The outcast camp to the west was less of a settlement and more of a graveyard for the hopeless, built upon rotting mud.
I watched BlackWhale and his team through the mirror. To avoid scaring the surviving humans to death, the skeletons were currently squatting behind a gnarled tree on the outskirts of the camp, acting for all the world like thieves casing a joint.
"The Lord said to just drop her here." BlackWhale lowered his voice, gesturing toward the tattered leather tents ahead. "IronButt, you go push her over."
"Why me? Do I look scarier than you?" IronButt grumbled, patting his half-missing pelvis.
Lia had recovered some of her strength by now. She was still clutching the remaining half-loaf of black bread like it was a legendary artifact. She turned her head, looking at the skeletons "conspiring" behind the tree. Her original terror had been diluted by a strange sense of the absurd.
"Th... thank you." She summoned her courage, letting out two words that were barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.
[System Notice: NPC Lia's Affinity +5. Current: -40 (No longer views you as an immediate threat).]
"Holy—! She talked to me! She thanked me!" BlackWhale's soul-fire flickered wildly with excitement. "Screenshot! Someone screenshot! The first NPC thanks in the entire server!"
I watched these players lose their minds over two simple words and let out a weary sigh.
"Lia. Go back." I channeled my voice through BlackWhale's body, projecting an authoritative, low tone.
In that instant, BlackWhale's goofy soul-fire became deep and cold. A weight of superior authority radiated from that cheap skeletal frame.
Lia flinched, taking a step back. She looked at the skeleton as if she were seeing the Lord himself, seated high in his tower, shrouded by stars.
"Astora... will protect you." I left those words through BlackWhale's mouth.
Lia stared at the skeleton for a long moment, then spun around and bolted toward the camp.
"Old Man Harl! Old Man Harl, help!"
Commotion quickly broke out in the camp. Several gaunt men armed with rusted hoes rushed out, followed by the elderly, women, and children. Lia collapsed into the arms of a one-eyed old man—**Old Man Harl**, a retired veteran of **T1 (Soldier)** tier, though his body was now broken by age. She sobbed as she pointed toward the forest, babbling incoherately about "Shadow Leopards," "skeletons," and "bread."
Old Man Harl took the half-loaf of bread, his expression becoming grave. He brought it to his nose, sniffing it, then pinched off a small piece with his fingernail and put it in his mouth.
"This is... black bread from the Lord's castle." His voice was raspy, his lone eye—sharp as a hawk's despite the grime—shimmering with complex emotion. "Lia, are you saying those skeletons saved you and gave you this?"
"They... they said Astora will protect us." Lia sobbed, pointing toward the direction where BlackWhale and the others had vanished.
In the mirror, I saw Old Man Harl's weathered eyes turn toward my castle. At that moment, a system notification chimed.
[Territory Reputation: 10 -> 25 (The outcast camp has developed great curiosity and a faint glimmer of hope toward your existence).]
"Good." I leaned back on my throne as Seraphina organized the documents on my desk. "Hearts and minds are like this black bread. Give just a little when they are hungriest, and you gain the most loyal echoes."
"Highness, Baron Klevis's tax collector has reached the border." Seraphina handed me a letter sealed with wax. "They have five fully armed guards with them. It seems they intend to collect this month's 'tithe' by force, and perhaps take a few outcasts to fill the Baron's mining pits."
I took the letter and tossed it into the nearby brazier.
"Tax collector? Astora no longer has taxes. Only war."
I opened the server-wide channel, my voice echoing in every player's ear.
[Main Quest Updated: Territory Defense · Outpost.][Description: Baron Klevis's tax collector is approaching with guards. Warriors, Astora has no room for cowards. Hold the border and drive out the bastards trying to steal the outcasts' rations!][Reward: Opportunity to reach LV 5, unlock 'Basic Combat Skills' training.]
"Killing cavalry? Do they drop mounts?""Boys, stop hauling stones! Grab your gear, we've got work to do!"
Watching the pack of skeletons rushing toward the border like madmen in the mirror, I knew that Astora's first echo was about to be struck by these "Calamities."