Beginning of the long road

It’s early morning when you prepare to head out. The doubts of the previous night still tickle at the back of your mind, but you bury them down deep as everyone gets ready. Victor hands over command of his force to you, as he plans to head back to Hope and spread the word of your success. It’s not enough to assault the capital, but it’s plenty to ward a base camp with. The panther man smiles as he shakes your hand.

“Just in case we can’t catch up with you before you do whatever it is you’re planning, I want to say that I’m happy to have been a part of this. No matter the outcome, you’ve done incredible things. Thank you.”

You chuckle. “You make it sound like I’m on a march to my funeral.”

Victor shakes his head. “Not at all. But no battle is certain, and Niran is no ordinary foe. I wanted to be sure that you knew that everyone is behind you.”

You nod. “Thanks, Victor. I’ll be sure to give his corpse a kick for you.”

He laughs. “There’s the Nicholas I know. Best of luck.”

With that, he and Amara turn away, heading for the gate that leads back to Hope. You get a similar, but less familiar farewell from Lira, the noble promising to send messengers should anything important come up.

Finally, you say goodbye to Kaeli, who hugs you for a long time without saying a word. When she finally lets go, there’s tears in her eyes. Wiping her face, she sighs sadly, before meeting your gaze. The two of you look at each other for a while, before she finally speaks, very quietly.

“You had better come back, safe and sound. I’m not an emotional person, and now look at me. Take care of yourself. Please.”

You nod, and she hugs you again, briefly, before giving you a kiss and hurrying away. You watch her go, before turning back to the rest of the girls, who are watching and waiting. As you walk over, Ferra takes your hand, and you give her a smile. Looking over the gathered family, you nod.

“It’s time to go. No grand speeches, I’ll save that for later. We’ve got a lot of walking to do!”

The girls all laugh, and you set out on the road, leading the troops out. As you leave, you glance back at the gates as they close behind you. Though it’s early in your journey, you can’t help but feel like the end is near. One way or another, this is the last time you’ll be doing this.