Chapter 8: Tears In Heaven
Scavenger Tribe Settlement
Chief Tent
“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!”
Theo flinched, eyes squeezing shut as the shout hit him like a physical force. Erika did the same beside him. Even David paused. They had barely stepped inside the chief’s tent.
After crossing the stone ravine, they’d finally reached the Scavenger Tribe’s settlement, a cluster of oversized tipi tents set near a shallow river, with a thin stretch of forest nearby. It had the look of a nomadic camp: light structures, packed supplies, and small herds fenced off at the edges.
And now, they were standing in front of its leader.
Tara.
A beautiful elf woman, that looked around forty by human standard, with striking red hair and the same black outfit style as Erika. But the resemblance ends only in clothing, as this one presence are controlled, sharp, and currently furious.
“I-I’m so sorry, Mother! I mean Chief Tara!” Erika said quickly. “The demon hounds came out of nowhere! We weren’t even close to their territory!”
Tara let out a long breath, the kind that came from someone already tired before the problem even started.
“This is why I was reluctant to send you as team leader for the slave hunt,” she said. “You’re only good at making men follow you blindly.”
She dropped into her chair—a simple frame padded with layered animal leather—and rested her head briefly against her hand.
“Well… you’re the one who taught me that,” Erika whispered to herself.
Tara’s eyes snapped back to her.
“And it appears I failed to teach you how to use your brain, you idiot girl!”
Erika stiffened. “Hiiiiee…”
Theo watched the exchange in silence, piecing things together. Matriarchal structure. Power centered on women. Not just authority, presentation mattered too. Erika wasn’t just a member. She was the next in line and currently being groomed. That explained a lot.
“And as proof of that lack of brain,” Tara continued, her tone sharpening again.
She pointed directly at them.
“You didn’t even bother to remove the demon hound blood from your bodies.”
Theo blinked and glanced down. Dried, dark stains from the blood of the demon hound that he killed before clung to their clothes. His. Erika’s. David’s.
Tara exhaled again, longer this time.
“Now we’ll have to relocate the entire village. It hasn’t even been three months since we settled here.”
Theo frowned slightly. Relocate… because of this?
“May I ask something, ma’am?” David said.
Tara’s gaze shifted to him, narrowing slightly.
“Huh? Dunley? Since when did you dare speak to me?”
“Please don’t mind the detail,” David replied politely. “But what’s the issue with the blood, if I may ask?”
“Did you forget, or did you get contaminated by this blonde elf’s idiocy?” Tara said flatly. “Those hounds don’t let prey go. They track anything they’ve marked for up to fifty kilometers. That’s why they’re called demon hounds.”
“…And we’re definitely still within fifty kilometers,” Theo muttered.
Tara looked at him. “Your name’s Theo, right?”
He nodded.
“Well, congratulations. You’re not becoming a slave. This big-headed airhead lost too many men in one trip, we need bodies to fill the ranks.” She gestured dismissively. “Welcome to the Scavenger Tribe.”
She rose from her seat.
“Now leave. Erika, get them new clothes and burn everything you’re wearing.”
“Yes…” Erika replied weakly.
“And Erika,” Tara added, her tone cutting again, “you’re demoted.”
“Hiiiee…”
“Out. All of you.”
---
Outside
Not long after, Theo stood by the river, finishing washing the dried blood off his skin. The cold water helped a lot.
Not far from him, Erika had already changed and was now scrubbing Roper. The dog, for so many times, behaved perfectly, sitting still as if he understood the situation.
“Sob… why…” Erika sniffed while keep scrubbing Roper. “It took me so long to convince the chief to make me team leader…”
“Your chief’s right,” Theo said, casual. “It’s too dangerous to let you lead people.”
“What did you say?!” Erika snapped, turning on him. “How dare you talk like that to me, loot!”
“Can’t call me that anymore,” Theo replied, a small grin forming. “I’m not a slave now. Remember?”
That only makes Erika feel more irritated.
A while later, they joined David near a fire. Theo tossed his old, blood-stained necromancer clothes into the flames. Erika and David did the same, the fabric catching quickly as the fire consumed it.
Around them, the tribe was already in motion. Tipis were being dismantled, supplies packed onto carts, and herds gathered. Tara’s order had spread fast, everyone knew they had to move before the demon hounds arrived.
“Too bad,” David said, looking out over the land. “I reckon this was a fine place for a settlement.”
“Yeah…” Erika sighed. “This is the best place we’ve found in years. No monster nests nearby, and not too close—but not too far—from the other scavenger tribes either.”
She slumped, shoulders dropping.
“And now everyone’s looking at me like I’m the reason we’re losing it.”
“Well, you were born and raised here,” Theo said with a sigh. “How did you not know demon hounds would track us like that?”
“Because I have men to tell me those trivial things!” Erika snapped.
Theo decided that was enough conversation with her for now. He walked over to David, who was quietly observing the tribe as they packed.
“What are you thinking?” Theo asked.
“I reckon there are still plenty of able-bodied men in this village,” David said, eyes scanning the movement around them. “It’s a shame they’re giving up on this place without putting up a fight.”
“Well, you saw those demon hounds,” Theo replied. “Avoiding a fight like that is the logical move.”
David didn’t answer immediately.
Theo followed his gaze. A group nearby was loading supplies onto carts, salvaged weapons, mismatched armor, piles of things that could either be valuable or completely useless. Most of it looked old, probably pulled from ruins or dungeons.
But David wasn’t looking at everything. Just the ranged weapons. Bows, Crossbows, Dozens of them.
Theo narrowed his eyes slightly.
“…Unless you actually know a way to fight them.”
“As a matter of fact, I do, boss,” David said, smiling.
Theo waited.
“That chief said the hounds would arrive around noon tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah.”
David pointed toward the direction of the stone ravine they had passed earlier.
“And we know they’ll come through that passage,” he continued. “That gives us time. A day’s enough for me to turn that ravine into a kill zone.”
Theo rubbed his chin. “…Seriously.”
“If,” David added, “I have at least a dozen men.”
He let out a small sigh.
“Though I reckon it won’t be easy convincing these people. We’re newcomers, after all.”
“Well, I’m new,” Theo said. “You and that stupid elf aren’t.”
“I heard that!” Erika’s voice came from behind them.
Theo ignored her and looking at David. A grin start forming on his lips.
“I’m getting tired of running,” he said. “What do you think if… We stay here and play heroes for once.”
David studied him for a moment, then he smiled.
“Now that’s something I like hearing from you, boss.”
---
Three hours later, the scavengers were still busy packing, though not as focused as before. More and more of them began to slow down, their attention drifting toward the center of the village.
Erika.
She knelt there, carefully arranging stones into a neat formation, eighteen in total. Each one had a name carved into it. The names of the men who had died.
Once she finished, she placed flowers in front of the stones, her movements slow and deliberate. Her expression softened, eyes glistening as she lowered her head.
Anyone who saw it understood immediately. Its a funeral.
“If… if only I could avenge you all…” Erika cried, her voice trembling just enough. “Booohoohohoo…”
It carried across the square, loud enough to be heard, but controlled enough to feel natural.
The villagers began to gather, drawn in by the scene. Some stood quietly, others exchanged uncertain glances, but all of them were watching. Exactly like what Theo has planned.
He was done being dragged from place to place, reacting to whatever this world threw at him. If he wanted stability, he needed to take it himself. This village was the first step, and the incoming demon hounds were the perfect opportunity.
But first, he needed to convince the people.
“Miss Erika…”
A few villagers stepped forward, hesitant, sympathy written clearly on their faces. They didn’t know what to do yet, but they were already leaning in.
That was enough. Right on cue, David moved.
A soft harp note rang out as he sat nearby, holding an instrument borrowed from the village’s supplies. His fingers began to play, the melody slow and deliberate, filling the space with something heavier than words. Just like what Theo had instructed.
Then David began to sing.
“Would you know my name… if I saw you in heaven?”
The unmistakable melody and lyrics, of Tears In Heaven by Eric Clapton.
---
Bimbanana's History Class:
Lakota Tipi Village
The Tipi (Tepee), the pinnacle of nomadic architecture and communal living, has been used by the indigenous peoples of the Great Plains of North America for thousands of years.
Originally a small structure of poles and buffalo hides used by nomadic hunters, it became a highly engineered mobile home capable of withstanding extreme winds and winters until it was eventually supplanted by government-mandated permanent housing during the late 19th century.
Pic & history source: Google