As the moon began to rise Oliver was lost in thought.
"So what they just, looked at me and said "Fuck it we're done taking caring him"?"
James took a drag off his pipeweed cigar.
"Not those words but yeah. We came back to the Inn to spend our quest money, and when they heard our tales about the manticore they were horrified we took their child into danger. Which I mean, is fair but you guys are teenagers you're gonna have to learn how to fight soon."
Randor nodded sagely.
"But after that, i pointed you out since you were unconscious and they said "That ain't our child. It's wasted a stall in our stables long enough", before taking Pip up to the house bit."
Oliver thought on James's words for a moment with a frown.
"Try not to think-fester on it friend. I also ran away from home-suva!" Kame said smiling down at the Jinx boy.
"Home-Suva?" Oliver repeated back confused.
"When the le-matoran gave me my toa-hero stone, I became the toa-hero of light, which is what incarnate take form–shape as when born as matoran."
"What's a Matoran?" Oliver asked.
"We dwarves call 'em Urverkmaske. They're little metal people said to be made by ancient dwarves known as the Ansiktsbyggers."
James glanced back at Oliver.
"In common they're called Autognomes, and Kame here or "Toa" are called Warforged."
"Oh, I've seen a red one of those in the bar once. He was like a foot taller than me, and had a blue face… Mask… Whatever."
"Takua! An old friend, didn't know he was in Ezatria." Kame said happily.
"It was a year ago I think."
"Well I hope he write-chronicles it, the ta-matoran has a fierce-burning flair for word-speech!"
"Oi lad, issat the village?" Randor points at a group of buildings about a mile off in the distance.
"Yep! Conyberry village. Last time we went here, everyone seemed so sad… It's way quieter than Phandalin."
"Well yeah, they're kids are bein' stolen by the Fae! Nasty little buggers, they have a twisted sense of morals and love tricks. Be on yer guard, lad." Randor said as he pulled his shield off his back.
Seeing this, Oliver pulled his sword out and twirled it into a ready stance as they entered the sleeping village.
"You know how to use a sword kid?" Jame asked as he glanced back.
"I've uh… I've been having strange dreams lately…"
"Shit are you next on the abduction list?" James asked as he let Oliver take the lead.
"No, not about fairies. It's weird. I feel like I'm falling in this big black void, and then I land on this big stained glass window. I have to fight these giant shadow monsters with this sword." He holds up the sword.
"Like this exact sword…"
"Been dreaming about adventuring for a while then?" James asked.
"I didn't even know this sword existed in the Coster. Let alone want it, I don't like killing things."
"Well get over that real quick." Suddenly James stopped.
The party stopped and looked after him.
"Oi mate, whatcha-" Randor started but was shushed by James.
"Something's following us…" James pointed down a dark alleyway.
"Well let's shed-shine some fire-light on this.." Kame said before launching a blast of fire down the alleyway.
Small humanoids, no bigger than a goblin, were all huddled in the alley. They were indeed watching them, and as the party took notice of them their beady yellow eyes began to glow with malice.
"Those don't look like goblins…" James said as he snapped his fingers and cupped his hands around his cigar causing blue lightning to spark and form a gray blade from the cigar.
The strange shadow creatures sank into the ground and small masses of dark energy surrounded the party.
"Fey Creatures!?" James asked Randor.
"I don't fucking know! Brownies maybe?" Randor said as he pulled out his warhammer.
Oliver however knew what these were.
"They're shadows. These are the monsters from my dreams. Only magic can hurt them, I need that key!" He shouted before pointing his blade at a Shadow as it rose up from the dim ground.
"Teine!" Oliver shouted, intending to will a bolt of fire into existence, however with a flash of blue light, a strange aura clings to his form, as if it were armor.
"Huh? Whatever, I'm going in!" Oliver said as he rushed at the shadow.
"Wait, Don't!" James shouted to Oliver as Oliver's sword passed through the shadow. Seizing its opportunity, the shadow stabs its claws into Oliver's chest. But its claws only pierce the blue aura armor, and pushes the young boy back.
"You idiot! You said only magic hurts them, your sword isn't magic!" James yelled as a Shadow rushed him, phasing through the darkness, the shadow moved past his blade to slash into his leather chest piece.
"Shit!" He yelled out as he tried to retaliate against the creature, before it faded back into the darkness.
Kame laced a wall of stone upward only to see the shadow pool through the wall, and strike at Kame. The scratch sparked off of Kame's natural armor leaving gashes in the bone like armor.
He barely had time to react as a Second shadow sprung up behind him and struck at his back.
"Gah! Randor! Some quick-help would be nice!"
"Bit Busy lad!" The dwarf called back as the Shadow clawed into his shield.
"I'll be there in a- Rargh!" Randor cried out as a second Shadow slashed into the dwarf.
"Fuck these shifty lil' bastards!"
James waited for a moment before the Shadow rose up into physicality and slashed down at it. The smoke blade carved through the shadow stuff, causing black smoke to pour out of the 'wound'.
With a snarl James raised his hand and formed a small ball of red energy in his left palm and pointed it down at the Shadow.
"Drop Dead."
With a small explosion he blasted the shadow into nothingness.
"That's one of… How many?" James asked the party.
"Looks like 7 now!" Oliver said as he blocked a strike with his sword.
Kame dances around the shadow before pulling out a strange crossbow-like weapon, with a large cage on top holding four different glowing orbs. One Green, One Red, One Black, and the Blue one loaded into the blaster part. The Toa of Light fired the blue orb into the Shadow as a blast of Water swirls around the shadow before collapsing in on itself crushing the shadow into nothingness.
"6 now!" Kame said as he made his way over to Randor.
Randor slammed his hammer down into the Shadow, but it passed right through the shadow.
"Morradin Varm opp våpenet mitt!" He shouts before bringing his down onto the shadow. The shadow began to glow read hot as a bright white hammer rune is left on it's chest before the shadow being exploded into flame.
Oliver watched as his new friends struggled against the foes. He looked at his blade, he knew that this stupid sword could turn into that key. He just didn't know how to activate it. He wonder if maybe…
Oliver let down his guard and let the shadow strike him.
"No kid! WHAT THE HELLS ARE YOU DOING?!" James yelled as the shadowy claws dug deep into Oliver's chest. The young jinx coughed up blood as he tightened his grip around his blade.
As Oliver thrust the blade upward he felt a surge of magical energy as in an instant. He summoned forth the Keyblade from his dreams; CleaveStriker.
"Urchair!" Oliver's voice boomed as several balls of white hot light whistled out from the axehead of CleaveBreaker and slammed into the remaining shadows. Strange glowing pink hearts appeared from the shadows blasted by the attack and began to rise up toward the slowly rising full moon.
"Shit, let's get to that orphanage, being outside in the full moon is never a good idea." James said but Oliver could barely hear him as he finally collapsed on the ground.
Oliver slowly came too in a bed. He glanced around the room, it was Sofie and Renata's room in Alacarn Orphanage. He glanced to the bed next to him, to see his friend sound asleep and glanced back towards the foot of the bed where Randor sat in a chair, and motioned for Oliver to stay still and silent.
Outside, Kame and James sat nearby, watching a patrol of two guards loop around the orphanage.
"So why don't you like being out-seen by Luna-moon?" Kame said as James stared intently into the ground.
"Back in my village, there was a legend about a monkey obake who looked into the full moon and so angered the moon spirit she brought terrible misfortune to the obake and destroyed his village. I'd rather not be more cursed than our new friend that fuckin dumbass up there." The man said in between rapid puffs of his cigar.
Kame shrugged. "Fair enough."
Suddenly they both hear the window slowly creak open in the distance.