by Tony Johnson
“No, only some scrapes and bruises. Nothing serious.”
“You’re pulling away now in our game of saving each other’s lives. You sacrificed yourself to take down that final column so Grizz and I could escape.”
Ty played down the sacrifice by saying, “Well, I felt like since I'm smaller and quicker, I might've had the best chance to run out right after you.”
Just as Steve detected from Grizz a couple days ago about withholding aspects of his past, he also knew that Ty's explanation was not the real reason he decided to stay back to destroy the last column supporting the roof of the lair.
I think Ty considered himself the most expendable out of all of us. He knew Kari and I had a budding relationship and that Grizz had a family to support. It’s easy to see why he was willing to give his life so we would live.
“Well, whatever the reason,” Steve said, alluding to the fact he knew Ty had acted more selfless than he was leading on, “I can't thank you enough for what you’ve done for me. Not only did you risk your life in the lair, you stepped aside when you knew I liked Kari and encouraged me to start building more of a connection to her. She’s great. She tells me what I need to hear even if I don’t want to hear it.”
“You deserve someone like her. Plus, the last thing we need with everything that's happened is a dramatic love triangle.”
“We already went through one of those five years ago and look where it got us,” Steve recalled.
“Two months of us giving each other the silent treatment.”
“And then culminated with us giving each other black eyes,” Steve recalled with a laugh.
“It was a good fight,” Ty agreed, smiling to himself at the memory.
Together, the two Celestial warriors moved outside the bakery and found Copper running full speed at them. “Someone’s happy to see you,” Steve said, as the direfox bounded around Ty, who then embraced the furry orange monster.
“I missed you too buddy,” he told the direfox, who looked like he was smiling as he panted with his pink tongue hanging out of his mouth. The friendly attitude only lasted a minute, however, because Copper barked and bit Ty's pant leg, trying to pull him towards the forest.
“I think he wants me to follow him.” “It looks like he's trying to take you to where Grizz
went,” Steve said as they watched Copper head up the path, turn, and bark again. “You should go with him. I’ll stay here. Grizz was pretty torn up about the fact that he couldn't use his element to hold up the ceiling of the lair and give you time to escape. It’d make him happy to see you alive. I can't imagine what it's like to lose your wife and children, but also putting the burden of guilt on your shoulders that you weren't able to save someone.”
Following the direfox, Copper hurriedly led Ty to the body of Grizz. The four-legged monster refused to slow down, often yelping at Ty for not keeping up, even though the Elf was jogging along at a brisk pace. He led Ty to the burned down schoolhouse, when Copper ran past it into the forest beyond.
Where are you going? Ty wondered. Why would Grizz go out there? There are no paths or anything, it's just wilderness.
Copper's incessant barking changed pitch, and Ty knew he was being told not to question the path the direfox was leading him on. Looking ahead of where the orange-furred beast was running, the Elf saw something laying on the ground, unmoving. He realized it was Grizz after seeing the large half axe, half hammer weapon which had brown and black colors matching Grizz's armor.
Something's wrong.
Ty picked up his jog into a full-out run, crashing through trees and branches as he came upon the body. Oh no. What have you done, Grizz?
Next to the Dwarf's outstretched hand was a pile of poisonous Olenberries. “Please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did,” Ty said aloud, fearing Grizz had committed suicide. Kneeling next to the body, he grabbed the Dwarf’s shoulders and shook them.
There was no response.
Chapter 62
It wasn't until Ty reached to check for a pulse that Grizz stirred.
“Where is my family?” the Halfman asked groggily upon seeing Ty.
With his heart beating fast in fear that Grizz was dead, it took Ty a moment before he realized the Dwarf’s thought process. The last thing he remembers about me is that I died. He thinks since he sees me, he's in the afterlife.
“You're still alive, Grizz. The poison didn't kill you.” He ate enough berries to kill himself, but since the poison is from a plant of the earth, and since Grizz harnesses the earth element, it doesn't have as much of an effect on him as it would a regular person. He doesn't have total immunity though, because I can tell these Olenberries affected him. His breathing is shallow, and he has rashes on his neck.
Grizz sat for a moment, coming to grip with the recent events. “You survived the cave-in?”
“Yes.”
“So, it's true then, my family is…” Grizz couldn't bear to say the word.
There was a moment of silence where Ty didn't know what to say to the grieving man. The Elf would typically crack a joke to ease the tension of the moment, but nothing seemed appropriate. He could see the utter look of shock and disbelief on Grizz’s face as it was finally hitting him that his family was gone forever.
“I don't want to live if they're not alive. I'm nothing without my family,” Grizz slammed his fist into the ground beneath him. “I feel like I'm being tortured. All I can think about is them locked in the schoolhouse, trapped with no way out, burning to death. They must've been so scared.”
Empathizing with him, Ty shared his own experience with death, “I've felt what you're feeling. When I was two years old, I woke up in the morning and walked out of my bedroom and found my parents murdered. Even though I was young, I remember thinking the same thing. Every day, all I could think about was how scared they must've been when they were attacked. There were so many times I wished that I would die so I could see them again.”
After a long silence, Grizz started weeping. “Look at me,” he said, wiping fresh tears from his eyes. “Under all this armor and behind this great weapon, I'm just as weak as any other man.”
“Emotion isn't a sign of weakness. I know Dwarves tend to believe they have to live up to this expectation of being strong and courageous with no fears. Every man believes that to an extent, but it’s impossible for any of us to live up to. The whole way to Hunter’s Den, I went through the same thing with Steve. He thought he needed to act like the heroes of legend we loved so much as kids - defeating all the monsters, sacrificing his life for others, and pushing through the pain. But no one is invincible like that. All these horrible things we're going through, it’ll take its toll on anyone. We're all affected by death and feel the burden of loss. And I know it's no consolation to your family, but Steve, Kari, Copper, Willis, and I wouldn’t be alive if it weren't for you. You saved us from Sabertooth and the Spider Queen with your element.”
“I wish I’d never acquired the ability to control earth. I wish I would’ve fallen from that cliff and died.”
“Come on, don't talk like that,” Ty insisted and tried his best to encourage the Dwarf. “We need you. No one else can lift that greataxe of yours.”
“I should’ve never left Serendale,” Grizz ruminated, as if he hadn’t heard a single thing Ty had said. He was talking out loud but staring off into the distance. “The only reason I left was to get Dart to his parents at the Den and help the warriors kill Sabertooth. I try to do something good, and this is what I get for it? If I would’ve been here for the attack, at least I would have had the chance to defend them. My family, my home, my work, my city, it's all gone. There’s nothing’s left.” Grizz glanced at the poisonous berries hanging from the tree above him.
“Grizz, please don't throw your life away. It may look dark now, but it’ll get better in ways you never expected it to. I firmly believe that.” Ty bent down and picked up some of the leftover berries and crushed them in hi
s hand. “At the very least, you have the chance to do what I never got to do for my parents,” Ty proposed, looking Grizz square in the eye, “Avenge the death of your loved ones.”
Knowing there was nothing more he could say to change the Dwarf’s mind, Ty left the decision up to Grizz. Either he will kill himself and join his family in the afterlife or he'll take my advice and realize he can still make a positive difference.
“I'll give you some more time to be alone,” Ty offered, “but I think we're going to be leaving soon. You should join us. We'd be happy to have you at our side.”
With that, Ty left, hating to leave someone suicidal by themselves, but there was something in Grizz's eyes that assured him the Dwarf was not going to hurt himself. He saw an anger burn in the eyes of the Halfman.
Walking back to Uncle Zeke’s bakery with Copper stride-for-stride next to him, Ty found Steve, Kari, and Willis standing outside of it.
“Ty? I couldn't believe you were still alive when Kari told me,” Willis said, shaking Ty's hand with his dirt-covered one. The shovel he had been using to dig graves laid by his feet.
“Yes, I managed to dig myself out, but I almost wish I hadn't, having to come here and see Serenedale like this. How are you holding up?” he asked the fellow Elven warrior whose eyes were bloodshot.
Either he’s been crying, or he’s been up all night. Maybe both.
“Not good,” Willis held the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb, trying to prevent himself from becoming emotional. “My family didn't survive.”
“I'm sorry,” Ty said, mournfully.
“How about Grizz? Did he have any luck finding his wife and kids?”
“No, they died in the schoolhouse.”
“How is he?” Kari asked.
“Scarred,” as anyone would be if they just lost their entire family, “but I think he'll be alright.”
“It doesn't look like anyone in the city survived the attack,” Willis lamented.
“I don’t know if you were familiar with Zeke, the baker that worked here,” Steve told Willis, “but we were able to talk to him before he died. Ty and I knew him our entire lives. He said a large, venomous monster called the Python led the goblins in the attack here. Do you know anything about him?”
“The Python? No. I've never heard of him before.”
“Apparently, he and his troops headed west to join up with the forces from Celestial in the attack on Almiria. And we know their eventual target is Misengard. We can only assume after Almiria, the army will head north and attack Casanovia. It's directly in their path.”
“We need to find a way to get to Casanovia before the monsters do,” Kari suggested. “We have to warn them of what's coming.”
“You could sail across,” Willis hypothesized. “About fifty miles west of here there’s a small fishing village called Port Meris. It's not even on most maps it’s so small, but it’s where most of the fish caught on Lake Azure are transported to cities in the southern hemisphere. There should be plenty of good-sized ships there. You may be able to get one to sail across Lake Azure.”
“Cutting across the lake will get us to Casanovia days before the monsters arrive,” Ty saw the advantage in Willis’ plan. “Especially because monsters don't understand how to navigate bodies of water with ships. They'll have to head around Lake Azure on foot, which gives us more time.”
Steve agreed with the proposition. “This is perfect. The faster we get there, the faster we can send out people to other cities and spread word that Celestial has fallen. Casanovia is big enough that we can obtain aid from surrounding cities and hold off the army there. We can defeat them before they advance any farther into the kingdom.”
“Count me in,” called out a voice from behind the group. Turning, everyone saw Grizz coming over to where they stood. He looked too focused, as if he was overcompensating, trying to hide the fact he had recently been crying.
“I’m glad you’re with us,” Steve offered, excited their party was back together. “Let's gather up all our belongings and head out as soon as we're ready.”
A half hour later, with their armor and weapons on and packs and canteens full of food and water, the companions gathered back together in the crumbled citysquare.
“Is everyone ready to go?” Steve asked.
Ty, Kari, and Grizz nodded, but it was the red-headed Serendale warrior who shook his head. “I'll be staying here,” Willis revealed. “I would love nothing more than to cut off the Python's head myself, but I am the only warrior of Serendale remaining. I have a duty to this city. I will stay behind and keep digging these graves.”
“Are you sure?” Steve begged him to reconsider. “You've been a huge help to us.”
“Thanks, but sorry, I've already made up my mind. When I'm finished here, I'm going back to Hunter's Den to share the news with Mr. and Mrs. Sep. And on my way there I'll pay a visit to our dear friend Sabertooth so I can cut its head off and mount it the wall in the Den. I'll make sure to put all five of our names under it.”
Copper barked.
“Your name too, Copper,” Willis added, bending down to pet the friendly monster, then apologizing for forgetting to include his name. “After Hunter’s Den, I’ll come back and wait around here for a while to see if anyone else escapes from Celestial or Almiria. If no one does, I’ll head to Port Meris and try to find my own transport to Casanovia.”
Willis then turned around and picked up two large sacks, grunting at the weight of them. “Speaking of Port Meris,” he dropped them in front of the heroes with a clinking thud, “I gathered these from around Serendale. You should be able to find passage with this.”
“Find passage?” Kari said in astonishment as she opened one of the sacks and found it filled to the brim with bronze, silver, and gold coins. “This is enough money for us to buy our own ship!”
“It's way more than we need,” agreed Steve.
“It's not like anyone here is going to need it anymore,” Willis answered with sad reflection, looking around the destroyed city. He lifted the bags, which were attached by a rope and slung them over Copper's back. “Thanks for carrying these, boy,” he told the direfox before turning back to address the heroes. “You'll be able to rent the fastest ship in Port Meris. But,” his voice grew stern to make sure the heroes would pay attention to his words, “make sure you find a trustworthy shipmaster to sail you across Azure.”
“What's a shipmaster?”
“It’s the name given to the person who is the leader of the crew on their ship. It's similar to the naval warriors’ use of the rank ‘captain’, but shipmasters are civilians, not warriors. Because of that, they’re not bound to an oath. There are some who will do whatever they can to make a quick coin. I’ve heard stories of some shipmasters who’ll take your money and then throw you off the boat halfway to your destination. The place is filled with pirates like that.”
Willis not only gave the heroes the two sacks of money, he also handed them each a full coinpurse they could put in their pocket or attach to their belt. “This is a little extra, so you can buy food, lodging, weapons, arrows, or whatever else you may need.”
“Thank you, Willis,” Steve said to the fellow warrior, shaking his hand. “I’m glad we had you fighting by your side. It's sad to see you stay behind, but hopefully our paths with cross again someday.”
“I'm sure they will,” he nodded.
“Take care of yourself,” said Ty, also shaking Willis' hand.
“Have a safe journey back to the Den,” Kari added, hugging Willis. “And give Mr. & Mrs. Sep our best.”
“Will do.”
As Steve, Ty, and Kari walked away, Willis turned to Grizz, the blacksmith he was friends with and the man who’d forged the very sword he carried every day on duty.
“Make them pay,” Willis demanded. “For me and for all of Serendale.”
“Don't worry, I will,” Grizz promised, with a certainty that made W
illis believe nothing would stop the Dwarf from making every last monster pay.
“Do you want me to stick around for a little while and use my element to help you dig graves?” Grizz asked, looking at the shovel in Willis' blistered hands. “I could probably save you a few days of work.”
“No, but thank you,” the twenty-one-year-old didn’t even entertain the offer. “Each person deserves to get their own grave dug naturally. It’s my honor to do it.”
Before turning away, in a unique display of sentimentality from the Dwarf, Grizz told him, “You've grown into a fine young warrior. There should be more men like you.”
“Thank you,” Willis appreciated the kind words, and then, quoting the Serendale warriors motto, said, “Speed, strength, and safety to you.”
“And the same to you.” With that, Grizz walked away, joining the other heroes on a hill overlooking the destroyed city of Serendale.
Steve turned to the three people and the direfox standing with them. “The past six days have been lived in nothing but death, despair, and destruction. The army that took everything and everyone from us seeks to repeat its victory. They are marching towards Casanovia. We can't have another Almiria. Another Serendale.” Steve paused, and then with both anger and sorrow in his voice said, “Another Celestial.
“We have to warn Casanovia. Innocent people are at risk.” He touched Brightflame in its sheath, reminding himself of his duty as a warrior to protect people from evil. “We don't want them to experience loss like we have.”
As Ty, Kari, Grizz, and Copper stood behind him, Steve turned and faced north, towards Casanovia, the location of which he knew would be the biggest and most important battle he ever fought in.
With a clenched fist and a heart seeking vengeance, he encouraged his fellow companions, “I refuse to see another city in ashes. It's about time someone makes a stand against the Hooded Phantom's army.”
