Learning to Care

Chapter 1

Toby strolled into Blinky's library, looking for the kind- hearted troll. Cupping his hands around his mouth, Toby shouted, "Blinky are you in here? Jim needs your advice on something!" Blinky's head popped up from behind a stack of books and he greeted Toby, then left to meet Jim at Hero's Forge. Since Toby wasn't planning to train until Aargh was done sparring with Jim and Claire, he decided to wander around Troll Market, eventually reaching the home of Rot and Gut, dealers in hard to find objects.

Since he was bored, Toby gave Rot and Gut some dirty socks on the condition that they would give him something to occupy his time for awhile. The dealers agreed and handed Toby something small from one of the small openings in their door. "So if you want to activate it, just poke it three times." Gut said. Toby nodded and thanked the dealers, grinning as he thought of what he would do with the strange item. It's soft purple glow splashed across Toby's wide face as he reached for it.

"Hey Blinky, what does this do? Is it a weapon or something?" Toby inquired as he walked into the Hero's Forge. Blinky had been showing Jim how to use a certain fighting stance with the aid of Aargh while Claire worked with her staff, and when he turned around his six eyes widened with alarm. "Tobias, set that down. It's a very dangerous gum-gum device- where did you even find something like that?" Toby shrugged, shifting the glowing sphere around in his hands, and explained that Rot and Gut had given it to him, saying that he had asked for something to occupy him. "So to make it work I just tap it I guess, like this." Toby moved to demonstrate, tapping the glassy surface three times.