Chapter 11 – City of False Peace

The smell of ash reached them before the walls came into view.

Riku stood atop a ridge overlooking the small town of Veyrane, a worn and weary village nestled between hills and dying woods. Once a trading hub for forest hunters and mountain pass travelers, it now sat under a curtain of silence. No bells. No voices. No dogs barking. Just the occasional flicker of flame from the central chapel—and patrols clad in red and black.

“They’ve taken everything,” Selene murmured, her translucent form hovering just above the grass. “The fields are dead, livestock cages empty. The chapel used to be for weddings. Now it’s a fortress.”

Kaela narrowed her eyes. “I count over a dozen patrolling in uniform. At least three Blessed. Maybe more inside.”

“Who’s in command?” Riku asked.

“Name’s Captain Elgren,” Selene replied. “A Flame Queen loyalist. Relic weapon. Divine authorization to act as judge and executioner. He’s turned this place into his personal trial ground.”

Riku looked down at the flickering flame banners that replaced the town’s crest.

“So be it.”

They entered at dusk, through a collapsed section of stone wall on the southern edge of town. It was just wide enough to crawl through. Riku went first, sword drawn. Kaela followed, teeth gritted from her still-healing ribs. Selene phased through without a sound.

Inside, the town was a ghost.

Wooden signs were shattered. Market stalls were overturned. The central square was ringed with crude totems—broken statues, burned effigies of “heretics.” The only sound was the crackle of torches lining the chapel steps and the occasional scream from behind a shuttered window.

Then came the sound that made Riku’s fingers twitch.

A crack—a hard one. Followed by another.

He moved between buildings until he spotted the source.

Two soldiers, clad in red-plated armor, were dragging a young man by his hair into the square. His shirt was soaked with blood. They hurled him to the ground.

“Public repentance begins now,” one barked.

Riku's grip tightened on his blade, a dark shadow flickering behind his eyes.

“Not yet,” Selene warned beside him. “Wait.”

Kaela pulled him back into the alley. “We’re not ready.”

Riku growled low, but relented. “Then let’s get ready.”

They found refuge in an abandoned stable near the outskirts.

As Selene mapped guard routes, Kaela patched up bruises and kept watch from the hayloft. Riku paced, fists clenched.

“We hit the food stores first,” he said. “Starving people can’t rebel.”

Selene nodded. “I’ve found their armory. It’s light, but enough to arm ten villagers if we move fast.”

Kaela looked up from a torn map. “And the chapel?”

“Not yet,” Riku said. “We need the people on our side. They’ve lost hope. We give them a spark. Then we burn the Captain.”

For two days, the rebellion moved in whispers.

Riku left bundles of food at doorsteps before dawn. Kaela crept through alleys, offering stolen blades to hidden hands. Selene scouted and disabled magical trip-glyphs laid by Elgren’s men.

One night, a patrol found a message painted in blood on the square’s statue:

“She is not Flame. She is Smoke. The truth walks among you.”

Hope stirred.

Fear, too.

Elgren doubled the patrols.

The spark came on the third night.

A woman—barefoot and shaking—stood before the chapel holding her son’s tunic. “You took him! He painted the river! That’s not heresy!”

Guards advanced.

She didn’t move.

Then a rock flew from a rooftop.

It struck a guard’s helmet and bounced into the square.

Silence.

Another stone.

Then a brick.

People poured from doorways, faces wrapped in cloth, hands armed with sticks and hammers. No plan. Just rage.

Riku moved through the chaos like a blade of shadow.

He intercepted a squad headed for the square—cut down two with clean, brutal strikes.

Selene created a magical flash of blinding light near the chapel gates.

Kaela darted between alleys, disarming and disabling with brutal efficiency.

Then came the roar.

Captain Elgren emerged.

Elgren stood tall in the center of the square, his flame-forged blade humming with divine heat.

“You dare challenge me?” he roared, flames crackling along his shoulders. “You, a half-dead brat and a broken outlaw?”

“We’re more than that now,” Riku said, stepping forward beside Kaela. His voice was low, eyes glowing faintly as his system pulsed in anticipation.

Kaela flipped her twin daggers once, then slid into stance. “Let’s show him.”

[SYSTEM ALERT – Combat Initiated: Divine Target Class]
Target: Captain Elgren – Flame-Blessed Inquisitor (Lvl 24)
Party Sync Bonus: Pactmate Kaela (Bond Level 2.4)
Finisher Technique Available: Dual Execution – “Fangs of Rebellion”

The fight ignited instantly—Elgren's blade carved a wave of fire across the ground, forcing Kaela to roll aside while Riku dashed through the blaze. His cloak caught, smoking, but he didn’t stop. Shadow-fueled slashes collided against Elgren’s armor, sparks flying.

Kaela danced behind him, slicing at joints and weak points.

But Elgren was no amateur. His armor drank heat. Every time Riku’s blade met his, Elgren absorbed the force and retaliated with a burning backhand.

“I’ve slain traitors like you by the dozens!” he bellowed, landing a glancing blow on Kaela’s shoulder, sending her skidding across the cobblestone.

She coughed blood—but laughed.

“You hit like a merchant with a toothpick.”

Riku’s system pinged.

[Dual Finisher Unlocked – “Fangs of Rebellion”]

Requirement Met: Pactmate in combat, 20% HP remaining
Description: Two souls, forged through blood and grit, strike as one.
Bonus: Critical Rate x2, Ignition Resistance +50%, Execution Delay Removed.

Riku raised his blade.

Kaela stood, crimson dripping from her side, and nodded.

“Ready?”

“Always.”

They moved.

Riku lunged forward, drawing fire. Elgren’s blade arced down—only to meet a deflection from Riku’s blade, locking the captain’s arm in place.

Kaela blurred behind him, her daggers pulsing with dark light.

“Now!”

Riku kicked Elgren’s knee sideways with brutal force.

Kaela leapt up, spun midair, and drove both blades deep into the gaps in his armor at the collarbone. Simultaneously, Riku plunged his sword through the captain’s back, the blade bursting out his chest in a flash of dark flame.

Elgren gurgled, eyes wide.

Riku and Kaela whispered in sync:

“Fangs of Rebellion.”

The divine flame around Elgren sputtered—then went out.

He collapsed, armor clattering on the stone.

[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Divine Target Defeated: Captain Elgren
XP Gained: 4,500
Level Up: 30 → 32
Loot Acquired:

Ember-Brand Sword (Rare – Flame Relic)

Ashfang Daggers (Rare – Twin Blades) → Auto-bound to Pactmate Kaela
Title Unlocked: Flamebreaker (Epic)
Pactmate Bond Increased: Kaela → 2.8

Kaela fell to one knee, breathing hard. Riku caught her shoulder.

“You okay?”

She looked up, grinning despite the blood. “I’ve had worse.”

The townspeople stared—silent—then one of them fell to his knees.

“Thank you…”

Others joined him, not in worship, but in raw, emotional relief.

Later that night, Kaela examined her new blades—Ashfang Daggers, curved with a faint inner glow and carved flame motifs. They pulsed in her grip, waiting.

“Not bad,” she said, eyes meeting Riku’s. “Guess this rebellion of yours has perks.”

Riku smirked. “You earned them.”

Selene floated nearby, watching flames flicker in the chapel hearth.

“So what now?” she asked.

Riku looked out toward the ruins—where a new heat shimmered, wild and untamed.

“Now,” he said, “we find the next one.”