FVN Chapter 333 Resistance
Chapter 333 Resistance
Varris long stood as a primary trading hub near the Aedridan border with Paede. Because of the constant flow of trade and ease of passage between the borders, it had also become home to many mixed races. Most people of mixed blood were half-elves, though there were a fair number of those with beast blood as well.
When Ayalla's forces joined with the known elf-purist city lord, the citizens knew that their futures would be up in the air. Those who desired to close the borders were in the minority of the populace within Varris, but they still existed. Known allies of the city's lord, Sir Indarel din Varris, quickly rose to power and cleared the guard of any with non-elven blood before instituting martial law.
The people of Varris resisted the rapid changes, and the removal of mixed-blood politicians was slow at first. When Ayalla's forces began to reinforce the city, thus adding extra support to the new guard force, those who resisted were quickly removed from power.
So far, no one had been carted away from the city; however, many people were forced from their homes in wealthier parts of the city. Merchants and minor nobles were stripped of their rights and property, forced to work in menial labor, and their possessions given to the 'more deserving' pure-elves.
The face of the Varris Resistance was none other than Indarel's younger brother, Kestis din Varris. As a half-elf himself, he was a favorite of the people who ascended to power. Unfortunately, as the younger brother, Indarel was first in line to inherit the family's holdings.
Kestis himself sat in a dingy basement below a bar in the slum district of the city. Under Indarel's leadership, even before Ayalla made things worse, the slums had expanded in size. No longer was it only a home for criminals and rogues, but it now took up a sizeable portion of the city. Disproportionately, the population consisted of mixed-bloods.
The Resistance found most of its forces among the people of the slums. When Kestis sat at the head of his family, he would be the one to lift the citizens back to their former glory. For a city with such fantastic wealth, there was no reason for so many of its people to suffer in such a way.
"Lord Kestis!" a young woman with bright blue hair down to her shoulders and half her head shaved burst into the room.
What she saw was a disheveled man wearing tattered and dirty versions of fine noble clothing. The formerly beautiful blues and purples of his clothes had darkened a few shades. The woman quickly pinched her nose before asking, "How long has it been since you bathed, my lord?"
Kestis rolled his eyes before looking at his second-in-command, a woman by the name of Sheza, who was half-elf and beast. He looked her over once with his eyes drawn to her striking yellow eyes with almost draconic slits for pupils. "How long have I been down here?" He asked with slurred speech.
It was hard to tell time from within a sealed basement. There had been so much information to sift through and many different plans to account for. Time had a way of getting away from Kestis under the best of circumstances.
He lightly rubbed the corners of his eyes, "Sheza, I thought I told you to stop calling me 'Lord'? I don't like it."
The only thing he could truly make out was that he was wearing black armor, a slightly tattered cloak, and a featureless black mask.
Even the man's eye color was unknown, as the only thing that could be made out through the mask's eyeholes were black pupils whose shape appeared just as ambiguous as the rest of him.
"Nice to meet you; my name is Kestis din Varris." The half-elf said warmly while sticking a hand out for a polite shake, "I am the leader of the Varris Resistance. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"
For a moment, only silence permeated the air. Sheza coughed awkwardly from behind him but said nothing. Because he was in front, he had no idea what look was on her face. Had he upset his unknown guests with his gestures? Kestis was extremely sure that his actions were universally accepted on the continent.
"My name doesn't matter." The man finally said. Kestis had only assumed the person was a man before he spoke because of the strange blurring of his features, "What does matter is that we are here to help. Surely you have heard about what is happening outside the city at the moment?"
"Yes, I do." Kestis sighed, "Queen Lethaya's forces are stationed outside the city walls. Ayalla's armies have retreated inside its protection. From what I know, General Faylin has initiated a request to parlay and discuss a possible surrender."
"Do you think Indarel will concede defeat?"
Sheza snorted, "Not in a thousand years. He'd rather wait them out till everyone fell to the Deep Sleep. So, what? You two pissants serve Faylin or the monster he's been working with?"
"Sheza!"
"What? Everyone knows what that man working with Faylin has done. We've all heard the rumors. Honestly, I give it a handful of days, maybe even hours, before half the city is turned to dust, just like Alvora. Or maybe he will figure out a way to turn us into a crater in the ground like Seteste."
Experience tales at empire
Kestis's jaw dropped open. Sheza was a hothead, but normally, she had more decorum than this. He started to turn around and apologize to their guests. Before he could say anything, the masked man started to laugh.