Following Cairn into his house for a jacket Azrael suddenly had a thought and turned to Sophie.

“Stay here” he said “We’ll leave in ten minutes.” The less time she had to snoop around, the less information she could gather and the less trouble she would be.

Since he didn’t have anything that could really help him on an expedition at home, he stocked up here in the village. A new Jacket, a pouch, two water pouches and dried rations. He had his daggers with him, didn’t need a flint and steel due to [Fire Bullet] and he didn’t need a tent due to [Earth Shaping].

After the promised ten minutes he returned to the village square, only to see a large blue [Status] screen blinking out of existence. In the center of the crowd that had gathered near the status stone, he saw Sophie lift her hand off the plate. He paled. There was no way that any gamer would mistake that for what it was.

Now that she knew about its existence, he had to find a way to stop her from spreading the news. Its discovery meant the end of peaceful days. He could already see the players swarming here, the guilds fighting wars for… No! He wasn’t going to let that happen. He wasn’t going to destroy his own work either. That was like admitting that he was afraid and that they had won.

Steeling himself Azrael marched over to the group. The villagers shied away from him, while Sophie still looked at the status stone, amazed.

“I thought I told you to stay” he asked. A bit of anger seeped into his voice, causing Sophie to back away.

Congratulations!

By intimidating your opponent you have learnt the skill [Intimidation].

He mentally pushed it away and continued walking towards Sophie.

Congratulations!

For successfully intimidating an opponent you have gained a level in [Intimidation].

[Intimidation] (Lv. 1) has advanced to [Intimidation] (Lv. 2)

He stood before her. “Do you know what you just did?” he asked “The danger you just put this village in?”

Congratulations!

For successfully intimidating an opponent you have gained a level in [Intimidation].

[Intimidation] (Lv. 2) has advanced to [Intimidation] (Lv. 3)

Sophie tried to answer, but before she could Azrael cut in again, knowing full well what she had been planning to say “You might promise to keep it a secret, but can you guarantee it?” The kitsune visibly shrunk, wilting before his gaze. There was nothing she could say and she knew it.

Congratulations!

For successfully intimidating an…

Congratulations!

For successfully…

Congratulations!

For…

He ignored the notifications in favour of a response. He saw something die in her gaze.

“No” She replied honestly.

“Then make an oath” he said “Will you make an oath with your life on the line, to swear before the monument of the Lord, guardian and protector of the End Forest, to hold your silence of this village and everything you saw here.”

He stepped forward, not needing a notification to know that he had successfully intimidated her. But despite that, he saw conflicting emotions warring across her face. If his guess was right, then she belonged to a guild of sorts. He wasn’t sure what her position was, but the existence of the status stone was a powerful gamechanger. Knowing your skills and when and how they levelled, was… he wasn’t even sure how other players had survived this long. It would have driven him mad.

Sophie finally spoke up “I-I… I do”.

[Oath of Eternal Silence]

There are deeper ways to be bound then by blood.

You have fulfilled an [Oath of Eternal Silence] with the individual ‘Sophie.

Sophie is forbidden of ever speaking of this encounter with the village, or what she has seen within it, on pain of death.

[This oath cannot be broken]

Congratulations!

Due to the influence of {Oath Maker}, the God of Death has presided over this oath.

Azrael saw Sophie visibly gasp, as the oath bound itself to her soul. What he found interesting was the effect of his wording. For Alena he had made her swear on her true name, while Sophie swore on her life. One bound the two, while the other offered one sided retribution from Death.

It was the best he could think of at the moment. Unlike Alena there was no soul link, but he could still feel the effects of the oath, knowing that she hadn’t broken it.

Azrael smiled at the kitsune, who had collapsed to the ground by now and allowed [Intimidation] to fade away. Ever the gentleman, he offered a hand.

“Shall we go?” he asked. The sooner he got her out of the village the sooner he could avoid things like this and the sooner they would be able to find the dragon. If worst came to worst, he hoped that Dragons accepted kitsune as a snack.

***

Sophie gulped as she accepted the hand of Sam, although she was beginning to doubt his identity as son of the chief. The way he grinned down at her was more predatory than benevolent. Even most the villagers seemed to shy away from him. She accepted his hand simply because her knees were shaking and she didn’t want to embarrass herself anymore.

Watching Sam smile and wave to the villagers, she followed him into the forest. Seeing him smile now she began to doubt some of what she had seen earlier, but her bones still shook when she looked at him.

From rude and protective son of the village chief, he had changed to a domineering figure, forcing her to accept an oath. Whether that was his power, the power of the Lord of the End Forest, or some higher power, she didn’t know, but whatever it was she could feel her oath engraved on her soul, threatening to end her life if she even thought of speaking a word about the village.

For a player knowing their [Status] was incredibly valuable and seeing hers had been… enlightening. She saw his smile and briefly wondered if she hadn’t entered in a deal with the devil, by promising to keep the status plate a secret, but then shook her head.

She knew that if she revealed the village and its treasure to anyone, then they would march here and take it by force. Unlike many other players she actually cared about the NPCs. They were so human that it was difficult not to see them as such. She knew that the others in her guild didn’t hold the same reservations as she did.

Keeping the village and status plate secret didn’t change anything for them anyway. They didn’t know that it existed. Since she couldn’t mention it now due to the oath, it was still as if it didn’t exist for them. Therefore, her slip up didn’t matter, results mattered. Perhaps she could have managed it better, finding a loophole in the wording, but it was too late now. If she could find the dragon, then all would be forgiven, she would have proven her worth. Everything for the might of the Holy Empire.