Apocalypse: Starting With Three Unique Blessings-Chapter 29: Dealing With Gaylord (3)

"The Lord’s Seal," Kragnir breathed, his eyes fixed on the artifact in Magnus’s hand. Realization dawned – the royal robes, the preparations... but then, a crucial detail struck him.

"But Lord Magnus, you know I can’t use that thing," Kragnir voiced his apprehension.

He was right. He couldn’t use it. No ordinary being could.

The Lord’s Seal wasn’t just an object. It was the coalesced energy of a territory, a physical manifestation of the land itself within the world of Aetherium. Each territory, upon its creation, formed a Seal, which persisted until the territory’s destruction. And if a Lord’s Seal was destroyed, the territory it represented became meaningless, losing its ability to progress through trials, to level up, to receive the divine blessings that nourished its growth and the prosperity of its inhabitants. In essence, the territory became utterly useless.

Beyond that fundamental truth, there was a more specific reason why Kragnir couldn’t wield the Seal: the binding process. To control a territory, a lord had to bind their very soul to the Lord’s Seal. This was no simple ritual. It was a grueling, agonizing ordeal that demanded immense spiritual strength, a strength so great that only those with exceptionally powerful souls, often otherworlders, could endure it.

"I know you can’t use it," Magnus replied, his voice calm and direct. "I didn’t expect you to. You simply need to hold it until I find a more suitable leader."

"Oh, I see," Kragnir mumbled, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face.

Magnus noticed the shift in Kragnir’s demeanor, but it didn’t concern him. He had other matters on his mind. The sun was climbing higher, and morning was fast approaching.

’Time for a show,’ Magnus mused, a wicked glint flashing in his eyes as he gazed into the distance.

-----

The rising sun heralded the start of a new day for the goblins of the Gaylordia territory. As the first rays of light pierced the darkness, the goblins began to stir, preparing for their daily routines. But their preparations were abruptly interrupted by a resounding clangor, a sound that echoed through the territory, a sound they knew all too well: the emergency meeting signal. A signal rarely heard, reserved only for the most dire of circumstances.

"What’s going on?" one goblin muttered, echoing the thoughts of every goblin in Gaylordia. Anxiety and curiosity gnawed at them as they quickly donned their clothes and hurried towards the meeting place in front of their leader’s building.

Every single goblin – men, women, children – abandoned their morning routines and converged on the designated spot. Those still asleep were jolted awake by the insistent clangor, and they too joined the throng. But as they approached, their expressions shifted from curiosity to shock, and then to outright horror.

Standing before them were three figures: two human one of them radiating a powerful aura, clearly an Awakened, and a goblin dressed in royal robes, a goblin they all recognized as Kragnir.

’But wasn’t Kragnir imprisoned by their lord for defiance?’ The thought echoed through the gathering. They stared at Kragnir, standing beside the Awakened human, confusion and fear swirling within them. Where were their leaders? What was happening?

Then their gazes fell upon something at the corner of the large building, something that sent a chill of terror down their spines.

A long, sharpened stake had been driven into the ground. Impaled upon it were the severed heads of goblins, seventeen in all, their eyes wide with the terror they had experienced in their final moments.

As the goblins peered closer, they began to recognize the faces. There were the five commanders, Kroggs, several captains, and other high-ranking members of their society. The leaders they had been searching for were dead, their heads displayed like gruesome trophies. Horror gripped the crowd. Parents shielded the eyes of their young ones, protecting them from the macabre spectacle.

Magnus stood before the crowd, his gaze calm and observant, cataloging the myriad of emotions flitting across their faces: fear, horror, confusion, and a complex tapestry of other feelings.

The arriving goblins, paralyzed by the gruesome sight before them, remained silent. This was certainly not what they had anticipated when they heard the emergency meeting signal. They knew they were under some kind of attack by the human standing before them, but the why remained a mystery. Curiosity warred with terror as they tried to anticipate what would happen next.

More and more goblins arrived, filling the area to capacity. Some seemed poised to attack, but the presence of the Awakened human beside Magnus gave them pause. The situation was too unpredictable, too shrouded in uncertainty. They simply didn’t know what was going on.

As time passed and the crowd swelled, a murmur of hushed conversations rippled through the throng.

"Is that Commander Grugg’s head on the stake?" a newly arrived goblin asked, his gaze fixed on the grisly display with a mixture of horror and disbelief.

"Not just his," another goblin muttered, his face pale. "Looks like every high-ranking official in the territory is up there."

"Who did this?" the first goblin asked, his voice trembling.

"Must have been that human. He killed them all," a scrawny but muscular goblin, clearly a Gaylordia soldier, spat out, his voice laced with anger.

"Who is he? What does he want?" another goblin questioned.

Silence descended as no one seemed to have an answer. Then, the soldier’s eyes widened in sudden recognition.

"I know him! I knew his face was familiar! I recognize him now," he exclaimed, pointing at Magnus. "He’s the young lord of the Lancaster territory, Magnum, or whatever his name is."

The revelation hit the crowd like a thunderbolt, leaving them stunned and bewildered.

"The young lord of Lancaster? Wasn’t he gravely injured in the ambush a week ago by our men?"

"He doesn’t look injured. He looks perfectly fine."

"What’s he doing here?"

"Probably here for revenge."

"He has an Awakened human with him. How is that possible?"

"What’s Kragnir doing with him? Is he with them? Did he betray our territory?"

"That traitor! I always knew he wasn’t to be trusted. No wonder Lord Gaylord had him imprisoned."

"Speaking of which, where is Lord Gaylord?"

The question hung in the air, unanswered. They could see the heads of all their high-ranking officials, but not Gaylord’s. Where was he? 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Questions piled upon questions as they speculated about his whereabouts.

Magnus stood before them, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. With their short stature, he could easily see over them, even without a raised platform. He watched as they murmured amongst themselves, the crowd continuing to grow until it seemed the entire goblin population had assembled. He remained unfazed, unconcerned by the possibility of an attack. This was one of the advantages of dealing with intelligent races who weren’t driven solely by brute force. They were assessing the situation before making a move.

Finally, as the influx of goblins dwindled to a trickle, Magnus decided it was time to speak. He raised a hand, silencing the murmuring throng. His voice, when he spoke, was loud and clear, carrying to every corner of the assembled mass.

"Goblins of Gaylordia," he began, his tone cold and hard. "I am Magnus Lancaster, and I stand before you today not as a conqueror, but as an executioner."

A wave of unease rippled through the crowd. Goblins shifted nervously, but none dared interrupt. Magnus gestured to the gruesome display of impaled heads, green blood still dripping from the freshly severed necks.

"These," he continued, his voice dripping with contempt, "were your leaders. They, along with the men of your territory, ambushed my father and his men, betraying the alliance they had sworn. They stabbed us in the back, slaughtered our soldiers in cold blood, left me for dead, and inflicted immense suffering upon my people. They believed themselves cunning, they believed themselves strong. They were wrong."

He paused, letting the gravity of his words sink in. He saw the fear in their eyes, the dawning realization of their precarious situation.

"They offered us no mercy," Magnus stated, his voice rising in intensity, "no quarter, no chance for surrender. They chose death, and they received it. Now, I offer you a choice they denied us."

He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across the multitude. "Surrender. Renounce your allegiance to this broken territory, and swear fealty to me. Do this, and you will live. Defy me, and you will join your leaders on those spikes."

A louder murmur, this time laced with shock and disbelief, arose from the crowd. They stared at each other, struggling to comprehend what they had just heard.

Magnus stood silently, his expression calm and stoic, observing the crowd as he waited for their decision.

Suddenly, a single goblin stepped forward, his face grim and resolute. He drew his sword, pointing it directly at Magnus.

"Why would we comply?" the goblin challenged, his voice filled with determination. "Why wouldn’t we just attack you right here and now?"

Even with the Awakened human at Magnus’s side, the goblin reasoned, there were only two of them. With their overwhelming numbers, the goblins believed they could easily overcome them. Judging by the expressions on the faces of the other goblins, they seemed to agree.

Magnus met their defiant gazes, a slow grin spreading across his face. "That’s a good question," he replied. "However, before you do anything rash, I suggest you send one of your men to check what awaits you outside the territory walls, should you choose to refuse my offer." His grin widened.