Tora Steals Things

FPS drifted Tora back through the kitchen, then placed him gently out in the hallway just outside the kitchen door. Tora slumped against the doorframe the minute FPS’s magics ceased. He could feel himself shaking, see it in the quiver of his hands. His near death registered through his nervous system before it reached his brain.

I dropped the knife. It was probably plummeting to the ground now. It didn’t matter anymore.

FPS was saying something, the fierce look in his eyes replaced with concern. Tora couldn’t hear him, could barely recognize he was speaking.

“—Bandi! Miss Bandi?” FPS tried.
“Huh?” The thief blinked, trying to get out of his head and back in his body. “Are you alright?! You’re shaking.”
The tree man reached for Tora, but the thief knocked his hand away.
“I’m fine,” he grumbled. “Fine. I’m fine. I’m… fine.” He said it too many times,

refused to look FPS in the eye as he stood back up. “No to the kitchen, right? Hoo what a scare.” Was that casual enough? Did he sound like he was fine? He wasn’t sure.

“Miss Bandi.” The tree still sounded worried.

“Thanks for that, mate,” Tora tried more forcibly. He finally looked at FPS, gave him a smile. “Let’s uh, try somewhere else, ya?”

Before FPS could agree, they were interrupted by a tiny electronic bark. The two looked back at the kitchen to find the little golem dog from earlier standing out in the middle of the missing kitchen floor. The lightning sword laid beside it, pulsing and generating a single electric floor tile beneath it.

The thief and elementalist stared at it in disbelief. The little golem barked again, then picked up the sword with its teeth and dragged it over the gaping hole towards them. Electric tiles pulsed into life wherever the sword was dragged, and dropped out of existence wherever it left. They watched in wide-eyed silence as the pup happily trotted its prize over, crossed the threshold, and plopped the sword before them.

No one moved.
The dog golem barked and nudged the sword towards Tora.
FPS leaned in, whispered helpfully, “I think she wants you to take it.”
“What? Why?! I—” Tora started, but then suddenly remembered a particular limb of

stone and sparks from earlier—a limb he’d thrown off down a hallway. He eyed the sparking metal sword before him. “Oh. Oh wow, uh. This is… not at all what I threw, little guy.”

‘Little guy’ did not understand. It waited patiently.
“I think she wants you to throw it again,” FPS whispered.