Jack stood inside a partially destroyed building and observed the eastern side of Ekron,the place where the goblins had breached the wall. He looked down at Sol who was accompanied by his two subordinates,Arin and Jaro. He'd spread out the battalion of raiders he'd come with all across the eastern side in groups of five. He'd prepared a signal to be able to mobilize them and given them to each group leader. He the others thought he was over reacting but it was better safe than sorry. He looked back at the destroyee streets.
The goblin raid had left a trail of destruction in its wake, with entire city blocks burned to the ground and others severely damaged.
The damage wasn't limited to the eastern part of the city, however. The goblins had bypassed their defensive lines and also launched attacks on other parts of Ekron, including the city's central square and the residential districts. The city's guards and militia had fought bravely, but they had been vastly outnumbered and outmatched by the goblin horde.
As the process of reconstruction had began,the full extent of the damage became clear. Several buildings lay in ruins, their walls cracked and crumbling. Streets were littered with debris, and the city's infrastructure had been severely damaged. Miraculously, despite the extent of the destruction, no one had lost their life in the attack, although some had been injured.
" Hey, if your done sightseeing we should really get a move on" Sol called from the street next to the building.
Jack looked down at him. He has always wondered about this mans motivations. Buy his handsome appearance one wouldn't think much of his capabilities but from his stature and the way he moved with efficiency Jack could tell that his beauty was meant as a distraction from his true strength. .
He jumped down from the building and landed Infront of them.
"We should get going." He said and the group moved forward.
As they walked through the quiet streets, Sol turned to Jack with a curious expression. "Hey, Jack, can I ask you something?"
"Hm?" Jack grunted his eyes scanning the horizon. "What's on your mind?"
"What's the deal with your strategy of sending a few out to rebuild. Wouldn't it be best to send more people?" Sol asked.
"Don't worry, Sol. We'll take care of it." Jack responded without looking at him.
"Mmm" Sol purred. The group walked in silence for a bit, the only sound being the crunch of gravel beneath their feet.
After a while, Sol spoke up again.
"I'm bored," he said.
"We're not here to sightsee" Jack said.
" We technically are though." Sol corrected.
" What I mean is ,were not here for pressure. You're free to return if you're that bored."
" You're no fun." Sol said, his eyes scanning the horizon.
"So, what's Ekron like now? I mean with the transformation it's gone through?" he asked again after a while.
Jack's expression turned thoughtful. "It's...different," he said. "I mean, the news of Ekron becoming a province for rare races has spread to the Capitol, and maybe even beyond the kingdom."
"Really? What's it been like?"
Jack's expression turned wry. "Well, at first, it was tough. The locals didn't want to accept the other races. But Kojo...well, he's always been one to speak his mind."
Sol's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Oh? What did he say?"
Jack's lips twitched into a smile. "He told them that if they couldn't be tolerant, they were free to leave."
"For real?" Sol asked, his voice incredulous.
Jack nodded, his expression serious. "Yeah. And you know what? Most of them left. The ones who stayed were the ones who had nowhere else to go."
Sol's expression turned thoughtful. "Wow," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"If you think about it,that's actually something Kojo would really say."
Jack nodded. "Yeah. And it wasn't easy, settling the various races down across the province. But we managed. It took time, but we made it work."
" We're lucky Kojo planned everything out. He may be an immature brat but he has foresight. He immediately,no even before that drew up a blueprint to make Opal a self reliant state. It was most likely that just as the locals had left,the other provinces wouldn't want to have dealing with us."
Jack's expression turned thoughtful.
"The king was already aware of the situation, but the kingdom of Archadia is more like a federation. Each province takes care of its own affairs, with the king having a say in matters of national importance. The order was for cooperation from the other provinces, but the extent and means were up to their own discretion."
Sol nodded, his expression serious. "That goes without saying."
"I wish people weren't so divided," Jack said.
"I wish we could all just get along, you know? Be a united society that loves and respects each other."
" I understand you brother .There are somethings that shouldnt be taken from granted because you can lose the joy of fellowship in a heartbeat. So it's best to treasure the people around you before you loose the opportunity you'd been taken for granted " Sol said with sadness in his voice.
Jack glanced at him.Sol sounded like he'd gone through some traumatic experience, maybe losing a relative or a lover. But he didn't pry, knowing that some wounds were too deep to be shared.
" This is why I don't just based on appearance." Jack thought.
A sudden tremor shook the ground. They looked up to see a dust cloud was thrown up in the distance, and a flare pierced the sky, its bright light illuminating the surrounding landscape.
"That's the signal," Jack said, his voice low and urgent. "We need to hurry."
He ran foward.The group followed, their feet pounding the earth as they rushed towards the source of the flare. As they approached, they saw that Ovid and Ebern were facing off against two figures,an elf boy who looked like a twelve year old and a man with long blonde hair and too much makeup on his face.
The scene before them was one of chaos and destruction. The wounded bodies of several workers were littered around, and Heinz, who had been closest to the atyack, was injured and being patched up by Glenn.
Antoine, resplendent in his finery, held up the flare and sneered at Jack.
"So, this is the reinforcement this thing was supposed to summon? Disappointing." He said with a flourish, throwing the flare away and pulling out a comb and mirror, beginning to primp and preen his hair. Sid, meanwhile, asked if he could kill them, to which Antoine replied, "Do whatever you want, Sid. I'm too beautiful to get my hands dirty."
Jack's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene before him. So these were the people who used the signal flare.Where were his men? He scanned the area, his heart sinking as he saw their bloody bodies behind Antoine and Sid.
Jack pulled out his double-edged sword from behind him and charged at the two Sid spread his arms and began to chant in a low, voice, and the earth began to shudder and tremble.
Suddenly, golems burst forth from the ground, their bodies made of rough, uncut stone. They were massive and imposing, their eyes glowing with an otherworldly energy.