hookedhookless

[hookedhookless]

In a manner of speaking, yes. He explained. From that rune I can hear your call for me. He began pacing around the room as he told Jugen how the call worked. It allows me to bring myself to your location. A small trick I've been working on since observing the Nixes aid us in battle. It is still to be refined, but it works.

He observed their surroundings, poking his head out the bars. I recognise the energy of this place. You have turned yourself in to Chief Grey of Haligan Island. The first step, well done, Jugen.

Are we expecting anyone else?

The Bid to Save Ones Soul (botgd 2)

With everything else regarding his sentence solidified, and the amount of fines the company would have to pay agreed upon, all that was left for Jugen was to wait for The Arbiter's arrival.

He had missed him.

As he waited in his temporary holding cell, Jugen worked with Lila and Grey closely to ensure trustworthy members of his company could be promoted, and replace him and his criminal cohort. He gave them all the details they would need in order to establish and hold a strong working relationship. One that would continue to benefit Aidorian with prosperous trade, only now lacking the sinister works of the few who had elected to be parasites.

The sting operation was coordinated, and ready to be put into action. Just as soon as this last meeting was done...

My last chance to see something other than the dark ocean when my eyes finally close...

[hookedhookless]

The mark on his arm seemed to thrum with some sort of life and leak its soot off his arm, out of the mark. A puddle seemed to form on the floor before beginning to swirl, eventually a large hand dragged the form of the arbiter out.

He had seen out through the inky swell that the room was some sort of cell, and in keeping, he didn't want to alert anyone that may see him, so he kept his size to that of a particularly large dog.

Jugen. You have called upon me. A familiar voice spoke in his mind. What is it you need, friend?

The Bid to Save Ones Soul (botgd 2)

With everything else regarding his sentence solidified, and the amount of fines the company would have to pay agreed upon, all that was left for Jugen was to wait for The Arbiter's arrival.

He had missed him.

As he waited in his temporary holding cell, Jugen worked with Lila and Grey closely to ensure trustworthy members of his company could be promoted, and replace him and his criminal cohort. He gave them all the details they would need in order to establish and hold a strong working relationship. One that would continue to benefit Aidorian with prosperous trade, only now lacking the sinister works of the few who had elected to be parasites.

The sting operation was coordinated, and ready to be put into action. Just as soon as this last meeting was done...

My last chance to see something other than the dark ocean when my eyes finally close...

[hookedhookless]

I’ve been waiting since March to post this...

[hookedhookless]

"Indeed, it would be a fine name. Now, you go and start your new business. I shall remain for a while, perhaps remember who I once was."

With that, he sat down, staring at the ruins of the village. Of his old home.

He wandered about his sister, she was alive, but where, how, why? These questions are not so simply answered, but he was willing to wait to find her.

He took one look at his body, Fiendal, he was sorry that the young man was gone. But through their adventures, he knew it was better that the arbiter was now here.

Good night, and goodbye, Fiendal, you will remain in others memories as the good man you tried to be. You shall always be a part of me, for I am you, I shall hold our mantle and be a force for good in this world, and I shall protect our friends, we have the power to do so now. Let us use it wisely.

"Take care, Dixie, or Jugen. And remember your tasks. I hope we run onto eachother again."

The Glyph Home pt 3 (botgd 2)

Part 2

Now kneeling in the dirt, the man blinked at the new mark on his arm, and then lowered his head at Fiendal's words.

He knew they were true. He knew all along that would be the answer.

"I don't want to..." He confessed, and then looked up at him, as two tears finally fell free from his eyes. He sniffed and scuffed at them with his sleeve. "Ah...look at me...crocodile tears over being caught." His head dropped to stare blankly at the ground. "N-no real shame for it all..." His vision blurred, and his face began to tighten at the words. "No real guilt for any of it."

He pressed a hand over his eyes as if to hide, and his shoulders hunched over his frame as they began to shake. The attempt to hide them in vain, the tears pooled behind his hand and dripped out from between his fingers. "N-not even-the barest idea o-of what it means to be sorry...just to feel sorry...sorry...for everything, Fiendal..."

[hookedhookless]

"I did not, but do not worry yourself, that mark on you contains my essence, should another demon be intermingled with you enough to find my name, I will be there to fight it off anyhow."

He looked around the lonely village, thinking only of how there was nothing for them there anymore.

The Glyph Home pt 3 (botgd 2)

Part 2

Now kneeling in the dirt, the man blinked at the new mark on his arm, and then lowered his head at Fiendal's words.

He knew they were true. He knew all along that would be the answer.

"I don't want to..." He confessed, and then looked up at him, as two tears finally fell free from his eyes. He sniffed and scuffed at them with his sleeve. "Ah...look at me...crocodile tears over being caught." His head dropped to stare blankly at the ground. "N-no real shame for it all..." His vision blurred, and his face began to tighten at the words. "No real guilt for any of it."

He pressed a hand over his eyes as if to hide, and his shoulders hunched over his frame as they began to shake. The attempt to hide them in vain, the tears pooled behind his hand and dripped out from between his fingers. "N-not even-the barest idea o-of what it means to be sorry...just to feel sorry...sorry...for everything, Fiendal..."

[hookedhookless]

The Arbiter almost didn't want to hear the true name as they left, yet, before they arrived, he had already spoken to his companion.

"My true name is Firkugaan, though be careful with either of these names, as I said, they hold power."

Before they knew it, it seemed they were back in the village.

The Glyph Home pt 3 (botgd 2)

Part 2

Now kneeling in the dirt, the man blinked at the new mark on his arm, and then lowered his head at Fiendal's words.

He knew they were true. He knew all along that would be the answer.

"I don't want to..." He confessed, and then looked up at him, as two tears finally fell free from his eyes. He sniffed and scuffed at them with his sleeve. "Ah...look at me...crocodile tears over being caught." His head dropped to stare blankly at the ground. "N-no real shame for it all..." His vision blurred, and his face began to tighten at the words. "No real guilt for any of it."

He pressed a hand over his eyes as if to hide, and his shoulders hunched over his frame as they began to shake. The attempt to hide them in vain, the tears pooled behind his hand and dripped out from between his fingers. "N-not even-the barest idea o-of what it means to be sorry...just to feel sorry...sorry...for everything, Fiendal..."

[hookedhookless]

He chuckled again. blinking slowly and placing his hand on the mans head, as though he was going to ruffle his hair.

"My friend, a worthy, and quite admired sentiment. But as we are in a place of magic, be wary. For should a faekind take your name, it would be doubtful you would get it back."

He laughed at his own joke in the way one only could after month of company being only one man.

He took a deep breath, the soot shaded arm seeming to grow further with his nerves as he reached out and held the glyph in his hand.

The Glyph Home pt 3 (botgd 2)

Part 2

Now kneeling in the dirt, the man blinked at the new mark on his arm, and then lowered his head at Fiendal's words.

He knew they were true. He knew all along that would be the answer.

"I don't want to..." He confessed, and then looked up at him, as two tears finally fell free from his eyes. He sniffed and scuffed at them with his sleeve. "Ah...look at me...crocodile tears over being caught." His head dropped to stare blankly at the ground. "N-no real shame for it all..." His vision blurred, and his face began to tighten at the words. "No real guilt for any of it."

He pressed a hand over his eyes as if to hide, and his shoulders hunched over his frame as they began to shake. The attempt to hide them in vain, the tears pooled behind his hand and dripped out from between his fingers. "N-not even-the barest idea o-of what it means to be sorry...just to feel sorry...sorry...for everything, Fiendal..."

[hookedhookless]

The Arbiter chuckled, and looked at Dixie, "No, remember what I said, no easy ways out anymore. You must face this, not alone, you will find people to support you. But you must till face this"

He held the mans arm and slowly reached out for the glyph, he didn't know what would happen if he touched it. but he knew he had to anyway.

"Are you ready to go and face your judgement?"

The Glyph Home pt 3 (botgd 2)

Part 2

Now kneeling in the dirt, the man blinked at the new mark on his arm, and then lowered his head at Fiendal's words.

He knew they were true. He knew all along that would be the answer.

"I don't want to..." He confessed, and then looked up at him, as two tears finally fell free from his eyes. He sniffed and scuffed at them with his sleeve. "Ah...look at me...crocodile tears over being caught." His head dropped to stare blankly at the ground. "N-no real shame for it all..." His vision blurred, and his face began to tighten at the words. "No real guilt for any of it."

He pressed a hand over his eyes as if to hide, and his shoulders hunched over his frame as they began to shake. The attempt to hide them in vain, the tears pooled behind his hand and dripped out from between his fingers. "N-not even-the barest idea o-of what it means to be sorry...just to feel sorry...sorry...for everything, Fiendal..."

[hookedhookless]

"You understand how wrong what you have done is, the guilt and the shame, unfortunately, are something You or I cannot provide, this is why you must seek these people out and ask them for forgiveness."

He slowly moved to be beside Dixie, and started slowly rubbing his back, a movement he learned from when his mother was alive.

"I do not believe that you are sad because you were caught, I truly think that you have held all this in, trying to look like the perfect man. If there is one word of advice I can give from seeing all I have seen, You must stop taking the easy road in life."

Dixie didn't respond for a moment, perhaps he was parsing the demons words, as they were not easily understood immediatley.

"All those problems you solved, jobs you gave, people you helped. You could have done all of that without the mercenary raids, and the profits only rising. You may not be able to apologise to the dead, but give their families peace of mind. Give the unnecessary death a place to rest"

He thought about what he had seen once more, and moved his hand to Dixie's shoulder.

"And one last decree, from a place of experience, do not let only your rage for others drive you, You needn't forgive Indigo, nor forget your village. But realise that this is not the only reason you are here. Build a new life, with new people, like Blunt has done. He has not thrown away his past, nor forgiven the same family members you fear. But he has understood that the past cannot be undone, we may only live with our experiences."

"Now, more than ever, you must drive yourself to be a force that does not harm innocents for your own gain, be it personal or professional. Seek these people out, admit your transgressions, ask for forgiveness, and be better."

The Glyph Home pt 3 (botgd 2)

Part 2

Now kneeling in the dirt, the man blinked at the new mark on his arm, and then lowered his head at Fiendal's words.

He knew they were true. He knew all along that would be the answer.

"I don't want to..." He confessed, and then looked up at him, as two tears finally fell free from his eyes. He sniffed and scuffed at them with his sleeve. "Ah...look at me...crocodile tears over being caught." His head dropped to stare blankly at the ground. "N-no real shame for it all..." His vision blurred, and his face began to tighten at the words. "No real guilt for any of it."

He pressed a hand over his eyes as if to hide, and his shoulders hunched over his frame as they began to shake. The attempt to hide them in vain, the tears pooled behind his hand and dripped out from between his fingers. "N-not even-the barest idea o-of what it means to be sorry...just to feel sorry...sorry...for everything, Fiendal..."

[hookedhookless]

He looked at the glyph, floating. But decided to hold off on interacting with it. For now, he had just torn Dixies mind asunder, and forced him to spill all his secrets.

"Dixie, What you need right now, is not to apologise, or immediately forgive yourself. for those won't work, I'm afraid. You need to go to those people, to Blunt, and to the leaders of the rebellion, and repent these actions. For they are grave, and it would take the larger world more time to accept and understand, even if it was in their interests, what you have done."

"As for how you will got about achieving this goal, lend me your arm, and I shall make sure you will"

The demon slowly pulled Dixie's arm over and rolled up his sleeve. With all hopes that it would work, his ashen dust imprinted itself into his skin, forming a tattoo of sorts. The words would not be simple, but Dixie would follow them, should The Arbiter place the correct energy into them.

ᛗᚨᛁ ᛁ ᛒᛖ ᚠᛟᚱᚷᛁᚢᛖᚾ ᚹᚺᛖᚾ ᛗᚨᛁ ᚠᛟᚱᚷᛁᚢᛖ ᛗᛁᛊᛖᛚᚠ

"Neither I Nor this writ shall not force you to do anything, but when you feel you have earned the grace of the people, this mark shall fade."

The Glyph Home(?) pt 2 (botgd 2)

Part 1

The warmth...

The patience...

Fiendal was advocating for the early stages of something that the man didn't even know existed.

His stomach simmered as he felt his blood pressure tank. Even as he stood there he became ghastly pale. The images Fiendal put before his mind stuck like knives, and as they filtered through, others began to appear.

The area darkened around them further, and a hue of red touched at the edges. Fiendal became aware that this was no longer just perception. The nest was indeed being altered by whatever was happening here.

"Fiendal..." The man in front of the demon said in a hollow voice, as his hands slowly raised up to his eyes. "I...I feel like I can't even hear what you're saying...I can't...you're showing me everything, expressed everything, since day one...but...but...

His heart was hammering by now, and the sweat that started on his brow trailed to his neck in cold streams. "But something's in the way...I feel like we've just been walking in silence...like the only reason I knew I wasn't isolated and alone here was because I was still alive, and that meant you must have been here to protect me."

His hands came up to clasp on either side of his head, his expression now frantic. "What's happening!? Why does it all mean nothing?! Your words-blocked out, my words-empty! I can't handle this anymore, I want this all out! And I don't know what 'this' or 'it' even is!!"

[hookedhookless]

He pulled the man by his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. There was pain, hatred, all other emotions that could easily overwhelm. He knew how much is was hurting, as their minds were linked, but he knew it was their only way out.

"I'm sorry, Friend. I must"

He dug deeper into Dixie's mind. Without trying to break the man.

The Glyph Home(?) pt 2 (botgd 2)

Part 1

The warmth...

The patience...

Fiendal was advocating for the early stages of something that the man didn't even know existed.

His stomach simmered as he felt his blood pressure tank. Even as he stood there he became ghastly pale. The images Fiendal put before his mind stuck like knives, and as they filtered through, others began to appear.

The area darkened around them further, and a hue of red touched at the edges. Fiendal became aware that this was no longer just perception. The nest was indeed being altered by whatever was happening here.

"Fiendal..." The man in front of the demon said in a hollow voice, as his hands slowly raised up to his eyes. "I...I feel like I can't even hear what you're saying...I can't...you're showing me everything, expressed everything, since day one...but...but...

His heart was hammering by now, and the sweat that started on his brow trailed to his neck in cold streams. "But something's in the way...I feel like we've just been walking in silence...like the only reason I knew I wasn't isolated and alone here was because I was still alive, and that meant you must have been here to protect me."

His hands came up to clasp on either side of his head, his expression now frantic. "What's happening!? Why does it all mean nothing?! Your words-blocked out, my words-empty! I can't handle this anymore, I want this all out! And I don't know what 'this' or 'it' even is!!"

[hookedhookless]

He used his mind, wrapped around the ban, to dig in with a grip and slowly pull it apart, revealing everything the man knew.

The arbiter didn't think it was this easy to break a humans mind open, and he hated to find out that it was using Dixie's. But it was necessary.

The Glyph Home(?) pt 2 (botgd 2)

Part 1

The warmth...

The patience...

Fiendal was advocating for the early stages of something that the man didn't even know existed.

His stomach simmered as he felt his blood pressure tank. Even as he stood there he became ghastly pale. The images Fiendal put before his mind stuck like knives, and as they filtered through, others began to appear.

The area darkened around them further, and a hue of red touched at the edges. Fiendal became aware that this was no longer just perception. The nest was indeed being altered by whatever was happening here.

"Fiendal..." The man in front of the demon said in a hollow voice, as his hands slowly raised up to his eyes. "I...I feel like I can't even hear what you're saying...I can't...you're showing me everything, expressed everything, since day one...but...but...

His heart was hammering by now, and the sweat that started on his brow trailed to his neck in cold streams. "But something's in the way...I feel like we've just been walking in silence...like the only reason I knew I wasn't isolated and alone here was because I was still alive, and that meant you must have been here to protect me."

His hands came up to clasp on either side of his head, his expression now frantic. "What's happening!? Why does it all mean nothing?! Your words-blocked out, my words-empty! I can't handle this anymore, I want this all out! And I don't know what 'this' or 'it' even is!!"

[hookedhookless]

"Then confess, Tell me what you have done that you think I have not seen. And I shall pass judgement on you, again."

He held the man at arms length, looking into his eyes.

"But I promise you, you're going to be fine."

The Glyph Home(?) pt 2 (botgd 2)

Part 1

The warmth...

The patience...

Fiendal was advocating for the early stages of something that the man didn't even know existed.

His stomach simmered as he felt his blood pressure tank. Even as he stood there he became ghastly pale. The images Fiendal put before his mind stuck like knives, and as they filtered through, others began to appear.

The area darkened around them further, and a hue of red touched at the edges. Fiendal became aware that this was no longer just perception. The nest was indeed being altered by whatever was happening here.

"Fiendal..." The man in front of the demon said in a hollow voice, as his hands slowly raised up to his eyes. "I...I feel like I can't even hear what you're saying...I can't...you're showing me everything, expressed everything, since day one...but...but...

His heart was hammering by now, and the sweat that started on his brow trailed to his neck in cold streams. "But something's in the way...I feel like we've just been walking in silence...like the only reason I knew I wasn't isolated and alone here was because I was still alive, and that meant you must have been here to protect me."

His hands came up to clasp on either side of his head, his expression now frantic. "What's happening!? Why does it all mean nothing?! Your words-blocked out, my words-empty! I can't handle this anymore, I want this all out! And I don't know what 'this' or 'it' even is!!"

[hookedhookless]

He had noticed the glyph form, but hearing Dixies words gave him a kind of grief. He didn't even know weather Dixie needed a human or a demon, He chose the form from somewhere in between.

He saw that the man's body seemed to be changing as well, he couldn't think of what to do to help, for the first time in a long time, he felt true panic.

Before either of them could think further, he slapped Dixie across the cheek. Multiple voices seemed to echo out.

"Your family's wrongdoings are not yours! I have seen your soul, your commitment, your mind. I have already judged you, you don't need a judge, jury or executioner. You need help. You need a friend. You need to understand!"

He then pulled Dixie in and hugged him tightly, knowing it was most likely what he needed most.

"There are wrongdoings in every name! Hrothgar shares as many as Donz! But you aren't like your predecessors, because if you were, you wouldn't be this scared!"

The Glyph Home(?) pt 2 (botgd 2)

Part 1

The warmth...

The patience...

Fiendal was advocating for the early stages of something that the man didn't even know existed.

His stomach simmered as he felt his blood pressure tank. Even as he stood there he became ghastly pale. The images Fiendal put before his mind stuck like knives, and as they filtered through, others began to appear.

The area darkened around them further, and a hue of red touched at the edges. Fiendal became aware that this was no longer just perception. The nest was indeed being altered by whatever was happening here.

"Fiendal..." The man in front of the demon said in a hollow voice, as his hands slowly raised up to his eyes. "I...I feel like I can't even hear what you're saying...I can't...you're showing me everything, expressed everything, since day one...but...but...

His heart was hammering by now, and the sweat that started on his brow trailed to his neck in cold streams. "But something's in the way...I feel like we've just been walking in silence...like the only reason I knew I wasn't isolated and alone here was because I was still alive, and that meant you must have been here to protect me."

His hands came up to clasp on either side of his head, his expression now frantic. "What's happening!? Why does it all mean nothing?! Your words-blocked out, my words-empty! I can't handle this anymore, I want this all out! And I don't know what 'this' or 'it' even is!!"

[hookedhookless]

He noticed the change in the atmosphere, realising what it must have meant, but he knew that this trap was not for him, it never was, he had to help Dixie get through it, even if that meant tearing his emotions to the bear minimum.

"Here, answer me this question, Do you feel like you wouldn't have survived if I wasn't here? Do you trust me to have protected you to the best of my abilities?"

The Glyph Home(?) pt 2 (botgd 2)

Part 1

The warmth...

The patience...

Fiendal was advocating for the early stages of something that the man didn't even know existed.

His stomach simmered as he felt his blood pressure tank. Even as he stood there he became ghastly pale. The images Fiendal put before his mind stuck like knives, and as they filtered through, others began to appear.

The area darkened around them further, and a hue of red touched at the edges. Fiendal became aware that this was no longer just perception. The nest was indeed being altered by whatever was happening here.

"Fiendal..." The man in front of the demon said in a hollow voice, as his hands slowly raised up to his eyes. "I...I feel like I can't even hear what you're saying...I can't...you're showing me everything, expressed everything, since day one...but...but...

His heart was hammering by now, and the sweat that started on his brow trailed to his neck in cold streams. "But something's in the way...I feel like we've just been walking in silence...like the only reason I knew I wasn't isolated and alone here was because I was still alive, and that meant you must have been here to protect me."

His hands came up to clasp on either side of his head, his expression now frantic. "What's happening!? Why does it all mean nothing?! Your words-blocked out, my words-empty! I can't handle this anymore, I want this all out! And I don't know what 'this' or 'it' even is!!"

[hookedhookless]

A gentle hand came to rest on Dixies shoulder, The man turned to see the demon had changed back to look human. He looked at Dixie with compassion and worry.

"Neither was I, but look what I became to avoid my name."

He placed his mind around Dixies. As though he were a father hugging a child.

"We do not know why we seek what we do, not why we fear what we fear. But allow me to try and show you."

Images flashed in Dixies mind, deals broken, workers not listening, ostracization, loneliness, wandering. Until he showed an image of Dixie, facing Blunt, trying to tell his cousin that he was throwing away their last connection. He showed all the ways that it could go, and every path ended in both being miserable.

When the images in Dixies mind cleared up, the human was gone, and the demon was back.

"Changing your name is no easy path, it is removing what makes you who you are. After this adventure, you will still be Dixie, only with a new experience, do not waste what has happened, what has made you you, for fear of what follows it."

The Glyph Home(?) (botgd 2)

With stomachs full and the information of how to escape the witch nest fresh in their minds, Dixie and The Arbiter set out to find the glyph that would take them back home.

...

And then nothing happened for six weeks.

Dixie's clothes had been fine crafted, but they had not been intended for durable wear. The hide of the slain crane replaced his coat, and a few deer hides eventually swapped out his shirt and pants. For the most part, the man was in a constant state of fighting off sickness, although by now his hands had at least gotten somewhat used to the manual labor that came from making fire, and pitching emergency shelters. He was unable to grow a full beard, but his moustache came in unreasonably thick. Fiendal understood why the man groomed the way he did now, as it wasn't a flattering look. The same could not be said for Dixie's hair though. As it began to grow out, the demon wasn't entirely sure why the man had opted to shave it bald given the maintenance, cold weather, and the fact that a head of hair did his appearance well.

The Arbiter's ability to hunt and diagnose whether or not a plant was poisonous kept Dixie moderately fed on a consistent basis, while the essence of slain familiars and witch remnants kept The Arbiter fiercely in his prime. The residence of the cursed place had no idea what had hit them. Fiendal had essentially walked into an area he simply out classed in every category. It got to the point that if the pair wished for more rest than they did food, Dixie would simply tell whatever sinister force was trying to hunt him, that they faced immediate annihilation if they did not leave, and also flee far enough to not be tracked in the morning.

By the time the first two weeks past, Dixie had experienced a handful of discomfort and hunger induced meltdowns, which included a fair bit of cussing, yelling, and periods of severe demoralization. He had always come around though, and apologized for his outbursts.

And even as he spoke freely with Fiendal, and shared more stories with him...it was always as if he were keeping truer words close to his chest. Things that he should have said by now, that he stubbornly refused to acknowledge, despite all that had transpired.

One crisp morning, as the pair hiked, Dixie leaned on his slugthrower, which had been crafted to function as more of a walking stick than anything else by this point, the shells long since spent.

"Fiendal...I got thinking, and I think I finally know how I can show my appreciation for all you've done. At least in some, small way."

[hookedhookless]

"Escape, or cowardice"

It was a simple answer, rooted in both what he knew from both his human and demon experience. But he still felt he had to expand on his answer, so as to not leave dixie feeling worse than he seemed to be.

"Simply put, you are scared that the person you have or will become will be different than the person you once were. If someone were to see "Dixie" acting unbecoming, it would be easier to say that you are no longer him, that you are someone else."

He gave a gentle prod to dixies mind, just to say that he understood.

"But you are the sum of your experiences. You will always be Dixie to most, that is how they will always remember you, that is how you will remember you."

he also gave thought to What dixie called his kind, and the question he asked there.

"As for us demonkind, it is precisely because we are the mind flayers we must not use our real names, they hold a power that allows our fellow kind to control and command us. You humans do not have that glaring weakness for a name, yours can hold power, weight. And I'm sure that a name like yours holds weight in your circles. So I wouldn't recommend losing it."

The Glyph Home(?) (botgd 2)

With stomachs full and the information of how to escape the witch nest fresh in their minds, Dixie and The Arbiter set out to find the glyph that would take them back home.

...

And then nothing happened for six weeks.

Dixie's clothes had been fine crafted, but they had not been intended for durable wear. The hide of the slain crane replaced his coat, and a few deer hides eventually swapped out his shirt and pants. For the most part, the man was in a constant state of fighting off sickness, although by now his hands had at least gotten somewhat used to the manual labor that came from making fire, and pitching emergency shelters. He was unable to grow a full beard, but his moustache came in unreasonably thick. Fiendal understood why the man groomed the way he did now, as it wasn't a flattering look. The same could not be said for Dixie's hair though. As it began to grow out, the demon wasn't entirely sure why the man had opted to shave it bald given the maintenance, cold weather, and the fact that a head of hair did his appearance well.

The Arbiter's ability to hunt and diagnose whether or not a plant was poisonous kept Dixie moderately fed on a consistent basis, while the essence of slain familiars and witch remnants kept The Arbiter fiercely in his prime. The residence of the cursed place had no idea what had hit them. Fiendal had essentially walked into an area he simply out classed in every category. It got to the point that if the pair wished for more rest than they did food, Dixie would simply tell whatever sinister force was trying to hunt him, that they faced immediate annihilation if they did not leave, and also flee far enough to not be tracked in the morning.

By the time the first two weeks past, Dixie had experienced a handful of discomfort and hunger induced meltdowns, which included a fair bit of cussing, yelling, and periods of severe demoralization. He had always come around though, and apologized for his outbursts.

And even as he spoke freely with Fiendal, and shared more stories with him...it was always as if he were keeping truer words close to his chest. Things that he should have said by now, that he stubbornly refused to acknowledge, despite all that had transpired.

One crisp morning, as the pair hiked, Dixie leaned on his slugthrower, which had been crafted to function as more of a walking stick than anything else by this point, the shells long since spent.

"Fiendal...I got thinking, and I think I finally know how I can show my appreciation for all you've done. At least in some, small way."