Chapter 337: Morning In Vrethka

Darion finished his speech with the words still echoing in the heavy morning air:

"This was just a small price to pay for salvation."

He lowered the horn.

There was silence.

Darion waited. And waited. For a brief, agonizing second, he wondered if he had said something completely wrong. Maybe the line had been too arrogant. Maybe he had misread the entire culture of Vrethka.

Then, a few warriors exchanged glances. Some quietly nodded. Others simply lowered their weapons or their heads. Nobody cheered. Nobody screamed. Nobody declared their undying loyalty with tears in their eyes.

Darion internally sighed. ’I had almost expected something more dramatic.’

Maybe the knights of Percvale had spoiled him. When he first became Baron of Percvale, he had stood before the surviving knights and explained his Necromancer abilities. He had told them that he could raise their fallen comrades. At the time, they had practically rallied behind him immediately.

But Darion now realized why. They hadn’t accepted him because he was some amazing leader. They accepted him because they had nothing left. Percvale had been dying. Its knights were exhausted. Their lord had no hope. And then Darion appeared with something none of them had: a future. He had been their hope.

Vrethka was different. These people weren’t desperate enough to worship him. They were simply trying to understand what had just happened to their world. They were in shock.

Darion thought: ’Fair enough.’ He didn’t need them cheering today. He just needed them to stop fighting.

Darion looked over the crowd. He realized everyone was waiting for him to say something else. Instead, he kept it simple.

"I will call for another meeting very soon," he announced.

A few people looked up.

"There are matters we still need to discuss."

Darion deliberately didn’t explain everything yet. He needed time to organize Vrethka first. More importantly, he needed Garren here.

"This meeting is dismissed."

People slowly began dispersing. Families returned toward their homes, keeping their children close. Warriors began speaking quietly among themselves, their voices low and anxious. Some glanced back at Darion. Some still looked afraid. Others seemed thoughtful.

Darion watched them leave. ’Well... that went better than expected.’ He had imagined arguments. Questions. Maybe someone challenging him. Instead, they simply listened.

He realized he was actually getting better at this whole ruler thing. Or perhaps... ’I’m just really good at making shit up on the spot.’ He almost laughed.

Darion watched the settlement disperse. He mentally divided his immediate work into stages.

Phase One: Establish control over Vrethka. Done.

Phase Two: Bring Garren here. That was the important one. Garren was the person Darion trusted to actually organize this mess. Vrethka had warriors, resources, and a functioning settlement. But Darion didn’t know how to administer it all himself. He needed someone who could. And that meant getting Seren to Percvale.

Darion eventually found Seren waiting nearby. She had watched the entire speech from the edge of the courtyard.

Darion looked at her. "Well?"

Seren smiled slightly. "You did well."

Darion raised an eyebrow. "I guess."

He knew he actually did well. Having the courage to address a crowd was something, but doing so calmly after you just brutally them was impressive.

Seren told him the important thing was that he didn’t simply threaten them. He explained what happened. He gave them a reason to accept the new situation. More importantly, he made it clear he wasn’t going to randomly slaughter their families.

Darion admitted, "I didn’t actually know what I was going to say until I started talking."

Seren looked amused. "You seemed very confident."

"That’s because I’m apparently really good at pretending I know what I’m doing," Darion said.

Seren laughed. Darion realized that may actually be becoming one of his greatest talents.

Now Darion got serious. Seren needed to leave for Percvale. Her objective was simple: Reach Percvale. Find Garren. Tell him what happened. Bring him back to Vrethka.

Darion wanted her protected the entire journey. He opened the [Escort] ability.

[Escort Capacity: 2 Undead Knights + 2 Undead Animals.]

Darion considered using the full capacity. But then he thought about Ghet Ulg. Ghet Ulg was already powerful enough to protect Seren from most ordinary threats. And Seren herself was an elite archer. He decided one undead knight was enough.

Darion asked the Vrethkan guards to prepare one of their best horses. They brought out a large, powerful horse from the settlement’s stable. Darion was immediately impressed.

Vrethka may have been obsessed with war, but that meant their horses were bred and trained for war too. This wasn’t some slow farm horse. It was fast. Very fast. Its coat was dark, its muscles thick, its eyes sharp.

Seren ran a hand along its neck.

Darion thought the trip should be dramatically faster than walking. If nothing went wrong, Seren should reach Percvale before nightfall. That meant Garren could potentially be back relatively soon.

Darion activated Escort. He designated Seren as the person being escorted.

Ghet Ulg received the command. The undead knight stood beside Seren. Silent. Still. Completely obedient.

Darion gave him a simple order: "Protect her at all costs."

Ghet Ulg gave his usual silent response. Seren glanced at him. She had gotten used to undead by now, but the thought of riding across the wilderness with Ghet Ulg silently following beside her was still strange. She nodded. She trusted his undead now.

Before Seren left, Darion returned to the palace. And there was another surprise. Marrick was awake. He had already bathed and looked significantly more presentable than he did yesterday. He still looked tired, but he was no longer the exhausted prisoner from yesterday.

Then Darion was served food. The palace cook had returned. Along with several other servants and workers who had fled when the fighting began but eventually returned after realizing Vrethka had survived. Darion recognized some of them from yesterday. He found it amusing that yesterday they were hiding from him. Today they were serving him breakfast.

Darion sat down. Seren joined him. Marrick sat with them.

Darion looked at the meal. He paused. ’...Well.’ Given that he had just conquered a settlement, poisoned food was not exactly impossible. He looked at it suspiciously.

Seren noticed. "You’re not actually thinking about whether it’s poisoned, are you?"

Darion shrugged. "Can you blame me?"

Marrick gave a small, nervous laugh.

Darion finally ate. And, it was completely fine. Actually good. ’Okay. Not poisoned.’

The three ate together in a surprisingly peaceful silence before Seren’s departure.

After breakfast, Seren prepared her supplies. Water. Food for the journey. Anything else necessary for the road. She secured everything to the horse.

Darion reminded her: "Don’t take unnecessary risks."

Seren gave him a look. "I will not."

Darion paused. He told her to get Garren and return. If something dangerous appeared, prioritize getting away rather than fighting. Ghet Ulg was there specifically to protect her.

But then Darion looked at Ghet Ulg. The massive undead commander, with his rusted armor, glowing green eyes, and skeletal frame, was the exact opposite of inconspicuous. If Seren rode into a town with him, it would cause a mass panic.

"Wait," Darion said. "We need to disguise him."

They spent the next thirty minutes dressing Ghet Ulg. They stripped him of his rusted, terrifying armor. They found thick, heavy clothing in the palace, a long, hooded cloak, thick leather gloves, and a wide-brimmed hat. They put a cloth mask over his lower face to hide his jaw and teeth, and pulled the hood low over his glowing eyes.

When they were done, Ghet Ulg looked like a massive, heavily cloaked traveler. He still looked incredibly intimidating, but he no longer looked like a walking corpse.

Darion gave Ghet Ulg the command again. "Protect her at all costs." This time, he made the command extremely clear, pushing his intent through the necromantic binding.

Seren climbed onto the horse. Darion stood nearby. Marrick watched. Ghet Ulg, now disguised as a hulking cloaked figure, stood beside the horse.

Darion and Seren looked at each other. There was a brief moment. A quiet tension. But no hug. They had already had enough emotional moments. This was business.

Seren said, "I’ll bring Garren back."

Darion nodded. "I’ll be waiting."

She gave the horse a light kick. The horse surged forward. Ghet Ulg followed, easily matching the horse’s pace on foot.

Darion remained outside the palace. Marrick stood beside him. They watched Seren ride away. The horse was genuinely fast. Within moments, the distance between them began growing. Ghet Ulg kept pace effortlessly, his cloaked figure a dark blur against the morning light.

Marrick said little. He simply gave Seren a quiet farewell: "Safe journey."

Darion watched until they disappeared beyond the settlement. He thought about the next few hours. Seren should reach Percvale before night. Then Garren would know. And once Garren came back, Vrethka could finally begin becoming his territory instead of merely conquered territory.

Darion turned back toward the settlement.

Phase Two had begun.