When the authorities came, to check up on the noise Bernhard held up his promise and got them to leave. Balin was sitting in the now destroyed living room waiting for the police to leave. They did enter once to see what happened and when they asked about Balin Bernhard told them that he was the nephew of a friend who was staying with him. The chaos and destruction were handwaved with a lie about them drinking and getting into a small fight. Although the policemen weren’t convinced at all Bernhard’s word still held a lot of weight, so they didn’t press any further. Now alone again Bernhard asked Balin if he had a place where he was staying, so that they could gather his belongings. There was an awkward silence between the two. On the way to the inn where Balin had a room he asked his former enemy an important question.

“Why are you not angry at me?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“I attacked you out of nowhere, I threatened the life of you and your child. After beating me you didn’t just let me live but you are also offering me a better place to stay. Why?”

Bernhard rubbed his hand over the back of his head looking for the right words to use.

“I told you already. I am feeling responsible for what happened. Yes, I wanted to cancel the contract but still, you relied on my help and as a result… This happened. Helping you out is the closest thing I can do to redeem my mistake. Furthermore, I lost my dear Amalia at the same time. I know at least part of the pain that you are going thru. If there weren’t people around to help me to sort things out for me. I might have done something I’d regret later. I think part of the reason why you reacted so violently is that you were all alone. No friends or family. Not even the people you knew a little were still living. I can’t imagine how this must have been for you.”

Balin didn’t know what to add to that. So, he stayed silent until Bernhard asked him what he was going to do now. Like last time when Balin was asked that question he still didn’t know and he let Bernhard know.

“Are you sure that you are the only survivor?”

“Yes, Epidex said so. And the Army would have found anyone still alive when they arrived. There is no way anyone in the village had survived.”

“I understood that, but what I meant was do you think that someone might have escaped before the monsters came?”

“It was illegal to leave the village. The lord ordered it, furthermore I don’t think that anyone would just leave their stuff behind to get robbed without them knowing. And I would have known if a family was missing. We counted after all.”

“Ok, but what if, and just if. Someone has sent their child away. Maybe to a relative or a friend. I know it is unlikely, but we could search for any survivors. It might be a fool’s errand, but it might be worth a shot. What do you think?”

“Do you honestly think that we can find someone?”

“Maybe, it is unlikely, but I have connections. I could ask my friends in the army or policemen if they have noticed someone. Come on Balin, let’s do this!”

Bernhard stopped walking and offered Balin his hand and partnership. Even though Balin didn’t trust him he felt the man’s honesty. So, he accepted the Hero’s hand and for the first time since he killed Sir Egbert Balin smiled. The rest of the walk was uneventful. They reached the inn where Balin stayed, grabbed his things and moved them into a small flat that Bernhard owned. It was small and dirty it was clear that for a long time no one lived in here. When they entered the apartment, Bernhard explained.

“My father told me I should invest my money. So, I bought a few houses, I couldn’t find a tenant for this apartment since the last tenant died about three weeks ago. You can have it. It’s a bit dusty but it should be alright. That fine with you?”

“Yes, it helps a lot.”

“It has already gotten dark outside and I have to go. But I will be back tomorrow morning. Are you going to be fine until then?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. We will brainstorm on how we will search for survivors then. Good night Balin.”

“Good night.”

Bernhard left, leaving Balin alone. Balin better inspected the apartment. The last tenant left most of his possessions behind, so there was still a lot of furniture left. There were two rooms, a bedroom and a main area. In the main area was also the kitchen, a table and a few chairs. He sat down on a nearby chair and thought about what happened on this day. His head hurt from all the mixed and confused thoughts and feeling he was experiencing. When he realized that even if he didn’t plan to for the first time in forever he opened himself up to someone, and someone listened. Balin started cry in the dark until he fell asleep from pure exhaustion.

Balin woke up at sunrise. He was still sitting in the chair from yesterday. Bernhard didn’t come yet. Balin was thinking of running away. He didn’t want him to get involved but it was too late. The cat was out of the bag. If Balin ran now, Bernhard would alarm the police and the army and tell them to apprehend him. Even if he wasn’t chained, Balin was still the Hero’s prisoner. There was not much else to do then waiting. Balin didn’t feel well being left alone with his thoughts. If only there was someone else to talk to. Balin remembered someone who could talk to him right now. That is if he wants to talk. Balin doesn’t even know how to contact the little man in the abyss but he might as well try.

“Epidex if you are around would it be ok if we could talk?”

Silence. It’s not like Balin would expect Epidex to answer his call. That is when he heard from behind him someone growl at him.

“I am still mad at you.”

Balin turned his head around and there he was as always floating around the air.

“Yes, I am sorry for accusing you of making me do bad things.”

“You are not, believe me I know.”

“I didn’t know you could float in the real world like that. Does that mean that all of your powers work even outside your realm?”

“My powers always work. They are mine. But that is not important. So, what do you want? I am a busy man.”

Epidex flew around the chair that Balin was still sitting in to look him in the face.

“I wanted to talk.”

“Then talk!”

“I… no. What do you think about what happened yesterday? Isn’t it disappointing that I didn’t kill Bernhard?”

“I expected you to try to kill him. I assumed that you would lose, but it wasn’t impossible. It was a closer match then people might think it was. Overall it was an interesting development. Not too bad nor too good. Is that all?”

“I don’t have anything else to planned.”

“Then I will take my leave now.”

Epidex turned around and made a gesture indicating that he was going now but Balin stopped him.

“Wait I have one question!”

“Spit it out!”

“Why did you save me and what do want me to do?”

Clearly annoyed he gave the answer.

“We just wanted to see how your story would unfold. That is all. We hope that your story would be worth following, but we don’t want you to do anything. As I said. Those are your decisions.”

Epidex made it clear that he doesn’t want to talk anymore, and with a snap of his finger he disappeared. He made no sound or effect while vanishing. He was just gone. Before Balin could analyze what just happened someone knocked at the door. Balin opened it and found Bernhard with a heavy looking bag. He was smiling as if he would meet an old friend and entered the flat.

“Good morning, I brought breakfast. I don’t know what of even if you eat so I brought various things. Sorry that I took so long. But the market isn’t open today and the few stores that are around had lines you wouldn’t believe.”

“Why are you acting like this?”

Bernhard dropped that overly open act and tried to explain himself.

“I thought about what you told me. What happened and how lonely you must have been. It’s obvious that you never really gave yourself the chance to grieve and sort your emotions out. Back when Amalia died, my friends helped me to clear my mind and you don’t have any friends left. So, let me at least pretend to be your friend so that we can work things out. Ok? Let’s try this again.”

Without even waiting for Balin’s response Bernhard left the room closed the door and knocked again. Confused Balin stood there for a few seconds until he Bernhard knocked again. Balin opened the door.

“Good morning, I brought breakfast. I don’t know what of even if you eat so I brought various things. Sorry that I took so long. But the market isn’t open today and the few stores that are around had lines you wouldn’t believe.”

Realizing the sheer ridiculousness of the situation Balin had to laugh and he decided to play along.

“Thanks for thinking of me. Very considerate. Come let me carry this!”

Balin took the bag with groceries of Bernhard and brought them to the table in the middle of the room. The bag was filled with various fruit, vegetables, bread and even some pieces of meat. Balin smelled the meat to better figure out what it was. Bernhard meanwhile sat down on one of the three chairs available.

“Do you like those things?”

“Yes, its ok. This is smoked sheep, right?”

“Good nose. You have it a lot?”

“Not as much as I used to have goat.”

“Tell me about it!”

Balin became nostalgic.

“Our village was in between two mountains. In the valley was a big forest. It surrounded most of our village but on the mountains, themselves were big grasslands in rocky terrain. Therefore, our village had two main products. Wood that we send down the river and various goat-based products like cheese and meat. Logically I grew up on a lot of goat meat.”

“Must have been nice.”

“It was.”

There was an awkward pause. Balin searched the cabinets in the kitchen for cutlery. When he found some. He returned to the table and started to cut the bread into pieces for him and Bernhard. Bernhard broke the silence.

“Do you have any idea who could have escaped?”

“There aren’t many, who could have realistically gotten away. We counted to adults and it is quite a march to the next inhabited area. If someone hid in a nearby village the army would have found them soon after and punished them for going against the lord’s orders. So, if someone got away they must have left the region. It is unlikely that a parent would have sent their kid that far on their own. Specially since not many of them are experienced with travel.”

“Hmm.”

Bernhard cut a piece of meat of the slab and put it on his bread.

“That does limit the possible range of age quite a lot.”

“Why?”

“You said that you counted the adults and that kids could not have made the long travel to a safe place on their own. Therefore, only teens could have made that journey. I’d say that the range of age should not be bigger then 13-17-year old’s. Can you recall people in that age range that you didn’t see in the last two days before the attack?”

Balin shook his head.

“I was too busy in that time. I can’t recall anyone that I meet during that time frame aside from a few notable exceptions, who are all guaranteed dead.”

“Alright. How about teens that have family outside the village. Can you come up with any of those?”

“Why?”

“Maybe some of them have used that as an excuse to get away. Come on Balin think! There has to be someone.”

Balin held his face trying to come up with someone who fulfilled the conditions.

“I remember Lawrence having an older step brother who moved out of the village half a decade ago. I think he was a shepherd and left the village to work for one of the wealthier men in the region. I think it was the merchant Roller. We could find him through that. Then there was Tina her mother left her father to live with another man. They still had a good relationship or, so I heard. Andrew once told me that his aunt would be in Kings Hold.”

Balin tried his best to remember anyone else. After two minutes the last person he could come up with was.

“Grant. I think his grandparents lived in Beachline. But I don’t have much else to go off. I am sorry.”

“Only four huh. Guess this is more then we could have hoped for. You said that one of the kids had an aunt here in Kings Hold. Andrew was it?”

“Andrew and if I remember correctly he said she married a tailor. That is how I knew that he had family outside. He told me that he was going to her wedding about two years ago. Don’t know much else. Not even her name.”

“That isn’t a lot to go on. But I think we can make that work. I know the people who sell taxation rights. If we ask them about married tailors in Kings Hold, we might find something to go off. If we hurry, we might catch them at their lunch break today. How does that sound?”

Balin smiled, took a bite of bread and nodded in agreement.