Chapter 70

  Noah’s head was on a swivel as he stepped out of the guard house. The city was waking and the sound of plodding feet and hurried rustling dispersed the silence. Part of him wanted to check on the others, but he willed himself to stick to the plan. Assuming they went unnoticed their plan had been to scale the castle’s inner wall along the western side. Now however they would shift to plan B and rush the gates. With subtlety a thing of the past, Noah unstrapped his hammer and let out a deep sigh. Even though his moral compass protested needless violence he still loved a good fight. Backed by the members of group one, he dashed into the city, no longer avoiding the streets.

  Even with all the shouting, the streets were still relatively bare. They noticed several beasts poking their heads through windows, a decidedly odd sight, and a few running about on the streets. Noah noted that many opted to stand on two legs, something that he had seen only sparingly in Jeline’s territory. He took in all of the sights while they sprinted toward the inner wall. Several minutes into their run they found their first opposition. A rhino stood on two legs, blocking their path. He wore full plate armor and brandished a massive greatsword.

  “Who do you think you are?” He chuffed.

  “Merchants?” Di’Ma shouted to Noah’s left. The rhino man frowned and leaned forward, squinting at them.

  “You don’t look like merchants.” He replied. Noah held back a laugh.

  “Do other merchants not carry weapons? Are they idiots?” He mused. That seemed to make the rhino think and Ne’Ja took the opportunity to slip into a side alley.

  “I suppose if you can show me your wares—” He started, just before the point of a spear punctured through his chest. He let out a low groan.

  “I knew you weren’t merchants…” He managed in wheezing gasps before falling still. Noah nodded at Ne’Ja as she retrieved her weapon from the corpse and they continued down the path. Several minutes later the gates came into view, along with an assortment of armed beasts. There were at least a dozen of the guards, and Noah doubted the same trick would work twice. They slowed their approach and Noah began to scan the area for any sign of the other groups. So far they had yet to encounter the higher-tier beasts, but he had a feeling these guards were different.

  Just as the first of the guards began pointing in their direction, Noah caught sight of a hand waving from a side street up ahead. Perfect. He stopped in his tracks and motioned for the rest of his group to wait.

  “Are all the guards this cowardly? This kingdom is ours for the taking!” Noah yelled, brandishing his hammer in large sweeping movements. The guards, initially slow to the take, started running in his direction. You make it too easy! As the humanoid beasts rushed toward them Noah couldn’t help but wonder if advancing their Gate had been to their detriment. The concepts of pride and mockery would mean little to a predator, but to a self-aware creature, they held weight. Noah waited for them, allowing as much time as possible for the other groups to get into position. When they were no more than 10 yards away, he returned their charge with a deafening battle cry. His group joined him, sure to wake any beast that had managed to sleep through the initial alarms. As they traded their first blows, two more groups closed in unnoticed from behind and began cutting them through.

  Block-headed as they were however, they didn’t fall so quickly. They retaliated in swift and measured strikes, and one began to emit arcs of lightning from its fur. Their early successes had raised his confidence and Noah felt it shattering as he watched one of his men get skewered through the stomach.

  “No! Get him out of here!” He yelled, throwing himself at the offending beast. Soon they were joined by the remaining groups and the guards began to fall one by one. He could see the surprise in his companion’s eyes as they received the XP notifications, no doubt receiving many levels worth at once. Ne’Ja approached him, and he noticed a line of blood through her ripped furs.

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  “Ne’Ja, you’re injured.” She waved it away.

  “Barely. A few others will need healing though. Zo’Kati and her group are bringing them to Un’Dal” She said. Noah nodded.

  “Good. Let’s keep going then.” He said, leading the way toward the gates. Noah led his warriors, nearly 60 strong into the castle grounds and found them bare, not a soul in sight. They made their way through the fields, a much more spartan appearance than the groves of Jeline’s estate. There was a single guard at the front entrance, but they quickly silenced them and moved inside. The receiving area was massive, but mostly undecorated save some red rugs on the cobble floors. There was a single central staircase leading further into the palace, so they ran up it searching for the throne room. As it turned out, it wasn’t hard to find. At the end of a short hallway, large double doors opened to an expansive room with a massive throne elevated several steps above the rest. They filled the room, and for the first time, it occurred to Noah that he didn’t know how to officially claim a territory. Jeline had mentioned taking the capital, and something about their seat of power but their final exchange had been so quick that he found it hard to recall the specific details. He frowned and scanned the room.

  “Now what do we do?” Ro’Kar asked from the side. Noah shrugged and made his way to the throne. Perhaps this constitutes a seat of power? He thought as he sat upon it. He waited, looking awkwardly at his warriors.

  “Uh, No’Ah? What are you doing?” Ta’Ku asked. Noah sighed.

  “I was hoping to trigger some kind of System notification. The queen mentioned the ability to contest territories when we spoke, but nothing is happening.” He explained. Ta’Ku frowned but Ro’Kar’s eyes lit up.

  “Ah just like when I claimed the village!” He commented. Noah looked at him, eyebrows raised.

  “You know how to do it?” He asked. Ro’Kar nodded.

  “All I did was accept that it was mine and the System confirmed it. It was simple.” He explained. Noah frowned but sat back against the throne and closed his eyes. This is mine. This Kingdom is mine. This will be the empire of N—

  [Territory claim failed. Scanning.]

  [Territory previously claimed.]

  [Contest ownership?]

  Noah stared at the notifications. It actually worked. He gave his assent.

  [Territory contested. Ownership will transfer if the challenge remains in 30 days or upon the death of the current owner.]

  Noah had a sinking feeling as he read the System message again. If Jeline fails, we will be in for a siege. He wondered if the sovereign, as he had been referred to, would get a notification about the change. As he had that thought another System message answered the question for him.

  [All citizens of the Kingdom of Liontooth have received your challenge.]

  [Alert. You are in contested territory]

  “Uh No’Ah, did you see that?” Ta’Ku asked, shifting nervously.

  “Yeah. I did.” Noah said with a grimace. The doors to the throne room burst open and Di’Ma came sprinting in.

  “We may have a problem!” He shouted. “There are a lot of beasts on their way here. They were already just outside the gates with the System message came through.” Noah shot to his feet, suddenly claustrophobic from the lack of additional doors or windows.

  “We need to get out of here! We can find a back exit once we leave the throne room!” He sprinted for the door but found his path barred as several beasts pushed their way in. Think. He extended his domain and took in the mess of bodies that filled the hallway. He sidestepped the first attack and retaliated with his hammer, only paying partial attention as he considered their options. None of the beasts were wearing armor, meaning they weren’t guards, and the fact that they remained in the city could mean they were crafters. He slammed his spike into the head of the charging boar-man. It went down squealing and breathed its last. They aren’t fighters. We can weather this.

  “To me!” He shouted, rallying his tribe. He could sense the increasing numbers in the hall, and his heartbeat quickened.

  “We have to hold the door! The chokepoint is our only hope.” He yelled. The others were already on top of it, forming a semi-circle around the opening. A cacophony of roars filled the throne room as they mowed down the horde pouring through.

  Jeline, you better win.