"Eloise, you're coming with me. I want you to see how this will be dealt with"
Derrick's voice was cold and now devoid of emotion.
***
Meanwhile, in a remote corner of Akata.
"Thomas, don't beat him too bad, we can't kill him"
A group of five thugs were beating a skinny youth. His entire body was wretched and had multiple cuts that were bleeding profusely.
The trashing had been going on for a solid two hours, and the goons didn't seem to grow tired of it.
"You worry too much, Yannick. The guy who killed our chief isn't here, and he has been gone for over a week. Hell, we don't even know if he's coming back. Maybe he just bailed on everything"
The group snickered with malicious intentions. They were renowned bullies in their previous village, and they had given trouble to Jack when he had tried to enroll them for work.
This group wasn't the only one doing this in the newly formed town of Akata, and even if the soldiers were trying their best to maintain order, it was becoming harder and harder to do so without a powerful figure at the top.
They all hoped for Derrick's fast return.
"Let's beat this weakling for another hour and bail. At this point, I'm scared he'll bleed to death"
Thomas didn't have a big stature, but it was still above average. He had developed muscles from all the beatings he administered, possessed black hair and had a symmetric face. All in all, some could say he was a handsome man.
He was about to kick the ribs of the poor fellow once again when he suddenly heard Yannick scream.
Thomas was startled and turned his head towards him, only to become completely horrified.
Yannick's chest had a... hole. And there was no more heart. He still stood there, however, with blood gushing out of the hole like a fountain.
The now dead man had an incredulous expression that was also filled with grievances. He was clearly not ready to die, but his fate had already been decided.
When he fell to the ground, two figures came into view.
The first looked like a death reaper who had descended to collect their souls. His cold expression made the remaining hoodlums fall to their knees.
The other was a woman, still in disbelief of what had just transpired. There had been no interrogation, just an execution.
"Creating trouble in my town while exerting this much bloodlust... It appears that some people have taken liberties that weren't theirs to take, thinking I had abandoned this place. Ahhh, I never expected to have to kill today. Still, I'll give you all a choice : atone or join your friend"
The sentence was said with no emotions and yet, it carried the weight of mountains. The four goons had already soiled their pants and weren't able to move, paralyzed by fear.
"I'll take that as a yes. This is your new general. Disobey her, and you die. Fail to meet her demands, and you die. Try to take an extra inch of liberties, and you die. She'll introduce herself at the town-square. We'll see you there in an hour"
Eloise tried to muster back her composure, but it was gone. She was 26 years old, and had been praised as a genius of war tactics. This was why she had been promoted to general, even if she lacked proper experience.
After seeing Derrick being so merciless, she could only gulp and frankly... learn. Nobody would betray such a man, because doing so meant death.
If she could compare him to something, it would be to an iron fist that never flinched.
They found five more groups of thugs and killed someone in each one, making the rest beg for their lives.
The final death toll amounted to 6, but Derrick rejoiced as he had hit three birds with one stone.
First, he had gained six Death Warriors, bringing his total to 42. He had then gotten rid of 'mobs' and lastly, he had found more recruits to join the ranks of his army.
"Convey an assembly in the town-square"
Derrick gave the command to Lacha, who happily obliged.
In his absence, Jack had built a platform that overviewed the entire central plaza, improving his evaluation of the old man by quite a bit.
He was now on it with Lacha and the trio, who were puzzled as to what required their presence.
When everyone was finally gathered, Derrick's voice resounded throughout the area.
"Dear subjects! I was gone for a period of time to increase our capabilities, and some chose to oppose my decrees while I was away... Do you know what happened to them?"
His piercing eyes fell on those who had already been traumatized, and when they met his gaze, they powerlessly fell on their knees and started sobbing, stunning those around them.
"That's right... They died. I was clear before, and I'll make it clear again : those who follow me will get better lives, and those who don't will return to the earth. Now, enough of those pleasantries! I have gathered you here today to welcome three new and very important residents. First, meet your new General, Eloise Tornomi. She will take over the training regiment and military affairs. If anyone disobeys her, you know the drill. Next up, meet your new Blacksmith, Fomamli Trollfall. As you can see, he's a Dwarf, and if anyone disrespects him, they disrespect me. He'll be busy in a few projects for a while, but he'll be able to take your requests afterward. And last but not least, meet your new Scholar, William Enceworth. He will be in charge of education"
Derrick paused to let the crowd realize what he had just announced. This was a historic moment, one that could be qualified as the beginning of a new era, and from their reactions, he could tell that they understood as well.
The ones who had already been giving their all were now puffing their chests in pride, while those who had doubted lowered their heads in shame.
"With the introductions over, I'm also proud to announce that we will be creating three new institutions : army barracks, a forgery and a school. They will be headed by the three I previously mentioned"
The dwarf and the other two were shocked when they heard this. They would have establishments?!
The crowd loudly cheered when they heard this news, with some even tearing up.
They had never expected to see these facilities again after leaving their past Empires. This felt like they were getting their old lives back.
"More details will be posted on a board that will be placed in the town-square. For now, this is all I have to say"
With a slight bow, he exited the platform.
While walking away, a smile crept on his face.
"System, assign the role of General to Eloise Tornomi"
[Role assigned successfully! Bonus of 10% to all her stats]
"System, assign the role of Blacksmith to Fomamli Trollfall"
[Role assigned successfully! Success of creation increased by 10%]
"System, assign the role of Scholar to William Enceworth"
[Role assigned successfully! Cognitive memory increased by 10%]
It was time to get down to business.