The rain stopped sometime during the night.
By the time the moon emerged from behind the clouds, Velmora looked almost peaceful from a distance.
Almost.
Kaelan Var crouched atop the ruins of an old stone house overlooking the eastern district.
Below him—
Torchlight surrounded the gallows.
Workers hammered wooden beams into the ground while rebel soldiers established barricades around the square.
Preparing.
Waiting.
Dren lay nearby with a spyglass.
"…That's more guards than last time."
Kaelan nodded.
Corven expected another attack.
Maybe not the exact place.
Maybe not the exact time.
But he expected movement.
Which meant tonight would be different.
Kaelan studied the district carefully.
Archers positioned across rooftops.
Barricades placed at intersections.
Reserve units held farther behind the square.
Not random.
Layered defense.
Corven had turned the eastern district into a trap.
Dren lowered the spyglass slowly.
"So what's the plan?"
Kaelan's eyes remained fixed on the square.
"We don't attack the gallows."
Dren blinked.
"…What?"
"If we move directly for the prisoners, we walk into the kill zone."
He pointed toward the surrounding rooftops.
"They want us focused here."
Silence followed.
Then slowly—
Dren grinned.
"Oh…"
Now he understood.
Kaelan looked farther north.
Toward the supply district near the inner wall.
Smaller guard presence.
Less protection.
But more important.
Food.
Weapons.
Medical supplies.
The real target.
"If we can't win the city tonight," Kaelan said quietly, "then we weaken the people holding it."
Dren's grin widened.
"You know…"
He shook his head slowly.
"You're starting to think like a real bastard."
Kaelan ignored him.
"Send the signal."
Farther across the ruined streets—
One of Kaelan's scouts lit a small lantern behind shattered windows.
Once.
Twice.
Then darkness again.
Movement began instantly.
Small groups of imperial soldiers slipped through Velmora's outer ruins like shadows.
Not toward the eastern district—
But around it.
Meanwhile—
The executions continued preparing.
Exactly as Corven intended.
At the center of the square stood dozens of bound prisoners under heavy guard.
Terrified civilians.
Broken soldiers.
All placed in full view.
Corven himself stood nearby beneath the torchlight.
Silent.
Watching.
An officer approached him carefully.
"No sign of movement yet."
Corven's eyes moved across the rooftops.
"They're here."
The officer hesitated.
"You're certain?"
"Yes."
Because commanders like Kaelan never ignored civilians.
That was his strength.
And his weakness.
Corven turned toward the gallows again.
"Prepare the archers."
Elsewhere inside the city—
Kaelan moved quickly through narrow alleys beside Dren and twenty soldiers.
No torches.
No unnecessary noise.
Only careful footsteps through darkness.
The supply district came into view moments later.
Wooden storehouses lined the inner streets. Guards stood near entrances, but fewer than expected.
Most forces had shifted east toward the executions.
Exactly as planned.
Dren peeked around the corner.
"…You were right."
Kaelan drew his sword quietly.
"Move."
The attack was fast.
Brutally fast.
The first guard died before he understood what was happening.
The second shouted once—
Then Dren smashed him into the wall hard enough to silence him permanently.
Imperial soldiers surged into the supply district.
Barricades overturned.
Storehouses seized.
Enemy patrols cut down before alarms could spread properly.
Kaelan kicked open one of the larger buildings.
Inside—
Crates.
Food.
Weapons.
Medical supplies.
Enough to keep Velmora alive for months.
Dren stared.
"…Damn."
Kaelan looked toward the soldiers behind him.
"Take everything we can carry."
One soldier frowned.
"And the rest?"
Kaelan's eyes shifted toward the oil barrels stacked nearby.
Understanding spread instantly.
"Oh," Dren muttered.
"Now this feels personal."
Torches ignited.
Moments later—
Fire exploded through the supply district.
The flames rose violently into the night sky.
Higher than the western fires had.
Brighter.
Deadlier.
And from the eastern district—
The bells rang again.
"FIRE!"
"SUPPLY DISTRICT!"
Chaos spread through Velmora a second time.
Corven looked toward the northern flames.
For the first time since Kaelan arrived—
His expression hardened.
Slightly.
"They changed targets," one officer said nervously.
Corven remained silent for several seconds.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Then—
A faint smile appeared.
"Good."
The officer blinked.
"…Sir?"
Corven's eyes remained fixed on the flames.
"He learns quickly."
Back in the supply district—
Kaelan's forces withdrew through burning streets carrying crates of food and weapons.
Not a full victory.
Not even close.
But damage had been done.
Real damage.
Then—
A horn sounded behind them.
Closer than expected.
Dren turned sharply.
"…Too fast."
Enemy soldiers flooded into the streets from both sides.
Not panicked.
Organized.
Corven had adapted immediately.
Kaelan's eyes sharpened.
"They're cutting off the retreat."
Arrows rained down from nearby rooftops.
One imperial soldier collapsed instantly.
Another screamed as a spear struck his shoulder.
"KEEP MOVING!" Dren roared.
The narrow streets turned violent.
Close fighting.
Desperate fighting.
Every alley becoming another battlefield.
Kaelan blocked a strike and drove his blade forward into an enemy soldier.
Then immediately turned—
Another attack already coming.
Too many.
Corven had predicted the withdrawal path.
Kaelan realized it instantly.
Not guessed.
Predicted.
A dangerous feeling settled in his chest.
This enemy was beginning to understand him.
A rebel captain shouted from ahead.
"Trap them here!"
More soldiers moved to block the street exit.
The gap was closing fast.
Dren cursed beside him.
"We're running out of road!"
Kaelan looked around once.
Broken walls.
Collapsed rooftops.
Burning buildings.
Then—
He saw it.
A narrow drainage passage beneath the eastern ruins.
Half buried in rubble.
Barely visible.
"This way!" Kaelan shouted.
Several soldiers hesitated.
"It's too small!"
"MOVE!"
No time to argue.
No time to think.
Imperial soldiers forced themselves through the narrow stone channel as arrows shattered against the walls behind them.
One by one.
Fast as possible.
Kaelan entered last.
Just before disappearing into the darkness—
He looked back once.
And saw Corven standing at the far end of the burning street.
Watching him.
Not angry.
Not frustrated.
Interested.
Like a strategist finally facing an opponent worth studying.
The passage opened beyond the outer ruins minutes later.
Cold night air hit them immediately.
The surviving soldiers collapsed onto the wet ground breathing heavily.
Alive.
Barely.
Dren laughed weakly from the mud.
"You know…"
He coughed.
"One day we're going to run out of miracles."
Kaelan looked back toward the burning city.
The flames from the supply district spread across the night sky.
Velmora was hurting now.
Starving now.
Unstable now.
For the first time—
Corven had lost something important.
And both commanders knew it.
Far behind the walls—
Corven stood alone above the burning district.
One of his officers approached nervously.
"The food reserves are gone."
Silence.
Then—
Corven spoke quietly.
"Excellent."
The officer froze.
"…Excellent?"
Corven's eyes remained fixed on the distant darkness beyond the walls.
"Now the real battle begins."
…
The city is starting to burn from within.And neither commander intends to stop. ⚔️