"So... why did you try to kill Taere?"

"Axsel!" Arthfael yells. "You... How dare you bring yourself before me? You and that stupid Ojor have gone too far!"

"Oh, really?" Fake says.

"Yes, really." Arthfael says. "You two went and did it. You broke that which was my only physical possession. I never did expect Ojor of all gods to help the likes of you!"

"We made an arrangement." Fake says simply. "One I have recently altered."

"That stupid god!" Arthfael says in rage. "I should have killed him in the old world."

"And have created a second Suntrius?" Axsel says. "My dearest father, are you going mad?"

"You no longer have the right to call me that." Arthfael says. "Leave you hypocritical replica of a god."

"I will leave as my question is answered." Fake states. "Why did Taere need to be destroyed?"

"The humans are too plentiful to properly control, as you can clearly see." Arthfael slowly explains. "Your revolution would have been in vain if the population outside Oliron would have been insufficient. You just had to go and disturb Kelna didn't you. The idea was that it would supply the food to the capital, while the soldier stationed at Northpoint took Taere. Now you tell me; why did you summon them one year ago?"

"Who knows really..." Fake says laughing.

"You are truly beyond me..." Arthfael says. "I am done with you now. Leave before I decide to blast you."

"Alright then..." Fake says, turning around. "Good luck with your plans." With a wave fake disappears.

"He just has to ruin everything, doesn't he?" Arthfael says.

"I must insist." The Jardine representative, Haulus, says. "The Jardines are a vital part of this government. You can't just simply cut us out because we lost our leader!"

"Haulus, I know this is hard on you, but I fear I can no longer trust the Jardines, since one of you seems to be rallying an army against the city. If I let you back into the government, it could weaken our defences."

The couple is  now entering the ruins of the council building.

"You can't be the lone ruler of Oliron, Maxwell." Haulus says. "If the people take notice..."

"The people don't take notice, Haulus." Maxwell states. "As long as people have food, water and a home they will not complain about they who rule them."

"This is not a hypothetical city, Maxwell." Haulus says. "This is Oliron. The city where power is shared among the many. You have somehow managed to become the last man standing. I am warning you. If you keep this up, Oliron will fall."

"Do plan on continuing this meaningless conflict with me, Haulus?" Maxwell asks with a friendly tone.

"I intend to stand for the rights and needs of Oliron." Haulus says. "And you seem to be betraying both of those values."

Then... I do fear you are a threat..." Maxwell says. "I am sorry old friend."

"Old friend?" Haulus asks. "My dearest Maxwell, I hardly know you." Haulus laughs loudly. "Don't be so gloomy. Just give my words some thought and maybe you will return to your senses."

Maxwell grabs Haulus by the collar and hoists Haulus into the altar.

"Maxwell?" Haulus asks, just before the altar starts to glow. Peace fills Haulus' face. "Good luck, Archil..."

The beam of light errupts and tosses Haulus' limbs around. Some bricks of the tower slide past Maxwell's feet and lock in place.

"I am truly sorry, old friend." Maxwell says.

The defence lasted all night, but with the steady supply of fresh conscripts to support the walls, the city of Oliron held. The wall is painted in blood and the field in front of the gate is still charred. The base of the wall is stacked with Goblin corpses. The more of them were killed, the higher the stack became and the faster Goblins were back at the top. The corpses of both Paul and Helvicker are nowhere to be seen. Leaning against the wall sits Daven. As soon as the Goblins went into a full retreat as the last burning few ran away, screaming, Daven fell against the wall in utter exhaustion and before long he was asleep.

"How are you feeling, Daven." Maxwell asks, his face just inches away from Daven's.

Daven wakes up and almost jumps at the sight of Maxwell face.

"Don't be so jumpy." Maxwell says. "I am merely here to congratulate you on a fine battle. The people of Oliron, including myself, owe you our thanks."

"Don't thank me." Daven says. "I executed my duty as the oldest capable Allard. The soldiers are the ones who you owe your thanks to."

"Is that so?" Maxwell asks.

"Yes, that is so." Daven says, annoyed. "A single commander can't hold a line. Without soldiers a commander is nothing more than a single man. The soldiers are the thing that create a great commander."

"I will remember that..." Maxwell says. "How are you feeling, Daven?"

"Broken, battered and exhausted." Allard says. "Exactly how an Allard should be."

"How is that?" Maxwell laughs. "You know perfectly well, Maxwell. Allard have always been soldiers at hart. That is how we are born and raised. What is wrong with you, Maxwell? You seem overly happy somehow."

"How is that something bad?" Maxwell asks.

"You are just always so serious." Allard says. "It feels weird to see you smile like this."

The smile instantly disappears. Annoyance flashes across Maxwell's face. He mumbles something angrily. Daven hears the words 'stupid vessel' come by.

"So, what is making you this happy?" Allard says.

"Well..." Maxwell begins, quickly thing of a reason to hide the fact he isn't used to have his vessel spill hormones into his system. "It would seem that the government is reestablished."

"That is great news indeed." Daven says. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a nights rest to catch up to. Good day, Maxwell."

Daven walks away, yawning. Tomorrow would be another long day and he needs to catch up on his sleep.

The Goblin camp consists of a huge amount of improvised tents and holes in the ground. The Goblins do whatever they possibly can to guard themselves from the hated sun.

A huge number of them had fallen during the assault on the big human settlement and it would take them time to recover. At the fall of night, the Goblins would go and devour more trees in the surrounding areas to increase there numbers.

Goblins reproduce much like microorganisms. They eat and, when they have eaten enough, they split themselves into two nearly identical duplicates. As this distorts their bone structure, they will need some time to recover from the process.

Goblins that are incapable of division become bigger and bigger, until they collapse under their own weight, or until they can no longer hide from the sun. The Goblin king has such a defect. In his case, however he can still split off a limited amount creating stillborn Goblins. This is why he is the biggest Goblin that lives for a prolonged period of time.

"Meat!" A Goblin yells in the Goblin language. "I meat!"

"No meat!" The King roars. "You failure, 'Strategist'."

This enrages the one called 'Strategist' or Akfrekr in Goblin.

"You no lead!" It says. "Me no follow!"

The blob that is the Goblin king grows a few centimetres.

"You no follow..." He says, starting to roll towards Akfrekr. "I no need!"

Panicked Goblins hurriedly dive out of the way of the enraged king as Akfrekr is backed into a corner.

"Apologies." Akfrekr says. "I follow!"

This comes too late as Akfrekr is crushed by the sheer weight of his king. A loud screaming fills the cave. A loud crack sounds and the screaming stops.

"No follow?" The Goblin king asks.

The other Goblins shrink to show their submission to their king.

"Good!" The Goblin king says. "We eat meat! Soon!"

A cheer rises from the group.

"Grow!" The Goblin king orders. "Increase!"

The cave is filled with cheering as the Goblins relish at the thought of a new battle.

"What is the meaning of this?" Tevron yells.

"Sir!" A scout says, panting. "A large group of Oliron knights is headed for the town, sir. They will be here by nightfall. I fear they may be the garrison from the castle."

"That would make sense..." Tevron says.

"Sir?" The scout says, confused.

"Gather my men near the tent." Tevron says. "We will give these uninvited guests a warm welcome."

"Yes, sir." The scout says as he disappears between the buildings.

"You two will want to see this one." Tevron says. "You might have seen Fenwick defend a wall, but you have yet to see me prepare a town for combat. Let me prove my worth to your cause tonight."

He laughs and heads back towards the tent to inform Meckrin.

"This is our fault you know..." Gilbert says. "Again."

"Last time was all you and Archil." Xandrien says. "I had nothing to do with that."

"True." Gilbert says, absentmindedly. "I just hope we don't get anyone killed with this."

"Gilbert, we just saved the town from starvation." Xandrien says. "We need not feel guilty for the few that die for the many."

"Do you really believe you won't lose sleep over those who died because of you?" Gilbert asks.

"No..." Xandrien says. "But you can't let the past destroy your present either. Let's see what the night brings, before we mourn the dead."

"You two, get over here!" Tevron yells from within the tent.

"Duty calls." Xandrien says.

The day progressed slowly as they waited for the Oliron knights to arrive. Tevron was continuesly ordering troops to different locations. Soon there was no part in the town left that eyes did not cover.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Now the real art begins." Tevron says.

Gilbert, Xandrien and Tevron are in one of the higher, eastern buildings. From here they can see all the streets Tevron expects combat in. The town was especially designed to have spots like this, to allow an increased defensive capability.

The first group of knights walks into the street almost next to the building. Their leather armour made a barely perceivable amount of noise. Gilbert counts eight knights.

Another group is stealthily sneaking through another street further north. They seem to have no idea that a scout saw their approach. This group contains another eight knights.

Yet another group can be seen entering a street further south. As far as Gilbert can see that is the last of them. All knights appear to be armed with spears.

"An let the night begin red." Tevron says, almost happily. He lets out a single yell, startling the knights.

Doors fly open everywhere as the garrison armed with spears storms onto the street. Among the ambushing forces, men with pitchforks can be seen as well.  These townsfolk don't take kindly to intruders.

The most northern group has to biggest problem. As they were sneaking past the doors they were flung open and two knights are unconscious before the fight even begins. The rest is quickly skewered. The southern group has mayor problems as well. They weren't carefull enough entering the town and never expected an ambush. They barely have time to raise their spears, before they too are dead.

The group next to the building managed best. As soon as the yell sounded, they jumped into formation. Two men cover each flank as one issues orders. They even manage to kill a few attackers who dared come too close.

"Oh, what a bother." Tevron says. He stands up and grabs his spear. He levels it and takes aim.

"From here?" Xandrien laughs. "Are you mad?"

"Not a clue." Tevron says. "Are you?"

Tevron hurls the spear through the air. For a few seconds it's in the air. The man issuing orders is hit in the chest and falls over, limp. This shatters the morale of the remaining men, who quickly break formation, only to get slaughtered.

"Nice throw..." Gilbert says in astonishment.

"Sir, we have a problem." The panicked voice of the scout says. "They got to Meckrin, sir. A group of knights broke through."

"What?" Tevron yells in rage. "Give me that spear."

Tevron yanks the spear out of the scouts hands and rushes down the stairs. Xandrien and Gilbert follow. Tevron leads them down an infinite amount of narrow streets and paths, until they finally reach the central square. The tent that was placed there is now in ruins. From within the clinic multiple voices can be heard. One of them is Meckrin, yelling in defiance.

"What's wrong mayor?" A knight asks. "Are you incapable without that captain of yours? Oh well, you will die now anyway. The knight rushes at Meckrin, sword outstretch, but Meckrin dodges the man's sword and slices his neck with a knife. Build pours over Medkrin's hands as the man falls to his knees, gurgling and drowning in blood.

"How dare you!" Another man with a sword says, walking at Meckrin. "Die!"

A metal point erupts out of the man's chest. The man look at it in confusion as he slowly falls to his knees. The knights, armed with spear, look at their two commanders in horror.

Tevron storms through the hole in the wall and slams into the nearest knight, breaking his bones on the wall. The other knights fall to their knees in defeat. The battle is won.

"Tevron!" Meckrin says. "I can't say I have ever been this happy to see someone. Those combat lesson you provided had its uses after all."

"Let's get that cut looked after." Tevron says. "You can't govern a city with blood dripping into your eyes."

They walk out of the clinic. Outside a huge part of the garrison has gathered.

"The day is our men!" Tevron yells triumphantly.

"Our scouts report trouble within Oliron." Herklendir says. "The Pentilians might fall under threat, should humanity decide to cross the narrow straight."

"Have you learned nothing from the ancient texts our lord Neralis provided to our species, Herklendir?" Erkaliskar says. "Oliron is owned and maintained by the mighty Arthfael. It is his divine duty to contain the island. It is the very reason our tribes flourish."

"And yet I fear this peace may reach its end, Erkaliskar!" Herklendir says. "We must prepare ourselves for the time humans do cross. What will you do when they land with their ships. Humans seek only one thing and that thing leads to death. We must prepare for the worst case."

"Blasphemy!" Gelikdich says.

"High priest?" Herklendier says, surprised. "What brings you to the council hall?"

The council hall, build by the great Neralis in the depths of a mountain, is a beautifully decorated cave that is eternally lit. Many Pentilians travel here to marvel at what their god has left them.

"I am here to remind you all of the reason humanity exists solely on that island!" Gelikdich says. "It is my duty as the high priest."

"High priest, I don't think we need a reminder of..." Erkaliskar begins.

"Clearly, Erkaliskar, some of you council members do." Gelikdich interrupts. "I shall begin now. After creating our world and its wonder, the gods retreated to their sacred realm to rule over their kingdoms. Their departure created a multitude of sentient being, spread across the world. We, the Pentilians, were born into these very halls. The Atracarians, although their god perished, were born into the Great Northern Cities. Among the races emerging around these lands came another creature. Humans, born godless, roamed these lands and build the cities and towns above the surface we inhabit today. As the greed of humanity grew, they dared venture onto the sacred lands of Oliron, ruled by  the mighty Arthfael. As their cities grew ever prosperous on Oliron, their cities here became devoid of life, as Arthfael's wrath demolished their populations. Soon no human was found beyond Oliron ever again. Arthfael has kept it so for centuries. Why would he fail now, Herklendier?"

"I fear that a struggle beyond our vision is interrupting Arthfael's cycle of peace." Herklendier says. "No human could stop a god. Not alone. I fear a god is siding with the humans."

"My dearest council member." Gelikdich laughs. "All gods know the cruciality of humanities limitations. Should they leave Oliron, countless race would perish at their hands."

"And so I suggest we prepare accordingly!" Herklendier says. "Should the humans escape Oliron, we need to be ready. Our lives depend on this very act!"

"Still you insist on Arthfael failing his divine task." Utrakal, head of the council, says. "Do you have any evidence to support your claims?"

"As I mentioned before, our scouts have spotted disturbing movements within the Oliron population." Herklendier says. "On top of that, Goblins are destabilising the region and, worst yet, Arthfael's tower can no longer be seen from the shores!"

The last statement causes the other council members to start talking among themselves. They simply cannot believe that fact to the tower could have fallen.

"Nonsense!" Gelikdich says. "Godly structures cannot fall. Your scout might be going blind, Herklendier. It would seem they are seeing the impossible, or rather, they aren't seeing something that is their. Go visit them sometime. The fresh air might clear your head of all these radical theories."

"Herklendier, I request of you to confirm these reports first hand." Utrakal says. "Report back to the council in two weeks."

"Yes, my lord." Herklendier says respectfully as the leaves the room.

"This meeting is over!" Utrakal declares. "We shall meet again tomorrow to discuss these matters further."

The council member get up from their chairs and leave the room.

"What a mess..." Utrakal mumbles. "Fifty more years and it would have no longer been my problem."

Utrakal sighs before also rising and leaving the hall through a back door.

"So, Maxwell, how are the preparations?" Arthfael asks.

"Oliron has only one ruler now." Maxwell says. "I am also making sure that every human scheduled for executions is properly seen of a the altar."

"In time my tower will rise again." Arthfael smiles. "Axsel truly believes he can destroy my building so easily. He should know better. I am the greatest at manipulating interriftal energy among the gods! Of course I am perfectly capable of adding a reconstructional item within the walls of what I build. It is the very reason I only have one where others have many."

"The altar..." Maxwell says.

"Yes the altar." Arthfael says. "All it needs is energy. Something humans can happily provide with their souls. An adequate payment for helping Axsel."

"My stupid brother did give it his best shot." Maxwell says. "He even got me at the execution."

"Don't call him your brother!" Arthfael says. "Before all this we were a family of sorts. Now that is no more."

"To be fair, you did use Axsel as a means to establish an immortal ruler for the humans." Maxwell says. "You must admit, that plan of your flew right back at you."

"Don't make fun of this." Arthfael says. "Should we fail, then the world will be at risk. Now get back down there. I have had enough of you for one day."

"Of course you have..." Maxwell complains as he descends back to his vessel.