The Captain and Vice-Captain collapsed, their torsos riddled with holes. Their faces, rapidly draining of life as they bled out.
They thought: At least with this death, we may not suffer at the hands of the monsters. The
Captain thought: But it is a shame... I'll never see my girl again... Will she cry?
With another order the City Lord's mansion staff disposed of the corpses. And wiped the area clean of any blood. All while he watched with a look of satisfaction.
"Oh, ho, ho, ho. These weapons are indeed very effective! This gives me plenty of things to talk about in my speech. Ah hahahaha!" The City Lord laughed, as the corpses were hauled off, an evil grin dominating his face.
~ Ralond's Home ~
Ralond, opened the door to his family home. His appearance on its own meant there was something significant going on. So, his wife, son-in-law, daughter with a baby in her arms all stopped what they were doing... Well, mostly. The baby was still feeding off their mother.
"Pack up all the essentials. We must leave the city at once." Ralond said, in a serious, no bullshit tone. "It is not safe here any longer. I'll tell you more in time, but move quickly." He added.
The seriousness of his tone, and the look in his eyes was not one of a coward simply running away out of freight. It was the look of a man who knows where he must be and who he must protect the most. Seeing and hearing this, his family went to work right away. All except his daughter, she was after all still preoccupied with feeding her relatively newborn baby.
"Ralond, my husband... Is it a stampede?" Ralond's wife asked, nervously packing away food stuff and currency from all the hidden spots in the house.
"I'm not sure, but whatever it is that's coming, it was enough to get those two riled up. We also don't have any magus to help defend us anymore. Without them... We need to leave at once." Ralond explained.
"Father, which gate shall we take? The Monster Wild Lands are to the..." The Son-in-law asked, readily preparing their small wagon. Doing some last minute checks upon it.
"We're going east. A straight line eastward. It is the closest gate that won't leave us vulnerable to monsters." Ralond replied, in a whisper.
"Understood, father. The carriage will be ready to leave in no more than 5 minutes... Father, what's wrong?" The son-in-law asked, noticing a tear start falling down Ralond's face.
"You know how I've said that there is a sense among the more experienced warriors... Well I just got the feeling that two of my friends... They are dead. I spoke with them just moments ago." Ralond answered, wiping the tears away.
"Then we must leave with all due haste..." The son-in-law whispered, speeding up his process.
Ralond took note of his son-in-law's performance here. He may not be a warrior, but he is a good man. But I get the sense there is something else about him now. Perhaps he is stressed about the baby... Well, if that's the case, then it is up to him to rise to the challenge...
Ralond and his family departed upon finishing preparations.
~ Roughly An Hour Later ~
Ralond's family managed to reach almost the full distance to the gate, When a voice eerily familiar to him could be heard all throughout the city. It was the City Lord and he had begun talking.
The City Lord had been preparing for this moment for quite some time. And so in the single largest square of the city he began to make his announcement. The people looked on with anticipation of the announcement. There was also... A small bird perched upon one of the buildings nearby. But no one batted an eye at this. And the bird watched with an intentful look, like a predator stalking its prey.
"Citizens of the glorious Iron Cent Empire, Let us thank his Imperial Majesty the Emperor for his glorious protection. Today I come with the most excellent news!" The City Lord started. "Today! At the command and blessing of his Imperial Majesty I, the Ridgeline Fortress City's Lord, ordered the test of a new ultimate weapon. I am pleased to report that the weapon worked exquisitely. And the Phoenix Goddess along with all of the monsters she ruled over were obliterated in one attack! Let today mark the beginning of humanities dominance upon this world! We now hold the power to kill the gods themselves! It was and always will be our right to rule the world! And the Empire is leading the way!" The City Lord said in a long winded speech. "Long Live The Emperor!!!" He said initiating a chant for the crowd.
The crowd on the other hand had mixed feelings. Even still there were plenty of people overly excited at the news. And began chanting "Long Live The Emperor!". The speech had been conveyed through the whole city. And once it reached Ralond's ears, his heart sank.
"Did... Did they really attack the Phoenix Goddess... Husband! Did they really attack my goddess!" Ralond's Wife said, tears welling up uncontrollably. "Our daughter wouldn't be alive today without the goddess's holy power! And they... They..." She said, shaking her husband's arm.
"I... I wasn't told what the target of the mission was. It was only after the fact that I learned it was our Goddess..." Ralond stuttered the words out. But it sounded like nothing more than excuses. And then...
"Father, if it was truly our Goddess... There is no way a weapon made by men would truly kill her. Or have you forgotten? A bird Monster 2 Evolutions away from a Lesser Phoenix can resurrect with the aid of their mother, a Lesser Phoenix. I believe that my Goddess Lady Eternia, is still alive, and so are her 5 strongest children. But the others..." Ralond's Daughter spoke up, closing her eyes as if to sense something, or collect her thoughts. "Is she well? No, she just lost all but 5 of her babies. If I lost my baby, I wouldn't stop until I've rolled many heads." She added.
The feelings in everyone's hearts were comforted by the thought of Eternia being alive. But sunk again once they learned of what is likely to happen...
"""It will be a massacre...""" They sighed in unison.