It’s done, apparently.
The rebellion is ready to set it’s stage in the city, and create a place where all are equal.
Well, they’ll try to, anyway. I don’t think anyone can ever be truly equal when there are literally —levels— to power. The higher level is typically more powerful, that’s how this world works.
Don’t get me wrong, they can try to change that, and they can affect things for the better.
But there are some things that are fundamentally true, and unchangeable.
The plan, from what I’ve heard, was to use the city guard—who had defected to the rebellion's side— to simultaneously relinquish the noble’s control over key buildings like the city hall, treasury, mage’s tower, armory, and some estates held by the most powerful nobles in the city.
It’s a pretty simple plan, but one that eliminates most chances for things going wrong. Basically, taking buildings like these from the nobles cripples any chance they have of fighting back. And even if the rebellion fails to take them, with the city guard on their side, there’s no way to lose. Unless Murphy’s Law decides to screw things over, but I don’t think that’s very likely.
It was set to start as soon as night fell, which suited me fine, considering that I feel most comfortable at that time. There’s just something about the absence of any sun to illuminate the sky that leads people to more readily show their true nature.
I slept the day before it, after having fortified my wards to the largest extent I could. I also made some basic changes to them, tweaking their nature a bit.
When I woke up, I could vaguely hear screams in the distance, and I could faintly smell some smoke. Immediately, I knew what had happened. It looks like the rebels aren’t going to have as easy a time of it as they should have.
Walking outside of my house, my suspicions were confirmed, as I beheld a pillar of smoke rising from the northern portion of the city, about where the main armory is located.
I could easily guess what had happened, and silently applauded the nobles for their tactical sense—As I would have done the same, in their situation.
They had burned down the armory, rather than let it fall into the rebel’s hands.
While there are more around the city, they are all significantly smaller than the main one. I predict that there will be a mad scramble for these remaining armories, as each faction struggles to take one and hold it, gaining small advantages in the process.
I watched as the smoke billowed up into the sky. Parts of it were colored green and blue from the magical energies being released, the enchantment imbued items going up in flames.
Suddenly, a series of loud booms reverberated through the air, as some type of explosive device was set of by the flames, triggering a chain reaction. I could feel the ground shaking beneath my feet, and could only guess at the devastation caused by the explosions.
I briefly wondered whether the fires would start spreading, when I spotted trouble heading my way.
A group of fifty or so men were jogging down the street, wearing shiny armor reflecting off any lights that hit them, all of them wearing the insignia of a nearby noble house on their breasts.
Apparently, my shop counts as a strategic target. Not that I’m surprised at all.
No—As soon as I sold blades to the nobles and they discovered their quality, my little home was put on their radar.
The house that had sent this regiment of troops just happened to be the closest, and I knew that more from the other houses would be on their way soon after.
They stopped in front of the empty space serving as my ‘lawn’, and formed up into rows, like tin soldiers waiting for a hand to move them.
A man who I assumed to be their commander stepped forward, and pushed his visor up, revealing a youthful face, sprouting a wispy mustache. I recognized him—After all, I had stolen a knife and sword from him about a month ago. He sported a vicious expression, like he felt like he was finally getting what was his by right. Lots of nobles had been upset at the fact that I wouldn’t trade metals for swords anymore, and had stopped supplying them to a market that had suddenly found itself bereft of the blades.
(Noble Douchebag) “Bladesmith Kai, we have come to proposition your shop in response to the treachery present in the city at the moment, at the hands of the so-called and illegitimate ‘rebellion’. We strongly request that you exit the shop, and allow us to occupy it and it’s contents.”
Smiling to myself, I walk outside the range of the wards, and stop, my hands in my pockets and head held as high as I could, what with my short height and all. The smile was empty of humor, and held grim malice towards those wishing me harm, as this noble’s kid obviously is.
Of course, the idiot couldn’t see my face, and my smile. If he had, he would have known just what sort of hell awaited him. And he would have run, just like so many others had after seeing that smile.
(Kai) “I think you need to leave, before you hurt yourself, kid.”
The noble was taken aback at my dark tone, and his face immediately turned a shade of red visible in the limited light available during the night.
(Noble Douchebag) “Fine then, you stupid commoner! You brought this on yourself!”
He turned to his men, and ordered them to march forward. I noticed that the noble himself stayed back. Even though he had some of the most expensive armor and weaponry (sans my own, of course.), he wasn’t going to participate himself.
I sighed. The character of this noble, and most others, is sorely lacking. Honestly, I didn’t know how a rebellion hadn’t already happened in this city.
The troops began closing in, and I unhurriedly backed up, just inside range of the wards.
Then I backed up some more, to avoid the bodies falling to the ground as soon as the ward’s boundaries are violated. Some of the veteran fighters noticed what was happening to the men in front, and just barely stopped themselves from doing the same.
“Shit, he had wards up!”
“Was he always a mage?!”
“Get the mages up here to break the wards!”
I calmly walked into my house, and grabbed the already loaded crossbow sitting on one of the workbenches.
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This time, instead of one of the explosive bolts, I had loaded it with a steel bolt faintly glowing an ominous red color.
The trigger mechanism engaged with a mechanical click, readying the crossbow to fire.
I walked back outside, and slowly took aim at one of the mages brought along as reinforcements before firing. The red glow of the bolt seemed to cut a trail through the night, as it struck the combat wards erected by the mage, and then passed right through them, lodging itself in his chest.
His mouth made small gasping motions for a few seconds, before he toppled over due to his ruptured heart.
The other three mages paled at the sight, and looked towards me, as I loaded another bolt into the crossbow. They did what any sane person would do—They turned tail and ran.
It’s fair that they grew scared—After all, here I am, surrounded by the limp forms of most of the people sent to ‘deal’ with me, and I killed a mage as easy as swatting a fly.
The noble had also blanched, before hiding behind the veterans still left from his troops.
He pushed them forward, obviously intending to use them to get away, and return to safety.
Surprisingly, the veterans allowed him to do this, and actively charged me, weapons raised as they yelled crude war crys.
I wondered what had compelled them to such behaviour, especially when it should be obvious that there was no use—They would fall just like their comrades.
I saw their eyes just before they crossed the wards. Many of them were crying, and their eyes filled with rage and hate, but the emotions weren't aimed at me.
Then they crossed, and fell to the ground, completely unresponsive.
The noble looked even more scared for a second, before he took inspiration form the mages, and went to flee.
A bolt through the knee solved that problem really quickly.
Oh no—Now he can’t be an adventurer like me.
I walked up to him as he was yelling incoherently.
I slapped his face around a few times, before picking up his limp form and holding him at eye level. It irked me a little that his knees were still on the ground a little, while I was standing.
(Kai) “So, you mind telling me why those men were so willing to throw away their lives just now?”
The man simply stared at me a moment, his eyes dazed and shot through with pain.
I smacked him hard, knocking out a few teeth.
(Kai) “Do I need to repeat myself?”
The man panicked, and his reason broke through the pain.
(Noble Douchebag) “No! ...I can tell you! We took their families hostage, saying that they’ll die if they don’t obey our commands!”
I dropped the noble, afraid that I’ll snap his neck if I had to look at him any longer.
(Kai) “And where are these families being kept?”
(Noble Douchebag) “Nowhere! It was all a lie, we don’t have the manpower to do that!”
I shoved him away, disgusted at him, and all other nobles in general.
He had never said that they weren’t going to do anything to the families, just that they lacked the manpower to do so. They have no morals, these nobles.
I again wondered how the city had lasted so long.
I turned back to my house, and activated a complex series of magic runes. It lifted the paralysis that all the nobles troops had been afflicted with. They groggily sat up, but now there was hope in their eyes.
(Kai) “You guys heard all that, right? Go ahead and spread the word to the other troops in your house.”
They thanked me profusely, and left. There were a few who sported broken noses and bad scrapes from the fall after passing my wards, but otherwise, they would see their families again, unharmed.
This scene presented itself again several times that night, as other house troops were directed by various nobles to take my shop. Most of them were compelled in the same ways as the first one, with some twists on the whole thing.
Some attacked of their own will. Those ones actually did die after crossing my wards. If you strike at someone, aiming to kill, then it should only be fair that I can return the favor.
And, with the sounds of furious battle in the city dying out as sunrise came closer, I noticed several more smoke plumes rising to the sky, accenting just what this night might have cost the city. The rebellion would have a tough time rebuilding, though it gave them a clearer foundation than they would have gotten. It’s easier to build something on empty ground, than it is to tear down something already existing there.
I was re-entering my house when I felt something familiar entering the city, my blood recognizing distant kin of mine. I stiffened, knowing what was coming, before running around the forge and grabbing all of my best works and shoving them into a bag I was gifted by Hogvir—One that could store three times as much as one of similar size, due to some space magic sorcery with runes.
I packed the crossbow and a generous amount of ammo, both the explosive and armor piercing type, which I had developed after watching Ancient's Respite cutting through steel blocks. I couldn't use what I had learned on edged weapons yet, but I could use it on single point impact stuff, like an arrow.
My Boomstick was also going, as well as Shadow.
Twilight was a shoe-in, as well as the previously mentioned Respite.
Not a moment too soon, I finished packing everything, clothing included. The chest that sat by my bed was now completely empty, it’s contents inside the bag.
At that moment, I felt my wards being shredded through, as someone used a large amount of power to strong-arm them open.
I shouldered the bag and walked outside, immediately noticing the two elves standing amidst the bodies of those who had attacked me with no darker incentive. A man with deep black hair and eyes equally as dark and unfeeling, and a women with long brown hair, who was radiating disgust upon seeing me emerge form the house.
They turned away, and I wordlessly followed them.
It’s not like I could be a proper match for them, after all.
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