Blackheart

In Grief, Conviction

"Where are they...?"

Basilrin had been waiting for quite some time now. Upon returning to the cavern where his brother had perished, he found the entire place absolutely crawling with demons. There were so many that he and his father had no choice but to flee.

It was as if the demons of the city were all assembled there. There was no way to beat them head on in such a way.

Basilrin was certain that the others had escaped somehow, or worse, been trapped inside of the cave, awaiting rescue.

With brute force no longer an option, they instead chose a more prudent approach, send someone to sneak by the demons and search the area for the others without getting detected. After that was the choice of who was suited for such a mission.

The obvious answer was the bounty hunter and the winged hero.

The duo were an excellent scouting team. Razorwing could fly and travel along the rooftops, scout the streets, and relay his information to Crux, who would then sneak through the most lightly guarded areas.

It was clear to everyone else that the duo's time on the streets together had left them with a clear understand of each other's strengths and how to use them. Scouting and stealth...the pair complimented each other quite well.

"Patience, my son," Aurelio spoke softly, "They will return when they are able."

"What if something happened to them?"

"Patience, as I said. It as been a short while. The human cannot fly, and he must conduct a search. Give him time."

The smaller dragon nodded. "You are correct, father. I am only concerned for them."

"Do not worry. They are reliable."

The older dragon looked off into the sky, rumbling gently.

"...this is the second time they have saved my life, after all."

"Right!" Basilrin turned to the others, standing behind them. "I must thank you so very much! You, magician, who so courageously risked your life in that horrid battle!"

Charles twiddled his claws and looked away. "Well, you know how it is..."

"And thank YOU, noble paladin and priest...for healing the injuries my brother inflicted on father twice now."

"Even's even," Andric said with a nod, "You helped us, so I helped you. Besides...we still need your help for the upcoming battle."

"Of course!" Aurelio agreed, "I am twice indebted to you for my life! Command me, and I shall perform to my greatest ability."

Lexius frowned. "I only wish...Leianna and I hadn't split up. Your brother, with two of us, one purging the corruption and one healing...maybe..."

Basilrin let out a saddened rumble. "Mmm...indeed...maybe..."

"We can't change that," Andric spoke forcefully, "And how in the world could we have predicted such a turn of events? There's no use in letting yourself be swallowed by guilt and doubt. We all did the best we could. You've already told us what happened. I'm certain Julroul was proud of what you did...of freeing him from torment and pain."

"Dear healer...I thank you. This has been very difficult for me. I appreciate your understanding."

Andric looked off into the city streets, speaking in a low voice. "Don't worry about it."

Basilrin smiled. "You are a good man. I can see why Tourthun thinks so highly of your people."

Time passed as the group continued to wait in silence. The streets had been quite thoroughly cleaned out of corrupted by them, back when they had healed Aurelio. With several blocks searched to ensure their safety, the survivors would have no trouble awaiting the return of the rest of their friends.