The funeral took place at noon. When the sun was at its highest, the dead bodies were placed at the edge of the furthest cliff, wrapped in fur and leather of the best kind.

The Chief walked ahead with a long bone in his hand that was burning with the Sacred flame. By the second, the flame was eating up the bone, getting closer and closer to the chief’s hands.

The chief slowly walked forward and lit up the dead bodies one by one, until all of them were lit up.

“May the gods in the Sacred halls accept you all,” the chief said.

“MAY THE GODS IN THE SACRED HALLS ACCEPT YOU ALL!!” the rest of the tribe followed suit as they screamed the best they could to part with their dead.

Alex looked at only the one at the center that slowly burned in red, pink, yellow, and purple colors.

The fire consumed everything, not even leaving ashes behind. Only smoke remained and it blew away with the wind.

After a few more minutes of mourning, when all the bodies were burned away, everyone turned around to return.

Alex, however, stood where he was, looking past the cliff where the bodies were burned. He looked beyond, beyond the canyon itself, towards the south.

It was time for him to leave.

“This is it for me,” he said towards the Chief who was returning as well.

“Sorry?” the chief turned around.

“I’m leaving,” Alex said and turned to look toward the chief. “Thank you for everything that you have done for me.”

The chief hesitated as little. “You’ve done more for us,” he said. He paused a little and asked, “Are you really leaving?”

“Yes,” Alex said. “I will leave right now.”

The chief felt conflicted. On one hand, he didn’t want Alex to leave as well. His strength was something unheard of in this place and he would be a vital asset to the tribe if he stayed.

In fact, he could even become the chief and live a life without trouble in these lands.

On the other hand, every time he looked at Alex, he saw his daughter’s lifeless body being carried in his arms. Even when he knew it wasn’t Alex’s fault, he couldn’t help but hate him for it.

In the end, the chief could only sigh. “If you want to leave, then there is nothing I can say except wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors,” the chief said.

“Thank you,” Alex said.

“So… where will you be heading to now? You’re new here, so you don’t know a lot of places,” the chief said. “Hell, I barely know anything.”

“I know there is an entire land without Qi south of the Wastelands,” Ning said. “I will go there.”

“South… I see,” the chief said. “Hmm, what about your father? You were searching for him here, right? Are you going to leave the wasteland without finding him?”

“About my father, I’m not sure where he is exactly,” Alex said. “It would be great if I could find him easily, but I’m not sure if I’m that lucky.”

“You could head over to the Blueheart Oasis with us. Even if it is not to fight, you could at least search for your father,” the Chief said.

“You’re sure you want to fight the tribes from the Blueheart Oasis?” Alex asked. He had told the chief about the people that were responsible, and just like the man named Han, he too was eager to fight them.

“It’s not enough,” the chief said. “We may have fed the bodies of the 40 dead to the beasts, but will never be enough to bring justice to the hundreds that have died at the tribes’ hands. We must avenge our fallen brothers and sisters.”

“While that is commendable, I hope you have thought about this well enough. As I’ve said, the people I’ve fought were not someone that you could have fought. After all, they were capable of wounding beasts that could not fight when they were wounded. I hope you don’t let your drive to avenge the dead lead to the death of the living,” Alex said.

“As for whether my father is there or not, while I am curious to learn, I think it would be much faster if I simply gather some Qi and then fly around searching for him. Walking through the desert Qi-less is not very optimal when trying to find people,” Alex said.

“You really don’t think we can win, huh?” the chief asked. “Maybe you are right, but I just can’t get rid of this hatred.”

“Swallow it down,” Alex said. “If not for yourself, for your tribe. If I ever visit here again in the future, I hope to not hear about your demise in a battle that couldn’t be won from the start.”

“And what if they come for us?” the chief asked. “If they come to search for their missing people and realize that they had died here. What should we do if they come for us?”

Alex thought for a moment. “Don’t fight back,” he said. “That is the only thing you can do.”

“And just die?” the chief’s eyes narrowed. “Surely you’re not asking just to remain passive while our enemies come knocking down on our door.”

“No, of course not,” Alex said. “I’m only asking for you and the rest to not fight back.”

As he said that, Alex brought out the Blood God’s Manual and pulled something out of it.

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Alex patted the Blood Rhino. “This is my beast. I will leave him here with you to protect you from any threat,” he said. “But my order for it will be simple. I will tell it to protect the tribe from any harm that will come to it. It will, however, not aid you in any battle you start on your own. While limited, this beast has intelligence, so don’t think of lying to it either.”

The chief looked at the beast. “You’re giving it to me?” he asked.

“To the tribe, yes,” Alex said.

“It must be very strong,” the chief said. “How strong is it when compared to you.”

Alex smiled. “If we fought, I would die every time,” he said.

“I-is that so?” the chief got scared when he heard that. He looked towards the beast and gazed into its bloody eyes. “I-it won’t kill us, right?”

“No,” Alex said as he pet the rhino. “It has no reason to. It won’t eat, sleep, or do anything. But with time, simply by existing, it will get weaker. At the very least, however, it will be able to protect you for the next 10 or so years easily. I only acquired them not long ago, so I can’t guarantee much on whether it will be longer or not.”

“I see,” the chief said. “Thank you.”

“This is farewell then,” Alex said and bowed a little toward the chief. He then put the rhino one last time and gave it the order to protect them always.

“I hope to see you again someday in the future,” Alex said and turned around. He jumped off of the cliff and landed in the canyon below.

He looked towards the south with the midday sun and started walking. Scarlet flew out of her space and perched on top of his shoulder, accompanying Alex along the way.

The chief turned and returned to the tribe along with the Blood Rhino. The rhino was going to be the sacred beast that protected them from all terror and tragedies.

The rhino stayed close to the beast’s quarters at the front of the tribe. Every night, it would stay alert and kill any beast that would come close to the tribe.

The rhino was supposed to grow weaker by the day, and even more so every time it fought. However, without Alex to guide it, the Blood beast would drink the blood of the ones it had killed, and with every drink, his body would not only regain the strength it had lost but also grow stronger.

Alex had no idea that this was the case for Blood beasts or else he would’ve made use of it. In fact, he would only learn about it a few years later by accident.

Several months later, a man named Han came with many other tribes rallied behind him to go on a war against the tribes of the Blueheart Oasis.

The chief knew this was not something he should be doing, but he felt the urge to say yes since it was his heart that craved to avenge his daughter’s death, something he never got to do.

In the end, he decided to not go. While death was uncertain, he still wanted to live a life that his daughter would’ve wished for him. He wanted to live a life his daughter and wife would’ve wanted him to live.

It wasn’t many years later that he learned that the Oasis tribes had been defeated. Apparently, the tribe’s strongest were missing, presumably dead, and as such the attacking tribes were able to ascertain victory, not without a few losses, however.

The chief felt pity for himself for not going to the war, but then when he learned of the people that had died in the battle, he felt that he had made the right choice.

After all, what sort of chief would he be if he wasn’t there to lead his tribe to a better life?

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