Brandon marched down the street, the crowds parting for him. He entered his favorite tavern and sat down.

"Get me a white honey, Charlie" Brandon requested.

"Coming right up, Zara!" The bartender, Charlie, called for his waitress, A voluptuous Fylox. Zara came back from around the corner. She had brown hair with animal-like furry ears on the top of her head and green eyes. She wore the tavern's short skirt uniform. She has a bushy brown-furred tail swaying behind her.

"Take these to table three" Charlie slid four mugs of ale on a tray to the Fylox girl. She nodded and did her duty without a word.

"These second-generation Fylox's are a lot more agreeable," Charlie said. Filling Brandon's mug.

"That's usually the case, the wild ones will usually remain savage. Only when they grow up in civilization do they appreciate what humanity does for them."

"Not the Burrowers" Charlie said with a grunt.

Brandon sighed. "Unfortunately not all are as agreeable as the Fylox. The Faerin still refuse to speak the proper language, except for a select few. The Burrowers still try to claw their way back to savagery, and the Noks, despite seven generations now, still have their barbarism."

"The Noks?" Charlie asked.

"A brutal species, you probably haven't heard of them because they are kept in camps, deemed too savage to be released in cities," Brandon replied.

Zara came back and relayed an order from another table.

"What about the rebellion? I heard white peak castle has been annihilated" Charlie asked, changing the subject.

"Those damnable traitors are showing the lesser races a bad example." Brandon grimaced and took a large gulp of his drink. "We've put down five cities so far, I only wish the Emperor would give me a chance to earn glory and honor for the Empire."

"And what of this 'Champion' I keep hearing about? I heard he bested three Oathbound in single combat."

There was a long silence between them.

"He... '' Brandon looked for the correct words to say "Managed to use underhanded tactics to take advantage of our honor, but even so, he cannot slay an immortal. We Oathbound can only die by the Emperor's hand, after all. He also fought one Oathbound at a time, not all three at once"

A man joined the two, He had black hair and black eyes. Brandon nodded toward him "Jake"

"Traitors have no honor!" Jake spat. "It's only a matter of time until you guys get him"

"Indeed it is, Jake. Those who reject the Emperor's guidance for selfish reasons must be put down. For the sake of all beings. If we let them fester they'll start letting the lesser races return to savagery or enslave them, likely both."

"That they will, Brandon," Charlie said.

Zara came up for more orders.

Just then a man in majestic plate, glowing with enchantment etchings and fluttering cape entered the tavern. Brandon recognized the Oathbound armor. Zara made way for him with a bow.

"Brother Ardan, what brings you here?"

"The Emperor has a mission for you. Stoneport has joined the rebels and the spies settled in Gemkeep have stopped their reports. Put down the traitors and investigate Gemkeep" Ardan said in his deep voice.

"They will not see the dawn of tomorrow" Brandon promised.

Although Stoneport was hundreds of kilometers away, for an Oathbound it's a half-hour flight or run. For Brandon however, it's only ten minutes. After stepping outside of the tavern he jumped up to the clouds as a bolt of lightning and dashed through the air, his trailing lightning rumbling to announce his passing.

Brandon stopped above the city square, where a man was addressing the masses.

"We will have freedom from the tyranny of the Emperor! We will take our place in the world and force the empire to meet our dema-" The man became a red mist as a bolt of lightning struck him. In his place stood Brandon.

"No traitor will leave alive!" Brandon announced. To him, anyone who stood to listen to the raving of a mad man for longer than a minute has proven their lack of loyalty.

Brandon drew his soul blade high and channeled his mana. Lighting jumped from the blade into the sky before raining death upon all who was in his presence. Charred bodies hit the ground.

Brandon left the lesser races alive. The Fyloxs, the Klars, the Lhai, and the few other races who've adapted to civilization. It's not their fault, Humanity is their shepherds. Should the flock be slaughtered for the misguidance of their shepherds? Of course not.

Brandon activated the enchantment on his Oathbound badge.

"All who reject the Emperor's guidance will die! This is your only warning, your only chance at mercy! Accept his Majesty's guidance or die!" Brandon's voice boomed over the town. Many had been lied to, but Brandon had not the time to correct that, A show of force would be necessary.

Brandon rose into the air, lightning sparking all around him. "This is the power of the Oathbound! This is what the Emperor's guidance can bring you!"

Lightning streaked across the sky as all of the mana in a kilometer radius gathered in Brandon's sword, a halo of raw energy forming around its blade guard. With a swing of his sword and a deafening rumble, lightning struck at a hill, between Stoneport and Gemkeep. The hill glowed red for a split second before disintegrating, leaving a molten pool of lava.

Brandon then flew off to the nearby gem mine and the settlement around it.

Brandon landed in the square to a scene of blood and gore. Bodies, or what's left of them lay scattered throughout the streets. Walls of houses had been broken into and half-eaten corpses lay in them.

Only human bodies are eaten. Brandon observed. The Burrowers, Fyloxes, Klars and the less common mine town lesser races are whole, only killed with five long sharp claws.

It was eerily quiet. No smoke from chimneys rose in the sky. No guards patrolled the walls. Not a single sound came from the city.

The hairs on Brandon's neck stood up, and an instinctual fear shivered down his spine.

"What have they done?!"

* * *

Jordan entered the Faerin cage, the Palaces' own personal source of honey. Faerins flew around the cage chittering in their uncivilized language. All attempts to rid them of the bad habit had ended in failure.

A humanoid creature with large, gorgeous, butterfly-like wings with mesmerizing patterns flew close, chittering the same thing all of their kind does when he walked by. Their antennas twitching to his presence.

Jordan for the most part ignored them and walked through the garden of towering flowers. Taken from the Forest of Illusions these plants sustain the Faerin.

Jordan walked to several large pouches filled with a golden liquid one could see through the transparent membrane. The Faerin produces these sacks after feeding on the flower's nectar.

Jordan noted the decrease in production and walked off. The membranes break easily and specialized tenders had to harvest them safely so as to not waste them.

Jordan visited the servant's lounge where the maids rested after tending to the needs of the palace. Jordan noted the average of new Fylox on break. The older maids talking to the newer additions.

It was remarkable how easily the second generation Fylox are taking to civilization, despite the resistance their parents gave to keep their barbarism and savagery. When Jordan had found their warring tribes deep in the endless jungle he had marked them as unfit for society and domestic work, and now, they are among the favorites. More akin to a fad but that has helped them become more integrated in society. With higher demand comes higher pay. Many find their furry ears and tail as cute, much like how people find the popular Forrons adorable. The eyeless animals and their four large ears and two bushy tails had even warmed Jordan's heart.

In fact, the similarities of Fylox ears and tails and the Forron's are unmistakable. The Jungle had large man-sized Forrons too, with large saber fangs that make the domestic small Forrons look harmless. But it makes sense the jungle Forrons would be large. Their rodent prey is fairly massive too.

Jordan inspected the armory, pleased to see two diligent Fylox's polishing the armors and weapons. Lastly, he inspected the Guard's lounge, finding no slackers taking longer breaks than they should. Jordan expected as much. This was the palace after all, not some remote town militia.

Jordan returned to his quarters to finalize his inventory report. As the quartermaster of the Oathbound and the palace, he took his job very seriously. After serving a hundred and eighty years as an oathbound he had retired from that line of work to pursue his hobby and manage the lesser races. Naturally, he took the job of quartermaster, an oathbound is always in service of the Emperor. Just because he's no longer fighting in battles and earning glory and honor for his Emperor doesn't mean he should not still be in service to the one who built their great empire.

Ting! A great entity, Oathbound Brandon the Human, has been slain by a Kodoku Cannibal!

It took Jordan a few seconds to process. Oathbound is the very pinnacle of humanity, one able to push both their race and class to legendary tier, becoming immortal and a great being. Even their order has been recognized as a title by the system. For there to be a cursed entity, that is unthinkable! Who would resort to such a thing?!

A series of knocks came at Jordan's door.

"Oathbound Jordan!" A palace guard called through the door. "The Emperor has called for all Oathbound, meet in the throne room!"

Jordan sighed. He knew this would come. Most of the Oathbound would be sent to slay the cursed being, and more would be lost in that battle. This would deal a great blow to their reputation. Oathbound are supposed to be unkillable. Now the traitors will know that the Oathbound can be killed. Not by mortal means, cursed ones are exceptions after all, as is the Emperor.

Jordan joined the gathering Oathbound in the throne room. The Emperor sat on the golden throne, geared up in his legendary armor. The sheer amount of power radiating from the strongest human overshadowed his own. Any mortal would suffer from mana toxicity from the emperor's presence.

"You all received a message, a cursed being has been created," The Emperor said. Once all oathbound members arrived. "Young Brandon was tasked to put down the rebellion in Stoneport and to investigate the happenings in Gemkeep. The cannibal should be in that area"

"""We will not fail you, your majesty!""" the Oathbound said in unison. All expect to be sent out, even if some must remain to protect the palace.

"This is a greater cannibal, my loyal warriors, a Kodoku Cannibal. Its power may very well rival my own, as such, I will be going with you."

"""It will be an honor to fight by your side!""" Most would kill to get a chance to fight by the Emperor's side, to see him in action.

"Some of you will need to stay behind, to protect the palace for our victorious return and defend the capitol in these troubling times, who will volunteer for this task"

The silence was deafening for a few moments before Jordan spoke up stepping forward. "I will, your majesty! I will prepare a feast and parade for when you return!" It's not that Jordan was afraid of the cannibal, nor a coward. He'd love nothing more than to be by his majesty's side, but as quartermaster, this is his duty.

No one questioned Jordan's bravery. All knew that someone had to stay behind.

"There needs to be three more to stay," The Emperor said, waiting for more volunteers. After another moment of silence, another volunteered to stay, stepping forward as well. Then another, and the last spoke up after more silence.

"It warms my heart that you would forgo glory in order to protect the people and the rule of the Empire. It takes courage to put your duty above all else, I am ever grateful for your sacrifice" The Emperor said to the four volunteers. And with that over eighty Oathbound left to slay the cursed being. Out of a hundred Oathbound, one is dead. Four stayed behind and fifteen are on a mission.