Lord of the Foresaken

The fortress hall was silent except for the drip of blood.

Bodies of noble guards lay sprawled across the floor, torn apart by goblins. The war table, once a place of strategy and planning, was stained with the blood of its former owners.

And at the center of it all, Reed stood, waiting.

The remaining lords—**Velka, Darin, and two others—**were frozen, their minds racing between two instincts: fight or submit.

Reed saw the fear in their eyes.

He enjoyed it.

Lord Darin, the armored noble, clenched his fists.

"You expect us to kneel?" His voice was shaking, but whether from rage or fear, even he didn't know. "To a Goblin Lord?"

Reed's smirk widened.

"No," he said. "I expect the smart ones to kneel. The stupid ones?"

He gestured to Ervan's severed head on the table. "They end up like that."

Velka's silver eyes darkened.

She wasn't an idiot.

She was calculating. Watching. Measuring Reed's power.

Finally, she exhaled. "You'll let us live if we kneel?"

Reed tilted his head. "Live? Yes."

Then his grin turned cold.

"But you won't be lords anymore. You'll be mine."

A ripple of dread passed through the room.

Darin's face twisted in rage. "You're nothing but a monster!" he spat. "You think we'll just—"

Shia moved before he could finish.

A blur. A dagger. A single, precise cut.

Lord Darin staggered back, clutching his slit throat. He choked, gasped, and collapsed into his own pool of blood.

Silence.

Reed barely blinked.

He looked at the remaining lords. "Any more speeches?"

No one answered.

Velka dropped to one knee first. She bowed her head, swallowing her pride. "I submit," she whispered.

The other two followed immediately.

Reed stepped forward, placing a hand on Velka's bowed head. Like a king knighting a knight.

"Good girl," he murmured.

Velka tensed, but didn't resist.

Reed turned to the others. "You all serve me now." His voice was calm but absolute. "Your armies. Your lands. Your wealth."

He grinned.

"You're part of the Goblin Lord's empire."

A system message flickered before his eyes.

[You Have Subjugated Multiple Lords!]

[New Title Earned: Tyrant of the Wilds]

[Access to New Resources Unlocked]

Reed exhaled slowly.

Step by step, his kingdom of monsters was growing.

And soon, the entire world would kneel before him.

Or die screaming.