"Oh, eh eh, I sense some slaughter in the distance, are the two little knights doing something?"
"It is but Ourlst baiting out ambushes, this tactic is not perfect, but seems to be working well enough at the moment" Loimos responded, turning to face the minor lord, the third one he had called over to the top of this tower of black iron.
First, it was Ourlon, the pale blade, and strongest of the minor lords, putting him in charge of conquering a realm where his capabilities would be especially valuable.
Then, it was Yuolrt, the lich druid, by far the most knowledgeable considering flora and fauna within the ranks of the undead empire, giving her the mission and opportunity to study the mysterious continent of Verdoyante.
And now, of the five other minor lords, Loimos had called up Herlbe, revenant of a lost goliath species, having first been reanimated through the grudge he held toward the empire for massacring his people countless years ago, now, the many-headed undead was amongst the most firmly loyal to the regime, mostly thanks to King Nitok's electrifying charisma and blinding strength.
Herlbe might not be the most powerful overall, or especially knowledgeable on any given subject, but when it came to pure, raw power and resilience, the revenant was unmatched amongst the minor lords, and his fighting style was not exactly basic either.
Nailed so deeply that it was basically a part of his own body, upon the left forearm, which size alone itself dwarfed entire people, Herlbe's arms and shoulders being exceptionally large and thick, and yet, the two-fanged claws attached upon the undead's limb reached all the way through his thick skin and durable bones, forged out a pale grey iron, the edges subtly jagged, allowing for his strikes to not cut right through and instead tear the target apart.
The two claws themselves were not directly set upon the flesh, instead, linked to more iron which acted like a cage around Herlbe's forearm, capable of acting as a gauntlet to defend with it if necessary, which was not exactly an usage the minor lord himself would often consider, back during the conquest of Viridis, he had held back all of the elemental champions whilst barely taking any damage, even magical attacks could hardly penetrate his hide.
As for his right arm, it was wrapped in chains of the same pale grey iron, different from the typical black iron that was the staple of the undead forges, this one was more so focused toward being much more resistant in exchange of a certain lack of sharpness and destructive potential, trading the offence and durability as the typical black iron would shatter under the strain.
Said chain completely covered the limb, and nearly completely covered his torso as well, serving as impromptu armour as otherwise, Herlbe only wore protective gear over his lower half.
Both of his weapon and armour were brand new, having barely seen usage just yet.
"General Loimos, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" getting down to one knee, knuckles wrapped in chains against the ground, all three of his main heads looking right at Loimos, as the most flagrant addition to his apparel brushed up against the ground, a vermillion cloak which size could liken it an entire rug with ease.
In truth, Herlbe was not expecting to be the next one called here, frankly, his work to grow his personal guard was the worth out of all seven minor lords, it just wasn't his thing, all undeads who had joined up with him were other goliaths of his kind turned undead and others that were especially impressed by his might, he had ever actually tried to form anything, it had just happened of its own.
So when tasked with actually forming his own army, he had found himself a bit lost.
Herlbe had heard that Ourlon and Yuolrt were given special tasks, so he was naturally expecting Loimos to give him a similar mission.
"I know that you believe your progress at constituting an elite unit pales in comparison to the rest, but let me reassure you, a difference in quantity is not that important, the sort of warriors you research is not a striking force with a variety of soldiers that can cover for each other's weaknesses, but rather a small group of powerhouses in the same vein as yourself, yes?" Loimos signalled for the revenant to stand up.
"Indeed… Is it not a problem? The sort of small army I am building would be incapable of maintaining occupation on a territory, only being suited for direct combat…"
"It is not, you are the only going for this route so deeply, and it is why I have called you here today, I have been made aware of a rather wide strip of land, not large enough to be called a continent, and not inhabiting many livings, but it is of great interest nonetheless" manifesting a representation of this land from rot, Loimos pointed to its center.
"Much like for Ourlon, at the heart of this island, there is a passage leading to another realm, however, unlike in Ourlon's case, in which the portal is remnant no longer in usage by the denizens of the realm, they are actively using it to go in and out, or at least, trying to"
"Their own realm seems devoid of nearly all energy sources, they do not possess mana and the likes naturally, they get quickly poisoned when they exit their own world, you are one that does not deal in energy manipulation, I saw it feat for you and your elites to be the ones to face those livings that can only rely on physical might"
"I see… I am honoured! I, Herlbe, will not squander your trust, General Loimos!" spreading his arms in delight, the revenant laughed boisterously.
"Those foul livings shall all be purged! When am I to embark on this mission?" clenching his fists, the minor lord felt a rush of exhilaration coursing through him, it had been too long since he had ripped livings to shreds.
"For now, still focus on building a few more of your own warriors, the invasion of such areas will only begin after Belliste is under our rule, until then, grow accustomed to this" as he said this, Loimos floated up, putting his index finger right up against the revenant's forehead.
A wave of information spreading into his mind, making all of his heads gasp in surprise.
"Is… Is this what Ourlon and Yuolrt received as well?"
"You could say so, although yours is more than just useful in one area, it is a weapon that you may use as you see fit outside of its first duty, but do not forget about the rest, Herlbe"
Nodding firmly, the minor lord leapt off the tower, eager to get back to work now that he had something to look forward to, a mission that guaranteed much slaughter and bloody glory.
All that Herlbe loved, both in life and in death, that is all that he ever enjoyed, which was why he had been rather easily made to become a loyal subject of King Nitok, no other monarch could promise as much massacre as The Prince Of Death himself.