After what Kennick had been through the past few days, he felt relieved to share his coldborn heritage with his new friends. His father had warned him that Sandpoint wouldn't likely accept him if the truth came out and it was hard to disagree at the time. It was difficult to keep that part of him hidden away from his friends in Sandpoint if only because it felt like he was lying. To have friends accept him for who he was was a new feeling for Kennick and he was glad to have revealed his transformation to his fellow adventurers.

Fighting against the sinspawn as a coldborn was a great way to relieve the rage he kept bottled up as well.

Draul meant well when he gave the others a break from patrolling around Sandpoint but Kennick felt restless. It was hard to relax when there was still a threat to his home. While Corita played her lute on stage at the Rusty Dragon and Razvan snuck away to his room with Shayliss, Kennick kept to himself, brooding over his recent adventures. At the very least, he didn't feel like drinking heavily like he had the previous days. He knew that he had a bad habit when he had a lot on his mind to overeat or to drink a lot of alcohol. It was difficult to break but he was trying his best to work on it.

When Kennick first defended Sandpoint from the goblins, he didn't think he was fighting against old friends. Tsuto had been one of the few friends he made after Kennick lost his father and was sent to the Turandarok Academy. Kennick placed his hand over where Tsuto shot an arrow at him and frowned. He had been caught off guard that day, but hadn't been knocked out, he wondered how the fight with Tsuto would have gone. Between seeing Lonjiku's glass-covered corpse and learning of the fight he had with Ameiko, Kennick was starting to realize that Tsuto may not have changed over the years but had grown into who he truly was.

As for Nualia, Kennick wasn't particularly close to her. He had seen her from time to time and knew that Tsuto was infatuated with her but they weren't close friends. A part of Kennick wished that things had been different. It was seeing how Sandpoint treated Nualia as an aasimar that convinced him it was better to hide his coldbear heritage. He wondered if he had treated her not as an angelic being but as a person if she would have stayed in Sandpoint. It was too late for that given what he read from Tsuto's journal. Nualia had snapped, and given that she wanted to burn Sandpoint to become some sort of monster, Kennick didn't think it was possible to save her.

When the sun started to set, Kennick remembered that he wasn't the only one affected by recent events. Ameiko had been kidnapped by her half-brother who was responsible for the murder of her father. Kennick always thought that Ameiko was strong but he knew from experience that losing a parent was a pain unlike any other. Even though the relationship between Ameiko and Lonjiku was strained, his loss and Tsuto's betrayal left her without a family.

Before heading to his room, Kennick made his way to the second floor of the Rusty Dragon to check in on Ameiko. He was aware that she had her own room and knew where it was. He knocked on her door and waited for several seconds before she opened the door. Ameiko stood in the doorway, her hair and clothes disheveled and her eyes somewhat red but she put on a strong smile for her friend.

"Kennick."

"Ameiko. I wanted to check in with you."

"I see," Ameiko said quietly. "I'm afraid Tsuto didn't tell me much of what he was planning. He wanted me to join him but I couldn't turn against Sandpoint."

"We have an idea of what Tsuto's to already," Kennick told her. "I wanted to see how you were holding out after what happened."

"It's been tough," Ameiko admitted, closing her eyes. "I'm supposed to go into town hall as part of my father's will. He hadn't had time to cut me out so the Glassworks and the family manor is mine. Then, there's planning the funeral. Father Zantus suggested that I shouldn't see my father…"

"I'm sorry to hear that but It might have been for the best," Kennick noted with a frown. "Father Tobyn told me that as well after my father died. His death wasn't a kind one either."

"Right," Ameiko said softly and rubbed at her eyes.

"I'll be leaving with the others soon to pursue Tsuto," Kennick said. "He won't get away with it."

"You're right about that," Ameiko sighed. "When I was young, I hoped that my family could get along. Father never approved of me sneaking out to see Tsuto but he was still my brother. When I tried to mend their relationship, we got into a fight and Tsuto…"

"You don't need to tell me more," Kennick told Ameiko with a gentle tone. "It's difficult accepting that Tsuto is no longer the friend I once knew."

"Do you think he ever had a chance?" Ameiko asked. "Do you think that he could have done something else with his life or was he always destined down this path after he was abandoned?"

Slowly, Kennick shrugged. "I don't know. It must have been difficult for his mother to be from nobility but he was abandoned because of something out of his control."

"And the rest of Sandpoint didn't exactly care for him because of my father's influence," Ameiko added sadly. "I want you to do whatever it takes to stop Tsuto, even if it ends with his death. If he survives, well, I suppose I can find out why he decided to work with goblins."

"You should rest. I'll be back from my journey soon. If you need someone to talk to, I'd be willing to listen."

"Thank you," Ameiko said with a faint smile. "That means a lot."

"Have a good night, Ameiko."

"You too, Kennick."

Kennick stepped away from Ameiko, who closed the door. He was relieved to see that Ameiko, although mourning, wasn't devastated as he was when he lost his father. She always seemed so strong in spirit even when they were young. It would take time but Ameiko would make it through the tragedy and come out stronger for it, even if times were dark for her.

Kennick had done all he could for Ameiko aside from dealing with the one who brought her such pain. Although Ameiko said she didn't mind if he killed Tsuto, he wondered if she was saying that for his sake. Kennick was struggling with the fact that he would have to fight his old friends and he wasn't sure what would happen next. No matter what, he had to be strong for his friends. There wasn't anything he could gain from contemplating what's to come. Kennick could only wait to act in the moment.

The next day, Kennick joined his companions for breakfast at the Rusty Dragon with Draul suggesting that they come up with a plan for the journey to Thisletop. With Sheriff Hemlock likely to return to Sandpoint tomorrow, the paladin wanted to take care of the logistics of the journey. Fortunately, they didn't need to spend a lot of time coming up with a plan. Mariel and Razvan would spend the day working on selling some of the items the group didn't need such as the spell scroll (Mariel already had the spell in her tome and thought the gold would suit the group better) along with the ranseur that the statue of Alaznist had. Corita volunteered to go back below the Glassworks to look for any treasure that they missed while Draul thought he should ensure that Mayor Deverin was informed of their plans.

That left Kennick responsible for guiding the group to Thisletop. As it so happened, he used to spend a lot of time in the wilderness with his father and continued to do so while at Turandarok Academy. It might have been his bestial instincts but part of him felt calm in the wilderness. Although it had been years since Kennick had to do any sort of tracking or guiding outside of Sandpoint, Thistletop wasn't too far away from town. With the horses Aldern bought for the group, they could ride close enough to Thistletop and back to Sandpoint in a day. Fighting the goblins may take more time than the journey to their lair.

Kennick was more concerned with a battle plan but Draul told the group that wasn't something they could figure out until they arrived at Sandpoint. At the moment, they didn't know everything they would face at Thistletop. There were going to be plenty of goblins but from Tsuto's journal they knew that Nualia had allies with her. Kennick wasn't too concerned with the goblins and was optimistic that he could handle Bruthazmus. Unlike the previous times he faced the goblins, he intended to go into battle as a coldborn and not hold back against the enemy at Thistletop.

With Razvan, Mariel, and Corita leaving for their assignments, Draul asked Kennick to stay behind for a moment to talk. Kennick remained seated at their table and nodded, prompting the paladin to speak up.

"I'll keep this quick. Mariel and I were trying to discover more about Nualia's life before she left Sandpoint and we learned of a feud between Father Tobyn and someone by the name of Delek Viskanta. Do you know anything about him?"

Kennick took several seconds, thinking of Draul's question, before answering. "Not much. We never talked but Tsuto never liked him."

"Why's that?" Draul asked.

"He didn't like that Nualia was spending time with him," Kennick said. "I didn't understand at the time but I realize now that he was jealous of Delek."

"Tsuto's infatuation with Nualia is clear from his journal," Draul nodded. "Do you think he was jealous because Nualia and Delek were together?"

"I'm not sure," Kennick admitted. "The other youth were in awe of Nualia because she was an aasimar or hated her because of that. Even if she found someone, Father Tobyn was protective of her, especially when it came to some of the other boys."

"That would explain why Father Tobyn was mad with Delek," Draul noted, although he frowned. "I thank you for answering my questions, but even with this information, we're missing something still."

"Delek left before the Late Unpleasantness and never came back to Sandpoint," Kennick told Draul.

"That he did, and from what I heard during my time in Magnimar, he was murdered after the Late Unpleasantness," Draul said. "Mariel and I think Nualia might have been involved after she escaped from the fire, which we also believe she might have set. We don't know why though."

Kennick nodded, accepting the speculation without much effort. "I understand you're trying to learn more about Nualia but I don't see how her reasons for her crimes will help us in a fight."

"Sometimes the best way to defeat a villain isn't to fight them," Draul said. "By learning why our enemies have turned to evil, we could potentially reason with them and convince them to turn away from the path."

"Do you truly believe that Nualia and Tsuto can be redeemed after everything they have done?" Kennick asked, his voice quiet and his tone accusing.

"I've seen for myself how someone who has committed just as terrible crimes as our enemies find redemption through the Dawnflower," Draul told Kennick, smiling. "I believe it is possible."

"I see…" Kennick looked down at the table, unable to meet Draul's gaze. "I hope that you aren't disappointed if you aren't able to save them."

"There's only one way to find out," Draul said and stood up. "I thank you for your help in answering my questions. There's still much we don't know but I have a feeling that the truth will be revealed before our adventure comes to an end. I'll leave you be for now."

Kennick nodded and glanced up to see Draul leave the Rusty Dragon to report to the mayor. Tomorrow, they would leave for Thistletop and put an end to the threat the goblins and their leaders held to Sandpoint. Although Kennick thought that the only way to protect his home was through violence, he wondered if Draul's idea was possible and that they could convince Nualia or Tsuto to surrender. He wasn't hopeful but the paladin certainly believed his plan to be possible. It might have to do with his faith in Sarenrae as she was a goddess of redemption. Kennick never felt a connection to any of the gods but could see that those with divine powers had great power and great convictions.

There was no use thinking about what could happen. Regardless of what happened, the threat to Sandpoint would end one way or another. More determined than before, Kennick stood up and made his way out of the Rusty Dragon to make his final preparations for the journey before him and his companions.

A/N: So, I should have said something sooner, but as April is approaching its end, I'm close to moving on to my project for May. This means that updates for Burnt Offerings will continue at a slower pace. Expect one last chapter before I start to turn my attention elsewhere. At the rate this story is going, it won't be much longer before it's finished.

Until next time.