The city was in an uproar. No one knew what to do at this moment. The guards looked at their captain with hope in their eyes. But the experienced and known to be cool-headed captain Devi has lost his calmness and was venting out his frustration on the young man who fired the shot. Continuously kicking and screaming at him for his stupidity and the disaster he has caused. Crushing him to rot in hell as the one responsible for their imminent death. The young man stayed down and apologized again and again with tears running down his eyes. The guards rushed and tried to calm down the captain.

The demand of the situation was such that he had to control his emotions somehow. Now that the situation has turned for the worst he had to do something and fast. Otherwise, even before the enemy attacks the civilians in the city will kill them all. He took a deep breath and thought for a while about all the possible actions he can take and there was only one way left for him to survive. He stood up, looked at his comrades, gave swift orders to organize and control the situation, and hurriedly send 2 of his guards down the wall.

After a while of rigorous struggle and restless efforts, Devi managed to calm down the crowd. Yet, his face was lifeless. He gave out orders to arm and organize the civilians. He told a few words to motivate the crowd but he was feeling down inside. He looked outside the city and saw the army forming, well-trained, well-equipped, high in morale, and full of energy. He looked at the empty stairs leading down the wall. He looked inside and saw disorganized and ill-equipped civilians slowly forming up, devoid of all energy. He again looked at the stairs and sighed. He looked at the empty walls protected by only a handful of soldiers and again looked back at the stairs only to see his guards coming back with a middle-aged crippled man.

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Devi looked at the middle-aged man who had lost his right arm. His eyes glowed as lights returned to them. He turned around, placed his right arm over his left chest, and saluted, "Sir, I am guard captain Devi Balanon sir. It's an honor making your acquaintance ser Dickon."

"Thank you for answering my selfish request," he said with a slight bow.

Dickon was a former member of the royal guard and a great swordsman who was unmatched by anyone in the kingdom. His skills in both swordplay and strategy were unparalleled gaining him the favor of the king. Some even say the king wanted to promote him to the status of noble but was strongly opposed by the noble faction. Soon after Dickon was sent to an impossible battlefield by his superiors to stop an army of thousands with a few hundred soldiers. With all odds stacked against him, everyone expected him to die and parish on that battlefield. Yet beating all odds he survived and also managed to successfully repel the attack. But the price he paid was not small, most of his close comrades died in that battle with him losing one arm. He became a hero and an inspiration for all young and aspiring soldiers a symbol of strength, glory, and honor. Yet, he and his surviving comrades all retired just after that battle and moved to a desolate place away from the power struggle and politics of the royal court never to be seen again. But here he is again dragged to the battlefield he has given up on.

Only a few people knew that he was in this border city, which included Devi the commanding officer of this city. As a man who has worked under him, Devi knew Dickon's personality very well. Although the chances of him helping was very slim Devi chose to bet on the possibility of what if and luckily it has paid off. Dickon has arrived. With him showing up Devi finally relaxed and saw some hope of survival, hope that this man can create a miracle and somehow save them. He expressed his gratitude while simultaneously explaining the situation of the impending battle and asking for his guidance in this difficult time.