“Sorry, what was that?” Asked an incredulous Noah, staring open-mouthed at the giant red bull. The prostrating bull stood back up and met Noah’s gaze.

  “Ahem. I was apologizing, for attacking you. I did not properly ascertain your capabilities and assumed you were another one of the fodder.” Goliath explained. Noah nodded.

  “I see. So let me get this straight. You are apologizing because I am too strong to kill easily and you want to call off the battle?” he asked. The bull nodded emphatically.

  “Exactly!” Goliath exclaimed. Noah rubbed his temples, taken completely off guard by the development.

  “I believe we can agree to end our fighting. What is your name?” Noah asked.

  “Very good, very good,” the bull said, his head bobbing in satisfaction. “My name is Goliath and this is my herd. Who are you, human?” he replied.

  “Its… Good to meet you, Goliath. I am Noah, sovereign of Ro’Kar, a nearby territory across the realm boundary.” Noah explained. Goliath’s eyes went wide and he once more assumed a posture of penitence.

  “I am so sorry, Your Grace!” he shouted. “I had no idea that you were a ruler in the upper realm! Please don’t enslave my people!” Goliath begged. Noah’s frown grew as he considered the bull’s words.

  “Why would I enslave you?” He asked.

  “Ah. We are not even worthy of being your slaves… Please spare us then, we won’t cause any more trouble!” Goliath cried.

  “What, no! I wouldn’t enslave you because I don’t like slavery. I only take willing citizens into my kingdom.” Noah refuted. The bull’s eyebrows rose along with his head.

  “Truly? Then you are opposed to the tyrant deer’s ways? I assumed every ruler was like her.” Goliath mused.

  “Eh, yes. I find her ways repulsive. She enslaved one of my friends and I will not allow such practices in my lands. We are currently allies, however, as our lands are neighboring and it pays to have someone watching your back.” Noah explained. He didn’t know why he was sharing so much with his enemy of moments prior but he found it oddly refreshing to speak with the bull.

  “That is such a relief to hear. I have been looking for a kingdom that I could join ever since my first brother dueled the maleficent deer and became her eternal slave. May we join your kingdom then?” Goliath asked. Noah was stunned into baffled silence, his jaw working like an automatic door.

  “You want to join my kingdom?” He finally managed. The bull nodded.

  “Yes, is that too presumptuous? We would do our best to earn our keep!” Goliath said. Noah’s mind raced as he considered the possibility. Beasts in my kingdom? It shouldn’t be a problem…

  “I am willing to allow you to join, but first I have to make it clear that you will have to swear an oath of loyalty just like every other member of my kingdom. It is not like Jeline’s but will require you to swear non-aggression to others within the kingdom. You will be allowed to leave as you wish, but you would never be allowed to rejoin.” Noah cautioned. Goliath appeared to mull over his words.

  “That sounds reasonable. What of my brothers, will they be able to join as well?” he asked. Noah was about to agree when a piece of history jumped into his mind. In medieval times it had been common for kingdoms to take on subordinate groups as vassal states who held some amount of autonomy while still being loyal to the greater power. Would the system allow that? It would certainly make things easier. Though I wonder if I will gain one follower or all of them. He figured it was worth trying, and found Goliath and his herd to be the perfect case study.

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  “Goliath, you and your herd will become a vassal clan of my kingdom. I will give you land of your own, that you will be required to develop and protect. You will be allowed to expand into new territory as you wish but will remain subject to my authority. Does that sound amenable?” Noah asked. Goliath nodded slowly.

  “That sounds too good to be true. Why would you allow that?” Goliath asked.

  “I do not wish to manage your every action, but I must expand my kingdom. It is better for me if you can accomplish my goals in a way that is satisfactory to us both without constant oversight. With the loyalty oath I know you will work in my best interests, so that concern isn’t applicable. It is like a pyramid scheme, except you also get what you want!” Noah said, holding back the chuckle that threatened to escape. In this case, it really was similar to the multi-level marketing business he had seen on Earth. Perhaps with the right motivation he could get more of his people to grow their own kingdoms while also growing his. If I have ten Bronze vassals, would that make me silver?

  If Goliath understood what his references met, he showed no sign of discomfort at the concept and appeared only excited about the prospect.

  “I agree to this! How do we proceed?” Goliath asked. Noah then explained the oath Goliath would swear to, changing the words to reflect the change in the contract. He would swear fealty on behalf of his clan as a whole, to include all future members in perpetuity. The trio of stunned onlookers watched in wonderment as their enemies cowed in the face of their leader, and they whispered amongst themselves, debating the frequency in which Noah received this kind of treatment.

  “... I Goliath do swear, by the System.” he finished.

  [Vassal state acquired. Unnamed state {621 followers}.]

  [Followers: 3312 / 10,000.]

  Noah smiled as he read the notification. The number had gone up since he last looked, reflecting the addition of the human settlement and perhaps some of the scattered elves, as well as his newest citizens. He was making good headway on his goal and was feeling rather satisfied at that moment.

  “Is it done?” Goliath asked, looking at Noah in anticipation. Noah nodded.

  “It is. Are your people ready to find their new home?” he asked. Goliath agreed and the group started toward the boundary. Cattle acquired.

  Another week passed before they reached the border and Noah was pleased to see that the temporary village that his tribe had lived in was now empty, perhaps allowed to remain as a staging point for future parties traveling to the kingdom. On the outskirts of the city Noah found a sign that was obviously meant for him.

  It read ‘Northwest, two weeks’ with an arrow pointing in that direction. He spoke briefly with Goliath, explaining that they would rest for the night before starting again the following morning. He joined his companions who had already busied themselves with a fire. A large slab of meat roasted on a spit, giving off an intoxicating aroma. While he had been unsure about Goliath’s reaction, the bull had assured him that it was only right to make the most use of his fallen brothers. Noah lost all sense of guilt when he took the first bite, letting out a moan as he tore into mouthwatering beef. The others had been somewhat reserved after the battle, and Noah chalked it up to the shock of their first true near-death exposure. That or the whiplash of having your enemies become your friends in a moment. Now provided with a moment of rest and a hearty portion of warm food, lips were finally loosed.

  “Noah, how did you do that?” Kyle asked. Noah’s head tilted in confusion and Kyle explained. “How did you make the bulls turn to your side? They could have killed us! You said so yourself.” Noah shrugged.

  “From what I gathered, Goliath didn’t find the potential losses worth it, so he tried diplomacy. It was a smart way for him to acheive his goal too, I certainly didn’t consider diplomacy as an option.” Noah mused. Kyle just stared at him.

  “Doesn’t that seem crazy to you?” he asked. Noah made a ‘so-so’ gesture with his hands.

  “Honestly, that doesn’t even come close to what I consider crazy anymore. I am just happy that we’re alive to think about it!” Noah laughed, finding his humor not quite connecting with the others.

  “I see why Recter called you the most worthy.” Jergin said with a sigh. Gerald nodded in agreement.

  “Terrifying as well. Your enemies bow before you and jump on the chance to join your ranks. Balkendar never stood a chance.” Gerald muttered. The tension broke as a reluctant chuckle came from the three, sounding like shell-shocked soldiers who decided to move forward. Noah departed from the group after a couple hours had passed and found a quiet corner for himself. He took a clean cloth from his pack and dutifully polished his hammer until it sparkled again. Part of him knew that it would be natural to be shaken after their experience, but he wasn't. It was the same way he felt about the overwhelming odds before them as if no matter what came their way, everything would work itself out in the end.