Governor of Greltheaven II

"Take care of my city, Remus. Don't let it fall," said Count Darrow as he collected the dictum that everyone signed and handed it to me.

"I will not, my lord," I replied with a bow.

What else I could say? I can't curse at him, that I really want to do. The bastard is escaping, leaving the citizens of the city to fend for themselves against the undead.

"Everyone, support Governor Silver. As you have supported me," he said to the people, before walking toward the door.

I followed behind and noticed, that quite some people were also following behind, but as we reached the door. Many were stopped by the guards, only a few were able to follow the Count.

Most are people from the army and mercenaries.

"The guards won't be able to keep them in the room for long, Remus. You should control them as soon as possible and don't hesitate to use the force," he advised.

I said nothing other than nod.

He gave me a few more words of wisdom before we have finally reached the doors of the mansion, where three unmarked carriages were already waiting.

"Hold the city, till I bring the aid, Remus," he said and patted on my shoulder before sitting in the carriage with Atticus and Priest Harold.

With them entering the carriages, others didn't waste any time and sat on their carriages.

All of them were powerful people who would have been a tremendous help in fighting against the undead, but now all of them are escaping, without care for the people of the city.

The doors of the carriages closed, and they moved toward the gates, while I watched silently.

"He had made a grave mistake leaving the city," said Stone suddenly, while Zela and Jon smiled in pleasure.

"Why?" I asked in question.

This is the best time to leave. The undead had yet to attack the city, and with three High Mages, powerful warriors, and priests; it would be very hard for anyone in the region to stop them.

"Lord Governor, do you know how most nobles got killed in the first few months of the war on our island?" he asked back instead of answering my question.

I wanted to say, that when the undead conquered their territories, but stopped, feeling this simple answer would be obviously be wrong.

So, I simply shook my head.

"They were killed when they were escaping. Less than 10% of those who escaped were able to escape safely," he answered.

"It has been only two days since they attacked. They couldn't prepare such thoroughly, not to mention the people that went with the Count aren't weak."

"Even if the undead are lying in wait, the Count would simply tear through them," said Robin, before I could speak.

Robin didn't leave with the Count. He had left behind his most trusted adviser. The bastard only took people who could fight against the undead. 

Forget Robin. He had even left behind his secretary, who has been with him for decades.

"You are underestimating the Vris'alud. Far too much Lord Governor. If you think, they arrived in the region only two days ago,"

"They have arrived a long before that and were only waiting for the emperor to die and now that he did, they are springing their net." "There is a very high chance that Count and all the men who had left with him, will be caught in their nets," replied Stone, making me and Robin shudder.

Stone looks sure of his words, but I am having quite a hard time believing them. Though, I didn't dare to discard them.

He had fought against the Vris'alud for years; he knew how they operated. It would be a grave mistake to throw away his opinions.

For a few seconds, I didn't say anything before turning to Stone and others.

"I will be safe from the undead, but you are all, and the city won't be. I planned to open the gates of the city and let everyone leave. It will help, more people survive," I said with a sigh.

I don't want to do this, but I will.

The undead won't be able to catch them all. I am sure, many will survive. As for me, they won't kill me; I am a host of the legacy. 

Even the undead need the emotion essence as the rest of the people do. They need it more than other people if things I heard are true.

"You are once again wrong, Lord Governor. The undead will catch them all. I would bet my life to say, by the dawn, there will be blockades across the river and the other directions will be covered by them as well," said Stone.

"This can't be!" said Robin, not wanting to believe what Stone said; he isn't the only one, I am also unwilling to believe it.

"What Mr. Stone is saying will probably happen, Lord Governor. I had read the reports from Mayhurst Island over the years, and it matches how they do things," said Colonel Cardin, who had been silent till now.

"So, what do I do? We are far from strong enough to fight the horde, and if we don't do anything, the undead will capture the city, and we all know how that will end," I asked.

I could feel the panic in my heart, that I was having a hard time suppressing.

Despite not seeing the undead, I could feel them closing on me from all sides, with no way against them.

"Fighting against them, will be difficult, but I think there is a better strategy to deal with them," said Colonel Cardin.

"What is it?" I asked, with desperation dripping from my voice.

"Negotiate. You have a unique advantage to do that because of your legacy," the colonel replied.

A smile couldn't help, but appear on my face, but this smile has no mirth in it.

I may not know much about war, but I know a simple fact, that negotiations happen when there is leverage. The city has none except for the legacy and even it won't work unless I threatened to blast it into the pieces.

Which I won't do. It is the only thing that will keep me and my girls safe.

The Count threw this responsibility on me not only because I am a lord, as he had said but also because I am the only person in the city, whom undead won't kill.

Unlike most people, who might die in my place and revert to the blame on him. I will be alive and the blame for the city's capture would always be on my shoulder if it got captured by the undead.

"The legacy won't be a strong enough leverage; we can't depend on it. We need to be prepared to fight," I said simply, surprising them.

There is no other choice.

We can't leave or run away since the undead would be hunting us and there is no way I would depend upon a single leverage. There is only one thing we can do, and that is prepared to fight.

If I was able to show the undead that we are able to do enough damage to their horde; I might be able to negotiate a good deal to surrender.

It is far from the ideal option, but will help to save many people. If we fight, then a lot more people will die.

I turned and walked inside, with them following behind me. There are hundreds of thoughts running through my mind; some were good, some were bad.

The one that is strongest is the thought of running away. I want to run away, like the Count did, despite knowing, I am the safest person in the entire city.

The fear is too strong.

This fear is what made the Count run away. I am sure, he is aware of how Vris'alud does things, but wasn't able to control this fear and took the risk of running away.

"A blockade had appeared between Greltheaven and Deerpond," said Zela suddenly, stopping me in my tracks. 

Stone had said it would happen, but it had still surprised me. They are acting faster than I imagined if they continue to do that. It won't be long before they appear on our doorsteps.

Click!

A moment later, I turned to the door and entered inside.

Immediately, half of the people got up, while the other half took a moment more to rise.

"Lord Governor!" They greeted.

"Everyone, sit down," I said as I sat down, before looking at each of their eyes. Everyone is scared, fear is visible in their eyes, and some are not even trying to hide it.

For a few seconds, I didn't say anything. Letting the power of silence spread while pushing my passive skill as hard as I could. 

"The undead are in our region and if they keep moving at the speed they are, then they will be at our doorsteps in a day or two," I said, making many shudders.

Some opened their mouths but closed, feeling my eyes on them.

"I will not stop you if any of you want to run away, but let me warn you, it is more dangerous than staying in the city."

"According to the latest information, the undead had created the blockades between the Deerpond and Owlspring." "The scouts had also informed me of the undead hunting parties in other directions; they are killing everything, they see,"

The sheer panic that appeared in the eyes of people was staggering. That I wish they were in the establishment.

"This can't be! How can they move so fast?" asked Irving Gagarin, leader of the Blacksmith guild, with a shaking voice.

Seeing the big man, one wouldn't expect him to quiver in fear, but the conditions are, as such, that he is. It is not like they are worried about their own safety; they are also worried about the safety of their families.

I could see the regret flashing in the eyes of many people. Many of them regretted coming here to this region.

They knew the risk, but they thought it would come from the east instead of the west and would take at least five years.

"Even I don't know the answer to it. Guildmaster Gagarin, I am only stating what I know," I replied.

I lied a little; it is necessary to keep them in the city. They are the most important people. If they left, then all the citizens would want to leave, and I can't let that happen.

"What is your plan then, Lord Governor?" 

Finally, the most important question came, and it came from none other than Damon Hardt.

"Negotiate, but we will also be prepared to fight. If the undead didn't agree to our conditions," I replied. 

The answer seemed to shock many people.

"You would surrender to the undead?" asked Jonah Ross, leader of the builder's guild in horror. "Yes, I would, as long as they agreed to spare the people of the city. It is better than letting them turn into the undead 

"They will not spare the city; it is not in their nature," said Damon Hardt.

"It is why we are also preparing to fight. If turning undead is fate, then we won't be accepting it, without giving them a fight," I replied.

"It is easy for you to say, Lord Governor. You are the only person the undead won't touch," said Gagarin, to that I smiled.

"You are right, Guildmaster Gagarin, but rest assured, if we were to fight, I will fight with our men," I replied.

There was a silence for a couple of seconds before the big man opened his mouth.

"What will you do if we want to leave?" he asked. 

"I will not stop you; the gates will be opened in the morning. Those who want to leave will be able to leave the city," I replied, surprising many, including Stone and Cardin.

Keeping the gates closed will create chaos, but that doesn't mean I will throw open the gates for everyone to leave.

I will be opening the gates, but only to give a feeling of choice to the people. 

The measures will be like a pressure cooker. Seal it fully and it will explode, but have a small hole and everything will be in control.