"Can we beat them?" Zeke asked, moving on to the most important question.

"I don't think we can challenge them out in the open, or at least it would be a tactically unwise decision to do so," Lance admitted. "The people of Hitutsa usually ambushed them en route towards branches of the Ragini in locations where there was little running water and used the terrain to pin them down while the dryads starved out, but that doesn't seem like an option for us. We won't be able to muster an army in time to fight them - with that said the cause is far from lost. We have many Liberomancers on our side, and our walls are sturdy. Even if we don't have the time to gather enough forces to meet them out on the open field; we can make an excellent show of force so long as we remain in the city. We need to prepare for a siege until we can get help from either Hitutsa or the capital."

"A siege," Drake said. "Does that mean we're looking to starve them out? But if they're plants, they just need sunlight and water, right? How would that work?"

Lance shook his head. "They also need blood for other bodily processes, although they feed on that less often than they need water or sunlight. But, without fresh blood they become weak and will die off, so worse come to worst, we can indeed starve them out." He then paused as he gave both of them a solemn look. The mood, which was already heavy, seemed to press down on them even harder before the next words were spoken. "My children," he said after a sigh. It was odd for him to refer to them as such - he usually just called them by their names. "Given the enemy's size and speed of advancement, we have no way to run or a place where we can send our people for a large-scale evacuation. Escaping by sea is treacherous given the nature of venturing too far into deep waters, and any other direction will risk taking people right into the advancing enemy line. Of course, I will remain with my people in this city and fight till the bitter end should it come to that. I have no doubt we have a very reasonable chance at succeeding."

"But, things can always go wrong. There is still enough time so that I can set up a small guard and have one of you rushed over to the capital, so that should this city go down and everyone die, someone from our family will still live on to carry our family name," Lance said. "Drake, I want that to be you. Zeke will remain in the city."

Drake immediately slammed his hand on the table. "Father! I wish to stay and fight with you and with my brother! I know I've made some mistakes in the past but I'm just as capable as Zeke is!" He paused. "No, if I'm being honest, I am not as a good as elder brother, but I can still fight! And I wish to fight, not cower far away from where the action is! If I were to ever become governor, what will people say of me? That I ran when the city was in its direst straights?"

"Drake," Lance said with a hint of anger in his voice. "This is not about your capabilities or your pride - it is about making sure that our family line survives this ordeal!" He then added, in a softer tone, "I know that I have on multiple occasions encouraged competition between you two - I only wanted the two of you to excel, though I see too late that I may have taken it too far. I did not ever wish to ruin the relationship between the two of you or cause resentment to fester in your hearts, and for that I am sorry. Drake, you do not need to prove yourself to me or to anyone else by staying here for a last stand."

Drake gulped. "Father, this isn't about pride or proving myself, what about our family's treasure? The Rank Four grimoire that grants [Inferno]? In many ways, is that not more important to this country than any of our lives? Shouldn't we then have everyone remain in the city to guard it the best that we can?"

"You are not wrong," Lance said. "I have a template of that grimoire and I will send you with that to the capital, so that it can survive in some form. Of course, details on that will have to be kept hidden so no low-life pilfers it, but I will make sure that that legacy survives." Lance then turned to Zeke. "Zeke, since your brother is so adamant on staying, will you instead go to the capital?"

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Zeke was still processing everything going on so he was slow to respond. He had thought that they had been called due to something related to the growing tensions between humans and lizardmen, but this was something on a scale he had not been anticipating. It was also far worse than anything he could've imagined. "I… I also wish to stay," he managed to finally blurt out. He had always been the more dutiful out of Lance's two children, rarely if ever going against his father's words.

Lance's face twisted slightly; he had not been expecting that kind of response from Zeke.

Before Lance could rebuke him, Zeke added on. "Father, I know you are concerned for the safety of our family line, but when I was in Hitutsa, I was able to, after much difficulty, get a grimoire that would allow me to fly. If worse comes to worse, and it looks like the situation cannot be salvaged, then I promise you I will drag Drake out of the city, kicking and screaming if need be, and take him to safety myself."

Aside from Zeke, the only other person in the city who could fly was Lance himself, though both brothers knew that their father was completely serious about going down with the city and would not even entertain the thought of fleeing for even a moment.

"Not to mention," Zeke continued, "the strength of a Liberomancer far exceeds that of a normal warrior. You will need every single Liberomancer at your disposal, and Rank Three Liberomancers are especially valuable. It could very well be that our presence is what turns the tide of battle at a crucial moment. The two of us have been raised on this city's prosperity and benefited greatly from its wealth - that is why we are both Rank Three Liberomancers in the first place. Please give us the chance to pay this debt back to the city. Not only that, what would our ancestors think if we didn't defend the city with all of our hearts? None of us are immortal, and when we eventually pass and join them in the afterlife, how will we face them if they knew we ran away?"

Lance sighed. "Your spell that lets you fly - can you really take a passenger with you while doing so?"

"Yes," Zeke said. "And for a considerable distance as well. Unfortunately, that grimoire is not in a language I can write in so I cannot make a copy for him. With the two of us, however, even after landing, we should easily be able to kill or evade anything that comes our way. And rest assured, if push comes to shove, I will not hesitate to sacrifice myself to buy him time."

"Brother…" Drake began, before Zeke shot him a smile.

"Hey, it's the job of the elder brother to look after the younger," Zeke said. He knew he could not live with himself if the opportunity arose to save his younger brother and he did not take it. "So what do you say, Father?"

Lance looked at Zeke first and then at Drake. "The two of you are stubborn as mules… though I guess you both have gotten that trait from me." He then got up from his chair. "If such is the case, and both of you are determined to fight to the end should it come to that, we need to start preparing. Food needs to be stockpiled, the Liberomancers need to be rallied, and we need to draft even the non-Liberomancers to defend the city."

"Regarding that," Drake said. "There is another matter, though a smaller one, that I feel we need to settle before the siege is underway. If not, it is going to potentially cause us a big headache during the upcoming fight. I think you're aware of the more recent incident in which a lizardman killed a human?"

Lance nodded. "Cooperation is difficult even at the best of times, but I do think they will see reason when they know of the advancing army. Lizardmen or human, the dryads will not discriminate when they kill all of us."

"They might demand we hand that lizardman in exchange for their cooperation," Drake said. He had likely already heard something of the issue from one of his own sources.

Lance sat down leaned back in his chair. "The humans are a minority in this city when it comes to total numbers, though they have an equal number of Liberomancers as us. We cannot have the city tear itself apart before the enemy even reaches the gates. Any ideas on how we can handle such?"

Zeke opened his mouth before closing it. "Yes, you had an idea?" Lance asked.

"It's a bit of a strange one," Zeke said. "And I'm not sure how successful it would be."

"I want to hear it regardless."

"What if we had a third party to act as a liaison between the lizardmen and humans? Someone who both could trust and was sufficiently influential, but is enough of an outsider that they wouldn't be seen as being biased?" Zeke asked. "That would also be helpful while organizing the city's defenses."

"That is a good idea, but does anyone like that exist?"

"Ah, there is someone like that, but I don't know for sure how either side will take to him," Zeke admitted. "Or if the person in question would even agree..." His younger brother had not made a favorable impression upon that person, after all.

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