"That was good. I quite feared you, when you gave that speech," Caden said enthusiastically.
"What? But it wasn't supposed to be like this. I wanted to calm them down!" Mormir said.
"Hah, it's okay, no one is afraid of you," Cassandra laughed.
Mormir frowned angrily.
"What now?" Caden asked.
"Let's rest, we'll have to go to the warden's base as soon as possible. They are gathering more and more men every hour, and they are preparing to attack," Mormir said.
Caden and Merill walked around the city.
"What did you do when we were in the southern Ashnaton Forest? I haven't seen you after the victory," Caden asked.
"I was looking for my mother," Merill replied.
"Well... did you find her?"
"One dark elf knew about me. She told me that my mother... died two days before the attack, the consequences of some... medicines handed to them by the wardens."
"Medicines? What medicines?"
"I don't know, Caden. With one of the mage's commanders, we found a storehouse of something that looked like candies, apparently, she meant that. We destroyed as much of that stuff as we could before we left."
"Merill... I'm sorry."
"I wonder what it would be like to meet my parents," Merill contemplated.
"And where are your parents, Caden?" Merill asked.
"I... thought they were dead. But then Mormir told me my father is... was Alger."
"The Dark cult leader was your father? And who is your mother, then?"
"I don't know, Merill. Maybe Mormir might know. I'll ask him tomorrow."
They went to the pub.
"Caden, finally! I was worried about you," Amelia came to him.
"You're afraid unnecessarily, Amie. Some wardens won't get me," Caden replied.
"Don't you want to explain me something?" Amelia asked.
Caden and Amelia went to their room, and Caden explained everything to her.
"So now you are a general of the mage's army?" Amelia said.
"Unofficially, I suppose," Caden said.
"Unofficially?"
"Well... I never actually joined them," Caden smiled.
"So... are you just with them? Neither their ally nor the enemy?" Amelia didn't understand.
"Somehow. As long as they fight the wardens, I'll be with them," Caden replied.
"And what if they defeat the wardens? What do you think will happen next? They will oppress everyone without magical abilities!" Amelia went angry.
"They are not like the wardens, Amelia. They will never be the same as them!" Caden finished, stood up, and wanted to leave.
"Caden, wait! I didn't mean it that way," Amelia apologized.
Caden just nodded and left.
"What happened, Cade?" Merill asked Caden while standing near El.
"She thinks I'm a murderer and a monster. I see it in her eyes."
"But, Caden... you didn't do anything wrong. Amelia is smart, she'll understand," Merill embraced Caden.
"Thanks, Merill. I must clean my head," Caden walked out of the pub and walked down the street.
In front of him was a crowd of townsmen screaming, "You dark monster! Get back into the shadows!"
Caden stepped closer to see them throwing everything at the dark elven woman with a child. "What are you doing? Enough!" Caden shouted without the response of the crowd. Caden stood before the woman. "Stop it now!"
"Get out of our way! Are you with them?!" the voice from the crowd shouted.
"Enough!" Caden threw off the first row of townsmen on the ground with a wave of energy.
"It's a mage! Fuck it, it'll kill us!" the crowd broke and escaped.
The elf had bloody hands, as she protected her child.
"Come with me. I'm a friend," Caden gave his hand to the frightened elven woman and walked with her towards the town hall.
The whole city was raging.
Mages tried to keep the order in the streets, but it was not possible to do so. The attacks of the townsfolk were mainly directed against the dark elves. This is the result of persuading the people of the Empire by wardens about the inferiority and monstrosity of the dark elves. Caden with the elf and the child went through several skirmishes of mages and townsfolk. They reached the town hall surrounded by mages.
"Halt! Who are you?!" one of the mages shouted to Caden.
"That's Caden, you idiot!" Cassandra stepped forward.
"I... I'm sorry, sir."
"It's alright. Cassandra, what's going on?" Caden asked.
"It will probably be best if you ask Mormir," Cassandra pointed her hand toward the town hall entrance.
"Is there a healer?" Caden asked the mage inside.
"Yes, he's at the end of the corridor."
Caden escorted the elf with the child and set out for the second floor, to the former mayor's office.
"Caden? You don't sleep?" Mormir wondered restlessly at the window.
"How could I, when these atrocities are happening in the streets. What's going on?"
"It's like everyone suddenly realized what happened. I probably overestimated it. Those cowardly townsmen have started some kind of hunt on the dark elves," Mormir angrily explained.
"Mormir, I... I'm sorry," Caden lowered his head.
"Caden, no one blames you. You just wanted to save innocent lives. But their militia isn't planning that."
"And what do we do?" Caden asked.
"I... can't handle it, Caden. Our mages are few and exhausted. I'm afraid that if the dark elves do not start defending themselves... or leave the city, a lot of them will die to morning."
"But Mormir, it can't be that bad!" Caden insisted.
"It's even worse, Caden. One of their groups robbed a weapon warehouse and now hides in the streets of the city and kills everyone who goes astray," Mormir explained.
"We'll make it somehow. You were the right hand of Alger," Caden encouraged him.
"Yes. But that's the problem, I'm not Alger. He was able to coordinate dozens of operations across the Green Grove, and I... I can't keep a single city in peace! Whenever something was happening, I was just the one standing beside him."
"And that's why! You were always by his side. You know everything he did, and you can use it, and do it even better," Caden demanded.
"Thank you, Caden. But even Alger couldn't do the impossible. A part of the dark elves has already left the town and set up a camp if you want to help... gather as many dark elves as possible and take them out of Oakdome," Mormir finished.
"But what about you?"
"Mages can protect themselves, and those who can't, like healers, are safe in strategic positions. Forgive me, but I have a lot of work to do, I must be with the others."
"I understand, Mormir, I... I'll take the elves away," Caden said, and walked out of the town hall.
After a while, he bumped into Gorej. "Caden!"
"Gorej! I hope you have nothing to do with this militia," Caden said.
"Me? Of course not, I'm with you. You didn't think I'd do it to Merill, did you?"
"I am sorry."
"It's nothing, Caden. How is Merill doing?"
"He looked alright with El," Caden smiled.
"Yeah, what about you? I'm just worried about her now... you know because the resistance is rising. It could also touch her," Gorej said.
"Well... you're right. I've got to go!" Caden ran to the pub.
"What happened here?" Caden called out as he ran into the pub.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdDYgBlYIv
