Chapter 26: A Brewing Storm

The streets of Velmire were never truly silent, even in the earliest hours of the morning. The city breathed in whispers, footsteps, and the occasional clatter of a stray bottle rolling across the cobblestone. But this morning felt different—as if the city itself was holding its breath.

Aedric stood at the edge of a rooftop, watching the dimly lit streets below. The mist was thick, curling around the buildings and shrouding everything in a damp, eerie quiet. From here, he could see the slums stretching far into the distance, their narrow alleys winding like veins through the city's underbelly.

Below, people moved cautiously, eyes darting toward shadows as if expecting something to lunge from the darkness. They could feel the shift, even if they didn't understand it yet.

Lirian joined him, arms crossed. "It's spreading."

Aedric didn't need to ask what she meant. The unrest. The uncertainty. The fear.

Dorn's second victory had done more than weaken Gorran's grip. It had made people believe change was possible.

But belief was a dangerous thing. It made people reckless.

And Gorran wouldn't allow it to last.

"Gorran will hit back soon," Aedric said.

Lirian smirked. "No doubt. The question is where."

Aedric scanned the city below. "We need to be ready before he moves."

---

Inside the hideout, the tension was thick. Varen was hunched over a map, tracing routes with his finger, while Tessa leaned against the wall, flipping a dagger between her fingers. Dorn paced near the table, frustration evident in every step.

"We keep moving forward," Dorn said, voice tight. "We can't stop now."

Aedric took a seat, watching him. "We won't."

Dorn turned to him, eyes sharp. "Then what's next?"

Aedric gestured to the map. "Gorran isn't going to let us choose the battlefield forever. He's going to retaliate, and we need to make sure we're ahead of him."

Dorn scoffed. "Then let's hit him first."

Aedric shook his head. "No. We've won two battles because we controlled the flow. If we push too fast, we risk walking into a trap."

Dorn clenched his jaw but said nothing. He wanted action. Aedric understood that. But they needed more than action.

They needed patience.

Lirian spoke up. "Word on the streets says Gorran's pulling his enforcers closer to the inner city."

Varen nodded. "Makes sense. He's consolidating. He knows we have the momentum."

Aedric tapped a section of the map. "Then we take advantage of that."

Dorn frowned. "How?"

Aedric looked at him. "By letting people see his weakness."

---

It was midday when the first signs of unrest began.

A simple thing, at first—merchants grumbling about Gorran's increased demands, dockworkers whispering about the missing shipments, slum dwellers murmuring that maybe, just maybe, the crime lord wasn't as untouchable as he once seemed.

Dorn's victories had done more than weaken Gorran. They had made the people bold.

The first fight broke out in a marketplace near the eastern docks.

A few of Gorran's enforcers—men who had ruled with fear for years—found themselves surrounded by a crowd that no longer flinched at their presence. Someone threw a rock. Another shoved an enforcer. Then fists began to fly.

By the time more enforcers arrived, the crowd had scattered, but the damage was done. The illusion of control had cracked.

Aedric watched from a distance, hidden in the shadow of an alleyway. This was what he had hoped for.

Gorran wasn't just fighting Dorn anymore. He was fighting the city itself.

Lirian, standing beside him, smirked. "I think we broke something."

Aedric exhaled. "Not yet. But we will."

---

By nightfall, the city was buzzing.

More fights broke out in different districts—small, sporadic bursts of resistance. Nothing organized. Nothing planned. But they didn't need to be. It was enough.

Gorran's men scrambled to restore order, but the harder they pushed, the more resistance they met. The people weren't running anymore.

Dorn, standing at the hideout's window, grinned. "This is it, isn't it?"

Aedric sat at the table, watching the flickering candlelight. "It's the beginning."

Dorn turned to him. "Then let's make sure we finish it."

Aedric met his gaze. "We will."

But deep down, he knew—this was only the start of something much, much bigger.