Kaiser and Zilean stood silently at the edge of what could only be described as a makeshift camp, an improvised refuge sprawled chaotically at the village's center. Their eyes moved over the uneven clusters of villagers, noting immediately the mixture of wariness, unease, and something else more difficult to identify, something that was perhaps resignation. Even from a distance, it was clear the villagers here weren't desperate; rather, they seemed oddly composed, their expressions muted and their gazes distant.

As Kaiser took his first careful steps forward, Zilean followed closely behind, his massive armored form casting a long shadow in the golden sunlight. Neither spoke, silently absorbing the peculiar atmosphere that seemed to have settled deeply into the bones of the village. It felt like walking through an illusion, a warped dream where nothing quite added up.

They moved closer to the heart of the camp, noticing armed villagers standing guard at strategic positions, weapons held loosely but with unmistakable readiness. Kaiser studied them briefly, noting particularly two individuals who stood out distinctly; both had blue Sol cores clearly visible, the glow faint yet undeniably potent. These two eyed Kaiser and Zilean intently, their expressions stoic, tense, but after exchanging a brief, unreadable glance, they stepped aside wordlessly, allowing them passage into the heart of the village.

Now fully within the encampment, Kaiser's attention sharpened. At least a hundred villagers had gathered here, encircling the mayor's residence. Voices rose and fell in restless murmurs, creating a persistent hum of tension, punctuated occasionally by louder outbursts. Kaiser narrowed his eyes slightly, focusing his heightened senses until he could clearly distinguish the source of the loudest conflict. The unmistakable voice of Celestine rang out sharply, clearly engaged in an intense verbal battle with none other than the mayor himself.

Curiosity ignited, Kaiser glanced toward Zilean, who merely nodded once, a silent assent. Together, they navigated deeper into the crowd. The villagers around them parted instinctively, wary yet strangely indifferent, their eyes lingering briefly on Kaiser's intense gaze and Zilean's imposing presence, before drifting away without recognition or greeting. Kaiser found this reaction deeply unsettling; it was as though their arrival, despite being clearly marked Liberators, held no significance at all.

As they continued, Kaiser scanned the villagers' faces, noting the distinct lack of fear or urgency that one might expect in a scenario like this. Instead, they appeared surprisingly comfortable, even complacent, gathered around small fires, eating and conversing quietly amongst themselves. There were no visible injuries, no cries of pain or distress, no frantic pleas for aid or salvation. They seemed almost… indifferent, untouched by whatever chaos lay beyond their small perimeter.

A puzzle indeed, Kaiser mused, deeply perplexed by the villagers' demeanor. They clearly had ample food, their stockpiles evident even from where Kaiser stood. Supplies appeared abundant, and morale was strangely calm. So why hadn't they retreated through the portal to safety? What kept them here, resolutely entrenched in this odd state of limbo? No immediate answer presented itself, leaving Kaiser more baffled than before.

The mayor's house loomed larger as they approached, an imposing structure that stood out starkly from the humble dwellings around it. Two more villagers with glowing blue cores stood guard outside its grand doors, their arms crossed and their eyes wary. Kaiser held their gaze steadily, daring them silently to bar his path. After a few tense seconds, the guards exchanged an uneasy glance and wordlessly stepped aside, granting passage.

Stepping inside, Kaiser found himself immediately enveloped by the sounds of conflict. Celestine's voice was unmistakable, sharp and passionate, echoing forcefully down the expansive main hallway. Her words were fierce and unyielding, the intensity of her anger palpable even from afar. Yet the mayor's responses were stubbornly defiant, punctuated by dismissive gestures and words dripping with arrogance that struck Kaiser as profoundly disrespectful.

Finally, as they rounded the corner into the main chamber, Kaiser had his first clear view of the confrontation. Celestine stood rigidly, her stance radiating anger, golden hair catching the dim light as she spoke vehemently. Opposite her stood the mayor—a stark contrast. Short, round-bodied, and with an impressively thick mustache atop his otherwise bald head, the mayor exuded a casual confidence utterly incongruous with his current predicament.

Celestine caught sight of Kaiser and Zilean first, and her eyes flared briefly with a complicated mix of relief and irritation. But it was the mayor who turned toward them fully, a broad, welcoming smile spreading across his round face as though nothing out of the ordinary were happening. He approached them with open arms, greeting them as honored guests.

"Ah, esteemed Liberators! How fortunate we are to have such distinguished visitors at this hour," the mayor proclaimed jovially, his gaze momentarily sweeping past Zilean's towering form without pause, without even a flicker of recognition. "And of course, it is always a privilege to host Her Highness, even in these troubling circumstances."

Celestine visibly bristled at the mayor's casually dismissive tone but held herself back, jaw clenched in silent fury.

The mayor's voice carried an easy, almost oily warmth, as though the room weren't bristling with tension. "However, what Her Highness demands of us simply cannot be considered reasonable. Surely, you understand our predicament?"

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Celestine glared at him, shoulders rigid, gold-flecked eyes flashing with indignation. "If it is such an honor to host Liberators, then you should listen when one tells you how to survive!" Her voice was tight, barely held together, wounded pride coloring every word. "I am telling you again: you must evacuate your people, Mayor. The portal is open and the path is clear. There is no need for you to stay here and risk your lives."

The mayor sniffed, folding his arms with the stubborn self-importance of a man used to hearing only his own opinions. "Evacuate? Princess, with all due respect, this is our home. My people have lived here for generations—this is not some minor village for you to sweep aside at the first sign of trouble." His eyes darted to the crowd outside the doors, drawing strength from the silent support, or perhaps indifference, of his people.

Celestine's frustration slipped through the cracks of her composure. "I saw children outside, Mayor. Little ones. I saw old women, men with wounds you're trying to hide, and faces full of fear behind every brave word you throw at me." Her voice faltered for half a heartbeat, but she recovered, jaw clenched, pushing on. "You're damning them all by keeping them here. You're damning your own people just to protect your pride."

The mayor's mustache twitched. "That is precisely why we called for Liberators, isn't it? To protect us. To rid us of these beasts," he said, voice almost patronizing. "Isn't that your job? The stories we're told are full of Liberators laying down their lives for helpless villagers."

"You don't understand!" Celestine almost shouted, anger and despair braided together in her tone. "This isn't a story, Mayor. The ink-beasts out there—they aren't natural, and they aren't stopping. Your numbers dwindle every night, even with all this food and calm. You must see that it's only a matter of time before you lose everything."

The mayor scoffed, waving a hand. "Calm down, Princess. If we fled at every shadow, there would be no villages left in the world. We have food, we have guards, we have two Liberators and your—" He stopped, glancing for the first time at Zilean, but the armored giant remained impassive and silent, offering nothing. "Your… companions. We are not helpless."

Celestine's hands balled into fists. Her next words came softer, but no less fierce. "What's the point of all this courage if you're leading your people into slaughter?"

He leaned forward, voice low and pointed. "You would have us abandon our land, our homes, everything we built—at the word of a stranger? If that's the royal wisdom, Princess, then maybe your palace is built on cowardice. Here, we stand and fight."

Kaiser, until now content to observe, finally stepped forward. His tone was cool, calm, the quiet voice of authority cutting through the mayor's bluster. "I respect your courage, Mayor. I truly do. But in this, you are wrong."

The mayor spun to face him fully, bluster faltering as he met Kaiser's unwavering gaze.

Kaiser continued, measured and clinical. "From what I have seen, around ninety percent of your village's population is missing. A large portion of your people are gone, and from the evidence I've gathered, they have been captured, not killed outright. You may take pride in holding your ground, but every hour you remain, more are lost."

The room was silent save for the muffled sounds of the village beyond the thick walls. Kaiser pressed on, voice gaining the faintest edge. "This isn't the kind of threat you know how to fight. The way your people were taken—there's a design to it, a purpose. And from what we know of these monsters, those taken will not stay themselves for long. The longer you stay, the higher the risk that those you hope to save will return as the very monsters you fear. We're running out of time, all of us."

The mayor's face darkened, his veneer of good humor peeling away. "So what do you suggest? That we run like frightened animals, while our children and friends are left behind? Is that what you would do, Liberator?"

Celestine cut in, voice strained. "You're not abandoning them, you IDIOT! You're surviving to fight for them. If you die here, there will be no one left to remember them, let alone rescue them."

The mayor sneered, his voice rising. "That's easy for you to say, girl. You'll be gone with the next Tale, onto some other doomed village, never looking back. This is my home, my people. I won't let you shame me into cowardice."

Kaiser's eyes narrowed, the barest flicker of disdain showing in his expression. "There is no shame in retreating when the alternative is annihilation. Pride is admirable, but pride cannot shield you from what's coming."

That was too much for the mayor. He slammed his hand against a nearby table, causing several papers to flutter to the floor. "No shame?" His face flushed an angry red. "No shame? I will have no shame in kicking you out of my house, that's what I will have no shame in doing!"

Celestine stepped forward, all pretense of courtly calm gone. "You're not just risking your life, you're risking everyone's. I didn't come here to fight you, Mayor, but I'll drag every child out of this village myself if I have to!"

The mayor jabbed a finger toward the door. "Then try it. See how my people feel about royal interference when you tear them from their beds. They aren't yours to command, girl."

Kaiser glanced at Celestine, watching as her jaw tightened. She looked on the verge of tears, though her anger kept them at bay. "I don't want to command them," she said, her voice raw. "I want to save them."

The mayor turned to the assembled outside of his window, his voice booming. "You hear that, friends? The Princess and her Liberators want to march us through the wilds, into the jaws of whatever is out there! Leave our homes, our walls, and run like rabbits! Who's with her, then?"

There was a rumble among the villagers, some averting their eyes, some murmuring uneasily, but no one stepped forward to support Celestine. The mayor stood taller, emboldened.

Celestine turned away, shoulders trembling, her composure fractured. Kaiser watched the crowd, reading the fear behind their silence. He could see, with clinical clarity, how fear and pride had been twisted together into something immovable.

The mayor squared his shoulders, his mustache bristling with self-importance. "You are guests here, and you are welcome, as long as you understand whose house this is."

Kaiser didn't move, but his eyes grew colder. "And whose graves these may become."

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