Holding the scroll, Dave's hands shook as he read the words in it again. Not that he didn't understand what he had the first time, it was just a lot to take in.

Right of Conquest! This was HUGE! It was going to cause a tidal wave of reaction. All kinds of chatter was probably blowing up every channel that had anything to do with Conquest..

Just as he was about to put the scroll away his phone rang.

"WHERE did you get IT!? HOW did you get IT?!" The volume of Lone Arrow's voice made Dave wince in pain. Gahhh, his ears! His head, dammit!

"s.h.i.+t Lone. A quest okay? A quest. This thing is going to cause a lot of trouble for me."

"Whudya mean?" asked Lone

"The guilds won't rest until they have this scroll for themselves. This is worth much more than access to the Underworld or the Dead-Realm.

"This scroll is basically ALL the keys to the Eastern kingdom. Whoever has it has access to all the teleportation-gate codes; the numbers and makeup of the Eastern Region's army; the locations and plans to all their bases and strongholds; a list of every exploitable resource in the region. And all that is just the stuff that would help an invading force. A conqueror who has the Right of Conquest has the explicit endors.e.m.e.nt of the game system to rule the region, it grants access to social, political and economic readouts and controls. Those are just the things I can remember, I haven't even studied it all the way through.

"This will make everyone in the whole of Conquest go mad to get it. From me. I'm so fuhh-orked."

Lone was silent for so long he thought they had lost connection. Then she spoke in a subdued voice.

"But you're safe there in the Underworld, no one can get to you, or the Right of Conquest. Right?"

"For the moment, yes. But this thing isn't worth anything to me, it's just a big bundle of problems. Another bundle of them," said Dave.

"Then get rid of it! Sell it!" said Lone.

"That's what I was planning. I need to talk to Perfect Shot."

"I'm getting a lot of calls from my friends in the Devastators. They know I can reach you."

"Tell the Devies I'll be making an announcement about the Right of Conquest."

"Alright, that'll get them off my back. Tootles."

"Later," Dave hung up, then dialed another number.

"Perfect," asked Dave.

"Hey man! Are you gonna send video of you getting the Right of Conquest?"

"Something like that. I'll send you the video in a few. I decided to put the scroll up for auction, I'm going record an announcement s.h.i.+lling the auction, think you can get your dad to run it with the video?"

"Dude! You're gonna sell the Right to conquer a KINGDOM?! Huh, wait...I didn't think about that. Conquering a kingdom's gonna be a very long, involved process. Yeah, I'm with you, selling the scroll is the best thing to do."

"Heh, I figured you would understand, Perfect. Yeah, people think it's like being given a crown, but it's not. It's an opportunity to conquer the kingdom, the scroll just provides the system's permission and a.s.sistance, It'll take a lot of resources, people and time. It's a lot of work and ha.s.sle I can't and don't want to deal with."

"Agreed, there's no fun in all that, at least not for people like us. Okay man, shouldn't be a problem to tack your announcement on at the end of your 'Adventures in Underworld Land.' I'll get pops to approve it, and handle all the regulatory c.r.a.p for you."

"Thanks Shooter. See ya."

"Ciao, Skelly."

Dave moved to stand before one of the reflective walls and summoned Spectral Skulls, sending them into the wall to multiply them.

Eventually he had hundreds of skulls arranged behind him, An army of eerily glowing Skulls glaring at the wall in front of him.

He stomped the ground activating [Death Surge]

Dark Shadows spread out from under Dave's feet then climbed up his legs and torso, enshrouding him in a light-stealing death aura. He looked like one of those orthodox Christian icons, except instead of a gold halo around him it was a dread-inducing darkness.

Then he enabled his video capture.

Pulling the scroll out, Dave held it up in one hand, letting it unroll to show the seal at the bottom.

"The Right of Conquest," Dave said, addressing his reflection in the mirror.

"To get it, you will have to compete for it.

"But not in anything so barbaric as a physical fight.

"Today at 22:00 EST this item will be put up for auction. Anyone in Conquest can bid on it."

Dave waved his hand and the scroll disappeared, the [Death Surge]'s effects ended and with a snap of his fingers all the skulls shone brighter for a moment before blowing up in a glorious shower of light, like a new year's fireworks display.

The video ended.

Dave checked the announcement and decided it had the tone he was going for.

Dave left the octagonal room and headed back to the main room where his battalion waited for him.

"Alright boyz, we need to wrap things up! There are likely some worms still lurking around, wiggling behind the walls. Lets clean this place out so can leave soon."

Dave jumped on the back of Stinger and the battalion headed out to clear the mines.

He led his battalion to search the mines for other Blood Worms.

After wandering the mines, he found that there were several other pa.s.sages that led deeper into the unknown.

These were the pa.s.sages the Blood Worms that ambushed them in the tunnels came from.

Yet after checking them, he found that they were all blocked by falls or cave-ins of bloodstones.

He directed the shoot-n-loot mission until he was sure the mine was cleared and it was safe for the miners to come work the tunnels.

When they finally emerged from the old mine the bright light from the broken moon made him raise a hand to s.h.i.+eld his eyes.

"Prey!" said Bud, pointing northwest of the mine.

A number of bloodworms charged at the Battalion.

"Ready up, boyz!" hollered Dave and the slaughter began again.

When Perfect Shot got the link to Dave's video he downloaded and watched it. He smiled afterwards, shaking his head. That guy.

"I need to get his advance payment for this,"

Perfect Shot forwarded the link back to his father to approve payment and start the ball rolling, he also sent it to the editing crew so they could get to work on it.

Dave rode on Stinger's back as they marched back to the Red Fortress. He got the quest completed notification shortly after they left the area around the mine.

He had a big toothy smile plastered across his Draugr face as they rushed across the Deserted Plains.

They crossed the drawbridge into the Red fortress just as the broken moon was setting. He walked over to the biggest building in the fortress..

Dave entered a big hall with long table down the middle. The table looked like it was new construction. The hall was newly decorated, statues and images of the Undead-King were all over the place.

"Du'Rhaza!" he greeted the Doom Knight who was reading through some old scrolls.

"Kis'Shtiengbrah, you have returned early. How was the subjugation, is the mine cleared of bothersome monsters?"

"Everything went well. The tunnels are clear, you can send the miners, there were some areas blocked off by a wall of Blood-Stones that I couldn't get to."

"That shouldn't be a problem, we will send undead workers to mine the area, we need those blood-stones for the Dead-Realm, your percentage of the Blood Stone will be sent here. You can exchange them in the Undead-realm or exchange them directly with Ramsha," said Du'Rhaza.

"I get a percentage?" Dave was startled.

"You are the commander of the Red Fortress, your holding includes the area the mine is in. So it is only natural that you get a percentage of the stones." Du'Rhaza chuckled at Dave's expression.

"Where are Orn and Gale?" asked Dave

"Right behind you," said Du'Rhaza

Dave turned to see the two towering Doom Knights appear out of nowhere, looking at him in question.

"We're going to take another trip to the world of the living." said Dave

"Lord, we will protect you until our true death, but if that a.s.sa.s.sin…" before Orn could finish Dave interrupted him.

"Don't be concerned. This time we will go to another location, somewhere less populated."

"Hold, Kis'Shtiengbrah," Du'Rhaza stopped him.

"You have grown much stronger than when I last saw you. Are you going to rank up? You could do much more when you are promoted to Death-knight," said Du'rhaza with a wicked grin.

Du'Rhaza had promised him a place in the Doom Knight's own Division. He would become a brigade-leader with ten battalions under his direct command.

"I completely forgot about that!" Dave opened his military panel and saw he was eligible for the Death Knight rank. He just needed to defeat a Death Knight in the arena to be promoted.

But with the level difference, it would normally be impossible for Dave, at level 216, to defeat a level 300-plus Death Knight.

'Yesterday I would have waited to level up to 300 before taking the rank-up challenge. But, now I know I can defeat a Death Knight with [Life Cleaver] if I'm patient and careful.

Too bad the Skill doesn't work on Mythic tiers or higher, ranking up in the legion would be so easy!'

He looked at Du'Rhaza and nodded, "I will challenge for Death Knight after I finish some personal business."

He took out a teleport scroll and tore the parchment to activate it after giving the two Doom Knights one each.