"...Ty ... ord!"
A harsh ray of light suddenly shone down a narrow cavity, slowly startling awake its sole occupant.
"Egh... Morning already...?"
Preening open one eye from his bed of cold stone, a young man in his early twenties groggily took in his surrounding, still half assleep.
"What the... *cough!* *cough!*" The man suddenly regretted taking a deep breath to clear his mind as he suddenly inhaled an unholy ammount of dust. Resulting in a coughing fit.
Wide awake from almost bursting a lung, the man rose a hand to his mouth in an effort to block the dust and widened his eyes as he finally took in his 'bedroom'.
Cracked stones and debris surrounded him on all side, leavimg him no space to move and almost crushing him. The only light avalaible came from a little hole poking above his chest.
"City Lord! Do you hear me!?"
The gravity of the situation suddenly dawning on him, Alec thanked god as he heard a feminine voice coming from outside.
Not daring to move one bit, Alec didn't even bother trying to keep the panic and the fear out of his voice as he yelled with all his might.
"I'M HERE! PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!"
"City Lord!? Please stay put, I'm coming!"
Alec breathing progressively slowed as his call for help went answered immediatly.
After some time, he heard the sound of stone shifting and feminine grunts. The matterial composing his coffin groaned in response.
"CAREFUL! You're going to crush me!"
"I'm sorry! Please hang in there!"
Easier said than done, you're not the one buried!
Some time later, Alec relieshed as the hole that lit up his place widened a little and eventually widened further.
Finally, Alec had to squint as the stones directly above him were lifted by an obscured figure were thrown out of the way.
Alec didn't hesitate twice as like an angel decsending from the sky, a dainty hand came in his view. Offering help.
Downright lifted up from his would be coffin and deposited on his feet, Alec almost stumbled immediatly. Both from the uneven footing of polished stones and the unfamiliar breathtaking face that greeted him.
"City Lord, I'm so glad. I was so afraid that we had lost you for good after the stunts those barbarians pulled by destroying the palace." Short black curls adorning her beautiful face, the woman smiled in relief. Her dark green eyes squinting a bit in the process.
First gazing at the litteral mountain of rubble surrounding them and afterward at the hole he came from. Alec smiled softly and met the eyes of the woman and said the only thing that was on his mind. "What?"
Smiling back uncertainly at him, the woman tilted her head. "I'm not certain on what exactly you wanted answered, my Lord. However, now is not the time for talking. Morgaven still exist only by the presence of its last survivors. Those who weren't found by the barbarians. Order is to be promptly restaured if we are to keep our last citizens and the city to be rebuilt."
After saying that, the woman approached Alec and passed her finger along bloodied tears in his shirt — blood he himself just noticed covered him.
"The power of the death stone is truly as the legend said. No matter the injury, its wearer will be reborned anew. Those stabs wound didn't even leave a mark." The woman shook her head and without waiting for Alec permission, took his hand in her own and bolted away.
Dizzy and confused, Alec let himself be led away. Only half-mindedly remarking how agile and precise every steps from his kidnapper were on the uneven and unstable stone of the ruins arround.
"The lost of life was outrageous, as anticipated, my lord. From our hundred thousand strong army is only left a battalion of some fifty men. From which only twenty three didn't desert after the battle. Right now, these men are rounding up the two hundreds and some citizens who survived into the market square."
On the way to he guessed was the market square, Alec saw only devastation. Half burned house fleeting past him and past stone buildings laying down in rubbles on the ground. Far away, he could glimpse at the destroyed frame of some grand structures he could only imagine the use of.
"And as planned, that unloyal lizard of a city guardian was defeated and some of its more obscure equipment was left behind by the barbarians. These pieces have already been securised."
Through the haze of confusion, a question still came to bubble out of Alec's mouth. "Where are all the corpses?"
The woman slowed a bit to send him a glance before refocusing forward.
"They empowered their killer's tribal fractal. And the shamans swept up their own."
"We're here, City Lord."
Alec stilled and took some time to catch his breath, finding himself just a bit winded from the lengthy run.
They had arrived at what Alec had always imagined a plaza looked like in medieval time. A big square of empty space recovered in stone and encircled by stores.
It was exactly that, but like the rest of this place, it was utterly trashed.
There also was a lot more blood stains here than where he came from.
Trying to not think about that, Alec took in the crowd of people waiting in the middle and the few armored soldiers standing arround the square.
At the same time that he took them in, the people also noticed him. Some soldiers nodded respectfully, some salute him, and a few ignored him.
The citizens, however. Were downright livid. All had palid faces, some had empty eyes. Others ported a weak smile as they regarded him.
Yet, despite the overall mood. Quite a few were the opposite, having murder in their eyes. Looking at him like he was a piece of utter garbage.
Alec decided right then and there that finding out what was happening was useless if he found himself dead at the end of the night by some angry people. No matter if he had no idea why they were angry.
So, with that in mind and a good dose of anxiousness. Alec spoke to the woman. Seemingly the only one that could make his situation clearer "What am I supposed to do?"
If before the woman had always seemed so sure of herself with whatever she said, now she seemed to hesitate at his question.
"City Lord. You have to rise their spirits and reassure them. Otherwise, some of them might leave. And we can't afford it."
And how the heck do I do that!?
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God knew how severely Aled lacked context about pretty much everything. But still, he placed himself before the crowd all the same.
Gulping discretly as he suddenly became aware of the heavy silence covering the entire place. Alec paused and closed his eyes.
So if I understood well the crazy words of that girl, I'm supposed to be the City Lord of this ruined city right? If that's the case, that shouldn't be too hard for an actor and a roleplayer like me.
Taking in a long, deep breath. Alec opened his eyes and looked straight at a point in the middle of the crowd.
Then, channeling his lingering fear of almost dying and his current feeling of vulnerability, he spoke with a faint voice.
"Death..."
"Everywhere I look, I only see death. Yet only corpse of stones and wood remain to show the deaths that truly matters."
Meeting the gazes of a handful of people, he saw overwhelming sadness. His words opening up a wound not even beginning to scab over.
"Of our proud army of a hundred thousands strong, only a handful survived. And even less remained to protect us, the survivor."
From the corner of his eyes he saw the soldier grit their teeth and fight to keep back the tears. It was painfully obvious everyone here had lost someone.
"Even our ever powerful guardian fell to the disgusting claws of these barbarians. And like the rest of the fallen, not even a carcass remain of him."
For a reason unknown to Alec, this seemed to provoque a stronger reaction as some people began to openly weep.
"I do not know any of you personally, but I can assure you. This tragedy affect me just as much as you."
Seeing the temper of the previously spotted wrath-filled citizens almost explode. Alec immediatly continued. "I do not know what resentment some of you hold toward me. So before anyone comes to verbal blows, let me bring these to your attention."
Pointing to a bloodied tear in his shirt at the level of his left peck, Alec said. "This, is the mark left by a blade puncturing my heart. This one my gut, and this one both lungs." Pointing in succession to two other holes, he met eyes with the most spiteful of the men and women looking at him.
"So, as you can see, I couldn't be closer to being another casuality."
"THEN WHY AREN'T YOU! WHAT MADE YOU SURVIVE WHILE MY WIFE DAUGHTER DIDN'T!" A man roared from the crowd, his eyes bloodshot as he looked ready to jump at Alec's throat.
Fighting back the urge to recoil, Alec's heart thundered from the raw emotion in the man voice. Yet he showed no outward sign of his inner turmoil as he instinctively waved down the observing soldiers who had tensed up and reached for the pommel of their sword.
Calm down, now is not the time to flounder. Think about how a great leader would deal with the situation. Taking the time to breath in deeply, Alec gazed straight at the accusing man, and bowed.
"Nothing, nothing beside a stone that revived me under the countless debris of my palace. As such, I similarly can do nothing but offer my deepest appologies to all of you. No matter how insignifiant they are."
Straightening up, he was met with the sight of shocked and disbelieving faces. "In the end, I am in your debt. Both because it was the greatness of our people that allowed me to come into possesion of such an object and because the simple fact that such a tragedy occured hint at my failure at leading the city of Morgaven."
Bowing again, this time, to the audience as a whole. "So please, forgive me."
"If you would just gives this Cityless City Lord another chance. I formally engage myself to repent and makes it up to each one of you, regardless of our relative perceived status. If you give me a chance, I can promise you, from man to man, at least one thing. Each and everyone who has fallen in this crisis, will be eventually avenged. On this, you have my word."
Putting on a grim and resigned facade, Alec stood tall.
"So will anyone grant me this chance?"
Ending on a high note, Alec held out his hand.
...
As the silence stretched out and Alec's anciety spiked thinking it was a bust, a metallic clang sounded out.
"I grant you this chance wholeheartedly, City Lord Havald. My father, as well as my grandfather died for this city and its people. By all means, I intend to do the same." One of the soldier took off his helmet, revealing a youthful face full of determination.
"So will I, If I didn't leave with the other. It was to protect the survivors."
"I'm probably the only one who was blessed with not having anyone to lose. And I'll be damned if some youngun's stayed to ensure the security of those who had something to lose and did and I didn't. I will follow you, City Lord."
As if a damn had been broken, after the first soldier accepted. The rest of the people present quickly followed, beggining by the other military men and finishing by the citizens who looked overwhelmed and only showed that they agreed to Alec's offer by nods and mutter.
Acting all the part of a dignified Lord, Alec didn't sighed in relief nor smiled at accomplishing the task arbitrarily set for him.
All went well as he began to think about how to proceed further until a voice roared out like earlier.
"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS! WHAT'S EVEN THE USE OF A CITY LORD RIGHT NOW? WE COUL — *Thud*"
"That's enough, old man. Ma's would have kicked your arse if she saw you acting all monkey like. I'm just replacing her." Alec startled as he saw the young soldier from earlier almost blur across the packed dirt to come knock the old man out. He returned the nod sent by the young man as he shook his head in disbelief.
Lifting his head to gaze at the position of the sun, and lowering it back immediatly because there were two. Alec decided to just assume that there still remained plenty of day time as he thought about what a group of survivor should do in the middle of a destroyed city.
Clearing his throat to catch the attention of the ever slightly more relaxed crowd. Alec, who had to consciously remind himself that he was apparently named Havald here, began.
"First of, we should secure ourself a source of food and a shelter for the night. I want every soldiers to go scavenging the city for anything usable while the people here, myself included, will work toward creating a temporary camp here."
"City Lord, If I may."
Barely had he finished his sentence that the girl who rescued him stepped forward, addressing him and the group of survivor at the same time.
"There is multiple cellars hidden around the city in the case a situation such as this one was to ever happen. I think it would be wise to assign the soldiers to the task of retrieving the ressources inside them than making them work elsewhere for now."
How covenient. Havald squinted slightly. Nonetheless, he allowed a small smile to adorn his face as he turned himself to the waiting armored men.
"You heard the lady. It seems we're not totally helpless."