"We honor the fallen warriors with heavy hearts. Their sacrifice upheld our peace..."
Annan, Olmedo, Idelia, and a group of Free City officials stood in the Cemetery, silently facing fifty-seven newly erected headstones.
That was the final death toll for the Hellfire Legion and the Fourth Legion: twenty-five from the Hellfire Legion and thirty-two from the Fourth Legion.
There had been some resistance when preparations were made to bury their remains and Clothes Tombs in the Cemetery. But after Annan stepped forward and said, "They fought for Free City too," the objections died away.
Dole, now the Goblin Clan Chief, was grateful for what Annan had done for his people. He knew full well that the humans had mainly objected to the Goblins.
"If you want to thank someone, thank Gar," Annan said after they left the Cemetery.
"Gar?"
"If he hadn't stormed off to beat up the officials who objected, I wouldn't even have heard about it."
"I see..."
After the memorial, they began the most important part of the funeral: the Necromancers stood at the front and, one by one, raised the bones of warriors who had signed a pledge to "continue serving Free City after death" as Skeletons.
Bereaved families who had lost loved ones, husbands, or children covered their mouths. Meanwhile, the carefree Goblins pointed at the small Goblin Skeletons and danced, and the Skeletons rose with a clatter. Together, they took some of the weight of grief out of the Cemetery.
But no Soulfire kindled in the Skeletons to show they were conscious. Kral remained the Cemetery's only Heroic Spirit, all alone.
"How boring..." Kral threw his arms around a few Soldiers' shoulders and headed off to the Tavern for a drink.
Annan had returned, but that did not mean he had abandoned Hellfire at