The crowd erupted into cheers, with Ivan shouting at the top of his lungs and pumping his fist in the air.“I told you Lord Ezra was going to win! He is going to become the best Gunner in all of Valaria someday!” the dwarf cried out ecstatically.“He is truly a force to be reckoned with,” another lauded.“We should have never doubted Lord Ezra after he won the hunt,” another added.Even with all the cheers and shouts of support around him, Ezra’s uncle did not seem too pleased by the outcome of the duel. “I swear that cripple could not even hit a sack of grains before. How did he become so powerful so suddenly?”Lord Sebastian and Aurelia applauded the loudest, their faces colored with proud smiles.Aurelia walked up to Ezra and shook him by his shoulders. “You did it. You really showed that proud dog where he belongs. It was a stunning performance, brother. Your powers are really at their peak.”“But it’s not over yet. Jasenki and his family still have a lot to pay for,” Ezra replied.
Ezra’s demands stunned the Rodels, shocking them into silence. Ten thousand Sovereigns was no small amount even for a factory owner, and on top of that, Ezra had also asked for the motor wagon which had cost Lord Lucius well over five thousand Sovereigns.What was even more unbearable was the humiliating idea of walking all the way back to Stonewell City like desperate commoners. It was an affront to their pride and an insult to their family legacy.“We are not peasants,” Lord Lucius muttered, clenching his fist and glaring at Ezra. “You cannot treat us as if we were commoners. Your poor town should be grateful for my visit!”“You should be grateful if I let you walk out of here with your clothes still on your back,” Ezra whispered back in a cold voice, his eyes staring into Lord Lucius’. “Your power and your money mean nothing here. This is not Stonewell. This is my home. And you are an unwelcome guest.”Lady Lillian could not stand her husband being insulted like that, but looking ar
Lord Sebastian took charge as the new mayor of Aranor with Aurelia at his side as his chief aide. The town was now firmly under Lord Sebastian’s command, but he still could not make any major civil or military decisions without the support of the three noble houses.After the Great Rebellion, during which the commoners sought to overthrow the landed gentry, the king was compelled to make several changes to the administrative setup. The old feudal system of government with the king as the head and the nobles under this command had worked fairly well for over five centuries. But now, Valaria had adopted a pseudo-democratic form of government. Even though the nobles retained their positions, the administrative officials were now chosen through elections.However, since the nobility still held on to their lands and titles, they exercised considerable power over the cities and towns, and not even the mayors and ministers had the authority to pass new regulations and decrees without consult
Magaravia, the capital of the Valaria, was six hundred miles away from Aranor, and the only way anyone could get any messages delivered from that far was by using teleportation portals or avian familiars. The Red-tailed Falcon which had brought them the scroll with the royal seal was also one such familiar spirit summoned by the court mage. After delivering the message, the bird disappeared into a wisp of red smoke, leaving behind a tuft of spotted red feathers.Lord Sebastian split the seal with a paper-knife and unfurled the scroll. It contained a message straight from the Chief Gunner of Magaravia.With quick and impatient eyes, Lord Sebastian read the note, and as he reached the end, his brow furrowed, and beads of sweat gathered on his forehead. “What does it say?” Lord Wilhelm enquired.Handing the scroll to Aurelia, Lord Sebastian replied, “The mining villages near the capital were attacked by wyverns last night. Fifty people have been killed and thirty injured. The Imperial M
The alarming news from the Capital put everyone on their toes. The appearance of a Fell Dragon was a sign of the changing times and the terrible things to come.So far, Lord Sebastian had not received any new reports from Count Gressil, which meant that his forces had either not found anything interesting at the ruined shrine of Zepheroth or their attack had been thwarted by the cultists.The undead threat had become too great to ignore after the Dewdale infestation. And things became even more distressful after the wyvern sighting over Ashgrove.Everyone was now looking up to Lord Sebastian to decide what approach Aranor would adopt to deal with the undead threat.“Now that Magaravia’s concerns have been addressed, we should focus on our own town,” Lord Wilhelm said, breaking the tense silence in the room.Lord Sebastian nodded. “Since Jasenki and Iraka spotted an Undead Wyvern flying over Ashgrove, it is enough reason to believe the undead forces are growing stronger by the minute, a
The town guards were split into two groups. The crossbowmen were tasked with guarding the walls and manning the watch towers while the ones armed with swords and spears were sent on patrol duty.As the night drew its dark blanket over the skies of Aranor, the moon disappeared behind a veil of oppressive gray clouds, and the stars dimmed like dying fireflies.Lester was initially averse to the idea of sending his adventurers out at this late hour, but on Lord Wilhelm’s request, he made an exception, allowing the new recruits to carry out the task.The amateur adventurers had joined the guild with high hopes, but apart from participating in a few dungeon raids, they had never been permitted to do anything worth commending. Thus, when Lester ordered them to go on a scouting mission, they accepted without hesitation.The southern borders of Aranor were protected by the lofty green mountains, and the town’s eastern borders were guarded by the Soreta River. This left only the western and nor
The loud pealing of the brass bells warned the townsfolk and alerted all the Gunners and patrolling guards. People shut themselves up inside their homes, closing off all doors and windows.The merfolk followed their natural instincts and dived into the river to seek refuge in its murky depths. They deemed hiding inside the river a much safer option than cowering inside their shoddy bamboo huts.Meanwhile, the dwarves retreated deep inside the coal mines and barred the entrance with wooden planks. Ivan had already been preparing for such a situation for months by building underground tunnels through which they might escape in the event of an attack.Hearing the bells, Lord Sebastian ordered the Gunners to reinforce the northern and western gates. Aurelia climbed down from the watch tower and reported to her father at once.“What are your orders?” she asked.“We should focus purely on defense for now,” Lord Sebastian replied. “The walls of Aranor will hold against a few skeletons and ne
Lord Sebastian inhaled sharply and held his breath. He waited for the Slasher leading the charge to get close, and as soon as it was within range, he fired his weapon.Crack! Shriek!A plume of red smoke escaped from the enchanted musket’s muzzle as a burning phoenix screeched out of the gun and struck the Slasher, setting it ablaze. As the flames ravaged its body, it burned down to a lumpy mass of flesh and bones.“Mark! Pick your targets!” Lord Sebastian yelled out his command before reloading his rifle.Jasenki and Iraka obeyed at once, pulling back their triggers.Bang! Bang!The two enchanted bullets fired from their blunderbuss rifles struck the ground, exploding upon impact. Each blast took out over a dozen ghouls, ripping them to pieces and scattering their bloody limbs all over the road.Lord Sebastian noticed two more Slashers advancing down the road and quickly reloaded his gun with a different enchanted bullet. This time, he flew even higher into the sky before aiming for