Sara pulled out a chair near the middle of the table and sat down without any extra show. John settled in right beside her, his priest robes settling around him. Vivian took the seat on Sara's other side, crossing her legs smoothly.
The three of them didn't make a big entrance or start giving speeches. They just sat there, and the weight of their presence filled the room anyway.
Lys stayed in his spot further down the table, watching everything quietly. He didn't feel the need to jump in anymore. Sara had taken charge the moment she walked through those doors, and the whole mood in the council chamber had shifted.
Sara leaned forward slightly, resting her forearms on the scarred wooden table. Her voice came out clear and precise. "Temporary admission," she said. "The people from the outer settlement come inside the walls until the dungeon situation is resolved. There'll be no permanent change to citizenship. We set up areas for them, manage food and shelter with the guild's help, and send them back once it's safe."
John nodded slowly. He didn't stand up or raise his voice like the old John would have done. Instead, he spoke steadily, looking straight at Bezos and Clara. "This isn't just about rules or supplies, Bezos, Clara. These are people who live right next to us. If we leave them outside during a dungeon break, we're basically choosing to let them die. Families, old folks who have nowhere else to go, will all die. We all know that. As someone who serves this community, I can't just sit here and agree to that. We have a duty to protect our own."
Vivian spoke up next, quieter than the others but still firm enough. "I agree with both of them. My shipments and trade connections can help with extra supplies. We've dealt with shortages before. So, in my opinion, this is doable if we work together."
Bezos shifted in his big chair, his thick arms resting on the table. His face stayed serious, but Lys could see the frustration building behind his eyes. The chief respected authority and tradition, but right now, that respect was making him dig in even harder.
Clara's finger had started tapping the table again. Her sharp eyes moved between Sara and John, calculating every word. It seemed like she figured out that both of them had a mutual understanding about what to say before coming inside this room.
Sara didn't rush. She let her previous point sit for a second before continuing. "Think about what the other choice looks like. People dying outside the walls while the council is on record refusing to help. How do you think that will look when the people from the capital guild hear about it? Lord Valtor already backed this guild branch. But if we lose their trust over something like this, the whole village suffers."
Lys watched from his seat, arms resting on the table. He caught Rhuvia's expression for a brief moment. She still looked calm like always, but there was something else there now. A small glint of satisfaction in her eyes as she watched Sara talk like she owned the room now. Her gaze suggested that she was curious to see exactly how this would play out.
John leaned in a little more and spoke, "If you're fearing for the local lord asking questions about why we admitted non-citizens, Sara and I will stand and answer for it personally. You don't have to worry about that matter. We won't hide behind the council and take responsibility for this."
Bezos's face started turning red. He slammed one meaty hand on the table, not too hard, but enough to make the sound echo off the stone walls. "How can you take responsibility for something like this? How little do you think of the viscounty? Don't you remember what happens to people who go against that woman's will?"
The whole room froze. Nobody had expected the usually respectful chief to raise his voice like that. Lys felt his shoulders tense. Vessa's arms tightened across her chest. Even Clara looked surprised for a split second.
Only Sara met Bezos's eyes without flinching. "So what? Do we let those people outside get killed brutally just because we're afraid of the local lords? Is that why you took this position as chief? To protect your own comfort instead of the people who need it?", she said. Her voice was so steady and direct that Bezos felt like he lost the whole argument with just this last sentence from her.
Bezos stared at her for a long moment. His broad chest rose and fell heavily. Then, without another word, he pushed his chair back with a loud scrape. He stood up, his big frame towering over the table.
"Do what you wish," he said with a rough voice. "But keep it in mind that if things go south, I am not responsible for any of it."
He turned and stormed out of the chamber, slamming the heavy doors shut behind him.
The room stayed silent for a few seconds. Lys could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. He glanced at Sara. She looked calm on the outside, but he knew her well enough to see the tension in her jaw.
Sara turned her head toward Clara. "And what about you? Are you also feeling like we shouldn't let those poor people inside our village?"
Clara snorted. She stood up slowly, brushing dust from her fitted skirt. "Fuck, who made that rude girl the leader around here?" she mumbled under her breath as she walked toward the door. Her heels clicked sharply against the stone floor until she disappeared through the same doors Bezos had used.
Lys let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair. The council chamber felt a lot emptier now with only their side left at the table. Rhuvia's small smile returned as she looked at Sara. Vessa relaxed her arms slightly. John rubbed his forehead, looking tired but steady. Vivian only shook her head once, clearly annoyed by how it had gone.
Sara stayed seated, staring at the empty chairs across the table. "Well," she said quietly, "that could have gone better. But at least we have a path forward now."
Lys nodded slowly. He could still feel the heavy air in the room, but now that the biggest roadblock had just walked out, the real work of getting the outer settlement inside the walls could start.
Still, he knew this wasn't the end of the problems. Not with a dungeon break coming and people like Bezos and Clara holding grudges. Not to mention the local lords they spoke of. It was as if that was the real problem they were going to face.
He shook his head, trying to think that was a problem for the future. No point in thinking about it now, when they have a mountain of other work ahead of them.
The lantern light flickered slightly as a draft came through the chamber. Outside, Lys could already imagine the sounds of people starting to move, wagons being prepared, and the growing tension in the village as word of a dungeon break was spreading.
The dungeon under Gaiya Forest didn't care about council arguments. It was still waking up, and time was running out, not just for the villagers, but also for the outside settlers.
Everyone inside the room stood up quickly, not wasting any time here, knowing whatever they had to do, they had to do it quickly, if they really wanted to save people before it was too late to do so.