Lord of the Foresaken

The air was thick with tension. Blood pooled at Reed's feet, bodies cooling on the cold stone floor. The nobles stood frozen, too stunned to act.

Then the grand mage moved.

He raised his staff, golden light swirling around it as he gathered mana. "You were nothing but a mistake," he spat. "A criminal should never have been granted lordship! I'll—"

Shia moved first.

Before the spell could be cast, she was already on him. Her dagger flashed, aimed straight for the old man's heart.

A shimmering barrier flared to life.

Her blade bounced off.

Reed clicked his tongue. Damn. He had expected that. The mage wasn't weak—he was the one overseeing the entire ceremony.

Shia flipped backward, landing beside Reed. "Magic barrier," she said calmly. "He's not an easy kill."

Reed smirked. "Didn't think he would be."

The grand mage straightened, his eyes burning with rage. "You're nothing but filth," he hissed. "You think breaking the rules makes you powerful? You are just a rat pretending to be a king."

Reed's fingers twitched. He could feel the weight of all the nobles' gazes, the horror in their eyes. They weren't looking at a lord. They were looking at a monster.

Good.

"Enough of this," the grand mage growled. He lifted his staff, and the air around Reed froze.

[Skill Activated: Arcane Binding]

Invisible chains wrapped around Reed's limbs. His body stiffened, locked in place.

"Kill him," the mage commanded.

The remaining guards hesitated. Fear. They had seen Reed and Shia carve through their comrades in seconds. But an order was an order. They raised their swords and stepped forward.

Shia tensed. She could probably take out one before they reached Reed, but not all of them.

Reed clenched his teeth. He needed a way out. Fast.

Then he remembered.

His summon.

When he became a lord, he wasn't just given a hero. He was given a summoning ability. Every lord could call forth creatures tied to their domain. It was what made them powerful.

Most nobles summoned knights, warriors, legendary beasts.

But Reed?

He was the Goblin Lord.

His mouth curled into a grin.

"Summon," he whispered. "Goblins."

A portal of sickly green light cracked open behind him.

The hall fell silent.

Then, with guttural screeches, twenty goblins crawled out of the portal.

The nobles staggered back in disgust.

Pathetic. Weak. Barely more than vermin.

But Reed didn't need them to be strong. He needed chaos.

"Kill everyone but me and Shia," Reed ordered.

The goblins screamed and rushed forward.

Panic exploded through the hall.