Velmora changed after the fire.
Not immediately.
Not openly.
But slowly—
Like cracks spreading through stone before collapse.
The smoke from the destroyed supply district still hung above the city three days later. Food lines grew longer. Patrols became harsher. Arguments between rebel soldiers echoed through the streets more frequently now.
Fear still ruled Velmora.
But hunger had joined it.
Kaelan Var watched the city from the hills beyond the forest.
Below him, the outer roads remained heavily guarded.
Yet even from this distance—
He could feel the difference.
"They're tightening security," Dren muttered beside him.
Kaelan nodded.
"Yes."
"That usually means we're causing problems."
Another scout climbed the ridge quickly.
"Commander."
Kaelan turned.
"What is it?"
"The city gates opened this morning."
Dren frowned.
"For patrols?"
The scout shook his head slowly.
"No."
A pause.
"They're throwing bodies outside the walls."
Silence followed.
Cold silence.
An hour later—
Kaelan stood near the dumping grounds east of Velmora.
The smell hit before the sight did.
Death.
Rot.
Smoke.
Imperial soldiers covered their mouths as they approached carefully.
Bodies lay scattered beyond the ditch outside the walls.
Some civilians.
Some soldiers.
Some too burned to identify.
Dren stared in disgust.
"…Animals."
Kaelan's eyes moved across the corpses slowly.
Then stopped.
One body still breathed.
Barely.
Kaelan immediately knelt beside the wounded man.
Young.
Imperial uniform.
Arrow wound near the ribs.
The soldier's eyes opened weakly.
"…Commander?"
Kaelan frowned slightly.
"You know me?"
A faint laugh escaped the wounded man.
"The whole city knows you now."
Dren exchanged a glance with Kaelan.
That spread faster than expected.
The soldier coughed painfully.
"People are talking."
"About the fires."
"The prisoners."
"You."
Kaelan remained silent.
The wounded soldier grabbed Kaelan's arm weakly.
"You need to hurry."
His voice trembled.
"Corven's preparing something."
Kaelan's expression sharpened immediately.
"What?"
The soldier swallowed blood painfully.
"I don't know."
"But soldiers are moving toward the inner district."
"Barricades."
"Supplies."
Then his eyes darkened with fear.
"And they're building cages."
Silence.
Dren frowned.
"…Cages?"
The soldier nodded weakly.
"For civilians."
Kaelan's jaw tightened slightly.
Corven was responding to unrest.
Not by reducing pressure.
By increasing it.
The wounded soldier looked toward the city walls.
"They're terrified inside."
A pause.
"But they're also angry now."
Kaelan understood immediately.
The fires had done more than weaken supplies.
They had weakened certainty.
And that was dangerous.
For everyone.
Back at camp—
Tension spread quickly after the report.
Some soldiers believed the city was close to collapse.
Others believed Corven was preparing a massacre.
Both possibilities felt equally real.
Dren sat near the command table sharpening his blade.
"So?"
Kaelan studied the rough map silently.
"So what?"
"When do we stop bleeding the city and actually hit something important?"
Kaelan's eyes moved toward the center of the map.
The inner district.
Corven's headquarters.
"That's exactly what Corven wants."
Dren frowned.
"You think he's baiting us again?"
"Yes."
Kaelan pointed toward the central district.
"He knows we're attacking pressure points."
"So eventually…"
Dren's eyes widened slightly.
"…He expects us to go for him."
Kaelan nodded once.
The realization settled heavily across the tent.
Corven wasn't reacting anymore.
He was shaping the battlefield.
Guiding it.
Slowly pulling Kaelan toward a confrontation on his terms.
Dren leaned back.
"I really hate smart enemies."
A sudden commotion erupted outside the camp.
Shouting.
Movement.
Weapons drawn.
Kaelan stepped outside instantly.
A group of civilians stood near the camp entrance arguing with the guards.
Not refugees this time.
Angry people.
One older man stepped forward.
"You promised you'd save the city!"
Several nearby civilians shouted in agreement.
"You attacked them!"
"Now they punish us for it!"
"My daughter's still trapped inside!"
The camp grew tense immediately.
Imperial soldiers shifted uneasily.
Some lowering their eyes.
Others gripping weapons tighter.
Dren muttered quietly,
"…Here we go."
The older man pointed directly at Kaelan.
"You gave people hope!"
His voice cracked with emotion.
"And now Corven kills anyone suspected of helping you!"
Silence.
The accusation hit harder than any blade.
Because part of it was true.
Kaelan stepped forward slowly.
Rain clouds gathered overhead again, darkening the forest.
"I know."
The crowd fell silent.
Not expecting that answer.
Kaelan looked at them directly.
One by one.
Not avoiding their anger.
Not avoiding their grief.
"I know people are dying because of this fight."
His voice remained calm.
"But if Corven controls Velmora through fear…"
He looked toward the distant walls.
"…then surrender only guarantees more death later."
One woman began crying quietly.
Another looked away bitterly.
The older man clenched his fists.
"So what are we supposed to do?"
Kaelan stood silent for several seconds.
Then answered honestly.
"Endure a little longer."
Not a heroic speech.
Not empty promises.
Just truth.
The crowd slowly dispersed afterward.
Not convinced.
Not satisfied.
But quieter.
Dren watched them leave.
"…You're getting worse at comforting people."
Kaelan exhaled slowly.
"I'm not trying to comfort them."
His eyes remained on Velmora.
On the smoke still rising beyond the walls.
"I'm trying to win."
That night—
Kaelan couldn't sleep.
The camp remained silent except for distant thunder rolling across the hills.
He stood alone near the edge of the forest staring at Velmora beneath flashes of lightning.
Then—
Footsteps approached behind him.
The injured veteran from Velmora's old garrison stepped forward carefully.
Still weak.
Still wounded.
But standing again.
"You carry the city on your shoulders already," the old soldier said quietly.
Kaelan didn't answer.
The veteran looked toward the walls.
"Commander Elias used to stand like that too."
A pause.
"He believed he could save everyone."
Kaelan finally spoke.
"Did he?"
The old soldier was silent for a long moment.
Then—
"No."
Thunder echoed across the valley.
"But the men followed him anyway."
Kaelan's eyes remained fixed on the city.
"What if I fail?"
The veteran stepped beside him.
Rain began falling again.
Cold against steel.
"Then fail moving forward."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Meaningful.
Then suddenly—
A horn echoed from inside Velmora.
Not alarm.
Not patrol.
Different.
Kaelan's eyes narrowed instantly.
Lights began appearing across the walls.
Dozens of them.
Then hundreds.
Dren emerged from the camp behind them.
"…What the hell are they doing?"
Kaelan stared at the city carefully.
Then realized it.
The gates were opening.
Not for patrols.
Not for bodies.
For soldiers.
Thousands of them.
Corven was moving.
And for the first time since arriving at Velmora—
The enemy commander was bringing the war outside the walls.
…
The siege is ending.Now comes the battle that decides who controls Velmora. ⚔️