Safe on the Mountainside

The buildings of Emor were already too far gone to be saved. What remained burned and crumpled into piles of ash and ember, along with metal and stone for some of the larger buildings.

Furious, Iskar sauntered through the burning streets. He paid no attention to the craftsmanship of the place nor the heat of the inferno. Iskar walked until he reached the western gate. Then he finally grinned.

"Report!" shouted the god, impatiently waiting as an angel captain rushed to his side.

The captain bowed, stating, "We've lost five angels, most of which were caused by the first explosive arrow at our rear. Also, a captain fell to the fully armored warrior you later beheaded on the wall."

"... And nothing more?"

"Nothing more, your holiness!"

"Hmm….. I hate humans.." Iskar groaned, glaring at the open western gate. "They didn't even bother guarding elsewhere.."

"They probably assumed…" the captain added, stopping himself momentarily. "They most likely guessed that we–"

"Say the first thing. Say it," demanded Iskar.

"... In their puny minds, they probably assumed we were too cocky to bother with any espionage and would hastily lead a frontal assault."

"Well.. that's exactly what we did. Are you saying my commands were incorrect?"

Anxiously shaking his head, the captain replied, bowing deeper, "Of course not, your holiness! Your commands are always correct!"

"... Really?" Sighing and gripping his chin, Iskar stared out into the dark forest beyond the gate. "After searching for supplies that may have survived, send all troops to the forest. I want no survivors this time, so no information gets out again. That was a mistake of mine back at the village."

"YES, YOUR HOLINESS!"

The captain spread the order, which was hastily followed. Every search for supplies was fruitless and quick, allowing the angel army to rush into the forest. However, any survivors would've departed hours ago so that search wasn't going to be short.

Iskar was left alone at Emor. Quietly, he sat on the edge of the western gate as the fire drew closer and closer. His eyes scanned through the night. The silent rage inside of him was growing steadily.

"Oh… Someone with some brains…" Squinting, Iskar let some rage seep out with a groan as he honed in on a far mountainside to the south. "Perhaps I'll let loose for once….. It's never good to let anger build up like this.. And maybe a good show will help keep up morale."

The god pushed himself off the gate and looked at the mountain once more, letting his sinister smile stretch across his cheeks.

Beyond the forest, along a half-trodden mountain cliff, and now at a flat campsite walked Bill. He had tied a rope to both Jash and Nelphy for safety, making sure they were never out of reach or dragging too far behind.

Glancing behind him and over the cliff, Bil paused his steps. "It seems there's a cave ahead. There, we'll break for the night."

"Huh?! But.. But Bil, can't we–"

"Jash, there's no helping them. I'm sorry, but I can't protect you and them at the same time," replied Bil, dropping to a knee to get on Jash's level. "Don't worry. Each and every warrior there stood proudly. You heard them, didn't you?"

"Y-yeah, I did…" Jash sighed as he took in the view of the burning city. "What does that mean? To stand proudly?"

Smiling softly, Bil picked Jash up while holding his staff like a safety bar across Jash's lap. "That's what the conqueror did. When he led the charge, his final orders of every battle were to stand proud, even at times when loss was unavoidable. He always stood proudly no matter what he faced and no matter what he had to do for his cause. That's what he ordered for everyone. To stand proud for our causes, and never do anything that would tarnish them…

"And they chose the conqueror as their cause, regardless of his death. They chose to live their lives as free people, up until their last breath. They stood proudly and never tarnished their desires."

"Ohhh…" With a change of ideas, Jash's perspective of the burning city changed as well. "So.. the fire in the city, was them standing proud?"

"That's right! Don't ever dare look down on the pride they created at the cost of their lives," added Bill, who knelt down and motioned toward Nelphy. "It's our pride that allowed us to break away from gods and devils. There's a fine line between letting pride control you and you controlling your pride. That's something you'll both learn one day when you're older."

Nelphy climbed onto Bil's back and pointed at the cave ahead, now visible to her thanks to the torch in Bil's other hand. "I want to make mom proud too!"

"You are, you both are!" Bil chuckled as he carried the kids to the cave. "You're mother showed more pride than I'd ever seen, protecting you two to the bitter end... Always be proud of her, even though you don't know her name."