Chapter 149: A King’s Ransom
The silence that fell over the plaza was heavier than any scream. The last of Ragnar’s vanquished army vanished over the hill, leaving behind a field of their dead and wounded. Nox’s own fledgling army, the collection of players who had sworn him fealty out of fear, just stared from behind their makeshift barricades. Their terror hadn’t vanished, but now it was mixed with something else, something potent: awe.
Elisa stomped back into the plaza, her warhammer dripping with gore, a savage grin plastered on her face. "Now that was a proper fight! Those northern boys hit hard, but they break easy." She looked around at the carnage. "So, do we chase them down? Finish them off?"
"No," Nox said, his voice quiet but carrying across the silent plaza. "Let them run. Let them spread the word." He turned to face his followers. "Let them tell everyone what happens when you challenge the authority of Portentia."
He walked over to where Ragnar lay in a crumpled, unconscious heap. The hulking berserker was still breathing, his chest rising and falling in ragged gasps. Nox nudged him with the toe of his boot.
"He is still alive," Serian said, walking up beside him. Her face was pale, but her eyes were clear and steady. "What are you going to do with him?"
’Kill him,’ the old Nox would have thought. ’He’s a rival. A threat. Eliminate him.’ But the new Nox, the one with Liona’s cool logic humming in his mind, saw a different path.
[Analysis: The entity ’Ragnar’ is a high-value asset,] Liona stated. [His elimination would provide a significant EXP and Flag reward. However, his capture offers a greater strategic advantage. He is a respected leader among the northern clans. His subjugation could be used to absorb his remaining forces.]
’Subjugation,’ Nox thought, a slow, cold smile touching his lips. ’I like that word.’
"Take him prisoner," Nox commanded, gesturing to a few of the braver players who were now cautiously emerging from behind the barricades. "Strip him of his weapons and armor. Lock him in the courthouse basement." He looked down at Ragnar’s Royal Flag, which lay on the ground beside him. He picked it up.
[Royal Flag of the Wolf-Kin acquired.]
[Absorb? Y/N]
He didn’t absorb it. He just held it in his hand.