Reaper King

Elias would wait for Vale to find his footing for some time, still standing beside him tall and strong despite his own wounds. He would be there to support his weight if he needed, Elias had been through far worse than the healing cougar marks on his side and his freshly administered incision on his foreleg. Once Vale was upright, he led him up into the mountains and away from the volcano, toward the Citadel of Ruina crafted in the side of the Maw. Once they approached the grand entrance of it along the mountain pass, Elias kept moving- leading Vale even further toward a series of smaller dens. A pack once resided here, the marks of wolves still in some of the stone and soil that structured these homes- though they had been gone for more than a few years. Whatever their reason was for leaving, Elias claimed these homes for Ruina now.

"Vale," he led him into the few homes large enough to seem suitable for the brute of a man.

"Rest here for the night, Zuriel and I will be right around the corner- though I haven't seen much up here in these mountains other than goats and birds. I believe you will be able to heal in peace. I need you to rest well, I will bring you food in the morning while I sanction our borders, so do not worry about that. There are duties I need your help with as soon as you are healed."

He was worried about Vale's health first and foremost, but for a moment, his rubies glistened as he looked over Vale's features and stared into the candle-lit tomb doors that were Vale's eyes. Could he trust this man to to take Elias' secrets to the grave and to trust in his intentions? Elias was looking for someone to run with him, side by side. His attachment and understanding of Vale happened so quickly that it simply felt like the work of fate, much like his attachment to Zuriel. Was this the next Cerberus, was that why they shared this bond? These were questions on his mind that he kept to himself, knowing there was no way to know just yet. Elias would take his time trying to discover this, and guide this man along many paths before either of them truly knew the answer.