The festival crowd partied like there was no tomorrow, blissfully unaware of the chaos brewing behind the scenes.
The crime bosses of Lower Galandria were gearing up for the arrival of the castle's soldiers. Every one of them now backed a strange group of Rebels led by Rebecca.
In other words, a clash between the nobles' forces and the people of Lower Galandria was imminent.
Mako, marching alongside Zork and the soldiers, was headed toward the festival…
'If I can at least save a few civilians…,' Mako thought nervously.
Zork swung his axe back and forth. The soldiers behind him and Mako marched with an intimidating rhythm.
But the music in Lower Galandria didn't stop. Smoke rose from the bonfire as people in colorful costumes danced and played around the flames.
Among the crowd in the plaza were some wearing identical costumes… Street performers and dancers with masks resembling owl faces.
These were Rebecca's men. In other words, part of the Rebels.
◇◆◇
"Hope this teaches you a lesson," Zork said as he and Mako slowly left the straight streets and entered the winding alleys of Lower Galandria.
"Lesson?" Mako asked, incredulous. "Is this some kind of punishment?"
"Don't get me wrong, kid. I owe you one for taking down Arthur, but…" Zork shot Mako a sidelong glance as he spoke, "you really think your deals with Fox would just slip by unnoticed?"
Mako swallowed hard.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Mako said with all the seriousness and conviction he could muster.
"Ha!" Zork barked. "It's not me you need to convince. The crown has eyes and ears everywhere." He glanced around as the streets grew narrower and more maze-like. "Well, almost everywhere."
Zork gave an order, splitting the soldiers into squads to move more easily.
"To the plaza! Strike down anyone disrupting Galandria's peace!" Zork commanded.
"Anyone?" Mako said, frowning at Zork. "That's going too far. We just need to get Rebecca…"
"You're too soft," Zork cut him off. "Mako, what do you think these people will do if we go easy on them?"
Mako fell silent, absorbing the orc's harsh words.
"They'll crush us without mercy. We have the power, the ability to awaken systems… If we let them gain that too, if we let them spread like this…" Zork trailed off.
Mako got the message loud and clear. To Zork and the other nobles, these people were nothing but a plague.
Mako had his own disdain for crime bosses like Willy Fox… Their criminal deeds were infamous across all social strata.
All Mako could hope for was that no civilians would be caught in the crossfire.
"You're wrong," Mako said.
Zork didn't reply.
The night air was unusually chilly. Mako drew his rapier from its scabbard, his heart racing a mile a minute.
Zork kept toying with his axe, swinging it side to side. But that wasn't his real weapon. As they got closer, Zork, Mako, and the small group of soldiers could hear the plaza's clamor growing louder.
Zork pulled a small wooden flute from his pocket.
"Guess how much this cost me, Mako Sol?" Zork asked with a tone of deep seriousness.
"Looks handmade. I thought you carved it yourself," Mako said, eyeing the small instrument.
"Ha," Zork chuckled softly. "I could never carve something like this… It was crafted by the last northern elves."
Zork began to play the flute. He held it with two fingers, blowing without hitting any clear notes.
The festival-goers, sweating from their dancing, started to hear the flute's noise in the distance, ruining the rhythm of their celebration.
"What's that racket?!" one of the Lower Galandria locals yelled, covering their ears.
The flute sounded once, twice, three times…
The wooden statue that had sparked the bonfire in the plaza's center was now just a pile of dark, worthless ashes. Slowly, the flames died out.
And so, that flute set the stage for what would be remembered in Lower Galandria as one of the worst tragedies in its history.
From different streets, men began running in fear, shouting:
"SOLDIERS! SOLDIERS!"
Panic spread through the crowd.
The only ones staying calm among the citizens were those wearing owl masks.
"RUN!" more people screamed.
Those in their homes slammed their windows shut. Others scurried like rats through the maze-like alleys.
They fled, in other words, in the opposite direction of the piercing sound of Zork's flute.
Then, from the streets, they appeared… Not just soldiers in gleaming silver armor, wielding heavy shields and swords.
The plaza, once packed with singing and dancing, emptied in seconds. But that wasn't all…
Zork appeared first, hefting his massive axe. But beside him came another orc, identical to him… And another, and another!
The original Zork played the flute again. A fourth orc began to form… Emerging like a wisp of mist, the fourth Zork materialized.
Four Zorks!
The men in owl masks stood in the plaza, completely surrounded by soldiers. Mako stood beside Zork.
"By the power vested in me by the crown!" the orc bellowed. "You are all under arrest for disturbing Galandria's peace!"
At these words, the soldiers clashed their swords against their shields and began marching forward.
The owl-masked men started stepping back, retreating.
"Cooperate, or we'll use force!" Zork continued.
Mako felt a sickening knot in his stomach… Taking a step back, he began to mutter:
"Come on, Polyphemus. Show up!"
But no matter how hard he tried, Polyphemus didn't appear.
'Don't tell me you failed to warn them…,' Mako thought.
◇◆◇
At the exact moment the royal castle's soldiers reached the plaza… a strange hooded figure was darting across the rooftops of Lower Galandria.
"Let me go!" a shrill voice screamed alongside the shadowy figure running across the roofs. "I said, let me go!"
The hooded figure stopped. From their cloak, they pulled out a large leather sack, something inside wriggling and kicking nonstop.
"Move again, and I'll crush you, you filth," the hooded figure growled in a deep voice.
"How dare you threaten me, the great Polyphemus?!" the shrill voice in the sack screeched.
That's right—Polyphemus was trapped in that sack. Under normal circumstances, he could've escaped easily… After all, when a demon was summoned by someone they'd made a contract with, they'd appear without issue. But there was a problem.
"I'm surprised you're still so stubborn," the hooded figure said, pulling back their hood to feel the cool night air. "After all, our last meeting wasn't… exactly friendly."
It was Erick. Like Mako, he had a contract with Polyphemus. In other words…
"When I saw you flitting around so carelessly out there, it was too easy to snatch you. All I had to do was say your name, and now you're bound to me until we settle this," Erick said maliciously, gazing into the distance.
What had once been a bright blaze in the plaza's center had gone out, leaving only a thinning column of black smoke.
"You're going to lead me to Mako and Igor, one way or another…" Erick muttered, sprinting toward the plaza.