Chapter 88 – Floor 9: Part 9
The rider entered their camp on the darkest horse the bandits had ever seen. Even the light of the setting sun couldn’t touch its fur; the blackness absorbed every trace and didn’t reflect a single bit.
It moved across the ground as if gliding, but strangely, it left no tracks in its wake, as if they were watching a ghost or spirit instead of a physical being.
“Oi! That ain’t the Reeve!” The boss shouted as soon as he left his hut. The man coming into their camp was clearly a young man, handsome and strangely dressed but as different from the Reeve as night and day.
“Not everyday someone comes into our camp looking to get robbed.” Laughed one of the men, and Boss grinned at the possibility. That horse must be worth a fortune; who else knew what the young man had on his to match it?
The rider slowed as he approached them, coming to a stop inside the circle of huts and tents. He had a red scarf around his mouth and nose to keep the dust away, but the Boss could see cold, hard blue eyes study them for a moment.
“Alright, off the horse! It belongs to us now.” The Boss ordered. Several of the men raised their spears and pointed them at the young man while they walked toward him. Unconcerned, the young man lowered the piece of cloth around his face and climbed down from the horse’s back.
“You’re the bandits that have been collecting a tax from this part of the river?” The young man asked, and the Boss laughed at the question.
“You’ve got balls, I’ll give you that. You ride in here, asking questions when you should be worried about what we’re going to do with you. Just who do you think you are?” The Boss retorted.
The young man smiled at the question.
“I’m a Demon Lord.”
The words had no sooner left the young man’s mouth than a darkness descended upon the camp. A miasma of death and destruction that robbed the breath from their lungs. The earth rumbled and groaned while the air was filled with the sound of screaming and the dirge of dead souls longing for release.
The Boss fell to his knees, the heaviness weighed down on him like stone, and he couldn’t move at all. The young man, who seemed so unassuming and normal a moment ago, took a step forward, and as he did so, his entire demeanour changed.
The young man grew larger and more demonic. His head brushed the clouds above them; his footsteps shook the earth. The darkness wreathed him like a cloak; he held fire in one hand and the souls of the dead in the other.
The Boss panted, desperately trying to regain his breath. A Demon Lord stood before him, and he was as helpless as a child. A man who could fight against the knights of Lords and Ladies was nothing compared to this demonic entity amongst them.
“Your lives belong to me.” The Demon Lord spoke, and each word was painful to their ears. The Boss couldn’t look up anymore. He squeezed his eyes tightly together and prayed that his end would be swift and painless.
“You will serve my needs to the exclusion of all else. I am your world now. You live to fulfill my desires.” The Demon Lord said, and the Boss hurt his neck from the quickness with which he nodded. He bowed forward, pressing his forehead against the dirt as he yelled that he would serve with all his being.
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Mathew watched the hundred or so bandits kneeling on the ground with satisfaction. The ‘Fear’ Blessing worked wonders on crowds, especially when they were so much weaker than him. It was enjoyable to listen to them shout that they were willing to serve him, each trying to top the others with their eagerness to please.
He didn’t feel like what he was doing was wrong in any way. Even if he wasn’t a ‘Villain,’ these men deserved what was happening to them. They were robbers and thieves, murderers and scoundrels. At least this way, they would be of some use.
If they weren’t willing to serve him, he would have been forced to kill them all to prevent them from causing trouble in his territory or those of his neighbours.
It was much better this way.
After listening to them drone on for a few more minutes, Mathew ended the effects of ‘Fear.’ He watched them come back to their senses, and a few of the more courageous ones even sneak peeks at him through eyes reddened by tears of terror.
“I have specially marked each of you.” Mathew lied. It was only a small fib; he didn’t have a way to keep track of them, but they didn’t know that.
“If you try to flee or disobey me, it will be very…agonizing for you.” Mathew threatened and saw the renewed fear his words caused the men.
“You will pack your things and travel to Reesh to become my new Guard. I expect you all to be there by nightfall. Mayor Goodwin is my steward and will be giving you your orders. You will listen to her as you would me.” Mathew ordered.
Climbing back on his horse, Mathew took a last look at the kneeling men before urging Midnight to leave. He was soon racing across the ground, the camp disappearing into the distance behind him.
He returned to Reesh in less than half an hour; Midnight’s swiftness made the distance trivial. When he dismounted in front of his mansion, he held out his hand, and the magic left the horse. Returning to its stone statue form, it floated into Mathew’s hand, where he placed it back into his inventory.
Walking into the hall, he was greeted by another ‘Ding’ from his wristband.
Gained one (1) Reputation point.
Current Reputation 3/5000
Mathew let out a sigh. It was going to take a while to reach five thousand reputation points. But he wasn’t in a hurry; this Floor seemed as good a place as any to take a break for a little while.
And he had to admit, he had fun clearing the mines and dominating that bandit camp. Maybe he could accomplish a few more chores in the coming days.
Thinking about his options and future, Mathew went to his throne and made himself comfortable.
It wasn’t long before the Vagabonds entered the town. Mayor Goodwin, whom the Demon Lord had warned of the imminent arrival of his new Guard, greeted them at the outskirts of the village. She had arranged a small house for the Boss, along with uniforms for each of the men.
The Demon Lord provided the garb in black with a silver symbol embroidered on the front. The symbol was of an apple, a strange image for a Demon Lord. When Mayor Goodwin first saw it, Mathew had been chuckling over the clothing he had pulled out of his ‘inventory.’
“It’s a symbol of my home, Manhattan.” Demon Lord Mathew had explained. He had purchased one hundred sets from somewhere called the ‘Shop,’ but didn’t elaborate further. Passing them out to the Guard, she warned them that the Demon Lord was not someone to cross and that they would be expected to serve him properly.
She wasn’t sure what Mathew had done to these hardened men, but each of them nodded, thanked her for the uniform and swore they would never offend the Demon Lord.
As the weeks turned to months, Reesh underwent a transformation. The muddy roads were replaced with stone slabs. The huts and ramshackle buildings were enlarged and reinforced. It wasn't uncommon to see a new brick house being constructed, along with new shops and a flourishing market.
Fishermen had new boats at the dock and, with the expanded fleet, were taking journeys far down the river and out to sea.
There was an air of stability and safety in Reesh, which had been absent before the Demon Lords arrived. But as safe and secure as the town was, people still watched the mansion on the hill warily. They had seen the terrifying figure that dwelt there come into town on occasion to enforce the law.
As large as a mountain and as dreaded as a moonless night, the people here feared and respected Demon Lord Mathew, known as the Enduring. And soon, as the weeks turned to months, tales of other Demon Lords reached Reesh.