Thankfully, Calder was able to make it back into the keep before either himself or Fargrim bled out. The way back to the tunnel was unhindered for the duo, although the ranger was briefly worried that they were leaving a trail of blood for the raiders to find. He convinced himself that if anything, they would be too busy with their destruction to notice the obvious trail. Covering it up would take too much time that the half-elf did not have. After making it through the tunnel, two soldiers helped them over to the makeshift medical ward, where healers would be able to treat them.

Calder's injuries were stitched up and bandaged within the hour. Given how desperate the town of Greenest was for defenders, he was cleared to join the fight again. Thankfully, his injuries would not impede on his combat ability, even though he felt drained. Most likely a result from his newfound ability to mark targets, some sort of spellcasting if he had to take a guess. As for Fargrim, he was still unconscious, and still being treated by the healers. The half-elf overheard the medics starting about the dwarf's condition, saying that it was a miracle he was alive. The hunter was still surprised at his comrade's endurance.

Now cleared to leave the medical ward, Calder thought it was best to join up with Skylar and Zavier. He was not sure how they fared, but was somewhat thankful not to see them in the medical ward. Although it could be that they had fallen in battle, the ranger was quick to pick out Brother Falconmoon, who was now aiding in the treatment of the injured. If he survived, it meant that his friends must have been successful in protecting the townsfolk. Rearmed and outfitted in his armor, he made his way over to the priest, who turned to face him with a smile.

"Ah, I remember you," Brother Falconmoon smiled warmly. "It is good to see that you survived."

"Yes, it is," Calder nodded in agreement. "What of my companions? How did they fare?"

"They fought well, and if not for their aid, we would have fallen," Brother Falconmoon reported. "When we got back, the Castellian took Robert back under his command, and Governor Nighthill wished to see the remaining two adventurers."

"I'll be on the look out for them," Calder told him. "Thank you."

"No, thank you," Brother Falconmoon corrected him.

Back home in the north, Calder lived a simple life. All he had to worry about was hunting for tonight's meal and the dealing with the disapproval of the elders. Now, he was taking a much more grander role. The half-elf was unsure of what he thought of being a hero that has saved dozen of citizens. There was a warm feeling in his chest at the thought of his good deeds. Even if they were not dealing with the Cult of the Dragon yet, they were on the right track, even if it did not take them to their true enemy.

Calder left the medical ward, on the lookout for his friends. The halls were filled with desperate and scared families, who had lost everything but their lives during the raids. While walking through the hall, the half-elf could see the faces of a few of the refugees smile at the sight of him. He recognized a few of them, some being from the church, and others from his first night. The ranger even saw Linan, who was reunited with her children and fully recovered children. Seeing the results of his good work was enough to continue him to fight on.

Eventually, Calder heard the raised voices of both Zavier and Skylar coming down the hallway. He could tell that they were in the middle of an argument, although their words were indecipherable. He followed the sound of the voices and came upon a wooden door that led into a storage room. He still could not make out any words and gripped the door. He twisted the door knob open, and swung the door open to reveal Skylar and Zaiver, almost at each other's throat."

"-did not sign up to get myself killed!" Zavier screamed out.

"If we don't do something, Greenest is going to fall!" Skylar reminded him.

"We're outmatched," Zavier bluntly told her. "We're both drained of our spells for today. We need to rest."

"There's no time to rest." Skylar argued, huffing.

"If it helps, I still have plenty of arrows," Calder interrupted their conversation.

"Calder!" Skylar exclaimed, the anger dispersing for joy. "We were worried sick about you!"

"What of Fargrim?" Zavier asked, somewhat worried. "Tell me he hasn't gotten himself killed."

"He lives on," Calder informed Zavier. "Terribly injured, but he'll survive."

"Of course he'll survive," Zavier sighed. "Gets beaten up on a daily basis, but he gets back up with that same grin of his."

"What happened while I was gone?" Calder asked, getting right to the point.

"Governor Nighthill called for the two of us to report on the raiders," Skylar explained. "They're targeting the mills, which have remained mostly intact throughout the whole raid. If they are destroyed, Greenest has a long recovery."

"An even longer recovery," Zavier corrected her. "Look, we all saw how Greenest is. Even if the mills survive, they don't have much hope."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Skylar glared towards him. "Just going to leave us?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," Zavier walked towards the open door. "Going right out the escape tunnel, so don't get in my way."

"Hold on a moment," Calder stood in his way, locking eyes with him. "Are you really going to leave Fargrim? He's not going to abandon Greenest now. I've been onto who you really were since we first met. You're not the legendary hero you claim to be. Yet, I can see that if there is one thing that is true, it is your friendship with Fargrim. So, will you really leave that friendship behind?"

Zavier opened his mouth, preparing to shout out an argument, but took a moment to think. Calder suppressed a grin, knowing that he had hit two weaknesses of the bard: his reputation and his friendship with the dwarf. The half-elf wondered why the man did not feel what he did. He wondered why he was not proud to be a hero to the small town of Greenest. Finally, Zavier sighed, shook his head, and took a few steps away from his friends.

"You'll see that I am the hero of legend, as I have told you many times," Zavier grinned, his voice full of confidence. "When we return from our battle from the mill, I will be sure to relate my story of my success to dear Fargrim. Let us make haste!"

A/N: A little bit of a shorter chapter this time around, with no action. I thought it would be best to see the interactions between our heroes to show their growing bonds. I would prefer for such chapters to be longer, but given that they are in the middle of a war zone, I have to be realistic this time around.

Until next time.