with as little problems as possible.

Luckily for him, he didn’t have to “rough it” for too much longer since the next ship out to Eluriand would be in just two more days.

When that day finally arrived, Tobias caught the vessel out to the magically enchanted land, eager to see what new things would await him.

[Toy Soldier]

The ship sailed in quickly, with the wind breezing swiftly by the youngster’s face as he leaned slightly over the edge of the ship. From a distance, Raiaera was already looking more beautiful than any other land he’d been in, and upon actually setting foot on elven grounds, his awe for the ancient continent had escalated. Those around him didn’t seem nearly as impressed as he was, yet this was most likely due to the fact that they’d traveled to and fro various times. The orphan though, didn’t let other people’s nonchalant attitude affect him; he was much too excited over the fact that he’d finally broken free of the restrictive Vaughn O’Brien, as well as Oak Grove, the orphanage that employed him.

The docks were in Anebrilith, so immediately, Tobias was bombarded with the happenings of big city life. He wasn’t quite used to it all, since he’d spent his entire life out in rural Corone, where the orphanage was located. However, he tried to blend in and adapt as best as possible, even though such a task would be difficult with him pulling his red wagon around. The child constantly looked at it nervously, seeing how he hadn’t visited Toy World in some time now. Calling forth the “dark door” was the only way in which one could enter the microcosm, or leave it, so there was certainly no question that all of his friends down below were highly enraged due to Tobias’ unresponsiveness. But the child had to press on. Oak Grove orphanage as well as the Coronian authorities were most certainly looking for him, and the last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to himself by summoning his allies for any reason.

Unfortunately, with no help, comes no direction. This city was much too large for Tobias to properly navigate, and on top of that, he had no real idea as to where he was going which made matters worse; the boy’s only focus while in Corone was simply to get out. “Man, I know Talisman would really be able to help me out here,” The orphan pondered, aimlessly roaming the streets of Raiaera’s oldest city. But, too much wandering lead the youngster into eerie territory, where the crowd of people found in more visible parts of the metropolis, thinned out. Old buildings, seemingly having long since been abandoned were present. The windows of many of the structures were boarded up with some kind of graffiti inked on them. Immediately, Tobias was beginning to feel uncomfortable, which prompted him to turn back and try to find the main roads. But, just as he made this decision, several elves poured out of the dark alleys, all of which donned beige robes and beige masks.

“Looks like we’ve got another victim.” One of them said, as he circled the child, along with his comrades.

“Ah, but it’s just a kid. He doesn’t look like he has much….save for this stupid wagon.” Another one uttered.

“You guys better get away from me if you know what’s good for you!” Tobias pressed close to his wagon with an air of confidence. He was no longer frightened by quarrels since he’d been in enough now to know how to properly handle himself, especially when the opponents didn’t involve anyone associated with the Coronian government. As far as any authority in Raiaera was concerned, Tobias was a normal kid with a clean record.

“Oh! We’ve got a talker here! Kid, I guarantee you that after we’re done with you, the only words you’ll be uttering is ‘spare me!’” Motioning to his accomplices, the only which seemed to be the leader stepped aside as the others closed in on the orphan. But, each one of them halted upon witnessing Tobias’ wagon emit that all too ominous black fog. The child wasted no time after, as he’d caused his eyes to glow which in turn brought out the “dark door” from beneath the pile of toys in his wagon. “What in the……..” The masked leader thought as he watched what was taking place.

“Behemoth, COME OUT!” The eleven year old screamed, as a massive clawed hand of indigo coloring emerged from the darkness behind the door to crush the lives of Tobias’ attackers. But before it could claim any lives a olive skinned, green haired elf sprung from out of the shadows of the nearby alleyways, slashing the hand with his long sword. Instantly after that, he sang a song which somehow controlled the hand to go back to the darkness from whence it came.

Seeing the face of this newcomer, the robed ruffians shuddered in terror. “Fëanáro Elensar! Of all the people to show up now!?” Quickly, the attackers fled, choosing to live another day rather than fight with this individual.

Tobias was in a state of shock and gratitude. On one hand he didn’t quite know how to respond to someone forcibly pushing back one of the friends that he’d called, yet at the same time, if it wasn’t for the elf’s intervention, he would’ve taken more lives, thus getting himself in trouble with Raiaeran authorities; the boy had just fled another continent for that very reason. He didn’t need to flee another.

“Sir…I…I mean…I want to……”

“Don’t worry about it child,” The elf responded in a very friendly tone. “I frequent these parts and try to keep the crime to a minimum. I simply spotted you while on “patrol” if you will. Surprisingly, this is the first time that I actually found those guys on the defensive when it came to a victim that they’d targeted.” Fëanáro paused, now possessing a solemn expression as he looked at the child’s wagon and then back at him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” The child backed up uneasily, unsure as to what was now running through Elensar’s mind.

“You can relax. I’m not going to hurt you. However I must say that I’ve never seen this kind of summoning magic before. You’re so young, yet you emit an extremely high level of spiritual power. Tell me child…..what is your name?”

“My…name?” The orphan was skeptical at first to reveal such information, fearing that if his true name was known, he would be reported and brought back to Corone for his past murderous actions. But this particular Raiaeran had a gentleness about him that the boy found easy to accept and trust. “My name is Tobias. Tobias Battalion.”
“Tobias eh? Well it’s good to meet you Tobias. My name is Fëanáro Elensar. I’m a Bladesinger serving in the Bladesinger’s Guild.”

“Bladesingers? I’ve never heard of them.”

“Haha, I figured you wouldn’t since you’re obviously an out-of-towner,” Looking past Tobias, Elensar acquired a confused look. “Tobias, where are your parents?”

“Um…..I uh….don’t have any,” He struggled to say. “I came here all the way from Corone on my…..own. I don’t ever plan on going back.”

Fëanáro had become real familiar with runaways over the past decade, and learned not to ask about their past in any way. Most experienced traumatizing events and just thinking about them had been enough to drive them over the deep end. “Well Tobias if you’re all alone in Raiaera, I’d like to take you to Eluriand and enroll you in Istien.”

“Istien? Enroll?”

“Ah, forgive me. I’m being extremely straight forward yet again,” The elf cleared his throat before continuing. “Look. I’m always on the look out for people that could be possible Bladesinger recruits. Raiaera is always subject to attack by the worst of criminals and anyone with the potential to do great things for this country always catches my eye. Tobias, you have great power and I can see in your eyes that you desire to protect those that you care about. I want to help your power grow, which is why I want to enroll you into Istien University. It's a school designed to train people in the field of song magic. Our style of magic has been known to be extremely powerful, and combined with your already unique abilities, I know that you’ll indeed be a gifted soul and hero for Raiaera. I know this may all seem strange to you young one, but I am indeed serious. I sense something special in you.”

“I accept. I accept!! Take me to this Istien University!!!!!”

“Huh…really?” Fëanáro was taken back by the boys immediate enthusiasm, as he had a look of utter astonishment. “I must admit Tobias, I didn’t think you’d be so enthused simply because we’d just met. I thought I was going to have to do some convincing.”

“You don’t understand. I’ve always been looked at as a bad guy,” The orphan’s eyes shifted to the ground as he said that. “People were always afraid of me because of bad things that I've done. Because of that, they never wanted to get to know me even though I know that I'm really a good person inside!! But you sir, you are the first person to really....really believe in me! You said I could be a hero and people who say nice things about me like that and actually mean it, are people that I will go all the way for!!”

Elensar was touched deeply by the boy’s words, feeling the immense level of trust that Tobias had for him. He remembered being at such a tender age and looking up to his mentor, loving the fact that older people had spent so much time developing him as not only an adept song mage, but also a well-rounded person.

“From here on out Tobias Battalion, you need not worry about being alone. I vow to be by your side, helping you to be the very best you can be in all aspects.” Hearing that, tears streamed down Tobias’ eyes. He lunged forward, wrapping his arms around the elf. Elensar smiled at this while returning affection. Afterwards, the two walked side by side, going towards the more crowded parts of the city in order to prepare for their journey to Eluriand.

[Toy Soldier]

With Fëanáro by his side, navigating through the busy streets of Anebrilith was very simple. He knew all of the city’s shortcuts which enabled the two to get to their destination, which was the horse and carriage stable on the west side of town. The boy had no sense of direction as far as the location of Raiaera’s towns and cities were concerned, for he had thought that land existed east of the city. Fëanáro was kind though, realizing that Tobias was just a confused boy trying hard to understand and familiarize himself with his new surroundings. “Child, east of Anebrilith is the sea in which the boat that’s brought you here had sailed across. In order to get to Istien University, which is in the capital city of Eluriand, we need to head west.” Giving the horse breeder the necessary funds to rent out horses and carriage, the elf hopped aboard, taking the reigns of the steeds. Tobias picked up his wagon and put it within the carriage, just before hopping up right alongside Fëanáro to ride with him.

“Alright Tobias, get ready for your first tour through Raiaera’s beautiful countryside!” The Bladesinger exclaimed as he whipped the reigns, prompting the horses to take off.

* * *

The trip to Eluriand wasn’t too long, but it filled the orphan with joy. The elven lands had lush greenery to offer in the countryside which greatly surpassed that off Corone. Everything to him seemed much more peaceful and serene. These feelings only amplified when he actually set foot within the Eluriand walls. The unique aesthetic architecture first caught the child’s eyes, as it was something that he’d never seen before. Next was the cleanliness of the city, and the vitality of the people. There were colorful banners hanging from adjacent buildings, while confetti and streamers complimented them.

“Mr. Elensar, what’s going on here? Why is everyone celebrating?” Tobias asked, visually taking in the wondrous sight.

“Ah, the people celebrate because of the eradication of the undead. As I’m sure you heard, this city used to be overrun with all sorts of unholy fiends, but a group of courageous heroes from lands a far off rid this beautiful city of such a blemish. They will forever remain saviors in the hearts of my people throughout their entire lives and beyond.” The boy, having heard that exposed a great smile, envisioning himself saving Raiaera in a similar way, and having the people acknowledge him for it. He thought back on all of the stories about Althanas’ heroes, and marveled at how timeless each one of their legendary feats were. The orphan desperately wanted to be seen in such a light; his tarnished image had to be rectified.

“Come on Tobias, let’s head over to Istien. There is somebody that I want you to meet.” Following obediently, the child was led a few blocks over to a the entrance to the grand university. Many people came and went from the institution, carrying books and singing various tunes. A number of denizens waved enthusiastically at Fëanáro as he walked by. “Hello Sir Elensar,” A group of robed elderly gentlemen yelled, approaching him warmly. “It’s been such a long time since we’ve seen you! I heard that you’re really cleaning up the foul parts of Anebrilith!”

“Well, I’m working on it,” He responded modestly. “There is still a lot to be done, but with my colleagues, we’ll be able to handle it.” Shifting their eyes to the child standing next to him, the older gentlemen gazed upon him questionably.
“And who might this be, Fëanáro?”

“Tobias Battalion, Istien University’s soon-to-be most promising student and Raiaera’s next hero.” The men were taken back by the Bladesinger’s bold statement, yet contained their skepticism.

“Oh is that so? Well, we’ll be watching young Tobias very closely then.” Bidding the two farewell, the gentlemen went on about their way.

“Come on Tobias, Ost’Dagorlin is just this way.”

* * *

Upon entering the school, Fëanáro took held of Tobias’ hand and ushered him quickly to the quarters of the individual that he wanted the youngster to meet. Nothing was explained to Tobias yet, but he wasn’t concerned with inquiring since he fully trusted Fëanáro to reveal everything to him in due time.

Knocking on the door of the office, the Bladesinger waited for a response.

“Yes, come in!”

[Toy Soldier]

Opening the door revealed stern looking fellow sitting at a simple wooden desk. He was thumbing through various records and files, seemingly uncaring to anything that was going on around him. Shifting his eyes upward, he’d first seen Tobias emerge from outside of the door, but quickly focused back onto what he was doing. However, another quick glance upward revealed to him that this strange newcomer was accompanied by Fëanáro.
“Ah! Elensar!” The once stoic, expressionless man sprung up from his seat, setting his files and papers on his table in order to rush over to the Bladesinger and greet him. “It’s been quite some time since I last saw you roaming throughout the halls of Istien! What brings you to your old stomping grounds? Have you finally returned to take up that teaching job that I’ve been trying to offer you for the last several years!?”

“I’m sorry Master Amroth, but I cannot be a teacher here when there is much cleaning up to do in Raiaera. Xem’zund’s unholy forces could strike again at any moment and it is the duty of us Bladesingers do protect our great country with everything that we have. However, the reason why I’ve paid you this visit is because of this boy that you see before you,” The olive skinned elf set his hand gently on Tobias’ head, ruffling the feathers of the child’s Tikantan headdress. Amroth stared at the boy with a fierce, piercing gaze, as if he were trying to visually pry into the orphan’s soul in order to see what sort of individual he was. “The child’s name is Tobias Battalion and he’s from Corone and--”

“You always do that Fëanáro,” The headmaster of Ost’Dagorlin interrupted, yet never taking his focus off of the young orphan. “When will you learn to stop beating around the bush when you truly want to ask me something?” The Bladesinger scratched his head in embarrassment, thinking back to the many times that his teacher had called him out on this bad habit of his. Fëanáro cleared his throat and loosened his collar nervously.
“My apologies Sir AncalÃ*mon. You are right once again for I have indeed come before you on this day to ask you a favor,” The elf paused, truly showing that his favor was a hard one for him to request. “Master, I hereby ask you to enroll Tobias Battalion into Istien University’s Ost’Dagorlin school.”

“That’s all you wanted?” The headmaster inquired with widened eyes, quite astonished at his former pupil’s request. “If that’s all you came here for, then your trip was wasted. You know that you could’ve simply went through the proper channels of Ost’Dagorlin’s administration and got him enrolled,” Amroth’s eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened as he came nose to nose with Fëanáro. “Stop….TOYING WITH ME!! What is it that you really want Fëanáro!?”
The escalation of the headmaster’s voice made Tobias shudder. His knees started involuntarily buckling, which in turn caused the boy to grab his knee caps in a frantic attempt to halt this.

“Master,” Fëanáro took a deep breath before he continued. “Going through the normal channels would be appropriate if Tobias was an average student. But, his power…..his power is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.” Now Amroth’s eyes fell back upon the youngster, yet they were eyes of skepticism, very similar to the elderly gentlemen that’d greeted the boy and the Bladesinger outside of the university. “Unlike anything you’d ever seen? Of course, because you made that statement, I’m going to have to assess whether or not this boy’s power is truly unlike anything you’ve ever seen.” The headmaster moved toward his desk and sat on top of it, crossing his legs as he waited to witness Tobias’ power. Fëanáro had an extremely confident expression. “Alright Tobias, call upon that door like I saw you do back in Anebrilith,” The blade singer softly said, kneeling down so as to be at eye level with the child. “Show Headmaster Amroth the great hero potential that’s within you.”

Without arguing or questioning in the slightest way, Tobias pulled his wagon closer towards him, yet making sure that he stood in front of it. Taking a deep breath, the youngster’s eyes suddenly flashed brilliant white before they began glowing blue. The ominous black mist from underneath the toys in the wagon seeped out, covering the entire ground of the office, making it seem as though the three were standing on clouds of some sort. The “Black Door” had risen once again from beneath the pile, indeed taking the Ost’Dagorlin Headmaster by utter surprise.

“Mr. Elensar, what now?” Young Battalion inquired.

“I don’t know,” The elf said, looking on with the same amazed face that Amroth was. “Do whatever you’d normally do when calling out those things.” For a quick moment, Tobias looked worried. The boy still hadn’t forgotten his long absence from Toy World, as well as severing communication with them for several weeks. He would’ve most certainly been the victim of the residents of Toy World’s wrath during the encounter with the ruffians had Fëanáro hadn’t forcibly repressed the emerging denizen back into the dark realm in which he came. This though gave the child comfort, for if something unfortunate were to take place, he could rely on his new friend for assistance.

“Season, can you come out please?” There was silence at first, but several minutes afterward, the robed brunette stepped out of the black door, taking his footsteps on the surface realm ground in quite some time.

“Do you have any idea as to how infuriated we all are!?” Tobias immediately lowered his head in shame, knowing that Season’s indignation was the culmination of the rest of the Toy World residents’ anger complied. Season waited for an answer, but soon turned towards Amroth who looked as if he’d seen a ghost.

“A….mazing. Simply…..AMAZING!” He exclaimed, moving closer to the robbed fellow like a child having seen something quite interesting for the first time. “What kind of magic is this?” His question was addressed to anyone that’d be willing to answer. Fëanáro took the initiative though, by choosing to speak first.
“See? I told you Master! The boy has got a gift. And I really think that if he were directly under your tutelage, learning all he can about our style of magic, he will be an extremely powerful, well-rounded mage. So Master…..will you please consider teaching him…..personally?”
“Normally I wouldn’t even consider doing this, but….” The headmaster still looked on in amazement. “Since this child really has a special gift, I’m willing and also quite interested to see how far he can go. The only question though is if he’ll be gifted in actual song magic. But enough talk. I want you both to meet me tomorrow in the “Theater”. For now, enjoy the rest of the day and make sure you get plenty of sleep……especially you Tobias.”

After the conversation, and showing of talent was over, Season was flustered by what Amroth had done. But realizing that such a strange man in his eyes possessed a great deal of power, he reluctantly returned to the Toy World. Fëanáro then led Tobias to an inn where they would retire. A few hours of daylight were left, but the Bladesinger suggested Tobias to make sure that he took Amroth’s advice. “You’ll definitely want to get all of the rest that you can. The headmaster is known to be a very tough teacher and it will take all of your vitality to be able to deal with him.”

“I understand Mr. Elensar. I think I’ll get ready for bed now. I don’t want to do anything that’s gonna’ set me back on my road to becoming a hero! Anyways, see ya tomorrow Mr. Elensar! Have a goodnight!” And with that, Tobias raced off to his room with his wagon in hand, already anticipating the events of tomorrow.

[Toy Soldier]

It was the middle of the night and Tobias was sleeping peacefully despite the noise that wild, drunken elves made outside the inn. Their joy over Eluriand’s recent freedom still ran high, thus causing them to spend every waking minute celebrating the victory in some way, shape, or form. Before falling into the dream world however, the young boy had looked out the window for a short time, taking in the energy that the happy elven people emitted. It was comforting to him considering how turbulent and restless his life had been between Oak Grove, the Coronian Government, and his friends from the Toy World. He was able to shake the first two, but the latter, which of course was the most dangerous, was an impossible thing to discard of.

That didn’t mean though that the youngster never tried it before. Back at Oak Grove he’d attempted to get rid of the red wagon many times. However no matter what he did, whether he burned it, destroyed it, or even threw it away, when he woke up the next morning in the safe comforts of his warm and fluffy bed, that all too ominous wagon would be right by his bedside in perfect condition. To make matters even more peculiar, those that might’ve seen him burn, destroy, or throw it away had no recollection of him ever doing so. Therefore, young Tobias learned early on that no matter what he tried to do or where he went, the wagon, Toy World, and his cursed companions were always going to be there.

And of course, sinister figures surrounded the child, threatening the tranquil solitude that was only afforded to Tobias during slumber.

“Wake up boy.” The blade of a cold masked man pressed against the orphan’s neck. Tobias’s blue eyes immediately shot open in terror, having heard the frightening deep voice before. He didn’t move his body, but simply looked as far as he could over his shoulder in a futile attempt to break the limits of his peripheral vision.

A low, maniacal chuckle then struck the boy’s ears. “How come Toby tried to shut us out? That’s no fun-fun Tobie!”

“Genocide and Johx,” Tobias was baffled as to how they’d entered this world, but then noticed that the black mist that accompanied the emergence of Toy World’s door had covered the floor of his room. This led the boy to realize that he must’ve somehow called forth the black door in his sleep.

Battalion knew that with Genocide’s short temper and Johx’s unpredictability he had to respond hastily. So he slowly raised his hand to let the iron mercenary know that he was fully awake. However, the sweat that ran down the brawny warrior’s sword from the eleven year old child’s neck was most likely proof of that.

“I wasn’t trying to shut you guys out, I was just trying—”

“Save it, you fool!” Tobias shifted his eyes to his right, following the softer, yet sharper voice of Season. “When were you going to tell us that you’d fled Corone! If you were going to do that, then we would’ve burned that orphanage to a crisp, along with every single one of the insignificant idiots that worked there!”

“Why would I allow you guys to do that!? You’ve already ruined my life enough as it is!” Battalion retorted.

“Ruined your life? You’re life!? What do you know about ruined lives!? You are the—” Yet before another word could escape Season’s mouth, Genocide had dashed at him, jamming the butt of his blade into the brunette man’s mouth. Season tried to utter profanities of all sorts, but all of it was muffled.

“It is not time for him to know that just yet.” The masked killer whispered, before freeing his comrade. Instantly, Season relaxed. Not another word left his mouth.

Tobias saw this but was confused.

“Hahaha!!! Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun! Let’s celebrate by shooting everyone in this town with a gun!” Johx in all of his misguided elation had kicked open the large wooden box that he always carried around with him. From within it he withdrew a strange pistol that had a horn on the nozzle. Opening the window with his stringy arm, he pointed the weapon down at the partying people below. Yet before he could pull the trigger, the room door creaked open.

“Tobias….are you alright?” Fëanáro asked, still rubbing the crust out of his eyes. He had not entered the room yet, otherwise he would’ve saw what was going on. However, when he heard Johx’s peculiar chuckle, his eyes shot wide open and he charged into the room. On his hip was always his sword, so the strong elven Bladesinger unsheathed it and charged at the nearest of Tobias’ allies which happened to be Genocide.

The two clashed blades each time they tried to strike each other. “Who are all of you!?” A sliver of moonlight shone in the room, providing Elensar with just enough light to see the silhouettes of the aggressors.

“I suppose I should ask you the same thing.” Genocide responded, swinging his sword downward, and then upward at Elensar. Yet the dual strikes were met with the Bladesinger’s long sword once again.

“Geno, stop! This is my friend!”

Both Fëanáro and Genocide gazed at Tobias in puzzling fashion. But the insane Johx found all of this amusing. Turning his odd gun in the direction of both Genocide and Fëanáro.

“You guys make just as much noise as this thing does! Wanna’ see!?!?!?!?!”

And with that, he squeezed.

A clamorous noise fled the horned nozzle, blowing and destroying anything in its path. Genocide had witnessed Johx using this in the past, so before the stringy finger pulled the trigger, he grabbed Elensar and threw him near Tobias, who was out of the blaring gun’s range.

Unfortunately they were still in danger since half of the inn had been devastated. Those that looked upon the place from the outside marveled. Genocide had been thrown into the street but remained unharmed due to his iron body. By this time, Tel Aglarim soldiers that’d heard the noise began filtering into the streets to tend to the crisis. Some helped Genocide to his feet, believing him to be a victim.

Back in the inn however, Tobias took hold of his wagon. “This place is going to fall! We have to get out of here!” The look on Elensar’s face showed utter bafflement, as he was entirely lost on how the boy planned to do that. But the answer became clear when Battalion leaped out of the newly created gapping hole. “What are you doing Tobias! You’ll die from that height!” In haste, Elensar lunged, trying to catch the orphan’s feet, but in turn ended up falling out of the building himself.

“Idiots.” Season extended his hands and softened the elf and the boy’s fall by creating a pillow of wind underneath them. Soon after both he and Johx followed.

All around people gathered, inquiring the soldiers as to what had occurred. The soldiers in turn inquired of Elensar.

“Forgive me my good men, I confiscated a strange Aleran device from a hoodlum drow that was frequenting the streets of Anebrilith earlier on in the day. But suddenly, the device exploded taking out half of the inn.” Fëanáro put on a smile, but deep inside, his answer tore at him. Such an excuse did not account for the men and women injured in the attack, as evidenced by the screaming and wailing people that the soldiers tried to help. Yet it was an answer that would suffice, especially since it came from Elensar.

When the questioning Tel Aglarim soldiers dissipated to claw through the debris of now collapsed inn to save anyone that was still alive, Fëanáro looked at Tobias who was looking at the stars. He looked so innocent, but for some reason he made the hair on the Bladesinger’s arms rise up. Something was indeed wrong with Tobias and his friends, and it was at this moment that he began to wonder why the child fled Corone.