Warning!: If you have any interest in reading the War of Souls stuff,
don't read this chapter. There are spoilers in it, big ones. Huge
spoilers. Remember the asteroid from Armageddon? The spoilers are three
times that size. I'll provide this warning at the beginning of every
chapter with spoilers in it, and I'll do the best I can to make sure
spoilers are left to a minimum.
Chapter Two Fate Collides
Nathan sat staring at the substitute teacher, jaw nearly dropping. 'This can't be happening' he thought to himself, 'that can't be! No way! That's. . .that's. . .oh no! There's just no way! Krynn isn't real! The dream, it was some sort of group hysteria! It wasn't real! It couldn't have been!' That familiar voice in the back of his head spoke up, calming him down and making him see things logically. 'Well, I suppose this is real. After all, that is Fizban. Well.sort of. Must be after the War of Souls on Krynn.' He raised his hand. "Mr. Val? Would you mind if I asked your first name?" The old man smiled.
"Actually, it's Eli." Nathan grinned wryly.
"Eli, huh? And is Val your full last name?"
"Nope." He chuckled.
"Could you tell me what it is, Mr. Val?"
"Valthonis." That was all the confirmation he needed. Eli Valthonis. E'li, Paladine's name among the Elves. Valthonis, meaning 'the exile', the name Paladine chose for himself after being made mortal, after doing so to create a tipping in the scales towards evil, one that would have to be balanced with the de-godding of Takhisis, the supposed One God, who had stolen away Krynn from it's place in the universe behind the backs of all the other gods, even Sargas, God of Minotaurs, her consort. She had been killed by Silvanoshei, son of Alhana Starbreeze and former king of Silvanesti, who had in turn died and been entombed at the Tomb of the Heroes in Solace. Of course, he was letting his mind wander a bit far from the target. The target, of course, being that a former god of Krynn was standing in his classroom in jeans and a t-shirt, was to find out exactly what was going on. He couldn't resist one small joke, however. "Well, hopefully you won't have to send anyone into exile from the classroom, Mr. Val." A few people looked at him strangely, but Paladine. . .no, Valthonis, better to call him by his chosen name, smiled at him in wry humor. As Valthonis rummaged through the desk for a pencil, Marie leaned over and whispered something.
"And what was that about?"
"That guys is a former god of Krynn. He became mortal to combat Takhisis, the Goddess of Evil, who was trying to take over the world." She blinked, and for a moment looked foggy.
"Oh, really? So that's this Paladine guy you go on about?"
"Was. Now that he's mortal, he's called Valthonis. And he's an Elf, so if he's that old, a bunch of time must've passed between then and now."
"I thought Elves couldn't grow beards," she breathed.
"Well, yeah. . .wait, how'd you know that?"
"I did flip through that Autumn book you gave me. The guy on the front was kinda cute." Nathan gave a soft snort.
"Sorry Marie, he's dea-" Nathan stopped abruptly, everything hitting home like a sack of bricks at fifty miles an hour. If Valthonis was here, then the dream wasn't group hysteria. It was real. He was going to Krynn. If Paladine was here, he had to have become a god again. And that meant. . . . "Oh, holy shit," he blurted, leaping up, chair falling behind him.
Ok, now everyone in the classroom looked at him oddly. This time, he didn't care. He knew why they were going to Krynn, and he needed to talk to Paladine about it. "Mr. Val, could Marie and I maybe have a word with you outside?" Marie gave him a startled look, and he just grabbed her by the arm and gave her a gentle tug. She shrugged, but came along.
The door to the classroom closed, and Nathan blew up. "You have gotta be kidding me. You want us to go to Krynn and do that?!" Marie gave him a questioning glance.
"Do what?"
"We can't beat a god!"
"What?" Nathan's head snapped around to look at Marie.
"Think. How could a mortal cross dimensions? He couldn't. A god could, though. And if Paladine is a god again, that means Takhisis is too." Sudden understanding dawned on Marie's face, and she turned to glare at Paladine.
"You seriously want us to go beat up a Goddess of Evil," she demanded angrily. Paladine nodded.
"Yes, I do." Silence reigned for a few moments, and then Marie spoke.
"You can't be serious." Nathan gave him a considering look.
"He is."
"He can't be. We can't beat a Goddess!"
"You can," Paladine said. Finally, after a few more moments of silence, Nathan spoke.
"Alright. When do we leave?"
....................................
Ok, well. . .that wasn't at all what I expected it would be. I didn't know any other way to end this chapter, so I guess that'll be it. Don't worry; things will get more exciting in the next chapter.
Chapter Two Fate Collides
Nathan sat staring at the substitute teacher, jaw nearly dropping. 'This can't be happening' he thought to himself, 'that can't be! No way! That's. . .that's. . .oh no! There's just no way! Krynn isn't real! The dream, it was some sort of group hysteria! It wasn't real! It couldn't have been!' That familiar voice in the back of his head spoke up, calming him down and making him see things logically. 'Well, I suppose this is real. After all, that is Fizban. Well.sort of. Must be after the War of Souls on Krynn.' He raised his hand. "Mr. Val? Would you mind if I asked your first name?" The old man smiled.
"Actually, it's Eli." Nathan grinned wryly.
"Eli, huh? And is Val your full last name?"
"Nope." He chuckled.
"Could you tell me what it is, Mr. Val?"
"Valthonis." That was all the confirmation he needed. Eli Valthonis. E'li, Paladine's name among the Elves. Valthonis, meaning 'the exile', the name Paladine chose for himself after being made mortal, after doing so to create a tipping in the scales towards evil, one that would have to be balanced with the de-godding of Takhisis, the supposed One God, who had stolen away Krynn from it's place in the universe behind the backs of all the other gods, even Sargas, God of Minotaurs, her consort. She had been killed by Silvanoshei, son of Alhana Starbreeze and former king of Silvanesti, who had in turn died and been entombed at the Tomb of the Heroes in Solace. Of course, he was letting his mind wander a bit far from the target. The target, of course, being that a former god of Krynn was standing in his classroom in jeans and a t-shirt, was to find out exactly what was going on. He couldn't resist one small joke, however. "Well, hopefully you won't have to send anyone into exile from the classroom, Mr. Val." A few people looked at him strangely, but Paladine. . .no, Valthonis, better to call him by his chosen name, smiled at him in wry humor. As Valthonis rummaged through the desk for a pencil, Marie leaned over and whispered something.
"And what was that about?"
"That guys is a former god of Krynn. He became mortal to combat Takhisis, the Goddess of Evil, who was trying to take over the world." She blinked, and for a moment looked foggy.
"Oh, really? So that's this Paladine guy you go on about?"
"Was. Now that he's mortal, he's called Valthonis. And he's an Elf, so if he's that old, a bunch of time must've passed between then and now."
"I thought Elves couldn't grow beards," she breathed.
"Well, yeah. . .wait, how'd you know that?"
"I did flip through that Autumn book you gave me. The guy on the front was kinda cute." Nathan gave a soft snort.
"Sorry Marie, he's dea-" Nathan stopped abruptly, everything hitting home like a sack of bricks at fifty miles an hour. If Valthonis was here, then the dream wasn't group hysteria. It was real. He was going to Krynn. If Paladine was here, he had to have become a god again. And that meant. . . . "Oh, holy shit," he blurted, leaping up, chair falling behind him.
Ok, now everyone in the classroom looked at him oddly. This time, he didn't care. He knew why they were going to Krynn, and he needed to talk to Paladine about it. "Mr. Val, could Marie and I maybe have a word with you outside?" Marie gave him a startled look, and he just grabbed her by the arm and gave her a gentle tug. She shrugged, but came along.
The door to the classroom closed, and Nathan blew up. "You have gotta be kidding me. You want us to go to Krynn and do that?!" Marie gave him a questioning glance.
"Do what?"
"We can't beat a god!"
"What?" Nathan's head snapped around to look at Marie.
"Think. How could a mortal cross dimensions? He couldn't. A god could, though. And if Paladine is a god again, that means Takhisis is too." Sudden understanding dawned on Marie's face, and she turned to glare at Paladine.
"You seriously want us to go beat up a Goddess of Evil," she demanded angrily. Paladine nodded.
"Yes, I do." Silence reigned for a few moments, and then Marie spoke.
"You can't be serious." Nathan gave him a considering look.
"He is."
"He can't be. We can't beat a Goddess!"
"You can," Paladine said. Finally, after a few more moments of silence, Nathan spoke.
"Alright. When do we leave?"
....................................
Ok, well. . .that wasn't at all what I expected it would be. I didn't know any other way to end this chapter, so I guess that'll be it. Don't worry; things will get more exciting in the next chapter.