[Open to ALL] ~Elthas, my Son.~

[Elthas]

(Note: I am adding in my conclusion to this thread in this post!)

The blade was held a the leader's neck.

"I won't as you again...call your men off." Elthas said calmly.

"We found it." One of the bandits yelled suddenly and all attention was turned towards that particular person.

Except for Elthas, Elthas kept focused on the leader. "What's it going to be?" Elthas growled.

The leader carefully responded to Elthas. "You've won this day but we got what we came for. You can let me go now."

The survivors were more important than the bandits...but something did not sit well with Elthas. He let the leader go though. "Get out of here. You've already gotten what you've wanted. I won't pursue you but you and your folks are not welcome back here." Elthas looked at the leader fiercely. "Next time I see you I will finish what my Father started."

"Noted." The leader said. "We are out of here." The bandits that survived the initial attack from the Heroes began to flee quickly.

Elthas looked towards his companions. "We have to check on the survivors." Elthas felt it at that point...The Great Tree was alive...but altered somehow. That's what explained the vision he'd seen earlier. Is that a new effect of the boon? Will it always happen that way? Elthas wondered. He looked at his friends. At that point, his fedora hat brushed against his leg with a gust of wind from the west. The ash fall still came down...always present. Elthas knelt down and grabbed his hat, dusting it off. He adjusted his hat and proceeded to once again enter The Great Tree. Damaged greatly on the outside, but thriving and alive in the inside thanks to the magic of his people.

***

Many thoughts passed his troubled mind as he assisted the survivors of the attack.

Ashfall kept coming down, it's what Hayate and his people had called the events following Lornius' destruction.

Elthas considered everything he had learned during the unfolding events. The Great Tree was not the only such tree on Althanas. There might be others of it's kind. Perhaps the Thayne initially planted them or perhaps... A thought crossed his mind that sent a chill down his spine. Elthas fancied himself a Hero of sorts, he did not want to consider going back down a dark path. He knew that other versions of himself had existed in the past and throughout the general flow of history.

The Elder's teachings were oft filled with great mystery.

His life was still unraveling before him...

"Are you well, Elthas?" One of the nurse maidens asked.

"Great destruction has fallen to our world. I have to know the extent of it but that is a task for other Heroes...right now my place is HERE." Elthas, the son of Halm Belthasar looked outside of The Great Tree...at ashfall. He shook his head. "There will be others...I have to grow stronger. I have to train more." Elthas said to the nurse maiden.
There will be other attackers as time passes looking to take advantage of this event."

"There are always those who take advantage of disasters." The nurse maiden said as she treated his injuries. "You fought bravely and upheld the honour of your clan."

"It does not matter, I could not prevent the theft." Elthas sighed. "Those are not worries for you though my friend, you have many injuries to treat." Elthas said.

At that point, one of the elders...Xu Bellaparte...walked over to Elthas. "As soon as you are done with getting cleaned up we have something to talk about. There has been a serious complication...Elthas I know what those thieves were after. We have a serious problem on our hands now."

The End.