Chapter 14

Welcome to Tolrin

The walk back to town was much faster than the walk out. After all, now they weren't battling the sun or the exhausting heat. They also didn't need to stop every so often in order to fight a hellion. With the source of the malevolence gone, all the hellions had disappeared with it. Plus, they already knew the way, having traveled it once before. And so, luckily for everyone, they made it back to Lowgrin fairly quickly.

After getting some food at the dining tent, they all headed back to the beds they'd been offered by the kind inn keeper only a few days prior. But it wasn't until they'd all started getting ready for bed that Zaveid suddenly said,

"I'll take first watch."

For a moment, the other's looked confused, and it was Mikleo that said,

"First watch?"

"Yeah, for your stalker Mikky."

And it was only then that he remembered the suspected cause of his nightmares. With how eventful the day had been and with so many distractions, he'd almost completely forgotten that they supposed his nightmares were actually attacks thrust upon them by the enemy. And in remembering all of that, he of course remembered the pure horror he'd endured only the night before. His face fell.

"Oh…"

"Hey now," Zaveid said while moseying over to him. "Don't look so glum. Good ol' Zaveid will be standing by. If anyone shows up," lifting his hands, he cracked a fist into his open palm threateningly, "you bet I'll make them pay for what they've done." He offered the water seraph a grin. "So you rest easy, ok Mikky?" Reaching out, he roughed up Mikleo's head of white and blue hair.

Instinctively, and because he never liked having his hair messed, Mikleo pulled away, but it didn't mean he wasn't appreciative. In fact, he felt quite warm and reassured by Zaveid's kind words and offer to be the look-out. And so, even as he was flattening his hair back down, he addressed the wind seraph.

"Thanks Zaveid," he said. "You've proven to be a really good friend. And I…I'm sorry I didn't trust you with our secret before. I thought you were too goofy and unreliable to be trusted. You've done nothing but prove me wrong since you found out."

Zaveid beamed, his teeth practically glowing white as he put his fists onto his hips.

"I am a good friend!" he agreed cockily. "And I'll keep proving you wrong. I'm your biggest fan!"

Despite himself, Mikleo couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him.

"I'm not sure Sorey and I need fans."

"Sure you do! And I'm number one. And as your number one fan, it's my duty to catch this asshole that's been giving you nightmares. Once that's settled, you and Sorey can move forward with your romance because you'll have long peaceful nights."

A quick pink coloring came to Mikleo's cheeks, but he didn't protest like he usually did. Instead, he tried to focus on how appreciative he still felt. Zaveid may have been overly obsessed with personal relationships and sex, but he was still making it very clear that he was indeed the fantastic friend he claimed to be, despite how much he liked to gossip. And so, Mikleo responded simply,

"Thanks Zaveid."

Sorey hadn't heard the conversation that took place between Zaveid and Mikleo. He'd been too busy getting dressed and ready for bed. He did, however, notice the slight blush on his boyfriend's cheeks as he nestled into bed with him. And despite the horrors they'd gone through that day, he couldn't help but feel like everything would be alright, so long as Mikleo could continue to be right there with him.

They scooted closer together once the lights were off, and Sorey was happy to feel the water seraph's head resting peacefully on his chest. Sorey buried his face into his sweet-smelling hair, and decided to focus on the small things, the good things that he had going for him. If he could just grasp at the little blessings in his life, then he'd be able to overcome a lot of the pain he still felt from the inability to purify the hellion-woman they'd fought mere hours ago.

Some things were hard to forget. And although Sorey was able to push through and deal with a lot of things, that didn't mean he wasn't affected by what happened by acting as the shepherd.

That was the whole point, wasn't it? He knew from the beginning that things wouldn't be easy.

But again...if he could count his blessings, and rely on the beautiful seraph currently nestled safely in his arms, then everything would be alright.

He made a mental note to thank Zaveid the next day for taking the first watch. He may not have heard that conversation between Mikleo and the tattooed seraph, but he could tell the older man was doing his best to be supportive. And that meant a lot to Sorey.

The shepherd took another long, deep breath, and steadied his thoughts, and drifted off into a very peaceful and easy slumber. And thanks to everyone's help, there were no nightmares plaguing his love that evening. Mikleo slept through everything: even Sorey's drooling. It was a night both of them needed, and there was nothing nicer than waking up to find the seraph cuddled up against him, looking as peaceful and as beautiful as ever.

He definitely needed to thank everyone for what they were doing, for a moment like this was precious, and Sorey was unsure when they'd get another one. What if the nightmares came back?

Mikleo had slept through the night with no interruptions or night terrors. And in fact, it was one of the most peaceful nights he could remember. Curled up at Sorey's side, his human scent in his nose and his warmth against Mikleo's cool skin, he couldn't imagine anything more pleasant. He felt so safe and whole when with Sorey, and as such, it was easy to drift off into a soothing slumber.

When morning came, he stirred when Sorey stirred, having had a good night's rest for the first time in a long time. His amethyst eyes fluttered open as light came in through their tent walls and he felt Sorey move. Lifting his face, he smiled sleepily when he saw his boyfriend awake.

"Good morning," he said softly.

And just like that: any worry he may have felt about the nightmares vanished. Mikleo was gorgeous when he was soft and still clinging to the edges of sleep. He was so unfiltered, so natural, and so genuine right at that moment. His guard wasn't up, and he wasn't trying to look impressive or in control.

He just was Mikleo. And that was beautiful.

Sorey smiled in like, and pulled the seraph closer to him, nuzzling into Mikleo's soft aquamarine hair. "Good morning," he said in like, smiling like a love-struck idiot, which he supposed he was.

Sorey pulled him in close and held him against his body. And the way he held him suggested that the shepherd simply didn't ever want to let him go. Mikleo immediately loved the feeling of being needed, and so he curled his thin arms up and against Sorey's chest.

"I slept well," he announced, just to make sure Sorey wasn't worried about his nightmares. "I guess whoever was infiltrating my dreams couldn't do so with Zaveid standing guard."

Sorey hummed, closing his eyes as he basked in the moment.

"I guess so," he agreed, lazily running his fingers down Mikleo's neck, just for the simple sensation of it. "Well, maybe that means we're in the clear, so long as we have a guard," he said positively, even while being perfectly aware that they couldn't go on like that forever. The person needed to be caught, or scared off. One or the other. Zaveid had been a huge help, but that meant he'd be tired, and their team needed everyone at full strength if they were going to continue on their journey. Hellions only got stronger the longer they were on the road, and Sorey worried not just about Mikleo, but the other seraphs too.

The shepherd slipped a hand through the water seraph's aquamarine hair, loving the silky smooth feel of it.

"I'm glad you slept well," he said, changing subjects, and choosing to focus on how nice it was to have Mikleo's smaller, but toned body pressed up against his own. "I did too. It's nice being like this," he said, knowing his boyfriend would agree. If they could just have this without the threat of hellions...that would be even nicer.

Mikleo didn't say it, but he thought the same things. It was their dream after all: to have a world of peace, where humans and seraphim could live together. And now that dream had a bigger and deeper meaning than before. They no longer had a choice about whether or not they could make it into a reality. They would have to.

"It is nice being like this," Mikleo admitted. "But we have to get up." After all, a dream like theirs wouldn't make itself real without help. And so Mikleo, as always, was the one to focus them back on the hard work before them. Sorey appeared slightly crestfallen as Mikleo sat up in bed, forcing himself to separate from Sorey's warm arms, but he knew that was ok. As much as he loved it, they couldn't indulge in just themselves. Others were relying on them: their seraph tea members, the people in the towns they traveled too, and even the hellions they purified. And so, Mikleo climbed out of bed and started to get dressed, and following his lead, Sorey did the same.

After everyone on the team was ready, they all converged just outside of the tent and in the rising desert sun. Meeting up with Zaveid for the first time since they awoke, Mikleo stepped over to his side.

"How did it go?" he asked.

Zaveid appeared tired, but not overly so. He was a seraph after all, and although they certainly enjoyed their sleep, they didn't need nearly as much as humans. For the most part they needed a few hours simply to replenish themselves spiritually and mentally, but without physical needs, they often times could go with far less than their human counterpart.

"Good," he replied. "I didn't see anything strange. No one approached the tent, and I didn't sense any malevolence at all. I'm betting whoever it was saw me standing here and decided not to even try." But of course, it was too normal a response to match his personality, so quickly, it was followed up with a cocky grin and, "They must have been intimidated by my muscles and great bod!"

Mikleo let off a small chuckle.

"They must have been," he said coolly.

With the others gathered around, everyone faced each other to determine what they should do next. And for the most part, since they'd been focusing on purifying hellions and finding out more about Heldalf, it only seemed natural to turn to Lailah.

"So Lailah, any sense about where the next concentration of malevolence is?" Sorey asked.

Lailah let out a musical hum, then briefly closed her eyes. But after only a second or two she shook her head.

"No. I'm sorry but I don't feel anything nearby. We've managed to travel through nearly all of the land at this point, and we've been purifying as we go. As such, there isn't much left in the area."

"Then after we find a seraph to bless this location, we're left directionless."

"Not necessarily," Mikleo said, a hand to his chin as he pondered their dilemma. "We've gathered almost all of the iris gems. Because of that, we know a lot about Heldalf and his past. We never actually traveled to his home town, Tolrin, the one we keep seeing in the visions. If we did, we might be able to learn something more about him there."

But as soon as Edna heard this, she let out a long moan.

"Isn't that town up in the mountains that separate the Lowgrin area from the northern ice fields? That sounds like a huge exertion of energy."

Zaveid grinned, "What's the matter Edna? I thought you'd be happy. The town is up in the mountains! You'll be surrounded by earth and rock. Besides, you've lived on a mountain most your life."

"That's Spiritcrest, this is a totally different mountain. Not the same."

Turning to Lailah, Mikleo asked, "Tolrin is the correct town of Heldalf's childhood right? I mean, it'd be nice to know since it's several days away and we'll be hiking up a mountain."

But as was her way whenever a question was asked of her that would require her to break her oath, Lailah suddenly grew wide eyed as she looked off to the side, a dumbfounded grin on her face.

"Oh look! A cute little lizard is sunning himself on that rock!"

Mikleo let out a snort. "That probably means we're on the right track." Turning as always to the leader of their group for confirmation, Mikleo rested his amethyst eyes on him. "What do you think Sorey? Is it worth checking out?"

Sorey crossed his arms in front of his chest, frowning as he thought it over.

"I think it's worth a shot," he agreed a few seconds later, still looking serious. "If we can find any pertinent clues that could help us win against Heldalf, it'd be worth the journey. I know we'll have quite a bit of ground to cover, and it's not going to be easy..." The shepherd uncrossed his arms then, his green eyes glimmering with determination. "But this could be an excellent chance for us to get one up on the enemy. And of course, understanding who he is, and how he got to be where he is, could be vital in the final battle. Let's do it."

And the brunet's lips twitched upwards into a half-smile, not exactly looking forward to the arduous journey up the mountain, but determined to gather facts and historical information on their nemesis.

And so it was settled. The group spent most of the rest of the day finding a seraph to bless and look over the desert area before they left. But once they did, they bought themselves a new map and new supplies, and headed back out into the desert. The mountain path they needed was only a mile or so west of Lowgrin, and it would take them up the red, rock-faced cliffs that they'd been surrounded by the past few days. That path, according to the map, would take them out of the region and into their new one.

Once again they were forced to trek through the sand and the heat. But thankfully, their travels weren't very long. After reaching the cliff face, they discovered a narrow opening in the clay-like walls. It wasn't wider than two feet, and the path that led gradually upward through it kept the red walls on either side of them, blocking out the sun. They were forced to walk single file, but no one complained since it was instantly cooler. The scenery was bland however…since all they saw for hours was the back of the person in front of them. At one point, Edna grew so bored, that she started jabbing her umbrella forward into poor Mikleo's back. And of course, the two wasted plenty of energy bickering about it.

Eventually, night fell, and the path they were on had only opened up ever so slightly in one area. They'd barely had enough room to pitch the tents, but made due somehow. With no animals to hunt in such a bland environment, none of the seraphs ate. Instead, they reserved all the food they had for Sorey so he'd have something in the morning as well.

"I'm sorry…" Sorey apologized for what must have been the third time as he sat on a flat rock beside Mikleo. But Mikleo just scoffed.

"I told you to stop apologizing. We don't have to eat, remember?"

"But you like eating with me," Sorey said. "Even when we were kids, you never liked being left out."

Mikleo sighed, his expression softening.

"I'm not being left out. The others aren't eating either. If anything, you're the one being left out…"

Sorey knew Mikleo was doing his best to make him feel better. And simply having his sweet consideration made that goal accomplished. As always, a warmth filled him as he gazed at the water seraph in the oncoming darkness.

The shepherd and his crew ducked into their tents after Sorey had finished eating. And not having forgotten their enemies bizarre attack on Mikleo's well-being at night, Lailah offered to take the next shift. It was an easy job considering she only had two directions in which to look. And no one was surprised when no more night terrors were presented. The sun rose on time and with no harm to any of the team members. And in the morning, they all packed up their things and traveled onward.

After another half a day, the path finally began to change. It started to widen out further, and what was more was that the desert's red clay started to give way to true dirt instead of just rock and sand. The dirt became soil, and the soil was moist. In it, small plants started to grow up out of the cracks along their path and in the walls on either side of them. And those walls started to change in color from red, to brown, then finally to a light, cool gray.

On the third day as they continued to climb up the side of the mountain, everyone noticed how their environment could no longer be called anything other than mountainous. The wind blew in cool and sweet against their skin and the smell of earth and water filled them. The path had widened out long ago, and now they were surrounded by tall pine trees, maples, shrubs, ferns, and flowers. They still followed a dirt path, but all around them there was beautiful, bright green spring grass. Little white flowers poked up out of the ground, and wildlife surrounded them. Birds sang both near and far, and more times than not someone spotted a chipmunk or squirrel rooting around for food in the leaves.

"Oh, there's a deer!" Lailah cried at one moment, grabbing onto Zaveid's arm and pointing excitingly. "Oh, she's beautiful!" And she was. The doe was slender and graceful as she lifted her head to gaze at the passing strangers.

"She has two fawns with her," Sorey noticed. And sure enough, two spindly little spotted fawns stumbled beside their mother.

The mountain regent was peaceful, serene, and calming. There was no sense of malevolence anywhere, and they never ran into a single hellion. In fact, the entire journey was starting to feel like a trip out camping with friends, especially in the evening when they pitched the tents, started a fire, and cooked whatever they were able to hunt or gather over the fire. With the mountain forest all around them, there was no short supply of food. They often found good berries, roots, or mushrooms to eat, and hunting wasn't difficult with abundance all around. They had rabbit one night, then deer the next. But finally, on the fifth day, they knew they were drawing close to their destination.

"It should be a fairly large town according to what we saw in the iris gems," Sorey was saying to the team.

"Yes," Mikleo agreed. "There was a huge stone wall surrounding it in the visions, and the town looked similar to Pendrago. Heldalf was some sort of general over an army of knights after all."

Sorey kept his nose buried in their map for a while as the other's looked all around for a large town. But they knew they couldn't have been far off, for their path had become wide and there were carriage wheel marks in the earth along with horse hoof prints. The road was well traveled, and it was obvious merchants had come through recently.

"Maybe we should've turned left at that fork a while back…" Sorey was mumbling to himself. But as he was, Mikleo lifted his nose into the air and inhaled deeply.

"Mmm…" he hummed closing his eyes. Lailah, stepping up beside him asked,

"What is it?"

"Fresh water," Mikleo said. "And a ton of it. And it's nearby." Lifting his head and opening his eyes, he pointed. "That way."

He confidently started to walk forward, stepping past Sorey in order to lead the group.

"Sorey I think we should follow him," Lailah suggested. "Where there's fresh water, there's people."

The team moved onward, and it was only about ten minutes later that they came up over the crest of a grassy hill. And when they got to its top, they all let out gasps of awe and wonder. For their before them was a tremendous waterfall that stretched further left and right than any of them could see. There was a cliff face that rose up into the clear blue sky, and over its edge, for what seemed like miles in both directions, the water fell. It rushed downward over the mountain's face, white, raging, and perfect. Mikleo followed a drop of it from the top all the way down, just to see how long it took to fall, and he counted an entire twenty seconds. The waterfall had to of been miles high, and even more so wide.

At its base was a beautiful lake: clean, clear, pure, and a deep indigo blue. The water swirled and churned, mist and foam kicked up from the force of the waterfall above it. The mist was so thick in places that it seemed almost mystical as if it couldn't possibly be real. And the sight was so magnificent that they were all struck speechless.

On either side of the lake, rivers escaped its boundaries. And even without the powers of a water seraph, everyone could tell that this one waterfall fed the entire mountain and all of its plants and creatures.

"Wow…"

And right there before them, just on the lake's shore, was the town of Tolrin. It stood tall and proud; and with its gray stoned walls, clearly made from the rock of the mountain around them, it fit right in. It clearly belonged. And with the green moss on its outer edges and the huge pine trees growing near it, it was also clear that it was old and had been there for hundreds if not thousands of years. It was an impressive size, but under the glory of the waterfall and lake behind it, it appeared as if it were a pea in a bowl of soup.

Mikleo, overwhelmed by the feel of the power of the rushing water all around him, could only mutter out a second, wonder filled, "wow…"

Sorey couldn't vocalize his own emotions any more eloquently than his boyfriend.

"Yeah, wow..." All the shepherd could do was stare. Such a place was beyond incredible, and even a human such as himself could feel the power behind the waterfall as well as the mountain. Sorey was content to watch it for several moments, absorbing the site as well as he possibly could.

"The records don't describe this place well enough," he finally said, speaking so softly most wouldn't be able to hear. "This place...it's..." But once again, words failed him.

The brunet took in a deep breath, loving the smell of the fresh, crisp, misty air surrounding them. And in looking back to Tolrin, Sorey was suddenly eager to head into town.

"We should go," he stated. "Head to town, see what's there." There was a sparkle back in his eyes. It'd be easy for the rest of the team to notice it. Sorey was excited; there was a beautiful new area and a great new town for them to explore and take in.

And...maybe there'd be an inn they could stay at.

That would certainly be nice.

"Everyone ready?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips, looking fresh and ready to go, despite their long journey. He was tired, and his feet hurt, and he was definitely sure he needed a bath. But his excitement took precedence over everything else.

Everyone nodded and let out hums of agreement. They were just as ready as their human counterpart to head to town. After all, seraphs grew tired and weary too, and after many days of travel and eating only what they could catch, everyone was excited to be at a legitimate town. And with Lowgrin being their last place of stay, it was only more relieving to see a place with buildings, walls, and hopefully restaurants.

The team eagerly traveled forward. Upon approaching, they would see just how large Tolrin was. Its outer wall stretched thirty feet high, and it's only entrance was that of a huge drawbridge. Luckily, that drawbridge was down for anyone to walk through, and it was clear by the aged looks of it that it hadn't been raised in some time. The opening in the wall, large arch overhead, was big enough to fit a dragon through. As such, it was easy for carts and wagons to pass each other. Several band wagons were making their way in or out of the busy town, and several more people were on foot like the shepherd and his party. Everyone appeared friendly, and people waved at one another or said hello in passing.

"Sorey, Sorey!" Mikleo cried eagerly as they set foot on the wooden drawbridge and moved closer to town and into the hustle and bustle. And as if his tone of voice didn't give him away enough, he also reached out a hand and grabbed excitingly onto the shepherd's sleeve. "Ask the guard at the gate about the walls and the drawbridge! Tolrin appears very old, and the drawbridge clearly isn't in use anymore. But they would have built the town with protection like this for a reason. There's got to be tons of history here!"

"Oh God…" Edna moaned while rolling her eyes. "Here we go again…"

But Sorey ignored Edna's melodrama. The city was even more impressive up close than it had been far away, and the shepherd was just as eager as his seraph counterpart to learn as much as he could about the history of Tolrin. And so, he quickly beamed at Mikleo, then hurried over towards the nearest unsuspecting guard currently on duty.

"Hello!" Sorey said, his enthusiasm showing all over his youthful visage. He waited for the guard to register he was being addressed, and didn't start up again until he had made eye contact with the much older man. "I have a few questions about the history of this place," he said. "Do you have a moment?" He was doing his best to be polite. Mikleo was always chastising him, and telling him he needed to remember how to interact properly with other humans. He'd been doing a good job as of late.

Today was no exception, apparently, for the guard smiled a bit and turned himself to face the young shepherd.

"I'm always happy to impart what information I do have to travelers," he said by way of greeting. "What would you like to know?"

Sorey grinned, before eagerly pointing out the drawbridge.

"How old exactly is Tolrin? And I can see that the drawbridge isn't used any more...but when did it go out of commission?"

And the guard happily delved into an explanation of the city, which had once been heavily fortified, much to both Sorey and Mikleo's delight. They learned that the town was indeed over a thousand years old, and had originally been a fortress in its early stages. They'd stopped using the drawbridge about fifty years ago, which was just a drop in the bucket of time for the city of Tolrin.

"But if you want to know more," and the guard knew the brunet did, by the way the young man leaned forward eagerly at that, "There is a large museum inside the city, as well as a library that houses many old historical documents. I can't pretend to know all of our city's great and impressive history, so if you want more details, I'd venture there," he said, only now eyeing Sorey's white cloak.

"And I'm sorry, but...could you be...?" And the salt-and-pepper haired man didn't need to finish the question, for Sorey knew exactly what he was referring to.

"Yes. I'm Sorey, the shepherd," he said humbly, not wanting to seem like a braggart or like...well, like he should be treated a certain way, even though that often happened when they came into a new city.

"Well!" the guard stated, clearly pleased and happy to have conversed with someone that was quite talked about around town. He also eyed the area near Sorey, wondering if he was actually looking at a seraph and not knowing it.

"You and your seraph friends should stay at one of our fantastic historical inns," he said. "We've got several, and they're quite lovely. Perfect for travelers who need a good place to rest and an even better place to eat," he said, patting his slightly rotund belly for emphasis. "Tolrin is a wealthy city, and the mountain and the waters provide us plenty of sustenance. I hope you all enjoy your stay here," and he did a funny salute, which made Sorey grin and nod in appreciation. "If you need a map, they sell those in the city's square," he finished, looking rather pleased with himself. An old dog like himself just got to talk to the Shepherd. Who would've thought? And he was interested in history! If only his grandson liked to converse like that.

And with a smile and a wave, Sorey and the rest of the troupe were off.

"He was informative," Mikleo said happily as they made their way forward. "And I can't wait to check out the library and museum!"

Edna started to groan again, but before she could even finish, Mikleo interrupted.

"Hey, that's why we're here," he said. "To learn as much as we can about our enemy, remember? Heldalf was born and raised here, and according to the iris gems, he was a general here too. The library and museum will certainly have information on him, especially since the guard just told us this was a widely military based town until recently."

"Ugh, fine!" Edna conceded. "You two nerds can do all the reading and research you want. At the very least, it doesn't feel like there's much malevolence here. This'll be like a sort of vacation for me. I plan on sleeping and eating eighty percent of the time."

Sorey and the others didn't feel much malevolence either, and all of them tuned in to pay attention to it for a moment. But as they searched with their senses, they found Edna was right. There was always a little in overpopulated areas such as this, just from the darkness people could have in their hearts, but past that, they didn't sense much.

"How exciting!" Lailah chimed in. "It'll be nice to be a little leisurely."

Stepping through the stone archway and into town, everyone gaped once inside. The town was gorgeous. Appearing medieval in most ways, similar to Pendrago, Tolrin had a few distinct differences. For one, there were tall, old looking trees scattered throughout the town. The cobblestone streets appeared as if they were built around the ancient plants, and some of the tree trunks were as wide as an elephants behind. The buildings and shops were also similarly built around the plants, the town clearly having expanded around nature, instead of destroying it.

Another big difference was the color. Although Tolrin clearly used a lot of gray stone the same way Pendrago did, people here had hand painted signs, railings and even rooftops. There seemed to be a central theme around cool colors such as greens, blues and a few violets. Here and there were hints of yellow. The place was mostly shaded, thanks to the huge branches that spread out over them, and the smell of earth was almost as strong as the scent of water.

"Mmmm…" Both Edna and Mikleo hummed pleasingly at once. Hearing it, they both turned and glanced at each other a bit dubiously. Zaveid laughed at their expressions.

"The wind is strong here too," he stated. "Right now it's fine and peaceful, but I can already sense how strong the wind can become after it rolls down the mountain before or after a storm. I think these folks use the ancient trees as protection."

Lailah nodded in agreement.

"Yes, that feels right," she said. "I believe I am actually the weakest element here." And on the surface, that appeared to be true, but what she didn't tell the others was that she also sensed a huge, dormant, type of fire power to the area. But not knowing where it was coming from, and feeling as if the source of the fire was asleep, she decided not to mention it.

"Oh, look at all the restaurants!" Edna suddenly cried. "They're everywhere!"

And indeed they were. As they walked down the shaded cobble stone streets, making their way by people and carts alike, they spotted several restaurants, and the smell of food in the air was spectacular.

"Hmm…" Lailah hummed after smelling some good beef. All the members of the group seemed energized now and all of them were looking around with delight. It was clear to a person, even if they could only physically see the Shepherd, that they were travelers new to the area. And of course, with the way Sorey was, gazing eagerly from place to place, it was easy to pick him out of a crowd.

"You sir!" Called a voice from a cart off to the side of the cobblestone road. "You sir look like a tourist. Would you like some information on Tolrin?"

Turning to look the man's way, the shepherd and his group found him standing just in front of a cart that read 'Information.' On the walls of the cart and along its counter there were pamphlets, maps, and a few books. Lailah looked to the man's smiling face and quickly assessed him. Then she spoke to both Sorey and the group.

"I don't sense any malevolence from him," she said.

"Me neither," Mikleo responded. "And if that's the case, we should definitely go ask. Some basic info and a map would suit us well."

With the encouragement from both Lailah and Mikleo, Sorey hurried over towards the salesman and his wares.

"Hahaha, well, you're right," Sorey said. "We're tourists," he stated. "I'd love a map and any other basic information that you have available," he stated with a smile, totally unaware that he'd used the word 'we' without missing a single beat. The brunet also missed the curious little stare that the salesman gave him, but fortunately for Sorey, he didn't bother to correct him or question it. There was a paying customer, and the customer was always right.

"Of course, sir!" He said with enthusiasm, grabbing a very nice-looking map out of one of the stands, and then snatching up a pamphlet with the more basic information on Tolrin itself.

"This map will prove invaluable to you during your stay, sir," he continued. "It lists and very easily points out all of Tolrin's great attractions. We've many fine restaurants and quality historical inns, as well as museums and a library," he continued, unfolding the map to briefly show Sorey where he could find everything, before folding it back up.

"Thank you!" Sorey said with a grin, eager to get his hands on the paraphernalia. He paid the nice salesman for his wares, and then hurried over towards some benches underneath a rather large oak tree nearby, the seraphs following suit, his head in the map the whole entire time. It was a wonder he didn't stumble into someone - or something- while he'd been walking.

"Mikleo! Look, there's a great library close to this inn," he stated, pointing it out so everyone could see. "I don't think it's too far away..." And Sorey peered up from the map, scanning the town square before him as he tried to get his bearings.

"I think it's this way," he said, all the while looking in the direction of what he believed was the aforementioned attractions.

But Mikleo had his nose in a pamphlet too as he read up on Tolrin's most famous attractions. And right there, plastered all across page one, were several things that sparked a water seraphs excitement.

"Sorey, they have several hot springs in the area," he said. "And there's access to the lake behind the town for spa treatments and swimming. There's a lake beach, and even a few boat tours of some caves in the cliff face!"

He was practically drooling.

Lailah clapped her hands together, her smile wide. "That all sounds so wonderful!"

Mikleo had listened to what Sorey was saying to him about the library and inn however, and quickly flipped to the inn section in his pamphlet to try and find the one Sorey was talking about. But before he could look it up, he was once again taken by the picture of the first inn shown on the first page of the section.

"Oh wow," he hummed. "Sorey, we have to stay at this one." Very eagerly, he thrust the pamphlet out to him, showing him the inn he was referring to. With both of them leading the party, and neither of them looking at anything other than reading material, it was almost comical that they hadn't both tripped, fallen, or crashed into something.

"The Water Crest Inn near the back of town. It's upper floors are built so the rooms have a view over the wall. We could have a spectacular waterfront view of the lake and the waterfall." And of course, there was a beautiful color image of one of the most elaborate rooms at the inn, and it did indeed have a breathtaking view of the waterfall and lake. The ambiance of it was certainly in tune with the usual things Mikleo preferred.

Sorey didn't know how it was possible, but he felt even more excited after Mikleo had pointed out his preferred inn.

"We have to stay at this one," he said as soon as he saw how lovely the rooms were...and how they overlooked the waterfall. It was right up Mikleo's ally, and Sorey felt like their group deserved several night's stay after all the horror they'd gone through lately. Fighting hellions was no easy task, nor was journeying through the desert.

"To the Water Crest Inn it is!" Sorey said, throwing a hand up into the air, narrowly missing punching a swinging overhead sign as he passed underneath it, which only made Lailah giggle in amusement and Mikleo sigh in exasperation.

((On a side note, I had REALLY wanted the game to give us a town/location similar to Tolrin. After playing the game and never having run across such an area, I just knew I had to add it into the fanfiction. That, and I felt woefully incomplete with Heldalf's personal history. Considering most of the game harps on the idea that Sorey HAS to get to know his enemy in order to defeat him, they don't really do a lot of introspection on him. My wife and I will be adding a lot more into that in this story soon. But before we get to all that Sorey and Mikleo are going to have a TON of adorable moments together. Hope you guys enjoy. I'll have the next chapter up on Thursday of this week.))