The lone figure, though still far for them to easily perceive with their mortal eyes, was clearly wearing forest green plate armour with bronze accents, he was also obviously bald, with a massive golden ivory hammer slung upon his shoulder, and his skin seemed to be a frightening night black; but what truly caught their eyes was the sheer size of his unbelievable stature. The man was simply a giant, so much so that many even doubted if their eyes, in collusion with the sun's blinding beams, had begun to deceive them, for how could a man so large exist. But they were relieved that he at least wasn't one of the unbeatable monsters they'd just thought of, such as Abraham, Isaac, or the Gods forbid Hekan himself. If only they knew the truth beforehand, they might have readied their hearts for when the giant man showcased his might, his presence empowered not by mortal energy such as aura or even magic, but by a power that was beyond any of them, a power monopolized by only a very special few in the world, the power of the divine wielded by mortal hands. They were in the presence of a demigod! The people of Appethus suddenly felt struck from above by a sledge hammer, while their feet quickly buckled and pulled from under them, knocking all other emotion from their skulls, and forcing almost all of them to bow before the being that was technically below them, a fact they greatly doubted now, as they felt as though he was far above them while they were sprawled helplessly under his feet. A few of the stronger ones, those who had some achievement in one of the three fields, were able to maintain some of their conscious thought, as they began to question who this man was, with many wondering, in their frazzled minds, if he was the emperor, for that was the first demigod they thought of; completely forgetting the fact that he was but a boy of fifteen, with pale skin and obsidian black eyes; completely unalike the man before them today, which they eventually remembered after he finally lessened his imposing presence. The people feeling the colossal pressure that was pinning them down finally gone, they breathed a sigh of solace, before slowly rising yet again to their feet, their gazes now no longer so inquisitive, with their eyes now cowed, only daring to steal subtle glances at him for a moment, before they quickly retracted back again. "I am Valdour, Lord of the Free City of Qayan." He finally spoke, his booming voice, like hammer beating steel, making them flinch in fright for a moment, before he continued, calling out with a thunderous roar tinged with an intense bloodlust "False king Zadkiel! Show yourself!" There was an awkward, almost hesitant silence that followed his words, as the people uncomfortably glanced around them for their new king, but none saw him, making them begin to fear what might happen to them if they kept the Lord of Qayan waiting any longer. But suddenly rough shouts of "Make way! Make way for your King!" sounded out from behind them, as a few dozen royal guards , protectively surrounding a man they couldn't see very clearly, but assumed was their aforementioned monarch, pushed and shoved people, whether they be civilian or soldier alike, out of the way making a narrow road to the battlements. "...You are Zadkiel?" Valdour asked with a cocked eyebrow, after the two men silently examined each other for a moment. "I am." He answered with a calm voice that desperately tried to hide his true emotions, which utterly failed as his quivering eyes and sweat smeared face instantly gave him away. Valdour remined motionless for a second, before he slowly raised his right foot and then quickly slammed it down, catapulting him with such terrifying force that a small crater formed where he stood, followed shortly by a typhoon's gale as he seemed to teleport to the battlements where they all stood, jolting everyone there so suddenly that they almost all yelped like frightened children and thrown on their behind, one hand clutching their chests, while the other reflexively protected their faces. Only a few seconds later of unexpected silence, did they regain some of their courage and gingerly lower their hands to look upon the scene before them, that all but stole their breathe away. Valdour was still standing upon the battlements, which only added more height to his already imposing stature, with the odd, almost rhythmic sounds of steal beating against an anvil, emanating hypnotically from the beautiful hammer in his hand, and the setting sun's majestic glow behind him, still shrouding most of his features in shadow, with the exception of his eyes, which burned like two blazing crucibles, syphoning their undisputed attention from their minds, like a whirlpool draws unwilling ships into it's depths. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽 "I expected more." He finally spat, looking at Zadkiel as one would look at a maggot in his food. Yet none replied, none spoke in defence of their king, not the guards sworn to protect him with their lives, not the civilians whose mind's had already turned into mush, not even Zadkiel talked back to the giant. Everyone just stood there, still as stone statues, with the same thought in their frozen minds 'Is this what true children of the Gods are like?' Which was a fair question, as most demigods today are no different than ordinary men and women these days, rarely ever exerting any effort on ruling their lands or anything of the sort that requires actual labour and sacrifice; and rarer still do they still strive to unlock their gates, and even the minority who do still try, usually stop on the second or third gate, seldom do they go higher, especially after the fourth, when they must face the Great Barrier known as the fifth gate, which Valdour has already unlocked. "I have come here today to deliver a message from our emperor." Valdour bellowed, ripping them away from their thoughts, and emphasizing the word 'our', both in mockery and reminder, before continuing "If you surrender, lay down your arms and open your city gates, only the main masterminds will be punished, while the rest will go unharmed, your sins forgiven and your lives free to continue as they were." The people almost didn't believe their ears, feeling as though they were about to be swept from their feet by this long forgotten sensation of optimism for the next day's rising sun, this alien, yet beautiful sensation they'd almost forgotten it's name had returned to them, like long lost friends or siblings finally reuniting after decades apart, a glimmer of hope finally reappeared before them. But Valdour was not done, and his coming words dashed their earlier euphoria "Or continue to foolishly resist and drown in entertaining fire!" A grin, like barbed iron wire, twisted it's way to his face. The image of their homes on fire, as the echo of that mad monarch's laughter echoing in the night's ash ladened breeze, blared in their heads like a wailing siren, sending goosebumps across their entire skin, as their eyes darkened in heinous thoughts. "You have till dawn to decide." He finished with a final sweep of his eyes across them, before he again vanished with that same ghostly speed that brought him here in the first place. The men and women Appethus didn't budge from their place for several minutes after his departure, their minds still trying to wrap around all that has happened, before they slowly began to turn their eerie eyes to Zadkiel's still frozen frame, that only began moved when he started to feel daggers at his back, making him quickly twist around, only to see a sea of his people staring at him like starving beasts, driving his eyes wide and his mouth agape, while his complexion blanching to an even paler colour somehow. Meanwhile Valdour had calmly returned to his tent, where I currently stayed until my own was finished being set up, and respectfully reported "It's done, my liege." "Excellent." I joyfully said, a cunning smile on my lips "Now we just wait and this city will be ours by day break." "Let us hope so." Matak'Ra muttered to the side, but we all heard it, causing Valdour to silently glare at his right hand man. But I simply chuckled, saying "Fear not Brimstone Knight's Commander, my plan won't fail." I paused for a moment pointing at the wall section where Valdour just was "See, it's already starting." I said as a large commotion suddenly broke out in that area. "That quickly?" Even Valdour, who never doubted the success of my plan, seemed surprised by it's effectiveness. "Of course." I replied with a sadistic smile that practically dripped Machiavellian venom "There is nothing more dangerous than a small dose of hope after utter despair, to really burn away a person's inhibitions, so that he may reach his salvation no matter."