~The Sanguine Lord~

There was a shocked silence after they finished telling their story. I glared at the mountain in the distance. The grand city of Mithra'Vheen sat serenely at the base of the gargantuan mountain, as if it didn't care or notice the tragedy that had occurred not long ago.

A strong woman and amazing leader killed alongside her husband who seemed as sturdy as the mountain, just like that. Angry tears ran down Eliara's face. "I'll kill him," she spat, "I'll rip out his heart so he may feel as I do now." She was still gripping the openly weeping Fionna in her arms.

With hate in his voice, the captain of the Rock Drakes seethed, "I stand with you Helfist. That fallen priest will know fury that will make the Gods tremble." His men roared in agreement.

These fools were on the verge of storming the city, and I'm apt to join them. Unfortunately, if the Duke died so easily, we would stand no chance. I flared my blood drenched aura. Shivers ran down everyone's spines as the glanced to me. I still glared at the city. In a flat voice of barely controlled violence I said, "No. You are to return with me to Nashville. We have work to do."

"With all due respect, which is a lot to be fair, but a Lord you may be you are not our Lord. Ours is resting with the ancestors by the hand of a traitor," shot back the captain.

I finally glanced back and the battle hardened warrior flinched as he met my burning crimson eyes, "That may be the case, but your new Lord stands before you exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Will you abandon Fionna on some halfcocked mission of revenge? Or will you honor the memory of Armstrong and defend her daughter."

He glanced at Fionna and sighed, the roaring flame of fury not dying out, but simply being put aside. "Aye, you speak truth Sanguine. What's this work you speak of?"

I turned fully around, following Bogerd's example and calming myself. "With both Maya and Rue here, we can get to work increasing our technological standing. I had wanted to quit living like cavemen and increase our quality of life for the sake of moral, but that will have to be placed on the back burner for now." I turned to the couple, "I need you two to focus on defenses and weaponry. We set up a stash of guns hoping they would be of use eventually. We don't know if or when the Bishop will attack us. From what you told us, he seems to dislike that his new Goddess took a liking to me, therefore, we can't exclude the threat he poses."

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Upon receiving nods I continued, "In addition, we need to kick our training into high gear. This is where you come in Bogerd. Asha has enough expertise to get our people on the right path to defending themselves along with a decent amount of knowledge in the arcane. However, self defense is a long way from militant might. Our combatants lack cohesion and discipline."

He nodded, "I can whip your people into shape."

"Thanks. The next thing we need to focus on his getting our powerhouses as powerful as possible. Which means we need powerful enemies, alchemical ingredients, and natural treasures. I was hesitant to leave for any large amount of time since it would leave the settlement vulnerable, but with the Rock Drakes assisting in defense, that is no longer a worry. Only problem is none of us know alchemy. Any of your men know how?"

Bogerd began to shake his head in the negative when, with a sniffle and clearing her throat, Fionna replied, "I do. I was Auntie Dreya's unofficial apprentice. I'm nowhere near as skilled as her, but I can make pills that will help purify your core and potions for healing and mana."

I smiled gently, "Thank you Fionna. We'll need all the product you can manage. Please, when you feel up to it, get us a list of materials to look out for." With a goal in mind to distract her, she nodded and extracted herself from Eli's embrace, much to Eliara's reluctance. "Now, let's get a bit further away from the city and then we can rest, our friends here look pretty worn out."

The sun began to set when we decided to set up camp. Darkness overtook us as a campfire was brought to life. I poked the fire and glanced around. It was a gloomy, tense atmosphere. Eli and Fionna were huddled together, comforting each other. I took a deep breath and began, "I set out on a narrow way many years ago, Hoping I would find true love along the broken road..." When I finished singing my subpar but honest rendition of Bless the Broken Road, tears of my own ran down my face. On the way from my mother's funeral, this song played on the radio. It kept my broken heart together as I thought every bad thing that happened only made our bond stronger and that one day when my body is broken and failing, I'll see her again. Those memories were dredged up from that age old scar.

Eliara squeezed Fionna who gave a small smile and nodded. She then stood and walked over to where I sat and put her arm around my shoulder. I placed my hand in the demonic arm resting in her lap. "That was beautiful Victor," she whispered.

"Thank you, Victor," Fionna smiled.

I wiped my eyes and laughed, "I didn't do the song justice. If we can manage it, I'd love to show you the original version."

Asha replied, "It was lovely, really."

Bogered, apparently was inspired and began a Dwarvish requiem that the other Mithra'Vheen natives knew well. Soon they were all singing a somber farewell to Amelia and Levi. They finished the night sharing stories about their interactions or favorite stories about the late Duke and Levi.