The bell rang as the door opened. Toof looked up from his work in the backroom. He was a Elber of Elberon, dark purple with a smooth almost featureless face. His eyes were a vibrant pink that contrasted nicely with his face. He was thin and lanky, with loose fitting clothes that seemed too big on him. He had slight bags under his eyes, the only thing that betrayed his age. As he made his way out of the backroom and to behind the counter of his small nondescript bookshop in Brightmoon he looked around.

"Hello? Anyone here?" he called out. The stacks and rows nearly reached the ceiling everywhere in the store, and customers usually disappeared from sight when entering.

"About time Toof, I began to wonder if something had happened to you back there," a familiar voice called out. Toof turned to see a white Magicat standing in front of a bookshelf in the philosophy section. He plucked a book from the row and held it up, "On the Principles of Hordism,' Is this one new? I've never heard of it."

"Riley!" Toof exclaimed moving from behind the counter and embracing his old friend. "It is good to see you, it has been too long."

Riley returned the embrace and said with a chuckle, "Toof it's been a week since our last sit down."

"I know but any time is too long between old friends," he said letting Riley go. He walked to the front of the store and set the sign to closed, and hopefully it would be for no more than an hour. He gestured for Riley to follow him behind the counter, "Come, come, my friend, I will put the tea on."

After allowing it to boil and setting the small wooden table both friends sat at, Toof sighed and poured a cup for each of them.

"I do love the smell of your tea. It is from Plumeria correct?" Riley asked.

"Your senses serve you well, good doctor. Indeed. The southern regions, a delicious little flower blooms there called the Silverstar. It is said that if you drink it before bed, it gives you good dreams."

"I will take your whole tin then; I do need it."

"Don't we all? It has been a hard few years for us all."

"It has been a hard life for some of us in this room."

"Yes," Toof said with a chuckle, "Or all of us in this room, I suppose."

They shared a laugh at that and settled into a comfortable silence. They sipped their tea gently.

"How is your shop doing?" Riley asked.

"Brightmoon is home to some of the most educated in Etheria, people always need books. Especially those of a more… esoteric quality."

"Esoteric. Good word. Good word for what you peddle," Riley said.

"Yes, well, someone needs to keep the School alive I suppose. Most of it was lost in the Bloom you know. Thousands of data slates gone. All those stories, all that data, all those tomes. Eaten by plants," Toof said, sipping again. "Someone needs to remember the Horde."

"We do. The veterans on the streets do too. And the survivors. They will tell their own tales, in time. I hear that one clone is already doing a speaking tour. Setting up small groups to get former Horde to discuss their experiences with each other."

"Yes, I had heard of that. What was his name? 'Wrong Hordak?' Odd name if you ask me."

"Says the Elber named Teufel," Riley joked.

"Well at least I am not so ashamed I changed my name, am I 'Polly'?" Toof snarked back.

"I have not been that man for a long time. Long before I met up with you again in Dryll."

There was another silence. This one was bit more tense. Toof had something on his mind.

"Do- Do you ever miss it?" Toof asked hesitantly, setting his cup down.

"I miss the clowns. I do not miss the circus," Riley states cryptically.

"A straight answer please, Force Major."

Riley looked at his friend, eyes narrowed, "I am not Force Major."

"Yes, yes of course. Forgive me. I have gotten old. Old men reminisce."

"But to answer your question. I miss my friends. I miss the comradery. I miss the sense of purpose it gave us. I miss having a grand mission."

Toof could sense it, "But?"

"But I do not miss her. I do not miss the abuse. I do not miss what we were made to do. And I do not miss what we chose to do after that."

"Things could've been different if it had all worked out. If people had done their jobs. If people had been loyal."

"They were loyal, Toof. They were loyal to her. Our idealism led to our downfall. It took someone far more cynical than us remove her from the equation. But by then the damage had been done. There was no saving that beast. It was already dead."

"I suppose."

Riley took a final sip from his cup and set it down.

"It has come, Toof."

"Hm, what has?"

"The final mission. The last stretch. I need the files, Toof."

Toof looked at his friend in horror. He tried to hide it but it was in his eyes. "What files?"

"Do not play stupid. I know about the Underground. I know even after we were exiled you remained a member. From what I gather you are a kind of hub, a nexus point, shuffling all kinds of materials between waypoints."

Riley stood. He towered over his seated friend. "I need them, Toof. Where are they?"

Toof tried very hard to not look, he mustered every remaining ounce of discipline but it was too much, like an itch that wouldn't go away. For a brief second Toof glanced at the floorboards, at the spot where the basement compartment was housed.

Riley smiled sadly. "Same old Toof. Too weak to not make a mistake."

Toof looked up at his friend and opened his mouth to ask what he meant but he never got the chance. Like lightning, Riley struck sideways and up, raking his razor shop claws across Toof's neck and tearing out his throat. Riley stepped aside as the first jet of blood ejected, it missed him completely and splattered along the ground. He watched as Toof crawled, holding his neck, trying to apply pressure to the wound. But it was too large to be held properly. Toof collapsed and his body began to spasm as it shut down.

"I know you told her. I know you outted me. It would have worked Toof. I was foolish for trusting you. For having any friends at all. We could have saved the Horde. If only you had let me kill Shadow Weaver."

He squatted down and stared into the single visible eye of his friend, watching as the life faded in and out of it. "I understand you were afraid. We all were. But you couldn't face that fear. But someone greater then us did. And she needs my help now. And I will help her, and I will help Etheria."

Riley stood and planted his foot on Toof's now lifeless body and rolled him. He reached down and pulled the hidden compartment open, revealing a set of stairs that descended down into a dark room.

Riley descended into the pit, into the dark, once again.

"For the sake of Etheria, the Horde must die."