Desperate humans are the worst. All I had told the citizens of Alarna was that they would have to choose who they wanted to follow, and the way the mood in the main square shifted, it felt like they were ready to lynch the current leaders if I told them to. I was admittedly a little surprised by this. I did expect them to choose us, seeing how we presented the best chance for survival in these trying times, but not that they would react this extreme to me demonizing the king and the High Priest for practices that should be common sense to these people. I guess you could interpret what I said as an ultimatum... Oops, I thought. I also swayed a little from the script when everything was going so well. I hadn’t actually planned to denounce the current leadership entirely yet, but the way the people looked at me, I realized that it would most likely work.
““Lilly! Lilly! Lilly!””
It took only moments until people started chanting my name, with a few familiar faces being the first. All the planning hadn’t really prepared me for this deeply humbling moment, when all eyes were on us, and these people made their choice. Nervousness crept up in me once more, as the realization set in that we were seriously taking over an entire town right now. Wow.... this is... a lot...
““LILLY!! LILLY!! LILLY!!””
I briefly glanced behind me at the others, who looked like they were having a hard time controlling their expressions as well. Sorry, I know this wasn’t the exact plan, I thought with a wry smile.
The ones most uncertain about this situation appeared to be the guards, however, who looked between me, the crowd, and the king with worry. If this mob were to become unruly, it wouldn’t matter what Calling they had, they would have a serious problem on their hands. Not to mention that the king and the High Priest were right in the middle of the crowd, with only a dozen or so guards, where the other Fighters wouldn’t be able to easily reach them. They too would have to make a choice now, but for them it would be one of life or death, because if they chose me, and it didn’t work out, at least some of them might be executed for treason.
I looked around, assessing the situation. The majority of citizens were most definitely on our side, so we had the upper hand. Based on the placement of the guards, they had presumably been instructed to keep a close eye on me, and try to arrest me if necessary. That would not really be an option right now though. I guessed we probably hadn’t been the only ones surprised with the turnout, and the people hadn’t expected this many “Followers of Lilly” either. Some of the guards also had to know what Tomar, Riala, and I could do, and for all they knew, Berla and Reurig were no different. Okay, here goes nothing... I thought and raised my arms to quieten the crowd.
“I thank you for your trust in us, and I thank the gods for giving us the chance to make a difference in this world! We believe that the current leadership has committed countless crimes against their citizens, and you know what that would mean under their rules! However! The world we’re going to build will be different! The gods despise violence, and so do we! Never would we harm anyone, unless it’s absolutely necessary!”
I could see some people in the center of the square relax slightly, when I essentially said that we weren’t out to kill them, though they still looked uneasy, trapped in this crowd.
“To all Fighters!” I said, and I felt a lot of gazes shift towards me. “I understand this is no simple matter, but I ask you to trust in me and the gods as well! To trust in what we will build here! A world where you can choose to dedicate your lives to protecting others, but don’t have to! Where you won’t fear for your lives every day, regardless of which you choose! And where you will not stand between two leaders, fighting over who will be on top, when all that matters is the wellbeing of all of us!”
Pause for effect... They do look tempted... Fingers crossed.
“But to that end, I need you to arrest the current administration and place them in jail until further notice, while we reform this town! No harm is to come to them, but they can’t be allowed to undermine what we’re creating here! In the name of the gods!”
Cheers erupted from the crowd once more, and the guards looked between one another. After a few seconds, however, I saw many nodding and falling into action. Those in the center pointed their weapons at their former bosses, while those on the outside made their way there, as the crowd made way for them.
“Lilly,” came a voice from beside the stage, where I saw Bren and Brie stand. “We would like to guard you if we may.”
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“Certainly,” I said. “Thank you.”
As the royals and upper clergy of the temple made their way through the crowd in the direction of the prison, I addressed the people one more time. “I’m overjoyed and can’t wait for what is to come! There’s a lot to do, and we will start right now! Of course, every single one of you will play a critical part in bringing this town forward as well, and I would like to ask you to return to your daily lives for the moment, during a brief transition time! Thank you! And blessed be the gods!”
““Lilly! Lilly! Lilly!””
““Blessed be the gods!””
I used our last white stone to create another “blessing,” we waved at the people, and finally left the stage to head in the direction of the temple, the closest building we could head into, which would also be the appropriate home base for the divine messenger. The door shut behind us, but they barely blocked the cheers and the chanting from right outside. I wanted to fall to the floor and breathe a sigh of relief, but since I had allowed Bren and Brie to come with us, I would have to keep up my composure for a moment longer. Great decision, Miles...
“We will go to the High Priest’s office for the moment,” I said, prompting Lilana to direct us there, and started leading our procession. The temple felt even emptier than last time I was here, with almost everybody being outside. I hadn’t paid too much attention to the priest’s reactions, but I imagined they would have to feel uneasy as well, seeing how both their High Priest and their previous divine messenger were just arrested.
After a couple of minutes, we arrived at an office on the third floor of the temple. I instructed Bren and Brie to stand guard outside the door, while our group headed into the spacious room, with a desk, sofas, and a large window through which we had a great view over the sea of people. I saw so many happy faces. Many were still chanting, some were talking to each other in excitement, while the crowd slowly started to disperse at its edges, with people returning to their lives. As soon as the door closed, I let myself fall onto one of the sofas.
“Wow...” I said.
‘What was that!?’
“Miles... that wasn’t the plan...” Berla said in a hushed voice.
“Ha... Hahaha!”
Tomar started laughing, while Reurig stared out the window and Riala looked at us in confusion, apparently not sure what had just happened.
“Nope. That wasn’t the plan. But the opportunity was there,” I said with an apologetic smile.
“You realize you just arrested the entire administration though, right?” Berla said. “We wanted to take over gradually! Who’s gonna tell the people what to do?”
“I want to say ‘Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out,’ but I have to admit that this was unexpected,” I said with a chuckle. “Still, I’m sure it will be fine. Most people will surely be able to do their job for a day or two without anyone watching their every move. And only the high ranking royals and priests were arrested, right? How many people were in the center, like two dozen?”
“Miles, this is serious. We can’t mess this up,” she said admonishingly.
“Hey, Miles! I can see my sister soon, right?” Riala interjected.
“Of course, Ria. I’m sure she’s still outside in the main square, we just had to get away from there first.”
“Zara Fera, right? She’s arguing with a few guards, trying to get in here,” Reurig said, still looking out the window. “There’s also a bunch of priests. Looks like the guards don’t know whether to let them back in here.”
“See?” Berla said.
“Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out,” I said.
“Very funny...”
“Heh. Just give me a second. There are a few things we need to take care of right away... The priests should be let in, and we need to talk to... wait, who is in charge of the guards now?”
Berla looked at me in exasperation, gesturing that it’s obviously us.
“No, no, I don’t mean at the top. There have to be leaders, right? A hierarchy?”
“That would be the guard captains...” she said. “Who died in Cerus.”
“Oookay, and who’s in charge then? The king wouldn’t have commanded all of them himself, right?”
“I’ll figure out who’s left,” Reurig said and went for the door.
“Thanks, and tell the guards to let the priests into the temple, so they can get back to their work. Oh, and have Bren or Brie escort Zara here.”
“Will do.”
“Yay!” Riala said.
We are in charge... I thought. At least on paper that was. Even if the majority of the citizens had cast their vote in our favor, it was far from over. Berla was right of course, we needed to establish a chain of command and keep the town running, even before we could think about making any changes. The authorities were still in place and would do most of the work, but they needed to be coordinated. Most importantly, however, we needed to figure out the guard and beast situation. I promised the citizens safety and peace, but we didn’t actually know anything about the talking beasts yet. Assuming that the normal ones weren’t an issue for the moment, the way the town was to be protected would change.
So much will change. And all of it while worrying that some people might not actually be loyal to us... We really do need to take this seriously. Let’s get to it! ... Okay, maybe five more minutes, I thought and leaned back on the sofa.