The first thing I did when I woke up the next morning was to announce that we would head north. Tasha and Flora were surprised, and Tasha’s surprise turned to outrage when I explained my reason.

“What?! You want us to go to the True-Bloods’ base? Are you crazy?!” It was really funny hearing this from the other side.

“Mr. Braith, do you really think it’s located to the north?” Flora asked. Her words were not in direct opposition, but her face clearly showed her apprehension.

“Well, it might not. If it’s not, then fine, we can just move on and head east towards the Dridam Plains.” I responded casually.

“But what if the base is there? Do you plan to fight them?!” Wow, now this is just weird. I guess part of me should be glad that Tasha has…matured since yesterday? I looked back at Flora and although her face showed concern, she did not argue. I guess she’s sticking with what she said yesterday as well.

“Well, I thought about this long and hard last night, and that’s what I have decided on. These people are very dangerous, and I don’t think I can just ignore knowing about them. If they go around killing more Battle-Hardened and Farseers, it would really weigh on my conscience.” I thought I really meant this, and I tried to put on the proper tone to express this, but in my mind, it sounded like I was lying to myself. “But, if both of you disagree, then I can understand that as well. This is not something I would do alone if neither of you thought the same way.” From their expressions, I already knew my simple argument had already won.

“Y- yeah, I know what you mean, dad. I mean, we can’t just let them be, but…”

“Mr. Braith, I understand what you are saying and if this is something you are committed to, I will support you as best as I can.”

“Flora…” Tasha looked upon Flora with surprise, and Flora took a moment before explaining herself.

“Tasha, I understand that this is kind of strange. Almost like a reversal of yesterday. But, as I said, I think you two are good people and I will support you both as long as you do what you think is right. It will be dangerous, I might even just be a burden, but, I don’t want either of you to act differently just because I am with you. I don’t want to be someone who hinders you or makes you decide on things you normally wouldn’t choose.” Tasha looked back at me with a pained expression that gradually turned into one of determination.

“Alright, dad, I’m with you. We will show that we won’t stand for what they are doing!” Tasha’s expression quickly changed back into one of concern. “But…you do plan to…let them live, right?”

“I’ll do what I can, but know that my priority will be to keep you all safe.” Tasha seemed to be dissatisfied with my answer, but I had no intention of revising it. After a moment, she begrudgingly accepted it, keeping any further dissenting arguments to herself.

We set off towards the north, all of us probably thinking about something different as we traveled. The environment going north was more or less the same as when we were going east. There were vast stretches of deserted wastelands as far as the eye can see, occasionally broken by stray rock outcroppings. Hours went by and there was no dramatic change at all. Now that it had gotten to this point, it was time to start thinking about just how far I was planning to go before giving up on this search that, as far as Tasha and Flora knew, was completely blind.

I was going off of some vague words I might have heard while frozen with fear in an underground cave. It said to go northwest, and since we started off at the oasis that was west of where the cave was, I assumed it would be somewhere due north, but distance was key. Would I wander these dry plains for another week? Two weeks? It was incredibly important that if that base is somewhere around here, that I find it, so maybe I would go to those lengths. Yes, I think I would delay my obligations to find clues to Tasha’s parents or a new place for Flora. Wait, what am I even saying? No, as much as I feel the need to change and take on this challenge, I won’t embark on a possible wild goose chase. Well, I mean, finding Tasha’s parents could be a fruitless endeavour as well, but…that one is just a lot more important.

I decided that if we didn’t find the base by nightfall, we would turn back. If it really is out here in this region, this is probably very premature, but the True-Bloods are not my responsibility. They would only serve as a means of proving something to myself. Proving that I am not the same kind of man who cowers in fear, believing his struggles to be hopeless. The me back in the cave of spiders, the me standing before that Lieutenant-Colonel. No, I want to be the me that can bring out the most of my potential in spite of a rapidly dwindling possibility of success. Some may call it optimistic idiocy, and in the past, I would be one of those people. I guess I wanted to make this my next major step in becoming someone else. I want here to be my next Befson.

As I mulled over these thoughts to myself, I took a good look at the sky above and I knew that the sun would probably set in only a couple more hours. I contemplated whether to tell Flora and Tasha my plans to turn back now or later as we started climbing a small hill. As we reached the top, though, I became distracted by rock peaking out just beyond my gaze. When we finally reached the summit, I saw a massive wall of stone. Well, upon closer inspection, it looked more like a building. This was a giant rock outcropping that looked to be at least a hundred feet tall and dotted across were what looked to be holes. As I looked to the base of this stone structure, I saw very large openings, reminding me of open garage doors.

“Is…Is this it?” Tasha asked, even more surprised than I was to find it so suddenly.

“Maybe. I don’t see any people around, though.” I futilely stared at the holes in the structure, trying to spot someone, but it was simply too far away and the light outside was also starting to fade away.

“Um,” Flora began, also trying to focus her eyes, “I- I think I just saw someone through one of the, uh, windows.” I don’t think I could call an opening without glass a window, but I suppose she lacked a better word. I’m not even sure why such a pointless thought crossed my mind, actually.

“You saw someone?” I asked, with a bit of doubt. Flora’s vision was the best among the three of us, but the structure was still nearly a mile away.

“Um, yes, I think so. It kind of looked like a man wearing fur. Um, but I might be wrong on that. I only saw for a second.” Well, if there really was a man wearing fur, there is no way it’s not them. These plains certainly didn’t feel as hot as I would normally expect from an area of cracked and dry earth, but wearing fur is just something that nobody else would do. Speaking of which, why did they all wear fur anyways. Once again, such a thought is actually pointless at the moment.

“Alright, Flora, I’ll take your word on that.” Flora seemed to be a tiny bit panicked by this onus of responsibility. “You and Tasha stay here, and I will go down there and check it out. If it’s more than I think I can handle, I’ll come right back. Otherwise, I’m going in.”

“If you’re going in, we’re coming with you!” Tasha declared.

“That’s fine.” Tasha was clearly confused by my quick acceptance. I wasn’t finished talking, though. “However, that’s only after I go inside. Until then, stay up here just in case they are lying in wait nearby. Also, Flora, have your bow out just in case.” I still had my doubts on whether Flora was capable of shooting a person, but I guess I was hoping my words would have at least a tiny effect.

“Okay, I got it,” Flora responded.

“Good.” I turned back to face the stone structure and took my next step towards it.

“W-wait!” Flora called out. I turned around, a little annoyed. “Um, before you go, I want to cast a blessing on you.”

“That’s alright, Flora. I’m not injured and the poison’s already cured.”

“Ah, no, I mean I want to cast the blessing of power for you.”

“Can you even do that?” And would that even work on me? Would the same kind of strengthening of the Nature Clan Farseers have any effect on my body which is already a vessel to the Thousand Bolts?

“Dad!” Tasha snapped at me. My question apparently came off more insulting than I had intended.

“Um, I think I can.”

“Does that mean you can cast it on yourself now?” Tasha shot another look at me. What? I’m just curious.

“Um, I don’t know, but I want to try it on you because I think it would be more useful that way.” That statement really seemed to showcase a warped sense of confidence. She doesn’t think using her powers on herself would matter, but she thinks her powers could have a major impact on others. Oh wait, maybe that’s just a regular case of low self-esteem?

“Sure, give it a shot,” I agreed. She held out her hands out wide around me and said the words. I did feel more refreshed after she was done, but I didn’t feel any kind of surge of strength I would normally feel from using my powers. I just thanked her anyway and made my approach.

Initially, I went forward at a brisk walking pace. There was absolutely no cover on the way towards the stone building, dashing any ideas of a sneak attack. As I got closer, the thought then occurred to me that the best course of action was probably to run as quickly as possible, in case a soldier spots me through one of those many holes. At this, I turned my gaze upwards and focused, wondering if I was finally close enough to make out some finer details. The face of the stone building was flat and the ‘windows’ looked to be just small enough that a full-grown man wouldn’t be able to fit through. I approximate, of course.

As I continued looking at these windows, I thought I saw some light reflecting off of something metallic and a closer look gave me a pretty good idea of what it was. Someone had a crossbow pointed at me. I sent a couple bolts through my legs and bolted towards the building. I wasn’t going to let some sniper fire force me back. A bolt flew right past me as I rapidly closed the distance. As I neared the openings on the bottom floor, giant doorways I suppose, I saw soldiers starting to gather. I guess they’re on high alert now. Instead of running right into the building, I stopped just short of the entrances, knowing that the crossbowmen on the upper floors wouldn’t be able to shoot at me from this angle. I took a look inside the building, noticing the dozens of troops standing by. Also on this floor were many crates and barrels in the back, as well as a makeshift stable that housed several black horses. I also noted that much of the stable did appear to be vacant. Having seen enough, I drew my sword and put on a taunting pose. Several of them took the bait and came running outside to fight me.

With only a few of them coming at me at a time, and lacking long range support, the battle was extremely easy. In my opinion, these soldiers, at least as far as fighting were concerned, were well-trained, but against such a difference in strength and speed, none of them could handle any of my attacks or counters. Without worrying about my back, I fought with little reservation, even throwing in a few kicks when more than three of them tried to surround me at a time. Lars had given me a few lessons in hand-to-hand combat, but it was probably just because of my overwhelming power that I could execute these attacks so effectively. After taking down nearly twenty of them, the rest of them remained inside the ground floor of the building, either waiting for me to come in so they could have a better surround or me, or also perhaps waiting on even more reinforcements. Well, that was fine. My body hardly even felt warmed up. I charged up to a total of five bolts and rushed inside.

I charged right towards a pair of soldiers on the far right of the floor. I slashed at the one closest to me and then easily flowed into a second attack to cut down the next one. The sudden increase in my speed must have been somewhat of a shock as the ones still standing around the two I brought down had delayed reactions. One couldn’t even take a full step forward before I slashed his chest. As he started toppling over to the side, I instantly began stepping past him to attack the other soldiers standing by him. The next one I also cut down right as he attempted to swing his blade at me. I blocked the attack from the next one with my sword and pushed him back, the strength from that one arm alone knocked him into another soldier, causing both of them to crash into the wall.

The soldiers from the left side of the floor were now running towards me. I cut down one more soldier by the right wall and then grabbed him by the collar of his coat. I turned around and threw him into the line of incoming troops. It managed to knock down one of those troops and I quickly ran towards that opening. The soldiers tried to encircle me as I made my way to the gap, but I just cut down the nearest soldier as I ran past much quicker than them. There was something a little disturbing though. Reinforcements were coming down from a stairwell on the right side of the floor and they were crossbowmen.

I sprinted towards them, reaching them before they had a chance to set up position. I slashed at one of them and then another. I had intended to just keep cutting them down until there were none left, but the rest of the troops on the ground floor finally had me cornered and there were crossbowmen in the back taking aim at me. I ducked down a bit and put my left hand on the side of my blade as I held it horizontal in an attempt to shield some of my vital areas. I shoved into one of the crossbowmen, knocking him into those behind him, causing the others to fall over. However, the pile of soldiers collapsing on the stairwell then started to fall towards me as a few of them lost their footing and slid off the steps. I jumped back to avoid them and I quickly spun around to block a pair of attacks from soldiers behind me. The crossbowmen would be up in a moment and the group of soldiers were too thick to run past.

As I contemplated whether desperate actions would be necessary, one of those soldiers was suddenly struck by an arrow from behind and I saw Tasha charge into the building. I immediately slashed at one of the soldiers and then kicked him hard in the gut, driving him into at least four other soldiers around him. As the nearest soldiers looked at that scene, they also noticed Tasha coming from behind, who was already in the midst of engaging the back line. Their attention was divided and I took that opportunity to go back to taking out the crossbowmen on the stairwell. Right as they were getting back up, I cut them down. Several soldiers came after me on the stairwell and I threw one of the crossbowmen down towards them, impeding their pursuit. I took out the last crossbowman on the stairwell as the soldiers came up the stairwell again in even greater numbers and threw that crossbowman down at them as well. This time, they actually caught him and put him aside and quickly continued their chase. I actually preferred not to fight in such a space so I ran up the stairs for about twenty feet and reached the second floor.

The second floor seemed to be just one wide corridor that went to the other side, which also had a stairwell. I ran down the corridor and went past over a dozen open, stone entrances that lined along one side of the corridor. The other side, which faced the direction we came into the ground floor from, was just a stone wall with those ‘windows’ spaced along it. It was only just passing glances as I ran, but all the rooms seemed to be the same in that they all lacked furnishing and just had mats on the floors, usually by a crate or a barrel, perhaps to be used as substitutes for tables as chairs. There were more than a dozen troops chasing after me, which did give me some feeling of relief. I felt there was no way Tasha would lose to the troops that remained behind.

I ran to the opposite stairwell and then went up to the third floor, which was basically the same as the second. I then went to the fourth, and upon seeing this was the same as well, I decided I should just take out the soldiers following me before going any further. I turned around, still full of vigour, and engaged my pursuers who looked to be noticeably fatigued. In this corridor, only three or four of them could fight me at a time, and when they tried to rush in to get behind me to box me in, I just slash at one of them as they try to run past me and jump back. Then I follow up by cutting down the one trying to run past me on the other side. I made short work of these troops, but at the very least, despite my overwhelming display, none of them showed any loss of spirit in their eyes. If I were a soldier, perhaps I would find that commendable. Given who I am and what I know about them, though, I didn’t really think of them in that way at all.

After taking down the last soldier, I decided to examine the rooms on the fourth floor more carefully, but that was pointless. There was almost nothing to even look at. The crates and barrels in the first three rooms I checked were empty. I decided to not waste any more time and went up to the fifth floor and just saw even more of the same. Despite the bareness and simplicity, I did think this place was also quite impressive as it seemed these rooms and floors were actually carved into this massive stone formation. Before going up to the next floor, Tasha came running up the stairwell.

“Dad!” Her face had a mix of both concern and, well, anger, I think.

“Yes?” I asked innocently.

“You haven’t been holding back against them at all, have you?!” I blinked a couple times and then looked past her as I heard another pair of footsteps racing up.

“Tasha…please…don’t run so far ahead…” Flora pleaded out, nearly breathless. Her gaze was a bit out of a focus, but when she finally saw me, she suddenly straightened up. “Oh, um…” I don’t know if it was because she was still tired or not, but she was at a loss for words now.

“Dad!” Tasha shouted out again. I looked into Tasha’s eyes and thought for a moment.

“Well, they’re not all dead, right?” In all honesty, whether the True-Blood soldiers died was still not a great concern for me. However, seeing as how I did not do anything to make absolutely certain they died like I did with that cavalier, I believe I did make some improvement.

“Flora says most of them are in serious condition!” I looked over at Flora, and she shied away nervously. Tasha grabbed my face and brought it back to look only at her. “Dad, you promised that you wouldn’t go so far.” That had me raising an eyebrow. When did I do that? Even if I did say anything along those lines, I’m sure Tasha was just exaggerating.

“They’ve done much worse. I mean, I didn’t kill them, right?” Tasha scrunched up her face and looked just about ready to continue shouting at me, but Flora placed a hand on her shoulder.

“We shouldn’t be fighting amongst ourselves like this.”

“Are you taking his side!” Tasha shouted at her. Immediately afterwards though, she softened her expression, silently apologizing to Flora about her outburst. Flora looked over to me and then back at Tasha.

“I just don’t think now is a good time for this. But,” she took a few steps forward to stand beside me, “I think it is something we should talk more about later.” Tasha cast her gaze over to the side.

“Fine. Let’s just keep going.”