Dextros followed Franklin on a small dirt walkway that had been walked and worn by many travelers. He was surprised at how friendly this man was being to him, and his demeanor was of someone who lived a relatively carefree life.
"Just like mine had been for a time." He mused to himself.
He had to close his eyes and take a deep breath. He couldn't get emotional right now, especially since he wasn't sure how, or even what he was going to tell this man.
He envied some of the other demon lords in a sense. Most of them rose in power to the point where their power overwhelmed their emotions, so they could easily push them aside. He never had that problem, and in fact, the emotions he felt at that certain time actually felt amplified. Most demon lords would be angry, and perhaps sad at the death of someone they cared for, but they could easily push the feeling aside until the mental wound healed naturally. He could never do that.
Dextros loved his wives with everything he had, and now, they were gone, and in their wake, a massive hole was left in his heart that made him feel hollow, and he doubted that void could ever be filled again, even in time. His emotions were raw, and he sometimes acted on them on impulse, and many questioned his power due to that. Yes, he was strong, physically and magically, but a demon lord who let his emotions get the better of him was considered weak to many demons, and he had killed many demons and demon lords who questioned his strength in the past.
"Dex, are you sure you're okay?" Franklin asked, cutting through his thoughts like a hot knife through butter.
"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine." Dextros lied, hoping that it would just be left at that.
Franklin nodded, not wanting to push the issue. Dex would tell him in his own time, if he wanted to share at all. Franklin could see the pain and sorrow behind the mask Dex tried to put on, and while he could fool most, he couldn't fool him. He was empathetic, and he could tell when someone was grieving. He knew that feeling all too well. He wanted to help, and he hoped he could, but pushing the issue to a man he just met wouldn't help at all. It's what she would do, after all.
"Mel... I miss you sweetheart." Franklin muttered softly so that no one would hear him.
Dextros had ridiculous perception, so he heard him clear as day, and Dextros felt the weight of the emotions carried through that sentence. Dextros closed his eyes and let out a long breath. It seems like this man also knew of the pain he was feeling. Perhaps in time...
"How did you do that, by the way? You killed that bear like it was nothing, and now you carry it on your back as if its as light as a feather. It would take 3 or 4 of our strongest men to carry that beast back. Are you a battle mage or something? Even if you are, you physical prowess is also quite the sight to behold." Franklin said, waving the head of the bear around in his hands theatrically.
Dextros let out a soft chuckle.
"Or something." Dextros replied, still not giving away too much.
Franklin just nodded slowly, accepting that for now. Breaking down this man's mental walls will be a challenge, but he'd never backed down from a challenge before. Melanie said no to him many times before she finally accepted his proposal for a date. She was the most wonderful and beautiful woman he'd ever met, and he refused to just let her slip away. He smiled as her beautiful smile crept its way into her thoughts.
"I'll always love you, Mel." He thought to himself.
Dextros paused as they got to the top of an inclined hill, and just looked at the shelters and building in the town ahead of them. It was not small enough to be considered a village, but far too small to be a city. He didn't even know a place like this was out here.
"Kid, welcome to Greenridge." Franklin said.
Franklin began walking down the hill towards the town with Dextros close behind. As they got closer, Dextros could make out conversation from the residents in the background. Most of it was mundane, and rather subdued compared to what he was used to. It was...
"Peaceful." Dextros muttered.
Franklin heard him and grinned.
"Yes. It is quiet here, and peaceful, as you said. Nothing really happens out here, and that's fine by me. No bloodsuckers, no demons, no battles. Just a place to live. Honestly the dire bear was surprising. When I went out hunting, I expected to find some rabbits, perhaps a deer if I was lucky, but that." Franklin said, and he let out a soft chuckle.
"Well, I'm just glad that you were there to help."
Dextros nodded.
"Me too." Dextros said, and Franklin's lips twitched up slightly.
"I'll get through to you eventually." Franklin thought to himself.
They reached the bottom of the hill, and proceeded towards a small wooden archway. Two men in leather armor were out front, and they greeted Franklin like an old friend, and then they turned their attention towards Dextros, and they gaped at noticing what he was carrying.
"What in the God's name? Frank, who is this, and... is that a dire bear?" The first man asked, looking astonished.
"What the hell do you eat?" The second man asked.
Franklin just chuckled.
"Charles, Raymond, good to see you two today. Dex, this is Charlie and Ray. Charlie, Ray, meet Dex. I found him while I was out hunting. We ran into that thing he's got there and took it out all by himself with his bare hands. He hasn't told me much, but he's a good kid. I think he's lost." Franklin told them, giving a reassuring smile.
The two men seemed shocked at the fact that he'd killed the dire bear by himself, and the both of them looked at him with a little hesitation, but Dex also could swear there was some respect as well.
"Always helping others. Sounds about right." Raymond said, letting out a soft chuckle.
"I ain't getting in someone's way that took one of those out by himself. All we ask is that you don't cause any trouble. If Franklin says you are all right, then you're okay with me." Charlie responded.
"I understand. Thank you." Dex replied.
The men looked surprised at how deep his voice was considering his rather young appearance, but also appeared grateful that he would abide his request. When he spoke, he meant what he said, and most people almost instinctively understood that.
With more genuine smiles this time around, the men ushered the two of them inside.
"They are good men. They just want to keep the peace. They are also very well trained swordsman. We have 3 entrances into town, and we usually have 2 guards per entrance. All of the guards are really nice. We rarely get trouble out here to begin with, but, it's better safe than sorry." Franklin told him, and Dextros nodded.
Franklin did seem to be pretty open about things around here, which was a boon to Dextros, but he could see how such kindess could be used against them. What if Dextros wasn't the man he thought he was, and was instead trying to sneak in here to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of their fortifications in order to lead an assault on the town? He wasn't going to do that of course, but his father taught him to never readily share such information to someone you don't know. It was probably just a testament to how little strife these people deal with that saying such things didn't even seem out of place.
They walked down a street to the right of the entrance, and that took them through a small market district. A few vendors were off to the sides, selling an assortment of good. Food, clothing, simple jewelry, and blacksmith were amongst them. Dextros could appreciate the maker of fine weapons, even if he didn't need them himself. That's when they stopped in front of one man who was in the process of tanning the hide of a wolf.
"Hey Will." Franklin said, causing the man to look up.
"Oh, Frank, so good to see you today. What can do for... holy shit." Will said, pausing as he finally looked at Dextros carrying the massive bear.
Franklin jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at Dextros.
"Would you mind taking care of that for me? You can keep the hide for yourself. I ain't got no use for it, but I would like the meat." Franklin said casually.
"Uh..ye...yeah. Sure thing. How in the hell did you manage that? And who's this?" Will asked, his gaze firmly settled on Dextros.
Franklin pointed out a spot on the ground near the man and with practiced ease, he set the corpse on the ground. The man gaped at the ease of how he handled the creature that was well over 1,000 pounds, and a shadow of a grin spread on Dex's face. Dex held out a hand.
"I'm Dex." He told the man, and carefully, Will reached out and clasped his hand with his own.
"I picked up this one out there in the fields. He was just sitting by the pond. Seems like a good kid, but he hasn't told me much." Franklin said, and Dex could see some determination in his eyes.
Will just chuckled.
"Just like you. Your wife would be proud." Will said.
A pained smile adorned Franklin's face.
"Yeah. I hope so." He said solemnly.
Dex was once again reminded how similar these two were, despite Franklin being a human, while he was a ridiculously powerful demon lord. They didn't look different in their appearance, and Dex was thankful for that. Some of his kind had various looks to them. Some demons had horns, as well as red and even purple skin. He looked no different than any human, but that was all the similarities there were. He really didn't think too fondly of humans... that is, until he met Lilliana.
"Give me a few days and I'll have it done. Sorry, Frank." Will said, seeming upset with himself for bringing up old wounds.
Frank just waved it away.
"No worries. I still have Henry and Jessica to take care of. I still have all the love I'll ever need." Franklin said with a smile.
"Must be his children." Dex thought as he and Franklin bid the man farewell.
"William is a good guy. We've known each other for years. Him and his wife are good people. You ever need anything and I'm not around, they would be the ones to go to." Franklin said as they walked down the street.
Dex was lost in his thoughts for a short time before they finally stopped in front of a medium sized wooden and stone domicile. It wasn't as large as the homes he was used to, but he'd always had a fairly large family. He could use his powers to shape a home im mere hours instead of the days and weeks it would take normal manual labor. He'd done that when he met his wives, and he thought they'd all live there peacefully for the rest of their lives.
"Here we are. Dex, we are home." Franklin said.