Forced

“You're going to have to use this chance no matter how much you hate it; learn from your master well!” Ino stood beside him as the onslaught of the fire spells ended and red-looking cloaked figures vanished off the rooftops to who knows where. “They won't show up again, don't worry. That would expose us quite easily.”

Shut up already. Using a situation like this?. Do I have a choice in this anyway? If I don't use this, then everyone won't push forward, and it will all be for nothing. If this won't be enough to push people, then nothing will. Ino is turning into my enemy just a bit more daily. I will keep her on watch once this is done.

Sorin was stuck with the situation; he either proved Ino had a chance at realising her dreams to come true, or he would have to shut that down with his ideals, which makes this entire work of his, Ino and Chikaru completely useless, even Keldric's part.

“Fine, you know what, Ino, your methods worked, but I wont ever be the one to use them. I wont ever fall to the level you are.” Sorin sounded panicked, but he quickly dismissed her before turning back to the crowd, who were all in panic. “The mages have struck! They want you all dead. Let us all rise and take the city for us, the common person!” He turned around, jumping off the podium and began walking towards the bridge hub connecting the bottom to the many hubs. “Follow me.” Ino only laughed to herself manically as he walked off.

Sorin kept moving; his ears, however, were catching exactly what he hoped. “Death to the mages!” was the most popular phrase; he could only grit his teeth. He could only force his fists up so much.

I was trying to make them back down without violence; this sheer number should be enough for them to resign power, but now that dream I had for a moment is all gone. I really got stomped all over by her. I hate myself for it.

He ran up the first orange-hued bridge with people surrounding him; there was no mage stopping their advance. They were all positioned on the top floor apart from a few at each hub that erupted earth walls, in hopes of delaying the inevitable.

They aren't attacking us; it's too risky, they think.

Sorin took out his staff, quickly dismantling earth wall after earth wall as they moved from bridge to bridge; the realisation hit him quite fast.

How else would they get their food? How else would they get everything necessary? We had them taken hostage to the top layer, where if they do fight, they won't be able to be lethal to everyone. Ino and Ino, however, were definitely getting hit with full magic once we split off towards the council.

He looked to his left; Ino beside him had a wide smile she didn't even want to take off, her ideals proven to be useful now almost feeding her own happiness. She did not, however, rub it in; it seemed it would be pretty annoying right now when he had to lead, and she understood she had plenty of time later.

Sorin then took a look to the right, a familiar tower appearing on the next bridge hub as he took down another earth wall. He knew that tower was where Mira resided; he had to see her again. But now was not the time. Not until the top layer, where he could vanish in the chaos within the crowd.

“Ino, I'm going to split for a bit. Do you think you can handle the top layer?” Sorin didn't avert his eyes towards her even once; he didn't want to see her face, but he knew that she was reliable enough. She wanted this change as well, even if it doesn't just benefit her but him also.

“Leave it to your master! I'm going to take down a lot of those people then. Once you're back, we will head for the council. Boyle will be there; he's too destructive for a normal fight to be non-lethal.”

“That makes sense.” Sorin took a look back towards the thousand people following him; they outnumbered the mages at least five to one in this scenario. It would be an understatement to say that they had the numbers; rather, the line still was at the bottom of the bridge hub, and some even joined once they heard the chanting from the industrial sector. And he also knew Keldric and whoever he convinced were on top, ready to help out.

They kept marching higher and higher until each bridge hub got fewer in number; they were running out of time before the top layer. The people behind seemed even more riled up. Nobody from the common people ever saw the top layer after all unless convicted, so their excitement made sense and fueled them further.

Sorin occasionally had to get rid of an earth wall, an ice wall, or a mixture of the two, but it wasn't anything even a single sweat would take without any mages protecting it; it was just a minor inconvenience.

And that's when it finally happened: Sorin got onto the top layer, hundreds of mages positioned on each administrative building triangle positioning, be it the military or general affairs building. There were all multitudes of colours. Dark green for veterans, dark grey for new people, light grey for Boyle's men, and tons of black too. Every rank was here except the council and Boyle himself.

Slowly, more and more common people started coming up on the platform; nobody dared to attack or scream. It was just silence piling up; if anyone moved, then it was the start of the entire war. Nobody wanted that responsibility except for one person.

Mages clad in dark grey, numbering near twenty, took out their spells, ranging from all different types of spells. They fired at their own veterans and black-robed protectors from the rooftops where they had put aside the inexperienced. Keldric, leading them, screamed out, “Keep firing.”

Sorin broke a smile and turned around to everyone while Keldric and the dark grey robes showered them with spells. Barriers were up, but from two sides it was fatal. “Use the chance. Let us take this to them!”