"Get up, you two," said Li, and the two brothers obliged, shakily getting themselves up.

"Are we…are we alive?" asked Mason. Mercer nodded in support of the question as he went to Mason's side.

"Yes, you two are alive. Although you-," said Li, pointing to Mercer. "Barely. Were I to have been half a second late in saving you, you would not have the luxury of rubbing your bruises. You would be a pile of dust, perhaps even less than that." 

The two brothers gave slow, lingering nods, dazed and utterly terrified at the same time. Mason's longsword, or what remained of it, lay loose in his hands, and Mercer had long since dropped his daggers.

"Now then, witnessing this, do you two truly believe you are worthy of leaving?" said Li. 

Mercer rebounded from his near-death experience surprisingly quickly when he heard Li's words, the fiery spirit inside of him refusing to be snuffed out. "Curses to the dark, were we to have paid attention during that dragon hunting lesson-."

Mason elbowed Mercer a little harder than usual, and at a spot on the younger man's side which was still tender and sore from a hard impact with the dirt. 

Mercer winced and said, "What was that for, brother?"

Mason shook his head and sighed. "Forget it, Mercer. No more excuses. The head priest is right. So is the seer. We are far too weak to be waving our blades about like we mean something."

Mercer looked down, unable to muster up any more defiance knowing that his brother did not back him. It truly did seem that the two were inseparable, making or breaking each other. 

"But, good Seer," said Mason as he looked up to bravely meet Li's gaze. "We cannot go back. We are weak, it is true, but that does not matter to us. The life back in the city, where nothing happens, where there is only the fields, I, well, I am terribly sorry to be telling you of all this, but I nor my brother cannot go back to it"

"Cannot?" said Li. "Or do you not want to?"

Mason nodded. "You are right, Seer. We do not want to. It is…not our life. To be sure, we are infinitely grateful for all that the community has done for us. And though it is hard for me to admit it, too hard for Mercer to even voice it, likely, we are all too thankful that old Belmont had enough kindness in his rocky heart to take street rats like us, rats that had been behind bars several times, to see if he could turn us into productive men tilling the fields."

Mason let go of his longsword and took in a breath. "But that is not the life we can devote ourselves to. I am not saying it is not noble, it is beautiful, yes, but it is not the beauty we seek. Perhaps it is a problem in our nature, something that stops us from living a life of peace and boundaries as many normal men do, but we cannot."

Mason knelt down and bowed. Bowed low, his head touching the grass in supplication before Li, and Mercer quickly followed.

"So please, Seer," said Mason. "Let us travel West. We need not tag along with you. We've supplies to hold our own. You need not even spare a thought about us once we are out of your sight."

"You fools," said Ivo. "Ungrateful fools, too, blinded by youth." The older man loosed a weary sigh. "Know the value of your lives. Head back to the fields. When this war is over, then you can consider a more exciting life." 

"We are prepared to part with our lives heading West," said Mason. "And we are not simply madly chasing excitement, though that may be part of it. At our hearts, we simply cannot live with ourselves if we had stayed behind walls and forest without fighting."

"Stand up, you two," said Li. 

The two brothers slowly rose up. 

"Take your supplies and go back to Belmont's farmhouse," said Li, and the two brothers nodded slowly, their dreams crushed. "And explain to Belmont why you are leaving. Thank him for what he has done for you. Promise to repay him. Then, at noon tomorrow, you may join me in leaving the city walls." 

"Truly, good Seer?" said the two of them in unison. 

"Truly," said Li. "Now leave us."

"We cannot thank you enough, good seer," said Mason. 

"We shall be sure to spread your good name throughout all the new lands and peoples we stumble upon!" said Mercer.

"Yes, yes, just stay alive as best as you can," said Li as he waved them away, and they scampered off, taking their big packs of supplies with them with renewed energy as they rushed back to the fields.

"You three," said Li to the beastwomen. "Are free to come with me." He noticed the massive Lupi eyeing Tia quite warily. "Without needing to fight Tia," specified Li, and the Lupi nodded. "Your people are inherently fighters. I commend that they respected my wishes enough to send only one champion, and I will not oppose that compromise." 

"But the two boys," said Ivo as he drew his brows together in concern. "Was it truly a wise idea to give them leave?"

"Now that I have met them personally, I can get a sense of it. They do not belong here, it is true," said Li. "They do not have the disposition to be farmers. Nor can they be priests. Or hunters. They are adventurers at heart. I do not like the sight of caged birds. I will not force the lifestyles of my faith and following upon others unlike what I have seen of...other faiths. 

Even the beastwomen remaining, I gave them all a chance to return home. Those that stayed do so of their own volition." Li turned to the beastwomen trio. "And if ever a situation arises where one of you believes this new life of yours is unsatisfactory, then I will not stop you from leaving. It is your life. Your will."

The beastwomen nodded in unison. 

"Those two boys are no adventurers. They will be devoured alive and whole out there. Hells, wild beasts in the Hinterlands may slaughter them before any demon gets a hint of their scent," said Ivo. 

"Then that is the consequence of their choice," said Li. "The garden I wish to raise will become a sanctuary to all. A safe haven. But upon leaving it, I cannot offer the same protection as I would to those within. And, Ivo, those two, they have made their peace. They leave knowing they risk death, and still, they do so with great heart. 

Of course, that is not to say I will let their carcasses scatter to the wind. I will protect them, but only to an extent. When time comes, they will be on their own, and I tell you now they would not have had it any other way.

They seek to forge their own path and face dangers with their own two hands."

"Many times, it is hard to remember the higher thinking of a divinity lies within you," said Ivo. He bowed his head. "I understand your decision, good seer. I only ask that you may grant them some means to lessen their burdens a little when they travel on their own."

"I will honor that request." Li motioned to the beastwomen, catching their attention. "You three should head back too for now. I am not leaving yet. As I said to the humans, meet me at the guild at noon. We will leave then." 

The beastwomen acknowledged Li's words before they left, slipping away into the forest with the silent grace befitting their bestial agility, though the Serpi was noticeably slower and less discreet about her movements, quite unused even after months of living here to moving through forestland. 

When they were gone, Li walked next to Ivo and a put a hand on the old man's shoulder. 

"Ivo, this will be farewell. You know what to do, and if ever there are questions, you have my root to consult. I have to thank you for all that you have done for me until now, and I hope you will keep up this excellent work into the future," said Li. 

"You speak as if you are a warrior heading to your last battle when you are to return soon," said Ivo with a chuckle. He gave Li an appreciative and short nod. "I will strive to lead our followers to the best of my limited ability. If fate wills it, the whole place will be even better off than when you left it."

"I expect only the best from you," said Li with a smile. He let go of the priest's shoulder and pointed back to the fields. "I have yet something to speak of with Iona. Take your leave, Ivo, and if ever you encounter difficulty that is too much for you, know that you alone among all the followers have a connection deep enough with me to contact me through prayer."

"I'll not be pestering you for aid, if that is what you worry for," joked Ivo as he bowed his head. "Best of luck, good seer. I look forward with much curiosity and even more hope as to how you will bring peace to this war."

Ivo left, taking brisk and long steps out, not looking back, for he was a man of the future and the present, always planning and always readying himself for the sake of his people.

"You have something for me, do you not?" said Iona as she floated near Li.

"I do," said Li. "Something quite important, actually."