The Light in Darkness

Ch 5. Caught in The Crossfire

[AN] Hey there. Sorry for the wait. (It's getting old, I know) Two reasons: First, there was a plot issue that needed to be addressed, which led to me reworking entire sections. So the end of previous chapter changed a little. I advanced the plot about half a chapter. Just backtrack a bit... or not. Second reason is... I'm a big lazy procrastinator. There's just no excuse to it.

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The chieftain droned on and on and on. At this point, Rigel was starting to find the torches at the back much more interesting than the speech. Another half a cycle and the raised platform would take second place. It did not help that he barely had any sleep last night, either.

He shifted on his feet, listening as they softly crunched against the gravel that was laid along the narrow alleyway between the two buildings which he was standing next to. The alleyway was blocked by the wall of a different house, with a single trash can at the end. A wide footbridge connected the second floor of the two buildings, casting a long shadow underneath in which Rigel could remain inconspicuously out of sight. He was bothered by the alley's dead end behind him, but this was one of the few shadowed places that he could find in the courtyard. In any case, the gravel should be able to alert him should anyone approached from behind.

"...past few years we have all been working hard to be recognized as the center of southern Cryallis trades. We reconstructed the village hall. We expanded our borders. We..."

The wizard scowled at the endless stream of repeated self-flattery. It never ceased to amaze him how much some people had to say before getting to the point. He has had quite a few interactions with those people lately, but most of the time there would be hidden meanings, intentions, half-truths, most of which would fall to his responsibility to filter out. This speech, however, had none of the sort, and the amount of egocentricity that flowed in each word was so much that it was painful to listen.

"...despite the increasing number of rogue attacks, we have always prevailed, and our local guards have always kept our homes safe, allowing Bugeroll to become the safest haven for all trading goods..."

Bloody hell.

Of course, it was a long standing truth that Bugeroll was one of the safer places in south Cryallis. They had their own local guard, often mercenaries who had the skill and training to become a proper knight but were denied entry into Solek for whatever reasons. Additionally, they have been taking increasingly favorable actions towards Shadow Lord by offering free refuge for bypassing Black Castle soldiers. A few years ago, they started to join in the celebrating of his ascension to power, further cementing their stance.

This meant that the Resistance, the main magical force working to undermine Shadow Lord's reign, would no longer be able to use Bugeroll as easily as they did, especially if the village started to really regulate unknown visitors. Tonight may well be the last time they could even set foot in here, and it was Spica's idea of irony to use the heightened security during the celebration to ensure their own safety inside.

He yawned, not even bothering to hide it anymore as he struggled to stay awake.

"Dozing off on duty, are we, Rigel?"

Rigel started, causing sparks to shoot out from his staff. The closest lantern flared up, though fortunately no one was looking. He hastily formed an apology and was about to mumble it out until he recognized the speaker.

"For spirit's sake, Silent," he hissed. So much for using the gravel.

The intruder snickered as he sauntered closer. "Heh... Did I get ya?"