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With the talk on hold for now, Li and Sindra left the Pearl, walking down its stairs at brisk pace, finding it now incredibly empty on account of the mass amount of power Li had unleashed. Outside the building, he found that the mercenary guards had simply ran, knowing instinctively that whatever maelstrom of power was brewing within they could not match.

"We should get back quickly," said Li. Tia licked her lips in her sleep with a smile, no doubt dreaming of food. She had to get some sleep in a proper bed, too. "Rivieran knights will be crawling up here soon, and though I do appreciate them, I really am not in the mood to talk to them and assuage their worries."

Sindra nodded. "Agreed."

She made to walk away before Li asked her one more question.

"As for what happened before, with the elf and all, you have no qualms?"

She did not break her pace at all. "None at all. I will see you tomorrow, seer."

Li nodded, watching her snake her way through the night. She almost crawled, using her bestial agility to its fullest extent, clawing her way up a rooftop and then leaping into the darkness with the silent prowl of a panther.

He made his own unique way out, casting out his obsidian wings to obscure his form and conveniently fly over to one of the inns beside the Farmer\'s Guild unseen. He landed gently in an isolated street corner beside an old building fashioned from hardy and weather worn wood with a gaudy painted sign that read \'Pierre\'s Place\'.

The inn that Old Thane had been temporarily assigned to until the walls were opened again. Li made his way through the inn\'s rickety door and closed it quietly behind him, not wanting to wake the low tier mercenary sleeping on a chair that Pierre, the inn\'s owner, could afford to hire.

Overall, the inn was not a bad place. It had not an ounce of the luxury of the Pearl, but possessed a down to earth, firelit and stuffy warmth that spoke of a place that had been family owned for two centuries. It was an inn that had seen mothers cook pies for guests from ordinary walks of life for countless years, and that kind of feeling settled into an almost welcoming familiarity.

Li made his way through the first floor and stepped into Old Thane\'s room, taking the utmost care not to let the squeaky wooden door awaken the old man. The room was surprisingly spacious, having two beds and its own fireplace – the nicest room in the whole inn.

Old Thane was not sleeping. He was sitting on a chair beside the fireplace with Zagan lying down nearby, though it was evident the old man\'s frame dwarfed the chair underneath him. It really was interesting to see how imposingly large Old Thane was compared to the average man. He must have been nearly as tall as a Blood Legionnaire. A fact that consistently escaped Li.

"Lad," said Old Thane with a wide grin. "Welcome back. I\'m to hear good tiding of your journey, aye?"

"If you want to," said Li as he moved to the empty bed and tucked Tia into it, making sure she was wrapped snug like a cocoon with the cotton blanket before stroking away stray strands of hair from her eyes. "But it\'s getting really late. You sure you can stay up longer? Now that you know I\'m alive, I mean."

Old Thane laughed. "I\'d never doubted that. To be sure, I worried as I always do, but moreso that your journey would not have borne fruit."

"Well, old man, if you want good news, I have plenty. I\'ve found a cure to the demonrot, and with it, I\'m going to have our people back out in the fields."

"Oho, now that is certainly heartening to hear," nodded Old Thane as he faced the fire, the dim light illuminating an expression of faint concern.

"Something wrong?"

"I\'ve heard tell from the demon that you\'ve decided upon marching West."

Li looked to Zagan, and the demon sat up, about to enter the conversation and defend his action of telling the old man.

Li raised a hand to stop Zagan. "It is fine. I would have told the old man tonight anyway. It is better that he has had time to process it."

"Process it, lad? Why, I\'ve had hours by now." Old Thane stood up and took in a breath, growing still, and for a moment, Li was concerned about the old man. Surely, the old man would be to see Li, the man he considered to be his heir and bearer of his legacy, heading straight to the jaws of danger.

As even if Li was a god, no, more than a god, the old man did not know. To the old man, Li was still just a man, just a son.

But surprisingly, Old Thane shuddered in excitement before whirling around to face Li with a smile.

"Then we are to make battle plans, lad! We cannot enter the battlefield with nary a thought between our ears. Gods, it has been long since I have raised my fists. Sworn never to do it lest in defense of something truly good, and now, in defense of people, of faith, of home?

A cause does not get as righteous as this! Mayhaps the bards shall sing tales of heroism from me rather than warnings of carnage this time around, hah!"

"Old man, you can\'t go," said Li. "You\'re the master of fields, one of the most important roles in the whole guild. And although I can guarantee your life, I cannot guarantee that you will not be wounded in the battlefield, especially knowing how hardheaded you can get."

"Lad, you\'ve no reason to worry about my strength if that is what is bothering you," said Old Thane. "The demon here has agreed to let me become his \'host\', whatever that means. All I know is that I shall be swinging my fists with as much fury as my younger years, though now the fury will be righteous."

Li gave a glance to Zagan.

"A purely symbiotic relation," said Zagan. "This personage will not interfere with the aged mortal\'s life, nor will his soul be consumed. We shall merely share power, of which this personage has now imbibed plenty from you, O Great One, not to mention that our compatibility surpasses expectations."

"Okay, I get it, you two will be strong and can take care of yourselves. But think about it, old man," protested Li. He knew that the old man loved the fight even if he had given it up. Or, come to think of it, the old man had never given up the fight, he had only shelved it away, keeping it in reserve for when he thought his fists could be used for true good.

"The cottage. Our own fields. All the farmers looking to you for guidance."

"Ivo will stay," said Old Thane confidently. "The man loves the Winterwoods more than wine, women, or gold. And as both priest and farmer, he far outclasses me. The cottage, well, it was surprising, but that noble lad with the good voice - Launcelot, was it? He has decided to stay here and watch over the cottage.

Lad, I know you worry for me, but mine old heart tells me now that my place is not here, but with you."

"Well, if I\'m bringing Tia, I guess I have no real excuses to keep you tied down here," said Li with a slight sigh and smile.

"You are bringing the little dragon, lad? Truly?"

"You\'re worried, old man?" asked Li. "I know how it sounds. But I don\'t think she\'ll be happy staying here without me, and I cannot stay. I have promised Zagan to settle the matter of this invasion and his people, and I return favors to those who have given me service."

"Worried? Hah, lad, I am worried for those demons!" Old Thane nodded to Tia. "She will rain fiery wrath and clawed terror upon them to be sure. Within her, there is a fierce heart. That, I know well. Not the heart of a dainty little human girl to be sheltered from all harm and hurt."

"You know, old man, I\'m starting to be afraid of what kind of kid you would have raised if you did manage to have a real son or daughter," said Li as he imagined a raging farmer raised with the philosophies of an old man who had been a battle maniac. 

"You need not wonder about that," said Old Thane with a chuckle. "For you, lad, are as real a son as any. Now then, shall we talk of battle? Of carnage?"

"Carnage is an agreeable subject," said Zagan, and Li shrugged and smiled, letting the conversation flow as the old man\'s energy would take it.