Jack's Passing

Grimm's sleeves billowed back from the force of his blast as the writhing tendrils of light cracked the last Orc's head back. The wolf, slowly working its way up the tree, turned to see its master's final moments, before turning and fleeing in the direction of the castle. Grimm quickly worked his way down the tree he was in and to the side of his two unconscious partners. Koth was pulling his fingers away from the neck of Jack and pressing them into Jiah's.

"They're dead." Koth looked solemn. "Well, they're with the light of the sun now."

As if hearing this utterance, Grimm's darkened visage turned into one of pure light, it bursting through the sleeves and hood of his long robes. He raised both his hands over his friends, and slowly some color returned to their faces. "Not enough for both" came a booming voice, as the light over Jiah grew brighter. The color again ebbed from Jack, and Jiah drew a sharp breath before sitting up where he lay.

"Holy shit." Jiah touched at his face and looked around bewildered at this companions. "What happened? The orcs are..." picking up his sword and making his way to his feet, he looked around at the dead wolf and orcs on the ground. "Oh." His eyes moved over to Jack who still lay on the ground. "Guess we should wake him up to?"

Koth, speechless for a moment over his walking and talking former dead ally, hadn't noticed Grimm had returned to normal, his small eyes peaking out of his robe and the utter blackness it concealed. "He's dead. And so were you. How are you..."

Grimm stepped over to Jack. "The light has chosen to bring you back, J. The pact is sealed! You may now worship the sun as we do!"

Jiah let out a 'huh?' before scoffing, not missing a beat. "Yeah I'm not worshiping the sun."

"But..but the light worked through me. It brought you back from the d-"

"Still not worshiping the light. Not really a 'god' person, you know?" He sheathed his katana, before looking forward to the castle. "This is going to be rougher than I thought it would be. Let's grab J's stuff and continue forward.

Koth and Grimm eyed each other. Arrogance was one thing, but it seemed not even death could deter J's single mindedness. Perhaps the light had chosen wrong was a thought that crossed Grimm's mind for a moment, before being dismissed as impossible.

"Huh. Jack had a girlfriend." J held up a small locket he had found in Jack's inner pockets, depicting a female human child with long black hair and a colorful headband. "Man, this drawing looks professionally done. Wonder if Jack came from money? Would explain why he's a greedy bastard."

Koth noted "I think that's his sister. She has Jack's eyes." Koth wished he had a shovel to bury the body, both on the grounds that his monk order would want the body buried, and so the orcs couldn't find it and do who-knows-what with it. Jack wasn't Koth's best friend, but he deserved better than being something's next meal, he thought.

So the party is now three, and the Castle Rend lays before them, Pina and the White Tusk Orc chieftan waiting somewhere inside.