Morning arrived quickly the next day. Elandor stood atop the high wall of his Crystalline Hall, his eyes fixed on the eastern horizon. The sun had barely cleared the jagged peaks of the distant mountains, but the world was already awake.
He checked his system interface. The expansion to five square kilometers had changed everything. The forest that once crowded his borders had been pushed back, replaced by the smooth, dark-grey plains of his expanded domain. His influence now reached deep into the Wild Zone, and the system map showed a clear, blue-lit circle that acted as a beacon in the surrounding darkness.
"Lord," a voice rasped from the shadows.
Elandor didn't turn. He knew the sound of his Void-Knights. "Report."
"A group of humans is approaching from the east," the Knight said. The red visor of its helmet flickered with a dull light. "They carry a banner. They are not hiding their movement. They reached the five-kilometer marker three minutes ago."
Elandor's eyes narrowed. "How many?"
"Twenty-four. Twenty are armed with iron spears and leather armor. Four are dressed in finer robes."
"Let them reach the gate," Elandor commanded. "But do not lower the barrier. I want them to see exactly what they are up against."
He descended the crystalline stairs, his boots clicking against the hard, glass-like surface. He met his ten Void-Knights at the main entrance of the hall.
They were terrifying figures, seven feet of matte-black armor and raw power. They didn't breathe, move, or show any sign of humanity. To an outsider, they looked like gods of war forged in the heart of a dying star.
Elandor walked toward the shimmering boundary of his inner sanctum. The "diplomatic" party was already there.
They were a bedraggled group compared to his own forces. The soldiers wore rusted breastplates and carried wooden shields that looked like they would splinter under a stiff breeze.
In the center of the group stood a tall man with a trimmed beard and a cloak made of wolf fur. He held a staff topped with a glowing red gem, and his eyes were darting around the territory with a mixture of awe and naked greed.
As Elandor approached, the group stopped. The soldiers instinctively gripped their spears tighter, their knuckles turning white. They stared at the Void-Knights with visible terror. One of the younger soldiers actually took a step back, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
The man in the wolf-fur cloak stepped forward. He tried to maintain a look of dignity, but his gaze kept sliding toward the crystalline spires of the Hall, which reached toward the sky like jagged teeth.
"I am Valerius, Chief Envoy of the Drakon Coalition," the man announced, his voice cracking slightly. "I speak with the authority of Vortigern Drakon, the First Lord of the East and the rightful leader of the human survivors."
Elandor stood ten feet away, his arms crossed. He didn't offer a greeting or even blink at the mention of 'rightful leader'. "You are on my land, Valerius. State your business before I decide you are a threat."
Valerius swallowed hard. He looked at the Void-Knights, then back at Elandor. "We have come to offer you a hand in friendship, Elandor Vaelor. Your name has reached the ears of Lord Vortigern. He recognizes your... unique talents. He believes that in this brutal world, humanity must stand together under a single banner."
"A single banner?" Elandor asked, his voice cold. "Or a single master?"
Valerius stiffened. "Lord Vortigern has already united over fifty Lords. He has built a fortress that can house thousands. He has a Level 2 Territory, a disciplined army, and a vision for the future. He sent us here to invite you to join the coalition."
"Invite?" Elandor repeated.
"Yes," Valerius said, gaining a bit of confidence. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a scroll made of thick, high-quality parchment. "These are the terms of your entry. Lord Vortigern is generous. He will grant you a position of High Strategist. You will have a seat at his council and the protection of the Legion."
He paused, his eyes narrowing. "In exchange, you will share your development methods. We have seen your announcements... these things are impossible for a single man. Lord Vortigern requires your development techniques for analysis. They must be standardized across the coalition for the safety of all mankind."
Elandor laughed. It wasn't a warm sound. It was sharp and mocking. "You want me to hand over my talent so your master can 'standardize' it? You want me to give up the very thing that keeps me alive in exchange for a seat at a table that doesn't exist?"
"It is a demand for the greater good!" Valerius snapped, his face flushing red. "Do you think you can survive alone? The monster waves are getting stronger. The Wild Zones are full of horrors we can't even name. Without the coalition, you are just a target. Eventually, someone will come along with more numbers than you can kill."
Elandor stepped closer to the shimmering barrier. The air around him seemed to grow heavy, a physical manifestation of his power. "Look at my walls, Valerius. Look at my men. Do they look like they need the protection of a man who still uses iron and leather?"
He pointed to the lead Void-Knight. "That soldier alone could dismantle your entire escort in under a minute. Your 'Lord' Vortigern is playing a game of numbers. I'm on a whole-other level. We are not the same."
Valerius looked at the Void-Knight, then at the crystalline hall. The greed in his eyes was being replaced by a deep, hollow fear. He realized that the "diplomatic" leverage he thought he had was nonexistent. He was standing in front of a fortress that shouldn't be in existence at this stage, talking to a man who had transcended over ninety percent of lords in this world.
"Lord Vortigern will not take this refusal lightly," Valerius hissed, though he kept his distance. "He is a man of order. He sees your isolation as a threat to the stability of the region. If you do not join us, you are an enemy."
"Then I am an enemy," Elandor said. "Go back to the hole you crawled out of. Tell Vortigern that if he wants my methods, he is welcome to try and take them. But tell him to bring more than twenty men with sticks next time. It would be a waste of my time to kill so few."
"You are arrogant!" Valerius shouted, his voice echoing across the quiet plains. "You think because you have a fancy tower, you are a king? You are one man! We have thousands!"
"I am the man who reached Level 3 while your master was still building a fence," Elandor said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Leave. Now."
The Void-Knights stepped forward in perfect unison. The ground shook with the weight of their armored boots. The red lines on their visors flared with a bright, aggressive light.
Valerius didn't wait for a second warning. He turned and signaled to his men. They retreated with more haste than they had arrived, stumbling over the uneven ground as they scrambled to get away from the territory border.
Elandor watched them go until they were nothing more than specks on the horizon.
"Rangers," he called out.
Two Moon-Struck Rangers appeared from the shadows of the nearby trees. They had been watching the entire exchange from the foliage, their bows drawn and ready.
"Follow them," Elandor ordered. "Do not be seen. I want to know exactly where their camp is. I want to know their numbers, their defenses, and their troop types. If they meet anyone else, I want to know about it."
"By your will, Lord," the Rangers whispered. They vanished into the woods, moving with a speed that defied the human eye.