After resting a while, Caleb would a little better. He was still out cold though. He really must have been looking for Damon all night.
“I know he is sorry and all that… But are you just going to forgive him? The towns people too… If I were you I would tell them to go kick rocks.” Azanor admitted with a scoff.
“I… I forgive him… I know what it was like, growing up afraid… It was probably scarier for him than it was for me… Losing your dad and then… Having me come along… I don’t blame him for not knowing what to do… We were both kids. And for what it is worth, he did treat me like a brother… Even if he hid a lot.” Damon admitted, conflicted.
“He sounds like a coward…” Azanor muttered to himself, clearly not supportive. “I suppose it is up to you though. I feel like the town is more guilty than anyone… Antagonizing a child… Mortals are so foolish at times” He sighed out.
‘I feel like the whole brother thing hits a nerve with Azanor… Though his relationship with his own brother is murky so I guess it makes sense…’
“I don’t know about the town… I know Luna manipulated them… But… I need to think…” Damon admitted.
“Don’t feel forced to, regardless of what you pick, you are one of us now. We won’t let you deal with this alone anymore.” Kazius assured.
“I wouldn’t forgive them either…” Alice admitted, clearly some of her own personal feelings towards Ratier seeping into her words. For once her an Azanor were actually on the same page.
“But it is better to be friends when you can.” Eve would respond contently.
“Yeah…” Damon stated, being awfully quiet, looking conflicted.
As they spoke, Caleb would stir, waking up. “Where… Oh! Sorry… About that…” He stated, the hybrid looking embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to fall sleep on you…” He stated.
“It is okay, you ran around a lot… And running has never been your strength.” Damon teased, seeming to be trying to be his usual self, despite what they were talking about just a bit ago.
Caleb smiled at this, “Thanks a lot… Geez. You know I am a shut in.” He would chuckle out, looking relieved and content. He still had dark circles around his eyes, but a long nap wouldn’t fix that, even if a long one… Then again… It was already almost evening and the sun would set soon.
“Should we head back to town?” Kazius asked, after all, they were here to cheer Damon up and now that Caleb was here, what Damon wanted to do may have changed.
“I think we should… I… I am worried, to be honest… Luna… She is unhinged… I know I have no right to ask you to do this… But… I worry about the safety of the town…” Caleb admitted, “Some of the stuff she said… When I told her I wouldn’t join her… It worries me…”
Damon at this would frown a bit, looking conflicted yet again. He would end up looking at Kazius, “Should we help them?” he asked, acting like the situation didn’t involve him.
‘So even someone as big hearted as Damon could hold a grudge… He didn’t hesitate for a second to save us… Then again… Now that he has friends and doesn’t feel desperate and lonely, he may act more freely towards what he wants.’
“I am not sure…” Kazius admitted, contemplating the situation… He did like Vargstam as a base… And he was supposed to become The Monster King… Maybe it was in his best interest to do so, even if he didn’t like how they treated Damon… He could do so and see what happens. He did lean towards helping people… Even if he held a grudge on behalf of his friend.
“Just how much damage can she even do? She is a spell caster or something, right? One spell caster is something I can handle on my own. Werewolf or not.” Azanor pointed out with a scoff.
“You don’t know, Luna… She is crazy…” Caleb admitted in concern.
“She is crazy, but she is still just a spell caster. Aren’t you better than her at magic?” Alice admitted, agreeing with Azanor again. The descendant of Ratier was buddies with a Demon… Their group was a strange one.
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“I suppose…” Caleb trailed off, “But you don’t know her like how I do… Damon… You know what she is like when angry…”
Kazius sighed, “We will help them.” He agreed with a sigh.“Not sure what we would be helping them with anyway… But we will… What do you think she will do? Cause a scene in town? I did warn her…” He trailed off. Kazius did not make empty threats after all, but he knew the situation was more complicated than that.
Damon would simply smile weakly at Kazius, “I trust you to make the right call… I… I know I am placing this burden on you… When this is something, I should handle…” He sighed out.
‘Is Luna that crazy? I thought Damon would argue more… She did seem unhinged… But to agree I can finish her off if I want is… Then again, I doubt Caleb and Damon could bring themselves to do that themselves… Even if she is trying to hurt them… Still… Just what do they think she will do?’
“Alright… If you guys are that worried… let’s head back to town, we can cut through the valley and go towards a higher point near the mountains to get there faster.” Kazius suggested. From their expressions… It was clear the only ones in the group who understood the concern with Luna were Damon and Caleb… Then again… She did conspire to murder the former Chief and turned the town against Damon… To plan something like that out for so many years, even partially when she was young… She had to be a certain level of insane…
As they would travel back to town, they could see quite far out due to the higher elevation… It was a shame Alice, Damon, and him couldn’t go mountain climbing today… It was the perfect weather. Such thoughts would quickly fade once they got close enough to town that they could see it within view. They could also see a bit farther away past the town…
Kazius froze, going wide-eyed. Stopping dead in his tracks.
Confused as to why he stopped walking, the group would look at him.
“What’s wrong?” Alice questioned in confusion.
Kazius would simply point out into the distance.
“Is… Is that… An army?” Alice questioned in disbelief, squinting her eyes. She did not have the sort of vision the nonhumans in the group had.
“My brother would love her.” Azanor admitted in awe, “What a crazy bitch…” The Demon did not usually curse, but Kazius understood his shock.
“Frost giants…” Damon stated in horror.
“I told you…” Caleb stated in concern and horror. “I wasn’t sure what she would do… I don’t know how she even got them to do this… The Frost Giants do hate us… Ever since our people moved here… We had a history with of war with them… But they stopped attacking a long time ago… When the first Chief drove them away…”
“That must be where she had been sneaking out to when she left the house… Staying at their home… Plotting this…” Kazius stated in shock. Was she trying to cause a massacre because she lost control of the town?
‘Better off dead than following Damon, huh?’
Kazius would think to himself. It seems he may indeed have to finish off the woman for Damon’s sake. She truly meant it when she said she would not stop until he wished for death.
“The town is in low ground in the valley… They are sitting ducks… They can’t even see them approach…” Alice would state in terror, her expression full of shock and concern. It seems her grudge against the town was gone due to the dire situation.
“So many!” Eve exclaimed in awe, seeming excited rather than nervous, “They’re so big!” She chirped. “…I wonder how loud it will be when their heads hit the floor.”
At her words Alice would give the Elf woman a concerned look.
“When they fall over. We will trip them, right?” Eve questioned innocently again.
“Right…” Alice would respond, giving her a few side glances.
“Enough, we should move… Caleb, Damon. You two will let the town know of the situation… Maybe this will wake them up on who they have been siding with… Once done, Damon you come meet up with us near the army at a high point, near where we first met. I have an idea… We need to take care of a good amount before confronting them ourselves… Caleb, do you know any defensive magic?”
“Y-Yes, sir.” Caleb would stammer out, seeming taken aback by Kazius’ commanding nature out of nowhere and ending up speaking formally to him without realizing it.
Kazius would raise a brow at this but dismissed it. He knew Caleb was not a sociable person so was aware he likely caught him off guard. “Good, your job will be keeping the townspeople safe. Damon, when you come, bring anyone willing to fight…”
“You got it!” Damon exclaimed eagerly. Seeming more excited for a fight than depressed about what his sister was doing. At least on the surface anyway. Kazius knew Damon had the habit of smiling and laughing when he was upset too.
“Oh! We’re playing soldiers? What about me? Sir, yes sir!” Eve exclaimed eagerly.
“Eve, you have to be told what to do first before saying yes sir.” Kazius sighed out. “Anyway, Azanor, Eve… I will have you be at the rear. You are not to let a single person past you… No one gets to Caleb’s barrier… It should be strong, but shields like that isn’t impenetrable… One person only has so much mana and he has to shield a whole town. Even if he wasn’t exhausted, it would difficult. I don’t care who it is, if they go near the town, kill them. Understood? Alice, you’re with me.”
“Yes, Siree!” Eve chirped oh too eagerly.
“Sure.” Azanor stated with a shrug, smiling a bit as he looked at the eager Elf woman.
“Of course.” Alice beamed, seeming happy that she would get to stay by his side.
“I hope people from a warrior tribe have their pride left… Attacking Werewolves on the day of a full moon while the sun is setting… I can’t imagine a bigger insult, so they better be willing to defend themselves…” Kazius stated with a frown, looking over at the town.
‘Alright… Let’s see how this goes…’