"SETH! Where is Seth!" Tom cried out after making sure the beast was finished.
"He's over here!" Called Jay.
Running over to where Jay was near the healers, he pushed his way through the group of people that had gathered there. Men and women were laid out on the ground in a row with healers going from person to person trying to help any they could. Jay was at the end of the row kneeling over Seth's body. No healers were nearby helping him.
"Seth! Seth! Speak to me!" Tom said as he ran to the end of the road.
Jay looked up at him, tears running down his face. He shook his head slowly as he looked back down at Seth. Seth's body had four giant holes in his abdomen that had nearly cut him in two. His chest did not rise and fall and his skin was a deathly pale color. He had been nearly cut in half. Blood stained his clothes and armor.
"No, no, no, no, no! This is all my fault! We led him here and he trusted us!" Tom cried as tears began to fall from his own eyes.
"It wasn't your fault, He chose to come with us. We all knew the risks when we joined." Derek said putting a hand on his shoulder.
"But it should have been me! We convinced him to come and now he's gone!" Tom continued.
"We can't think like that. We all did what we had to do. Because of him, Kiera is still alive. If he hadn't come she wouldn't be here." Derek said. "He died bravely, saving someone in return. He would be happy with his lot."
Tom wept over Seth's body more and others joined to mourn their loss. Nearly a third of their number were now dead with many more injured as well, as the healers helped the best they could to mend wounds.
The mood was somber as those who could be healed were, and the rest were laid to rest quietly as the members of their team took their gear. They reverently gathered their belongings and divided them among their teams, all except Tom's team who laid Seth's gear beside him.
"We will have to take their bodies out of the dungeon. We can bury them once we exit." Derek said to the teams.
"Where is Bob?" Tom asked.
"I'm over here, Tom," Bob said.
"Were you able to fix the machine?" Tom asked, still finding it hard to speak.
"I was. I Figured out what had happened and fixed the issue. Everything should go back to normal now.
Quest Complete:
Destroy the Corruption:
Your party has defeated the Devourer and set the world right again, preventing the need to destroy the planet. Each member of the party has received 20,000 XP and a rare core for their efforts.
"A hollow prize for the sacrifice we've made," Tom said.
"It will help so many others though. Now we can be sure that the rest will get the items they need." Derek said. "Come on Tom, We need to get ready to leave the dungeon to let the others know."
They waited for the healers to finish and were able to get the bodies ready to be taken out of the dungeon. Marching back the way they came, no one saying a word, the parties left to grab the last of the bodies they had to leave behind before leaving the dungeon. The mood did not lighten as they went and the feelings of loss weighed heavy on every heart that marched through the dungeon, only knowing they had made a difference kept them moving forward. Tom carried Seth's body himself while Jay carried his gear. Tears continued to fall, leaving streaks in the grime and blood smeared on his face.
They reached the entrance to the dungeon and as they approached the door slid open with the familiar sound of stone grinding on stone. When the door had completely lowered, the party was met with the entire camp waiting for them near the entrance of the cave. A cheer erupted from the crowd of gathered men at seeing them alive and returning. As quickly as it began though, it died on their lips as they saw the faces of those coming out and the bodies they carried.
Parting so the group could pass they lowered their heads to join the mood that the raid party was expressing. Loss was still loss after all, even when there was so much to be thankful for. Laying the bodies gently down in a row outside the cave, the entire camp sprang into action to show their respect for those who had fallen in the battle.
Someone recommended funeral pyres instead of burial so that the families could have something to return, and all the teams agreed that was the better solution. While the materials were gathered, a few members of the camp erected a pile of stones with a single tablet put in front that they engraved all the names of those who fell, including Jake and his team.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
In memory of those who gave their lives so that so many could live:
Frank Marshall
Jennifer Hall
Alex Stevens
Phillip Paulson
John Erics
Emil Folks
Andrew Cordon
Jack Silvers
Emily Hanson
Joshua Thorn
Wesley Starr
Jake Weathers
Steve Miller
Harold Hanover
Edward Burgess
Forrest Tripp
Seth Stone
After the pyres were prepared, everyone gathered as those who had died were laid upon the prepared wood. One of the mages cast an ember spell and held the flame in their hand.
"We offer those who gave their lives so the rest of us may live to the ether. May their souls forever find peace in the beyond for the sacrifice they made for us. We treasure their memory so that they will forever be with us in our hearts and memories. They will never truly be gone, for they will continue on this great adventure through the lives that continue on because of their fight. May they continue on the journey before them, so that we may fight for others, and strive to make this world a better place." The mage said.
With those words, he knelt and lit the fire as it spread across the prepared wood and grew to a bonfire, consuming all that it touched. No one spoke as many shed tears in remembrance of their friends. Drinks were passed around to share in the solemnity of the moment that they shared together.
New logs were placed on the campfire and food was brought out from every party who had gathered. They threw a feast in honor of those who gave their lives. Everyone ate, drank, and toasted to those who had made that ultimate sacrifice. Some sang songs of warriors of old and others danced around the fire in celebration.
At one point Kiera got up, pulled out her lute, and sang a song by Manowar called Army of the Dead, and by the end, there wasn't a dry eye in the camp.
"Raise thy weapons on this day, ye shall not die alone. Fight and die let valkyries fly, for they shall take thee home. I promise thee that on this night, ye shall be by my side. Asgard's halls await with heroes, brothers that have died. For thee we wait at Asgard's gates, come join us by our side. Valhalla waits so choose thy fate, for all of us must die!"
The party went late into the night as everyone celebrated and ate and drank their fill. Eventually, the funeral pyres burned down and so did the campfire. Everyone set up to sleep for the night and passed out in their tents. Tom sat by the fire still, not feeling like he could sleep. Derek, James, Kiera, and Jay came to join him.
"You guys should just get some sleep. We have to travel in the morning." Tom said.
"Nah, we would rather stay here," Jay said.
"Yeah, you're not getting rid of us that easy," Kiera said before taking a swig from a bottle of wine.
They sat there in silence for a moment while they drank their booze.
"I remember when we first met Seth," Derek began. "He was truly amazing. He had such talent for someone so young."
"He was such a sweet soul," Kiera said. "I still can't forgive myself for what happened."
"You didn't do it. You were fighting the same monster he was." Tom said.
"But he died saving me," Kiera said.
"He stepped in to make sure you were okay. He's a hero for that." Derek said. "Don't tarnish his sacrifice by saying things like that. You have to grieve, but you also have to remember how brave he was."
"He truly was brave. That little shitbag was always protecting those people in Decatur." James said.
"He was so much more. He was the best of us." Tom said holding his bottle of whiskey in the air.
"The best of us," The rest said joining Tom in raising bottles of drinks.
"Remember when I got burnt to a crisp because that fucker was playing with the goblin?" James said laughing.
"You sure got the bad end of that stick. You looked like Anikan Skywalker before Briana healed you." Kiera said.
"More like someone roasted a nutsack instead of a marshmallow over a fire for too long," Jay said.
"Oh, you're one to talk, you look like a nutsack right now," James said.
"Weak comeback," Jay said.
"Look, I'm a little drunk, I'm trying here," James said.
"I'm sure you've said that to a lover before," Derek said.
Laughing and joking, the team stayed up until the sun began to rise. They finally shuffled off to their tents to rest once the rest of the camp began to rouse and move around. Falling into their tents completely drunk, they slept deeply as they tried to put the events of the day before behind them.
When they awoke later food had been prepared and they ate to try to cure the hangovers. The ashes of all the bodies had been gathered into containers for each team to take back with them. They were handed out to each of the team leaders and they took them with reverence.
Tom stored Seth's ashes in his inventory, promising his team they would stop in Decatur on their way home to speak with his friends there to let them honor him as well.
After the ashes were passed out, they packed up the tents and began to make their way to leave the Grand Canyon. Before they left though, the other members of the teams they had joined with came to see them off.
"Before you go, we wanted to say thank you," Zach said.
"We all experienced loss, but we know that we did the right thing and wanted to thank you for getting us all together to stop that monster," Isaac said.
"We'd still be up there fighting for the next turn if it wasn't for that," Chris said.
"We just did what we thought was right," Tom said.
"We know, but we wanted to thank you. We appreciate what you did." Zach said. "You also put up a hell of a fight. You guys are pretty amazing."
"You all weren't so bad yourselves," Derek said. "We make a hell of a team. If you're ever in Dallas, look us up."
"Dallas eh? We will definitely look you up at some point." Zach said.
"Thanks, friends, We are so happy to have met you all as well. We have to get back to the guild, but we hope to see you again one day." Tom said, each of them shaking hands in turn.