My group was the first one back.

  Not really a huge surprise, considering we hadn’t been out all that long.

  As we had come back, we had been attacked by a pack of wolves, but my monsters handled them easily.

  It was… scary, almost, how strong my monsters had become, especially Skreek. Those early days of struggling against weaker monsters were long gone, although I supposed in a way my monsters had never truly struggled against anything besides adventurers.

  Still, I couldn’t get complacent. If they didn’t already know, Aelshore would soon learn I was here… and there was a good chance they’d send more and more adventurers in to hunt me down, or otherwise call on foreign forces to join them.

  Analth came out to greet me as I arrived, the other monsters scattering about, setting up for a late lunch. She watched Ruv’Kesh for a moment before raising a brow at me.

  “Don’t ask,” I sighed, following her glance. “We ran into some monsters on the edge of the beach, and when I killed his… I guess the leader, he ended up joining us.”

  Analth just laughed, smirking at me. “Your repertoire of creatures grows, Herald.”

  I could hear the teasing tone in her voice, but didn’t acknowledge it for now.

  “Everything was quiet here?” I asked her, and she nodded, looking around the village.

  “Nothing—monster or otherwise—bothered your home, Herald,” she said, and I nodded.

  I moved past her, instinctively heading toward my cave, when I stopped.

  The Core was no longer in my cave—it was now in my new Town Hall.

  I smiled, veering off in that direction instead, a pep in my step.

  I had choices as I opened the System menu.

  The first was what to evolve Andre into.

  Drakescale Fencer and Swiftblade Duelist.

  Both were classified as Epic tier—fitting for an Elite-tier monster—but the Drakescale Fencer called to me more.

  I popped the two hundred Soul Essence and let the evolution commence.

  Next was deciding if I wanted to spend more Soul Essence on summoning…

  or if I wanted to expand my territory further.

  “Decisions, decisions,” I muttered to myself.

  Right now, I could summon another Elite-tier monster.

  Or, because I’d gained a free expansion, I could afford two more territory expansions.

  I knew what lay to the west, and I knew what was due north thanks to expanding up that way.

  But the east was still a mystery.

  So far it had just seemed to be more woods—but who knew what else lay in that direction with enough exploration?

  With my decision made, I purchased another square going west—and a square going east.

  [Achievement Unlocked!]

  [Title:] Expanding!

  [Condition:] Unlock your fifth domain.

  [Rewards:] +350 Soul Essence | Blueprint Unlocked: Hut Level 2 | Room Unlocked: War Room

  I let out a pleasant hum at the unlocks I’d gotten.

  This was the first time I’d seen an upgrade for a building, and the War Room would certainly be handy with what was to come.

  With the expansions done, I decided to head back outside.

  Analth had some answers for the questions I had.

  Starting with why Josef had called her the destroyer of this ‘Empire of Valoria.’

  “It was a place from long ago that had taken something precious from me,” She said. That was the answer I got nearly fifteen minutes later after questioning the dragon.

  She seemed stubbornly unwilling to answer what this Valoria was and why Josef had said she destroyed it.

  I needed to know if she was a potential threat in my home.

  “You have to understand my questioning, Analth,” I said calmly, trying to keep the peace. “While I’m not going to kick you out or get mad, I just need to know if I or the monsters I summoned are in danger.”

  She looked at me for a long moment, a deep frown on her face, before sighing.

  “No, you are in no danger, Herald,” she almost whispered. “I told you—I will only fight to keep you, and myself alive.”

  I stared at her and nodded, turning to leave, when she cleared her throat.

  “Valoria was an Empire far, far to the southwest of here,” she began. “Filled with humans, elves, dwarves and many other species. Like Keldmere, it was a smaller Empire, thriving on trade and its magical constructions.”

  She looked off to the side for a moment, seeming to be lost in thought.

  “I won’t tell you the whole story right now, but,” She paused again. “They took something precious from me. Not an object or a thing… a person,” she growled then, and a cold claw of fear struck my gut. “And when I caught up to them, when I found who had done it… I destroyed them and everyone who aided them without mercy. I wiped Valoria off the face of the map. Now it's called the Blue-Flamed Scarred Land.”

  She laughed then, a bitter sound, and the scowl on her face told me all I needed to know.

  “It’s filled with undead and other such monsters now,” she said bitterly. “A penance for when I rampaged. Only fools or especially powerful heroes go into those lands now.”

  I let her breathe for a moment after she finished her tale, my hand twitching at my side as I debated reaching up to comfort her. Eventually, I settled on a soft huff before nodding.

  “I’m sorry for what happened to you,” I whispered. “But thank you for telling me. I trust you, Analth. You stuck your neck out for us when the guild invaded. If there’s anything I can ever do to help you, in anything, let me know. I owe you my life.”

  She looked at me with widened eyes before laughing — not the same bitter laugh of before, but a real laugh.

  “I’ll hold you to that, Herald,” she teased. “But be careful, you might not like it when I come to collect.”

  I watched her go before sighing heavily.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  I had meant every word I said to her, and it was good to know that she wasn’t going to go nuclear in our camp, but… I would have to watch out for her. While she said she would fight to protect my life, maybe because monsters needed Heralds or something, I still wasn’t sure what she considered a threat to my life and what would just be an afternoon breeze to her.

  Who knew when the next Josef would show up and try to set fire to my home.

  Two days went by.

  Two days of hunting, leveling, evolving, and farming.

  Two days of gaining resources and summoning more and more minions to help bolster my defenses and grow my village.

  Of the new monsters, I had gotten some familiar types. A couple new Goblins, a new Lesser Demon, and a new Troll.

  But I had summoned another Elite-tier monster in the form of a Medusa.

  Like the creature from Greek myth, they were humanoid in appearance, with snakes for hair.

  However, they could shapeshift into giant snakes as well—or at least the one I had could.

  Mine turned into the form of a giant boa, which had shocked me the first time I witnessed it.

  I had also been expecting her to use a bow, perhaps some ingrained stereotype, but had been pleasantly surprised when she had taken a spear instead.

  Speaking of spears, I had spent some Soul Essence to buy some weapon boxes, alongside armor boxes.

  I had also sold the silvered armor I had gotten from Josef for a decent amount of Soul Essence. It had been bought out almost right after I put it up, which shocked me a bit.

  [Achievement Unlocked!]

  [Title:] Auction Novice!

  [Condition:] Buy your first item. Sell your first item.

  [Rewards:] +450 Soul Essence | Large Weapon Box

  That was an achievement I had gained when selling the armor—alongside a mass of Soul Essence for the item itself.

  I upgraded all my huts to level 2, which increased the number of bunks and living space in them, and made them a bit cozier.

  I had also expanded my domain one square further to the east and one to the west.

  For evolutions, Mona had become a Zombie Butcher, Rukhar a Kobold Cryomancer, Brindle a Goblin Legionnaire, and Tirven a Kobold Phalanx.

  I now had two evolved caster units, and my monsters were rounding out quite nicely. But it wasn’t enough.

  There was a solid chance more parties like the ones from that mysterious guild would come.

  Once it got out to the wider world that I was the Herald, Analth told me the world wouldn’t stop trying to hunt me down and kill me.

  All because of what possibility I represented.

  It sickened me.

  It reminded me of extremist factions back home, but there wasn’t a lot I could do.

  Besides preparing—making myself ready to defend my life and my new home with everything I had.

  Part of that meant summoning stronger and stronger monsters.

  Which was why I stood in the Summoning Hall, Analth at my side, ready for anything.

  I had just over two thousand seven hundred Soul Essence.

  Enough to summon one of the Epic-tier monsters.

  I selected the option, and watched as the Core glowed brighter than it ever had before, forcing me to shield my eyes.

  When the light cleared, what stood before me made me gape.

  Humanoid, yes, but that’s about it as far as comparison went.

  Its skin was the same color as obsidian, with molten veins coursing through its body. A pair of ram-like horns protruded from its temples, and a forked tail swirled behind its back.

  Each hand ended in sharpened claws, and instead of two legs it had four, each one ending with equally sharp talons.

  A pair of bat-like wings protruded from its back, though I wasn’t sure how they could support its frame, and its eyes glowed like lava.

  “A high-class demon,” Analth answered, the words matching the question that had been flitting through my mind.

  I automatically analyzed it.

  [Arathog - High-Class Demon Level 9]

  [Average Stats: 15]

  [Average Skill Level: 8]

  [Number of Skills: 9]

  Nine. It had nine skills, and its stats were through the roof.

  “Holy shit,” I whispered, unable to stop myself.

  “Lord Herald,” the voice that entered my mind—coming from the demon itself, obviously—was like rock being ground together.

  He went to one knee, bowing his head toward me, arms crossed over his chest.

  “I have longed for a powerful master to summon me. And while you are lacking now, I sense a greatness about you.” I wasn’t sure if I should be insulted or not. “To earn the respect of the one who stands next to you shows me just how great you are.”

  Oh? He recognized Analth… or perhaps he could just sense her power. I cleared my throat.

  “Welcome, Arathog, to my humble abode,” I began calmly, looking him up and down. “My name is Eric, Eric Hill. I look forward to seeing what you can do as my first Elite-tier summon.”

  His eyes snapped up to me, almost seeming to widen at my words.

  “Lord… Lord Herald, it is an honor, truly, to be your first summon of such strength,” he said, seeming almost in awe, and it took everything in me not to blush.

  “No such formalities needed here, mighty Arathog,” I said, trying to move this along. “Just help out where you can, and we’ll get along well.” I paused, thinking for a moment. “Is there any type of weapon you would prefer over another?” I asked.

  He seemed to think for a few moments before finally answering.

  “I am partial to swords, Lord Herald.”

  I nodded and pulled out one of my remaining steel short swords, along with a suit of ironscale armor, and handed it over to him. Once he was fully equipped, the three of us moved outside.

  The reactions from my monsters were mixed, to say the least.

  Some stared at him in awe, others in fear.

  Kareth, Zareth, and Maya, my demonic host, almost seemed to instinctively straighten up as he came into view, as if recognizing a higher class of one of their own kind.

  I made note of how everyone reacted, keeping it in mind for future fights. The last thing I wanted was monsters that feared working alongside one another. That could lead to complications and mistakes… which could lead to death.

  “Take the time to get to know some of your fellow monsters. I’m going to check in on everyone else,” I ordered Arathog, who just nodded and moved toward his fellow demons, while I went to check on the rest of my monsters.

  Mona—now bulkier and with a sharp-eyed stare compared to the dead look from before—and Andre, the demi-dragon’s scales almost seeming to shine brighter with his new evolution, were off to the side talking quietly as I approached. They stopped as I reached them, saluting.

  “Something I should be aware of?” I asked. The pair had been scouting the new land I had opened up to the east and must have just gotten back now.

  Both glanced at one another for a moment before Mona spoke.

  “Lord… Herald,” she began. Despite the evolution, her voice was slow and raspy, as if she was relearning how to use her vocal cords. Not overly surprising—like the last zombie I had summoned, she still looked worse for wear, although after evolving she at least looked more alive.

  “We discovered something to the east, Lord Herald,” Andre continued for her. “We think it might be important.”

  I raised a brow and checked the System, a new notification popping up right as they spoke.

  [Terrain Feature Discovered!]

  [Andre and Mona have discovered Ancient Ruins!]

  [Explore them to find unique loot and possible ancient artifacts!]

  [New Quest Received!]

  [Quest: Explore the Ruins]

  [Type: Side Quest]

  [Objective:] Your monsters have discovered an ancient ruin deep in the eastern forest. Spend some time exploring them yourself, or send your minions to do it for you. Who knows what treasure you might find.

  [Goal:] Explore the ancient ruins (0%)

  [Time Limit:] 2 Days

  [Rewards:] 1 Uncommon Weapon Box | +500 Soul Essence | ????

  [Failure:] The Herald will miss out on possible magical artifacts that could aid him in the battles to come.

  “How very interesting,” I muttered to myself. Not only was this the first quest I had gotten in a while, but it wasn’t a main quest either. Nor was it something that ended in my death.

  “The ruins seemed to be guarded by ancient magic, Lord Herald,” Andre informed me. “I suspect undead will fight us as we explore them.”

  I nodded again, before smiling.

  “Prepare yourselves for some exploring,” I ordered the two. “Grab Elyndra and Halvard. We leave in an hour. I want to have those ruins fully explored by nightfall.”

  Something told me once they were fully explored, there’d be a greater reward than just loot and Soul Essence. If this worked like the video games I remembered playing growing up, such a unique terrain feature in my territory would provide passive bonuses as well.

  And I wanted those bonuses for myself.

  [Current Day: 9]

  [Soul Essence: 253]

  [Kingdom Core: Level 3]

  [Domain Size: 5 Sectors]

  [Active Quest: Explore the Ruins (0%) — 2 Days Remaining]