The cracks within Helwind had become apparent, and many were taking to the streets causing protests and chanting propaganda slogans. Though what they were fighting for was absurd, it doesn't really benefit them as they aren't citizens yet, so those projects wouldn't be of any help to them. Many, of course, just watched and life moved on, but most of those creating the noise are immigrants who settled in the informal sectors. They are being funded and driven to cause chaos and disruption. Of course the town's guard would break them up all the time. But it got to the point where one was pushed down hard enough to create a rippling effect. The protesters fought back and a chaotic scene ensued. Many shops were disrupted and there were injuries, which caused further panic that the guardsmen were too harsh. Of course all of these words were being orchestrated to plant seeds in the masses' heads.
This is what Brina and the others saw throughout the town for the past few weeks. It seems their town was slowly but surely being driven into a corner, to a point of no return.
Brina stood at the edge of Marketsbreth, watching a group of about thirty people marching through the streets, shouting slogans she didn't quite understand. They carried crude signs with words like "Justice Now!" and "Feed Us Not Beasts!" The messages seemed confused, contradictory even.
"Why are they protesting?" she asked Elena, who stood beside her. They'd been given a brief break from training to help with crowd control, though mostly they just observed from the sidelines while the senior guardsmen handled things.
"I don't really know," Elena admitted. "Some of them are complaining about delayed projects. Others are angry about the beast attacks. Some are just shouting because everyone else is."
Auntie Marta, who was nearby closing up her stall early due to the unrest, overheard them and shook her head. "Most of those people aren't even citizens yet. They're recent arrivals, informal settlers. The projects they're demanding wouldn't even benefit them. Someone's stirring them up for some reason."
Brina frowned. That didn't make sense. Why would people protest for things that wouldn't help them?
But she had no time to think about it further because the situation escalated. One of the guardsmen, frustrated and exhausted from days of this nonsense, shoved a protester who'd gotten too close. The protester stumbled and fell hard onto the cobblestones. For a moment, everything went silent.
Then chaos erupted.
The protesters surged forward, some trying to help their fallen comrade, others pushing against the guard line. The guardsmen, outnumbered and on edge, responded with force. Batons (more likely just thicker sticks), spears and swords even came out. People started shouting, screaming. A market stall was knocked over, spilling vegetables across the street. Someone threw a rock that shattered a shop window.
"Get back!" Sergeant Vorik shouted at Brina and the other recruits who'd been observing. "This isn't your fight yet. Stay clear!"
They retreated as ordered, but Brina couldn't help watching as the guardsmen struggled to contain the riot. She saw people she recognized from the market, normally peaceful folks, caught up in the frenzy. She saw blood on the cobblestones, heard the sickening crack of wood on bone, witnessed neighbors turning on each other.
By the time order was restored an hour later, dozens were injured. Several shops had been damaged. And the whispers had already started spreading through the crowd: "The guards are too brutal." "They attacked innocent people." "The lord doesn't care about us."
More seeds planted. More division sown.
Instructors have even started to prepare them for partial mobilization. They would be assigned to the backlines for now, assisting their seniors in the field.
The announcement came the next day during their morning assembly. Head Instructor Kim stood before the hundred and ten remaining recruits, his face grim.
"Listen up. Due to the current crisis, both external and internal, you may be called upon for duty earlier than anticipated. You won't be front-line combatants. You're not ready for that. But we need bodies to maintain order, to assist with logistics, to free up experienced guardsmen for more critical tasks."
A murmur ran through the assembled recruits. Fear, excitement, worry, all mixed together.
"Some of you will be assigned to patrol duty in the districts," Kim continued. "Others will assist with supply distribution. A few might be sent to the settlements to bolster defenses there. You'll work in pairs or small groups, always under the supervision of a senior guardsman. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir!" they shouted in unison.
Brina felt her stomach twist. She'd wanted to be a guardswoman, yes. But she'd imagined having more training first, being more prepared. Three almost four months wasn't enough. She knew it wasn't enough.
But if the town needed her, what choice did she have?
It was chaotic times. Curfews had been imposed. Protesters had been arrested. And Outerwinds too was starting to rally, causing disturbances.
The farmers and laborers of Outerwinds, who normally kept to themselves and their work, began organizing their own protests. They gathered at the district's central square, hundreds of them, with Dodong standing on a platform addressing the crowd.
"We are the first line of defense!" he shouted, his voice carrying across the packed square. "When beasts attack, they hit us first! We lose our homes, our families, our livestock! And what does the lord do? Nothing! He sits in his comfortable tower while we bleed!"
The crowd roared its agreement.
"For years, we've asked for a better irrigation system! For years, we've been promised improvements! And what do we get? Delays! Excuses! Broken promises!"
More angry shouts.
"And now we see those protesters in Lowwinds, beaten by guardsmen for speaking their minds! If they can be beaten, so can we! Is that what we want? To be silenced? To be ignored?"
"No!" the crowd chanted. "No! No! No!"
Dodong raised his fist. "Then we stand together! We demand what is ours! We demand to be heard!"
The chanting continued long into the night. Guards watched nervously from the perimeter but didn't intervene. The crowd was too large, too angry. Any attempt to disperse them could turn into a bloodbath.
But all of these were distractions, and beyond the walls, beast attacks were also being facilitated.
While Helwind tore itself apart from within, reports continued to come in from the settlements. Another farmstead burned near Bareborough Peaks. A caravan attacked on the road to Upper Man'haford. Sightings of organized beast packs moving with unnatural coordination.
Captain Milles, back from another patrol, reported to Lord Jouse with increasing desperation. "Milord, it's not natural. The beasts are too organized, too strategic. It's as if someone is directing them."
"I've had the same thought," Lord Jouse admitted. "But we have no evidence. And even if we did, we have more immediate problems." He gestured to the window, where they could hear distant chanting from Outerwinds.
Lord Jouse had to secretly call one of the more hawkish council members, Brunswick. He knew the man could go both ways, and he didn't need to fight a four-front war among the council members.
The meeting took place late at night in Lord Jouse's private study. Brunswick arrived alone, as requested, looking wary but curious.
"Tell me, Brunswick," Lord Jouse said without preamble, "what do you want for you not to participate in your little group's secret meetings? What does a merchant like you want in return? I know people like you like profit more than anything. So name it."
Lord Jouse no longer hid the fact that he knew of their conspiracies and went straight to the point upon Brunswick's arrival.
Brunswick's eyes widened slightly, but he recovered quickly. He thought for a moment, weighing his options. If the lord already knew of their secret meetings, then he wouldn't have to hide it too.
"It's simple, milord. I want a higher position, more than just a councilman. If you know what I mean."
"Then how about as the town's financial manager? I'm pretty sure that fits right up your alley."
There was tension between them, thick enough to cut with a knife. It was laced with an unspoken threat that if Brunswick didn't accept, he would still be considered an enemy. But it was so subtle that only the two of them could feel each other's intentions.
Brunswick considered. Financial manager meant control over the town's coffers, over trade contracts, over economic policy. It was more power than a council seat, more influence. And it came with the lord's blessing rather than through rebellion.
The smart move was obvious.
"So be it, milord."
Brunswick had to make concessions. Even if the lord had fewer men compared to the entire town, he still had professionals at his side. And financial manager? The lord was indeed correct. It was right up his alley.
With this, the lord eliminated one out of the four council members. Now for the three, if they would continue this path, they would force his hand.
After Brunswick left, Lord Jouse sat alone in his study for a long time, thinking. He'd bought Brunswick's loyalty, or at least his neutrality. That was something. But Dodong, Zino, and Eleaine remained. And the streets were getting worse.
He called on his advisor late that night.
"Aldric, I need you to make an announcement tomorrow. One that I don't want to do because there will be more consequences than benefits, and there will be lives destroyed if I do so. But at this point, the options I have are closing."
Aldric looked at him gravely. "What are your orders, milord?"
Lord Jouse's jaw tightened. "Remind the people that if they continue their destructive path, I, as lord, a faithful servant of the throne, commanded by our majesty the king to act in his stead and rule his people, would not tolerate any more rebellious acts and affronts to the king's name. I would be forced to mobilize, in this emergency crisis, the soldiers of Helwind in the name of the king to crush the insurrectionists who are disrupting the way of life of the people of Helwind Valley."
The words hung heavy in the air. This was the last step before open conflict. The final warning.
"I understand, my lord. I will make the announcement."
Aldric looked at Lord Jouse with something like pity. This was a no-win situation. If the protesters backed down, good. If they didn't, Helwind would descend into civil conflict while beasts prowled outside the walls and an unknown enemy pulled strings from the shadows.
And in the plaza that day, the decree had been announced.
Aldric stood on the platform in the central plaza of Marketsbreth, flanked by guardsmen, and read the lord's proclamation in a loud, clear voice. A crowd had gathered, hundreds of people from all districts, some curious, some hostile, all tense.
"By order of Lord Jouse, faithful servant of the crown and rightful ruler of Helwind Valley, let it be known that continued acts of rebellion, protest, and civil disruption will not be tolerated. This is an affront not just to your lord, but to His Majesty the King, in whose name this territory is governed."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Should these disturbances continue, Lord Jouse will be forced to invoke his authority under the Kingdoms Emergency Powers Act. The town's military forces will be mobilized to restore order and peace. Those who resist will be considered enemies of the crown and dealt with accordingly."
The murmurs grew louder, angrier.
"This is not a threat. This is a warning. Return to your homes. Return to your work. Return to peace. Or face the consequences of your actions."
As Aldric descended from the platform, the crowd erupted into arguments. Some were frightened, cowed by the threat of military action. Others were enraged, seeing it as confirmation that the lord was a tyrant. Still others seemed confused, uncertain what to believe.
Brina, watching from a distance with her training unit, felt a chill run down her spine.
"They're going to make us fight our own people," Elena whispered beside her. "Aren't they?"
Brina didn't answer. She didn't know what to say.
Somewhere in the crowd, Daks watched and smiled. Everything was going exactly according to plan. A few more pushes, a few more provocations, and Helwind would tear itself apart completely.
Then Bonaks and the others could sail in and pick up the pieces.
The distractions were working perfectly.