[Chapter Size: 2300 Words.]
Third Person POV
Kaedwen.
...
...
"They were soldier camps and all of them are dead..."
A dwarf approached the small town with at least 2,000 inhabitants, where other non-humans and humans awaited the return of the group of dwarves that had gone ahead to investigate the areas in Flames, a few kilometers away.
"What do you mean all of them are dead? Are you saying someone killed them?" A human, who was also part of the town, asked in shock.
Non-human communities were not exempt from having human men and women living among them — people who had ended up fitting in these places and lived their entire lives there.
The attack by humans had also caught them by surprise. Although the city had not been directly attacked, it was possible to see the flames burning kilometers away, which led some to investigate. At the same time, they began to receive reports from other villages in the region that had been attacked by humans wearing kingdom armor.
"I'm saying there was nothing left of them. All were wiped out in an instant and turned to ashes. I believe some mage did this." The dwarf replied.
"You were away these past few days, and we heard there's a group with black clothes and red clouds drawn on them, they were killing the soldiers in the other villages. It must have been them, as reported." An elf said, looking at the others.
"What madness is this...? We must go and speak to the mayor." The man said in the end, as the group went on to deliver the information to the city leader — an elf who was considered the mayor of the small town.
The mayor heard all of this in front of his house, a large mansion in the city center, while the entire non-human and human population began to gather to discuss.
"Everyone, calm down." The elf requested, as the crowd ceased its murmuring. He sighed before continuing:
"I know we are receiving reports from all sides... Humans with kingdom armor are attacking non-humans. And this destroyed camp indicates there were at least six hundred soldiers there. It's possible our city is being targeted."
Everyone began murmuring worriedly upon hearing this, but the mayor went on.
"Anyway, there is also this mysterious group destroying the soldiers. We need more information about it. For now, we'll have to wait. We are in a delicate situation."
"The humans want to kill us! Are we just going to stand still?" Someone shouted from the crowd.
"We must prepare for battle! What if an army comes to the city gates?"
"Yes! We can't trust the humans. Now they want to kill us!"
"And what if the humans in the city are helping these soldiers? What if they're passing information?"
A dwarf pointed at one of the humans present. The man, stunned, looked around in shock.
"Yes! We shouldn't trust the humans! We should imprison them..."
"...or kill them, to send a message to the other humans!"
Another shouted, further inflaming the crowd. Even among the non-humans, many were now eyeing the city's humans with suspicion. The situation was reaching a critical point.
"You can't be serious!" The human who had been pointed out shouted, outraged.
"We've lived here our whole lives! How can you suggest killing us? We'll die the same way as you if the city is attacked. Do you think, if they invade the city, we'll be spared? We'll be executed too!" He shouted in anger, looking at his own neighbors whom, until days ago, he considered friends — and who were now contemplating killing him simply because he was human. In the end, he thought, it was no different from what was happening out there.
"Everyone, calm down!" The mayor shouted, trying to impose order as the people looked at him.
"No one here is going to execute anyone! We are not a pack of animals. Someone is fighting against the non-humans... we don't know who, yet. But we should be thankful that it wasn't us who were burned at that camp."
He took a deep breath before continuing. "Anyway, we can do nothing but wait."
The mysterious group had been reported by several villages. They did help, yes, but always appeared in large numbers, jumping across rooftops and killing aggressors with precision — no one had any further information about them.
"From now on, all activities outside the walls are abolished. We must prepare every kind of weapon and put them in the hands of everyone, even women and children. From what we know, they will show no mercy. I want everyone to get ready."
The population was alarmed by the warning, but there was no other choice.
The city remained in chaos for the rest of the day. The mayor tried to calm tempers, but not even in his office could he find peace — he was constantly interrupted. It was no different now, when an elf knocked at the door and asked to come in.
"What is it now?" The mayor muttered, looking at his aide.
"The city is becoming chaotic, sir. Some elves are blaming the humans, and they even wrote in red ink on their doors, demanding they be expelled from the city."
The mayor merely sighed. The hatred between races was growing — to the point where neighbors began to report one another. It wouldn't be long before non-humans and humans started killing each other inside the city itself. And that was the last thing he wanted when there was another group outside trying to kill them. He didn't carry the same hatred that many there did, not even now, after the news of the direct attack ordered by King Henselt.
He only wanted to understand why all of this was happening, and just wanted to live in peace with his family and acquaintances. They had never done anything to harm the kingdom. He didn't hate humans, but he felt deeply frustrated with it all.
"Send guards there. Protect the humans. We won't let a bloodbath begin inside our walls just because of this."
The aide nodded. But before he could leave, another man quickly approached the door and announced:
"Mayor! A sorcerer appeared at the eastern gate of the city. He claims to have information about the human attacks!"
The mayor immediately stood up and went to check, crossing the city to the eastern gate. There, he found several guards with arrows aimed at a man of frail appearance, wrapped in a sorcerer's cloak. The man looked suspicious and had a slightly vile appearance when the mayor climbed the wall to see who it was and couldn't help but look at him with some suspicion.
"Are you the mayor of this city?" The man asked, staring at the elf intensely.
"Yes. Who are you, stranger?"
"I'm here to help you. I came from the capital after learning that our king launched an attack with the order to eliminate all non-humans. Because of that, I've been traveling through the region and witnessing the devastation of the attacks — I've already received several reports of entire villages being attacked."
Upon hearing this, the guards looked at each other and began whispering among themselves, filled with rage. Hearing such a thing from the mouth of someone from the other side who wasn't among the corpses, even though they already knew this information... only made them angrier.
"I knew it... the king wants to kill us!" One of them muttered with hatred in his eyes.
"Why is the king doing this?" The mayor asked indignantly.
"He believes you are helping the Squirrels, who are starting to loot the people of the North on the roads. He thinks you are sheltering them and wants to drive them out of Kaedwen." The sorcerer replied seriously.
"Drive us out? I heard they are killing us!" Someone shouted from the crowd. The sorcerer merely sighed, not denying it.
"It's true... the king hates you. And I don't wish this upon any of you. That's why I'm warning you — there will be an attack tonight with 1,000 men on this city. I'm trying to get in touch with that group that's been destroying the human soldiers. Do you know anything about them? Maybe we can ask for help too."
He said, as the mayor furrowed his brow.
"No... we know nothing about them, if that's what you're asking. They haven't even shown up in the city." The mayor replied firmly. The sorcerer then looked thoughtful, staring at him for a moment.
"I understand. I hope they disappear...
Anyway, be careful. There are human agents inside the city.
They will open the gates when the attack begins.
You better stay alert.
Just don't say I was here. I hope you survive this."
With those words, the sorcerer turned his back and walked away, unconcerned with the arrows still pointed at him.
Once far from other eyes, he couldn't help but open a slight smile — he saw that his seed of discord had been planted.
Since he no longer had soldiers to attract the mysterious group, he wanted them to appear there — if the city fell into chaos, an internal war between humans and non-humans might make them emerge.
The mayor watched as the sorcerer simply opened a portal and vanished, frowning while everyone around him fell into silence for a few seconds.
"I knew it... we shouldn't trust the non-humans."
The mayor tried to control the situation.
"Yes! There's a large number of them.
If they attack suddenly and open the gate for the king's soldiers, we're going to die.
We can't let that happen.
We can't be slaughtered like animals!
Even less allow humans to destroy us from within.
We must hunt them down!"
"Calm down! We have no proof of that!"
"And you want to wait until the last moment?
Until the damn humans stab us in the back?
Do you really believe them and trust them after everything that's happened?
They're killing all of us!"
Other men began to complain and shout at the mayor.
"This is not how we act!"
The mayor shouted, trying to stop such thoughts.
"Alright... we'll investigate them, but we won't accuse or hurt anyone without something concrete.
No action without proof!"
The situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control, and he had to do something to prevent the worst.
Elsewhere, Madara landed in a village after sensing a disturbance from afar.
He found a group of non-humans in front of one of the houses.
His presence was quickly noticed as he landed in the middle of the village and didn't hide his approach while walking toward them — people began pointing at him.
"Hey... it's one of them!"
Someone murmured with fear, recognizing the kind of cloak Madara wore.
Everyone knew about the men in strange cloaks who were killing human soldiers.
Madara, however, still kept his face hidden.
"What happened here?"
He asked, with a suspicious voice.
The crowd seemed cautious, and there was fear in some of their eyes.
"Someone tortured that family."
A man replied, looking at the house.
"Everything seemed normal after we cleaned up the human soldiers' bodies...
But then we started hearing screams, strange sounds coming from inside.
We couldn't get in — the house was locked.
And then, suddenly, everything stopped.
When we managed to open the door... the family was on the ground.
Almost all dead.
Only the woman survived... but her children and husband... were murdered."
Someone said angrily, fists clenched.
"Let me see her.
I want to know exactly what happened here."
Madara said, and no one stopped his passage.
He stepped inside the place and found the woman lying on a bed, with some elves tending to her.
There were also bodies covered with sheets spread throughout the house.
"You're the one who fought against the humans..."
One of the elves murmured upon seeing him approach, still with a cautious gaze.
"There was magic here."
Madara declared, observing the surroundings carefully.
With his Sharingan, he could see the particles of chaos still lingering in the air.
"A mage or sorcerer was here...
and apparently tortured the family."
He turned and looked at the woman, who mumbled incomprehensible things while her body still trembled.
"I need you to open her eyes."
He asked one of the elves.
"What?
What do you plan to do with her?"
The elf asked, suspicious.
"Don't you want justice?
We need to know exactly who did this.
I can access her memories.
Whoever did this expected her to die."
Madara spoke firmly.
The elves, though afraid, nodded.
They opened the woman's eyes, who looked to be around thirty years old and had lost her entire family in that massacre.
Her eyes trembled, dilated from shock, while she suffered unconscious — most likely never to recover.
Madara activated the Sharingan, and quickly began accessing her last memories.
He saw the sorcerer appearing, torturing the family to extract information.
The man didn't seem to have great mental abilities, so he used cruel methods to discover what he wanted.
Madara recognized that face... he knew it very well.
The sorcerer had always been by the king's side.
And then the doubt arose in his mind:
Had it been King Henselt himself who sent him?
If so... Henselt would pay for this.
"I'll be going now."
He said, as the woman closed her eyes again, still trembling.
Madara knew he couldn't do anything more for them.
"Wait...
What's going to happen?"
One of the elves asked, stunned.
"Don't worry.
I'm going after the sorcerer who did this.
Just don't trust anyone who shows up using magic."
Madara spoke before vanishing from the village.
Meanwhile, the sorcerer looked at the city at dusk.
From atop a hill, he could see the fires being lit within the walls.
Screams echoed in the distance.
Chaos had been planted among the inhabitants — humans and non-humans turning against one another.
Now, he was only waiting for the group to appear.
He intended to capture one of them, torture, and then deliver to the king.
A shame that was the last thing the king wanted.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 198 - That Sorceress Appears in Kaedwen.
Chapter 203 - The Relationship.
Chapter 213 - New Elemental Release.
Chapter 222 - The Spirit of the Abutec Manor 01.
-----------------------------
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
🦝 Raccoon here: 🦝
I deeply appreciate your support since the beginning of this exciting journey!
I hope each chapter has provided incredible moments. If you like my work and would like to support the continuation of this fanfic, consider becoming a patron with plans starting at $2!. As a token of gratitude, I offer access to more than 210 extra chapters with 7 active fanfics at the same time, along with other exclusive benefits on my profile, such as images and significant decisions for the stories.
Even if you are not a patron, I am making chapters available a few hours earlier here, so become a free member on the platform!
🌟 RaccoonLeague | Patreon🌟
Visit our Patreon for more: https://www.patreon.com/RaccoonLeague
Extra Content Already Available:
🏴☠️ One Piece - I Am a Different Luffy!: 30 extra chapters!
👑 Game of Thrones: The Legend of Jon Arctic!: 30 extra chapters!
🌀 Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI!: 30 extra chapters!
🗡️ The Witcher - As Uchiha Madara! 30 extra chapters!
⚡ Harry Potter - Shadow Monarch! 30 extra chapters!
👑 Game of Thrones: DragonBorn! 30 extra chapters!
Except for One Piece with daily chapters and DragonBorn once a week, all fanfics are updated 3 times a week, there's just a pause in updating in the week, only to create drafts for the week's chapters.
In addition to the extra chapters, daily chapters are posted and 25 chapters per week!
Your support is very important and makes all the difference in keeping these stories alive.
Thank you very much for being part of this journey! I hope you continue to enjoy the story and that it brings even more joy to your life!
Visit our Patreon for more!!
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆