The gates of the Obsidian Spire slammed shut behind Reed, their echo rolling like a war drum.
He didn't look back.
But he could feel the eyes—hundreds of them. Lords, Heroes, assassins in training, spymasters behind masks. The wolves had seen the wound in the system—and the one who bit it.
He could feel the world shifting. Blood had been promised. Now they waited for it to spill.
They hadn't gone a mile from the Spire when the offer came.
A raven landed on Reed's shoulder. Its eyes glowed dull blue. A message was burned into its feathers, etched like scars.
"We have no crowns. But we see clearly. Let us speak."— Lord Maul of Ashendusk
Shia raised an eyebrow. "Ashendusk is dead territory. Or so they claim."
Reed plucked the raven's head clean off and tossed the twitching body aside. "Then let's go see what the dead want."
They found the camp that night—a circle of broken stones, bonfires burning green, and figures in masks made of bark and bone. At its center stood Lord Maul, a man with no eyes. His face was wrapped in silk, his skin blotched and raw.
He spoke with a voice like crackling parchment. "You reek of change."
Reed didn't waste time. "You called me. Speak."
Maul nodded once. "You challenged the Council and lived. That's rare. They don't like rare."
"I don't care."
Maul chuckled wetly. "Neither do I. That's why I offer you this—"
He extended a gloved hand.
"A pact. Mutual aid. You keep your Hollow. I keep my swamps. We share blood, secrets… targets."
Reed didn't shake.
Instead, he asked, "Why now?"
Maul didn't flinch. "Because the system is breaking. You cracked the first stone. Others will follow. I intend to be on the right side of the rubble."
"What do you want from me?"
"Protection. Witness. Alliance. When the war begins, I don't want to be alone."
Reed thought for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"I accept."
Information Sharing: Active
Joint Raid Access: Enabled
Alliance Trait Gained: "Black Tongue"— Your words carry dread. Intimidation success chance increased by 30% when dealing with low-Loyalty lords.
Shia whispered, "You're building your own Council."
Reed whispered back, "I'm building its replacement."
Later that night, they sat around a fire built from rotwood and bones. Maul's scribes passed Reed dossiers—stolen notes, intercepted messages.
Names surfaced again and again:
Lord Hadren Thorne — obvious. Dangerous. Noble. Enraged.
Lord Kheldrin — devout zealot. Commanding a Hero with holy fire. Obsessed with Reed's "corruption."
Lady Marseth of Halspire — poisoner, manipulator. Rumored to have control over undead.
Lord Halveth — neutral in words, lethal in silence. Too calm.
Maul tapped Marseth's name. "She wants you caged, not killed. Thinks she can learn from you."
"I'll send her a lesson in bone," Reed said.
Through Maul, Reed learned the unspoken rules of advanced lordship.
"Domain wars," Maul said, "are rituals wrapped in System logic. A fight, yes, but also a test. The System adapts. Rewards unpredictability. Punishes stagnation."
"Is it alive?"
"No," Maul said. "Worse. It remembers."
He showed Reed an old scroll—yellowed, written in a long-dead tongue. Symbols similar to the Bloodcode glowed faintly in the corners.
"It feeds off conflict," Maul said. "Lords like you—like us—are fuel."
Reed's eyes narrowed. "Then we burn brighter than anyone else."
In the early hours before dawn, Shia approached Reed.
"There's more," she said.
She handed him a scrap of red cloth embroidered with silver thread.
"Found it in Maul's tent. Crest of Halspire. Marseth's court."
"You think he's playing both sides?"
"I know it."
Reed stood, bones cracking with the motion.
"I don't blame him. Rats always eat what's dying."
He picked up the scroll Maul had shown him earlier—and set it on fire.
Then he walked toward the swamp's edge.
"Let him watch. Let him wonder. But if he thinks I'm prey..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
Back at Goblin's Hollow, the sky cracked open.
A flare burned blood-red above the forest canopy.
The System flared in Reed's mind:
[Domain Clash Countdown: 3 Days Remaining]Opponent: Lord Hadren Thorne
Lord's Level: 14Hero: Sylvan Knight (A-Rank)
Intelligence Report: Hadren has begun troop consolidation and magical warding of outer defenses. Estimated forces: 120. Including cavalry.
Victory Condition Reminder: Death or Surrender
As the last embers of Maul's fire died out, Shia turned to Reed.
"What now?"
Reed walked to the cliff overlooking the Hollow. The goblins below looked up—waiting, hungry.
"Their armies grow," he said.
"Then so must ours."
He reached into the System Interface.
New Upgrade Available: Forbidden Ritual: Spawn of HollowCost: 300 EXPDescription: Sacrifice 5 goblins. Birth 1 Hollowspawn.Rank: ???Warning: Unstable. May rebel. May obey.
Shia stared at the screen.
"You'd sacrifice your own?"
Reed's voice was calm. "I'm not sacrificing."
He hovered over Confirm.
"I'm creating monsters to kill kings."
Then he pressed Yes.