Derricks" first target was the village Lacha had pointed out. Its name was Okko and it was located a few kilometers away from Akata. Due to the thick forest, they rarely had any interactions due to the lack of roads.It gave Derrick a little headache because when he was done conquering them, he would make them relocate to Akata. To achieve this, he would have to conquer all four villages and make them regroup before leading them home.
"System, show me my stats"
It had been awhile since he looked, and he was curious about the complete interface after the upgrades.
What appeared was two tabs. They were sleek and pleasing to look at. He was worried his mind would become a mess of information that spread everywhere in an incoherent manner. He had underestimated the system again.
[Derrick Tarlin Stats]
[Empire (Capitals, Cities, Towns, Villages)]
He had already seen the empire tab, so he selected his personal stats.
[Derrick Tarlin, 10 years old]
[Cla.s.s : Necromancer]
[Strength : 10.2]
[Agility : 8.5]
[Endurance : 10.8]
[Vitality : 7.2]
[Magic Power : 15.5]
[Traits : Enhanced Body, Enhanced Vision, Death"s Valet, Gluttony, Aphrodite"s Blessing, Language Guru (Language Database)]
[Skills : Superior Appraisal, Contract (2/3), Summoning (2/2), Master Craftsman, Submission, Death Warrior, Empire Professionals (0/10) *Concerns the Scholars (0/2), Blacksmiths (0/2), Researchers (0/2), Generals (0/2) and Ministers (0/2)*]
He was ecstatic with his progress, and he was sure that he was the strongest fighter in the region. Of course, he knew that he was only a frog at the bottom of a well compared to his neighbors, but it was a start.
If he managed to pa.s.s under their radars long enough, he would be able to maneuver himself out of many precarious situations. That"s why he needed to conquer explosively and quickly.
After a few minutes of flight, he arrived at Okko. He didn"t need to be discreet anymore, so he asked Io to dive right at the center of the village.
The villagers below saw a beast that was half eagle, half bat. They all started screaming and running everywhere in panic. The soldiers were shocked and struggled to organize themselves in front of this new threat.
*BANG*
Io landed violently on the ground and dirt flew everywhere, hiding the invader. When the thick cloud of dirt finally thinned, they could see a man standing next to the beast, waiting. He looked nonchalantly around as if everything in his field of view was already his property.
The chieftain of the village had rushed to the commotion and a look of outrage and worry appeared on his face.
"My name is Atta! Who dares invading our village?! Identify yourself!"
Derrick was pleased. The reaction of this village had been way better than Akata. They were careful and didn"t rush to their deaths.
"Greetings, chief Atta! My name"s Derrick Tarlin. I come today asking for your surrender"
The chieftain was stunned. The person in front of him was certainly mentally ill. He was surrounded with no way out, and he was the one asking for their surrender?! Absolute nonsense!
However, Atta was feeling wary. He knew the person in front of them couldn"t be simple, and he didn"t want to be responsible for the death of his soldiers. He had to find a way to identify the intruder and his strength.
Seeing their dilemma, Derrick decided that he should "incentivize" their choice.
"Summon!"
The ground lightly shook and dark plasma started seeping out. A moment later, 33 portals appeared and armed skeletons started slowly coming out, their eyes piercing the souls of the soldiers present.
"You... You"re... a... Necromancer..."
Atta couldn"t believe it... The feeling of dread had invaded every single pore of his body... He had heard tales of their blood-l.u.s.t and dark arts. He never thought he would meet one in this backwater place.
"I didn"t come today to slaughter every one of you, but I will if you don"t submit to me. I"ve already conquered Akata, so please don"t make this harder than it has to"
Hearing this, Atta was even more stunned. Akata had already fallen?! He knew their previous chieftain, and he was weaker than him, which meant he didn"t stand a chance if he fought here.
"I see... What do you want from us?"
Atta had already seen the soldiers" expressions around him, and he knew they were terrified. They clearly didn"t want to die, so fighting was pointless. He needed to negotiate the best terms for his people.
"It"s simple. Pack up your valuables and everything you need and wait for me. In a day, I want everyone to be gathered here and ready to leave. We will move to Akata"
Atta gasped and realized what was happening. He was no fool. The man in front of him was gathering the villages around to make a more powerful ent.i.ty. He didn"t yet know to what end, but just knowing the gist of it was enough for now.
Derrick liked this chieftain. First, he didn"t need to kill the soldiers, which he badly needed. Although he would have to retrain them all as they were way too cowardly to be useful. Second, he could see him weigh the pros and cons of what he was offering.
Who didn"t like to have a smart man under him?
"I"ll make this clear, if anyone tries to flee, you"ll all die. No exceptions. I don"t have the time to babysit. You"ll be in charge of convincing the villagers. I"ll explain everything in detail when I"m back"
Derrick jumped on Io and took off again. He had left as fast as he had arrived.
***
The confused populace then surrounded the soldiers and bombarded them with questions. Atta was the one to calm them down and answered.
"Everyone, gather everything you need. We"ll be leaving tomorrow... I know this is sudden and you might not understand, but it"s for our survival. So please, do as I say. Everything will be explained tomorrow"
All the villagers were wary, but they trusted their leader and proceeded. Atta turned to his soldiers and gave them orders.
"Make sure n.o.body leaves... We can"t afford to offend this man..."
***
The next 3 villages were located 1 kilometer South of Okko, and they were in a cl.u.s.ter, which greatly affected Derricks" strategy. He thought he would be able to go on a rampage and gain new undead soldiers, but the chieftain had thrown a wrench in his plans.
As such, he needed to be swift and decisive. He couldn"t let them see any weakness, or they would take him for a fool. Derrick"s gaze turned malicious. It was time to stretch a bit.
As soon as he arrived, he dove with Io and landed in the same fas.h.i.+on as before, the cloud of dust hiding his every movement.
He was also met with a similar contingent. However, before they could even see their enemy, Derrick had already pounced.
The enemy soldiers saw nothing, but they heard an ear-piercing screech. They suddenly had violent gooseb.u.mps because they thought that that scream was their chieftain.
Haha, it couldn"t be, right? Their strongest fighter couldn"t produce a sound like that... Right?!
When the dust settled, they saw the most gruesome scene of their lives. Their leaders" head... was in the hands of the invader. A face of shock and terror remained on his face. They started trembling violently and some even fell to their knees.
"As you can see, I didn"t bother with the introductions..."
A vile smile was on Derricks" face. He didn"t know why, but he enjoyed seeing their despair. He thought it was probably a side effect of the Necromancers" cla.s.s.
"Submit or die. These are your choices"
The soldiers desperately nodded. Just looking at their chieftains face, they knew that death was inevitable if they didn"t comply. Seeing their plea, Derrick continued.
"Round up the village here. If anyone disobeys, you all die. Understood?"
He didn"t bother waiting for their answer as he had two more villages to go...