The council chamber was a circle of stone and polished obsidian, its tall windows lined with flickering torches that cast long shadows across the marble floor. At its center stood the Council Table, five seats carved from ancient elven oak, each occupied by one of the realm's most powerful ministers.
Along the hall were rows of nobles upper tier society, draped in fine silk and weighed down with jewels. Their voices buzzed with gossip, each rumor twisted more than the last. Some praised the soldiers who defended the gate, while others murmured criticism behind jeweled fans. And at the end of the hall sat King Aldren IV upon the throne of black iron, his expression stern and cold as winter stone. Beside him stood Lord Thandor, the Hand of the King.
"Silence! Let this meeting commence. I am eager to hear what has happened at our city walls" King Aldren commanded, his raw voice filling the chamber and the hall fell silent.
Lord Thandor raised a hand, signaling the guards to open the grand doors. And after a few second, the massive doors creaked open. Commander Lucian stepped inside, wearing a freshly pressed dark silver coat. His face was clean, but his eyes sharp as daggers, still carried yesterday's shadows.
He walked alone into the marble ring beneath the high dome painted with celestial murals. The five council members sat on raised thrones of stone and gold, cloaked in silk and authority, their expressions sharpened before he even spoke.
The air was thick, not the tension before battle. But one sharpened by cold words and sharpened egos.
One council member stood "Commander Lucian," he began, "we've received reports that a goblin horde attempted to breach the wall, but was driven off. However… the report raises more questions than answers."
Lucian felt the weight of every noble eye on him.
Lady Valdrina rose, her sharp features twisted in disdain. "What were your men doing? They let themselves get overrun, the goblins nearly reached the city streets! God knows what they would've done to the people!"
Lucian kept his posture straight, hands clasped behind him. {A single night, and they judge men who bought them dawn with their lives.} (Lucian thought to himself)
"We faced a force unlike any I've seen," he answered calmly. "They were organized. The breach was no accident. This wasn't a raid, but was a coordinated assault."
Lady Valdrina scoffed. "Coordinated? They're goblins, not generals. Perhaps they weren't the only ones unprepared."
Laughter rippled through the nobles.
Lucian's jaw tightened. {Mocking the dead… how shameless can you be? They weren't unprepared. They were abandoned, by the very people who now laugh at them.}
"They were not unprepared," he said, voice sharpening. "We were. And yet my men gave everything to hold that wall until reinforcements arrived—and they successfully defended the city."
"You call that a success?" Lord Raynar snapped, standing abruptly. "A hundred men stood at that wall, and most of them died! Survivors may never lift a sword again. How is that a success?"
Lucian's pulse throbbed at his temples. "Because the goblins didn't come in waves, they came like a flood," he replied. "My men held longer than anyone could have expected. Even outnumbered, they did not allow the enemy a single step into the city."
Lady Valdrina sneered. "Hundreds gone. And what were you doing? Some say you delayed too long before your counterattack!"
Gasps spread through the crowd.
Lucian's patience finally frayed, but his voice remained controlled. "Charging blindly without information would have doomed the city," Lucian said. "And who would lead if I fell? Jay and Saturn needed time to rally the troops. The soldiers at the wall bought us that time with their lives. Every second was earned in blood."
Before the nobles could erupt again, a commanding voice cut through the air.
"Enough." King Aldren hammered his fist against his armrest. The hall fell silent instantly.
"Commander Lucian," he said, tone heavy, "you carry the look of a man who has seen death… and chose to return."
Lucian lowered his head. "All I did was fulfill my duty, Your Majesty."
The king nodded slowly. "And you paid the price. We are grateful for your service." His expression hardened. "But… there are still questions from our nobles that require answers."