Epilogue

A stray soul wandered alone, drifting through the snowy mountains, weighed down by the chains of his sins. Bound by the ankles, by the wrists, and the neck, the lost soul struggled against the weight of it all as it descended from the remnants of his master work.

The Stone Colossus.

It was his masterpiece. Master Croghan had devoted every breath, every coin of fortune, every night and every day, into that machine.

What it was for, however, he could not remember. It had been a shadow cast from the glories of his past days.

“Where did it all go wrong?” he wondered.

As he descended to hell, Master Croghan started remembering.

He was not meant for this world.

His body was from another one, and in here, he could not bear it all. The world itself wanted to kill him. Devour him. Transform him. Through sheer luck, he met someone who could care of him. A mentor. It was an elf mage who guided him, and let him understand his own soul. It allowed him to live in this world, for a time.

Right. It was in that silver mountain.

Why did he leave the monastery?

There was a reason behind it.

He met people. Several. One was a friend, another a companion, and another, a lover.

He ended up outlasting them all. Him. Someone not meant for this world, his mastery of magic had extended his lifespan beyond what any human should have, but it was with purpose. A promise. It was to protect this world. It was the world that his friends had died for, after all.

Even as his body decayed, even as his mind fell to madness, he built the project that could save the world. When, however, did things go so wrong?

Then, Croghan remembered.

It happened the day that he forgot what he was doing it all for.

“My friends…” he remembered. “Russell… Yukiko… Lavinia.”

He had forgotten them, until now.

“What have I done?”

As he drifted off into the depths of the afterlife, Croghan remembered one final thing.

He had wanted to be a hero.

***

A feast was held at the town center of Heiddston. The soldiers from Brenna, the warriors from Ranolkia, and the champions of the quest, all gathered to eat to their heart’s content. The townsfolk also celebrated, pitching in with homemade cooking, as well as pastries.

“People of the Kingdom of Holy Brenna,” said Count Victor, standing at a podium. “We have achieved a mighty blow to the heart of Akhronna’s war machine. Master Croghan, once master mage and mind behind constructs, monsters, and military operations against our Kingdom and our neighbors, has been defeated. He is now rotting in the pits of hell, where he should be! And his unholy tower, is now sundered, lost to the mountains it once called home. The war has taken a turn in the favor of peace! I have had just a word with a diplomat. There is now unconditional surrender of our stolen territories, as well as reparations for damages dealt. We will make this to make our country as great as it can be, so cheer! For the long prosperity of Holy Brenna! And for the heroes who have brought us victory!”

Cheers soared from the crowd. They were applauding at us.

“I did not expect a diplomatic turn like that,” I told Sybille.

“Without Master Croghan, the Akhronnan military is in disarray,” said Sybille. “He was basically responsible for a good chunk of military technology and administration work. He was one of the few truly neutral people in the military brass that could coordinate the infighting nobles. Now that he is gone, well… those bickering nobles are now in even more of a mess. They are not in any condition to keep invading other countries. For now, at least.”

“That is good,” I said. “At least, our home will not be in trouble anymore.”

“I hope.”

A loud yawn surged out from my side.

“Oh… is the speech over?” said Leona.

She was just waking up from a nap.

“It is,” I said.

“Good, then I can get back to eat! You know it is strange, right? I get sleepy right after eating, and when I wake up, I feel like I’m starving!”

“That is because you sleep for twelve hours a day, Leona.”

“Hey, it is just eleven!” said Leona. “And only when I get the chance! We beast-blooded have some different needs for you humans, remember?”

I nodded.

“I suppose so,” I said. “Regardless, Leona. The problem with Siege and Croghan is now resolved. What are you going to do now? Are you going to be an adventurer again?”

“You bet,” said Leona. “I just need to find a new party.”

“You can stay with us,” I told her. “I think we make a good team.”

Leona raised an eyebrow.

“Hmm… that is a tempting offer,” she said. “But we lack composition. Tell you what, I will think about it. I have an acquaintance up north who might be interested in joining us. I’ll look her up, and we can make a party together. Deal?”

“Sounds good,” I said. “A three-man team does feel rather spread-thin.”

Sybille grumbled.

“More women…” she muttered.

“For now, however…” said Leona. “It is time to eat!”

And so she went stuffing her face with all the food and snacks she could fill her mouth with.

In the corner of my vision as I looked around, however, I caught a glimpse of a familiar, green face.

“It can’t be…” I muttered.

“What is it?” said Sybille.

Cutting through the crowd, I eventually found him.

“Rocksplitter!” I shouted.

His head turned towards me.

“Bastion!” said the orc. “You madman, you got him!”

“You’re alive!” I said.

“Ha!” laughed the orc. “That fight cost me an arm and a leg, but I made it.”

He had a prosthetic arm and leg, both made of stone.

“What about your party?” I asked.

“I made it, Bastion,” said Rocksplitter, his tone turning grim. “Me and my healer, we made it out, but Luna and Isa…”

The cat rogue and the elf mage.

“I am sorry,” I said.

“It was worth it,” said Rocksplitter. “You put a stop to that lunatic.”

I tensed up.

“About that…” I said.

“I know you revived him,” said Rocksplitter. “Trust me, I wanted to bash that rock-for-brains in your skull for that, but I hear that he was mind controlled. That right?”

“Yes. I have experienced it myself. He was a puppet in his own body.”

“Yeah, not many will be too happy with you for that,” said Rocksplitter. “Me, personally? I thought about it. For what it is worth… I know what it is like to be judged for something you cannot control. I blame that psychopathic old geezer that controlled Siege. At least, I try to.”

“Thank you, Rocksplitter,” I said. “I am sure he will be relieved to hear that.”

“What is he doing, nowadays anyway?”

“Well…”

***

In the monastery of the Silverpeak Mountains, a lone man tended to the ruins. He picked up stone by stone of debris, casting them to a pile, and next to them, he kept a stockpile of fresh bricks to replace them.

His name was Konrad. Once, we all knew him as Siege.

“Hello, Konrad,” I said, arriving to his place.

Konrad was now wearing a monk’s robes. It was him who was now tending to this place.

“Kind of you to visit,” said Konrad. “Hello, Bastion.”

“How has this place been treating you?”

He looked towards the wrecked sites that our last battle had caused in this place.

“There is a lot of work to be done,” said Konrad. “But someone has to do it. Sage Hanor was tasked with keeping the Void Gate close. It was my hand that caused his death. Protecting his legacy is the least I can do for him, and this world.”

“You do good,” I told him. “Are you sure you don’t want to join us in adventuring?”

“I’m afraid not,” said Konrad. “This place needs me. That ritual of yours helped me connect with my own soul in a way that I could not have known possible before. Indeed, other than me, you are the only one who I would consider candidate to keeping the Void Gate close.”

“I see. I suppose that is important,” I said. “But don’t you need the help of a Divine Scion for that?”

“I have scoured the tomes of this place,” said Konrad. “It is possible to carry out the Closing of the Path without one, but it will be substantially more difficult. The method will be… challenging, but doable.”

“I see. I wish you luck.”

“Thank you.”

“And what about the locals?” I asked. “Are they treating you well?”

“They are wary, and justifiably so,” he said. “However, they still bring me food and supplies. They are glad to see the monastery being taken care of, I suppose.”

Sybille caught up beside me.

“|Bastion...” she said. “Are you sure about this?”

“I am,” I insisted. “This is what must be done.”

Leona gnarled, joining up.

“I have a word,” she said.

Konrad turned to face her.

“I am sorry,” said Konrad.

Leona walked towards Konrad, and locked her glare to his eyes.

“You,” she said.

“Leona…” I said.

Leona clenched her fist. Konrad remained stoic. Whatever she was going to do, he was ready to take it.

“Did they suffer?” she asked.

Konrad remained silent.

“It was fast,” he said. “They were the most challenging warriors I had met, until I met you. However, I did not extend their final moments beyond what was necessary. And what they did… they held me back. I could not attack the village they were protecting, after all was done.”

Leona looked down.

“I see,” she said.

There was so much she wanted to say. So much she wanted to vent out. Throw a punch, let out a scream…

Sybille hugged her.

She held her from side to side, holding her by the shoulder.

“I am sorry,” said Sybille.

Leona, guided by Sybille, walked away from Konrad and me. In the end, she was a prideful woman. She did not want others to see her tears.

“I am grateful that you freed me from that madman,” said Konrad. “But I have done damage to this world. Far too much damage. I don’t know if someday I will be able to make amends.”

I cast a glance towards the town below, walking towards the cliff's side edge.

“There is a lot to be done in this world,” I said. “There is great wonder to be found in the land, as well as stories and tales. I only hope that I can protect it… for everything that may come.”