The church had failed. They did not respond to his calls, nor did they unleash the elemental they promised, as proven by the army that gathered at his city gates. He placed his palm on his face.
"Those damn cowards, they left me on my own!" Lombac pushed himself up from his throne and walked toward the meeting hall.
His city lacked soldiers; the entirety of security was conducted by the church. It was a grave error that he let himself commit. Despite being subservient to the church as a king, he should have had a standing army.
'I guess I should attempt parleying with Akshan.' He sighed.
It did not take him long to arrive in a marble room with a large circular wooden table surrounded by many chairs.
Usually, the church would send its priests and, together with the governmental body of Zigurat, would make important decisions, yet this time they were nowhere to be found.
The room was filled with only four officials. They were his advisors and he trusted them with his life, yet they trembled in their seats as the castle shook. They were about to get captured and their kingdom assimilated into Valar.
'Chrunus, preserve me!' He clasped his hands together.
He sighed heavily as he turned toward the gathered gentlemen. "I thank you for gathering, despite us missing the vast majority of our governing body."
They suppressed their fear and panic before bowing. "Your holiness."
"At ease, my loyal advisors. We are facing difficult times." He looked up toward the ceiling and stared at the beautiful mosaic art depicting Chrunus on the throne, surrounded by the cardinals and the chaos elementals.
The church was besmirching the goodness of Chrunus by abandoning him, yet he knew that Chrunus would guide him nevertheless.
He approached one of the empty seats and slumped down. For a moment, he panned over the gathered advisors. "We have lost, without even fighting. Valar did not give us a chance by sending their most elite legion."
He stopped for a moment, letting the shock settle. A moment after, he chuckled. He could find solace in the fact that the legendary Akshan was sent to conquer his kingdom.
"We were abandoned by the church. However, we are still guided by Chrunus." He raised his finger toward the mosaic.
The advisors murmured in approval.
One of the advisors spoke, "He watches us and judges our actions. We cannot surrender even if it allows us to survive. If we are to be welcomed into the domain of Chrunus, we must fight until our final breath."
"How can you be sure? If the priests had abandoned us, it surely meant that even Chrunus had turned his eyes away from us."
"Because a traitor had risen to the throne, it will be our duty as those faithful of Chrunus to survive this attack and rebuild. We will be the ones who will deal with the false Queen and return Valar to Chrunus." He slammed the table as he attempted to calm himself.
'The priests ordered me to sacriface non-believers, but I suppose it's too late for it.' He had not acted quickly enough.
No, it was not that he did not act quickly; it was that Valar deployed their troops with such speed and shock that it left him no ability even to formulate a strategy.
He did not know what happened to other cities, nor did he care; nobody could stand against the first legion of Valar.
"My order is as follows: I will talk to Akshan and attempt to convince him to turn back and perhaps depose the false queen... and if he refuses, we will make our final stand." He pushed himself up.
With a final salute, the king Lombac made his way toward the entrance of the castle, where his guard stood in anticipation of Akshan's forces.
Most stood facing the door, ready to fight with their lives. All of them wore identical plate armor as befitting of their position.
Lombac nodded as he shouted. "Soldier, you will deliver a message to the enemy. I wish to speak with their general!"
"Yes, your holiness!"The soldier saluted and rushed to the palace's doors.
The massive door creaked open, letting the lone soldier exit, leaving the king and the remaining soldiers behind.
His hands were clasped together, and his eyes closed once again.
'Chrunus, protect this nation. You who protect and guide humanity are the only beacon of light in the sea of darkness. The traitors want us gone, they wish to remove the protection you bestowed upon us, yet I truly believe I will act according to your will and make Zigurat survive.' His eyes fluttered open.
Despite his wish to push the thoughts of defeat aside, it was human to be unable to do so. Only a god like Chrunus could save his mind, and thus prayer was necessary.
It took some time, but eventually the soldier came rushing back. He stood in front of Lombac and saluted. "Your Holiness! General Akshan had agreed to talk; he requested you to speak one-on-one."
The king of Zigurat sighed. It was normal for the generals to request to speak one-on-one, yet he was terrified of the man.
"Go and notify him I accept." He waved the soldier off once again before taking a turn back toward the meeting hall.
The soldiers could take a moment of respite while their stress had merely begun. If he played his cards right, he could convince the general that the traitor queen was woefully unsuited and a traitor to humanity.
Someone like Akshan would have understood it the moment he heard it.
Loyalty to the crown should be secondary to loyalty to god.
"The priests had abandoned Valar, and even his own priests abandoned him. I will laugh at them once I arrive in his domain." His lips formed a wicked smile.
Perhaps if fortune smiled upon him, he would be able to torment the souls of the treacherous priests and even the queen of Valar.