Podlings, as some of you may be aware, are among Thra's messiest creatures. They build houses like Gelfling, yes, but they are, in no way, as civilized as them. Their villages are easily seen as some of the messiest and most germ-ridden places on the entire planet.

Unlike some native species, I believe you can guess who, Podlings had no skill in any arts. They spoke in different tongues and dialects than any Gelfling, or a SkekSis for that matter. They could not hunt. They could not paint. They were not exactly gifted in any forms of art.

And yet, it comes as no surprise that young Hup breaks these stereotypes.

Hup was, indeed, a Podling. But he was unlike any that a Thra-inhabitant had ever seen before. As Podlings were messy, ignorant, and wildly untamed, Pod was a rare exception.

You see, Hup had a dream. A dream of becoming more than a Podling. He wanted to become a Paladin, who were best known as the elite guardsmen at the city of Ha'rar, home of the Vapran Gelfling. He learned how to speak fluent English, and watched how they trained when they came to castle of the crystal.

Oh, my dear readers. If only he had kept his word to the All-Maudra. Queen of all Gelfling, the All-Maudra was the one who granted his wish of becoming a Paladin. Granted, it was a quick and impromptu knighting, But to him, it was real. It was as real as he breathed right now. The small Podling looked up from the window in his new home, up at the sky.

Hup may not have ever said it to anyone, but he wished ever so much that he could've done something. For it was the same day that he became the first Podling Paladin, that the All-Maudra breathed her last. He sighed in remorse as he remembered the chaos from that day.

But as much as he felt it false, he could not help but wonder one little thing. Had he trained harder. Had he been more up to the challenge, could he have saved her? Hup had already gone above and beyond when it came to Podlings, but he still felt that he had failed as a Paladin.

Ah, down here at the Circle of the Suns, it was far different from the forests of Thra. Near Stone-in-the-wood. Of course, that was where he went after leaving his village. And that was where he met his closest friend and ally.

Deet.

He wonder, atop other things, how Deet was doing. His injury from the hunter had healed up months ago. The last time he saw his Grottan friend, she and the Stonewood warriors, Rian, had gone underground to the Grottan tunnels to save their Vapran friend, Brea. Out of all Gelfling that Hup had met, it was Deet who believed in him.

And wherever she was now, Hup had made it his goal to find her. If any trouble had befallen her, it was his duty as a Podling Paladin of Ha'rar to serve and protect. To help those in need. To-

"Podling…"

The very slowly voice snapped him out if his void of thought. He turned to see one of his two caretakers standing behind him. It was the bulbous shape of UrGoh the Wanderer. Slowest and most bumbling of the UrU, also known as the Mystics.

"Skek…Gra… has… sent… for… you…" He said in his usual, snail-paced voice. For a Mystic, UrGo was exceptionally slow at speaking.

Hup nodded hesitantly and followed UrGoh up the stairs. Well, actually, UrGoh had been the one to follow Hup. Hup did not want to keep the good SkekSis waiting for him. He knew how fussy he could get.

He stopped at the top and saw a large cauldron, brewing a strange thing inside it. It glowed purple as steam clouded most of it. He looked around to see if he could find the other half of his two caretakers.

"Um," Hup said in his small Podling voice. "Mistero SkekGra Na?" Like I said before, Hup could speak English… pretty well.

And then, from around the smoke coming from the pot, came the tall shape of SkekGra. Being a SkekSis, SkekGra was obviously lizard-like in appearance. But for him, change was no stranger. During his time at the Circle of the Suns, he had given himself odd face paint that made him stand out from his twisted brethren. He held a large staff in his hand as he made his presence known.

"Ah, welcome little friend-slave!" The good SkekSis exclaimed, earing a small annoyed grunt from Hup. "So glad you received my invitation. I have something very important I must share with you."

SkekGra then looked around. "Um, where is UrGoh?"

"Right… behind… you…" The tired voice of the Wandered reached their ears as they saw him finally enter the room.

SkekGra rolled his eyes. "UrGoh, this is kind of important."

"Great… importance … comes…with great… patience…" Hup face palmed as he shook his head. UrGoh was a nice enough person, but he was, and I mean this in the nicest if ways, slow when he needed to be fast.

SkekGra grunted and turned back to Hup. "Now then, my good little Podling friend-slave, come over here." Hup approached the Heretic as the two of them looked at the bubbling substance inside the Cauldron. "Look deep and hard at it. Tell me, my little friend, what is it that you see?"

Hup looked up at him and spoke in his English-Podling tongue. "Tora Soup, Ya."

"Soup! Yes!" SkekGra's sudden volume of voice caused Hup to jump back in fright. "It is Soup, my Podling friend-slave. That is exactly what it is. And yet, it is not. This, is the start of your journey."

As Hup tilted his head, this was all SkekGra needed to speak again. "Confused? HA! I knew you would be. This is no ordinary brew, friend. It contains a very strong spell, courtesy of yours truly."

"And… me…" UrGoh spoke slowly.

"Ugh." The Heretic then turned back to Hup. "We perfected it to fit a Podling's consumption. If our studies have been done correctly, one sip will be enough to send you to the Dreamspace."

Having been with Deet in all of her travels following beginning of the great war, Hup was responsible for getting his Grottan friend into the Castle of Ha'rar. The place where he was knighted. He remembered that she had gone into a trance with the princess. They had gone somewhere called "The Dreamspace."

"As you know, Podling Hup. SkekSis and Mystics are two different forms, and yet completely the same. You remember the tale., although you did a lousy job at introducing it to your Gelfling friends. You know that we were once called UrSkeks. We were once a proud race. Mysterious in nature, but foolish in sight. We wanted more and more and more still.

Eventually, we broke a shard from the crystal of truth, dividing each of our natures into separate beings. Good and evil. Split apart from our true selves. And yet, not all had forgotten. There was one other who had learned of our past."

UrGoh hung his head. "I… always… knew… that UrVa… was… wise…"

"Indeed, Wanderer. He will be missed." SkekGra had recently learned of what happened to UrVa the Archer. Killing himself to stop his evil half. "But, I have recently had a dream. And dreams, for me, mean something more than imagination. And do you know what I saw, Podling? Huh? Ask me! ASK ME!"

Hup quickly shook his head.

"I saw him. The Valiant Archer. Looking the same, yet so different. He was changed. He was… united."

Hup watched as SkekGra looked up at the ceiling with a forlorn expression. He watched as a single drop of saline rolled down his face. One little tear. He quickly shook his head.

"He and his SkekSis half, SkekMal, had reunited in death. And their soul now resides in the Dreamspace. The place where wayward souls go when they are not allowed to continue. They had business. Something to say. Very important.

But they could not tell it to me. That was the thing with old SkekMal. Didn't have a lot of friends. Was not comfortable with anyone! They had someone else in mind to tell their story. And something else. A problem in Thra. Something worse than the SkekSis. A change in the natural order of things. Alterizations, I fear, of abnormal proportions.

There was only one person he wished to tell this too. Someone that the other SkekSis would never suspect. That someone… is you."

Hup raised his head at this statement. An UrSkek had something to tell him? Why him? What could Hup have to offer? Especially something as majestic and amazing as an UrSkek? He looked up at the Heretic with a curious look.

"Now, one sip of this brew will send you into a trance." SkekGra held a spoonful of the bubbling stew. "Doing so will also give you access the Dreamspace. Since only Gelfling can dreamfast, this is the only way we can get face to face with our UrSkek ally."

He then leaned down closer to the Podling, letting him see the crazed yet serious look in his wide eyes. "Now, I must warn you, friend-slave. What you are about to endure is not exactly my definition of a tasty peach berry soup. It will cause you to go white in the face. You will be immobilized. And worse, it's a little tart, heh. But we are counting on you. Do you have the courage to go above and beyond other Podlings?"

Now the diminutive little stood there in silence the first couple of moments after SkekGra's question. He looked down as he thought to himself. There were many times in his life where he questioned himself on his aspirations. He doubted his worth as a Paladin on more than one occasion. In fact, it had become mostly everyday during his adventures. He never had anyone who saw his true worth. No one who stood beside him.

But that was before Deet. Before any of the other Gelfling. He now had a purpose for his Paladin dreams. Someone to protect. Someone worth protecting. And if this were the only way to do so, then so be it. He would do whatever it took to protect the world the All-Maudra bequeathed to him. He looked back up to SkekGra and gave his answer.

"Ya!"

SkekGra gave him the spoon of potion and nodded. "You know what to do now, friend-hero."

Hup nodded in return and took the spoon. He opened his mouth and placed the utensil inside. He then sucked all the liquid down his throat. And true to the Heretic's word, it was not great. He clenched his eyes shut as he gave a grunt. He shook his head as he groaned. His stomach did not feel right after this unpleasant experience. He coughed and wheezed abruptly. UrGoh lifted his head slowly as he watched this unfold. He watched as the small hero's face began to turn gray. And finally, they watched him fall onto his back.

He did not make a noise. No breath.

"Uh…oh…" The Wandered craned his long neck down to the Podling's face. "I… think we… killed him…"

Don't worry, Hup isn't dead. If you want to see videos of this story, check out my YouTube channel MadDino Productions and subscribe. The video of me narrating the first chapter comes this fall. Thank you for watching, and stay tuned.