“Release my people or die.” In that moment, Noah didn’t allow his rage to bleed into his words, instead, he stared intently into the king’s eyes. The illusion of the elf stared back unwaveringly, but Noah didn’t miss the twitch in the true king’s eye.

  “Who do you think you are to threaten me!” Balkendar shouted. “I am the king of this territory, and I will have you bow just like that woman you claimed at the beginning!” Noah choked on the rage that refused to stay down any longer. Without offering a reply, he drew the massive sword from his back and launched forward. There was a brief moment of shock as the king took in Noah’s actions before the illusory world warped around him. Hundreds of swords swarmed him like killer bees and Noah lost sight of the king as his body began to brace for the incoming carnage. His domain never lost sight of the frail elf however, and Noah forced his body to obey his commands, sprinting straight through the swords as they pierced his flesh. To his surprise, a sensation awfully similar to pain shot through his body with each additional sword. A spike of concern flashed through his mind as his eyes pleaded with him to take his injuries seriously.

  It was only his perception of the grinning king that allowed him to shrug off the concern. Balkendar’s laughing eyes began to widen as Noah closed the distance, raising the greatsword into a ready position. The king’s feeble body began to move, his eyes darting for a path of escape. Noah’s arrival cut that idea short, and the whistle of the enchanted blade was the last sound Balkendar heard before his head and shoulders fell away from his torso.

  [10,000 XP Gained.]

  [Territory Contested.]

  [Claim Territory?]

  The smell of burnt flesh made Noah’s eyes water and a scream from the far side of the room brought him back to the present. Messages later. Across the room, Delia stared in horror at the fallen king and began chanting in some foreign tongue. Noah knew enough not to let such blatant signs of magic go unaddressed, so he raced across the now very barren room. He managed to bulldoze into her before her magic took effect, his shoulder crunching something in her light frame before sending her flying through the doors. The guards outside were already lying in pools of blood, along with several other elven bodies. Recter stood over Delia’s body and drove his spear through her heart.

  [333 XP Gained.]

  Huh. I expected more.

  “How did it go?” Ta’Ku asked as he came into view from one of the adjoining hallways.

  “Quick and easy. Part of me feels I got carried away, but then I remember what he did.” Noah shrugged.

  “Any trouble out here?” He asked. Both of his companions shook their heads.

  “Most of them were incredibly weak. Even their magic seemed unimpressive.” Recter commented. Ta’Ku nodded in agreement.

  “Once you got past the illusions it really wasn’t much of a fight. Even the guards were magic-focused. Seems like a pretty big oversight on their part.” Ta’Ku added.

  “Considering how effective it was against the others, I’m guessing they got cocky.” Noah surmised. Ta’Ku grunted.

  “What should we do with the rest of the city?” Recter asked. Before Noah could respond, Ta’Ku jumped in.

  “I say we kill them if they don’t swear oaths.” Noah looked at the orc as if seeing him for the first time.

  “Kill them or make them slaves? Really?” Noah questioned. Ta’Ku shrugged.

  “What else would we do with them? It seems clear that they are willing to enslave your people for their own gain. Killing them would be the merciful option in my book.” Ta’Ku added. Recter nodded sagely as he poked an elf with his spear.

  “Ta’Ku is right. They can’t be trusted, especially with their choice of magic. As soon as we leave they would fool the humans again.” Recter said. Noah sighed. Certain sentiments had been ingrained into him, thoughts like ‘give them the benefit of the doubt’ warred with the knowledge that his choice could doom his people to even worse fates.

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  “I think you may be right. It was not a line I wanted to cross, but maybe I was just being naive. Are you guys ready to break the news to the populus?” He asked. His companions grinned and grabbed their weapons. They made their way to the front entrance, and Noah paused to accept the prompt he had received.

  [Territory Claimed.]

  [Your Territory Has Expanded.]

  Noah still didn’t fully understand what owning a territory did, but he had a feeling that he would have to find out sooner than later. If it was anything like last time, everyone in the kingdom would have received a notification of the change. The three left the wooden mansion and strode through the barren courtyard. Shouting could be heard ahead, so they gripped their weapons in preparation. Several unarmed elves were bunched near the gates, gesturing wildly as they questioned the guards.

  “Is the king really dead?”

  “Why are you just standing there? Go check on the king!”

  “You saw the System message, there’s nothing to be done about it now.”

  More shouting erupted until the first of the group spotted Noah approaching. Covered in blood as they were, it didn’t take long for them to connect the dots.

  “It's the king killers!” Someone shouted, pointing a long bony finger in their direction. Noah raised his greatsword as the first elf ran toward them. He began to swing the enchanted blade, but instead of attacking, the elf threw himself to the ground and Noah stopped the blade short. He stared down at the prostrate elf with a frown, glancing at the others for confirmation that he was actually seeing right. They shrugged. Noah heard a sob coming from the ground.

  “What are you doing?” Noah asked.

  “You saved us! You killed the mad king! We’re free!” the man cried. Noah’s frown deepend, he hadn’t been expecting this kind of response. He focused on his domain but found everything as it appeared.

  “Shouldn’t you be angry?” Noah questioned. The elf looked up at him with confusion plain on his face.

  “How could I be angry? We were enslaved to an insane tyrant only moments ago, but now we are free! You saved us!” he protested.

  “What do you mean you were enslaved? Your people seemed happy enough to disparage mine,” Noah demanded. Recter stepped forward, however, and interjected.

  “What was your oath?” he asked. The elf gave a small nod.

  “Our oath was to gladly give our lives in service to the king. We were happy to serve him. In our homeworld, he was a good king, but that changed here. We did not know what the oaths meant when we swore them. That we…” the elf trailed off.

  “You had to obey and be happy about it.” Recter stated, matter of factly. The elf nodded slowly, a look of shame crossing his face.

  “We–I did things I am not proud of.” He paused as Recter held out his hand, pulling the elf to his feet.

  “It wasn’t you. The oaths warp your mind… I was also a slave not long ago, but you are free now.” Recter told the man. Noah was unsure how to feel about the development; it would have been easier in some ways if the elves were his enemies. He looked at Recter.

  “Are you suggesting we change our plan?” He asked. Recter shook his head.

  “There’s more than one kind of oath. Ours will be fair.” He explained. The elf’s countenance fell.

  “You are making us swear an oath?” he asked, clearly disturbed. Recter looked to Noah for permission to continue. He nodded.

  “An oath of non-aggression toward those in our kingdom. Self-defense excluded, you will not be permitted to act against any of our citizens. If you are unwilling to make this oath, we will kill you.” Recter stated. The elf, along with several of the others who had moved closer, frowned as they considered their new position.

  “Can we join your kingdom?” The man finally asked. Recter smiled like he had been expecting this.

  “You may,” he replied. Noah was surprised to see the wave of relief that passed across their features. In their position, he would have bolted for the hills.

  “Do you only practice illusion magic?” Noah asked as the thought came to mind. The gathered elves shared an uneasy laugh before a woman stepped forward from the crowd.

  “No, many of us are skilled in archery and crafting. The king ordered us to abandon such lesser pursuits, though. We were only permitted to use illusion magic, so many of us were left defenseless against real threats.” she explained. Noah grimaced. It was even worse than he expected; this order would have also meant that they were unable to level, given the System’s odd way of assigning XP. No wonder they didn’t travel up the mountain. Perhaps he had misjudged the elves as a whole. Noah stepped forward, getting everyone’s attention.

  “In one hour, we will have the oath-swearing ceremony. Please spread the word and have everyone gather here. If you flee, you will be considered an enemy of the kingdom and will be killed on sight.”